Adjusting survival estimates for premature transmitter failure: A case study from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Christopher M. Holbrook, Russell W. Perry, Patricia L. Brandes, Noah S. Adams
2013, Environmental Biology of Fishes (96) 165-173
In telemetry studies, premature tag failure causes negative bias in fish survival estimates because tag failure is interpreted as fish mortality. We used mark-recapture modeling to adjust estimates of fish survival for a previous study where premature tag failure was documented. High rates of tag failure occurred during the Vernalis...
Water quality in the Anacostia River, Maryland and Rock Creek, Washington, D.C.: Continuous and discrete monitoring with simulations to estimate concentrations and yields of nutrients, suspended sediment, and bacteria
Cherie V. Miller, Jeffrey G. Chanat, Joseph M. Bell
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1034
Concentrations and loading estimates for nutrients, suspended sediment, and E. coli bacteria were summarized for three water-quality monitoring stations on the Anacostia River in Maryland and one station on Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. Both streams are tributaries to the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and contribute...
An ecohydraulic model to identify and monitor moapa dace habitat
James R. Hatten, Thomas R. Batt, Gayton G. Scoppettone, Christopher J. Dixon
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) is a critically endangered thermophilic minnow native to the Muddy River ecosystem in southeastern Nevada, USA. Restricted to temperatures between 26.0 and 32.0°C, these fish are constrained to the upper two km of the Muddy River and several small tributaries fed by warm springs. Habitat alterations,...
Potential effects of changes in temperature and food resources on life history trajectories of juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss
Joseph R. Benjamin, Patrick J. Connolly, Jason G. Romine, Russell W. Perry
2013, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (142) 208-220
Increasing temperatures and changes in food resources owing to climate change may alter the growth and migratory behavior of organisms. This is particularly important for salmonid species like Oncorhynchus mykiss, where some individuals remain in freshwater to mature (nonanadromous Rainbow Trout) and others migrate to sea (anadromous Steelhead). Whether one...
Predictive models for Escherichia coli concentrations at inland lake beaches and relationship of model variables to pathogen detection
Donna S. Francy, Erin A. Stelzer, Joseph W. Duris, Amie M. G. Brady, John H. Harrison, Heather E. Johnson, Michael W. Ware
2013, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (79) 1676-1688
Predictive models, based on environmental and water quality variables, have been used to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water quality assessments, but their effectiveness has not been studied in inland waters. Sampling at eight inland recreational lakes in Ohio was done in order to investigate using predictive models...
Community exposure to tsunami hazards in California
Nathan J. Wood, Jamie Ratliff, Jeff Peters
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5222
Evidence of past events and modeling of potential events suggest that tsunamis are significant threats to low-lying communities on the California coast. To reduce potential impacts of future tsunamis, officials need to understand how communities are vulnerable to tsunamis and where targeted outreach, preparedness, and mitigation efforts may be warranted....
Development of flood profiles and flood-inundation maps for the Village of Killbuck, Ohio
Chad J. Ostheimer
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1032
Digital flood-inundation maps for a reach of Killbuck Creek near the Village of Killbuck, Ohio, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Holmes County, Ohio. The inundation maps depict estimates of the areal extent of flooding corresponding to water levels (stages) at the USGS streamgage Killbuck...
Hydrogeologic framework and estimates of groundwater storage for the Hualapai Valley, Detrital Valley, and Sacramento Valley basins, Mohave County, Arizona
Margot Truini, L. Sue Beard, Jeffrey Kennedy, Dave W. Anning
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5275
We have investigated the hydrogeology of the Hualapai Valley, Detrital Valley, and Sacramento Valley basins of Mohave County in northwestern Arizona to develop a better understanding of groundwater storage within the basin fill aquifers. In our investigation we used geologic maps, well-log data, and geophysical surveys to delineate the sedimentary...
Effects of recent climate variability on groundwater levels in eastern Arkansas
John B. Czarnecki, T.P. Schrader
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5258
Water-level fluctuations in wells completed in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in eastern Arkansas were compared to variability in annual precipitation, an indicator of climate variability. The wettest year on record in Little Rock, Arkansas, occurred in 2009 with 81.79 inches of precipitation compared to an average of 47.1...
Groundwater resources of the Wood River Valley, Idaho--A groundwater-flow model for resource management
James Bartolino, Sean Vincent
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3005
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR), will use the current understanding of the Wood River Valley aquifer system to construct a MODFLOW numerical groundwater-flow model to simulate potential anthropogenic and climatic effects on groundwater and surface-water resources. This model will serve...
Mass fractionation of noble gases in synthetic methane hydrate: Implications for naturally occurring gas hydrate dissociation
Andrew G. Hunt, Laura Stern, John W. Pohlman, Carolyn Ruppel, Richard J. Moscati, Gary P. Landis
2013, Chemical Geology (339) 242-250
As a consequence of contemporary or longer term (since 15 ka) climate warming, gas hydrates in some settings may presently be dissociating and releasing methane and other gases to the ocean-atmosphere system. A key challenge in assessing the impact of dissociating gas hydrates on global atmospheric methane is the lack...
Flood-inundation maps for an 8.9-mile reach of the South Fork Little River at Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Jeremiah G. Lant
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3242
Digital flood-inundation maps for an 8.9-mile reach of South Fork Little River at Hopkinsville, Kentucky, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Hopkinsville Community Development Services. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at...
Paleoseismology of a newly discovered scarp in the Yakima fold-and-thrust belt, Kittitas County, Washington
Elizabeth A. Barnett, Brian L. Sherrod, Robert Norris, Douglas Gibbons
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3212
The Boylston Mountains anticlinal ridge is one of several that are cored by rocks of the Columbia River Basalt Group and, with the interceding synclinal valleys, constitute the Yakima fold-and-thrust belt of central Washington. Lidar data acquired from the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center reveal a prominent, northwest-side-up, 65°- to...
Tracking and forecasting the Nation’s water quality - Priorities and strategies for 2013-2023
Gary L. Rowe, Robert J. Gilliom, Michael D. Woodside
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3008
Water-quality issues facing the Nation are growing in number and complexity, and solutions are becoming more challenging and costly. Key factors that affect the quality of our drinking water supplies and ecosystem health include contaminants of human and natural origin in streams and groundwater; excess nutrients and sediment; alteration of...
Mapping, monitoring, and modeling Western Gateway Community landscape dynamics
D. J. Hester
2013, Fact Sheet 2012-3141
Federal public lands in the western United States are becoming increasingly surrounded by Gateway Communities. These communities are undergoing landscape change due to population growth, economic growth, and the resulting land-use development. Socioeconomic, demographic, and land-use changes in Gateway Communities are often perceived as threats to Federal land resources, natural...
Model documentation for relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in the North Fork Ninnescah River upstream from Cheney Reservoir, south-central Kansas, 1999--2009
Mandy L. Stone, Jennifer L. Graham, Jackline W. Gatotho
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1014
Cheney Reservoir in south-central Kansas is one of the primary sources of water for the city of Wichita. The North Fork Ninnescah River is the largest contributing tributary to Cheney Reservoir. The U.S. Geological Survey has operated a continuous real-time water-quality monitoring station since 1998 on the North Fork Ninnescah...
Environmental correlates of upstream migration of yellow-phase American eels in the Potomac River drainage
Stuart A. Welsh, Heather L. Liller
2013, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (142) 483-491
Assessing the relationships between upstream migration and environmental variables is important to understanding the ecology of yellow-phase American Eels Anguilla rostrata. During an American Eel migration study within the lower Shenandoah River (Potomac River drainage), we counted and measured American Eels at the Millville Dam eel ladder for three periods: 14...
Water-level and storage changes in the High Plains aquifer, predevelopment to 2011 and 2009-11
Virginia L. McGuire
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5291
The High Plains aquifer underlies 111.8 million acres (175,000 square miles) in parts of eight States--Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Water-level declines began in parts of the High Plains aquifer soon after the beginning of substantial irrigation with groundwater in the aquifer area. This...
Potential reductions of street solids and phosphorus in urban watersheds from street cleaning, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2009-11
Jason R. Sorenson
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5292
Material accumulating and washing off urban street surfaces and ultimately into stormwater drainage systems represents a substantial nonpoint source of solids, phosphorus, and other constituent loading to waterways in urban areas. Cost and lack of usable space limit the type and number of structural stormwater source controls available to municipalities...
Aquatic assessment of the Pike Hill Copper Mine Superfund site, Corinth, Vermont
Nadine M. Piatak, Denise M. Argue, Robert R. Seal II, Richard G. Kiah, John M. Besser, James F. Coles, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Denise M. Levitan, Jeffrey R. Deacon, Christopher G. Ingersoll
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5288
The Pike Hill Copper Mine Superfund site in Corinth, Orange County, Vermont, includes the Eureka, Union, and Smith mines along with areas of downstream aquatic ecosystem impairment. The site was placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) National Priorities List in 2004. The mines, which operated from about 1847...
Prediction of suspended-sediment concentrations at selected sites in the Fountain Creek watershed, Colorado, 2008-09
Stogner, Jonathan M. Nelson, Richard R. McDonald, Paul J. Kinzel, David P. Mau
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5102
In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Springs City Engineering, and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, began a small-scale pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a computational model of streamflow...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Madera, Chowchilla Study Unit, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Jennifer L. Shelton, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz, Bryant C. Jurgens
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5094
Groundwater quality in the approximately 860-square-mile Madera and Chowchilla Subbasins (Madera-Chowchilla study unit) of the San Joaquin Valley Basin was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in California's Central Valley region in parts of...
Volcano crisis response at Yellowstone volcanic complex - after-action report for exercise held at Salt Lake City, Utah, November 15, 2011
Thomas C. Pierson, Carolyn L. Driedger, Robert I. Tilling
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1018
A functional tabletop exercise was run on November 14-15, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to test crisis response capabilities, communication protocols, and decision-making by the staff of the multi-agency Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) as they reacted to a hypothetical exercise scenario of accelerating volcanic unrest at the Yellowstone caldera....
On the halophytic nature of mangroves
Ken W. Krauss, Marilyn C. Ball
2013, Trees: Structure and Function (27) 7-11
Scientists have discussed the halophytic nature of intertidal plants for decades, and have generally suggested that inherent differentiation of an obligate halophyte from a facultative halophyte relates strongly to whether the plant can survive in fresh water, and not much else. In this mini-review, we provide additional insight to support...
Assessment of macroinvertebrate communities in adjacent urban stream basins, Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area, 2007 through 2011
Eric D. Christensen, Heather M. Krempa
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5284
Macroinvertebrates were collected as part of two separate urban water-quality studies from adjacent basins, the Blue River Basin (Kansas City, Missouri), the Little Blue River and Rock Creek Basins (Independence, Missouri), and their tributaries. Consistent collection and processing procedures between the studies allowed for statistical comparisons. Seven Blue River Basin...
