Statistical relations of salt and selenium loads to geospatial characteristics of corresponding subbasins of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers in Colorado
Kenneth J. Leib, Joshua I. Linard, Cory A. Williams
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5003
Elevated loads of salt and selenium can impair the quality of water for both anthropogenic and natural uses. Understanding the environmental processes controlling how salt and selenium are introduced to streams is critical to managing and mitigating the effects of elevated loads. Dominant relations between salt and selenium loads and...
A unifying model for planform straightness of ripples and dunes in air and water
David M. Rubin
2012, Earth-Science Reviews (113) 176-185
Geologists, physicists, and mathematicians have studied ripples and dunes for more than a century, but despite considerable effort, no general model has been proposed to explain perhaps the most fundamental property of their morphology: why are some bedforms straight, continuous, parallel, and uniform in planform geometry (i.e. two-dimensional) whereas others...
Flood pulsing in the Sudd wetland: analysis of seasonal variations in 2 inundation and evapotranspiration in Southern Sudan
Gabriel B. Senay, L-M. Rebelo, M.P. McCartney
2012, Earth Interactions (16) 1-19
Located on the Bahr el Jebel in South Sudan, the Sudd is one of the largest floodplain wetlands in the world. Seasonal inundation drives the hydrologic, geomorphological, and ecological processes, and the annual flood pulse is essential to the functioning of the Sudd. Despite the importance of the flood pulse,...
Structural stability of coprecipitated natural organic matter and ferric iron under reducing conditions
Yumiko K. Henneberry, Tamara E.C. Kraus, Peter S. Nico, William R. Horwath
2012, Organic Geochemistry (48) 81-89
The objective was to assess the interaction of Fe coprecipitated with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its effect on Fe (hydr)oxide crystallinity and DOM retention under abiotic reducing conditions. A Fe-based coagulant was reacted with DOM from an agricultural drain and the resulting precipitate (floc) was exposed to S(-II) and...
Annual estimates of water and solute export from 42 tributaries to the Yukon River
Frederick Zanden, Suzanne P. Anderson, Robert G. Striegl
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 1949-1961
Annual export of 11 major and trace solutes for the Yukon River is found to be accurately determined based on summing 42 tributary contributions. These findings provide the first published estimates of tributary specific distribution of solutes within the Yukon River basin. First, we show that annual discharge of the...
Since “Groundwater and surface water–A single resource”: some U.S. Geological Survey advances in modeling groundwater/surface-water interactions
Daniel T. Feinstein
2012, Acque Sotterranee: Italian Journal of Groundwater (1) 9-24
Field and interpretive studies conducted by T.C. Winter and U.S. Geological Survey colleagues, and summarized in the 1998 publication “Groundwater and Surface Water – A Single Resource”, inspired a new generation of research centered on extensions of the groundwater-flow code MODFLOW to more sophisticated simulation of coupled...
Radar analysis of fall bird migration stopover sites in the Northeastern U.S.
Jeffrey J. Butler, Deanna K. Dawson
2012, Report
The national network of weather surveillance radars (WSR-88D/NEXRAD) detects birds in flight, and has proven to be a useful remote-sensing tool for ornithological study. We used data collected during Fall 2008 and 2009 by 16 WSR-88D and 3 terminal Doppler weather radars in the northeastern U.S. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Flow-adjusted trends in dissolved selenium load and concentration in the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers near Grand Junction, Colorado, water years 1986--2008
John W. Mayo, Kenneth J. Leib
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5088
As a result of elevated selenium concentrations, many western Colorado rivers and streams are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010 Colorado 303(d) list, including the main stem of the Colorado River from the Gunnison River confluence to the Utah border. Selenium is a trace metal that bioaccumulates in aquatic...
The offshore export of sand during exceptional discharge from California rivers
Jonathan A. Warrick, Patrick L. Barnard
2012, Geology (40) 787-790
Littoral cells along active tectonic margins receive large inputs of sand and gravel from coastal watersheds and commonly lose this sediment to submarine canyons. One hypothesis is that the majority of coarse (sand and gravel) river sediment discharge will be emplaced within and immediately “resupply” local littoral cells. A competing...
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
Johnathan R. Bumgarner, Gregory P. Stanton, Andrew Teeple, Jonathan V. Thomas, Natalie A. Houston, Jason Payne, MaryLynn Musgrove
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5124
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers, which include the Pecos Valley, Igneous, Dockum, Rustler, and Capitan Reef aquifers, was developed as the second phase of a groundwater availability study in the Pecos County region in west Texas. The first...
Seasonal patterns in nutrients, carbon, and algal responses in wadeable streams within three geographically distinct areas of the United States, 2007-08
Kathy Lee, David L. Lorenz, James C. Petersen, John B. Greene
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5086
The U.S. Geological Survey determined seasonal variability in nutrients, carbon, and algal biomass in 22 wadeable streams over a 1-year period during 2007 or 2008 within three geographically distinct areas in the United States. The three areas are the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMIS) in Minnesota, the Ozark Plateaus (ORZK)...
Novel praziquantel treatment regime for controlling Asian tapeworm infections in pond-reared fish
Alison C. Iles, Thomas P. Archdeacon, Scott A. Bonar
2012, North American Journal of Aquaculture (74) 113-117
The Asian tapeworm Bothriocephalus achelognathii is an intestinal fish parasite that is nonnative to but widespread throughout the southwestern United States. Praziquantel is an anthelminthic drug commonly used to treat fish for Asian tapeworm; however, it does not kill tapeworm eggs, so the water in ponds used for fish rearing...
Perils of correlating CUSUM-transformed variables to infer ecological relationships (Breton et al. 2006; Glibert 2010)
James E. Cloern, Alan D. Jassby, Jacob Carstensen, William A. Bennett, Wim Kimmerer, Ralph Mac Nally, David H. Schoellhamer, Monika Winder
2012, Limnology and Oceanography (57) 665-668
We comment on a nonstandard statistical treatment of time-series data first published by Breton et al. (2006) in Limnology and Oceanography and, more recently, used by Glibert (2010) in Reviews in Fisheries Science. In both papers, the authors make strong inferences about the underlying causes of population variability based on...
Transverse mixing of simulated piscicides in small montane streams
Peter J. Brown, Jenifer L. Ard, Alexander V. Zale
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 353-356
Thorough mixing of piscicides into receiving waters is important for efficient and effective fish eradication. However, no guidance exists for the placement of drip stations with respect to mixing. Salt (NaCl) was used as a tracer to measure the mixing rates of center versus edge applications in riffle–pool, straight, and...
Hydrologic index development and application to selected Coastwide Reference Monitoring System sites and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects
Gregg A. Snedden, Erick M. Swenson
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1122
Hourly time-series salinity and water-level data are collected at all stations within the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) network across coastal Louisiana. These data, in addition to vegetation and soils data collected as part of CRMS, are used to develop a suite of metrics and indices to assess wetland condition...
Chesapeake Bay Watershed - Protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through science, restoration, and partnership
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, General Information Product 142
The Chesapeake Bay, the Nation's largest estuary, has been degraded due to the impact of human-population increase, which has doubled since 1950, resulting in degraded water quality, loss of habitat, and declines in populations of biological communities. Since the mid-1980s, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), a multi-agency partnership which includes...
Groundwater flow and water budget in the surficial and Floridan aquifer systems in east-central Florida
Nicasio Sepulveda, Claire R. Tiedeman, Andrew M. O’Reilly, Jeffery B. Davis, Patrick Burger
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1132
A numerical transient model of the surficial and Floridan aquifer systems in east-central Florida was developed to (1) increase the understanding of water exchanges between the surficial and the Floridan aquifer systems, (2) assess the recharge rates to the surficial aquifer system from infiltration through the unsaturated zone and (3)...
Sources of suspended sediment in the Waikele watershed, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Scot K. Izuka
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5085
Data from streamflow/sediment gages and measurements of changes in channel-bed sediment storage were gathered between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2010, to assess the sources of suspended sediment in the Waikele watershed, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Streamflow from the watershed averaged 33 cubic feet per second during the study period, with...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary of program direction
Gregory I. Snyder
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3089
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative responds to a growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA), which was completed in 2011, clearly documented this need within government and industry sectors....
Nutrient concentrations and loads in the northeastern United States - Status and trends, 1975-2003
Elaine C. Todd Trench, Richard B. Moore, Elizabeth A. Ahearn, John R. Mullaney, R. Edward Hickman, Gregory E. Schwarz
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5114
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) began regional studies in 2003 to synthesize information on nutrient concentrations, trends, stream loads, and sources. In the northeastern United States, a study area that extends from Maine to central Virginia, nutrient data were evaluated for 130 USGS water-quality monitoring...
Nutrient and suspended-sediment trends, loads, and yields and development of an indicator of streamwater quality at nontidal sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, 1985-2010
Michael Langland, Joel Blomquist, Douglas Moyer, Kenneth Hyer
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5093
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) updates information on loads of, and trends in, nutrients and sediment annually to help the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) investigators assess progress toward improving water-quality conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. CBP scientists and managers have worked since 1983 to improve water quality...
Brook trout movement in response to temperature, flow, and thermal refugia within a complex Appalachian riverscape
J. Todd Petty, Jeff L. Hansbarger, Brock M. Huntsman, Patricia M. Mazik
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 1060-1073
We quantified movements of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta in a complex riverscape characterized by a large, open-canopy main stem and a small, closed-canopy tributary in eastern West Virginia, USA. Our objectives were to quantify the overall rate of trout movement and relate movement behaviors to...
The macroecology of sustainability
Joseph R. Burger, Craig D. Allen, James H. Brown, William R. Burnside, Ana D. Davidson, Trevor S. Fristoe, Marcus J. Hamilton, Norman Mercado-Silva, Jeffrey C. Nekola, Jordan G. Okie, Wenyun Zuo
2012, PLoS Biology (10)
The discipline of sustainability science has emerged in response to concerns of natural and social scientists, policymakers, and lay people about whether the Earth can continue to support human population growth and economic prosperity. Yet, sustainability science has developed largely independently from and with little reference to key ecological principles...
Dynamics of Potamopyrgus antipodarum infestations and seasonal water temperatures in a heavily used recreational watershed in intermountain North America
Christine M. Moffitt, Christopher A. James
2012, Aquatic Invasions (7) 193-202
Following the discovery of New Zealand mudsnails, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, in the Silver Creek watershed in Idaho, we investigated the distribution and dynamics of the snail populations over two years in field surveys. Despite extensive fishing and recreational activities in the watershed, the infestations appeared limited in extent. As with other...
Preserving science for the ages--USGS data rescue
Carol Wippich
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3078
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a steward for over 130 years of rich, diverse natural science and information resources. We document one-of-a-kind observations of natural phenomena and cultural impacts on our changing world. In order for society to deal with national and global trends, the USGS must enable access...
