Shallow groundwater mercury supply in a coastal plain stream
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Mark A. Lowery, Mark E. Brigham, Douglas A. Burns, Daniel T. Button, Francis H. Chapelle, Michelle A. Lutz, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Karen Riva-Murray
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 7503-7511
Fluvial methylmercury (MeHg) is attributed to methylation in up-gradient wetland areas. This hypothesis depends on efficient wetland-to-stream hydraulic transport under nonflood and flood conditions. Fluxes of water and dissolved (filtered) mercury (Hg) species (FMeHg and total Hg (FTHg)) were quantified in April and July of 2009 in a reach at...
Predicting Impacts of Increased CO2 and Climate Change on the Water Cycle and Water Quality in the Semiarid James River Basin of the Midwestern USA
Yiping Wu, Shu-Guang Liu, Alisa L. Gallant
2012, Science of the Total Environment (430) 150-160
Emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols from human activities continue to alter the climate and likely will have significant impacts on the terrestrial hydrological cycle and water quality, especially in arid and semiarid regions. We applied an improved Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to evaluate impacts of increased atmospheric...
Threshold amounts of organic carbon needed to initiate reductive dechlorination in groundwater systems
Francis H. Chapelle, Lashun K. Thomas, Paul M. Bradley, Heather V. Rectanus, Mark A. Widdowson
2012, Remediation Journal (22) 19-28
Aquifer sediment and groundwater chemistry data from 15 Department of Defense facilities located throughout the United States were collected and analyzed with the goal of estimating the amount of natural organic carbon needed to initiate reductive dechlorination in groundwater systems. Aquifer sediments were analyzed for hydroxylamine and NaOH-extractable organic carbon,...
Dissolved and colloidal trace elements in the Mississippi River Delta outflow after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Moo-Joon Shim, Peter W. Swarzenski, Alan M. Shiller
2012, Continental Shelf Research (42) 1-9
The Mississippi River delta outflow region is periodically disturbed by tropical weather systems including major hurricanes, which can terminate seasonal bottom water hypoxia and cause the resuspension of shelf bottom sediments which could result in the injection of trace elements into the water column. In the summer of 2005, Hurricanes...
Radon-222 content of natural gas samples from Upper and Middle Devonian sandstone and shale reservoirs in Pennsylvania—preliminary data
E. L. Rowan, T. F. Kraemer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1159
Samples of natural gas were collected as part of a study of formation water chemistry in oil and gas reservoirs in the Appalachian Basin. Nineteen samples (plus two duplicates) were collected from 11 wells producing gas from Upper Devonian sandstones and the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. The samples...
Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow and land-surface subsidence in the northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Texas, 1891-2009
Mark C. Kasmarek
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5154
In cooperation with the Harris–Galveston Subsidence District, Fort Bend Subsidence District, and Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, the U.S. Geological Survey developed and calibrated the Houston Area Groundwater Model (HAGM), which simulates groundwater flow and land-surface subsidence in the northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer system in Texas from...
Flood-inundation maps for the Driftwood River and Sugar Creek near Edinburgh, Indiana
Kathleen K. Fowler, Moon H. Kim, Chad D. Menke
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3210
Digital flood-inundation maps for an 11.2 mile reach of the Driftwood River and a 5.2 mile reach of Sugar Creek, both near Edinburgh, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Edinburgh, Indiana. The inundation maps, which can be...
Assessment of soil-gas and groundwater contamination at the Gibson Road landfill, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 2011
W. Fred Falls, Andral W. Caldwell, Wladmir G. Guimaraes, W. Hagan Ratliff, John B. Wellborn, James Landmeyer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1128
Soil-gas and groundwater assessments were conducted at the Gibson Road landfill in 201 to provide screening-level environmental contamination data to supplement the data collected during previous environmental studies at the landfill. Passive samplers were used in both assessments to detect volatile and semivolatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in...
Assessment of soil-gas contamination at the 17th Street landfill, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 2011
W. Fred Falls, Andral W. Caldwell, Wladmir G. Guimaraes, W. Hagan Ratliff, John B. Wellborn, James Landmeyer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1127
Assessments of contaminants in soil gas were conducted in two study areas at Fort Gordon, Georgia, in July and August of 2011 to supplement environmental contaminant data for previous studies at the 17th Street landfill. The two study areas include northern and eastern parts of the 17th Street landfill and...
Biological assessment and streambed-sediment chemistry of streams in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, Indiana, 2003–2008
David C. Voelker
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5096
During 2003–2008, the U.S. Geological Survey sampled 13 sites in the Indianapolis metropolitan area in Indiana for benthic invertebrates, fish communities, and streambed-sediment chemistry. Data from seven White River sites and six tributary sites complement surface-water chemistry data collected by the Indianapolis Department of Public Works. The information is being...
Sediment mobility and bed armoring in the St Clair River: insights from hydrodynamic modeling
Xiaofeng Liu, Gary Parker, Jonathan A. Czuba, Kevin Oberg, Jose M. Mier, James L. Best, Daniel R. Parsons, Peter Ashmore, Bommanna G. Krishnappan, Marcelo H. Garcia
2012, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (37) 957-970
The lake levels in Lake Michigan-Huron have recently fallen to near historical lows, as has the elevation difference between Lake Michigan-Huron compared to Lake Erie. This decline in lake levels has the potential to cause detrimental impacts on the lake ecosystems, together with social and economic impacts on communities in...
Natural-channel-design restorations that changed geomorphology have little effect on macroinvertebrate communities in headwater streams
Anne G. Ernst, Dana R. Warren, Barry P. Baldigo
2012, Restoration Ecology (20) 532-540
Stream restorations that increase geomorphic stability can improve habitat quality, which should benefit selected species and local aquatic ecosystems. This assumption is often used to define primary restoration goals; yet, biological responses to restoration are rarely monitored or evaluated methodically. Macroinvertebrate communities were inventoried at 6 study reaches within 5...
Patterns in species richness and assemblage structure of native mussels in the Upper Mississippi River
Steven J. Zigler, Teresa J. Newton, Mike Davis, James T. Rogala
2012, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (22) 577-587
1. To evaluate patterns in mussel assemblages in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), data from systematic surveys of mussels conducted in three large reaches (Navigation Pools 5, 6, and 18) from 2005–2007 were analysed. 2. Nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling analyses and permutation tests indicated that assemblages differed among reaches. The mussel...
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2012 Waldo Canyon Burn Area near Colorado Springs, Colorado
Kristine L. Verdin, Jean A. Dupree, John G. Elliott
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1158
This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned by the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used...
Evaluation of effects of changes in canal management and precipitation patterns on salinity in Biscayne Bay, Florida, using an integrated surface-water/groundwater model
Melinda A. Lohmann, Eric D. Swain, John D. Wang, Joann Dixon
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5099
Biscayne National Park, located in Biscayne Bay in southeast Florida, is one of the largest marine parks in the country and sustains a large natural marine fishery where numerous threatened and endangered species reproduce. In recent years, the bay has experienced hypersaline conditions (salinity greater than 35 practical salinity units)...
Nest survival of piping plovers at a dynamic reservoir indicates an ecological trap for a threatened population
Michael J. Anteau, Terry L. Shaffer, Mark H. Sherfy, Marsha A. Sovada, Jennifer H. Stucker, Mark T. Wiltermuth
2012, Oecologia (170) 1167-1179
In the past 60 years, reservoirs have reshaped riverine ecosystems and transformed breeding habitats used by the threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus; hereafter plover). Currently, 29% of the Northern Great Plains plover population nests at reservoirs that might function as ecological traps because reservoirs have more diverse habitat features and...
Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico
Sheila F. Murphy, Robert F. Stallard, Heather L. Contributions by Buss, William A. Gould, Matthew C. Larsen, Zhigang Liu, Sebastian Martinuzzi, Isabel K. Pares-Ramos, Arthur F. White, Xiaoming Zou
2012, Professional Paper 1789
Humid tropical regions occupy about a quarter of Earth's land surface, yet they contribute a substantially higher fraction of the water, solutes, and sediment discharged to the world's oceans. Nearly half of Earth's population lives in the tropics, and development stresses can potentially harm soil resources, water quality, and water...
Flood risk awareness during the 2011 floods in the central United States: showcasing the importance of hydrologic data and interagency collaboration
Robert R. Holmes Jr., Noreen O. Schwein, Charles E. Shadie
2012, Leadership and Management in Engineering (12) 101-110
Floods have long had a major impact on society and the environment, evidenced by the more than 1,500 federal disaster declarations since 1952 that were associated with flooding. Calendar year 2011 was an epic year for floods in the United States, from the flooding on the Red River of the...
Field information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing
Jennifer W. Harden, Charles Koven, Chien-Lu Ping, Gustaf Hugelius, A. David McGuire, P. Camill, Torre Jorgenson, Peter Kuhry, Gary Michaelson, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Edward A.G. Schuur, Charles Tamocai, Kevin Johnson, G. Grosse
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
Deep soil profiles containing permafrost (Gelisols) were characterized for organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N) stocks to 3m depths. Using the Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) we calculate cumulative probability functions (PDFs) for active layer depths under current and future climates. The difference in PDFs over time was multiplied...
Assessment of nutrients and suspended sediment conditions in and near the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Northwest Minnesota, 2008–2010
Rochelle A. Nustad, Joel M. Galloway
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5112
In response to concerns about water-quality impairments that may affect habitat degradation in Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Minnesota, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collected streamflow data, discrete nutrient and suspended- sediment samples, and continuous water-quality data from 2008 to 2010....
Freshwater DOM quantity and quality from a two-component model of UV absorbance
Heather T. Carter, Edward Tipping, Jean-Francois Koprivnjak, Matthew P. Miller, Brenda Cookson, John Hamilton-Taylor
2012, Water Research (46) 4532-4542
We present a model that considers UV-absorbing dissolved organic matter (DOM) to consist of two components (A and B), each with a distinct and constant spectrum. Component A absorbs UV light strongly, and is therefore presumed to possess aromatic chromophores and hydrophobic character, whereas B absorbs weakly and can be...
Diversity of active aerobic methanotrophs along depth profiles of arctic and subarctic lake water column and sediments
Ruo He, Matthew J. Wooller, John W. Pohlman, John Quensen, James M. Tiedje, Mary Beth Leigh
2012, ISME Journal (6) 1937-1948
Methane (CH4) emitted from high-latitude lakes accounts for 2–6% of the global atmospheric CH4 budget. Methanotrophs in lake sediments and water columns mitigate the amount of CH4 that enters the atmosphere, yet their identity and activity in arctic and subarctic lakes are poorly understood. We used stable isotope probing (SIP),...
Water Resources of Beauregard Parish
Lawrence B. Prakken, Jason M. Griffith, Robert B. Fendick Jr.
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3065
In 2005, about 30.6 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water was withdrawn in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, including about 30.4 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.1 Mgal/d from surface water sources. Industrial use, primarily for wood products, accounted for about 72 percent (22.0 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other...
Heterogeneous redox conditions, arsenic mobility, and groundwater flow in a fractured-rock aquifer near a waste repository site in New Hampshire, USA
Philip T. Harte, Joseph D. Ayotte, Andrew Hoffman, Kinga M. Revesz, Marcel Belaval, Steven Lamb, J.K. Böhlke
2012, Hydrogeology Journal (20) 1189-1201
Anthropogenic sources of carbon from landfill or waste leachate can promote reductive dissolution of in situ arsenic (As) and enhance the mobility of As in groundwater. Groundwater from residential-supply wells in a fractured crystalline-rock aquifer adjacent to a Superfund site in Raymond, New Hampshire, USA, showed evidence of locally enhanced...
Ecological effects of nitrogen and sulfur air pollution in the US: what do we know?
Tara L. Greaver, Timothy J. Sullivan, Jeffrey D. Herrick, Mary C. Barber, Jill Baron, Bernard J. Cosby, Marion E. Deerhake, Robin L. Dennis, Jean-Jacque B. Dubois, Christine L. Goodale, Alan T. Herlihy, Gregory B. Lawrence, Lingli Liu, Jason A. Lynch, Kristopher J. Novak
2012, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (10) 365-372
Four decades after the passage of the US Clean Air Act, air-quality standards are set to protect ecosystems from damage caused by gas-phase nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) compounds, but not from the deposition of these air pollutants to land and water. Here, we synthesize recent scientific literature on the...
