Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2009 through September 2010) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Clark Fork basin, Montana
Kent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica Dyke
2012, Open-File Report 2011-1314
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to near Missoula, Montana, as part of a monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin. The sampling program was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to characterize aquatic resources in...
Characterization of major-ion chemistry and nutrients in headwater streams along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and within adjacent watersheds, Maine to Georgia
Denise M. Argue, Jason P. Pope, Fred Dieffenbach
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5151
An inventory of water-quality data on field parameters, major ions, and nutrients provided a summary of water quality in headwater (first- and second-order) streams within watersheds along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Appalachian Trail). Data from 1,817 sampling sites in 831 catchments were used for the water-quality summary. Catchment delineations...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in conventional and continuous petroleum systems in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group, U.S. Gulf Coast region, 2011
Russell F. Dubiel, Janet K. Pitman, Ofori N. Pearson, Krystal Pearson, Scott A. Kinney, Michael D. Lewan, Lauri Burke, Laura Biewick, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3003
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed means of (1) 141 million barrels of oil (MMBO), 502 billion cubic feet of natural gas (BCFG), and 16 million barrels of natural gas liquids (MMBNGL) in the conventional Eagle Ford Updip Sandstone Oil and Gas Assessment Unit (AU); (2)...
Water chemistry and electrical conductivity database for rivers in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Laura E. Clor, R. Blaine McCleskey, Mark A. Huebner, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Henry P. Heasler, Dan L. Mahony, Tim Maloney, William C. Evans
2012, Data Series 632
Chloride flux has been used to estimate heat flow in volcanic environments since the method was developed in New Zealand by Ellis and Wilson (1955). The method can be applied effectively at Yellowstone, because nearly all of the water discharged from its thermal features enters one of four major rivers...
Quality of major ion and total dissolved solids data from groundwater sampled by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, 1992–2010
Eliza L. Gross, Bruce D. Lindsey, Michael G. Rupert
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5153
Proper interpretation of water quality requires consideration of the effects that contamination bias and sampling variability might have on measured analyte concentrations. The effect of contamination bias and sampling variability on major ion and total dissolved solids data in water samples collected in 48 of the 52 National Water-Quality Assessment...
Uranium isotopes (234U/238U) in rivers of the Yukon Basin (Alaska and Canada) as an aid in identifying water sources, with implications for monitoring hydrologic change in arctic regions
Thomas F. Kraemer, Timothy P. Brabets
2012, Hydrogeology Journal (20) 469-481
The ability to detect hydrologic variation in large arctic river systems is of major importance in understanding and predicting effects of climate change in high-latitude environments. Monitoring uranium isotopes (234U and 238U) in river water of the Yukon River Basin of Alaska and northwestern Canada (2001–2005) has enhanced the ability to...
Social values for ecosystem services (SolVES): Documentation and user manual, version 2.0
Benson C. Sherrouse, Darius J. Semmens
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1023
In response to the need for incorporating quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem services assessments, the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center (RMGSC), in collaboration with Colorado State University, developed a geographic information system (GIS) application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). With version 2.0 (SolVES 2.0),...
Preliminary assessment of channel stability and bed-material transport in the Rogue River basin, southwestern Oregon
Krista L. Jones, Jim E. O'Connor, Mackenzie K. Keith, Joseph F. Mangano, J. Rose Wallick
2012, Open-File Report 2011-1280
This report summarizes a preliminary assessment of bed-material transport, vertical and lateral channel changes, and existing datasets for the Rogue River basin, which encompasses 13,390 square kilometers (km2) along the southwestern Oregon coast. This study, conducted to inform permitting decisions regarding instream gravel mining, revealed that:The Rogue River in its...
Diversity and distribution of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera) of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, 1873-2010
Robert E. Zuellig, Brian D. Heinold, Boris C. Kondratieff, David E. Ruiter
2012, Data Series 606
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado), compiled collection record data to document the historical and present-day occurrence of mayfly, stonefly, and caddisfly species in the South Platte River Basin. Data were compiled from records collected between...
Selection indicates preference in diverse habitats: A ground-nesting bird (Charadrius melodus) using reservoir shoreline
Michael J. Anteau, Mark H. Sherfy, Mark T. Wiltermuth
2012, PLoS ONE (7) e30347
Animals use proximate cues to select resources that maximize individual fitness. When animals have a diverse array of available habitats, those selected could give insights into true habitat preferences. Since the construction of the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota, Lake Sakakawea (SAK) has become an important...
Effects of watershed densities of animal feeding operations on nutrient concentrations and estrogenic activity in agricultural streams
Serena Ciparis, Luke R. Iwanowicz, J. Reese Voshell
2012, Science of the Total Environment (414) 268-276
Application of manures from animal feeding operations (AFOs) as fertilizer on agricultural land can introduce nutrients and hormones (e.g. estrogens) to streams. A landscape-scale study was conducted in the Shenandoah River watershed (Virginia, USA) in order to assess the relationship between densities of AFOs in watersheds of agricultural streams and...
Utilizing multichannel electrical resistivity methods to examine the dynamics of the fresh water–seawater interface in two Hawaiian groundwater systems
Natasha T. Dimova, Peter W. Swarzenski, Henrieta Dulaiova, Craig R. Glenn
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (117)
Multichannel electrical resistivity (ER) measurements were conducted at two contrasting coastal sites in Hawaii to obtain new information on the spatial scales and dynamics of the fresh water–seawater interface and rates of coastal groundwater exchange. At Kiholo Bay (located on the dry, Kona side of the Big Island) and at...
Effect of low-head lock and dam structures on migration and spawning of American shad and striped bass in the Cape Fear River, North Carolina
Joseph A. Smith, Joseph E. Hightower
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 402-413
Anadromous fish populations within the Cape Fear River, North Carolina, have declined substantially since the late 1800s. Three low-head lock-and-dam (LD) structures on the river (LD-1–3) contributed to this decline by limiting access to upstream spawning habitat. We used egg sampling and sonic telemetry to examine the effects of the...
In situ quantification of spatial and temporal variability of hyporheic exchange in static and mobile gravel-bed rivers
Donald O. Rosenberry, P. Zion Klos, Andrew Neal
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 604-612
Seepage meters modified for use in flowing water were used to directly measure rates of exchange between surface and subsurface water in a gravel‐ and cobble bed river in western Pennsylvania, USA (Allegheny River, Qmean = 190 m3/s) and a sand‐ and gravel‐bed river in Colorado, USA (South Platte River,...
Factors affecting fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Leandro E. Miranda, Daniel J. Dembkowski
2012, Environmental Biology of Fishes (93) 357-368
River-floodplain ecosystems offer some of the most diverse and dynamic environments in the world. Accordingly, floodplain habitats harbor diverse fish assemblages. Fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes may be influenced by multiple variables operating on disparate scales, and these variables may exhibit a hierarchical organization depending on whether one variable governs...
Influence of a thin veneer of low-hydraulic-conductivity sediment on modelled exchange between river water and groundwater in response to induced infiltration
Donald O. Rosenberry, Richard W. Healy
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 544-557
A thin layer of fine‐grained sediment commonly is deposited at the sediment–water interface of streams and rivers during low‐flow conditions, and may hinder exchange at the sediment–water interface similar to that observed at many riverbank‐filtration (RBF) sites. Results from a numerical groundwater‐flow model indicate that a low‐permeability veneer reduces the...
Survey of hydrologic models and hydrologic data needs for tracking flow in the Rio Grande, north-central New Mexico, 2010
Anne Tillery, Jack R. Eggleston
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5207
The six Middle Rio Grande Pueblos have prior and paramount rights to deliveries of water from the Rio Grande for their use. When the pueblos or the Bureau of Indian Affairs Designated Engineer identifies a need for additional flow on the Rio Grande, the Designated Engineer is tasked with deciding...
Preliminary analysis of the hydrologic effects of temporary shutdowns of the Rondout-West Branch Water Tunnel on the groundwater-flow system in Wawarsing, New York
Frederick Stumm, Anthony Chu, Michael D. Como, Michael L. Noll
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5015
Flooding of streets and residential basements, and bacterial contamination of private-supply wells with Escherichia coli (E. coli) are recurring problems in the Rondout Valley near the Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, New York. Leakage from the Rondout-West Branch (RWB) Water Tunnel and above-normal precipitation have been suspected of causing elevated...
A caveat regarding diatom-inferred nitrogen concentrations in oligotrophic lakes
Heather A. Arnett, Jasmine E. Saros, M. Alisa Mast
2012, Journal of Paleolimnology (47) 277-291
Atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen (Nr) has enriched oligotrophic lakes with nitrogen (N) in many regions of the world and elicited dramatic changes in diatom community structure. The lakewater concentrations of nitrate that cause these community changes remain unclear, raising interest in the development of diatom-based transfer functions to infer...
Phosphorus and groundwater: Establishing links between agricultural use and transport to streams
Joseph L. Domagalski, Henry Johnson
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3004
Phosphorus is a highly reactive element that is essential for life and forms a variety of compounds in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In water, phosphorus may be present as the orthophosphate ion (PO43-) and is also present in all life forms as an essential component of cellular material. In natural...
Flat-plate techniques for measuring reflectance of macro-algae (Ulva curvata)
Elijah W. Ramsey III, Amina Rangoonwala, Mads Solgaard Thomsen, Arthur Schwarzschild
2012, International Journal of Remote Sensing (33) 3147-3155
We tested the consistency and accuracy of flat-plate spectral measurements (400–1000 nm) of the marine macrophyte Ulva curvata. With sequential addition of Ulva thallus layers, the reflectance progressively increased from 6% to 9% with six thalli in the visible (VIS) and from 5% to 19% with ten thalli in the...
Construction diagrams, geophysical logs, and lithologic descriptions for boreholes USGS 103, 105, 108, 131, 135, NRF-15, and NRF-16, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Mary K.V. Hodges, Stephanie M. Orr, Katherine E. Potter, Tynan LeMaitre
2012, Data Series 660
This report, prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, summarizes construction, geophysical, and lithologic data collected from about 4,509 feet of core from seven boreholes deepened or drilled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project Office, from 2006 to 2009 at the INL. USGS...
Selected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2006-10
Gregory R. Littin
2012, Data Series 657
The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer approximately 40 to 80 feet below land surface. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have been conducting a cooperative study...
Description and validation of an automated methodology for mapping mineralogy, vegetation, and hydrothermal alteration type from ASTER satellite imagery with examples from the San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Barnaby W. Rockwell
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3190
The efficacy of airborne spectroscopic, or "hyperspectral," remote sensing for geoenvironmental watershed evaluations and deposit-scale mapping of exposed mineral deposits has been demonstrated. However, the acquisition, processing, and analysis of such airborne data at regional and national scales can be time and cost prohibitive. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and...
A comparison of consumptive-use estimates derived from the simplified surface energy balance approach and indirect reporting methods
Molly A. Maupin, Gabriel B. Senay, Joan F. Kenny, Mark E. Savoca
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5005
Recent advances in remote-sensing technology and Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) methods can provide accurate and repeatable estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) when used with satellite observations of irrigated lands. Estimates of ET are generally considered equivalent to consumptive use (CU) because they represent the part of applied irrigation water that...
