Tracking persistent declines in suspended sediment in the Lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers, 1992–2021: Harnessing WRTDSplus to characterize longitudinally varying trends and explore connections to streamflow
Jennifer C. Murphy, Lindsey Ayn Schafer, Scott Mize
2025, Journal of Hydrology (Volume 662)
Suspended sediment (SS) continues a century-long decline in the Lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers, United States. In this study, we use the WRTDSplus model to estimate concentrations and loads for total, fine (<0.0625 millimeter (mm)), and coarse (≥0.0625 mm) SS for 11 sites....
Blueprints for riverine cod nest boxes draw from multiple design considerations
Brendan C. Ebner, Shaun S. Morris, John St Vincent Welch, Paul C. Ryan, Mitch Turner, Leo M. Cameron, Natalie Poitras, Brooke Coonrod, Stuart A. Welsh, Matthew McLellan, Lachie Jess, Stephen Vidler, Brett A. Ingram, S. Thurstan, S. J. Rowland, S. Blake, G. L. Butler
2025, Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries (5)
Designing aquatic nest boxes is rarely afforded detailed scientific account. Here we provide some historical context for nest boxes used in production of large-bodied fishes of the Australian freshwater cod genus Maccullochella. Our experience with eastern freshwater cod is used as a case study to: (a) convey aspects of the complexity...
A novel approach to increase accuracy in remotely sensed evapotranspiration through basin water balance and flux tower constraints
Kul Bikram Khand, Gabriel B. Senay, MacKenzie Friedrichs, Koong Yi, Joshua Fisher, Lixin Wang, Kosana Suvočarev, Arman Ahmadi, Housen Chu, Stephen P. Good, Kanishka Mallick, Justine E.C. Missik, Jacob A. Nelson, David E. Reed, Tianxin Wang, Xiangming Xiao
2025, Journal of Hydrology (662)
Remote sensing-derived evapotranspiration (RSET) products capture the spatiotemporal variations of evapotranspiration (ET) from field to basin scales with unprecedented details. However, their accuracy varies across RSET estimation methods and diverse hydroclimate regions. While ET modeling efforts to account for biophysical processes and controlling parameters have made good progress in recent...
Chapter three - Global SSEBop actual evapotranspiration modeling and mapping using the VIIRS data
Gabriel B. Senay, Stefanie Kagone, Kul Bikram Khand, Gabriel Edwin Lee Parrish, Claudia Young, Michael Budde
2025, Book chapter, Evapotranspiration in agro-ecosystems and forestry
AActual evapotranspiration (ETa) is an essential climate variable that can be used for drought monitoring and water availability assessment because of its close connection with vegetation, soil moisture, and the water cycle. An operational ETa using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and global weather datasets was developed through...
Soil moisture partitioning between under canopy and interspace environments in shrublands of the northern Chihuahuan Desert
Juan Pinos, Keegan Hammond, Michael C. Duniway, John P. Anderson, Niall P. Hanan, Matthew D. Petrie
2025, Ecosystems (28)
Soil moisture is a key link between hydrologic and ecologic processes in desert shrublands. Understanding how soil moisture is spatially distributed in desert shrublands provides valuable insights into how shrubs use and impact limiting water resources, and how shrublands may respond to future meteorological and climate change. Our goals were...
Relating surface water dynamics in wetlands and lakes to spatial variability in hydrologic signatures
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Peter Nieuwlandt, Heather E. Golden, Charles R. Lane, Jay R. Christensen, William Keenan, Wayana Dolan
2025, Wetland Ecology & Management (33)
The retention of surface water in wetlands and lakes can modify the timing, duration, and magnitude of river discharge. However, efforts to characterize the influence of surface water on discharge regimes have been generally limited to small, wetland-dense watersheds. We developed random forest models to explain spatial variability in six...
Contaminated stormwater sediment source tracking for polychlorinated biphenyls in an urban watershed of the Chesapeake Bay, United States
Ellie P. Foss, Zachary J. Clifton, Emily H. Majcher, Trevor P. Needham, Andrew W. Psoras
2025, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (274)
Fine-grained sediment in stormwater acts as a vector for persistent organic pollutants, like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), through mobilization from sources within drainage areas of impacted urban watersheds. This study implemented a novel approach to identify the relative contributions of various landscape and stream sources of sediment from the Back River watershed in...
Expansion of aquatic and marsh area into once forest and agricultural area reflects changing hydrological conditions along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers (1989-2020)
Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder
2025, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (197)
We examined 30-year trends in the abundance and distribution of aquatic and floodplain vegetation, as well as human land uses in five study reaches of the Upper Mississippi River and one reach of the Illinois River using aerial photography collected in years 1989, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Permanently inundated area...
Assessing spatial variability of nutrients, phytoplankton, and related water-quality constituents in the California Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta at the landscape scale—Comparison of four (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022) spring high-resolution mapping surveys
Emily Richardson, Tamara Kraus, Katy O’Donnell, Jeniffer Soto-Perez, Crystal Sturgeon, Elizabeth Stumpner, Brian Bergamaschi
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5035
Executive SummaryThis report summarizes results from boat-based, high-resolution water-quality mapping surveys completed before, during, and after upgrades to the EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility (EchoWater Facility), the regional wastewater facility for the City of Sacramento and surrounding areas, near Elk Grove, California. Surveys were completed in the tidal aquatic environments of...
UAS-based geomorphic change detection of incised montane meadow stream channels with low-tech process-based restoration treatments
Raymond LeBeau, Miguel L. Villarreal, Jerry D. Davis
2025, Landscape Ecology
Context Montane meadows play an important hydrologic role in headwater catchments, but past land use has largely degraded their condition. Low-tech restoration methods, such as beaver dam analogs (BDAs), are increasingly used to support recovery of incised streams by promoting key geomorphic processes. However, there remains a need for studies...
Hydrologic response of groundwater and streamflow to natural and anthropogenic drivers of change in headwaters of the upper Colorado River basin during recent wet (1982–1999) and drought (2000–2022) conditions
Fred D. Tillman, Melissa D. Masbruch, Jacob E. Knight, John A. Engott, Samuel Francisco Lopez, Casey J.R. Jones, Jesse E. Dickinson, Matthew P. Miller
2025, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (60)
Study region: Headwaters of the upper Colorado River basin (UCOL), USAStudy focus: Surface-water and groundwater numerical models incorporating water-use information were used to investigate changes in climate, water use, and simulated hydrologic responses of snow processes, evapotranspiration, groundwater, and streamflow during recent wet (1982–1999) and drought (2000–2022) periods in the...
Quantifying the success of stormwater control measure networks using effective imperviousness
Aditi S. Bhaskar, Charles C. Stillwell, Matthew J. Burns, Kristina G. Hopkins, Christopher J. Walsh
2025, PLOS Water (4)
The deleterious effects of directly-connected impervious surfaces on urban streams have been widely recognized. To deal with these effects, the use of stormwater control measures that aim to disconnect impervious surfaces and prevent stormwater from reaching the stream has surged. However, we lack widespread use of consistent metrics that describe...
Over, under, and through: Hydrologic connectivity and the future of coastal landscape salinization
Ashley Helton, James Dennedy-Frank, Ryan Emanuel, Scott C Neubauer, Kyra Adams, Marcelo Ardon, Lawrence Band, Kevin A. Befus, Hanne Borstlap, Jamie Duberstein, Adam Gold, Kominoski John, Alex Manda, Holly A. Michael, Stephen Moysey, Allison Myers-Pigg, Justine Annaliese Neville, Gregory E. Noe, Jeeban Panthi, Elnaz Pezeshki, Matthew Sirianni, Ward.Nicolas
2025, Water Resources Research (61)
Seawater intrusion (SWI) affects coastal landscapes worldwide. Here we describe the hydrologic pathways through which SWI occurs - over land via storm surge or tidal flooding, under land via groundwater transport, and through watersheds via natural and artificial surface water channels—and how human modifications to those pathways alter patterns of...
Isotopic niche plasticity of American alligators within the southern Everglades
Mathew Denton, Michael Cherkiss, Frank J. Mazzotti, Laura A. Brandt, Sidney T. Godfrey, Darren Johnson, Kristen Hart
2025, PLoS ONE (20)
Hydrologic alterations within the Everglades have degraded American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) habitat, reduced prey base, and increased physiological stress. Alligator body condition declined across many management areas from 2000 through 2014, prompting us to investigate the relationship between their intraspecific isotopic niche dynamics and body condition. Alligators within the estuary...
Assessment and validation of depressions in digital elevation models from multiple elevation data sources and delineation of depressions, sinking streams, and their watersheds in Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi
David E. Ladd, John K. Carmichael
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5134
Closed depressions and sinking streams in karst landscapes pose difficulties for water-resources management, in the construction of roads and other public works, and in hydrologic and hydrogeomorphic analyses. Digital elevation models (DEMs) can be used to identify the location and determine the size and shape of closed depressions, but separating...
Staying alive: Post-translocation apparent survival of fishes in headwater springs following drought
Sophia Marie Bonjour, Keith B. Gido, Peter J. Pfaff, Abigail Rick, Aiden Masek
2025, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (45) 659-668
ObjectiveIncreasing fragmentation from constructed barriers, increased water use, and climate change limits the resiliency of stream fish metapopulations by reducing colonization. Management actions such as stocking or translocating fish may help contribute to the resilience of isolated habitats and increase redundancy of populations in intermittent stream...
Hydrogeology, water budget, and simulated groundwater availability in the Salt Fork Arkansas River and Chikaskia River alluvial aquifers, northern Oklahoma, 1980–2020
Nicole C. Gammill, S. Jerrod Smith
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5043
The 1973 Oklahoma Groundwater Law (Oklahoma Statute §82–1020.5) requires that the Oklahoma Water Resources Board conduct hydrologic investigations of the State’s aquifers to determine the maximum annual yield for each groundwater basin. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, conducted an updated hydrologic investigation of...
Network of networks: Time series clustering of AmeriFlux sites
David E. Reed, Housen Chu, Brad G. Peter, Jiquan Chen, Michael Abraha, Brian Amiro, Ray G. Anderson, M. Altaf Arain, Paulo Arruda, Greg A. Barron-Gafford, Carl Bernacchi, Daniel P. Beverly, Sebastien C. Biraud, T. Andrew Black, Peter D. Blanken, Gil Bohrer, Rebecca Bowler, David R. Bowling, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte, Mario Bretfeld, Nathaniel A. Brunsell, Stephen H. Bullock, Gerardo Celis, Xingyuan Chen, Aimee T. Classen, David R. Cook, Alejandro Cueva, Higo J. Dalmagro, Kenneth J. Davis, Ankur Desai, Alison J. Duff, Allison L. Dunn, David Durden, Colin W. Edgar, Eugenie Euskirchen, Rosvel Bracho, Brent E. Ewers, Lawrence B. Flanagan, Christopher R. Florian, Vanessa Foord, Inke Forbrich, Brandon R. Forsythe, John Frank, Jaime Garatuza-Payan, Sarah Goslee, Christopher M. Gough, Mark B. Green, Timothy Griffis, Manuel Helbig, Andrew C. Hill, Ross Hinkle, Jason Horne, Elyn Humphreys, Hiroki Ikawa, Go Iwahana, Rachhpal Jassal, Bruce K. Johnson, Mark S. Johnson, Steven A. Kannenberg, Eric Kelsey, John King, John F. Knowles, Sara Knox, Hideki Kobayashi, Thomas Kolb, Randy Kolka, Ken Krauss, Lars Kutzbach, Brian T. Lamb, Beverly E. Law, Sung-Ching Lee, Xuhui Lee, Heping Liu, Henry W. Loescher, Sparkle L. Malone, Roser Matamala, Marguerite Mauritz, Stefan Metzger, Gesa Meyer, Bhaskar Mitra, J. William Munger, Zoran Nesic, Asko Noormets, Thomas L. O'Halloran, Patrick T. O'Keeffe, Steven F. Oberbauer, Walter Oechel, Patty Oikawa, Paulo C. Olivas, Andrew Ouimette, Gilberto Pastorello, Jorge F. Perez-Quezada, Claire Phillips, Gabriela Posse, Bo Qu, William L. Quinton, Michele L. Reba, Andrew D. Richardson, Valentin Picasso, Adrian V. Rocha, Julio C. Rodriguez, Roel Ruzol, Scott Saleska, Russell L. Scott, Adam P. Schreiner-McGraw, Edward A.G. Schuur, Maria Silveira, Oliver Sonnentag, David L. Spittlehouse, Ralf Staebler, Gregory Starr, Christina Staudhammer, Chris Still, Cove Sturtevant, Ryan C. Sullivan, Andy Suyker, David Trejo, Masahito Ueyama, Rodrigo Vargas, Brian Viner, Enrique R. Vivoni, Dong Wang, Eric J. Ward, Susanne Wiesner, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, David Yannick, Enrico A. Yepez, Terenzio Zenone, Junbin Zhao, Donatella Zona
2025, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (372)
Environmental observation networks, such as AmeriFlux, are foundational for monitoring ecosystem response to climate change, management practices, and natural disturbances; however, their effectiveness depends on their representativeness for the regions or continents. We proposed an empirical, time series approach to quantify the similarity of ecosystem fluxes across AmeriFlux sites. We...
Spatiotemporal drivers of water quality and phytoplankton communities in a cyanobacteria-dominated reservoir provide management insights
Linnea A. Rock, William W. Fetzer, Lindsay Patterson, Samuel J. Sillen, Ron Steg, Annika W. Walters, Sarah M. Collins
2025, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (197)
Reservoirs serve critical roles providing drinking water, irrigation, flood control, hydropower, recreation, fisheries, and aquatic habitat. Yet their physical position, complex shape, and large watersheds make reservoirs especially susceptible to eutrophication and harmful algal bloom (HAB) production. Boysen Reservoir, WY, is a high priority for proactive nutrient management because it...
Select elements of concern in surface water of three hydrologic basins (Delaware River, Illinois River, and Upper Colorado River)—Data screening for the development of spatial and temporal models
Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, R. Blaine McCleskey, Samantha L. Sullivan, Jonathan Casey Root, Serena M. Seawolf, Katherine M. Ransom, Susan Wherry, Evangelos Kakouros, Shaun Baesman
2025, Open-File Report 2025-1033
The report focuses on the screening of previously published concentration data associated with 12 elements of concern (aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, mercury, manganese, lead, selenium, uranium, and zinc) measured in stream surface waters of three hydrologic basins (Delaware River Basin, Illinois River Basin, and the Upper Colorado River...
Effects of total suspended solids on photomineralization of dissolved organic matter in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada
Wayana Dolan, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, Julianne Davis, Nathan LaFramboise, Catherine Polik, Rose Cory
2025, JGR Biogeosciences (130)
Northern deltas receive chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) from their watersheds, which can be oxidized to carbon dioxide upon absorption of sunlight (i.e., photomineralized). These deltas also receive total suspended solids (TSS), which may shade sunlight absorption by CDOM, thus limiting photomineralization. To quantify this interaction for the first time,...
Near-surface geophysics: Environmental applications
Stephanie R. James, Dan R. Glaser, Alejandro Garcia
2025, Book chapter, Oxford Bibliographies
The field of geophysics encompasses a broad and diverse compilation of methodologies that employs principles of physics to characterize properties of earth materials within the subsurface. While geophysical methods have a long history in resource exploration and studies of Earth’s interior, the subdiscipline of “near-surface geophysics” has evolved in recent...
Streamflow regime characterization in the changing boreal ecosystem: Wildfire impacts from stream-to-regional scales
Deanna D. Strohm, Christopher J. Sergeant, Josh D. Paul, Jeffrey A. Falke
2025, Science of the Total Environment (991)
The boreal ecosystem has experienced significant changes over recent decades as wildfires become more frequent, intense, and severe. As streams are highly prevalent and ecologically relevant, understanding interactions among wildfire and hydrologic patterns is important for effective aquatic ecosystem management. This study used a Bayesian mixture model to classify streamflow regimes...
Borehole geophysical time-series logging to monitor passive ISCO treatment of residual chlorinated-ethenes in a confining bed, NAS Pensacola, Florida
Philip Harte, Michael A. Singletary, James E. Landmeyer
2025, Hydrology Journal (12)
In-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) is a common method to remediate chlorinated ethene contaminants in groundwater. Monitoring the effectiveness of ISCO can be hindered because of insufficient observations to assess oxidant delivery. Advantageously, potassium permanganate, one type of oxidant, provides the opportunity to use its strong electrical signal as a surrogate...
Characterizing water-quality response after the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire using a novel application of the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season method
Manya Helene Ruckhaus, David W. Clow, Robert M. Hirsch, Tanner William Chapin
2025, Hydrological Processes (39)
The frequency and severity of wildfire activity in the western United States emphasises the utility of hydrologic models to predict water-quality response. This study presents a novel application of the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge and Season (WRTDS) method to assess potential changes in water quality in two watersheds draining...
