Digital hydrologic networks supporting applications related to spatially referenced regression modeling
John W. Brakebill, David M. Wolock, Silvia Terziotti
2011, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (47) 916-932
Digital hydrologic networks depicting surface-water pathways and their associated drainage catchments provide a key component to hydrologic analysis and modeling. Collectively, they form common spatial units that can be used to frame the descriptions of aquatic and watershed processes. In addition, they provide the ability to simulate and route the...
Estimating 1970-99 average annual groundwater recharge in Wisconsin using streamflow data
Warren A. Gebert, John F. Walker, James L. Kennedy
2011, Open-File Report 2009-1210
Average annual recharge in Wisconsin for the period 1970-99 was estimated using streamflow data from U.S. Geological Survey continuous-record streamflow-gaging stations and partial-record sites. Partial-record sites have discharge measurements collected during low-flow conditions. The average annual base flow of a stream divided by the drainage area is a good approximation...
Formation dynamics of subsurface hydrocarbon intrusions following the Deepwater Horizon blowout
Scott A. Socolofsky, E. Eric Adams, Christopher R. Sherwood
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Hydrocarbons released following the Deepwater Horizon (DH) blowout were found in deep, subsurface horizontal intrusions, yet there has been little discussion about how these intrusions formed. We have combined measured (or estimated) observations from the DH release with empirical relationships developed from previous lab experiments to identify the mechanisms responsible...
Field evaluation of the error arising from inadequate time averaging in the standard use of depth-integrating suspended-sediment samplers
David J. Topping, David M. Rubin, Scott Wright, Theodore S. Melis
2011, Professional Paper 1774
Several common methods for measuring suspended-sediment concentration in rivers in the United States use depth-integrating samplers to collect a velocity-weighted suspended-sediment sample in a subsample of a river cross section. Because depth-integrating samplers are always moving through the water column as they collect a sample, and can collect only a...
Ecological influence and pathways of land use in sagebrush
Steven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser, Richard F. Miller, David A. Pyke, Michael J. Wisdom, Sean P. Finn, E. Thomas Rinkes, Charles J. Henny
Steven T. Knick, John W. Connelly, editor(s)
2011, Book chapter, Greater sage-grouse: Ecology and conservation of a landscape species and its habitats
Land use in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes influences all sage-grouse (Centrocer-cus spp.) populations in western North America. Croplands and the network of irrigation canals cover 230,000 km2 and indirectly influence up to 77% of the Sage-Grouse Conservation Area and 73% of sagebrush land cover by subsidizing synanthropic predators on sage-grouse....
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2011 Horseshoe II burn area, southeastern Arizona
Barbara C. Ruddy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1197
This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned in 2011 by the Horseshoe II wildfire in southeastern Arizona. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned drainage basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the...
Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2010
Joseph E. Beman
2011, Data Series 623
The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25-40 miles wide. The basin is defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were...
Updated one-dimensional hydraulic model of the Kootenai River, Idaho: A supplement to Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5110
Christiana R. Czuba, Gary J. Barton
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5128
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, in cooperation with local, State, Federal, and Canadian agency co-managers and scientists, is assessing the feasibility of a Kootenai River habitat restoration project in Boundary County, Idaho. The restoration project is focused on recovery of the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) population, and...
Natural resource mitigation, adaptation and research needs related to climate change in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert
Debra L. Hughson, David E. Busch, Scott Davis, Sean P. Finn, Steve Caicco, Paul S.J. Verburg
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5103
This report synthesizes the knowledge, opinions, and concerns of many Federal and State land managers, scientists, stakeholders, and partners from a workshop, held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on April 20-22, 2010. Land managers, research scientists, and resource specialists identified common concerns regarding the potential effects of climate...
Fish and chips? Implanted transmitters help map the endangered pallid sturgeon
Kimberly Chojnacki, Aaron DeLonay
2011, GeoWorld 14-17
With a flattened snout, long slender tail and rows of bony plates lining its body, the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) has a unique, almost pre-historic, appearance. This endangered fish is native to the muddy, free-flowing waters of the Missouri River....
Groundwater quality in the Lake Champlain Basin, New York, 2009
Elizabeth A. Nystrom
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1180
Water was sampled from 20 production and domestic wells from August through November 2009 to characterize groundwater quality in the Lake Champlain Basin in New York. Of the 20 wells sampled, 8 were completed in sand and gravel, and 12 were completed in bedrock. The samples were collected and processed...
Factors affecting groundwater quality in the Valley and Ridge aquifers, eastern United States, 1993-2002
Gregory C. Johnson, Tammy M. Zimmerman, Bruce D. Lindsey, Eliza L. Gross
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5115
Chemical and microbiological analyses of water from 230 wells and 35 springs in the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province, sampled between 1993 and 2002, indicated that bedrock type (carbonate or siliciclastic rock) and land use were dominant factors influencing groundwater quality across a region extending from northwestern Georgia to New...
Annual peak streamflow and ancillary data for small watersheds in central and western Texas
Glenn R. Harwell, William H. Asquith
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3082
Estimates of annual peak-streamflow frequency are needed for flood-plain management, assessment of flood risk, and design of structures, such as roads, bridges, culverts, dams, and levees. Regional regression equations have been developed and are used extensively to estimate annual peak-streamflow frequency for ungaged sites in natural (unregulated and rural or...
Construction of shipping channels in the Detroit River: History and environmental consequences
David H. Bennion, Bruce A. Manny
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5122
The Detroit River is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the Great Lakes basin. It has been an important international shipping route since the 1820s and is one of the busiest navigation centers in the United States. Historically, it supported one of the most profitable Lake Whitefish (Coregonus...
Proceedings of the Klamath Basin Science Conference, Medford, Oregon, February 1-5, 2010
Lyman K. Thorsteinson, Scott P. Vanderkooi, Walter G. Duffy, editor(s)
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1196
This report presents the proceedings of the Klamath Basin Science Conference (February 2010). A primary purpose of the meeting was to inform and update Klamath Basin stakeholders about areas of scientific progress and accomplishment during the last 5 years. Secondary conference objectives focused on the identification of outstanding information needs...
Gas, oil, and water production from Wattenberg Field in the Denver Basin, Colorado
Philip H. Nelson, Stephen L. Santus
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1175
Gas, oil, and water production data were compiled from selected wells in two tight gas reservoirs-the Codell-Niobrara interval, comprised of the Codell Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale and the Niobrara Formation; and the Dakota J interval, comprised mostly of the Muddy (J) Sandstone of the Dakota Group; both intervals...
Characterization of culturable bacteria isolated from the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa
Julia P. Galkiewicz, Zoe A. Pratte, Michael A. Gray, Christina A. Kellogg
2011, FEMS Microbiology Ecology (77) 333-346
Microorganisms associated with corals are hypothesized to contribute to the function of the host animal by cycling nutrients, breaking down carbon sources, fixing nitrogen, and producing antibiotics. This is the first study to culture and characterize bacteria from Lophelia pertusa, a cold-water coral found in the deep sea, in an...
A whole ecosystem approach to studying climate change in interior Alaska
Susan Riggins, Robert G. Striegl, Michael McHale
2011, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (92) 155-155
Yukon River Basin Principal Investigators Workshop; Portland, Oregon, 18-20 January 2011; High latitudes are known to be particularly susceptible to climate warming, leading to an emphasis of field and modeling research on arctic regions. Subarctic and boreal regions such as the Yukon River Basin (YRB) of interior Alaska and western...
Occurrence, distribution, and concentrations of selected contaminants in streambed- and suspended-sediment samples collected in Bexar County, Texas, 2007-09
Jennifer T. Wilson
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3090
High concentrations of sediment-associated contaminants are typically associated with urban areas such as San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County, the seventh most populous city in the United States. U.S. Geological Survey personnel periodically collected surficial streambed-sediment samples during 2007-09 and collected suspended-sediment samples from selected streams after storms during 2008...
Hydrologic and geomorphic considerations in restoration of river-floodplain connectivity in a highly altered river system, Lower Missouri River, USA
Robert B. Jacobson, Tyler P. Janke, Jason J. Skold
2011, Wetlands Ecology and Management (19) 295-316
Planning for restoration of river-floodplain systems requires understanding how often and how much of a floodplain may be inundated, and how likely the floodplain is to retain the water once flooded. These factors depend fundamentally on hydrology and geomorphology of the channel and floodplain. We discuss application of an index...
Simulation of streamflow, evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge in the Lower Frio River watershed, south Texas, 1961-2008
Joy S. Lizarraga, Darwin J. Ockerman
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5093
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District; the City of Corpus Christi; the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority; the San Antonio River Authority; and the San Antonio Water System, configured, calibrated, and tested a watershed model for a study area consisting of about...
Estimated suspended-sediment loads and yields in the French and Brandywine Creek Basins, Chester County, Pennsylvania, water years 2008-09
Ronald A. Sloto, Leif E. Olson
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5109
Turbidity and suspended-sediment concentration data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at four stream stations--French Creek near Phoenixville, West Branch Brandywine Creek near Honey Brook, West Branch Brandywine Creek at Modena, and East Branch Brandywine Creek below Downingtown--in Chester County, Pa. Sedimentation and siltation is the leading cause...
Seismic calibration shots conducted in 2009 in the Imperial Valley, southern California, for the Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP)
Janice Murphy, Mark Goldman, Gary Fuis, Michael Rymer, Robert Sickler, Summer Miller, Lesley Butcher, Jason Ricketts, Coyn Criley, Joann Stock, John Hole, Greg Chavez
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1295
Rupture of the southern section of the San Andreas Fault, from the Coachella Valley to the Mojave Desert, is believed to be the greatest natural hazard facing California in the near future. With an estimated magnitude between 7.2 and 8.1, such an event would result in violent shaking, loss of...
A method for estimating peak and time of peak streamflow from excess rainfall for 10- to 640-acre watersheds in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area
William H. Asquith, Theodore G. Cleveland, Meghan C. Roussel
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5104
Estimates of peak and time of peak streamflow for small watersheds (less than about 640 acres) in a suburban to urban, low-slope setting are needed for drainage design that is cost-effective and risk-mitigated. During 2007-10, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Harris County Flood Control District and...
Summary of the Georgia Agricultural Water Conservation and Metering Program and evaluation of methods used to collect and analyze irrigation data in the middle and lower Chattahoochee and Flint River basins, 2004-2010
Lynn J. Torak, Jaime A. Painter
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5126
Since receiving jurisdiction from the State Legislature in June 2003 to implement the Georgia Agricultural Water Conservation and Metering Program, the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (Commission) by year-end 2010 installed more than 10,000 annually read water meters and nearly 200 daily reporting, satellite-transmitted, telemetry sites on irrigation systems...
