Vadose zone controls on weathering intensity and depth: Observations from grussic saprolites
B. W. Goodfellow, G.E. Hilley, Marjorie S. Schulz
2011, Applied Geochemistry (26) S36-S39
An investigation of vadose zone weathering processes has been undertaken on grussic saprolites developed on Californian granitoids. Preliminary results indicate strong climatic control, through infiltration, on the depth and intensity of weathering. At sites with higher infiltration, the vadose zone is comprehensively altered to grussic saprolite and saprock. Conversely, lower...
Arsenic and uranium in water from private wells completed in bedrock of east-central Massachusetts: Concentrations, correlations with bedrock units, and estimated probability maps
John A. Colman
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5013
No abstract available....
In-stream water-quality estimation: Case studies in real-time stream and lake monitoring in the central USA
Victoria G. Christensen, Andrew C. Ziegler, Jennifer L. Graham, Rachel A. Esralew
2011, Conference Paper
Five U.S. Geological Survey case studies in real-time stream and lake monitoring are presented. The emphases of the case studies are in-stream biological characteristics, fecal coliform bacteria, atrazine, phosphorus, and taste-and-odor compounds....
Potential effects of groundwater pumping on water levels, phreatophytes, and spring discharges in Spring and Snake Valleys, White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah
Keith J. Halford, Russell W. Plume
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5032
Assessing hydrologic effects of developing groundwater supplies in Snake Valley required numerical, groundwater-flow models to estimate the timing and magnitude of capture from streams, springs, wetlands, and phreatophytes. Estimating general water-table decline also required groundwater simulation. The hydraulic conductivity of basin fill and transmissivity of basement-rock distributions in Spring and...
The USA National Phenology Network; taking the pulse of our planet
Jake F. Weltzin
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3023
People have tracked phenology for centuries and for the most practical reasons: it helped them know when to hunt and fish, when to plant and harvest crops, and when to navigate waterways. Now phenology is being used as a tool to assess climate change and its effects on both natural...
Geophysical investigation of Red Devil mine using direct-current resistivity and electromagnetic induction, Red Devil, Alaska, August 2010
Bethany L. Burton, Lyndsay B. Ball
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1035
Red Devil Mine, located in southwestern Alaska near the Village of Red Devil, was the state's largest producer of mercury and operated from 1933 to 1971. Throughout the lifespan of the mine, various generations of mills and retort buildings existed on both sides of Red Devil Creek, and the tailings...
Geologic assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources of the Western Oregon and Washington Province
U.S. Geologic Survey Western Oregon and Washington Province Team, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk, P. A. Le, GIS Spatial Data Team
2011, Data Series 69-X
The purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Oil and Gas Assessment is to develop geology-based hypotheses regarding the potential for additions to oil and gas reserves in priority areas of the United States, focusing on the distribution, quantity, and availability of oil and natural gas resources. The USGS...
Potentiometric surface in the Central Oklahoma (Garber-Wellington) aquifer, Oklahoma, 2009
Shana L. Mashburn, Jessica Magers
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3147
A study of the hydrogeology of the Central Oklahoma aquifer was started in 2008 to provide the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) hydrogeologic data and a groundwater flow model that can be used as a tool to help manage the aquifer. The 1973 Oklahoma water law requires the OWRB to...
Drilling a deep geologic test well at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Arthur P. Schultz, Ellen Seefelt
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3032
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), is drilling a deep geologic test well at Hilton Head Island, S.C. The test well is scheduled to run between mid-March and early May 2011. When completed, the well will be about 1,000...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the Gulf Coast, 2010
Russell F. Dubiel, Peter D. Warwick, Sharon Swanson, Lauri Burke, Laura Biewick, Ronald R. Charpentier, James L. Coleman Jr., Troy A. Cook, Kris Dennen, Colin A. Doolan, Catherine Enomoto, Paul C. Hackley, Alexander W. Karlsen, Timothy R. Klett, Scott A. Kinney, Michael D. Lewan, Matthew D. Merrill, Krystal Pearson, Ofori N. Pearson, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro, Elizabeth L. Rowan, Christopher J. Schenk, Brett Valentine
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 147.4 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, 2.4 billion barrels of undiscovered oil, and 2.96 billion barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata in onshore lands and State waters of the Gulf Coast....
Simulation of streamflow in the Pleasant, Narraguagus, Sheepscot, and Royal Rivers, Maine, using watershed models
Robert W. Dudley, Martha G. Nielsen
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5221
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a study in 2008 to investigate anticipated changes in summer streamflows and stream temperatures in four coastal Maine river basins and the potential effects of those changes on populations of endangered Atlantic salmon. To achieve this purpose, it was necessary to characterize the quantity...
The effects of sediment and mercury mobilization in the South Yuba River and Humbug Creek confluence area, Nevada County, California: Concentrations, speciation, and environmental fate – Part 1: Field characterization
Jacob A. Fleck, Charles N. Alpers, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, Roger L. Hothem, Scott Wright, Kevin Ellett, Elizabeth Beaulieu, Jennifer L. Agee, Evangelos Kakouros, Le H. Kieu, Dennis D. Eberl, Alex E. Blum, Jason T. May
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1325-A
Millions of pounds of mercury (Hg) were deposited in the river and stream channels of the Sierra Nevada from placer and hard-rock mining operations in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The resulting contaminated sediments are relatively harmless when buried and isolated from the overlying aquatic environment. The entrained Hg...
Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, water year 2010: Quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards
Dwight Q. Tanner, Heather M. Bragg, Matthew W. Johnston
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1293
Significant Findings When water is released through the spillways of dams, air is entrained in the water, increasing the downstream concentration of dissolved gases. Excess dissolved-gas concentrations can have adverse effects on freshwater aquatic life. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected...
Rainfall and evapotranspiration data for southwest Medina County, Texas, August 2006-December 2009
Richard N. Slattery, William H. Asquith, Darwin J. Ockerman
2011, Data Series 554
During August 2006-December 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, collected rainfall and evapotranspiration data to help characterize the hydrology of the Nueces River Basin, Texas. The USGS installed and operated a station to collect continuous (30-minute interval) rainfall...
Chloride control and monitoring program in the Wichita River Basin, Texas, 1996–2009
M. M. Haynie, G. F. Burke, Stanley Baldys
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3018
Water resources of the Wichita River Basin in north-central Texas are vital to the water users in Wichita Falls, Tex., and surrounding areas. The Wichita River Basin includes three major forks of the Wichita River upstream from Lake Kemp, approximately 50 miles southwest of Wichita Falls, Tex. The main stem...
Water budgets and groundwater volumes for abandoned underground mines in the Western Middle Anthracite Coalfield, Schuylkill, Columbia, and Northumberland Counties, Pennsylvania: Preliminary estimates with identification of data needs
Daniel J. Goode, Charles A. Cravotta III,, Roger J. Hornberger, Michael A. Hewitt, Robert E. Hughes, Daniel J. Koury, Lee W. Eicholtz
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5261
This report, prepared in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP), the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, and the Dauphin County Conservation District, provides estimates of water budgets and groundwater volumes stored in abandoned underground mines in the Western Middle Anthracite Coalfield, which encompasses an area...
Documentation for the State Variables Package for the Groundwater-Management Process of MODFLOW-2005 (GWM-2005)
David P. Ahlfeld, Paul M. Barlow, Kristine M. Baker
2011, Techniques and Methods 6-A36
Many groundwater-management problems are concerned with the control of one or more variables that reflect the state of a groundwater-flow system or a coupled groundwater/surface-water system. These system state variables include the distribution of heads within an aquifer, streamflow rates within a hydraulically connected stream, and flow rates into or...
Predicting spread of invasive exotic plants into dewatered reservoirs after dam removal on the Elwha River, Olympic National Park, Washington
Andrea Woodward, Christian E. Torgersen, Joshua Chenoweth, Katherine Beirne, Steve Acker
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1048
The National Park Service is planning to start the restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem in Olympic National Park by removing two high head dams beginning in 2011. The potential for dispersal of exotic plants into dewatered reservoirs following dam removal, which would inhibit restoration of native vegetation, is of...
Classifying the water table at regional to continental scales
Tom Gleeson, Lars Marklund, Leslie Smith, Andrew H. Manning
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Water tables at regional to continental scales can be classified into two distinct types: recharge-controlled water tables that are largely disconnected from topography and topography-controlled water tables that are closely tied to topography. We use geomatic synthesis of hydrologic, geologic and topographic data sets to quantify and map water-table type...
A digital terrain model of bathymetry and shallow-zone bottom-substrate classification for Spednic Lake and estimates of lake-level-dependent habitat to support smallmouth bass persistence modeling
Robert W. Dudley, Charles W. Schalk, Nicholas W. Stasulis, Joan G. Trial
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5255
In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey entered into a cooperative agreement with the International Joint Commission, St. Croix River Board to do an analysis of historical smallmouth bass habitat as a function of lake level for Spednic Lake in an effort to quantify the effects, if any, of historical lake-level...
Inventory and protection of salt marshes from risks of sea-level rise at Acadia National Park, Maine
Robert W. Dudley, Martha G. Nielsen
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3015
Recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) climate studies in the northeastern United States have shown substantial evidence of climate-related changes during the last 100 years, including earlier snowmelt runoff, decreasing occurrence of river ice, and decreasing winter snowpack. These studies related to climate change are being expanded to include investigation of...
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2004-November 30, 2005
Bruce E. Krejmas, Gary N. Paulachok, Stephen F. Blanchard
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1106
A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered in 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversions of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City,...
Effectiveness of catch basins equipped with hoods in retaining gross solids and hydrocarbons in highway runoff, Southeast Expressway, Boston, Massachusetts, 2008-09
Kirk P. Smith
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5182
Stormwater mobilizes litter and other debris along the roadway where it is transported to the highway drainage systems. Initial treatment for stormwater runoff typically is provided by catch basins in highway settings. Modification of catch basins to include hoods that cover the catch-basin outlet is intended to enhance catch-basin performance...
Shoreline surveys of oil-impacted marsh in southern Louisiana, July to August 2010
Raymond F. Kokaly, David Heckman, JoAnn Holloway, Sarai C. Piazza, Brady R. Couvillion, Gregory D. Steyer, Christopher T. Mills, Todd M. Hoefen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1022
This report describes shoreline surveys conducted in the marshes of Louisiana in areas impacted by oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Three field expeditions were conducted on July 7-10, August 12-14, and August 24-26, 2010, in central Barataria Bay and the...
Self-potential investigations of a gravel bar in a restored river corridor
N. Linde, J. Doetsch, D. Jougnot, O. Genoni, Y. Durst, Burke J. Minsley, T. Vogt, N. Pasquale, J. Luster
2011, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (15) 729-742
Self-potentials (SP) are sensitive to water fluxes and concentration gradients in both saturated and unsaturated geological media, but quantitative interpretations of SP field data may often be hindered by the superposition of different source contributions and time-varying electrode potentials. Self-potential mapping and close to two months of SP monitoring on...
