High frequency data exposes nonlinear seasonal controls on dissolved organic matter in a large watershed
Matthew Shultz, Brian A. Pellerin, George Aiken, Joseph W. Martin, Peter Raymond
2018, Environmental Science and Technology (52) 5644-5652
We analyzed a five year, high frequency time series generated by an in situ fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) sensor installed near the Connecticut River’s mouth, investigating high temporal resolution DOM dynamics in a larger watershed and longer time series than previously addressed. We identified a...
Computational fluid dynamics simulations of the Late Pleistocene Lake Bonneville flood
Jose M. Abril-Hernandez, Raul Perianez, Jim E. O'Connor, Daniel Garcia-Castellanos
2018, Journal of Hydrology (561) 1-15
At approximately 18.0 ka, pluvial Lake Bonneville reached its maximum level. At its northeastern extent it was impounded by alluvium of the Marsh Creek Fan, which breached at some point north of Red Rock Pass (Idaho), leading to one of the largest floods on Earth. About 5320 km3 of water was discharged into...
Incorporating spatially heterogeneous infiltration capacity into hydrologic models with applications for simulating post‐wildfire debris flow initiation
Luke A. McGuire, Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Benjamin B. Mirus
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 1175-1187
Soils in post‐wildfire environments are often characterized by a low infiltration capacity with a high degree of spatial heterogeneity relative to unburned areas. Debris flows are frequently initiated by run‐off in recently burned steeplands, making it critical to develop and test methods for incorporating spatial variability in infiltration capacity into...
Genetic integrity, population status, and long-term viability of isolated populations of shoal bass in the upper Chattahoochee River basin, Georgia
Andrew T. Taylor, James M. Long
2018, Natural Resource Report NPS/CHAT/NRR-2018/1620
This report characterizes the status of multiple isolated Shoal Bass (Micropterus cataractae) populations in the upper Chattahoochee River basin (UCRB), Georgia. The Shoal Bass, a sport fish endemic to the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River (ACF) basin, is a fluvial-specialist species considered vulnerable to local extirpations and extinction due to habitat fragmentation and...
Groundwater flow and heat transport for systems undergoing freeze-thaw: Intercomparison of numerical simulators for 2D test cases
Christophe Grenier, Hauke Anbergen, Victor F. Bense, Quentin Chanzy, Ethan Coon, Nathaniel Collier, François Costard, Michel Ferry, Andrew Frampton, Jennifer M. Frederick, Julio Goncalves, Johann Holmen, Anne Jost, Samuel Kokh, Barret L. Kurylyk, Jeffrey M. McKenzie, John W. Molson, Emmanuel Mouche, Laurent Orgogozo, Romain Pannetier, Agnes Riviere, Nicolas Roux, Wolfram Ruhaak, Johanna Scheidegger, Jan-Olof Selroos, Rene Therrien, Patrik Vidstrand, Clifford I. Voss
2018, Advances in Water Resources (114) 196-218
In high-elevation, boreal and arctic regions, hydrological processes and associated water bodies can be strongly influenced by the distribution of permafrost. Recent field and modeling studies indicate that a fully-coupled multidimensional thermo-hydraulic approach is required to accurately model the evolution of these permafrost-impacted landscapes and groundwater systems. However, the relatively...
Incorporating an approach to aid river and reservoir fisheries in an altered landscape
Shannon K. Brewer, Daniel E. Shoup, John Dattillo
2018, Cooperator Science Series 129-2018
Reservoir construction for human-use services alters connected riverine flow patterns and influences fish production. We sampled two pelagic fishes from two rivers and two reservoirs and related seasonal and annual hydrology patterns to the recruitment and growth of each species. River and reservoir populations of Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens reached...
Estimating the effects of wetland conservation practices in croplands: Approaches for modeling in CEAP–Cropland Assessment
Diane De Steven, David Mushet
2018, Report
Quantifying the current and potential benefits of conservation practices can be a valuable tool for encouraging greater practice adoption on agricultural lands. A goal of the CEAP-Cropland Assessment is to estimate the environmental effects of conservation practices that reduce losses (exports) of soil, nutrients, and pesticides from farmlands to streams...
Tundra landform and vegetation productivity trend maps for the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska
Mark J. Lara, Ingmar Nitze, Guido Grosse, A. David McGuire
2018, Scientific Data (5) 1-10
Arctic tundra landscapes are composed of a complex mosaic of patterned ground features, varying in soil moisture, vegetation composition, and surface hydrology over small spatial scales (10–100 m). The importance of microtopography and associated geomorphic landforms in influencing ecosystem structure and function is well founded, however, spatial data products describing local...
Springs as hydrologic refugia in a changing climate? A remote sensing approach
Jennifer M. Cartwright, Henry M. Johnson
2018, Ecosphere (9) 1-22
Spring‐fed wetlands are ecologically important habitats in arid and semi‐arid regions. Springs have been suggested as possible hydrologic refugia from droughts and climate change; however, springs that depend on recent precipitation or snowmelt for recharge may be vulnerable to warming and drought intensification. Springs that are expected to maintain their...
The Ozark Plateaus Regional Aquifer Study—Documentation of a groundwater-flow model constructed to assess water availability in the Ozark Plateaus
Brian R. Clark, Joseph M. Richards, Katherine J. Knierim
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5035
Recent short-term drought conditions have emphasized the need to better understand the delicate balance between abundance, sustainability, and scarcity of groundwater in the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system. In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey began construction of a groundwater-flow model as a tool for the assessment of groundwater availability in the...
Microspatial ecotone dynamics at a shifting range limit: plant–soil variation across salt marsh–mangrove interfaces
Erik S. Yando, Michael J. Osland, Mark H. Hester
2018, Oecologia (187) 319-331
Ecotone dynamics and shifting range limits can be used to advance our understanding of the ecological implications of future range expansions in response to climate change. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, the salt marsh–mangrove ecotone is an area where range limits and ecotone dynamics can be studied in tandem...
Flood-inundation and flood-mitigation modeling of the West Branch Wapsinonoc Creek Watershed in West Branch, Iowa
Charles V. Cigrand
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5002
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the city of West Branch and the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site of the National Park Service assessed flood-mitigation scenarios within the West Branch Wapsinonoc Creek watershed. The scenarios are intended to demonstrate several means of decreasing peak streamflows and improving the...
The role of frozen soil in groundwater discharge predictions for warming alpine watersheds
Sarah G. Evans, Shemin Ge, Clifford I. Voss, Noah P. Molotch
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 1599-1615
Climate warming may alter the quantity and timing of groundwater discharge to streams in high alpine watersheds due to changes in the timing of the duration of seasonal freezing in the subsurface and snowmelt recharge. It is imperative to understand the effects of seasonal freezing and recharge on groundwater discharge...
Natural and man-made hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), in groundwater near a mapped plume, Hinkley, California—study progress as of May 2017, and a summative-scale approach to estimate background Cr(VI) concentrations
John A. Izbicki, Krishangi D. Groover
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1045
This report describes (1) work done between January 2015 and May 2017 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), background study and (2) the summative-scale approach to be used to estimate the extent of anthropogenic (man-made) Cr(VI) and background Cr(VI) concentrations near the Pacific Gas and...
Vegetation influences on infiltration in Hawaiian soils
Kimberlie Perkins, Jonathan D. Stock, John R. Nimmo
2018, Ecohydrology (11)
Changes in vegetation communities caused by removing trees, introducing grazing ungulates, and replacing native plants with invasive species have substantially altered soil infiltration processes and rates in Hawaii. These changes directly impact run-off, erosion, plant-available water, and aquifer recharge. We hypothesize that broad vegetation communities can be characterized by distributions...
Hydrologic assessment of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Christine M. Wieben, Mary M. Chepiga
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5088
The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter Forsythe refuge or the refuge) is situated along the central New Jersey coast and provides a mixture of freshwater and saltwater habitats for numerous bird, wildlife, and plant species. Little data and information were previously available regarding the freshwater dynamics that support...
Hydrogeology of, simulation of groundwater flow in, and potential effects of sea-level rise on the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in the vicinity of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
Alex R. Fiore, Lois M. Voronin, Christine M. Wieben
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5135
The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge encompasses more than 47,000 acres of New Jersey coastal habitats, including salt marshes, freshwater wetlands, tidal wetlands, barrier beaches, woodlands, and swamps. The refuge is along the Atlantic Flyway and provides breeding habitat for fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife species. The refuge...
Capture versus capture zones: Clarifying terminology related to sources of water to wells
Paul M. Barlow, Stanley A. Leake, Michael N. Fienen
2018, Groundwater (56) 694-704
The term capture, related to the source of water derived from wells, has been used in two distinct yet related contexts by the hydrologic community. The first is a water‐budget context, in which capture refers to decreases in the rates of groundwater outflow and (or) increases in the rates...
Wetlands inform how climate extremes influence surface water expansion and contraction
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Charles R. Lane, Michael L. McManus, Laurie C. Alexander, Jay R. Christensen
2018, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (22) 1851-1873
Effective monitoring and prediction of flood and drought events requires an improved understanding of how and why surface water expansion and contraction in response to climate varies across space. This paper sought to (1) quantify how interannual patterns of surface water expansion and contraction vary spatially across the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR)...
Hydrogeologic applications for historical records and images from rock samples collected at the Nevada National Security Site and vicinity, Nye County, Nevada - A supplement to Data Series 297
David B. Wood
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1011
Rock samples have been collected, analyzed, and interpreted from drilling and mining operations at the Nevada National Security Site for over one-half of a century. Records containing geologic and hydrologic analyses and interpretations have been compiled into a series of databases. Rock samples have been photographed and thin sections...
Assessment of geochemical and hydrologic conditions near Old Yuma Mine in Saguaro National Park, Arizona, 2014–17
Kimberly R. Beisner, Floyd Gray
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5019
The Old Yuma Mine is an abandoned copper, lead, zinc, silver, and gold mine located within the boundaries of Saguaro National Park, Tucson Mountain District, Arizona. This study analyzed the geochemistry of sediments associated with the Old Yuma Mine and assessed hydrologic and geochemical conditions of groundwater to evaluate the...
Estimates of nitrate loads and yields from groundwater to streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed based on land use and geology
Silvia Terziotti, Paul D. Capel, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Jessica A. Hopple, Scott C. Kronholm
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5160
The water quality of the Chesapeake Bay may be adversely affected by dissolved nitrate carried in groundwater discharge to streams. To estimate the concentrations, loads, and yields of nitrate from groundwater to streams for the Chesapeake Bay watershed, a regression model was developed based on measured nitrate concentrations from 156...
SWToolbox: A surface-water tool-box for statistical analysis of streamflow time series
Julie E. Kiang, Kate Flynn, Tong Zhai, Paul Hummel, Gregory E. Granato
2018, Techniques and Methods 4-A11
This report is a user guide for the low-flow analysis methods provided with version 1.0 of the Surface Water Toolbox (SWToolbox) computer program. The software combines functionality from two software programs—U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) SWSTAT and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) DFLOW. Both of these programs have been used primarily...
Metamodeling and mapping of nitrate flux in the unsaturated zone and groundwater, Wisconsin, USA
Bernard T. Nolan, Christopher T. Green, Paul F. Juckem, Lixia Liao, James E. Reddy
2018, Journal of Hydrology (559) 428-441
Nitrate contamination of groundwater in agricultural areas poses a major challenge to the sustainability of water resources. Aquifer vulnerability models are useful tools that can help resource managers identify areas of concern, but quantifying nitrogen (N) inputs in such models is challenging, especially at large spatial scales. We sought to...
Improving predictions of hydrological low-flow indices in ungaged basins using machine learning
Scott C. Worland, William H. Farmer, Julie E. Kiang
2018, Environmental Modelling and Software (101) 169-182
We compare the ability of eight machine-learning models (elastic net, gradient boosting, kernel-k-nearest neighbors, two variants of support vector machines, M5-cubist, random forest, and a meta-learning ensemble M5-cubist model) and four baseline models (ordinary kriging, a unit area discharge model, and two variants of censored regression) to generate estimates of the...
