Streamflow and surface-water presence data availability across the conterminous United States: A review for headwater systems
Roy Sando, Kristin Jaeger, Christa Kelleher, John C. Hammond, Jay R. Christensen, Catalina Segura, Heather E. Golden, Frederick Y. Cheng, Admin Husic, C. Nathan Jones, Charles R. Lane, Li Li, D. Tyler Mahoney, Hillary McMillan, Adam N. Price, Erin C. Seybold, Adam Ward, Margaret Zimmer, Steven James Pestana
2026, Hydrological Processes (40)
Water is essential for life on Earth, supporting ecosystems, human health, and economic activities. Hydrology relies on observational data, and this paper discusses regional and national datasets for the conterminous United States (CONUS) publicly available as of 2023, focusing on headwaters, defined as first- and second-order streams at 1:24000 scale....
Factors affecting benthic macroinvertebrate health in the City of Roanoke, Virginia, 2020–2023
Samuel Adam Miller, Marcus F Aguilar, Logan Helsley, Sally Entrekin
2026, Report
Major waterways in the City of Roanoke (City) have failed to meet Virginia’s aquatic life designated use since 1996. Segments of the upper Roanoke River lack healthy benthic macroinvertebrate communities which prompted a total maximum daily load (TMDL) study by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) to identify the...
Precipitation-based flood-inundation maps for the East Fork Little Blue River and tributaries at Lee’s Summit, Missouri, 2024
Allison A. Atkinson
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5017
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, assessed flooding of the East Fork Little Blue River and tributaries for varying precipitation magnitudes and durations, varying antecedent runoff conditions, and projected climate-change conditions. The precipitation scenarios were used to develop a library of flood-inundation...
VegET evapotranspiration for Africa: Continental-scale simulation, multi-product evaluation, and drought assessment
Komlavi Akpoti, Naga Manohar Velpuri, Mansoor Leh, Stefanie Kagone, Kirubel Mekonnen, Afua Owusu, Mulugeta Tadesse, Paranamana T. Prabhath, Lahiru Madushanka, Tharindu Perera, Gabriel Edwin Lee Parrish, Vinay Nangia, Souleymane Sy, Jan Bliefernicht, Samuel Guug, Abdulkarim Seid, Gabriel B. Senay
Gabriel B. Senay, editor(s)
2026, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (66)
Study regionContinental Africa, encompassing diverse climatic zones—tropical, arid, and temperate—and spanning major transboundary river basins such as the Nile, Niger, Congo, Volta, and Zambezi River Basins. The region exhibits pronounced hydroclimatic gradients and heterogeneous land use systems ranging from rainfed croplands and rangelands...
Salinas Valley integrated hydrologic and reservoir operations models, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California
Wesley R. Henson, Randy Hanson, Scott Boyce, Joseph Hevesi, Marisa M. Earll, Deidre M. Herbert, Elizabeth R. Jachens
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5005
The area surrounding the Salinas Valley groundwater basin in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties of California is a highly productive agricultural area, contributes substantially to the local economy, and provides a substantial portion of vegetables and other agricultural commodities to the Nation. This region of California provides about half...
Watershed Continuum Monitoring Approach: Combining multiple water quality patterns along stream and river flowpaths to track sources, pathways, and processing of pollutants
Sujay Kaushal, Ashley Mon, Stanley Grant, Paul M. Mayer, Aaron J. Porter, Andrew J. Sekellick, Jason Hamilton Chase, Shantanu Bhide, John D. Jastram, Tammy Newcomer-Johnson, Sydney A. Shelton, Alexis M. Yaculak, Joseph T. Malin, Carly Marcella Maas, Nicholas Salanitri, Daniel J. Silberstein, Steven P. Hohman, Ashley B. Dann, Weston M Slaughter, Megan A. Rippy, Ahmed Monofy, Ruth R. Shatkay, Jenna E. Reimer, Madeleine Seppi, Randi Noel, Julianna Mussa, Bennett Kellmayer, Gwendolyn Sivirichi, Melissa Grese, Walter L.M. Boger, Jeffrey G. Chanat, Shuiwang Duan, Kenneth T. Belt
2026, Ecological Engineering (229)
There is a growing need to improve and expand water quality monitoring approaches to more accurately track the sources, fate, and transport of multiple chemicals and pollutants holistically and quantify the effects of best management practices (BMPs) at the watershed scale. An overarching question raised by scientists, environmental managers, and...
Effects of wildfire on soil hydraulic properties in the western Oregon Cascades
Cedric Pimont, Evan A. Thaler, Brian A. Ebel, Kevin D. Bladon
2026, JGR Biogeosciences (131)
Wildfires can substantially impact the hydrology of forested watersheds, increasing the risk of hydrologic hazards such as flash floods and debris flows. Soil hydraulic properties related to infiltration are a key control in determining the timing and magnitude of these hydrogeomorphic events. In our study, we collected 445 soil cores...
Hydrogeologic framework and conceptual groundwater-flow model of the panhandle and northwest parts of the High Plains (Ogallala) aquifer in Oklahoma, 1998–2022
Amy S. Morris, Colin A. Baciocco, Isaac A. Dale, Chloe Codner, Ethan A. Kirby, Grant M. Graves, Derrick L. Wagner, Eric G. Fiorentino, Alan LePera, Jon E. Sanford, Lara Joy
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5009
This study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, to update the hydrogeologic framework and conceptual flow model for the panhandle and northwest parts of the High Plains (Ogallala) aquifer in Oklahoma, which together compose the Ogallala aquifer focus area. The study...
Patterns of floodplain forest mortality and recruitment along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers: Associations with forest fragmentation and flood inundation
Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder, Molly Van Appledorn, Shelby A. Weiss, Matthew Trumper, Lyle J. Guyon
2026, Landscape Ecology (41)
ContextDifferent rates of floodplain forest recruitment and mortality can reveal important changes in ecosystem processes that drive forest dynamics, resulting in net changes in forest cover, thereby influencing a wide range of river habitat and morphological characteristics.ObjectivesWe evaluated characteristics of forest change areas in the Upper...
Life history traits and population dynamics of Freshwater Drum across large river gradients
Kristen L. Bouska, Levi E. Solomon, Andrew Bartels, Steven A. DeLain, Eric J. Gittinger, Travis Kueter, Kristopher A. Maxson, John L. West, James T. Lamer, Hae H. Kim, Quinton Phelps
2026, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
ObjectiveMonitoring and assessment of nongame native fishes is limited, but conservation interest in these species is growing. Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens are a wide-ranging species that serve important functional roles and could serve as an indicator for similar but less common species. Our overall objectives were to quantify...
Water scarcity and infrastructure risk of amplified seasonal sediment transport
Ting Zhang, Jim L. Best, Amy E. East, Lorenzo Rosa, Qianhan Wu, Yiyi Li, Yu Qi, Yunkai Li, Dongfeng Li
2026, Nature Sustainability
Climate warming and deglaciation are reshaping hydrological seasonality in cold–dry regions, threatening the long-term sustainability of agriculture, ecosystems and local communities. However, existing evidence is limited to runoff seasonality. Changing sediment-transport seasonality, a more sensitive component, is emerging as a substantial yet under-recognized threat to water infrastructure. Leveraging monthly observations...
An automated geographic information system-based hydraulic modeling tool for developing preliminary culvert designs for stream crossings in Massachusetts
Gardner C. Bent, Brendan A. McCarthy, Luke P. Sturtevant, Meghan A. McCallister, Amanda L. Tudor, Ian P. Armstrong, Mark W. Poe, Alexander P. Graziano, Carl S. Carlson
2026, Fact Sheet 2026-3065
IntroductionCurrently (2026), many of the about 25,000 roadway crossing structures over rivers and streams in Massachusetts are undersized. Undersized culverts and bridges can be detrimental to fish and wildlife movement, habitat continuity, and the health of aquatic organisms. Undersized culverts also can lack the resiliency needed to withstand large floods,...
Evaluating approximations of river channel shape using a national cross section database
Carl J. Legleiter, Paul J. Kinzel
2026, Water Resources Research (62)
Many hydrologic applications require basic information on the size and shape of river channels, but measuring cross section (XS) geometry in the field or via remote sensing can be costly and often provides only partial coverage. Given these challenges, we capitalized upon an existing data set of 46,971 XS from...
Hydrologic investigation of water level fluctuations at Moreau Lake, Moreau Lake State Park, town of Moreau, New York
Paul M. Heisig
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5132
The causes of water level fluctuations at Moreau Lake, within Moreau Lake State Park in the town of Moreau, New York, were investigated from 2016 to 2021 after lake water levels dropped between 2015 and 2016, raising concerns about the loss of a shallow swimming area at the park beach....
Shallow hydrogeologic framework of the Tully Valley mudboil area, Onondaga County, New York
John H. Williams, Neil C. Terry, William M. Kappel, Paul M. Heisig, Robin L. Glas, Joshua C. Woda
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5129
Mudboils have been documented in the Tully Valley in southern Onondaga County, New York, since the late 1890s. Sediment-laden water from the mudboils flows into Onondaga Creek, which empties into Onondaga Lake at Syracuse 15 miles to the north. Turbidity from the mudboils has degraded the water quality of Onondaga...
Springtime formation of laminated soil carbonate rinds and changes in fluvial terrace soils on orbital timescales at Rio Mesa, Utah, USA
Tyler E. Huth, Thure E. Cerling, David W. Marchetti, Amy L. Ellwein, Shannon A. Mahan, David R. Bowling, Benjamin H. Passey, Victor J. Polyak, Yemane Asmerom
2026, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (27)
Laminated soil carbonate rinds are a Quaternary paleoclimate archive whose isotope composition is linked to soil formation conditions. At Rio Mesa, Utah (USA), we investigated the fidelity of rind records in a river terrace setting by determining the seasonal timing of rind formation and testing for inter-record replication. We infer...
Peak-, mean-, and low-streamflow regional-regression equations for natural streamflow in central and western Colorado, 2019
Michael S. Kohn, M. Alisa Mast, Tara A. Gross
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5047
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, developed peak-, mean-, and low-streamflow regional-regression equations for estimating various statistics for natural streamflow in hydrologic regions of central and western Colorado. The peak-streamflow regression equations were developed using data from 418 streamgages, consisting of 15,202 years...
Spatially consistent but temporally divergent changes in nitrate and phosphorus loads and yields in Illinois watersheds, 1997–2022
Brock J.W. Kamrath, Jennifer C. Murphy, Lindsey Ayn Schafer, Hannah Lee Podzorski, Gregory F. McIsaac
2026, Journal of American Water Resources Association (62)
Illinois contributes substantial nutrient loads to the Gulf of America, warranting watershed-scale assessment. This study estimated nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate-N) and total phosphorus (TP) loads and yields for 49 Illinois 8-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC8) watersheds draining to the Mississippi River Basin from 1997–2022, comparing recent (2018–2022) to baseline (1997–2011) conditions. Estimates...
Spatial heterogeneity of salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise: Dual controls of hydrological setting and salinity regime
Dongxiao Yin, Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, John C. Warner, David K. Ralston, Courtney K. Harris, Bin Li
2026, Geophysical Research Letters (53)
Salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise (SLR) is typically assessed using point measurements of vertical accretion, neglecting three-dimensionality of geomorphic evolution and spatial variability. Recent studies suggest links between vertical and horizontal vulnerability, with differences between oligohaline and polyhaline marshes, yet these relationships remain untested in estuary-marsh systems. Here we...
Modeling future groundwater depletion to evaluate sustainability goals set under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in the critically overdrafted basins of the Central Valley, California, USA (2020–2070)
Logan Platt, Mathew Weingarten, Claudia C. Faunt, Jonathan A. Traum, Scott Boyce
2026, Water Resources Research (62)
In 2014, California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) mandated local agencies to devise and implement groundwater sustainability plans to address critically overdrafted conditions throughout the state's aquifers. However, the feasibility of these agencies' sustainability goals has not previously been assessed through a regional-scale, integrative lens. Here, we develop and analyze...
A novel drive-point multilevel system to investigate PFAS and other contaminants of global concern in the hyporheic zone of a wastewater effluent dominated stream
J. R. Meyer, A. L. Mianecki, E. Occhi, Dana W. Kolpin, G. H. LeFevre
2026, Hydrological Processes (40)
Contaminants found in treated wastewater discharged to streams, including pharmaceuticals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are of global concern due to their deleterious effects on aquatic ecosystems and potential impacts to human health. Hyporheic zones have strong potential for contaminant attenuation. Assessing this potential requires collection of physical and...
Historical ice jams and associated environmental conditions on Osoyoos Lake
Nicholas A. Sutfin, Stephen J. Breen
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5003
Ice jams occur regularly at the southern outlet of Osoyoos Lake, which spans the border between the State of Washington and British Columbia, Canada. In recent winters, ice jams caused (1) decreases in downstream discharge that may adversely affect salmon spawning habitat and (2) short-duration lake-level rise that can interfere...
Logical data model for hydrographic data based on HY_Features concepts
David L. Blodgett, editor(s)
2026, OCG Public Engineering Report 25-045
This report describes background and design of the “hydrofabric data model” which defines logic for implementation of data schemas and software that deals with hydrologic geospatial data. As a “logical” data model, the hydrofabric data model specifies details necessary to support compatibility of data and software that satisfy diverse needs...
Analyses of meteorological and hydrological records support Tribal members’ accounts of changing climate on the Fort Apache Reservation, east–central Arizona
Jon P. Mason
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5140
The Fort Apache Reservation in east–central Arizona, home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona, contains several climate zones because of the large variation in surface elevation within the reservation. This study was carried out in cooperation with the White Mountain Apache Tribe of the...
The Climate Hazards Center Infrared Precipitation with Stations, version 3
Chris Funk, Pete Peterson, Laura Harrison, Robert Saldivar, Martin Landsfeld, Diego Pedreros, Shraddhanand Shukla, Andreas H. Fink, Frank Davenport, Seth H. Peterson, William Turner, Austin Sonnier, Michael Budde, Karyn Tabor, James Verdin, Disha Hauzaree, Mohamed Naim, Daniella Alaso, Gregory Husak
2026, Scientific Data (13)
The Climate Hazards Center Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) data stream combines: (1) a high-resolution climatology, (2) thermal infrared (TIR) geostationary satellite observations, and (3) station observations. In the past, CHIRPS version 2 (CHIRPS2) has proven to be valuable for drought monitoring, hydrologic modeling, scientific studies and agricultural decision making....
