Sampling and analysis plan for the water-quality monitoring program in Lake Koocanusa and upper Kootenai River, Montana, water years 2022–23
Lindsey R. King, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Melissa A. Schaar, Travis S. Schmidt, Thomas Chapin, Ashley M. Bussell
2026, Open-File Report 2026-1005
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, collected water-quality samples and environmental data in Lake Koocanusa (also known as “Koocanusa Reservoir”), the Kootenai River, and the Tobacco River during water years 2022–23. The transboundary Lake Koocanusa is in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northwestern Montana,...
Seabed maps showing topography, ruggedness, backscatter intensity, sediment mobility, and the distribution of geologic substrates in quadrangle 3 of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region offshore of Boston, Massachusetts
Page C. Valentine, VeeAnn A. Cross
2026, Scientific Investigations Map 3544
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has conducted seabed mapping and related research in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) region since 1993. The area being mapped using geophysical and geological data includes the SBNMS and...
Methods for estimating daily upstream location of the freshwater- saltwater interface along the Maurice and Cohansey Rivers, New Jersey
Jennifer L. Closson, Thomas P. Suro, Lukasz M. Niemoczynski
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5090
The Delaware River basin (DRB) provides drinking water to 15 million people in the surrounding area. Water is frequently withdrawn from the freshwater reaches of streams, above head of tide, in the DRB for use as public drinking water. During extended periods of low flow, saltwater can move upstream, which...
Thickness and other characteristics of overbank sediment deposited during an extreme flood in May 1978 along the Powder River, Montana
John A. Moody, Robert H. Meade
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5122
An extreme flood on the Powder River in southeastern Montana in May 1978 inundated its valley and deposited sediment on the floodplains and terraces at multiple heights. The recurrence interval for this flood was less than 1 percent in the reach between Moorhead and Broadus, Montana. Peak discharges at the...
Data-collection methods for total dissolved gases monitoring, Youghiogheny River at Dam Outlet Tunnel near Confluence, Pennsylvania
Allan J. Ruddy, Emily E. Woodward, Gerolamo C. Casile
2026, Open-File Report 2026-1068
Supersaturation of total dissolved gases (TDG) can potentially occur in the tailrace water at the Youghiogheny River at dam outlet tunnel near Confluence, Pennsylvania (U.S. Geological Survey [USGS] streamgaging and monitoring station 03077100). The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, established methods to collect and report...
Valuing socio-economic and ecological attributes of forested watershed restoration to reduce wildfire risk in the southwestern U.S.
Mohammad Mashiur Rahman, James R. Meldrum, Julie M. Mueller, Christopher Huber
2026, Forest Policy and Economics (186)
Forest restoration in a watershed can provide numerous ecological improvements and social benefits, including reducing the risk of extreme wildfire. Understanding the values of the accrued benefits can be used to evaluate the use of funds to support restoration. The Rio Grande watershed is a vast watershed...
Controlling invasive carp ichthyoplankton dispersion using a streamwise-oriented bubble screen: A proof-of-concept validation in a laboratory flume
Vindhyawasini Prasad, Henry F. Doyle, Cory Suski, P. Ryan Jackson, Amy E. George, Jesse Robert Fischer, Benjamin H. Stahlschmidt, Anne Marie Herndon, Rafael O. Tinoco
2026, Journal of Great Lakes Research
Recent evidence of invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) reproducing in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes has highlighted the need for control efforts targeting multiple life stages. Initial attempts to control dispersal of downstream-drifting invasive carp ichthyoplankton (i.e., eggs and larvae) using an oblique bubble screen (OBS) revealed that nearly...
Rare earth element potential in coal and coal ash in the U.S. Gulf Coast
Bridget R. Scanlon, Robert C. Reedy, Brent A. Elliott, James C. Hower, J. Richard Kyle, Marek Locmelis, Nolan Theaker, Peter D. Warwick
2026, International Journal of Coal Science & Technology (13)
United States heavy reliance on imports of critical minerals (CMs), including rare earth elements (REEs), underscores the importance of development of domestic sources. The study objective was to quantify CM and REE concentrations in coal and coal ash in the US Gulf Coast region. CM and REE...
Decadal shifts in groundwater age detected by environmental tracers across California, USA
Bryant C. Jurgens, Zeno F. Levy
2026, Geophysical Research Letters (53)
Groundwater age offers important insight into recharge, storage, and contamination risk. Although models predict age changes can be driven by pumping and climate variability, direct observational evidence remains limited. Here, we analyzed paired environmental tracer suites (tritium, carbon-14, and tritiogenic helium-3) collected a decade apart from 268...
Quantitative microbial risk assessment with microbial source tracking for enteric pathogens in southwest Wisconsin private wells
Tucker R. Burch, Joel P. Stokdyk, Joe Heffron, Sarah A. Opelt, Aaron D. Firnstahl
2026, Journal of Environmental Quality (55)
Private wells supply drinking water for many households, and their contamination by fecal microbes presents a risk of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI). Risk is thought to vary by contaminating fecal source, but specific associations with fecal source are unknown for most private wells in the United States. This study characterizes...
Net CO2 emissions from dry inland waters persist in the presence of vegetation
K. Sharma, Soren Brothers, S. Bernal, Núria Catalán, P. Keller, M. Koschorreck, S. Kosten, C. Leigh, D. von Schiller, A. Pastor, A. Larrañaga, A. Ari, A. Camacho-Santamans, A. Grinham, A. Lupon, A. Linkhorst, A. Elosegi, B. Obrador, B. D. Eyre, C. Trochine, C. C. Muniz, C. Feijoo, C. Duvert, E. Moreno-Ostos, E. Jacqueline Garcia, E. S. Oliveria, F. Cuassolo, H. R. Fernandez, J. Yeo, J. Oakes, J. R. Paranaíba, J. Pegg, J. Anselmo, J. J. Montes-Perez, L. van den Heuvel, L. Ran, L. L. Wilkinson, L. Gomez-Gener, M. Arroita, M. Shanafield, M. L. Gultemirian, M. I. Arce, M. Cobo, M. M. Sanchez-Montoya, N. Barros, N. Wells, N. Karakaya, P. Erturk Ari, Q. Struik, R. Aben, R. Rimas, S. Kumar, Sheel Bansal, S. Sarkar, S. Rodriguez-Gomez, T. Huang, T. Silverthorn, T. Datry, V. Diaz Villanueva, R. Marce
2026, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (40)
Many inland waters are shrinking due to shifts in climate and water diversion for human uses. As they dry out, their exposed sediments emit large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. However, current global estimates of CO2 emissions from dry inland waters are derived exclusively from bare sediment dark-chamber...
Estimation of impounded sediment volume in the Similkameen River upstream of Enloe Dam, Okanogan County, Washington
Alexander O. Headman, Oscar A. Wilkerson, Christopher A. Curran, Andrew S. Gendaszek
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5126
The Enloe Dam was built in 1920 for hydropower generation and impounds a steep-banked, narrow reach of the Similkameen River in north-central Washington. During the subsequent century, sediment from the Similkameen River watershed, which includes historical mining operations, accumulated within Enloe Dam’s impoundment. Enloe Dam ceased hydropower production in 1958...
Utilization of multiple geochronology techniques to constrain the age of laterization and mineralization of the world-class Mount Weld rare earth element deposit, Western Australia
Philip L. Verplanck, Cameron Mark Mercer, Jay M. Thompson, Martin Danišík, Heather A. Lowers, Leah E. Morgan, Ganesh Bhat
2026, Chemical Geology (709)
Pervasive chemical weathering on stable cratons may form thick regoliths and elemental enrichment, but constraining the age of regolith formation is challenging. In this study we utilize multiple geochronological techniques on different minerals from the world-class Mount Weld rare earth element (REE) deposit, formed by lateritic weathering of a carbonatite,...
Field performance evaluation of a bayluscide 20-percent suspension concentrate formulation
Nadia Carmosini, Justin R. Schueller, Courtney A. Kirkeeng, Anne M. Wood, Lori A. Criger, James A. Luoma
2026, Open-File Report 2026-1067
Petromyzon marinus (sea lamprey) is a parasitic, invasive fish of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Since the late 1950s, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has implemented an integrated Sea Lamprey Control Program (SLCP) that relies on two lampricidal chemicals: 3-(trifluoromethyl)-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and niclosamide. Niclosamide is applied using a bayluscide 20-percent emulsifiable...
Deep critical zone controls on shallow landslides
Seulgi Moon, Giuseppe Formetta, Justin T. Higa, Riccardo Busti, Dino G. Bellugi, David G. Milledge, Brian A. Ebel, William E. Dietrich
2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (123)
The deep critical zone (CZ) has long been recognized for its importance in influencing shallow landslides but was not considered feasible to include in slope stability models at the watershed scale. In this study, we demonstrate that simple approximations of the CZ in a fully coupled hydrologic and soil slope...
Urban stormwater treatment using biofiltration—Variable performance across solids, nutrients, major ions, and metals
William R. Selbig, James Romano
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5143
Urban runoff from streets and parking lots carries pollutants that degrade receiving waters. Green infrastructure, such as biofilters, is increasingly used to treat this runoff by mimicking natural hydrologic processes. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, evaluated a biofilter receiving roadway runoff from an...
Investigation of fish communities in natural channel sections of the Mohawk River, New York
Scott D. George, Thomas R. Sadekoski, Michael J. Darling, Barry P. Baldigo, Scott M. Wells, David B. Erway, Andrea L. Conine, Jesse C. Becker, Kristen J. Dieterle
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5131
Little is known about the natural resources in the natural channel sections of the Mohawk River between Rome and Frankfort, New York, where the river channel runs separately from and parallel to the Erie Canal. This river section runs through multiple locations that are listed as active remediation sites under...
Regreening, restoring, and reconnecting a southwestern wetland ecosystem – the Zeedyk wetland
Roy E. Petrakis, Laura M. Norman, Maryann McGraw, Steve Carson, Craig Sponholtz, Cameron Weber, Bill D. Zeedyk
2026, Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment (42)
Alluvial wetland ecosystems are vital as biodiversity hotspots but are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic stressors and drought. These pressures are especially acute in arid and semi-arid regions, where eco-hydrologic connectivity is fragile and recovery is slow. This study quantifies the efficacy of nature-based solutions, particularly the ‘Zeedyk approach,’ which employs...
Ice sheet dynamics drive pronounced changes in the subsurface freshwater-saltwater interface
Julia Guimond, Aaron Mohammed, Barret L. Kurylyk, Michelle A. Walvoord, Victor F. Bense
2026, Geophysical Research Letters (53)
Saltwater is migrating into freshwater aquifers globally with water quality and biogeochemical implications, yet saltwater intrusion in glaciated regions is sparsely investigated. Field observations suggest that groundwater head in glaciated systems is influenced by ice sheet forcings and provides evidence that seawater infiltrated into offshore aquifers during past deglaciation events....
Investigating the role of lake environments and food chains on the transfer of mercury to lake trout
Sarah M. Laske, Krista K. Bartz, Daniel Young
2026, Alaska Park Science (24) 46-55
Mercury contamination can pose threats to fish, wildlife, and people. Methylmercury, found in fish, can be particularly detrimental, especially to children. This study explores the sources and concentrations of mercury and proposes how people can become aware and limit their exposure....
Cyanobacteria and aquatic ecosystem dynamics across 28,000 years of environmental changes in subtropical North America
Savvas Paradeisis-Stathis, Matthew N. Waters, Debra A. Willard, Richard S. Vachula
2026, Quaternary Science Reviews (376)
Ecological pressures on aquatic ecosystems have increased over recent centuries due to human activities and climate change. However, contextualizing ecosystem deterioration is often challenging due to limited knowledge of environmental changes over millennial timescales. Subtropical Carolina bays in North Carolina, USA, have remained unglaciated, preserving paleolimnological records that extend back...
Evaluating drivers of environmental change in a lake sediment core: Insights from spectroscopic metrics of water-extractable organic matter and stable carbon isotopes
A.C. Collins, Sabina R. Gifford, Morgan Schaller, Aron Stubbins, Sasha Wagner, Kevin Alexander Ryan
2026, Applied Geochemistry (202)
Freshwater lakes play a critical role in the global carbon cycle by storing and transforming organic matter (OM) from both terrestrial and aquatic sources. Small lakes in northern temperate regions, despite their limited surface area, disproportionately influence regional carbon budgets. Buried sediments integrate OM inputs over time and archive ecosystem...
Summertime methane and carbon dioxide emission rates and associated variables from a national-scale survey of 146 reservoirs in the United States
Jake J. Beaulieu, Bridget R. Deemer, R.M. Pilla, Kenneth J. Forshay, J.W. Hollister, S.A. Jacobs, J.T. Walker, P.T. Leinenbach, Natalie A. Griffiths, S.D. Shivers, A.O. Tatters, K.N. Buckler, J.W. Corra, Ryan W. Daly, A.N. Djurkovic, S.R. Fulgham, P.L. Goodwin, L.G. Herger, M.W. Jones, N.J. Jones, L.A. Juilfs, C.M. Langstroth, M.E. Mitchell, J.R. Oliveria, B.M. Richmond, J.W. Schroeder
2026, Limnology and Oceanography Letters (11)
Reservoirs are globally important sources of greenhouse gases, but the magnitude of their emissions is highly uncertain. Here we present data for 146 reservoirs from two surveys of reservoir methane and carbon dioxide emissions, one at the regional scale in the midwestern United States and one at the national scale...
Edible baits for systemic flea control, plague mitigation, and wildlife conservation: Evaluation of four active ingredients with three rodent species in western North America
David A. Eads, Marc R. Matchett, Magnus McCaffery, Ashlyn Hemmah, Angela R. Jarding, Jennifer Cordova, Heather Heimann, Stefano Liccioli, Laura E. Gardiner, Jordan Cormack, Holly Hicks, Jason Fly, Eddie Childers, Travis Livieri, Michelle L. Hladik, Dean E. Biggins
2026, International Journal of Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife (29)
The flea-borne agent of plague, Yersinia pestis, is lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFFs) and the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) on which BFFs depend for habitat and prey. We developed bait pellets containing insecticides for flea control with PDs. Individual baits contained 0.46, 0.91, 1.21, or...
The effects of scientific uncertainty and values trade-offs on flow management decisions for an endangered fish
Brian Mahardja, William E. Smith, Brian D. Healy, Cameron Koizumi, Matthew L. Nobriga, Shawn Acuña, Brian A. Crawford, Kristin K. Arend, Michael C. Runge
2026, Ecosphere (17)
Consumptive use of freshwater is of concern in many estuarine ecosystems, and various frameworks have been used to prescribe environmental flows to benefit native species. However, few of these frameworks explicitly examine the potential trade-offs between socioeconomic and conservation-oriented values. This is exemplified in California, USA, where freshwater management has...
