Nitrate from fertilizer is degraded by microbial action in the presence of solid minerals. This helps mitigate the effect of the nitrate, but begins to diminish the solid minerals needed. Will the process be sustainable in the long term?
Information and links to USGS and other Federal agency monitoring and research concerning the hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico occurring along the Louisiana-Texas coast.
Summary of a circular on USGS environmental research and Chesapeake Bay with links to full document. Includes discussion of the problems of the estuary, restoration efforts, water quality, and effects on ecosystem.
Report (PDF format) on an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of contaminated ground water from a metals refinery adjacent to the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska testing water and sediments for contaminants and toxicity.
Water quality is important here because this reservoir is the primary supply for Wichita, Kansas. Due to low streamflow during the monitoring period, we expect suspended sediment and phosphorus to be more variable in the future.
Outlines processes that control the release of metals and acidic waters from inactive mines and mineralized areas, the transport of metals and acidic waters to streams, and the fate and effect of metals and acidity on downstream ecosystems.
Describes cooperation of the USGS office in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the Department of Energy to address environmental and scientific issues at the Nevada Test Site and vicinity with links to project information.