California Waters - Spring 2021 - Vol. I | Issue II
USGS Participates in 2021 Orange County Youth Environmental Summit
From April 19th through the 23rd, 2021, the USGS California Water Science Center (CAWSC) participated in the first virtual Orange County Youth Environmental Summit (YES). The award-winning program, formerly known as the Children's Water Education Festival, offers 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders opportunities for learning and engagement.
Nutrient Erosion Study Begins at California’s Clear Lake
Clear Lake, the largest natural lake entirely within California, has a severe problem with harmful algal blooms which can be detrimental to aquatic life by depriving it of oxygen when the algae dies, sinks, and decays. A driving factor of these conditions are the nutrient loads being carried into the lake by soil erosion and the transport of sediment from the lake’s tributaries.
Airborne thermal infrared imagery and longitudinal stream temperature profiles, Hat Creek, California, August 2018
A public data release by Jennifer Curtis and other USGS scientists has been published. The data release features airborne thermal infrared imagery and longitudinal stream temperature profiles and is part of a USGS study to assess spatial patterns of groundwater discharge.
Bay-Delta Science Conference Goes Virtual
Scientists, managers, and policymakers gather online for the 11th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference
Scientists Study Longfin Smelt Distribution in the Coastal Pacific Ocean
USGS scientists have begun a project to estimate the marine distribution of longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) along the North American Pacific coast.
Public Webinar on the USGS study results for Groundwater Quality of Aquifers Overlying the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California
The USGS and State Water Board Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Program are hosting a webinar Friday, February 19 at 10am PT to discuss the scientific findings of the Groundwater Quality of Aquifers Overlying the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California study.
Scientists Assess Sediment Nutrient Storage and Release in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
California Water Science Center scientists have begun the first comprehensive assessment of sediment nutrient inventories and fluxes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). Their findings will serve as a baseline for assessing water quality improvements following upcoming upgrades to the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and wetland restoration efforts.
Water-Quality Monitoring in the Sepulveda Flood Control Basin of the Los Angeles River Watershed
As part of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), this project will enhance water-quality monitoring on a reach of the Los Angeles River slated for revitalization. The UWFP reconnects urban communities—particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed—with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies.
Trends in nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentrations and loads in streams draining to Lake Tahoe, California, Nevada, USA
Lake Tahoe, a large freshwater lake of the eastern Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada, has 63 tributaries that are sources of nutrients and sediment to the lake. The Tahoe watershed is relatively small, and the surface area of the lake occupies about 38% of the watershed area (1313 km2). Only about 6% of the watershed is urbanized or residential land, and as part of a plan to maintain water cl
Widespread use of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin: Assessing benefits and costs to agriculture, ecosystems, and environmental health
Agricultural production and associated applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizers have increased dramatically in the last century, and current projections to 2050 show that demands will continue to increase as the human population grows. Applied in both organic and inorganic fertilizer forms, N is an essential nutrient in crop productivity. Increased fertilizer applications, however, create the pote