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The California Water Science Center has adjusted activities in response to guidance concerning the global COVID-19 pandemic. We will carry on the work of the USGS, while also maintaining the health and safety of our employees and community. Based on direction from the White House, the CDC, and state and local authorities, we are shifting to a virtual mode.
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Water Research Projects
Over 100 research projects addressing California's key water issues including: long-term water supply and availability, water quality, droughts and floods, climate change, aquatic ecology, the Delta, management of watersheds and groundwater.
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The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies to provide scientific information needed by water-resources managers across the Nation.
Find out howCalifornia Water Data
Basic hydrologic data collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and archiving are major parts of the California Water Science Center program.
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California Water-Quality Mapper
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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.
Publications
Salinity changes the dynamics of pyrethroid toxicity in terms of behavioral effects on newly hatched delta smelt larvae
Salinity can interact with organic compounds and modulate their toxicity. Studies have shown that the fraction of pyrethroid insecticides in the aqueous phase increases with increasing salinity, potentially increasing the risk of exposure for aquatic organisms at higher salinities. In the San Francisco Bay Delta (SFBD) estuary, pyrethroid...
Segarra, Amelie; Mauduit, Florian; Amer, Nermeen; Biefel, Felix KJ; Hladik, Michelle; Connon, Richard E; Brander, Susanne M.
Multi-taxa database data dictionary
The conservation of biological resources relies on the successful management of ecological and physiological research data. The Western Ecological Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey is working with researchers, land managers, and decision makers from non-government organizations and city, county, state, and federal resource agencies to...
Watson, Elise; Rochester, Carlton J.; Brown, Chris W.; Holmes, Donn A.; Hathaway, Stacie A.; Fisher, Robert N. Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of contaminants in agricultural watersheds with implications for land management
If not managed properly, modern agricultural practices can alter surface and groundwater quality and drinking water resources resulting in potential negative effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Exposure to agriculturally derived contaminant mixtures has the potential to alter habitat quality and negatively affect fish and other aquatic...
Smalling, Kelly; Devereux, Olivia H.; Gordon, Stephanie; Phillips, Patrick J.; Blazer, Vicki S.; Hladik, Michelle; Kolpin, Dana W.; Meyer, Michael T.; Sperry, Adam; Wagner, Tyler