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Advanced Capabilities and Research

The California Water Science Center is continually developing tools and technical capabilities to meet the ever-changing demands of hydrologic management, and to advance and support hydrologic research. The resulting solutions provide decision-makers with sophisticated information, insights, and data needed to address today’s water issues.

Filter Total Items: 29

Using the Basin Characterization Model (BCM) to Estimate Natural Recharge in Indian Wells Valley, California

Located in the northern Mojave Desert, the Indian Wells Valley has an arid environment, receiving only 4-6 inches of precipitation annually. Like most desert areas, Indian Wells Valley communities rely mostly on groundwater for their available groundwater supply. Increases in urban and agricultural development have resulted in increased groundwater pumpage for public and agricultural use, causing...
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Using the Basin Characterization Model (BCM) to Estimate Natural Recharge in Indian Wells Valley, California

Located in the northern Mojave Desert, the Indian Wells Valley has an arid environment, receiving only 4-6 inches of precipitation annually. Like most desert areas, Indian Wells Valley communities rely mostly on groundwater for their available groundwater supply. Increases in urban and agricultural development have resulted in increased groundwater pumpage for public and agricultural use, causing...
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California Streamgage Information

To help emergency managers and others protect life and property due to floods and other water-related hazards, the USGS delivers a continuous source of streamflow information. The U.S. Geological Survey has been measuring streamflow in the U.S. for over 120 years. We operate more than 7,500 streamgages in the U.S. and nearly 500 in California that collect data to determine the amount of water...
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California Streamgage Information

To help emergency managers and others protect life and property due to floods and other water-related hazards, the USGS delivers a continuous source of streamflow information. The U.S. Geological Survey has been measuring streamflow in the U.S. for over 120 years. We operate more than 7,500 streamgages in the U.S. and nearly 500 in California that collect data to determine the amount of water...
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Impact of Climate Change on Future Suitability of the Sierra Nevada for Wolverines

The endeavor to ensure a viable population of the threatened wolverine to the mountains of California requires the characterization of suitable habitat.
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Impact of Climate Change on Future Suitability of the Sierra Nevada for Wolverines

The endeavor to ensure a viable population of the threatened wolverine to the mountains of California requires the characterization of suitable habitat.
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Surrogate Monitoring of Sediment Transport using Hydrophones along the San Joaquin River and Tributaries

Traditional methods for measuring coarse bedload sediment transport by discrete physical sampling tend to be labor intensive and expensive ( Gray and others, 2010 ). As such, bedload samples often are collected too infrequently to capture the temporal variability inherent in transport rates, which can vary significantly, sometimes by a factor of ten or more, over time periods of several minutes to...
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Surrogate Monitoring of Sediment Transport using Hydrophones along the San Joaquin River and Tributaries

Traditional methods for measuring coarse bedload sediment transport by discrete physical sampling tend to be labor intensive and expensive ( Gray and others, 2010 ). As such, bedload samples often are collected too infrequently to capture the temporal variability inherent in transport rates, which can vary significantly, sometimes by a factor of ten or more, over time periods of several minutes to...
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Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR)

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is an effective way to measure changes in land surface altitude. InSAR makes high-density measurements over large areas by using radar signals from Earth-orbiting satellites to measure changes in land-surface altitude at high degrees of measurement resolution and spatial detail ( Galloway and others, 2000 ). Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is...
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Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR)

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is an effective way to measure changes in land surface altitude. InSAR makes high-density measurements over large areas by using radar signals from Earth-orbiting satellites to measure changes in land-surface altitude at high degrees of measurement resolution and spatial detail ( Galloway and others, 2000 ). Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is...
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Sedimentation in the Lower Laguna-Mark West Drainage

The Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) and the San Francisco District office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CORPS) have identified issues associated with sedimentation in the lower Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek in Sonoma County. Human activities in the watershed over the last 200 years have accelerated erosion and sediment delivery to the Laguna reducing the water storage capacity...
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Sedimentation in the Lower Laguna-Mark West Drainage

The Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) and the San Francisco District office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CORPS) have identified issues associated with sedimentation in the lower Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek in Sonoma County. Human activities in the watershed over the last 200 years have accelerated erosion and sediment delivery to the Laguna reducing the water storage capacity...
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California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) Program

The USGS California Water Science Center is working in partnership with state and federal agencies to answer the following questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources:
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California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) Program

The USGS California Water Science Center is working in partnership with state and federal agencies to answer the following questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources:
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Science Programs and Partnerships

The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies through cooperative agreements for a variety of reasons. The USGS and partners jointly plan the scientific work conducted under cooperative agreements resulting in science that has broad relevance to address current water issues. Partners choose to work with the USGS because of the agency's broad technical expertise, its long-standing...
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Science Programs and Partnerships

The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies through cooperative agreements for a variety of reasons. The USGS and partners jointly plan the scientific work conducted under cooperative agreements resulting in science that has broad relevance to address current water issues. Partners choose to work with the USGS because of the agency's broad technical expertise, its long-standing...
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Basin Characterization Model (BCM)

The Basin Characterization Model (BCM) is a simple grid-based model that calculates the water balance for any time step or spatial scale by using climate inputs, precipitation, minimum and maximum air temperature. The BCM can translate fine-scale maps of climate trends and projections into the hydrologic consequences, to permit evaluation of the impacts to water availability at regional, watershed...
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Basin Characterization Model (BCM)

The Basin Characterization Model (BCM) is a simple grid-based model that calculates the water balance for any time step or spatial scale by using climate inputs, precipitation, minimum and maximum air temperature. The BCM can translate fine-scale maps of climate trends and projections into the hydrologic consequences, to permit evaluation of the impacts to water availability at regional, watershed...
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Land Subsidence in the Coachella Valley

Groundwater is an important water-supply source in the Coachella Valley. The demand for water has exceeded the deliveries of imported surface water, and groundwater levels have been declining as a result of increased pumping. A network of GPS stations has been set up in the valley to monitor subsidence resulting from declining groundwater levels.
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Land Subsidence in the Coachella Valley

Groundwater is an important water-supply source in the Coachella Valley. The demand for water has exceeded the deliveries of imported surface water, and groundwater levels have been declining as a result of increased pumping. A network of GPS stations has been set up in the valley to monitor subsidence resulting from declining groundwater levels.
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Interactions Between Physical Processes and Suspended Sediment Quality in Relation to Spawning Migrations of Delta Smelt

The proposed study is designed to better establish relationships between patterns of delta smelt abundance and properties of suspended particles as measured by optical and acoustical techniques.
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Interactions Between Physical Processes and Suspended Sediment Quality in Relation to Spawning Migrations of Delta Smelt

The proposed study is designed to better establish relationships between patterns of delta smelt abundance and properties of suspended particles as measured by optical and acoustical techniques.
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Sediment supply, salt marsh monitoring, and the carbon budget of Humboldt Bay, CA

Suspended-sediment measurements are essential for coastal planning, resource management, and for assessing the sustainability of salt marshes in relation to expected sea-level rise. Suspended sediment can have positive or negative effects, depending on its characteristics and amount, and on the location and ecosystem services of interest. Sediment deposition in salt marshes helps sustain marsh...
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Sediment supply, salt marsh monitoring, and the carbon budget of Humboldt Bay, CA

Suspended-sediment measurements are essential for coastal planning, resource management, and for assessing the sustainability of salt marshes in relation to expected sea-level rise. Suspended sediment can have positive or negative effects, depending on its characteristics and amount, and on the location and ecosystem services of interest. Sediment deposition in salt marshes helps sustain marsh...
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