Publications
The following list of California Water Science Center publications includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists.
Filter Total Items: 1839
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the San Joaquin Valley Kern County subbasin domestic-supply aquifer study unit, 2022—California GAMA Priority Basin Project Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the San Joaquin Valley Kern County subbasin domestic-supply aquifer study unit, 2022—California GAMA Priority Basin Project
The quality of water accessed by domestic wells (here referred to as domestic groundwater resources) in the San Joaquin Valley Kern County subbasin (basin number 5-022.14) was assessed as part of the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP), in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board. Kern County...
Authors
Jennifer S. Harkness, Kirsten E. Faulkner, Bryant C. Jurgens
Salinas Valley integrated hydrologic and reservoir operations models, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California Salinas Valley integrated hydrologic and reservoir operations models, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California
The area surrounding the Salinas Valley groundwater basin in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties of California is a highly productive agricultural area, contributes substantially to the local economy, and provides a substantial portion of vegetables and other agricultural commodities to the Nation. This region of California provides about half of the Nation’s lettuce, celery, broccoli...
Authors
Wesley R. Henson, Randy Hanson, Scott Boyce, Joseph Hevesi, Marisa M. Earll, Deidre M. Herbert, Elizabeth R. Jachens
Toxicity of synergized permethrin residues in cattle dung to two temperate dung beetle species after application of common livestock pour-on treatment Toxicity of synergized permethrin residues in cattle dung to two temperate dung beetle species after application of common livestock pour-on treatment
Essential to pasture health, dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) provide key ecosystem services across natural and managed rangeland habitats. Insecticide residues in livestock dung can negatively impact dung beetle populations, and synergized pyrethroid products are commonly used to combat resistant pest fly populations. Here, permethrin residues were measured by GC-MS/MS in fresh...
Authors
Michael C. Cavallaro, Michelle L. Hladik, Rodrigo Soares, Mikaela Anderson, W. Wyatt Hoback
Modeling future groundwater depletion to evaluate sustainability goals set under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in the critically overdrafted basins of the Central Valley, California, USA (2020–2070) Modeling future groundwater depletion to evaluate sustainability goals set under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in the critically overdrafted basins of the Central Valley, California, USA (2020–2070)
In 2014, California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) mandated local agencies to devise and implement groundwater sustainability plans to address critically overdrafted conditions throughout the state's aquifers. However, the feasibility of these agencies' sustainability goals has not previously been assessed through a regional-scale, integrative lens. Here, we develop and...
Authors
Logan Platt, Mathew Weingarten, Claudia C. Faunt, Jonathan A. Traum, Scott Boyce
Hydrogeology, groundwater salinity distributions, and assessment of the effect of oil-production activities on groundwater in the Midway Valley area, western Kern County, San Joaquin Valley, California Hydrogeology, groundwater salinity distributions, and assessment of the effect of oil-production activities on groundwater in the Midway Valley area, western Kern County, San Joaquin Valley, California
This study seeks to determine the effects of oil field produced water disposal operations and well mechanical integrity issues on groundwater quality in oil fields in the southwest San Joaquin Valley, California. Whereas previous studies used groundwater wells to study shallow aquifers outside the oil fields, this study demonstrates that future approaches may use oil well geophysical...
Authors
Janice M. Gillespie, Riley Gannon, Lyndsay B. Ball, John G. Warden, Rhett R. Everett, Michael J. Stephens
The global proliferation of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus: Taxonomy, distribution, toxin production, ecology, and future directions The global proliferation of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus: Taxonomy, distribution, toxin production, ecology, and future directions
There have been sporadic reports of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus proliferations in freshwater rivers, lakes, and reservoirs for four decades, with reports increasing in frequency over the last twenty years, suggesting a possible rise in their global distribution, frequency, and intensity. Microcoleus can produce anatoxins which are neurotoxic, and ingestion of toxic mats has caused...
Authors
Laura T. Kelly, Daniel G Beach, Joanna R. Blaszczak, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Sydney M. Brown, Haowu Cheng, Janette L. Davidson, Jutta Fastner, Marcus Francis, Andrea Garcia Jimenez, Laurel Genzoli, Ramesh Goel, Diego Gonzalez, Kim M. Handley, Sabine Hilt, Jean-Francois Humbert, Rob Jamieson, Lindsay Johnston, Pilar Junier, Janice Lawrence, Pearse McCarron, Sven Meissner, Jacob Mormando, Jonathan Puddick, Catherine Quiblier, Nagasaijanani Rajpirathap, Charlotte Schampera, Andy Selwood, Karen Shearer, Abeer Sohrab, Rosalina Stancheva, Cecilio Valadez-Cano, Jordan M. Zebrecky, Susanna A. Wood
Opportunities and challenges in using Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) samplers for monitoring cyanotoxins in freshwater and estuarine environments Opportunities and challenges in using Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) samplers for monitoring cyanotoxins in freshwater and estuarine environments
Cyanobacterial toxins (cyanotoxins) represent a substantial threat to drinking water supplies and safe recreational uses of freshwater resources in watersheds worldwide. Monitoring cyanotoxins can be difficult because toxin events are variable in both space and time, are not always persistent, can be moved easily by wind and currents, and may be degraded biotically or abiotically. Thus...
Authors
Andrea Cecile Jaegge, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Thomas D. Byl, Kurt D. Carpenter, Victoria Christensen, Rebecca M. Gorney, Jennifer L. Graham, Heather A. Heckathorn, Hayley T. Olds, Pamela A. Reilly, Joshua J. Rosen, Michael D.W. Stouder
Deep groundwater total dissolved solids mapping in the Dakota Group, Williston Basin, USA Deep groundwater total dissolved solids mapping in the Dakota Group, Williston Basin, USA
Growing concern about the quantity of available freshwater around the world has led to interest in surveying groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) below water well depths. Deep TDS has not been systematically mapped, and there is much to learn about the distribution and controls on deeper groundwater. In sedimentary basins across the United States, groundwater resources often overlie
Authors
Michael J. Stephens, Bennett Eugene Hoogenboom, Lyndsay B. Ball, Will Chang
Excessive phosphorus loading contributes to future vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems by reducing net ecosystem exchange of carbon Excessive phosphorus loading contributes to future vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems by reducing net ecosystem exchange of carbon
J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (DDNWR) is located on Sanibel Island along the southwestern coast of Florida, USA. There, eutrophication attributed to agricultural discharge along the Caloosahatchee River has affected the area’s aquatic habitat. In anticipation of additional nutrient loading, we experimentally fertilized mangrove forests with nitrogen (+N; NH4) and...
Authors
Ken W. Krauss, Jeremy R. Conrad, Jamie A. Duberstein, Eric J. Ward, Judith Z. Drexler, Kevin J. Buffington, Brian W. Benscoter, Haley Jane Miller, Natalie T. Faron, Sergio Merino, Andrew From, Elitsa I. Peneva-Reed, Zhiliang Zhu, Karen M. Thorne, Ilka C. Feller
Organic matter integration, overprinting, and the relative fraction of optically active organic carbon in a human-impacted watershed Organic matter integration, overprinting, and the relative fraction of optically active organic carbon in a human-impacted watershed
Rivers continually integrate terrestrial organic matter (OM) into their waters, in a process that transfers 1.9 Pg C yr–1 as the primary linkage between oceanic and terrestrial carbon cycles. Yet rivers are not simple, conservative OM integrators. Patchy local land uses (wetlands, bogs, agriculture) release OM that can disproportionately alter river biogeochemistry and overprint upstream...
Authors
Robert S. Eckard, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Brian A. Pellerin, Robert G. Spencer, Rachel Y. Dyda, Peter J. Hernes
Widespread occurrence of Magnéli phases in wildland-urban interface fire ashes Widespread occurrence of Magnéli phases in wildland-urban interface fire ashes
The increasing activity of wildland–urban interface (WUI) fires has raised concerns regarding the potential environmental and human health impacts of residual ash remaining after burning. In this study, we investigated the concentration and speciation of titanium in WUI fire ash. Total titanium concentrations in WUI fire ash ranged from 0.53 to 80 g kg–1. Synchrotron-based macro- and...
Authors
Mohammed Baalousha, Morgane Desmau, Roberto A. Colina-Ruiz, Antonio Lanzirotti, Sheryl A. Singerling, Michelle A. Stern, Charles N. Alpers
Decadal shifts in groundwater age detected by environmental tracers across California, USA Decadal shifts in groundwater age detected by environmental tracers across California, USA
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 wells across California to assess...
Authors
Bryant C. Jurgens, Zeno F. Levy