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: 1847
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
Edible baits for systemic flea control, plague mitigation, and wildlife conservation: Evaluation of four active ingredients with three rodent species in western North America Edible baits for systemic flea control, plague mitigation, and wildlife conservation: Evaluation of four active ingredients with three rodent species in western North America
The flea-borne agent of plague, Yersinia pestis, is lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFFs) and the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) on which BFFs depend for habitat and prey. We developed bait pellets containing insecticides for flea control with PDs. Individual baits contained 0.46, 0.91, 1.21, or 1.52 mg fipronil, 5.40 mg afoxolaner, 50.62 mg fluralaner, or...
Authors
David A. Eads, Marc R. Matchett, Magnus McCaffery, Ashlyn Hemmah, Angela R. Jarding, Jennifer Cordova, Heather Heimann, Stefano Liccioli, Laura E. Gardiner, Jordan Cormack, Holly Hicks, Jason Fly, Eddie Childers, Travis M. Livieri, Michelle L. Hladik, Dean E. Biggins
Evaluation of turbidity corrections for EXO fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) sensors Evaluation of turbidity corrections for EXO fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) sensors
Authors
Jacob Fleck, Tim James Baxter, Angela Hansen
Decadal trends in the quality of groundwater used for public drinking-water supply in California, 2004–2023, California groundwater ambient monitoring and assessment program, priority basin project Decadal trends in the quality of groundwater used for public drinking-water supply in California, 2004–2023, California groundwater ambient monitoring and assessment program, priority basin project
This study provides a comprehensive assessment of decadal changes in the quality of groundwater used for public drinking-water supply at 444 monitoring sites across California during 2004–2023. We assessed decadal step trends in groundwater quality for 145 water-quality constituents and geochemical indicators statewide and across geographic and land-use based network groups. We evaluated...
Authors
Zeno F. Levy, Andrew L. Soldavini
Assessing natural recharge in Indian Wells Valley, California: A Basin Characterization Model case study Assessing natural recharge in Indian Wells Valley, California: A Basin Characterization Model case study
The communities in Indian Wells Valley (IWV), in the northern Mojave Desert in California, rely on groundwater for domestic and agricultural use. Mountain front recharge from the surrounding Sierra Nevada is the main source of natural recharge to the valley. Increased urbanization, agricultural development, and groundwater pumping during recent decades put IWV in a state of critical...
Authors
Dina Saleh, Lorraine E. Flint, Michelle A. Stern