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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: 1854

Virus fate and transport during artificial recharge with recycled water Virus fate and transport during artificial recharge with recycled water

A field‐scale experiment was conducted at a research site using bacterial viruses (bacteriophage) MS2 and PRD1 as surrogates for human viruses, bromide as a conservative tracer, and tertiary‐treated municipal wastewater (recycled water) to investigate the fate and transport of viruses during artificial recharge. Observed virus concentrations were fitted using a mathematical model that...
Authors
Robert Anders, C.V. Chrysikopoulos

Glyphosate, other herbicides, and transformation products in Midwestern streams, 2002 Glyphosate, other herbicides, and transformation products in Midwestern streams, 2002

The use of glyphosate has increased rapidly, and there is limited understanding of its environmental fate. The objective of this study was to document the occurrence of glyphosate and the transformation product aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in Midwestern streams and to compare their occurrence with that of more commonly measured herbicides such as acetochlor, atrazine, and...
Authors
William A. Battaglin, Dana W. Kolpin, Elisabeth A. Scribner, Kathryn M. Kuivila, Mark W. Sandstrom

Ground water/surface water responses to global climate simulations, Santa Clara-Calleguas Basin, Ventura, California Ground water/surface water responses to global climate simulations, Santa Clara-Calleguas Basin, Ventura, California

Climate variations can play an important, if not always crucial, role in successful conjunctive management of ground water and surface water resources. This will require accurate accounting of the links between variations in climate, recharge, and withdrawal from the resource systems, accurate projection or predictions of the climate variations, and accurate simulation of the responses...
Authors
Randall T. Hanson, Michael D. Dettinger

Characterization of waste rock associated with acid drainage at the Penn Mine, California, by ground-based visible to short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy assisted by digital mapping Characterization of waste rock associated with acid drainage at the Penn Mine, California, by ground-based visible to short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy assisted by digital mapping

Prior to remediation at the abandoned Cu-Zn Penn Mine in the Foothills massive sulfide belt of the Sierra Nevada, CA, acid mine drainage (AMD) was created, in part, by the subaerial oxidation of sulfides exposed on several waste piles. To support remediation efforts, a mineralogical study of the waste piles was undertaken by acquiring reflectance spectra (measured in the visible to short...
Authors
S.I.C. Montero, G.H. Brimhall, Charles N. Alpers, G.A. Swayze

Major and trace element composition of copiapite-group minerals and coexisting water from the Richmond mine, Iron Mountain, California Major and trace element composition of copiapite-group minerals and coexisting water from the Richmond mine, Iron Mountain, California

Copiapite-group minerals of the general formula AR4(SO4)6(OH)2·nH2O, where A is predominantly Mg, Fe2+, or 0.67Al3+, R is predominantly Fe3+, and n is typically 20, are among several secondary hydrous Fe sulfates occurring in the inactive mine workings of the massive sulfide deposit at Iron Mountain, CA, a USEPA Superfund site that produces extremely acidic drainage. Samples of copiapite...
Authors
H.E. Jamieson, C. Robinson, Charles N. Alpers, R. Blaine McCleskey, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Ronald C. Peterson

Phytoplankton community ecology: Principles applied in San Francisco Bay Phytoplankton community ecology: Principles applied in San Francisco Bay

In his seminal 1961 paper 'The paradox of the plankton' Am Nat 95:137-147, G. E. Hutchinson asked why many species of phytoplankton can coexist while competing for a small number of limiting resources in an unstructured habitat. Hutchinson anticipated the resolution of his paradox, recognizing that communities are organized by processes beyond resource competition including species...
Authors
J. E. Cloern, R. Dufford

Total mercury concentrations in fillets of bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass, and other fishes from Lake Natoma, Sacramento County, California Total mercury concentrations in fillets of bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass, and other fishes from Lake Natoma, Sacramento County, California

This study was conducted during September-October 2002 to verify preliminary findings of elevated total mercury concentrations in skinless fillets of sportfishes inhabiting Lake Natoma. Although we measured total mercury concentrations, most mercury in fish flesh occurs in the methylated form. In August 2000, other investigators collected a small number of fish containing mercury...
Authors
M. K. Saiki, B.A. Martin, T.W. May, Charles N. Alpers

Comparison of the lognormal and beta distribution functions to describe the uncertainty in permeability Comparison of the lognormal and beta distribution functions to describe the uncertainty in permeability

The permeability of a single hydrostratigraphic unit is associated with considerable uncertainty due to measurement errors and significant spatial variability. Historically this uncertainty is characterized by a lognormal distribution. This distribution is generally heavy tailed, so using this distribution to describe the permeability has the limitation that all positive values of...
Authors
K.L. Ricciardi, G.F. Pinder, K. Belitz

Assessing water source and channel type as factors affecting benthic macroinvertebrate and periphyton assemblages in the highly urbanized Santa Ana River Basin, California Assessing water source and channel type as factors affecting benthic macroinvertebrate and periphyton assemblages in the highly urbanized Santa Ana River Basin, California

The Santa Ana River basin is the largest stream system in Southern California and includes a densely populated coastal area. Extensive urbanization has altered the geomorphology and hydrology of the streams, adversely affecting aquatic communities. We studied macroinvertebrate and periphyton assemblages in relation to two categorical features of the highly engineered hydrologic system...
Authors
Carmen A. Burton, Larry R. Brown, Kenneth Belitz

Invaders eating invaders: Exploitation of novel alien prey by the alien shimofuri goby in the San Francisco Estuary, California Invaders eating invaders: Exploitation of novel alien prey by the alien shimofuri goby in the San Francisco Estuary, California

The shimofuri goby (Tridentiger bifasciatus), which is native to Asian estuaries, was recently introduced to the San Francisco Estuary, California, USA. We conducted gut content analyses to examine the goby's feeding ecology in this highly invaded estuary. Shimofuri gobies were generalist predators on benthic invertebrates, consuming seasonally abundant prey, especially amphipods...
Authors
S.A. Matern, L. R. Brown

Relation of desert pupfish abundance to selected environmental variables in natural and manmade habitats in the Salton Sea basin Relation of desert pupfish abundance to selected environmental variables in natural and manmade habitats in the Salton Sea basin

We assessed the relation between abundance of desert pupfish, Cyprinodon macularius, and selected biological and physicochemical variables in natural and manmade habitats within the Salton Sea Basin. Field sampling in a natural tributary, Salt Creek, and three agricultural drains captured eight species including pupfish (1.1% of the total catch), the only native species encountered...
Authors
B.A. Martin, M. K. Saiki

Climate anomalies generate an exceptional dinoflagellate bloom in San Francisco Bay Climate anomalies generate an exceptional dinoflagellate bloom in San Francisco Bay

We describe a large dinoflagellate bloom, unprecedented in nearly three decades of observation, that developed in San Francisco Bay (SFB) during September 2004. SFB is highly enriched in nutrients but has low summer‐autumn algal biomass because wind stress and tidally induced bottom stress produce a well mixed and light‐limited pelagic habitat. The bloom coincided with calm winds and...
Authors
J. E. Cloern, T.S. Schraga, C.B. Lopez, N. Knowles, Labiosa R. Grover, R. Dugdale
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