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: 1856
Comparison of salinity and temperature at continuous monitoring stations and nearby monthly measurement sites in San Francisco Bay Comparison of salinity and temperature at continuous monitoring stations and nearby monthly measurement sites in San Francisco Bay
Salinity and temperature are crucial state variables affecting estuarine habitat an d, thus, are measured by various San Francisco Estuary programs. This article presents a comparison of salinity and temperature data collected at seven continuo us monitoring stations throughout San Francisco Bay (Figure 1) with data collected monthly by the US Geological Survey (USGS) research vessel (...
Authors
L.G. Bergfeld, D. H. Schoellhamer
Importance of a stochastic distribution of floods and erosion thresholds in the bedrock river incision problem Importance of a stochastic distribution of floods and erosion thresholds in the bedrock river incision problem
Fluvial erosion of bedrock occurs during occasional flood events when boundary shear stress exceeds a critical threshold to initiate incision. Therefore efforts to model the evolution of topography over long timescales should include an erosion threshold and should be driven by a stochastic distribution of erosive events. However, most bedrock incision models ignore the threshold as a...
Authors
Noah P. Snyder, Kelin X. Whipple, Gregory E. Tucker, D.J. Merritts
Preliminary assessment of DOC and THM precursor loads from a freshwater restored wetland, an agricultural field, and a tidal wetland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Preliminary assessment of DOC and THM precursor loads from a freshwater restored wetland, an agricultural field, and a tidal wetland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
Water exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta supplies drinking water to more than 22 million people in California. At certain times of the year, Delta waters contain relatively high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bromide. During these times, chlorination of Delta water for drinking water disinfection will form disinfection byproducts, such as...
Authors
R. Fujii, B.A. Bergamaschi, N. K. Ganju, J.A. Fleck, K.R. Burow-Fogg, D. Schoellhamer, S. J. Deverel
A summary of the San Francisco tidal wetlands restoration series A summary of the San Francisco tidal wetlands restoration series
The four topical articles of the Tidal Wetlands Restoration Series summarized and synthesized much of what is known about tidal wetlands and tidal wetland restoration in the San Francisco Estuary (hereafter “Estuary”). Despite a substantial amount of available information, major uncertainties remain. A major uncertainty with regard to fishes is the net benefit of restored tidal wetlands...
Authors
Larry R. Brown
Potential for increased mercury accumulation in the estuary food web Potential for increased mercury accumulation in the estuary food web
Present concentrations of mercury in large portions of San Francisco Bay (Bay), the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta), and the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are high enough to warrant concern for the health of humans and wildlife. Large scale tidal wetland restoration is currently under consideration as a means of increasing populations of fish species of concern. Tidal wetland...
Authors
Jay A. Davis, Donald Yee, Joshua N. Collins, Steven E. Schwarzbach, Samuel N. Luoma
Extreme acid mine drainage from a pyritic massive sulfide deposit, the Iron Mountain end-member Extreme acid mine drainage from a pyritic massive sulfide deposit, the Iron Mountain end-member
No abstract available.
Authors
Charles N. Alpers, D. Kirk Nordstrom, J. Spitzley
Potential effects of organic carbon production on ecosystems and drinking water quality Potential effects of organic carbon production on ecosystems and drinking water quality
Restoration of tidal wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) is an important component of the Ecosystem Restoration Program of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program (CALFED). CALFED is a collaborative effort among state and federal agencies to restore the ecological health and improve water management of the Delta and San Francisco Bay (Bay). Tidal wetland restoration is intended to...
Authors
Larry R. Brown
An introduction to the San Francisco Estuary tidal wetlands restoration series An introduction to the San Francisco Estuary tidal wetlands restoration series
Restoration of tidal wetlands may provide an important tool for improving ecological health and water management for beneficial uses of the San Francisco Estuary (hereafter “Estuary”). Given the large losses of tidal wetlands from San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the last 150 years, it seems logical to assume that restoring tidal wetlands will have benefits for a...
Authors
Larry R. Brown
Effects of spatial and temporal variability of turbidity on phytoplankton blooms Effects of spatial and temporal variability of turbidity on phytoplankton blooms
A central challenge of coastal ecology is sorting out the interacting spatial and temporal components of environmental variability that combine to drive changes in phytoplankton biomass. For 2 decades, we have combined sustained observation and experimentation in South San Francisco Bay (SSFB) with numerical modeling analyses to search for general principles that define phytoplankton...
Authors
Christine L. May, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Lisa Lucas, James E. Cloern, David H. Schoellhamer
Organic carbon trends, loads, and yields to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, water years 1980 to 2000 Organic carbon trends, loads, and yields to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, water years 1980 to 2000
Organic carbon, nutrient, and suspended sediment concentration data were analyzed for the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins for the period 1980-2000. The data were retrieved from three sources: the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Information System, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Storage and Retrieval System, and the California Interagency Ecological Program's...
Authors
Dina K. Saleh, Joseph L. Domagalski, Charles R. Kratzer, Donna L. Knifong
The saturated zone at Yucca Mountain: An overview of the characterization and assessment of the saturated zone as a barrier to potential radionuclide migration The saturated zone at Yucca Mountain: An overview of the characterization and assessment of the saturated zone as a barrier to potential radionuclide migration
The US Department of Energy is pursuing Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for the development of a geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, if the repository is able to meet applicable radiation protection standards established by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Effective performance of such...
Authors
A.-A. Eddebbarh, G.A. Zyvoloski, B.A. Robinson, E. M. Kwicklis, P.W. Reimus, B.W. Arnold, T. Corbet, S.P. Kuzio, C. Faunt
Inferences on the hydrothermal system beneath the resurgent dome in Long Valley Caldera, east-central California, USA, from recent pumping tests and geochemical sampling Inferences on the hydrothermal system beneath the resurgent dome in Long Valley Caldera, east-central California, USA, from recent pumping tests and geochemical sampling
Quaternary volcanic unrest has provided heat for episodic hydrothermal circulation in the Long Valley caldera, including the present-day hydrothermal system, which has been active over the past 40 kyr. The most recent period of crustal unrest in this region of east-central California began around 1980 and has included periods of intense seismicity and ground deformation. Uplift totaling...
Authors
C. D. Farrar, M.L. Sorey, E. Roeloffs, D. L. Galloway, J. F. Howle, R. Jacobson