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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

Evolution of the conceptual model of unsaturated zone hydrology at Yucca Mountain, Nevada Evolution of the conceptual model of unsaturated zone hydrology at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Yucca Mountain is an arid site proposed for consideration as the United States’ first underground high-level radioactive waste repository. Low rainfall (approximately 170 mm/yr) and a thick unsaturated zone (500–1000 m) are important physical attributes of the site because the quantity of water likely to reach the waste and the paths and rates of movement of the water to the saturated...
Authors
Alan L. Flint, Lorraine E. Flint, Gudmundur S. Bodvarsson, Edward M. Kwicklis, June Fabryka-Martin

Copper, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in juvenile Chinook salmon and selected fish-forage organisms (aquatic insects) in the upper Sacramento River, California Copper, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in juvenile Chinook salmon and selected fish-forage organisms (aquatic insects) in the upper Sacramento River, California

This study assessed the downstream extent andseverity of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn)contamination from acid mine drainage on juvenile chinook salmon(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and aquatic insects over aroughly 270-km reach of the Sacramento River below KeswickReservoir. During April–May 1998, salmon were collected fromfour sites in the river and from a fish hatchery that...
Authors
Michael K. Saiki, Barbara A. Martin, Larry D. Thompson, Daniel Walsh

Geochemical and mineralogical controls on trace element release from the Penn Mine base-metal slag dump, California Geochemical and mineralogical controls on trace element release from the Penn Mine base-metal slag dump, California

Base-metal slag deposits at the Penn Mine in Calaveras County, California, are a source of environmental contamination through leaching of potentially toxic elements. Historical Cu smelting at Penn Mine (1865-1919) generated approximately 200,000 m3 of slag. The slag deposits, which are flooded annually by a reservoir used for drinking water and irrigation, also may be in contact with...
Authors
M.B. Parsons, D.K. Bird, M.T. Einaudi, Charles N. Alpers

Detection and measurement of land subsidence using Global Positioning System and interferometric synthetic aperture radar, Coachella Valley, California, 1996-98 Detection and measurement of land subsidence using Global Positioning System and interferometric synthetic aperture radar, Coachella Valley, California, 1996-98

Land subsidence associated with ground-water-level declines has been recognized as a potential problem in Coachella Valley, California. Since the early 1920s, ground water has been a major source of agricultural, municipal, and domestic supply in the valley, resulting in water-level declines as large as 15 meters (50 feet) through the late 1940s. In 1949, the importation of Colorado...
Authors
Michelle Sneed, Marti E. Ikehara, D. L. Galloway, Falk Amelung

Dynamics of carbon dioxide emission at Mammoth Mountain, California Dynamics of carbon dioxide emission at Mammoth Mountain, California

Mammoth Mountain, a dormant volcano in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, has been passively degassing large quantities of cold magmatic CO2 since 1990 following a 6-month-long earthquake swarm associated with a shallow magmatic intrussion in 1989. A search for any link between gas discharge and volcanic hazard at this popular recreation area led us to initiate a detailed study of...
Authors
J.D. Rogie, Derrill M. Kerrick, M.L. Sorey, G. Chiodini, D. L. Galloway

Hierarchical programming for data storage and visualization Hierarchical programming for data storage and visualization

Graphics software is an essential tool for interpreting, analyzing, and presenting data from multidimensional hydrodynamic models used in estuarine and coastal ocean studies. The post-processing of time-varying three-dimensional model output presents unique requirements for data visualization because of the large volume of data that can be generated and the multitude of time scales that...
Authors
John M. Donovan, Peter E. Smith

Combined use of remote sensing and continuous monitoring to analyse the variability of suspended-sediment concentrations in San Francisco Bay, California Combined use of remote sensing and continuous monitoring to analyse the variability of suspended-sediment concentrations in San Francisco Bay, California

Analysis of suspended-sediment concentration data in San Francisco Bay is complicated by spatial and temporal variability. In situ optical backscatterance sensors provide continuous suspended-sediment concentration data, but inaccessibility, vandalism, and cost limit the number of potential monitoring stations. Satellite imagery reveals the spatial distribution of surficial-suspended...
Authors
C.A. Ruhl, D. H. Schoellhamer, R. P. Stumpf, C.L. Lindsay

Pesticides associated with suspended sediments entering San Francisco Bay following the first major storm of water year 1996 Pesticides associated with suspended sediments entering San Francisco Bay following the first major storm of water year 1996

Estuaries receive large quantities of suspended sediments following the first major storm of the water year. The first-flush events transport the majority of suspended sediments in any given year, and because of their relative freshness in the hydrologic system, these sediments may carry a significant amount of the sediment-associated pesticide load transported into estuaries. To...
Authors
Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kathryn Kuivila, Miranda S. Fram
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