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
Utilizing hydrophones to detect streambed mobilization in the Wild and Scenic reach of the Rio Chama Utilizing hydrophones to detect streambed mobilization in the Wild and Scenic reach of the Rio Chama
This paper describes a study that deployed underwater acoustic sensors (hydrophones) to detect streambed mobilization in the Wild and Scenic reach of the Rio Chama, New Mexico. Fine sediment accumulation in the gravel‑cobble bed affects brown trout spawning habitat, and understanding incipient motion thresholds is essential for planning effective environmental flushing flows released...
Authors
Rebecca Braz, Mathieu D. Marineau, Christopher P. Ely
Effect of passive integrated transponder tag size on survival, tag loss, and growth of Santa Ana Sucker Effect of passive integrated transponder tag size on survival, tag loss, and growth of Santa Ana Sucker
Objective The Santa Ana Sucker Pantosteus santaanae is endemic to southern California and is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Seasonal limitations on conventional sampling and inconsistencies in survey methodologies have led to an incomplete understanding of population dynamics. Alternative sampling methods have the potential to fill important knowledge gaps in...
Authors
Jordan Mae-Jean Buxton, Marissa L. Wulff, Brock M. Huntsman, Kai Palenscar, Brett Mills, Kerwin Russell, Alicia Ruan, Tevin Bui
Status of Clear Lake Hitch in Lower Blue Lake, Lake County, California Status of Clear Lake Hitch in Lower Blue Lake, Lake County, California
No abstract available.
Authors
Jordan Mae-Jean Buxton, Marissa L. Wulff, Veronica L. Violette, Danielle L. Palm, Matthew J. Young, Frederick Feyrer
Using a BACI design to assess stream ecology and chemistry response after wildfire Using a BACI design to assess stream ecology and chemistry response after wildfire
Wildfires can have complex effects on aquatic communities, which can be either beneficial or adverse depending on the setting. In California, USA, the size, frequency, and severity of wildfires has greatly increased over the last few decades. Understanding the effects of fire on aquatic ecosystem health and human land use has become increasingly important in managing the interface of the...
Authors
Marissa L. Wulff, Jason T. May, Brock M. Huntsman, Ian R. Waite, Larry M. Brown
Assessing environmental drivers and protist community dynamics that shaped the historic August 2022 Heterosigma akashiwo bloom in San Francisco Bay, California Assessing environmental drivers and protist community dynamics that shaped the historic August 2022 Heterosigma akashiwo bloom in San Francisco Bay, California
San Francisco Bay, California, typically has chlorophyll a (chl-a) concentrations below 10 µg L−1, despite nutrient loadings exceeding those in many estuaries with recurring harmful algal blooms (HABs). However, in August 2022 there was a Heterosigma akashiwo (raphidophyte) bloom with chl-a concentrations exceeding 450 µg L−1, resulting in widespread hypoxia and fish die-off. We used...
Authors
Schuyler C. Nardelli, Keith Bouma-Gregson, David Senn, Daniel Killam, Ariella Chelsky, Erica S. Kress, Emily T. Richardson, Timothy Otten, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Brian A. Bergamaschi
Hydrogeologic characterization of the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley Groundwater Basins, Riverside County, California Hydrogeologic characterization of the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley Groundwater Basins, Riverside County, California
The relation between the groundwater and the amount of natural recharge to the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins is not well understood. During the 20th century, the reliance on groundwater near Anza, California, used for agricultural, domestic, and municipal reasons has increased, and there is the potential for changes in groundwater availability related to...
Authors
Christina L. Stamos, Allen H. Christensen, Geoffrey Cromwell, Meghan C. Dick, Christopher P. Ely, Elizabeth R. Jachens, Sarah E. Ogle, Mackenzie M. Shepherd
Post-wildfire sediment fluxes and turbidity plumes in a coastal-draining watershed Post-wildfire sediment fluxes and turbidity plumes in a coastal-draining watershed
Coastal watersheds impacted by wildfires experience higher erosion resulting in increased sediment delivery to the ocean that alters limiting factors (i.e., light) for marine organisms. With increasing wildfire magnitude and severity, it is critical to explore changes in riverine discharges to the ocean to assess cascading hazards associated with wildfires. In situ data, remotely sensed...
Authors
Amanda M. Lopez, Tesfa W. Meshesha, Christine M. Lee, Ibrahim N. Mohammed, Erin L. Hestir, Thomas C. Harmon, Dulcinea Marie Avouris
Advancements in satellite observations of inland and coastal waters: Building towards a global validation network Advancements in satellite observations of inland and coastal waters: Building towards a global validation network
The use of satellite-based remote sensing imagery for water quality monitoring of inland and coastal waters has become widespread over the last few decades, with the expansion of, and investment in, operational Earth-observing missions. Satellite-based sensors are uniquely suited to provide synoptic, system-wide water quality parameter estimates that supplement traditional field-based...
Authors
Dulcinea Marie Avouris, Fernanda Maciel, Samantha L. Sharp, Susanne E. Craig, Arnold G. Dekker, Courtney A. Di Vittorio, John R. Gardner, Emma C. Goldsmith, Juan I. Gossn, Steven R. Greb, Brice K. Grunert, Daniela Gurlin, Mahesh Jampani, Rabia M. Khan, Ben Lowin, Lachlan McKinna, Colleen B. Mouw, Igor Ogashawara, Sara Rivero Calle, Wilson B. Salls, Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza, Blake Schaeffer, Bridget N. Seegers, Jari Silander, Emily A. Smail, Menghua Wang, P. Jeremy Werdell
Chronic, low concentration pesticide exposure alters reproduction and behavior in the intertidal sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima Chronic, low concentration pesticide exposure alters reproduction and behavior in the intertidal sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima
Widespread pesticide and herbicide use paired with frequent transport away from application sites has led to pesticide presence in nearly all terrestrial and aquatic environments globally. Pesticides have unintentional toxic effects on non-target organisms by interfering with cellular processes, behavior, feeding, reproduction, and disrupting endocrine processes. The aggregating anemone
Authors
Bria Bleil, Elise F. Granek, Nathan L. Kirk, Michelle L. Hladik
Designs for cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom monitoring in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California Designs for cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom monitoring in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) are a growing concern in freshwater environments. These blooms can lead to degraded water quality, ecosystem disruptions, and public health threats due to the production of potent cyanotoxins. The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (California, USA; the Delta) has experienced CHABs since 1999, including CHABs that produce cyanotoxins at...
Authors
Keith Bouma-Gregson, Lisa Lucas, Andrea Cecile Jaegge, Dulcinea Marie Avouris, Emily T. Richardson, Jacob Aaron Zwart, Tamara E. C. Kraus
Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Gilroy-Hollister basin and surrounding areas, California, 2022 Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Gilroy-Hollister basin and surrounding areas, California, 2022
More than 2 million Californians rely on groundwater from domestic wells for drinking-water supply. This report summarizes a 2022 California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) water-quality survey of 33 domestic and small-system drinking-water supply wells in the Gilroy-Hollister Valley groundwater basin and the surrounding areas, where more...
Authors
Kirsten E. Faulkner, Bryant C. Jurgens
Simulation of the impacts of spring diversions on streamflow in the Strawberry Creek watershed, San Bernardino County, California, using an integrated hydrological model Simulation of the impacts of spring diversions on streamflow in the Strawberry Creek watershed, San Bernardino County, California, using an integrated hydrological model
The Strawberry Creek watershed, situated in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, features a group of natural springs known as Arrowhead Springs that have been augmented with diversions in the form of sub-horizontal borings and tunnels. Understanding the impact of these structures on streamflow through groundwater capture is crucial for managing surface-water resources in...
Authors
Derek W. Ryter, Joseph A. Hevesi, Linda R. Woolfenden