Biogeochemistry Group Active
Hydrologic technicians deploying a flow sensor on a shoal in San Francisco Bay to investigate phytoplankton production and nutrient transformations.
A view from the office: USGS scientists heading out to deploy sensors for sediment nutrient storage and release in Rodeo Lagoon.
USGS laboratory technician filtering for chlorophyll-a.
Scientists aboard research vessel Aiken conduct water-quality mapping in support of wastewater-derived nutrients project.
The Biogeochemistry (BGC) Group uses an interdisciplinary approach to address surface water quality issues and food web dynamics throughout California, particularly in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.
Study areas include:
- Drivers of phytoplankton community composition and abundance and harmful algal bloom-related toxins
- Long-term continuous monitoring of numerous water quality constituents, phytoplankton, phytoplankton community structure, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen as well as other constituents important to aquatic systems
- Changes in wastewater-derived nutrients and effects on phytoplankton community structure
- Effects of flow and water residence time on nutrient cycling and phytoplankton
- The impacts of invasive aquatic vegetation on water quality, water residence time, and native phytoplankton
- Assessing the role of wetlands in the Delta with respect to such topics as mercury, nutrients, drinking water quality and phytoplankton production
- Assessing the potential of tidal wetlands to mitigate land subsidence and sequester carbon
- Supporting improved water quality management through development of new sensors, analyses and techniques such as direct residence time measurements, custom sensor technologies, wide-area high-speed mapping surveys, remote sensing calibration and validation and other related activities
The BGC Group specializes in the application of in-situ optical sensors that monitor short- and long-term water quality trends. These sensors measure a host of biogeochemical parameters and capture continuous temporal trends – including those that may go undetected through traditional discrete sampling. The BGC Group also employs novel high-resolution boat-based mapping surveys, conducting intensive sampling for a diverse variety of biogeochemical parameters throughout the Bay-Delta.
These studies and data will help resource managers assess response to management actions and predict how the Bay-Delta will respond to future changes. The high frequency, real-time data can act as an early warning system for unanticipated, short-lived, or rapidly changing conditions, such as those due to spills, harmful algal blooms, and altered water-quality resulting from storms or levee breaches. The BGC group additionally specialize in the creation of novel data dissemination techniques in effort to ease open data acquisition, ultimately aiming to advance Bay-Delta science.
Additional Biogeochemistry Group staff include:
- Malanyon Adams
- Dulci Avouris
- Tom Bergamaschi
- Tim Baxter
- Heidi Bockisch
- Bryan Bonham
- Jake Brinkman
- Dylan Burau
- Jordy Conneely
- Ayelet Delascagigas
- Patrick Dellwo
- Nicholas Framsted
- Tommy (Hieu) Ly
- Andrea Jaegge
- Nathan Jumps
- Colin Keating
- Anne Le
- Ariana Maestas
- Kat Mai Cone
- Schuyler Nardelli
- Erica Nejad
- Dianna Oros
- Emily Richardson
- Tara Schraga
- Jesse Schroeder
- Jennifer Soto-Perez
- Corrine Sanford
- Crystal Sturgeon
- Maura Uebner
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Variation of energy and carbon fluxes from a restored temperate freshwater wetland and implications for carbon market verification protocols
Nutrient dynamics of the Delta: Effects on primary producers
Recent advances in understanding flow dynamics and transport of water-quality constituents in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta
Fecal indicator and pathogenic bacteria and their antibiotic resistance in alluvial groundwater of an irrigated agricultural region with dairies
High-resolution remote sensing of water quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary
Mercury, monomethyl mercury, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in surface water entering and exiting constructed wetlands treated with metal-based coagulants, Twitchell Island, California
Investigating the temporal effects of metal-based coagulants to remove mercury from solution in the presence of dissolved organic matter
The river as a chemostat: fresh perspectives on dissolved organic matter flowing down the river continuum
Mississippi River nitrate loads from high frequency sensor measurements and regression-based load estimation
Experimental design and quality assurance: in situ fluorescence instrumentation
Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the eastern United States
Optical sensors for water quality
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
The Biogeochemistry (BGC) Group uses an interdisciplinary approach to address surface water quality issues and food web dynamics throughout California, particularly in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.
Study areas include:
- Drivers of phytoplankton community composition and abundance and harmful algal bloom-related toxins
- Long-term continuous monitoring of numerous water quality constituents, phytoplankton, phytoplankton community structure, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen as well as other constituents important to aquatic systems
- Changes in wastewater-derived nutrients and effects on phytoplankton community structure
- Effects of flow and water residence time on nutrient cycling and phytoplankton
- The impacts of invasive aquatic vegetation on water quality, water residence time, and native phytoplankton
- Assessing the role of wetlands in the Delta with respect to such topics as mercury, nutrients, drinking water quality and phytoplankton production
- Assessing the potential of tidal wetlands to mitigate land subsidence and sequester carbon
- Supporting improved water quality management through development of new sensors, analyses and techniques such as direct residence time measurements, custom sensor technologies, wide-area high-speed mapping surveys, remote sensing calibration and validation and other related activities
The BGC Group specializes in the application of in-situ optical sensors that monitor short- and long-term water quality trends. These sensors measure a host of biogeochemical parameters and capture continuous temporal trends – including those that may go undetected through traditional discrete sampling. The BGC Group also employs novel high-resolution boat-based mapping surveys, conducting intensive sampling for a diverse variety of biogeochemical parameters throughout the Bay-Delta.
These studies and data will help resource managers assess response to management actions and predict how the Bay-Delta will respond to future changes. The high frequency, real-time data can act as an early warning system for unanticipated, short-lived, or rapidly changing conditions, such as those due to spills, harmful algal blooms, and altered water-quality resulting from storms or levee breaches. The BGC group additionally specialize in the creation of novel data dissemination techniques in effort to ease open data acquisition, ultimately aiming to advance Bay-Delta science.
Additional Biogeochemistry Group staff include:
- Malanyon Adams
- Dulci Avouris
- Tom Bergamaschi
- Tim Baxter
- Heidi Bockisch
- Bryan Bonham
- Jake Brinkman
- Dylan Burau
- Jordy Conneely
- Ayelet Delascagigas
- Patrick Dellwo
- Nicholas Framsted
- Tommy (Hieu) Ly
- Andrea Jaegge
- Nathan Jumps
- Colin Keating
- Anne Le
- Ariana Maestas
- Kat Mai Cone
- Schuyler Nardelli
- Erica Nejad
- Dianna Oros
- Emily Richardson
- Tara Schraga
- Jesse Schroeder
- Jennifer Soto-Perez
- Corrine Sanford
- Crystal Sturgeon
- Maura Uebner
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 18 - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 69Variation of energy and carbon fluxes from a restored temperate freshwater wetland and implications for carbon market verification protocols
Temperate freshwater wetlands are among the most productive terrestrial ecosystems, stimulating interest in using restored wetlands as biological carbon sequestration projects for greenhouse gas reduction programs. In this study, we used the eddy covariance technique to measure surface energy carbon fluxes from a constructed, impounded freshwater wetland during two annual periods that were 8 yearsAuthorsFrank Anderson, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Cove Sturtevant, Sarah Knox, Lauren Hastings, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Matteo Detto, Erin L. Hestir, Judith Z. Drexler, Robin L. Miller, Jaclyn Matthes, Joseph Verfaillie, Dennis Baldocchi, Richard L. Snyder, Roger FujiiNutrient dynamics of the Delta: Effects on primary producers
Increasing clarity of Delta waters, the emergence of harmful algal blooms, the proliferation of aquatic water weeds, and the altered food web of the Delta have brought nutrient dynamics to the forefront. This paper focuses on the sources of nutrients, the transformation and uptake of nutrients, and the links of nutrients to primary producers. The largest loads of nutrients to the Delta come from tAuthorsClifford N. Dahm, Alexander E. Parker, Anne E. Adelson, Mairgareth A. Christman, Brian A. BergamaschiRecent advances in understanding flow dynamics and transport of water-quality constituents in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta
This paper, part of the collection of research comprising the State of Bay–Delta Science 2016, describes advances during the past decade in understanding flow dynamics and how water-quality constituents move within California’s Sacramento– San Joaquin River Delta (Delta). Water-quality constituents include salinity, heat, oxygen, nutrients, contaminants, organic particles, and inorganic particles.AuthorsDavid H. Schoellhamer, Scott A. Wright, Stephen G. Monismith, Brian A. BergamaschiFecal indicator and pathogenic bacteria and their antibiotic resistance in alluvial groundwater of an irrigated agricultural region with dairies
Surveys of microbiological groundwater quality were conducted in a region with intensive animal agriculture in California, USA. The survey included monitoring and domestic wells in eight concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and 200 small (domestic and community supply district) supply wells across the region. Campylobacter was not detected in groundwater, whereas Escherichia coli O157:H7AuthorsXunde Li, Edward R. Atwill, Elizabeth Antaki, Olin Applegate, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Ronald F. Bond, Jennifer T. Chase, Katherine M Ransom, William B. Samuels, Naoko Watanabe, Thomas HarterHigh-resolution remote sensing of water quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary
The San Francisco Bay–Delta Estuary watershed is a major source of freshwater for California and a profoundly human-impacted environment. The water quality monitoring that is critical to the management of this important water resource and ecosystem relies primarily on a system of fixed water-quality monitoring stations, but the limited spatial coverage often hinders understanding. Here, we show hoAuthorsCédric G. Fichot, Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, David R. Thompson, Michelle M. GierachMercury, monomethyl mercury, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in surface water entering and exiting constructed wetlands treated with metal-based coagulants, Twitchell Island, California
Coagulation with metal-based salts is a practice commonly employed by drinking-water utilities to decrease particle and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in water. In addition to decreasing dissolved organic carbon concentrations, the effectiveness of iron- and aluminum-based coagulants for decreasing dissolved concentrations both of inorganic and monomethyl mercury in water was demonstratedAuthorsElizabeth B. Stumpner, Tamara E.C. Kraus, Jacob A. Fleck, Angela M. Hansen, Sandra M. Bachand, William R. Horwath, John F. DeWild, David P. Krabbenhoft, Philip A.M. BachandInvestigating the temporal effects of metal-based coagulants to remove mercury from solution in the presence of dissolved organic matter
The presence of mercury (Hg), particularly methylmercury (MeHg), is a concern for both human and ecological health as MeHg is a neurotoxin and can bioaccumulate to lethal levels in upper trophic level organisms. Recent research has demonstrated that coagulation with metal-based salts can effectively remove both inorganic mercury (IHg) and MeHg from solution through association with dissolved organAuthorsYumiko K. Henneberry, Tamara E. C. Kraus, David P. Krabbenhoft, William R. HorwathThe river as a chemostat: fresh perspectives on dissolved organic matter flowing down the river continuum
A better understanding is needed of how hydrological and biogeochemical processes control dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition from headwaters downstream to large rivers. We examined a large DOM dataset from the National Water Information System of the US Geological Survey, which represents approximately 100 000 measurements of DOC concentratAuthorsIrena F. Creed, Diane M. McKnight, Brian Pellerin, Mark B. Green, Brian A. Bergamaschi, George R. Aiken, Douglas A. Burns, Stuart E G Findlay, James B. Shanley, Robert G. Striegl, Brent T. Aulenbach, David W. Clow, Hjalmar Laudon, Brian L. McGlynn, Kevin J. McGuire, Richard A. Smith, Sarah M. StackpooleMississippi River nitrate loads from high frequency sensor measurements and regression-based load estimation
Accurately quantifying nitrate (NO3–) loading from the Mississippi River is important for predicting summer hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and targeting nutrient reduction within the basin. Loads have historically been modeled with regression-based techniques, but recent advances with high frequency NO3– sensors allowed us to evaluate model performance relative to measured loads in the lower MissisAuthorsBrian A. Pellerin, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Robert J. Gilliom, Charles G. Crawford, John Franco Saraceno, C. Paul Frederick, Bryan D. Downing, Jennifer C. MurphyExperimental design and quality assurance: in situ fluorescence instrumentation
Both instrument design and capabilities of fluorescence spectroscopy have greatly advanced over the last several decades. Advancements include solid-state excitation sources, integration of fiber optic technology, highly sensitive multichannel detectors, rapid-scan monochromators, sensitive spectral correction techniques, and improve data manipulation software (Christian et al., 1981, Lochmuller aAuthorsRobyn N. Conmy, Carlos E. Del Castillo, Bryan D. Downing, Robert F. ChenBaseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the eastern United States
This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to conduct a comprehensive national assessment of storage and flux (flow) of carbon and the fluxes of other greenhouse gases in ecosystems of the Eastern United States. These carbon and greenhouse gas variables were examined for major terrestrial ecosystems (forests, graOptical sensors for water quality
Shifts in land use, population, and climate have altered hydrologic systems in the United States in ways that affect water quality and ecosystem function. Water diversions, detention in reservoirs, increased channelization, and changes in rainfall and snowmelt are major causes, but there are also more subtle causes such as changes in soil temperature, atmospheric deposition, and shifting vegetatioAuthorsBrian A. Pellerin, Brian A. Bergamaschi - Web Tools
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- News
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- Partners
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