Publications

No abstract available at this time

Nutrient and sediment data collected by Federal and state agencies from 1972 through 1992 at 1,058 surface-water sites in nontidal parts of the Chesapeake Bay Basin were compiled into a large database. Adequate nutrient, sediment, and streamflow data were not available to compute annual loads for all sites because water-quality monitoring at many of the sites was either short term or...

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, conducted a study as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program to determine the effects of nutrient management of surface-water quality by reducing animal units in a 0.43-square-mile agricultural watershed in...

No abstract available.

Growth within the Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, and Piedmont Physiographic Provinces of Virginia has focused concern about allocation of surface-water flow and increased demands on the ground-water resources. The purpose of this report is to (1) describe the base-flow characteristics of streams, (2) identify regional differences in these flow characteristics, and (3) describe, if...

Streamwater discharge and chemistry of two small catchments on Catoctin Mountain in north-central Maryland have been monitored since 1982. Repetitive seasonal cycles in stream-water chemistry have been observed each year, along with seasonal cycles in the volume of stream discharge and in groundwater levels. The hypothesis that the observed streamwater chemical cycles are related to...

Measurements of the concentrations of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), tritium, and other environmental tracers can be used to calculate recharge ages of shallow groundwater and estimate rates of groundwater movement. Numerical simulation also provides quantitative estimates of flow rates, flow paths, and mixing properties of the groundwater system. The environmental tracer techniques and the...

This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality-- Division of Intergovernmental Coordination to monitor and estimate loads of selected nutrients and suspended solids discharged to Chesapeake Bay from two major tributaries in Virginia. From July 1988 through June 1990, monitoring consisted of...

An integrated series of field studies and experiments have been carried out on dredged sediments placed in open water sites in Northern Chesapeake Bay. The studies include: (1) examination of the potential for fluidized sediment flow, (2) quantifying the volumetric changes that the sediments undergo during dredging process and subsequent to deposition, (3) estimating parameters for...

A winter bird survey was conducted throughout Maryland, primarily by volunteers, during the 6 winters of 1988 to 1993 between the dates of 10 Jan and 10 Feb. The state of Maryland is covered by 1231 blocks (9.5 sq. miles each), each comprising one-sixth of the standard U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle, and 548 of these blocks (44.5%) were surveyed for winter birds. Blocks were...

In 1988–1991 striped bass Morone saxatilis were collected for tagging from various spawning areas within the Hudson River (New York) and the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland). The fish were tagged and released during traditional periods of spawning and recovered by commercial and recreational fishermen. The proportion of fish that migrated in spring–fall from spawning areas in Chesapeake Bay to...

Knowledge of the distribution, size, and sex ratios of flocks of wintering canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) is fundamental to understanding the species' winter ecology and providing guidelines for management. Consequently, in winter 1986-87, we conducted 4 monthly aerial photographic surveys to investigate temporal changes in distribution, size, and sex ratios of canvasback flocks in...