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Publications

The following is a list of our publications available from the USGS Publications Warehouse. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please contact our Public Information Officer, Tim Merrick, at trmerrick@usgs.gov or 208-387-1305.

Filter Total Items: 445

Influence of local river hydraulics on Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) habitat selection during four spawning years, 2017–2020

Understanding fine-scale habitat selection of endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is an important component for monitoring and recovery efforts. Fine-scale habitat selection and quantifying temporal changes in suitable habitat contributes to the work of addressing recruitment failure within the Kootenai River population. Habitat suitability indices were...
Authors
Taylor Dudunake, Megan Kearney Kenworthy, Troy Smith, Sarah Stephenson, Ryan S. Hardy

A trend analysis and model comparison of total phosphorus concentrations and loads in the Boise River near Parma, southwestern Idaho, water years 2003–21

Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and loads in the Boise River near Parma, Idaho, were examined to identify changes by month over a 19-year period from water year 2003 through water year 2021 and to evaluate the performance of three common water-quality models. Mean annual TP concentrations and loads were estimated to have reduced by approximately 60 percent over the study period...
Authors
Tyler V. King, Alysa M. Yoder

Contrasting magnitude and timing of pulsed aqueous methylmercury bioaccumulation across a reservoir food web

Water column hypoxia is a key process influencing methylmercury (MeHg) production and availability in waterbodies worldwide. During seasonal destratification, large, short-lived pulses of aqueous MeHg may be released into the subsequently mixed water column, but little is known about the fate of these pulses, particularly whether there are concomitant increases in MeHg uptake into...
Authors
James Willacker, Collin Eagles-Smith, Austin K. Baldwin, Michael Tate, Brett Poulin, Jesse Naymik, David Krabbenhoft, Ralph Myers, James A. Chandler

Hydrogeologic framework of the Mountain Home area, southern Idaho

In the arid western Snake River Plain around the City of Mountain Home, Idaho, declining groundwater levels concern agricultural, municipal, and other water users who rely on groundwater for sustenance because surface-water resources are limited. The U.S. Geological Survey developed this hydrogeologic framework to provide an updated characterization of groundwater resources in the...
Authors
Lauren M. Zinsser, Scott D. Ducar

Derivation and characterization of environmental hazard concentrations for chemical prioritization: A case study in the Great Lakes tributaries

Ongoing anthropogenic activities and analytical advancements yield continuously expanding lists of environmental contaminants. This represents a challenge to environmental managers, who must prioritize chemicals for management actions (e.g., restriction, regulation, remediation) but are often hindered by resource limitations. To help facilitate prioritization efforts, this study presents...
Authors
Erin M. Maloney, Steven Corsi, Matthew A. Pronschinske, Laura DeCicco, Michelle A. Nott, John R. Frisch, Neil W. Fuller, Austin K. Baldwin, Kimani L. Kimbrough, Michael Edwards, Stephanie L. Hummel, Natalia Vinas, Daniel L. Villeneuve

Automating physics-based models to estimate thermoelectric-power water use

Thermoelectric (TE) power plants withdraw more water than any other sector of water use in the United States and consume water at rates that can be significant especially in water-stressed regions. Historical TE water-use data have been inconsistent, incomplete, or discrepant, resulting in an increased research focus on improving the accuracy and availability of TE water-use data using...
Authors
Melissa A. Harris, Timothy H. Diehl, Lillian Gorman Sanisaca, Amy E. Galanter, Melissa Lombard, Kenneth D. Skinner, Catherine A. Chamberlin, Brendan A. McCarthy, Richard G. Niswonger, Jana S. Stewart, Kristen J. Valseth

Iodine-129 in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at and near the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2021–22

Between the 1950s and 1980s, wastewater generated at the Idaho National Laboratory contained Iodine-129 (129I); this wastewater was discharged directly into the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer through a deep disposal well, unlined infiltration ponds, or leaked from distribution systems below industrial facilities. During 2021–22, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with...
Authors
Kerri C. Treinen, Allison R. Trcka, Nick Krohe, Genene Lehotsky

Longitudinal and seasonal changes of organic matter sources through a semi-arid river-reservoir system

The quality and quantity of organic matter (OM) in a river system directly affects ecosystem health; thus, managers benefit from an in-depth understanding of the drivers and sources of OM. In the Snake River, a highly altered river-reservoir system in the semi-arid western United States, OM production and loading are key drivers of reservoir anoxia, which leads to several deleterious...
Authors
Alysa Muir Yoder, Austin K. Baldwin, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Brett Poulin, Jesse Naymik, David Krabbenhoft

Riparian methylmercury production increases riverine mercury flux and food web concentrations

The production and uptake of toxic methylmercury (MeHg) impacts aquatic ecosystems globally. Rivers can be dynamic and difficult systems to study for MeHg production and bioaccumulation, hence identifying sources of MeHg to these systems is both challenging and important for resource management within rivers and main-stem reservoirs. Riparian zones, which are known biogeochemical...
Authors
Virginia Krause, Austin K. Baldwin, Benjamin D. Peterson, David Krabbenhoft, Sarah Elizabeth Janssen, James Willacker, Collin Eagles-Smith, Brett Poulin

Real-time pier scour monitoring and observations at three scour-critical sites in Idaho, water years 2020–22

To observe real-time pier scour at three scour-critical sites in Idaho, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Idaho Transportation Department, installed and operated fixed real-time (15-minute interval) bed elevation scour sonar sensors at three bridge locations associated with U.S. Geological Survey streamflow gaging stations for water years 2020 through 2022. Daily mean and...
Authors
Ryan L. Fosness, Paul V. Schauer

Seasonally varying contributions of contemporaneous and lagged sources of instream total nitrogen and phosphorus load across the Illinois River basin

Quantifying nutrient sources in streams, their temporal and spatial variability, and drivers of that variability can support effective water resources management. Yet a lack of data and modeling capabilities has previously prevented comprehensive quantification across both space and time. Here a dynamic SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes) model that...
Authors
Noah Schmadel, Olivia L. Miller, Scott Ator, Matthew Miller, Gregory E. Schwarz, Dale M. Robertson, Andrew J. Sekellick, Kenneth D. Skinner, David A. Saad

Substrate Enhancement Pilot Project—Monitoring summary and evaluation, Kootenai River, Idaho, 2012–22

To assess changes in substrate conditions and the efficacy of artificially placed substrates at select sites on the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, completed repeat bathymetric, velocimetric, and underwater videography surveys. Collectively, three project sites throughout the Kootenai River make up the...
Authors
Taylor Dudunake
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