Publications
Publications
Here you will find publications, reports and articles produced by Lower Mississippi-Gulf scientists. For a comprehensive listing of all USGS publications please click the button below.
Filter Total Items: 458
Mapping climate change resistant vernal pools in the northeastern U.S. Mapping climate change resistant vernal pools in the northeastern U.S.
Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that provide important breeding habitat for a variety of amphibian species. As future climate projections indicate warmer growing seasons and earlier seasonal increases in evapotranspiration, some managers of vernal pools have expressed concern that pools may dry earlier in the season, potentially interfering with completion of amphibian life cycles. In...
Authors
Jennifer M. Cartwright, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP) compilation of existing habitat and water quality monitoring and mapping assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP) compilation of existing habitat and water quality monitoring and mapping assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region
This report is a deliverable to the RESTORE Council for Task 7: Document the existing baseline habitat and water quality conditions prior to implementation of the restoration projects; these baseline conditions will serve as a basis for measuring change/progress after restoration. It is the second in a series of CMAP reports. The first report describes the process and development of the...
Authors
Julie Bosch, Heidi Burkart, Bogdan Chivoiu, Randy Clark, Chris Clement, Nicholas Enwright, Steve Giordano, Chris Jeffrey, Ed Johnson, Rheannon M. Hart, Sarah Davidson Hile, Jacob Howell, Claudia Laurenzano, Michael T. Lee, Terrence A. McCloskey, Terry McTigue, Michelle B. Meyers, Scott V. Mize, Mark E. Monaco, Kevin Owen, Richard A. Rebich, Samuel H. Rendon, Ali Robertson, Thomas Sample, Gregory D. Steyer, Kevin J. Suir, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Katie Watson
Simulation of groundwater flow and chloride transport in the “1,500-foot” sand, “2,400-foot” sand, and “2,800-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area, Louisiana Simulation of groundwater flow and chloride transport in the “1,500-foot” sand, “2,400-foot” sand, and “2,800-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area, Louisiana
Groundwater withdrawals since the 1940s have lowered water levels, altered groundwater-flow directions, and caused saltwater to intrude within some freshwater-containing sands of the fluvial-deltaic Southern Hills regional aquifer system beneath Baton Rouge, Louisiana. New interpretations of stratigraphic correlations amongst geophysical well logs were utilized to revise a hydrogeologic...
Authors
Charles E. Heywood, Maxwell A. Lindaman, John K. Lovelace
Phosphorus runoff risk assessment in karstic regions of the U.S. Phosphorus runoff risk assessment in karstic regions of the U.S.
The Phosphorus (P) Index risk assessment tool has been widely adopted across the U.S. to identify and rank site vulnerability to P runoff as part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) nutrient management planning (NMP) process. However, limited success has been achieved in addressing the risk of P loss by subsurface flow pathways, despite its relative importance in certain...
Authors
Andrew N. Sharpley, Phillip D. Hays, Michael B. Daniels, Karl W. VanDevender
A comparison of hydrocarbon-related landscape disturbance patterns along the New York-Pennsylvania border, 2004–2013 A comparison of hydrocarbon-related landscape disturbance patterns along the New York-Pennsylvania border, 2004–2013
Executive Summary The New York-Pennsylvania area has a long history of hydrocarbon extraction, and the addition of shale gas extraction methods contributes to landscape disturbance borne by previously developed oil and non-shale gas resources. The main unconventional extraction method used to extract shale gas from the Marcellus Shale located in New York and Pennsylvania is hydraulic...
Authors
Coral M. Howe, Lesley E. Milheim, E. Terrence Slonecker, Siddiq Kalaly, Joseph Chestnut
Flood-frequency comparison from 1995 to 2016 and trends in peak streamflow in Arkansas, water years 1930–2016 Flood-frequency comparison from 1995 to 2016 and trends in peak streamflow in Arkansas, water years 1930–2016
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, began a study in Arkansas to investigate possible increasing trends in annual peak streamflow data and the possible resulting increase in the annual exceedance probability flood (AEPF) predictions. Temporal trends of peak streamflow were investigated at...
Authors
Paul A. Ensminger, Brian K. Breaker
Copula theory as a generalized framework for flow-duration curve-based streamflow estimates in ungaged and partially gaged catchments Copula theory as a generalized framework for flow-duration curve-based streamflow estimates in ungaged and partially gaged catchments
Flow‐duration curve (FDC) based streamflow estimation methods involve estimating an FDC at an ungaged or partially gaged location and using the time series of nonexceedance probabilities estimated from donor streamgage sites to generate estimates of streamflow. We develop a mathematical framework to illustrate the connection between copulas and prior FDC‐based approaches. The performance...
Authors
Scott C. Worland, Scott Steinschneider, William H. Farmer, William H. Asquith, Rodney Knight
Groundwater availability in the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system Groundwater availability in the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system
Executive Summary The study described in this report, initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2014, was designed to evaluate fresh groundwater resources within the Ozark Plateaus, central United States, as an area within a broader national assessment of groundwater availability. The goals of the Ozark study were to evaluate historical effects of human activities on water levels and...
Authors
Brian R. Clark, Leslie L. Duncan, Katherine J. Knierim
Withdrawal and consumption of water by thermoelectric power plants in the United States, 2015 Withdrawal and consumption of water by thermoelectric power plants in the United States, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed models to estimate thermoelectric water use based on linked heat and water budgets. The models produced plant-level withdrawal and consumption estimates using consistent methods for 1,122 water-using, utility-scale thermoelectric power plants in the United States for 2015. Total estimated withdrawal for 2015 was about 103 billion gallons per day...
Authors
Melissa A. Harris, Timothy H. Diehl
Prediction and inference of flow-duration curves using multi-output neural networks Prediction and inference of flow-duration curves using multi-output neural networks
We develop multi-output neural network models (MNNs) to predict flow-duration curves (FDCs) in 9,203 ungaged locations in the Southeastern United States for six decades between 1950-2009. The model architecture contains multiple response variables in the output layer that correspond to individual quantiles along the FDC. During training, predictions are made for each quantile, and a...
Authors
Scott C. Worland, Scott Steinschneider, William H. Asquith, Rodney Knight, Michael E. Wieczorek
Estimated use of water in the Cumberland River watershed in 2010 and projections of public-supply water use to 2040 Estimated use of water in the Cumberland River watershed in 2010 and projections of public-supply water use to 2040
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Nashville District, is conducting ongoing water-supply analyses of USACE reservoirs in the Cumberland River watershed to identify areas where potential water-resources issues may arise in the future. To assist the USACE in their efforts, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the USACE, collected and analyzed water-use data to estimate...
Authors
John A. Robinson
Water resources of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana Water resources of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 7.76 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in...
Authors
Vincent E. White