Publications
Access selected publications from the USGS Maryland-Delaware-DC Water Science Center. To access the full, searchable catalog of USGS publications, please visit the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 376
Using monitoring and partnerships to provide management-relevant information about Chesapeake Bay rivers Using monitoring and partnerships to provide management-relevant information about Chesapeake Bay rivers
The lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed provide more than $100 billion in economic benefits- an amount that is expected to increase by achieving the region’s clean-water goals. Achieving those goals requires accurate and timely information about the health of the watershed’s rivers and streams. The Chesapeake Bay nontidal monitoring network (NTN), a partnership of local...
Authors
James S. Webber, Kaylyn S. Gootman, Kenneth Hyer, Peter J. Tango, Douglas L. Moyer
Machine learning generated streamflow drought forecasts for the Conterminous United States (CONUS): Developing and evaluating an operational tool to enhance sub-seasonal to seasonal streamflow drought early warning for gaged locations Machine learning generated streamflow drought forecasts for the Conterminous United States (CONUS): Developing and evaluating an operational tool to enhance sub-seasonal to seasonal streamflow drought early warning for gaged locations
Forecasts of streamflow drought, when streamflow declines below typical levels, are notably less available than for floods or meteorological drought, despite widespread impacts. To address this gap, we apply machine learning (ML) models to forecast streamflow drought 1-13 weeks into the future at > 3,000 streamgage locations across the conterminous United States (CONUS). We applied two...
Authors
John C. Hammond, Phillip J. Goodling, Jeremy Alejandro Diaz, Hayley R. Corson-Dosch, Aaron Joseph Heldmyer, Scott Douglas Hamshaw, Ryan R. McShane, Jesse Cleveland Ross, Roy Sando, Caelan Simeone, Erik Smith, Leah Ellen Staub, David Watkins, Michael Wieczorek, Kendall C. Wnuk, Jacob Aaron Zwart
Interrogating process deficiencies in large-scale hydrologic models with interpretable machine learning Interrogating process deficiencies in large-scale hydrologic models with interpretable machine learning
Large-scale hydrologic models are increasingly being developed for operational use in the forecasting and planning of water resources. However, the predictive strength of such models depends on how well they resolve various functions of catchment hydrology, which are influenced by gradients in climate, topography, soils, and land use. Most assessments of hydrologic model uncertainty have...
Authors
Admin Husic, John Christopher Hammond, Adam N. Price, Joshua Roundy
Potomac Tributary Summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985 - 2022 Potomac Tributary Summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985 - 2022
The Potomac Tributary Summary outlines change over time for a suite of monitored tidal water quality parameters and associated potential drivers of those trends for the period of 1985 to 2022, and provides a brief description of the current state of knowledge explaining these observed changes. Water quality parameters described include surface (above pycnocline) total nitrogen (TN)...
Authors
Breck Maura Sullivan, Kaylyn Gootman, Alex Gunnerson, Sarah Betts, Gabriel Duran, Cindy Johnson, Christopher A. Mason, Elgin Perry, Gopal Bhatt, Jennifer L. Keisman, James S. Webber, Jon Harcum, Michael Lane, Olivia Devereux, Qian Zhang, Rebecca Murphy, Renee Karrh, Thomas Butler, Zhaoying Wei
Variability in hydrologic response to wildfire between snow zones in forested headwaters Variability in hydrologic response to wildfire between snow zones in forested headwaters
Rising temperatures and shifting fire regimes in the western United States are pushing fires upslope into areas of deep winter snowpack, where we have little knowledge of the likely hydrologic impacts of wildfire. We quantified differences in the timing and magnitude of stormflow responses to summer rainstorms among six catchments of varying levels of burn severity and seasonal snowpack...
Authors
Quinn Miller, David M Barnard, Megan Sears, John C. Hammond, Stephanie Kampf
Multiyear crop residue cover mapping using narrow-band vs. broad-band shortwave infrared satellite imagery Multiyear crop residue cover mapping using narrow-band vs. broad-band shortwave infrared satellite imagery
Crop residue serves an important role in agricultural systems as high levels of fractional crop residue cover (fR) can reduce erosion, preserve soil moisture, and build soil organic carbon. However, the ability to accurately quantify fR at scale has been limited. In this study we produced annual maps of fR for farmland in Maryland, USA using WorldView-3 (WV3) imagery paired with on-farm
Authors
Brian T. Lamb, W. Dean Hively, Jyoti Jennewein, Alison Thieme, Alexander M. Soroka, Leticia Santos, Daniela Jones, Steven Mirsky
Hydrological whiplash: Highlighting the need for better understanding and quantification of sub-seasonal hydrological extreme transitions Hydrological whiplash: Highlighting the need for better understanding and quantification of sub-seasonal hydrological extreme transitions
In this commentary, we aim to (1) describe ways that hydrological intensification and hydrological whiplash (sub-seasonal transitions between hydrological extremes) may impact water management decision-making, (2) introduce the complexities of identifying and quantifying hydrological extreme transitions, (3) discuss the processes controlling hydrological transitions and trends in...
Authors
John C. Hammond, Bailey Anderson, Caelan Simeone, Manuela Brunner, Eduardo Munoz-Castro, Stacey A. Archfield, Eugene Magee, Rachael Armitage
Prioritization of research on drought assessment in a changing climate Prioritization of research on drought assessment in a changing climate
Drought is a period of abnormally dry weather that leads to hydrological imbalance. Drought assessments determine the characteristics, severity, and impacts of a drought. Climate change adds conceptual and quantitative challenges to traditional drought assessments. This paper highlights the challenges of assessing drought in a climate made non-stationary by human activities or natural...
Authors
Joel Lisonbee, Britt Parker, Erica Fleishman, Trent Ford, R. Kyle Bocinsky, Gretel Follingstad, Abby G. Frazier, Zachary H. Hoylman, Amy R. Hudson, John W. Nielsen-Gammon, Natalie A. Umphlett, Elliot Wickham, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Royce Fontenot, Brian Fuchs, John C. Hammond, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Mike Hobbins, Andy Hoell, Jacob Jones, Erin Lane, Zack Leasor, Yongqiang Liu, Jason A. Otkin, Amanda Sheffield, Dennis Todey, Roger Pulwarty
Automating physics-based models to estimate thermoelectric-power water use 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 E. Gorman Sanisaca, Amy E. Galanter, Melissa A. Lombard, Kenneth D. Skinner, Catherine A. Chamberlin, Brendan A. McCarthy, Richard G. Niswonger, Jana S. Stewart, Kristen J. Valseth
Advancing the science of headwater streamflow for global water protection Advancing the science of headwater streamflow for global water protection
The protection of headwater streams faces increasing challenges, exemplified by limited global recognition of headwater contributions to watershed resiliency and a recent US Supreme Court decision limiting federal safeguards. Despite accounting for ~77% of global river networks, the lack of adequate headwaters protections is caused, in part, by limited information on their extent and...
Authors
Heather E. Golden, Jay Christiensen, Hilary McMillan, Christa A. Kelleher, Charles R. Lane, Admin Husic, Li Li, Adam S. Ward, John C. Hammond, Erin C. Seybold, Kristin Jaeger, Margaret Ann Zimmer, Roy Sando, C. Nathan Jones, Catalina Segura, D. Tyler Mahoney, Adam N. Price, Frederick Chang
Predictive modeling reveals elevated conductivity relative to background levels in freshwater tributaries within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA Predictive modeling reveals elevated conductivity relative to background levels in freshwater tributaries within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Elevated conductivity (i.e., specific conductance or SC) causes osmotic stress in freshwater aquatic organisms and may increase the toxicity of some contaminants. Indices of benthic macroinvertebrate integrity have declined in urban areas across the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW), and more information is needed about whether these declines may be due to elevated conductivity. A...
Authors
Rosemary M. Fanelli, Joel Moore, Charles C. Stillwell, Andrew J. Sekellick, Richard Walker
Rappahannock tributary summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985-2022 Rappahannock tributary summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985-2022
The Rappahannock Tributary Summary outlines change over time for a suite of monitored tidal water quality parameters and associated potential drivers of those trends for the period of 1985 to 2022, and provides a brief description of the current state of knowledge explaining these observed changes. Water quality parameters described include surface (above pycnocline) total nitrogen (TN)...
Authors
Breck Maura Sullivan, Kaylyn Gootman, Alex Gunnerson, Sarah Betts, Cindy Johnson, Christopher A. Mason, Elgin Perry, Gopal Bhatt, Jennifer L. Keisman, James S. Webber, Jon Harcum, Michael F. Lane, Olivia Devereux, Qian Zhang, Rebecca Murphy, Renee Karrh, Thomas Butler, Vanessa Van Note, Angie Wei