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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: 391

A hybrid approach for revealing headwater hydrology A hybrid approach for revealing headwater hydrology

Coordinated work to compile existing data and apply models pairing physical understanding with machine learning could substantially improve streamflow predictions for little-known headwater basins.
Authors
John C. Hammond, Jay R. Christensen, Kristin Jaeger, Roy Sando, Jacob Aaron Zwart

Continental-scale prediction of hydrologic signatures and processes Continental-scale prediction of hydrologic signatures and processes

Understanding how dominant hydrologic processes and their drivers vary across diverse continental-scale landscapes is critical for hydrologic modeling and water management applications. Our research addresses this question by synthesizing large-sample watershed datasets, Caravan and GAGES-II, and developing random forest models to identify patterns in hydrologic function. We assessed...
Authors
Ryoko Akari, Anne Holt, John C. Hammond, Admin Husic, Gemma Coxon, Hilary McMillan

PFAS remediation in a bioelectrochemical system inoculated with the west branch consortium (WBC-2) PFAS remediation in a bioelectrochemical system inoculated with the west branch consortium (WBC-2)

Groundwater contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) poses a persistent environmental and public health concern. This study evaluates a two-chambered bioelectrochemical system (BES) inoculated with the West Branch Consortium (WBC-2) for PFAS remediation. Under an applied cathodic potential of −450 mV (versus Ag/AgCl), the BES with active WBC-2 achieved >99.0%...
Authors
Haoran Yang, Michelle M. Lorah, Kelly S. Bender, Chunjie Xia, Jiasi Sun, Jia Liu

Assessing the prevalence, timing, and rapidity of transitions between hydrological extremes and their relation to meteorological extremes in the conterminous United States Assessing the prevalence, timing, and rapidity of transitions between hydrological extremes and their relation to meteorological extremes in the conterminous United States

Rapid shifts between droughts and floods, termed hydrological whiplash, challenge water management, yet their timing and drivers remain poorly understood at continental scales. While drought-to-flood (DtF) transitions have received growing attention, flood-to-drought (FtD) transitions — though rarer — pose distinct operational challenges that are less well characterized. These wet-to-dry...
Authors
Caelan Simeone, John C. Hammond

Advancing monitoring approaches to enhance tidal Chesapeake Bay habitat assessment for submerged aquatic vegetation, water clarity, chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen Advancing monitoring approaches to enhance tidal Chesapeake Bay habitat assessment for submerged aquatic vegetation, water clarity, chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen

Water quality monitoring capacity has been declining for the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) at a time when information needs are growing, and data gaps exist to address critical decision-support for managers. The CBP Scientific Technical Assessment and Reporting Team is leading a Principal’s Staff Committee requested gap analyses toward understanding support needed to improve water quality
Authors
Peter J. Tango, Brooke J. Landry, Mark Trice, Breck M Sullivan, Tish Robertson, William C. Dennison

Watershed Continuum Monitoring Approach: Combining multiple water quality patterns along stream and river flowpaths to track sources, pathways, and processing of pollutants Watershed Continuum Monitoring Approach: Combining multiple water quality patterns along stream and river flowpaths to track sources, pathways, and processing of pollutants

There is a growing need to improve and expand water quality monitoring approaches to more accurately track the sources, fate, and transport of multiple chemicals and pollutants holistically and quantify the effects of best management practices (BMPs) at the watershed scale. An overarching question raised by scientists, environmental managers, and the general public is: how far can water...
Authors
Sujay Kaushal, Ashley Mon, Stanley Grant, Paul M. Mayer, Aaron J. Porter, Andrew J. Sekellick, Jason Hamilton Chase, Shantanu Bhide, John D. Jastram, Tammy Newcomer-Johnson, Sydney A. Shelton, Alexis M. Yaculak, Joseph T. Malin, Carly Marcella Maas, Nicholas Salanitri, Daniel J. Silberstein, Steven P. Hohman, Ashley B. Dann, Weston M Slaughter, Megan A. Rippy, Ahmed Monofy, Ruth R. Shatkay, Jenna E. Reimer, Madeleine Seppi, Randi Noel, Julianna Mussa, Bennett Kellmayer, Gwendolyn Sivirichi, Melissa Grese, Walter L.M. Boger, Jeffrey G. Chanat, Shuiwang Duan, Kenneth T. Belt

Potential impacts of groundwater pumping on stream temperature are greatest in streams with substantial cold groundwater inflows Potential impacts of groundwater pumping on stream temperature are greatest in streams with substantial cold groundwater inflows

Groundwater pumping-induced reductions in streamflow (known as ‘streamflow depletion’) have been documented worldwide, but potential impacts of streamflow depletion on stream temperature are not well understood. Here, we use two types of models to identify potential impacts of pumping on stream temperature across the conterminous United States (CONUS) to determine which aspects of a...
Authors
Dana A. Lapides, Sam Zipper, John C. Hammond

Transit time modeling framework for predicting freshwater salinization in urban catchments Transit time modeling framework for predicting freshwater salinization in urban catchments

The salinity of inland freshwaters is rising globally, particularly in urban watersheds where winter road deicers are widely applied. Attributing stream salinity dynamics to specific sources and transport pathways remains challenging due to episodic salt inputs, engineered drainage, and strong coupling between hydrology and subsurface storage. We present a modeling framework that couples...
Authors
Shantanu Bhide, Stanley Grant, Kevin McGuire, Karen Prestegaard, Sujay Kaushal, Andrew J. Sekellick, Megan A. Rippy, Todd Schenk, Shannon Curtis, Jesus Gomez-Velez, Erin Hotchkiss, Peter Vikesland, Siddharth Saksena

Lower Eastern Shore Tributary summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985-2023 Lower Eastern Shore Tributary summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985-2023

The Lower Eastern Shore Tributary Summary outlines change over time according to a suite of monitored tidal water quality parameters and associated potential drivers of those trends for the period 1985 – 2023, and provides a brief description of the current state of knowledge explaining these observed changes. Water quality parameters described include surface (above pycnocline) total...
Authors
Breck Maura Sullivan, Kaylyn S. Gootman, Gabriel Duran, Eva Smith, Renee Karrh, Cindy Johnson, Christopher A. Mason, Elgin Perry, Gopal Bhatt, Jennifer L. Keisman, James S. Webber, Jon Harcum, Mike Lane, Olivia Devereux, Qian Zhang, Rebecca Murphy, Tom Butler, Vanessa Van Note, Zhaoying Wei

Demonstration, validation, and application of hyperspectral microscopy for the collection of cyanobacterial spectral signatures Demonstration, validation, and application of hyperspectral microscopy for the collection of cyanobacterial spectral signatures

Cyanobacterial and other algal blooms are an environmental concern in waterbodies worldwide. While these blooms are a nuisance for recreational activities, they can also be harmful to human and wildlife health when the algae produce and release toxins. Algal community composition can be monitored and analyzed by acquiring hyperspectral images that provide information on various...
Authors
Natalie C. Hall, Adam C. Mumford, Aaron M. Goldfain, David W. Allen, E. Terrence Slonecker, Alisa Shtabnoy, Carl J. Legleiter, Sarah A. Spaulding

Identifying headwater streams across the conterminous United States Identifying headwater streams across the conterminous United States

Headwater streams play critical roles in hydrologic and biogeochemical processes and functions, yet their spatial distribution and land cover context remain poorly understood at continental scales, and no dedicated geospatial dataset exists. Building from a high-resolution conterminous United States (CONUS) hydrography network dataset, we quantified the spatial extent, density, and...
Authors
Charles R. Lane, Ellen D’Amico, Jay R. Christensen, Heather E. Golden, Frederick Y. Cheng, John C. Hammond, Admin Husic, Kristin L. Jaeger, C. Nathan Jones, Christa A. Kelleher, Li Li, D. Tyler Mahoney, Hilary K. McMillan, Adam N. Price, Roy Sando, Catalina Segura, Erin C. Seybold, Adam S. Ward, Margaret Zimmer
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