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
Zero or not? Causes and consequences of zero-flow stream gage readings Zero or not? Causes and consequences of zero-flow stream gage readings
Streamflow observations can be used to understand, predict, and contextualize hydrologic, ecological, and biogeochemical processes and conditions in streams. Stream gages are point measurements along rivers where streamflow is measured, and are often used to infer upstream watershed‐scale processes. When stream gages read zero, this may indicate that the stream has dried at this location...
Authors
Margaret Zimmer, Kendra E. Kaiser, Joanna Blaszczak, Samuel Zipper, John C. Hammond, Ken M. Fritz, Katie H. Costigan, Jacob D. Hosen, Sarah E Godsey, George Allen, Stephanie K. Kampf, Ryan Burrow, Corey Krabbenhoft, Walter Dodds, Rebecca Hale, Julian D. Olden, Margaret Shanafield, Amanda DelVecchia, Adam S Ward, Meryl C. Mims, Thibault Datry, Michael A. Bogan, Kate Boersma, Michelle Busch, Nathan M. Jones, Amy Burgin, Daniel Allen
Hydrogeology and shallow groundwater quality in the tidal Anacostia River watershed, Washington, D.C. Hydrogeology and shallow groundwater quality in the tidal Anacostia River watershed, Washington, D.C.
Groundwater hydrology and geochemistry within the tidal Anacostia River watershed of Washington, D.C. are related to natural and human influences. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the District Department of Energy & Environment, began investigating the hydrogeology and groundwater quality of the watershed in 2002. Lithologic coring, groundwater-level and tidal monitoring...
Authors
Scott W. Ator, Judith M. Denver, Cheryl A. Dieter
Sequential biodegradation of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at oxic-anoxic groundwater interfaces in model laboratory columns Sequential biodegradation of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at oxic-anoxic groundwater interfaces in model laboratory columns
Halogenated organic solvents such as chlorobenzenes (CBs) are frequent groundwater contaminants due to legacy spills. When contaminated anaerobic groundwater discharges into surface water through wetlands and other transition zones, aeration can occur from various physical and biological processes at shallow depths, resulting in oxic-anoxic interfaces (OAIs). This study investigated the...
Authors
Steven J. Chow, Michelle Lorah, Amar R. Wadhawan, Neal D. Durant, Edward J. Bouwer
Pavement alters delivery of sediment and fallout radionuclides to urbanstreams Pavement alters delivery of sediment and fallout radionuclides to urbanstreams
Sediment from urban impervious surfaces has the potential to be an important vector for contaminants, particularly where stormwater culverts and other buried channels draining large impervious areas exit from underground pipes into open channels. To better understand urban sediment sources and their relation to fallout radionuclides, we collected samples of rainfall, urban sediment...
Authors
Allen C. Gellis, Christopher C. Fuller, Peter C. Van Metre, Barbara Mahler, C. Welty, Andrew Miller, Lucas A Nibert, Zachary J. Clifton, Jeremy Malen, J.T. Kemper
Sub-annual streamflow responses to rainfall and snowmelt inputs in snow-dominated watersheds of the western U.S. Sub-annual streamflow responses to rainfall and snowmelt inputs in snow-dominated watersheds of the western U.S.
Streamflow generation in mountain watersheds is strongly influenced by snow accumulation and melt, and multiple studies have found that snow loss leads to earlier snowmelt timing and declines in annual streamflow. However, hydrologic responses to snow loss are heterogeneous, and not all areas experience streamflow declines. This research examines whether streamflow generation is...
Authors
John C. Hammond, Stephanie K. Kampf
Sediment and chemical contaminant loads in tributaries to the Anacostia River, Washington, District of Columbia, 2016–17 Sediment and chemical contaminant loads in tributaries to the Anacostia River, Washington, District of Columbia, 2016–17
A study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Washington, D.C., Department of Energy & Environment to estimate the loads of suspended-sediment-bound chemical compounds in five gaged tributaries and four ungaged tributaries of the Anacostia River (known locally as “Lower Anacostia River”) in Washington, D.C. Tributaries whose discharge is measured by...
Authors
Timothy P. Wilson
Stream corridor sources of suspended sediment and phosphorus from an agricultural tributary to the Great Lakes Stream corridor sources of suspended sediment and phosphorus from an agricultural tributary to the Great Lakes
Fine-grained sediment and phosphorous are major contaminants in the Great Lakes and their tributaries. Plum Creek, Wisconsin (92 km2), a tributary to the Lower Fox River, has a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requiring reductions of suspended sediment and phosphorus loading by 70% and 77%, respectively. In 2016-18, an integrated sediment fingerprinting and stream corridor-based sediment...
Authors
Faith A. Fitzpatrick, James D. Blount, Leah Kammel, David L. Hoover, Allen C. Gellis, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry
Response of nitrogen loading to the Chesapeake Bay to source reduction and land use change scenarios: A SPARROW‐informed analysis Response of nitrogen loading to the Chesapeake Bay to source reduction and land use change scenarios: A SPARROW‐informed analysis
In response to concerns regarding the health of streams and receiving waters, the United States Environmental Protection Agency established a total maximum daily load for nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for which practices must be in place by 2025 resulting in an expected 25% reduction in load from 2009 levels. The response of total nitrogen (TN) loads delivered to the Bay to...
Authors
Matthew P. Miller, Paul D. Capel, Ana M. Garcia, Scott W. Ator
Changes in long-term water quality of Baltimore streams are associated with both gray and green infrastructure Changes in long-term water quality of Baltimore streams are associated with both gray and green infrastructure
The steadily rising global urban population has placed substantial strain on urban water quality, and this strain is projected to increase for the foreseeable future. Considerable attention has been given to the hydrological and physico-chemical effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems. However, due to the relative infancy of the field of urban ecology, long-term water quality...
Authors
Alexander J. Reisinger, Ellen L Woytowitz, Emily H. Majcher, Emma J. Rosi, Kenneth T. Belt, Jonathan M. Duncan, Sujay S. Kaushal, Peter M. Groffman
Applying the Watershed Approach to Urban Ecosystems in Baltimore Applying the Watershed Approach to Urban Ecosystems in Baltimore
No abstract available.
Authors
Peter Groffman, Laurence Band, Kenneth Belt, Neil Bettez, Aditi Bhaskar, Edward Doheny, Jonathan Duncan, Sujay Kaushal, Emma Rosi-Marshall, Claire Welty
A Generalized Additive Model approach to evaluating water quality: Chesapeake Bay Case Study A Generalized Additive Model approach to evaluating water quality: Chesapeake Bay Case Study
Nutrient-reduction efforts have been undertaken in recent decades to mitigate the impacts of eutrophication in coastal and estuarine systems worldwide. To track progress in response to one of these efforts we use Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to evaluate a diverse suite of water quality constituents over a 32-year period in the Chesapeake Bay, an estuary on the east coast of the...
Authors
Rebecca Murphy, Elgin Perry, Jon Harcum, Jennifer L. Keisman
Changes in event‐based streamflow magnitude and timing after suburban development with infiltration‐based stormwater management Changes in event‐based streamflow magnitude and timing after suburban development with infiltration‐based stormwater management
Green stormwater infrastructure implementation in urban watersheds has outpaced our understanding of practice effectiveness on streamflow response to precipitation events. Long‐term monitoring of experimental urban watersheds in Clarksburg, Maryland, USA, provided an opportunity to examine changes in event‐based streamflow metrics in two treatment watersheds that transitioned from...
Authors
Kristina G. Hopkins, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Sean Woznicki, Rosemary M. Fanelli