Publications
Publications authored by the Nevada Water Science Center scientists are listed below. Older publications may not be available in electronic form yet. If a Nevada Water Science Center publication that you would like to view isn't listed below, please send email to GS-W-NVpublic-info@ usgs.gov.
Filter Total Items: 378
Li and Ca enrichment in the Bristol Dry Lake brine compared to brines from Cadiz and Danby Dry Lakes, Barstow-Bristol Trough, California, USA
Relatively few discharging playas in western United States extensional basins have high concentrations of lithium (Li) and calcium (Ca) in the basin-center brines. However, the source of both these ions is not well understood, and it is not clear why basins in close proximity within the same extensional trough have notably different concentrations of Li and Ca. In the Barstow-Bristol Trough, Calif
Authors
Michael R. Rosen, Lisa L. Stillings, Tyler Kane, Kate M. Campbell, Matthew Vitale, Ray Spanjers
Emerging and historical contaminants detected in desert rodents collected near a low‐level radioactive waste site
In an effort to determine contaminant presence, concentrations, and movement from a low‐level radioactive waste (LLRW) burial disposal site to ecosystems in the surrounding area, a study was developed to assess concentrations of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and tritium. To complete this assessment small mammals, vegetation, soil, and insect samples
Authors
Ryan S. Cleary, Adcharee Karnjanapiboonwong, William A. Thompson, Steven J. Lasee, Seenivasan Sabbiah, Ronald Kauble, Brian J. Andraski, Todd A. Anderson
A comparison of groundwater sampling technologies, including passive diffusion sampling, for radionuclide contamination
Using traditional high-flow purge methods for long-term water quality monitoring of deep groundwater wells can be expensive, affect contaminant migration, and produce excessive volumes of discharge water that can be difficult to manage. The use of low-flow pumping methods and depth discrete bailers (DDBs) can reduce the cost of sampling deep groundwater wells. In general, using different pumping m
Authors
Rebecca J. Frus, Thomas Imbrigiotta
Groundwater characterization and effects of pumping in the Death Valley regional groundwater flow system, Nevada and California, with special reference to Devils Hole
Groundwater flow and development were characterized in four groundwater basins of the Death Valley regional flow system in Nevada and California with calibrated, groundwater-flow models. Natural groundwater discharges in the Furnace Creek, Lower Amargosa, and Saratoga Spring areas were defined and distributed consistently with a revised hydrogeologic framework. This simplified hydrogeologic framew
Authors
Keith J. Halford, Tracie R. Jackson
Lake Tahoe water monitoring and research activities
Several decades ago, deteriorating water quality and clarity in Lake Tahoe prompted the initiation of environmental programs in the Lake Tahoe basin. Data on seasonal sediment loads from tributary streams, and nutrient loads from surrounding streams and groundwater aquifers, were needed to document the causes of this deterioration, the local and regional effectiveness of environmental programs, an
Authors
Ramon C. Naranjo
Managed aquifer recharge in snow-fed river basins: What, why and how?
What does climate change mean for snow-fed river basins?Climate change poses unique challenges in snow-fed river basins across the western United States because the majority of water supply originates as snow (Dettinger, Udall, & Georgakakos, 2015). In the Sierra Nevada, recent observations include changes in snow accumulation and snowmelt, and shifts in peak streamflow timing (Barnhart et al., 20
Authors
Kelley Sterle, Wesley Kitlasten, Eric D. Morway, Richard G. Niswonger, Loretta Singletary
Estimation of groundwater flow through Yucca Flat based on a multiple-well aquifer test at well ER-6–1–2 main, Nevada National Security Site, southern Nevada
The rate of groundwater flow past underground nuclear testing areas in Yucca Flat at the Nevada National Security Site, southern Nevada, was estimated using results from the ER-6-1-2 main multiple-well aquifer test (MWAT), done during February 5–July 23, 2004. Drawdowns in 13 observation wells were evaluated from pumping in well ER-6-1-2 main and used as observations in a regional groundwater-flow
Authors
Tracie R. Jackson, Keith J. Halford
Evaluation of groundwater-flow models for estimating drawdown from proposed groundwater development in Tule Desert, Nevada
At the request of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is releasing with this open-file report (OFR) a previously unpublished review and comparison of two numerical models for Tule Desert, Nevada. The original review was performed in spring 2013, and only minor editorial revisions were made in the current (2019) OFR for clarity and to reformat the original interag
Authors
Keith J. Halford
Uncertainty of reference pixel soil moisture averages sampled at SMAP core validation sites
Despite extensive efforts to maximize ground coverage and improve upscaling functions within core validation sites (CVS) of the NASA Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) mission, spatial averages of point-scale soil moisture observations often fail to accurately capture the true average of the reference pixels. Therefore, some level of pixel-scale sampling error from in situ observations must be co
Authors
Fan Chen, W.T Crow, M.H. Cosh, A. Colliander, J. Asanuma, A. Berg, D.D. Bosch, Todd Caldwell, C. Holifield-Collins, J. Martínez-Fernández, H. McNairn, P.J. Starks, Z. Su, J.P. Walker
Flood-inundation mapping of a steep, gravel desert stream in Death Valley National Park, California
In desert landscapes, flooding can result in dramatic changes to streams. However, the frequency, magnitude, and geomorphic effects of floods in such environments are less understood compared to wetter environments (Tooth, 2000). In desert landscapes, steep slopes and sparse vegetation result in runoff and flashy flood peaks, often lasting for only a few hours. Many floods are the result of isolat
Authors
Christopher M. Morris, Toby L. Welborn
Spatial patterns of meadow sensitivities to interannual climate variability in the Sierra Nevada
Conservation of montane meadows is a high priority for land and water managers given their critical role in buffering the effects of climate variability and their vulnerability to increasing temperatures and evaporative demands. Recent advances in cloud computing have provided new opportunities to examine ecological responses to climate variability over the past few decades, and at large spatial s
Authors
Christine M. Albano, Meredith L. McClure, Shana E. Gross, Wesley Kitlasten, Christopher Soulard, Charles Morton, Justin Huntington
Methods for installation, removal, and downloading data from the temperature profiling probe (TROD)
This document provides a brief method overview on the deployment and removal of the temperature profiling probe developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2015 and referred to as SensorRod or temperature rod (TROD). The TROD is suitable for short- to long-term deployments (days to years) for evaluating thermal gradients in soils and sediments beneath surface water. Applications include eval
Authors
Ramon C. Naranjo