This list of Upper Midwest Water Science Center publications spans from 1899 to present. It includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists. To access the full, searchable catalog of USGS publications, please visit the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 2202
Mercury isotope values in shoreline spiders reveal transfer of aquatic mercury sources to terrestrial food webs
The transfer of aquatic contaminants, including mercury (Hg), to terrestrial food webs is an often-overlooked exposure pathway to terrestrial animals. While research has implemented the use of shoreline spiders to assess aquatic to terrestrial Hg transfer, it is unclear whether Hg sources, estimated from isotope ratios, can be successfully resolved to inform site assessments and remedy effectivene
Authors
Sarah E. Janssen, Christopher James Kotalik, Collin Eagles-Smith, Gale B. Beaubien, Joel C. Hoffman, Greg Peterson, Marc A. Mills, David Walters
Contrasting mercury contamination scenarios and site susceptibilities confound fish mercury burdens in Suriname, South America
In Suriname, mercury (Hg) use has recently increased because of gold mining, which has put fish-reliant communities (e.g., Indigenous and Tribal) at risk of enhanced Hg exposure through the riverine fish these communities consume. To quantify how the magnitude of these risks change according to location and time, we measured total mercury (HgT) in fish at sites downstream and upstream of an artisa
Authors
Arioené Vreedzaam, Paul Ouboter, Ashna D. Hindori-Mohangoo, Ryan F. Lepak, Samantha L. Rumschlag, Sarah E. Janssen, Gwen Landburg, Arti Shankar, Wilco Zijlmans, Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Jeffrey K. Wickliffe
Simultaneous stream assessment of antibiotics, bacteria, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistant genes in an agricultural region of the United States
Antimicrobial resistance is now recognized as a leading global threat to human health. Nevertheless, there currently is a limited understanding of the environment's role in the spread of AMR and antibiotic resistant genes (ARG). In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted the first statewide assessment of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and ARGs in surface water and bed sediment collected fr
Authors
Carrie E Givens, Dana W. Kolpin, Laura E. Hubbard, Shannon M. Meppelink, David M. Cwiertny, Darrin A. Thompson, Rachael F. Lane, Michaelah C. Wilson
Modeling the water-quality effects to the Klamath River from recirculation in drains and canals, Oregon and California, 2006–15
The potential recirculation of Klamath Strait Drain (hereafter called by its local name, “Klamath Straits Drain”) water into Ady Canal to reduce the drain discharge of high nutrient loads into the Klamath River was assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the Bureau of Reclamation. To study the feasibility of recirculation, this investigation evaluated three recirculation scenarios over a 10-yea
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Annett B. Sullivan
Fall contributions of phosphorus and nitrogen in stormwater runoff through weekly street cleaning
This report describes a study that characterized reductions in total and dissolved forms of phosphorus and nitrogen in stormwater runoff through implementation of a municipal leaf collection and street cleaning program in two medium-density residential catchments in Madison, Wisconsin. One catchment was established as a control in which no effort was made to remove leaf litter and other organic de
Authors
William R. Selbig, Katherine J. Stenehjem
Response in the water quality of Delavan Lake, Wisconsin, to changes in phosphorus loading—Setting new goals for loading from its drainage basin
During 1989–92, an extensive rehabilitation project was completed in and around Delavan Lake, Wisconsin, to improve the lake’s water quality. However, in 2016, the lake was listed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as impaired for excessive algal growth (high chlorophyll a concentrations), and high phosphorus input was listed as its likely cause. In addition, the recent (2017–21) mea
Authors
Dale M. Robertson, Benjamin J. Siebers, Reed A. Fredrick
Toxic algae in inland waters of the conterminous United States—A review and synthesis
Cyanobacteria are the most common toxigenic algae in inland waters. Their toxins can affect the health of aquatic and terrestrial organisms, including humans. Other algal groups, such as haptophytes (e.g., Prymnesium parvum) and euglenoids (e.g., Euglena sanguinea), can also form harmful algal blooms (HABs) whose toxins cause injury to aquatic biota but currently have no known effects on human hea
Authors
Reynaldo Patiño, Victoria Christensen, Jennifer L. Graham, Jane Rogosch, Barry H. Rosen
Metabolically diverse microorganisms mediate methylmercury formation under nitrate-reducing conditions in a dynamic hydroelectric reservoir
Brownlee Reservoir is a mercury (Hg)-impaired hydroelectric reservoir that exhibits dynamic hydrological and geochemical conditions and is located within the Hells Canyon Complex in Idaho, USA. Methylmercury (MeHg) contamination in fish is a concern in the reservoir. While MeHg production has historically been attributed to sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic archaea, microorganisms carryin
Authors
Benjamin D. Peterson, Brett A. Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft, Michael T. Tate, Austin K. Baldwin, Jesse Naymik, Nick Gastelecutto, Katherine D. McMahon
Techniques for estimating the magnitude and frequency of peak flows on small streams in Minnesota, excluding the Rainy River Basin, based on data through water year 2019
Annual peak-flow data collected at U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in Minnesota and adjacent areas of neighboring states of Iowa and South Dakota were analyzed to develop and update regional regression equations that can be used to estimate the magnitude and frequency of peak streamflow for ungaged streams in Minnesota, excluding the Lake of the Woods-Rainy River Basin upstream from Kenora, Ont
Authors
Christopher A. Sanocki, Sara B. Levin
PCB source assessment in the lower Clinton River, Clinton River Area of Concern, Mount Clemens, Michigan
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), some of the earliest “forever chemicals,” were used for decades in the United States before 1979 when PCB manufacturing was banned. High PCB concentrations were found recently in the lower Clinton River in the Great Lakes drainage. To determine the possible existence, location, and significance of a current source of PCBs, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deploye
Authors
Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Hayley Olds, Owen M. Stefaniak, David A. Alvarez
GRiMeDB: The Global River Database Methane Database of concentrations and fluxes
Despite their small spatial extent, fluvial ecosystems play a significant role in processing and transporting carbon in aquatic networks, which results in substantial emission of methane (CH4) into the atmosphere. For this reason, considerable effort has been put into identifying patterns and drivers of CH4 concentrations in streams and rivers and estimating fluxes to the atmosphere across broad s
Authors
Emily H. Stanley, Luke C. Loken, Nora J. Casson, Samantha K. Oliver, Ryan A. Sponseller, Marcus B. Wallin, Liwei Zhang, Gerard Rocher-Ros
A novel suspended-sediment sampling method: Depth-Integrated Grab (DIG)
Measuring suspended sediment in fluvial systems is critical to understanding and managing water resources. Sampling suspended sediment has been the primary means of understanding fluvial suspended sediment. Specialized samplers, sampling methods, and laboratory methods developed by select U.S. Federal Agencies are more representative of river and stream conditions than commonly used grab sampling
Authors
Joel T. Groten, Sara B. Levin, Erin N. Coenen, John (William) Lund, Gregory D. Johnson