Publications
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: 2230
Using machine learning to improve predictions and provide insight into fluvial sediment transport
A thorough understanding of fluvial sediment transport is critical to addressing many environmental concerns such as exacerbated flooding, degradation of aquatic habitat, excess nutrients, and the economic challenges of restoring aquatic systems. Fluvial sediment samples are integral for addressing these environmental concerns but cannot be collected at every river and time of interest. Therefore,
Authors
J. William Lund, Joel T. Groten, Diana L. Karwan, Chad Babcock
Comparison of the results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to mass-spectrometry based analytical methods for six unregulated contaminants in source water and finished drinking-water samples
Regulatory entities, such as the Minnesota Department of Health, monitor public water systems for conformance with Federal and State monitoring requirements and water-quality standards. Although some contaminants have Federal and (or) State regulations and guidance values, many contaminants, such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals, are unregulated in that only non-enforceable health-based guidance
Authors
Aliesha L. Krall, Sarah M. Elliott, Jane R. de Lambert, Stephen W. Robertson
Elevated mercury concentrations and isotope signatures (N, C, Hg) in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) from the Galápagos Marine Reserve and waters off Ecuador
We examined how dietary factors recorded by C and N influence Hg uptake in 347 individuals of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), an important subsistence resource from the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) and the Ecuadorian mainland coast (EMC) in 2015-2016. We found no differences in total Hg (THg) measured in red muscle between the two regions and no seasonal differences, likely due to the age of
Authors
Laia Munoz-Abril, Carlos A Valle, Juan Jose Alava, Sarah E. Janssen, Elsie M. Sunderland, Francisco Rubianes-Landazuri, Steven D Emslie
Ground water quality sub-indicator report
The overall status of groundwater quality in the Great Lakes Basin is assessed as “Good” (Figure 1). For the assessed fraction of the basin (84% of the total area), the groundwater quality is “Good” in 58% of the area, “Fair” in 41% of the area, and “Poor” in 1% of the area, resulting in an overall assessment of “Good”. The portions of the basin that have insufficient data (16% percent of the tot
Authors
Helen Zhang, Melinda L. Erickson, Dale VanStempvoort, George Zhang, John Spoelstra
Prioritizing pharmaceutical contaminants in Great Lakes tributaries using risk-based screening techniques
In a study of 44 diverse sampling sites across 16 Great Lakes tributaries, 110 pharmaceuticals were detected of 257 monitored. The present study evaluated the ecological relevance of detected chemicals and identified heavily impacted areas to help inform resource managers and guide future investigations. Ten pharmaceuticals (caffeine, nicotine, albuterol, sulfamethoxazole, venlafaxine, acetaminoph
Authors
Matthew A. Pronschinske, Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. DeCicco, Edward Furlong, Gerald T. Ankley, Brett R. Blackwell, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Peter L. Lenaker, Michelle A. Nott
Assessing spatial transferability of a random forest metamodel for predicting drainage fraction
Fully distributed hydrological models are widely used in groundwater management, but model speed and data requirements impede their use for decision support purposes. Metamodels provide a simpler and faster model which emulates the underlying complex model using machine learning techniques. However, metamodel predictions beyond the ranges, in space and/or time, of training data are highly uncertai
Authors
Elisa Bjerre, Michael N. Fienen, Raphael Schneider, Julian Koch, Anker L. Højberg
Contaminants of emerging concern in the Great Lakes. GLRI integrated phase II group progress report
No abstract available.
Authors
Stephanie L. Hummel, Gerald T. Ankley, Lyle Burgoon, Steven R. Corsi, Christine M. Custer, Kimani Kimbrough, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Sarah A. Zack, Elizabeth A. Murphy
Contaminants of emerging concern in the Great Lakes: Science to inform management practices for protecting the health and integrity of wildlife populations from adverse effects: GLRI action plan I, focus area 1, goal 5
Executive Summary: Under Action Plan I (2010-2014) of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), Federal and Academic partners began an investigation of the presence and distribution of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the Great Lakes and potential impacts on fish and wildlife. The term CECs is applied to a broad range of chemicals that are currently in use but for which we currently
Authors
Daniel L. Villeneuve, Steven R. Corsi, Christine M. Custer, W. Edward Johnson, Stephanie L. Hummel, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Edward J. Perkins, Sarah A. Zack
Loss of street trees predicted to cause 6000 L/tree increase in leaf-on stormwater runoff for Great Lakes urban sewershed
Urban forests are recognized as a nature-based solution for stormwater management. This study assessed the underlying processes and extent of runoff reduction due to street trees with a paired-catchment experiment conducted in two sewersheds of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Computer models are flexible, fast, and low-cost options to generalize and assess the hydrologic processes determined in field stud
Authors
Robert C. Coville, James Kruegler, William R. Selbig, Satoshi Hirabayashi, Stephen Loheid, William Avery, William Shuster, Ralph J. Haefner, Bryant C. Scharenbroch, Theodore A. Endreny, Dave Nowak
Predictive models of phosphorus concentration and load in stormwater runoff from small urban residential watersheds in fall season
Urban street trees are a key part of public green infrastructure in many cities, however, leaf litter on streets is a critical biogenic source of phosphorus (P) in urban stormwater runoff during Fall. This study identified mass of street leaf litter (Mleaf) and antecedent dry days (ADD) as the top two explanatory parameters that have significant predictive power of event end-of-pipe P concentratio
Authors
Yi Wang, Anita Thompson, William R. Selbig
Comparison of radium analytical methods for municipal drinking water well operation
Radium (Ra) is a geogenic contaminant that occurs at high levels in the Midwestern Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system (MCOAS), a regionally important sandstone and carbonate drinking water aquifer. Water utilities using the MCOAS often must adopt treatment methods or use alternative water sources to maintain high-quality drinking water. Here, we show that Ra in water obtained from a municipal well
Authors
Madeleine J Mathews, Sean R Scott, Randall J. Hunt, Matthew Ginder-Vogel
Long-term ice phenology records spanning up to 578 years for 78 lakes around the Northern Hemisphere
In recent decades, lakes have experienced unprecedented ice loss with widespread ramifications for winter ecological processes. The rapid loss of ice, resurgence of winter biology, and proliferation of remote sensing technologies, presents a unique opportunity to integrate disciplines to further understand the broad spatial and temporal patterns in ice loss and its consequences. Here, we summarize
Authors
Sapna Sharma, Alessnadro Filazzola, Thi Nguyen, Mohammad Imrit, Kevin Blagrave, Damien Bouffard, Julia Daly, Harley Feldman, Natalie Feldsine, Harrie-Jan Hendricks-Franssen, Nikolay Granin, Richard Hecock, Jan Henning L'Abee-Lund, Ed Hopkins, Neil Howk, Michael Iacono, Lesley B. Knoll, Johanna Korhonen, Hilmar Malmquist, Woldzimierz Marszelewski, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Yuichi Miyabara, Kiyoshi Miyasaka, Alexander Mills, Lolita Olson, Theodore Peters, David Richardson, Dale M. Robertson, Lars G. Rudstam, Danielle Wain, Holly Waterfield, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Brendan Wiltse, Huaxia Yao, Andry Zhdanov, John J. Magnuson