Publications
The majority of publications in this section address water resources in Utah or in bordering states. Some of the publications are included because one or more of the authors work at the Utah Water Science Center but have provided expertise to studies in other geographic areas.
Filter Total Items: 916
Contributions of Great Salt Lake playa- and industrially-sourced priority pollutant metals in dust contribute to possible health hazards in the communities of northern Utah Contributions of Great Salt Lake playa- and industrially-sourced priority pollutant metals in dust contribute to possible health hazards in the communities of northern Utah
Communities and ecosystems of northern Utah, USA receive particulate pollution from anthropogenic activity and dust emissions from sources including the Great Salt Lake (“the Lake”) playa. In addition to affecting communities, anthropogenic pollution is delivered to the Lake's playa sediments, which are eroded during dust events. Yet, spatial variability in dust flux and composition and...
Authors
Annie Putman, Molly Blakowski, Destry DiViesti, Diego Fernandez, Morgan McDonnell, Patrick Longley, Daniel Jones
Application of mercury stable isotopes to examine sources and hydrologic factors impacting mercury bioaccumulation and cycling in invertebrates of a model saline lake Application of mercury stable isotopes to examine sources and hydrologic factors impacting mercury bioaccumulation and cycling in invertebrates of a model saline lake
Invertebrates, such as brine shrimp and brine flies, are key prey items for millions of resident and migratory birds that utilize saline lakes such as Great Salt Lake (GSL). Elevated methylmercury (MeHg) in invertebrate and waterfowl species of GSL has been assumed to be linked to elevated MeHg in GSL’s anoxic Deep Brine Layer (DBL) where aqueous concentrations can exceed 30 ng/L. Here...
Authors
Samuel Lopez, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Frank J. Black, Hannah Mcilwain, Laura Flucke, Jacob Ogorek, William Johnson
Estimation of baseflow and flooding characteristics for East Canyon Creek, Summit and Morgan Counties, Utah Estimation of baseflow and flooding characteristics for East Canyon Creek, Summit and Morgan Counties, Utah
An improved understanding of hydrologic responses to changing climatic conditions is needed to better inform water management practices. East Canyon Creek, a perennial, snowmelt-dominated stream in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah, is subjected to increasing development and demands on water in the Snyderville Basin and adjacent areas. In this study, streamflow and specific...
Authors
Jonathan Root, Christine Rumsey
Using mercury and lead stable isotopes to assess mercury, lead, and trace metal source contributions to Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA Using mercury and lead stable isotopes to assess mercury, lead, and trace metal source contributions to Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Great Salt Lake is a critical habitat for migratory birds that is threatened by elevated metal concentrations, including mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb), and is subject to severe hydrologic changes, such as declining lake level. When assessing metal profiles recorded in Great Salt Lake sediment, a large data gap exists regarding the sources of metals within the system, which is complicated by...
Authors
Samuel Lopez, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Diego Fernandez, Christopher Anderson, Grace Armstrong, Thomas Wang, William Johnson
Imperiled Great Basin terminal lakes: Synthesizing ecological and hydrological science gaps and research needs for waterbird conservation Imperiled Great Basin terminal lakes: Synthesizing ecological and hydrological science gaps and research needs for waterbird conservation
Terminal lakes are declining globally because of human water demands, drought, and climate change. Through literature synthesis and feedback from the resource and conservation community, we review the state of research for terminal lakes in the Great Basin of the United States, which support millions of waterbirds annually, to prioritize ecological and hydrologic information needs. From...
Authors
Garth Herring, Ashley Whipple, Cameron Aldridge, Bryce Pulver, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Rich Inman, Elliott Matchett, Adrian P. Monroe, Elizabeth Orning, Benjamin Robb, Jessica Shyvers, Bryan Tarbox, Nathan Van Schmidt, Cassandra Smith, Matthew J. Holloran, Cory Overton, David O’Leary, Michael Casazza, Rebecca J. Frus
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment
Database of surface water diversion sites and daily withdrawals for the upper Colorado River Basin, 1980–2022 Database of surface water diversion sites and daily withdrawals for the upper Colorado River Basin, 1980–2022
The Colorado River drains about 8% of the conterminous United States, provides water for 40 million people, and is one of the most overallocated rivers in the world. As the upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) contributes an estimated 92% of the total basin natural streamflow, knowledge of the location and amount of surface water withdrawals in the UCOL is important for managing the...
Authors
Samuel Lopez, Jacob E. Knight, Fred Tillman, Melissa Masbruch, Daniel Wise, Casey Jones, Matthew P. Miller
Seasonally varying contributions of contemporaneous and lagged sources of instream total nitrogen and phosphorus load across the Illinois River basin Seasonally varying contributions of contemporaneous and lagged sources of instream total nitrogen and phosphorus load across the Illinois River basin
Quantifying nutrient sources in streams, their temporal and spatial variability, and drivers of that variability can support effective water resources management. Yet a lack of data and modeling capabilities has previously prevented comprehensive quantification across both space and time. Here a dynamic SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes) model that...
Authors
Noah Schmadel, Olivia Miller, Scott Ator, Matthew P. Miller, Gregory Schwarz, Dale M. Robertson, Andrew Sekellick, Kenneth Skinner, David A. Saad
Dust in the Critical Zone: North American case studies Dust in the Critical Zone: North American case studies
The dust cycle facilitates the exchange of particles among Earth's major systems, enabling dust to traverse ecosystems, cross geographic boundaries, and even move uphill against the natural flow of gravity. Dust in the atmosphere is composed of a complex and ever-changing mixture that reflects the evolving human footprint on the landscape. The emission, transport, and deposition of dust...
Authors
Janice Brahney, Ruth Heindel, Thomas Gill, Gregory Carling, Juan Gonzalez-Olalla, Jenny Hand, Derek Mallia, Jeffrey Munroe, Kevin Perry, Annie Putman, S. Skiles, Brad Adams, Zachary Aanderud, Sarah Aarons, Daniela Aguirre, Karin Ardon-Dryer, Molly Blakowski, Jessie Creamean, Diego Fernandez, Hosein Foroutan, Cassandra Gaston, Maura Hahnenberger, Sebastian Hoch, Daniel Jones, Kerry Kelly, Otto Lang, Josh Lemonte, Richard Reynolds, Ramesh Singh, Mark Sweeney, Thorn Merrill
Design, development, and implementation of IsoBank: A centralized repository for isotopic data Design, development, and implementation of IsoBank: A centralized repository for isotopic data
Stable isotope data have made pivotal contributions to nearly every discipline of the physical and natural sciences. As the generation and application of stable isotope data continues to grow exponentially, so does the need for a unifying data repository to improve accessibility and promote collaborative engagement. This paper provides an overview of the design, development, and...
Authors
Oliver Shipley, Anna Dabrowski, Gabriel Bowen, Brian Hayden, Jonathan Pauli, Christopher Jordan, Lesleigh Anderson, Adriana Bailey, Clement Bataille, Carla Cicero, Hilary Close, Craig Cook, Joseph A. Cook, Ankur Desai, Jaivime Evaristo, Tim Filley, Christine France, Sora Kim, Sebastian Kopf, Julie Loisel, Philip Manlick, Jamie McFarlin, Bailey McMeans, Tamsin O’Connel, Brice Semmens, Chris Stantis, Paul Szejner, Suzanne Pilaar Birch, Annie Putman, Craig Stricker, Tara Trammell, Mark Uhen, Samantha Weintraub-Leff, Matthew Wooller, John Williams, Christopher Yarnes, Hanna Vander Zanden, Seth Newsome
Hydrogeologic conceptual model of groundwater occurrence and brine discharge to the Dolores River in the Paradox Valley, Montrose County, Colorado Hydrogeologic conceptual model of groundwater occurrence and brine discharge to the Dolores River in the Paradox Valley, Montrose County, Colorado
Salinity, or total dissolved solids (TDS), of the Colorado River is a major concern in the southwestern United States where the river provides water to about 40 million people for municipal and industrial use and is used to irrigate about 5.5 million acres of land. Much of the salinity in the Colorado River Basin is derived from natural interactions of surface water and groundwater with...
Authors
Suzanne Paschke, M. Mast, Philip Gardner, Connor Newman, Kenneth R. Watts
Wildland fire effects on sediment, salinity, and selenium yields in a basin underlain by Cretaceous marine shales near Rangely, Colorado Wildland fire effects on sediment, salinity, and selenium yields in a basin underlain by Cretaceous marine shales near Rangely, Colorado
Understanding and quantifying soil erosion from rangelands is a high priority for land managers, especially in areas underlain by Cretaceous Mancos Shale, which is a natural source of sediment, salinity, and selenium to surface waters in many areas of western Colorado and eastern Utah. The purpose of this report is to present the results of a U.S. Geological Survey study that assessed...
Authors
Natalie Day, Todd Preston, Patrick Longley
High resolution identification and quantification of diffuse deep groundwater discharge in mountain rivers using continuous boat-mounted helium measurements High resolution identification and quantification of diffuse deep groundwater discharge in mountain rivers using continuous boat-mounted helium measurements
Discharge of deeply sourced groundwater to streams is difficult to locate and quantify, particularly where both discrete and diffuse discharge points exist, but diffuse discharge is one of the primary controls on solute budgets in mountainous watersheds. The noble gas helium is a unique identifier of deep groundwater discharge because groundwater with long residence times is commonly...
Authors
Connor Newman, Eric Humphrey, Matthias Brennwald, W. Gardner, Kelli Palko, Michael Gooseff, Kip Solomon