Publications
This list of Water Resources Mission Area publications includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists. A searchable database of all USGS publications can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 19035
A simple low-cost approach for transport parameter determination in mountain rivers A simple low-cost approach for transport parameter determination in mountain rivers
A simplified low-cost approach to experimentally determine transport parameters in mountain rivers is described, with an emphasis on the longitudinal dispersion coefficient (DL). The approach is based on a slug injection of table salt (NaCl) as a tracer and specific conductance readings at different locations downstream of the injection spot. Observed specific conductance readings are...
Authors
Daniella Castillo, Robert L. Runkel, Denisse Duhalde, Pablo Pasten, José L. Arumí, Jorge Oyarzun, Jorge Núñez, Hugo Maturana, Ricardo Oyarzun
A basin-scale approach to estimating recharge in the desert: Anza-Cahuilla groundwater basin, CA A basin-scale approach to estimating recharge in the desert: Anza-Cahuilla groundwater basin, CA
The Anza-Cahuilla groundwater basin located mainly in the semi-arid headwaters of the Santa Margarita River watershed in southern California is the principle source of groundwater for a rural disadvantaged community and two Native American Tribes, the Ramona Band of Cahuilla and the Cahuilla. Groundwater in the study area is derived entirely from precipitation and managing groundwater...
Authors
Michelle A. Stern, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Allen H. Christensen
Long-term Mississippi River trends expose shifts in the river load response to watershed nutrient balances between 1975 and 2017 Long-term Mississippi River trends expose shifts in the river load response to watershed nutrient balances between 1975 and 2017
Excess nutrients transported by the Mississippi River (MR) contribute to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Nutrient balances are key drivers to river nutrient loads and represent inputs (fertilizer, manure, deposition, wastewater, N-fixation, and weathering) minus outputs (nutrient uptake and removal in harvest, and N emissions). Here, we quantified annual changes in nitrogen (N) and...
Authors
Sarah M. Stackpoole, Robert D. Sabo, James A. Falcone, Lori A. Sprague
The AEMON-J “Hacking Limnology” workshop series & virtual summit: Incorporating data science and open science in aquatic research The AEMON-J “Hacking Limnology” workshop series & virtual summit: Incorporating data science and open science in aquatic research
Following the 2020 “Virtual Summit: Incorporating Data Science and Open Science in Aquatic Research” (DSOS; Meyer and Zwart 2020), a grassroots group of scientists convened the 2nd Virtual DSOS Summit on 22–23 July 2021. DSOS combined forces with the Aquatic Ecosystem MOdeling Network - Junior (AEMON-J; https://github.com/aemon-j) to host a 4-d “Hacking Limnology” Workshop Series prior...
Authors
Michael F. Meyer, Robert Ladwig, Jorrit Mesman, Isabella Oleksy, Carolina C. Barbosa, Kaelin M. Cawley, Alli N. Cramer, Johannes Feldbauer, Patricia Q. Tran, Jacob Aaron Zwart, Gregario A. Lopez Moreira, Muhammed Shikhani, Deviyani Gurung, Robert T. Hensley, Elena Matta, Ryan P. McClure, Thomas Petzoldt, Nuria Sanchez Lopez, Karline Soetaert, Mridul K. Thomas, Simon Nemer Topp, Xiao Yang
Synthesis of data and studies relating to Delta Smelt biology in the San Francisco Estuary, emphasizing water year 2017 Synthesis of data and studies relating to Delta Smelt biology in the San Francisco Estuary, emphasizing water year 2017
In the San Francisco Estuary (SFE), the effects of freshwater flow on the aquatic ecosystem have been studied extensively over the years and remains a contentious management issue. It is especially contentious with regards to the Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), a species endemic to the SFE that has been listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act and endangered...
Authors
Shawn Acuna, Randy Baxter, Aaron J. Bever, Larry R. Brown, Christina Burdi, Gonzalo Castillo, Louise Conrad, Steven Culberson, Lauren Damon, Jared Frantzich, Lenny Grimaldo, Bruce Hammock, April Hennessy, James A. Hobbs, Shruti Khanna, Peggy W. Lehman, Michael L. MacWilliams, Brian Mahardja, Andrew A. Schultz, Steven B. Slater, Ted Sommer, Swee Teh, Janet Thompson
Geoelectric survey of the Granite Gravel aquifer, Llano Uplift, Central Texas, to determine locations for water wells Geoelectric survey of the Granite Gravel aquifer, Llano Uplift, Central Texas, to determine locations for water wells
An electrical geophysical survey was completed within a small area of the Llano Uplift of central Texas to determine locations to install two water wells in the Granite Gravel aquifer (GGA). Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was performed along two 188-m long profiles that intersected at the approximate center of a 100-m by 100-m self-potential (SP) map. The ERT survey was...
Authors
Scott Ikard, David S. Wallace, Andrew Teeple, Gregory Stanton
Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus Shale gas development, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus Shale gas development, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
The stratigraphy, water-bearing zones, and quality of groundwater were characterized in a 1,400-ft-deep test hole drilled during 2013 in fractured bedrock in Sullivan County, Pa., by collection and analysis of measurements made during drilling, geophysical logs, and depth-specific hydraulic tests and water samples. The multidisciplinary characterization of the test hole was a cooperative...
Authors
Dennis W. Risser, John Williams, Aaron D. Bierly
Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico, 2010–19, with comparisons to the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico, 2010–19, with comparisons to the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana
The Permian Basin, in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico is one of the largest conventional oil and gas reservoirs in the United States and is becoming one of the world’s largest continuous oil and gas (COG) reservoirs. Advances in technology have enabled oil and gas to be extracted from reservoirs that historically were developed using conventional, or vertical, well drilling...
Authors
Natalie A. Houston, Grady P. Ball, Amy E. Galanter, Joshua F. Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Joanna N. Thamke, Jeremy S. McDowell
Geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of the White River Formation, Lance Formation, and Fox Hills Sandstone, northern greater Denver Basin, southeastern Laramie County, Wyoming Geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of the White River Formation, Lance Formation, and Fox Hills Sandstone, northern greater Denver Basin, southeastern Laramie County, Wyoming
In cooperation with the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, the U.S. Geological Survey studied the geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of Cenozoic and Upper Cretaceous strata at a location in southeastern Laramie County within the Wyoming part of the Cheyenne Basin, the northern subbasin of the greater Denver Basin. The study aimed to improve understanding of the aquifers/aquifer...
Authors
Timothy T. Bartos, Devin L. Galloway, Laura L. Hallberg, Marieke Dechesne, Sharon F. Diehl, Seth L. Davidson
Quantifying non-thermal silicate weathering using Ge/Si and Si isotopes in rivers draining the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA Quantifying non-thermal silicate weathering using Ge/Si and Si isotopes in rivers draining the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA
In active volcanic regions, high-temperature chemical reactions in the hydrothermal system consume CO2 sourced from magma or from the deep crust, whereas reactions with silicates at shallow depths mainly consume atmospheric CO2. Numerous studies have quantified the load of dissolved solids in rivers that drain volcanic regions to determine chemical weathering rates and atmospheric CO2...
Authors
Francois Gaspard, Sophie Opfergelt, Catherine Hirst, Shaul Hurwitz, R. Blaine McCleskey, Petra Zahajska, Daniel J. Conley, Pierre Delmelle
Experiences in LP-IoT: EnviSense deployment of remotely reprogrammable environmental sensors Experiences in LP-IoT: EnviSense deployment of remotely reprogrammable environmental sensors
The advent of Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) has improved the feasibility of wireless sensor networks for environmental sensing across wide areas. We have built EnviSense, an ultra-low power environmental sensing system, and deployed over a dozen of them across two locations in Northern California for hydrological monitoring applications with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This...
Authors
Reese Grimsley, Mathieu D. Marineau, Robert A. Iannucci
Establishing the foundation for the global observing system for marine life Establishing the foundation for the global observing system for marine life
Maintaining healthy, productive ecosystems in the face of pervasive and accelerating human impacts including climate change requires globally coordinated and sustained observations of marine biodiversity. Global coordination is predicated on an understanding of the scope and capacity of existing monitoring programs, and the extent to which they use standardized, interoperable practices...
Authors
Erin V. Satterthwaite, Nicholas J. Bax, Patricia Miloslavich, Lavenia Ratnarajah, Gabrielle Canonico, Daniel Dunn, Samantha E. Simmons, Roxanne J. Carini, Karen Evans, Valerie Allain, Ward Appeltans, Sonia Batten, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Anthony T. F. Bernard, R. Sky Bristol, Abigail Benson, Pier Luigi Buttigieg, Leopoldo Cavaleri Gerhardinger, Sanae Chiba, Tammy E. Davies, J. Emmett Duffy, Alfredo Giron-Nava, Astrid J. Hsu, Alexandra C. Kraberg, Raphael M. Kudela, Dan Lear, Enrique Montes, Frank Muller-Karger, Todd D. O’Brien, David Obura, Pieter Provoost, Sara Pruckner, Lisa-Maria Rebelo, Elizabeth R. Selig, Olav Sigurd Kjesbu, Craig Starger, Rick D. Stuart-Smith, Marjo Vierros, John S. Waller, Lauren V. Weatherdon, Tristan Wellman, Anna Zivian