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: 19021
GIS-based method for estimating surficial groundwater levels in coastal Virginia using limited information GIS-based method for estimating surficial groundwater levels in coastal Virginia using limited information
In many coastal areas, high water tables are present, complicating installation of some stormwater best management practices (BMPs) that rely on infiltration. Regional estimates of the seasonal high water table (SHWT) often rely on sources such as soil surveys taken over a decade ago; these data are static and do not account for groundwater withdrawals or other anthropogenic impacts. To...
Authors
R.D. Johnson, David J. Sample, Kurt J. McCoy
Water-quality observations of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer, Texas, with an emphasis on processes influencing nutrient and pesticide geochemistry and factors affecting aquifer vulnerability, 2010–16 Water-quality observations of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer, Texas, with an emphasis on processes influencing nutrient and pesticide geochemistry and factors affecting aquifer vulnerability, 2010–16
As questions regarding the influence of increasing urbanization on water quality in the Edwards aquifer are raised, a better understanding of the sources, fate, and transport of compounds of concern in the aquifer—in particular, nutrients and pesticides—is needed to improve water management decision-making capabilities. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the San Antonio...
Authors
Stephen P. Opsahl, MaryLynn Musgrove, Barbara Mahler, Rebecca B. Lambert
Direct channel precipitation and storm type influence short-term fallout radionuclide assessment of sediment source Direct channel precipitation and storm type influence short-term fallout radionuclide assessment of sediment source
Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) and their ratios, such as Beryllium‐7 (7Be) and excess Lead‐210 (210Pbxs), have been used to determine suspended sediment source and age in catchments. These models are based on numerous assumptions, for example, that channel deposition of FRNs from precipitation is negligible in comparison to their delivery to the channel from land surface erosion during...
Authors
Diana Karwan, James Pizzuto, Rolf Aalto, Julia Marquard, Adrian Harpold, Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Delphia Levia, Courtney Siegert, Anthony K. Aufdenkampe
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen release from boreal Holocene permafrost and seasonally frozen soils of Alaska Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen release from boreal Holocene permafrost and seasonally frozen soils of Alaska
Permafrost (perennially frozen) soils store vast amounts of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) that are vulnerable to mobilization as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic and inorganic nitrogen (DON, DIN) upon thaw. Such releases will affect the biogeochemistry of permafrost regions, yet little is known about the chemical composition and source variability of active...
Authors
Kimberly P. Wickland, Mark P. Waldrop, George R. Aiken, Joshua C. Koch, M. Torre Jorgenson, Robert G. Striegl
Fish-habitat relationships along the estuarine gradient of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California: Implications for habitat restoration Fish-habitat relationships along the estuarine gradient of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California: Implications for habitat restoration
Estuaries are highly variable environments where fish are subjected to a diverse suite of habitat features (e.g., water quality gradients, physical structure) that filter local assemblages from a broader, regional species pool. Tidal, climatological, and oceanographic phenomena drive water quality gradients and, ultimately, expose individuals to other habitat features (e.g., stationary...
Authors
Matthew J. Young, Frederick V. Feyrer, Denise D. Colombano, J. Louise Conrad, Andrew Sih
Minimum energy requirements for desalination of brackish groundwater in the United States with comparison to international datasets Minimum energy requirements for desalination of brackish groundwater in the United States with comparison to international datasets
This paper uses chemical and physical data from a large 2017 U.S. Geological Surveygroundwater dataset with wells in the U.S. and three smaller international groundwater datasets with wells primarily in Australia and Spain to carry out a comprehensive investigation of brackish groundwater composition in relation to minimum desalinationenergy costs. First, we compute the site-specific...
Authors
Yvana D. Ahdab, Gregory P. Thiel, J.K. Bohlke, Jennifer S. Stanton, John H. Lienhard
Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and longterm...
Authors
Paul D. Capel, Kathleen A. McCarthy, Richard H. Coupe, Katia M. Grey, Sheila E. Amenumey, Nancy T. Baker, Richard L. Johnson
Understanding the influence of nutrients on stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes Understanding the influence of nutrients on stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and long-term...
Authors
Mark D. Munn, Jeffrey W. Frey, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Robert W. Black, John H. Duff, Kathy Lee, Terry R. Maret, Christopher A. Mebane, Ian R. Waite, Ronald B. Zelt
Full-range, solar-reflected hyperspectral microscopy to support earth remote sensing research Full-range, solar-reflected hyperspectral microscopy to support earth remote sensing research
Over the past 20 years, hyperspectral microscopy has grown into a robust field of analysis for a number of applications. The visible to near-infrared (VNIR; 400 to 1000 nm) region of the spectrum has demonstrated utility for the characterization of healthy and diseased tissue and of biomolecular indicators at the cellular level. Here, we describe the development of a hyperspectral...
Authors
E. Terrence Slonecker, David W. Allen, Ronald G. Resmini, Robert S. Rand, Emily Paine
Contemporary fluvial geomorphology and suspended sediment budget of the partly confined, mixed bedrock-alluvial South River, Virginia, USA Contemporary fluvial geomorphology and suspended sediment budget of the partly confined, mixed bedrock-alluvial South River, Virginia, USA
We developed a conceptual model and suspended sediment budget for a 38 km reach of the fifth-order South River, Virginia, for the past 75 yr. Bedrock, terraces, and alluvial fans confine 64% of the channel’s lateral boundaries, while bedrock exposures impose vertical confinement along 37% of the channel. Bedrock exposures in the bed separate pools and riffles developed in gravelly bed...
Authors
James E. Pizzuto, Michael A. O’Neal, Pramenath Narinesingh, Katherine Skalak, Dajana Jurk, Suzann Collins, Jacquelyn Calder
Using the NHD, WBD, and NHDPlus to solve problems Using the NHD, WBD, and NHDPlus to solve problems
No abstract available.
Authors
Kernell G. Ries, Peter A. Steeves
New insights on scale-dependent surface-groundwater exchange from a floating self-potential Dipole New insights on scale-dependent surface-groundwater exchange from a floating self-potential Dipole
In south-central Texas the lower Guadalupe River has incised into the outcrop of the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. The river and the aquifer are hydraulically connected across the outcrop, although the connectivity is obscured at the surface by alluvium and surface-water and groundwater exchange dynamics are currently poorly understood. To investigate surface-water and groundwater exchange...
Authors
Scott Ikard, Andrew P. Teeple, Jason Payne, Gregory P. Stanton, J. Ryan Banta