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
Eruptions at Lone Star geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA: 2. Constraints on subsurface dynamics Eruptions at Lone Star geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA: 2. Constraints on subsurface dynamics
We use seismic, tilt, lidar, thermal, and gravity data from 32 consecutive eruption cycles of Lone Star geyser in Yellowstone National Park to identify key subsurface processes throughout the geyser's eruption cycle. Previously, we described measurements and analyses associated with the geyser's erupting jet dynamics. Here we show that seismicity is dominated by hydrothermal tremor (~5...
Authors
Jean Vandemeulebrouck, Robert A. Sohn, Maxwell L. Rudolph, Shaul Hurwitz, Michael Manga, Malcolm J.S. Johnston, S. Adam Soule, Darcy McPhee, Jonathan M. G. Glen, Leif Karlstrom, Fred Murphy
Shale: an overlooked option for US nuclear waste disposal Shale: an overlooked option for US nuclear waste disposal
Toss a dart at a map of the United States and, more often than not, it will land where shale can be found underground. A drab, relatively featureless sedimentary rock that historically attracted little interest, shale (as used here, the term includes clay and a range of clay-rich rocks) is entering Americans’ consciousness as a new source of gas and oil. But shale may also offer...
Authors
Christopher E. Neuzil
Investigating organic matter in Fanno Creek, Oregon, Part 2 of 3: sources, sinks, and transport of organic matter with fine sediment Investigating organic matter in Fanno Creek, Oregon, Part 2 of 3: sources, sinks, and transport of organic matter with fine sediment
Organic matter (OM) is abundant in Fanno Creek, Oregon, USA, and has been tied to a variety of water-quality concerns, including periods of low dissolved oxygen downstream in the Tualatin River, Oregon. The key sources of OM in Fanno Creek and other Tualatin River tributaries have not been fully identified, although isotopic analyses from previous studies indicated a predominantly...
Authors
Mackenzie K. Keith, Steven Sobieszczyk, Jami H. Goldman, Stewart A. Rounds
Investigating organic matter in Fanno Creek, Oregon, Part 3 of 3: identifying and quantifying sources of organic matter to an urban stream Investigating organic matter in Fanno Creek, Oregon, Part 3 of 3: identifying and quantifying sources of organic matter to an urban stream
The sources, transport, and characteristics of organic matter (OM) in Fanno Creek, an urban stream in northwest Oregon, were assessed and quantified using: (1) optical instruments to calculate transported loads of dissolved, particulate, and total organic carbon, (2) fluorescence spectroscopy and stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) to elucidate sources and chemical properties of OM...
Authors
Jami H. Goldman, Stewart A. Rounds, Mackenzie K. Keith, Steven Sobieszczyk
Characterizing phosphorus dynamics in tile-drained agricultural fieldsof eastern Wisconsin Characterizing phosphorus dynamics in tile-drained agricultural fieldsof eastern Wisconsin
Artificial subsurface drainage provides an avenue for the rapid transfer of phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields to surface waters. This is of particular interest in eastern Wisconsin, where there is a concentrated population of dairy farms and high clay content soils prone to macropore development. Through collaboration with private landowners, surface and tile drainage was measured...
Authors
Allison Madison, Matthew Ruark, Todd D. Stuntebeck, Matthew J. Komiskey, Laura W. Good, Nancy Drummy, Eric Cooley
Public-supply water use in Kansas, 1990-2012 Public-supply water use in Kansas, 1990-2012
This fact sheet describes water-use data collection and quantities of surface water and groundwater diverted for public supply in Kansas for the years 1990 through 2012. Data used in this fact sheet are from the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources and the Kansas Water Office. Water used for public supply represents about 10 percent of all reported water...
Authors
Joan F. Kenny
Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in alandscape dominated by agriculture Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in alandscape dominated by agriculture
Habitat loss and exposure to pesticides are likely primary factors contributing to amphibian decline in agricultural landscapes. Conservation efforts have attempted to restore wetlands lost through landscape modifications to reduce contaminant loads in surface waters and providing quality habitat to wildlife. The benefits of this increased wetland area, perhaps especially for amphibians...
Authors
Kelly L. Smalling, Rebecca Reeves, Erin L. Muths, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Michelle Hladik, Clay L. Pierce
Sources, transport, and trends for selected trace metals and nutrients in the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane River Basins, Idaho, 1990-2013 Sources, transport, and trends for selected trace metals and nutrients in the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane River Basins, Idaho, 1990-2013
Data collected at 18 streamflow-gaging and water-quality sampling sites in the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane River Basins of northern Idaho were used to estimate mean streamflow‑weighted concentrations and annual loads of total and dissolved cadmium, lead, and zinc, and total phosphorus (TP) and nitrogen (TN) for water years (WYs) 2009–13. Chronic Ambient Water Quality Criteria (AWQC) and...
Authors
Gregory M. Clark, Christopher A. Mebane
From streets to streams: assessing the toxicity potential in urban sediment From streets to streams: assessing the toxicity potential in urban sediment
No abstract available.
Authors
William R. Selbig
Response to comment on “PAH concentrations in lake sediment decline following ban on coal-tar-based pavement sealants in Austin, Texas” Response to comment on “PAH concentrations in lake sediment decline following ban on coal-tar-based pavement sealants in Austin, Texas”
No abstract available.
Authors
Peter C. Van Metre, Barbara Mahler
Basin-scale simulation of current and potential climate changed hydrologic conditions in the Lake Michigan Basin, United States Basin-scale simulation of current and potential climate changed hydrologic conditions in the Lake Michigan Basin, United States
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is the largest public investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. A task force of 11 Federal agencies developed an action plan to implement the initiative. The U.S. Department of the Interior was one of the 11 agencies that entered into an interagency agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the GLRI to complete...
Authors
Daniel E. Christiansen, John F. Walker, Randall J. Hunt
Population viability and connectivity of the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) Population viability and connectivity of the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus)
In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) granted Ursus americanus luteolus (Louisiana black bear) threatened status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, listing loss and fragmentation of habitat as the primary threats. A study was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the University of Tennessee, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and...
Authors
Jared S. Laufenberg, Joseph D. Clark