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: 19017
Real-time piscicide tracking using Rhodamine WT dye for support of application, transport, and deactivation strategies in riverine environments Real-time piscicide tracking using Rhodamine WT dye for support of application, transport, and deactivation strategies in riverine environments
Piscicide applications in riverine environments are complicated by the advection and dispersion of the piscicide by the flowing water. Proper deactivation of the fish toxin is required outside of the treatment reach to ensure that there is minimal collateral damage to fisheries downstream or in connecting and adjacent water bodies. In urban settings and highly managed waterways, further
Authors
Patrick Ryan Jackson, Jonathan D. Lageman
Towards a publicly available, map-based regional software tool to estimate unregulated daily streamflow at ungauged rivers Towards a publicly available, map-based regional software tool to estimate unregulated daily streamflow at ungauged rivers
Streamflow information is critical for addressing any number of hydrologic problems. Often, streamflow information is needed at locations that are ungauged and, therefore, have no observations on which to base water management decisions. Furthermore, there has been increasing need for daily streamflow time series to manage rivers for both human and ecological functions. To facilitate...
Authors
Stacey A. Archfield, Peter A. Steeves, John D. Guthrie, Kernell G. Ries
Empirical flow parameters : a tool for hydraulic model validity Empirical flow parameters : a tool for hydraulic model validity
The objectives of this project were (1) To determine and present from existing data in Texas, relations between observed stream flow, topographic slope, mean section velocity, and other hydraulic factors, to produce charts such as Figure 1 and to produce empirical distributions of the various flow parameters to provide a methodology to "check if model results are way off!"; (2) To...
Authors
William H. Asquith, Thomas E. Burley, Theodore G. Cleveland
Topological and canonical kriging for design flood prediction in ungauged catchments: an improvement over a traditional regional regression approach? Topological and canonical kriging for design flood prediction in ungauged catchments: an improvement over a traditional regional regression approach?
In the United States, estimation of flood frequency quantiles at ungauged locations has been largely based on regional regression techniques that relate measurable catchment descriptors to flood quantiles. More recently, spatial interpolation techniques of point data have been shown to be effective for predicting streamflow statistics (i.e., flood flows and low-flow indices) in ungauged...
Authors
Stacey A. Archfield, Alessio Pugliese, Attilio Castellarin, Jon O. Skoien, Julie E. Kiang
Vegetation ecogeomorphology, dynamic equilibrium, and disturbance Vegetation ecogeomorphology, dynamic equilibrium, and disturbance
Early ecologists understood the need to document geomorphic form and process to explain plant species distributions. Although this relationship has been acknowledged for over a century, with the exception of a few landmark papers, only the past few decades have experienced intensive research on this interdisciplinary topic. Here the authors provide a summary of the intimate relations...
Authors
Cliff R. Hupp, W. R. Osterkamp
Dissipation of contaminants of emerging concern in biosolids applied to non-irrigated farmland in eastern Colorado Dissipation of contaminants of emerging concern in biosolids applied to non-irrigated farmland in eastern Colorado
In 2007, a 1.5-year field-scale study was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate the dissipation of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) following a first agronomic biosolids application to nonirrigated farmland. CECs with the greatest decrease in concentration in the surface biosolids at 180 days post-application included indole, d-limonene, p-cresol, phenol, and skatol...
Authors
Tracy Yager, Edward T. Furlong, Dana W. Kolpin, Chad A. Kinney, Steven D. Zaugg, Mark R. Burkhardt
Validation of chlorine and oxygen isotope ratio analysis to differentiate perchlorate sources and to document perchlorate biodegradation Validation of chlorine and oxygen isotope ratio analysis to differentiate perchlorate sources and to document perchlorate biodegradation
Increased health concerns about perchlorate (ClO4-) during the past decade and subsequent regulatory considerations have generated appreciable interest in source identification. The key objective of the isotopic techniques described in this guidance manual is to provide evidence concerning the origin of ClO4- in soils and groundwater and, more specifically, whether that ClO4- is...
Authors
Paul B. Hatzinger, J.K. Bohlke, Neil C. Sturchio, Baohua Gu
Mass-balance modeling of mineral weathering rates and CO2 consumption in the forested, metabasaltic Hauver Branch watershed, Catoctin Mountain, Maryland, USA Mass-balance modeling of mineral weathering rates and CO2 consumption in the forested, metabasaltic Hauver Branch watershed, Catoctin Mountain, Maryland, USA
Mineral weathering rates and a forest macronutrient uptake stoichiometry were determined for the forested, metabasaltic Hauver Branch watershed in north-central Maryland, USA. Previous studies of Hauver Branch have had an insufficient number of analytes to permit determination of rates of all the minerals involved in chemical weathering, including biomass. More equations in the mass...
Authors
Karen C. Rice, Jason R. Price, David W. Szymanski
seawaveQ: an R package providing a model and utilities for analyzing trends in chemical concentrations in streams with a seasonal wave (seawave) and adjustment for streamflow (Q) and other ancillary variables seawaveQ: an R package providing a model and utilities for analyzing trends in chemical concentrations in streams with a seasonal wave (seawave) and adjustment for streamflow (Q) and other ancillary variables
The seawaveQ R package fits a parametric regression model (seawaveQ) to pesticide concentration data from streamwater samples to assess variability and trends. The model incorporates the strong seasonality and high degree of censoring common in pesticide data and users can incorporate numerous ancillary variables, such as streamflow anomalies. The model is fitted to pesticide data using...
Authors
Karen R. Ryberg, Aldo V. Vecchia
Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus shale gas development, Bradford County, Pennsylvania Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus shale gas development, Bradford County, Pennsylvania
Open-File Miscellaneous Investigation 13–01.1 presents the results of geohydrologic investigations on a 1,664-foot-deep core hole drilled in the Bradford County part of the Gleason 7.5-minute quadrangle in north-central Pennsylvania. In the text, the authors discuss their methods of investigation, summarize physical and analytical results, and place those results in context. Four...
Authors
Dennis W. Risser, John Williams, Kristen L. Hand, Rose-Anna Behr, Antonette K. Markowski
Hurricane Irene and associated floods of August 27-30, 2011, in New Jersey Hurricane Irene and associated floods of August 27-30, 2011, in New Jersey
Intense rainfall from Hurricane Irene during August 27–30, 2011, inundated streams throughout New Jersey resulting in peak streamflows exceeding the 100-year recurrence interval at many streamgages and causing heavy property and road damage. The rain event affected the entire State. Some notably affected areas were the Passaic and Hackensack River Basins in northeastern New Jersey with...
Authors
Kara M. Watson, Jerilyn V. Collenburg, Robert G. Reiser
Technical evaluation of a total maximum daily load model for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon Technical evaluation of a total maximum daily load model for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon
We reviewed a mass balance model developed in 2001 that guided establishment of the phosphorus total maximum daily load (TMDL) for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the model and to determine whether improvements could be made using information derived from studies since the model was first developed. The new...
Authors
Tamara M. Wood, Susan A. Wherry, James L. Carter, James S. Kuwabara, Nancy S. Simon, Stewart A. Rounds