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: 19037
A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
Lakes Mead and Mohave, which are the centerpieces of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, provide many significant benefits that have made the modern development of the Southwestern United States possible. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir by volume in the nation and it supplies critical storage of water supplies for more than 25 million people in three Western States (California...
Authors
Michael R. Rosen, Kent Turner, Steven L. Goodbred, Jennell M. Miller
Sediment dynamics in the restored reach of the Kissimmee River Basin, Florida: A vast subtropical riparian wetland Sediment dynamics in the restored reach of the Kissimmee River Basin, Florida: A vast subtropical riparian wetland
Historically, the Kissimmee River Basin consisted of a broad nearly annually inundated riparian wetland similar in character to tropical Southern Hemisphere large rivers. The river was channelized in the 1960s and 1970s, draining the wetland. The river is currently being restored with over 10 000 hectares of wetlands being reconnected to 70 river km of naturalized channel. We monitored...
Authors
E.R. Schenk, C.R. Hupp, A. Gellis
Groundwater quality in the Owens Valley, California Groundwater quality in the Owens Valley, California
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information...
Authors
Barbara J. Milby Dawson, Kenneth Belitz
Physical controls and predictability of stream hyporheic flow evaluated with a multiscale model Physical controls and predictability of stream hyporheic flow evaluated with a multiscale model
Improved predictions of hyporheic exchange based on easily measured physical variables are needed to improve assessment of solute transport and reaction processes in watersheds. Here we compare physically based model predictions for an Indiana stream with stream tracer results interpreted using the Transient Storage Model (TSM). We parameterized the physically based, Multiscale Model...
Authors
Susa H. Stonedahl, Judson W. Harvey, Joel Detty, Antoine Aubeneau, Aaron I. Packman
Thresholds of flow-induced bed disturbances and their effects on stream metabolism in an agricultural river Thresholds of flow-induced bed disturbances and their effects on stream metabolism in an agricultural river
Storm-driven flow pulses in rivers destroy and restructure sediment habitats that affect stream metabolism. This study examined thresholds of bed disturbances that affected patch- and reach-scale sediment conditions and metabolism rates. A 4 year record of discharge and diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations (ΔDO) was analyzed for disturbances and recovery periods of the ΔDO...
Authors
Ben L. O’Connor, Judson W. Harvey, Lauren E. McPhillips
Determination of nonylphenol isomers in landfill leachate and municipal wastewater using steam distillation extraction coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry Determination of nonylphenol isomers in landfill leachate and municipal wastewater using steam distillation extraction coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry
4-Nonylphenols (4-NPs) are known endocrine disruptors and by-products of the microbial degradation of nonylphenol polyethoxylate surfactants. One of the challenges to understanding the toxic effects of nonylphenols is the large number of isomers that may exist in environmental samples. In order to attribute toxic effects to specific compounds, a method is needed for the separation and...
Authors
Caixiang Zhang, Robert P. Eganhouse, James Pontolillo, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Yanxin Wang
Earthworm bioassays and seedling emergence for monitoring toxicity, aging and bioaccumulation of anthropogenic waste indicator compounds in biosolids-amended soil Earthworm bioassays and seedling emergence for monitoring toxicity, aging and bioaccumulation of anthropogenic waste indicator compounds in biosolids-amended soil
Land application of biosolids (treated sewage sludge) can be an important route for introducing xenobiotic compounds into terrestrial environments. There is a paucity of available information on the effects of biosolids amendment on terrestrial organisms. In this study, the influence of biosolids and biosolids aging on earthworm (Eisenia fetida) reproduction and survival and lettuce...
Authors
Chad A. Kinney, Bryan R. Campbell, Regina Thompson, Edward T. Furlong, Dana W. Kolpin, Mark R. Burkhardt, Steven D. Zaugg, Stephen L. Werner, Anthony G. Hay
MODFLOW-NWT – Robust handling of dry cells using a Newton Formulation of MODFLOW-2005 MODFLOW-NWT – Robust handling of dry cells using a Newton Formulation of MODFLOW-2005
The first versions of the widely used groundwater flow model MODFLOW (McDonald and Harbaugh 1988) had a sure but inflexible way of handling unconfined finite-difference aquifer cells where the water table dropped below the bottom of the cell—these "dry cells" were turned inactive for the remainder of the simulation. Problems with this formulation were easily seen, including the potential...
Authors
Randal J. Hunt, Daniel T. Feinstein
Hybrid-optimization algorithm for the management of a conjunctive-use project and well field design Hybrid-optimization algorithm for the management of a conjunctive-use project and well field design
Hi‐Desert Water District (HDWD), the primary water‐management agency in the Warren Groundwater Basin, California, plans to construct a waste water treatment plant to reduce future septic‐tank effluent from reaching the groundwater system. The treated waste water will be reclaimed by recharging the groundwater basin via recharge ponds as part of a larger conjunctive‐use strategy. HDWD...
Authors
Yung-Chia Chiu, Tracy Nishikawa, Peter Martin
Old groundwater in parts of the upper Patapsco aquifer, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Maryland, USA: Evidence from radiocarbon, chlorine-36 and helium-4 Old groundwater in parts of the upper Patapsco aquifer, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Maryland, USA: Evidence from radiocarbon, chlorine-36 and helium-4
Apparent groundwater ages along two flow paths in the upper Patapsco aquifer of the Maryland Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA, were estimated using 14C, 36Cl and 4He data. Most of the ages range from modern to about 500 ka, with one sample at 117 km downgradient from the recharge area dated by radiogenic 4He accumulation at more than one Ma. Last glacial maximum (LGM) water was located about...
Authors
Niel Plummer, John R. Eggleston, Jeff P. Raffensperger, Andrew G. Hunt, Gerolamo C. Casile, D. C. Andreasen
A method for physically based model analysis of conjunctive use in response to potential climate changes A method for physically based model analysis of conjunctive use in response to potential climate changes
Potential climate change effects on aspects of conjunctive management of water resources can be evaluated by linking climate models with fully integrated groundwater-surface water models. The objective of this study is to develop a modeling system that links global climate models with regional hydrologic models, using the California Central Valley as a case study. The new method is a...
Authors
R. T. Hanson, L. E. Flint, A. L. Flint, M. D. Dettinger, C.C. Faunt, D. Cayan, W. Schmid
Simultaneous oxidation of arsenic and antimony at low and circumneutral pH, with and without microbial catalysis Simultaneous oxidation of arsenic and antimony at low and circumneutral pH, with and without microbial catalysis
Arsenic and Sb are common mine-water pollutants and their toxicity and fate are strongly influenced by redox processes. In this study, simultaneous Fe(II), As(III) and Sb(III) oxidation experiments were conducted to obtain rates under laboratory conditions similar to those found in the field for mine waters of both low and circumneutral pH. Additional experiments were performed under...
Authors
Maria P. Asta, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey