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: 19039
The regionalization of national-scale SPARROW models for stream nutrients The regionalization of national-scale SPARROW models for stream nutrients
This analysis modifies the parsimonious specification of recently published total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) national-scale SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes models to allow each model coefficient to vary geographically among three major river basins of the conterminous United States. Regionalization of the national models reduces the standard errors...
Authors
Gregory E. Schwarz, Richard B. Alexander, Richard A. Smith, Stephen D. Preston
Loss of volatile hydrocarbons from an LNAPL oil source Loss of volatile hydrocarbons from an LNAPL oil source
The light nonaqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) oil pool in an aquifer that resulted from a pipeline spill near Bemidji, Minnesota, was analyzed for volatile hydrocarbons (VHCs) to determine if the composition of the oil remains constant over time. Oil samples were obtained from wells at five locations in the oil pool in an anaerobic part of the glacial outwash aquifer. Samples covering a 21...
Authors
Mary Jo Baedecker, Robert P. Eganhouse, Barbara A. Bekins, Geoffrey N. Delin
Nekton community response to a large-scale Mississippi River discharge: Examining spatial and temporal response to river management Nekton community response to a large-scale Mississippi River discharge: Examining spatial and temporal response to river management
Freshwater flow is generally held to be one of the most influential factors affecting community structure and production in estuaries. In coastal Louisiana, the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion (CFD) is managed to control freshwater discharge from the Mississippi River into Breton Sound basin. Operational since 1991, CFD has undergone several changes in management strategy including...
Authors
Bryan P. Piazza, Megan La Peyre
Microbial community structure of hydrothermal deposits from geochemically different vent fields along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Microbial community structure of hydrothermal deposits from geochemically different vent fields along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
To evaluate the effects of local fluid geochemistry on microbial communities associated with active hydrothermal vent deposits, we examined the archaeal and bacterial communities of 12 samples collected from two very different vent fields: the basalt-hosted Lucky Strike (37°17'N, 32°16.3'W, depth 1600-1750m) and the ultramafic-hosted Rainbow (36°13'N, 33°54.1'W, depth 2270-2330m) vent...
Authors
Gilberto E. Flores, James H. Campbell, Julie D. Kirshtein, Jennifer Meneghin, Mircea Podar, Joshua I. Steinberg, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Margaret Kingston Tivey, Mary A. Voytek, Zamin K. Yang, Anna-Louise Reysenbach
Effects of humic substances on precipitation and aggregation of zinc sulfide nanoparticles Effects of humic substances on precipitation and aggregation of zinc sulfide nanoparticles
Nanoparticulate metal sulfides such as ZnS can influence the transport and bioavailability of pollutant metals in anaerobic environments. The aim of this work was to investigate how the composition of dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) influences the stability of zinc sulfide nanoparticles as they nucleate and aggregate in water with dissolved NOM. We compared NOM fractions that were...
Authors
Amrika Deonarine, Boris Lau, George R. Aiken, Joseph N. Ryan, Heileen Hsu-Kim
Field flume reveals aquatic vegetation's role in sediment and particulate phosphorus transport in a shallow aquatic ecosystem Field flume reveals aquatic vegetation's role in sediment and particulate phosphorus transport in a shallow aquatic ecosystem
Flow interactions with aquatic vegetation and effects on sediment transport and nutrient redistribution are uncertain in shallow aquatic ecosystems. Here we quantified sediment transport in the Everglades by progressively increasing flow velocity in a field flume constructed around undisturbed bed sediment and emergent macrophytes. Suspended sediment 100 μm was dominant in the lower...
Authors
J. W. Harvey, G.B. Noe, L. G. Larsen, D.J. Nowacki, L.E. McPhillips
Trends in pesticide concentrations in streams of the western United States, 1993-2005 Trends in pesticide concentrations in streams of the western United States, 1993-2005
Trends in pesticide concentrations for 15 streams in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho were determined for the organophosphate insecticides chlorpyrifos and diazinon and the herbicides atrazine, s‐ethyl diproplythiocarbamate (EPTC), metolachlor, simazine, and trifluralin. A parametric regression model was used to account for flow, seasonality, and antecedent hydrologic conditions...
Authors
Henry M. Johnson, Joseph L. Domagalski, Dina Saleh
Diel cycles in dissolved barium, lead, iron, vanadium, and nitrite in a stream draining a former zinc smelter site near Hegeler, Illinois Diel cycles in dissolved barium, lead, iron, vanadium, and nitrite in a stream draining a former zinc smelter site near Hegeler, Illinois
Diel variations in the concentrations of a number of constituents have the potential to substantially affect the appropriate sampling regimen in acidic streams. Samples taken once during the course of the day cannot adequately reflect diel variations in water quality and may result in an inaccurate understanding of biogeochemical processes, ecological conditions, and of the threat posed...
Authors
Robert T. Kay, G.E. Groschen, G. Cygan, David H. Dupre
Response of algal metrics to nutrients and physical factors and identification of nutrient thresholds in agricultural streams Response of algal metrics to nutrients and physical factors and identification of nutrient thresholds in agricultural streams
Many streams within the United States are impaired due to nutrient enrichment, particularly in agricultural settings. The present study examines the response of benthic algal communities in agricultural and minimally disturbed sites from across the western United States to a suite of environmental factors, including nutrients, collected at multiple scales. The first objective was to...
Authors
Robert W. Black, Patrick W. Moran, Jill D. Frankforter
A counter-intuitive approach to calculating non-exchangeable 2H isotopic composition of hair: treating the molar exchange fraction fE as a process-related rather than compound-specific variable A counter-intuitive approach to calculating non-exchangeable 2H isotopic composition of hair: treating the molar exchange fraction fE as a process-related rather than compound-specific variable
Hair is a keratinous tissue that incorporates hydrogen from material that an animal consumes but it is metabolically inert following synthesis. The stable hydrogen isotope composition of hair has been used in ecological studies to track migrations of mammals as well as for forensic and archaeological purposes to determine the provenance of human remains or the recent geographic life...
Authors
J.M. Landwehr, W. Meier-Augenstein, H.F. Kemp
Hydrological mobilization of mercury and dissolved organic carbon in a snow-dominated, forested watershed: Conceptualization and modeling Hydrological mobilization of mercury and dissolved organic carbon in a snow-dominated, forested watershed: Conceptualization and modeling
The mobilization of mercury and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during snowmelt often accounts for a major fraction of the annual loads. We studied the role of hydrological connectivity of riparian wetlands and upland/wetland transition zones to surface waters on the mobilization of Hg and DOC in Fishing Brook, a headwater of the Adirondack Mountains, New York. Stream water total mercury...
Authors
J. Schelker, Douglas A. Burns, M. Weiler, H. Laudon
Simulating the potential effects of climate change in two Colorado basins and at two Colorado ski areas Simulating the potential effects of climate change in two Colorado basins and at two Colorado ski areas
The mountainous areas of Colorado are used for tourism and recreation, and they provide water storage and supply for municipalities, industries, and agriculture. Recent studies suggest that water supply and tourist industries such as skiing are at risk from climate change. In this study, a distributed-parameter watershed model, the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), is used to...
Authors
William Battaglin, Lauren E. Hay, Steve Markstrom