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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

Comparing laser-based open- and closed-path gas analyzers to measure methane fluxes using the eddy covariance method Comparing laser-based open- and closed-path gas analyzers to measure methane fluxes using the eddy covariance method

Closed- and open-path methane gas analyzers are used in eddy covariance systems to compare three potential methane emitting ecosystems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (CA, USA): a rice field, a peatland pasture and a restored wetland. The study points out similarities and differences of the systems in field experiments and data processing. The closed-path system, despite a less...
Authors
Matteo Detto, Joseph Verfaillie, Frank Anderson, Liukang Xu, Dennis Baldocchi

Estimation of suspended-sediment concentration from total suspended solids and turbidity data for Kentucky, 1978-1995 Estimation of suspended-sediment concentration from total suspended solids and turbidity data for Kentucky, 1978-1995

Suspended sediment is a constituent of water quality that is monitored because of concerns about accelerated erosion, nonpoint contamination of water resources, and degradation of aquatic environments. In order to quantify the relationship among different sediment parameters for Kentucky streams, long‐term records were obtained from the National Water Information System of the U.S...
Authors
Tanja N. Williamson, Charles G. Crawford

The influence of irrigation water on the hydrology and lake water budgets of two small arid-climate lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan The influence of irrigation water on the hydrology and lake water budgets of two small arid-climate lakes in Khorezm, Uzbekistan

Little is known regarding the origins and hydrology of hundreds of small lakes located in the western Uzbekistan province of Khorezm, Central Asia. Situated in the Aral Sea Basin, Khorezm is a productive agricultural region, growing mainly cotton, wheat, and rice. Irrigation is provided by an extensive canal network that conveys water from the Amu Darya River (AD) throughout the province...
Authors
J. Scott, Michael R. Rosen, L. Saito, D.L. Decker

On the Hydrologic Adjustment of Climate-Model Projections: The Potential Pitfall of Potential Evapotranspiration On the Hydrologic Adjustment of Climate-Model Projections: The Potential Pitfall of Potential Evapotranspiration

Hydrologic models often are applied to adjust projections of hydroclimatic change that come from climate models. Such adjustment includes climate-bias correction, spatial refinement ("downscaling"), and consideration of the roles of hydrologic processes that were neglected in the climate model. Described herein is a quantitative analysis of the effects of hydrologic adjustment on the...
Authors
Paul C.D. Milly, Krista A. Dunne

A comparison of recharge rates in aquifers of the United States based on groundwater-age data A comparison of recharge rates in aquifers of the United States based on groundwater-age data

An overview is presented of existing groundwater-age data and their implications for assessing rates and timescales of recharge in selected unconfined aquifer systems of the United States. Apparent age distributions in aquifers determined from chlorofluorocarbon, sulfur hexafluoride, tritium/helium-3, and radiocarbon measurements from 565 wells in 45 networks were used to calculate...
Authors
P.B. McMahon, Niel Plummer, J.K. Böhlke, S.D. Shapiro, S.R. Hinkle

Sewers as a source and sink of chlorinated-solvent groundwater contamination, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina Sewers as a source and sink of chlorinated-solvent groundwater contamination, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina

Groundwater contamination by tetrachloroethene and its dechlorination products is present in two partially intermingled plumes in the surficial aquifer near a former dry‐cleaning facility at Site 45, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. The northern plume originates from the vicinity of former above‐ground storage tanks. Free‐phase tetrachloroethene from activities...
Authors
D.A. Vroblesky, M.D. Petkewich, M.A. Lowery, J. E. Landmeyer

Estimating groundwater recharge Estimating groundwater recharge

Groundwater recharge is the entry of fresh water into the saturated portion of the subsurface part of the hydrologic cycle, the modifier “saturated” indicating that the pressure of the pore water is greater than atmospheric. Briefly stated, recharge is downward flux across the water table. The term “groundwater recharge” can refer either to the multiple interacting processes generating...
Authors
David A. Stonestrom

Measurement of net nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in wetland soils using a modification of the resin-core technique Measurement of net nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in wetland soils using a modification of the resin-core technique

A modification of the resin-core method was developed and tested for measuring in situ soil N and P net mineralization rates in wetland soils where temporal variation in bidirectional vertical water movement and saturation can complicate measurement. The modified design includes three mixed-bed ion-exchange resin bags located above and three resin bags located below soil incubating...
Authors
Gregory B. Noe

210Po in Nevada groundwater and its relation to gross alpha radioactivity 210Po in Nevada groundwater and its relation to gross alpha radioactivity

Polonium-210 (210Po) is a highly toxic alpha emitter that is rarely found in groundwater at activities exceeding 1 pCi/L. 210Po activities in 63 domestic and public-supply wells in Lahontan Valley in Churchill County in northern Nevada, United States, ranged from 0.01 ± 0.005 to 178 ± 16 pCi/L with a median activity of 2.88 pCi/L. Wells with high 210Po activities had low dissolved oxygen
Authors
R. L. Seiler

Native Americans, regional drought and tree Island evolution in the Florida Everglades Native Americans, regional drought and tree Island evolution in the Florida Everglades

This study uses palynologic data to determine the effects of regional climate variability and human activity on the formation and development of tree islands during the last ~4000 years. Although prolonged periods of aridity have been invoked as one mechanism for their formation, Native American land use has also been hypothesized as a driver of tree island development. Using pollen...
Authors
C. Bernhardt

Interacting vegetative and thermal contributions to water movement in desert soil Interacting vegetative and thermal contributions to water movement in desert soil

Thermally driven water-vapor flow can be an important component of total water movement in bare soil and in deep unsaturated zones, but this process is often neglected when considering the effects of soil–plant–atmosphere interactions on shallow water movement. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the coupled and separate effects of vegetative and thermal-gradient contributions...
Authors
C.A. Garcia, Brian J. Andraski, David A. Stonestrom, C.A. Cooper, J. Simunek, S.W. Wheatcraft
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