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: 19021
Nonlinear multidecadal trends in organic matter dynamics in Midwest reservoirs are a function of variable hydroclimate Nonlinear multidecadal trends in organic matter dynamics in Midwest reservoirs are a function of variable hydroclimate
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) and particulate organic matter (POM) can influence biogeochemical processes in aquatic systems. An understanding, however, of the source, composition, and processes driving inland reservoir organic matter (OM) cycling at a regional scale over the long term is currently unexplored. Here, we quantify decadal patterns (> 20 yr) of DOM quantity and composition...
Authors
Ruchi Bhattacharya, John R. Jones, Jennifer L. Graham, Daniel V. Obrecht, Anthony P. Thorpe, James D. Harlan, Rebecca L. North
Corrigendum: Associations between cyanobacteria and indices of secondary production in the western basin of Lake Erie Corrigendum: Associations between cyanobacteria and indices of secondary production in the western basin of Lake Erie
In the last year, we became aware that data used in our above-referenced manuscript from 2018 published in Limnology and Oceanography contained significant errors. In the 2018 manuscript, we found that indices of secondary production were negatively correlated to indices of cyanobacterial abundance and toxicity. Unfortunately, one of our indices of cyanobacterial abundance (biovolume)...
Authors
James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Robert J Kennedy, Sean Bailey, Keith A. Loftin, Zachary R. Laughrey, Robin A. Femmer, Jeff S. Schaeffer, William B. Richardson, T.T. Wynne, John C. Nelson, Joseph W. Duris
Urbanization of grasslands in the Denver area affects streamflow responses to rainfall events Urbanization of grasslands in the Denver area affects streamflow responses to rainfall events
A thorough understanding of how urbanization affects stream hydrology is crucial for effective and sustainable water management, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of changes in streamflow response to rainfall events across a rural to urban gradient in the semi-arid area of Denver, Colorado. We used 8 years of April to October...
Authors
Stacy Wilson, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Benjamin Choat, Stephanie K. Kampf, Timothy Green, Kristina G. Hopkins
Evaluation of the Bushy Park Reservoir three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water-quality model, South Carolina, 2012–15 Evaluation of the Bushy Park Reservoir three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water-quality model, South Carolina, 2012–15
The Bushy Park Reservoir is a relatively shallow impoundment in southeastern South Carolina. The reservoir, located under a semi-tropical climate, is the principal water supply for the city of Charleston, South Carolina, and the surrounding areas including the Bushy Park Industrial Complex. Although there was an adequate supply of freshwater in the reservoir in 2022, water-quality...
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Madhu Akasapu-Smith, Matthew D. Petkewich, Paul A. Conrads
Assessing the impact of chloride deicer application in the Siskiyou Pass, southern Oregon Assessing the impact of chloride deicer application in the Siskiyou Pass, southern Oregon
Chloride deicers have been applied by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to Interstate Route 5 (I–5) from the Oregon-California border north to mile marker 10 for several years in the high-elevation area known as the Siskiyou Pass. Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) are applied to keep the interstate highway safe for drivers and allow for efficient...
Authors
Adam J. Stonewall, Matthew C. Yates, Gregory E. Granato
HydroBench: Jupyter supported reproducible hydrological model benchmarking and diagnostic tool HydroBench: Jupyter supported reproducible hydrological model benchmarking and diagnostic tool
Evaluating whether hydrological models are right for the right reasons demands reproducible model benchmarking and diagnostics that evaluate not just statistical predictive model performance but also internal processes. Such model benchmarking and diagnostic efforts will benefit from standardized methods and ready-to-use toolkits. Using the Jupyter platform, this work presents HydroBench...
Authors
Edom Moges, Benjamin Ruddell, Liang Zhang, Jessica M. Driscoll, Parker A. Norton, Fernando Perez, Laurel Larsen
Modflow-setup: Robust automation of groundwater model construction Modflow-setup: Robust automation of groundwater model construction
In an age of both big data and increasing strain on water resources, sound management decisions often rely on numerical models. Numerical models provide a physics-based framework for assimilating and making sense of information that by itself only provides a limited description of the hydrologic system. Often, numerical models are the best option for quantifying even intuitively obvious
Authors
Andrew T. Leaf, Michael N. Fienen
Projected stream fish community risk to climate impacts in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States Projected stream fish community risk to climate impacts in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States
Climate change is expected to alter stream fish habitat potentially leading to changes in the composition and distribution of fish communities. In the Northeastern and Midwestern United States we identified the distribution and characteristics of those fish communities most and least at risk of experiencing changes in climate which deviate from the climate they are associated with. We...
Authors
Nicholas Sievert, Craig P. Paukert, J. B. Whittier, Wesley Daniel, D.M. Infante, Jana S. Stewart
Attribution of monotonic trends and change points in peak streamflow across the conterminous United States using a multiple working hypotheses framework, 1941–2015 and 1966–2015 Attribution of monotonic trends and change points in peak streamflow across the conterminous United States using a multiple working hypotheses framework, 1941–2015 and 1966–2015
The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of leading flood-frequency analysis studies. These studies play a critical role in the assessment of risk, protection of lives, and planning and design of flood protection infrastructure. Standard flood-frequency analysis is based on the assumption of stationarity—that is, that the distribution of floods at a given site varies around a...
Prioritizing pesticides of potential concern and identifying potential mixture effects in Great Lakes tributaries using passive samplers Prioritizing pesticides of potential concern and identifying potential mixture effects in Great Lakes tributaries using passive samplers
To help meet the objectives of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with regard to increasing knowledge about toxic substances, 223 pesticides and pesticide transformation products were monitored in 15 Great Lakes tributaries using polar organic chemical integrative samplers. A screening-level assessment of their potential for biological effects was conducted by computing toxicity...
Authors
Luke C. Loken, Steven R. Corsi, David A. Alvarez, Gerald T. Ankley, Austin K. Baldwin, Bradley D. Blackwell, Laura A. DeCicco, Michelle A. Nott, Samantha K. Oliver, Daniel L. Villeneuve
Groundwater and surface-water data collection for the Walla Walla River Basin, Washington, 2018–22 Groundwater and surface-water data collection for the Walla Walla River Basin, Washington, 2018–22
The semi-arid Walla Walla River Basin (WWRB) spans 1777 square miles in the states of Washington and Oregon and supports a diverse agricultural region as well as cities and rural communities that are partially reliant on groundwater. Historically, surface water and groundwater data have been collected in the WWRB by several entities including federal, state, local, and tribal governments
Authors
Elisabeth T. Fasser, Sarah B. Dunn
Tapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations Tapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations
In the United States (US), private-supply tapwater (TW) is rarely monitored. This data gap undermines individual/community risk-management decision-making, leading to an increased probability of unrecognized contaminant exposures in rural and remote locations that rely on private wells. We assessed point-of-use (POU) TW in three northern plains Tribal Nations, where ongoing TW arsenic...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Robert Charboneau, Christine Marie George, Ana Navas-Acien, Marcia O’Leary, Reno Red Cloud, Tracy Zacher, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Mary C. Cardon, Christa K. Cuny, Guthrie Ducheneaux, Kendra Enright, Nicola Evans, James L. Gray, David E. Harvey, Michelle L. Hladik, Leslie K. Kanagy, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Shannon M. Meppelink, Joshua F. Valder, Christopher P. Weis