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
Updates to the Flow Photo Explorer tool Updates to the Flow Photo Explorer tool
No abstract available.
Authors
Jennifer H. Fair, Benjamin Letcher, Phillip J. Goodling
The influence of time, tide, and place on fine scale nekton distribution: Insights from the San Francisco Estuary The influence of time, tide, and place on fine scale nekton distribution: Insights from the San Francisco Estuary
The location of estuarine organisms varies based on geophysical cycles and environmental conditions, which can strongly bias understanding of organism abundance and distribution. In the San Francisco Estuary, California, extensive monitoring surveys have provided insight into the life history and ecology of certain commercially important or legislatively protected fish species. However...
Authors
Matthew J. Young, Frederick V. Feyrer, Jason L. Hassrick, Shawn Acuna, David E. Ayers, John M. Donovan, Lenny Grimaldo
Nutrient chemistry in the Elizabeth Lake subwatershed—Effects of onsite wastewater treatment systems on groundwater and lake water quality, Los Angeles County, California Nutrient chemistry in the Elizabeth Lake subwatershed—Effects of onsite wastewater treatment systems on groundwater and lake water quality, Los Angeles County, California
Nutrient (nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P] chemistry) downgradient from onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) was evaluated with a groundwater study in the area surrounding Elizabeth Lake, the largest of three sag lakes within the Santa Clara River watershed of Los Angeles County, California. Elizabeth Lake is listed on the “303 (d) Impaired Waters List” for excess nutrients and is...
Authors
Adelia M McGregor, Joseph L. Domagalski, Krishangi D. Groover, Angela M. Hansen, Anthony A. Brown
Remotely mapping gullying and incision in Maryland Piedmont headwater streams using repeat airborne lidar Remotely mapping gullying and incision in Maryland Piedmont headwater streams using repeat airborne lidar
Headwater streams can contribute significant amounts of fine sediment to downstream waterways, especially when severely eroded and incised. Potential upstream sediment source identification is crucial for effective management of water quality, aquatic habitat, and sediment loads in a watershed. This study explored topographic openness (TO) derived from 1-m lidar for its ability to...
Authors
Marina J. Metes, Andrew J. Miller, Matthew E. Baker, Kristina G. Hopkins, Daniel K. Jones
Basin-scale responses of groundwater-resource quality to drought and recovery, San Joaquin Valley, California Basin-scale responses of groundwater-resource quality to drought and recovery, San Joaquin Valley, California
Groundwater-resource quality is assumed to be less responsive to drought compared to that of surface water due to relatively long transit times of recharge to drinking-supply wells. Here, we evidence dynamic perturbations in aquifer pressure dynamics during drought and subsequent recovery periods cause dramatic shifts in groundwater quality on a basin scale. We used a novel application...
Authors
Zeno Levy, Bryant Jurgens, Kirsten Faulkner, Jennifer S. Harkness, Miranda S. Fram
Stream water sourcing from high-elevation snowpack inferred from stable isotopes of water: A novel application of d-excess values Stream water sourcing from high-elevation snowpack inferred from stable isotopes of water: A novel application of d-excess values
About 80 % of the precipitation at the Colorado River's headwaters is snow, and the resulting snowmelt-driven hydrograph is a crucial water source for about 40 million people. Snowmelt from alpine and subalpine snowpack contributes substantially to groundwater recharge and river flow. However, the dynamics of snowmelt progression are not well understood because observations of the high...
Authors
Matthias Sprenger, Rosemary W.H. Carroll, David W Marchetti, Carleton R. Bern, Harsh Beria, Wendy Brown, Alexander Newman, Curtis Beutler, Kenneth H. Williams
Deep resistivity geophysics of the San Juan–Silverton caldera complex, San Juan County, Colorado (USA) Deep resistivity geophysics of the San Juan–Silverton caldera complex, San Juan County, Colorado (USA)
Magnetotelluric (MT) and audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) data are used to better understand the subsurface geology and mineral resources in the San Juan–Silverton caldera complex located near Silverton, Colorado, western United States, as part of the extensive southern Rocky Mountains volcanic field that covers much of southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Seven MT and AMT profiles...
Authors
Brian D. Rodriguez, Douglas Yager, Eric D. Anderson, Robert L. Runkel, Bennett Eugene Hoogenboom, Bruce Smith, Maria Deszcz-Pan
Opportunities and challenges for precipitation forcing data in post-wildfire hydrologic modeling applications Opportunities and challenges for precipitation forcing data in post-wildfire hydrologic modeling applications
The frequency and extent of wildfires have increased in recent decades with immediate and cascading effects on water availability in many regions of the world. Precipitation is used as primary input to hydrologic models and is a critical driver of post-wildfire hydrologic hazards including debris flows, flash floods, water-quality effects, and reservoir sedimentation. These models are...
Authors
Trevor Fuess Partridge, Zachary Johnson, Rachel Sleeter, Sharon L. Qi, Michelle A. Walvoord, Sheila F. Murphy, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
Spatial, seasonal, and diel controls of nitrogen-carbon-oxygen cycling during lake-water infiltration to an aquifer Spatial, seasonal, and diel controls of nitrogen-carbon-oxygen cycling during lake-water infiltration to an aquifer
Many freshwater lakes are groundwater flow-through systems. Although lakes commonly are considered to be sinks for nitrogen inputs, relatively little is known about carbon and nitrogen export from lakes to groundwater. The current study focused on lake-bottom biogeochemical processes accompanying the transport of nitrogen, dissolved oxygen (O2), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during...
Authors
Richard L. Smith, Deborah A. Repert, Jennifer C. Underwood, J.K. Bohlke, Denis R. LeBlanc, Robert B. Hull, Douglas B. Kent, Ariel Reed, Stanley J. Mroczkowski
Variability in coastal habitat available for Longfin Smelt Spirinchus thaleichthys in the northeastern Pacific Ocean Variability in coastal habitat available for Longfin Smelt Spirinchus thaleichthys in the northeastern Pacific Ocean
An understanding of oceanographic conditions and processes important to marine animal ecology is fundamental to the development of effective management and conservation actions. Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) is a pelagic forage fish found in coastal and estuarine waters along the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to central California. Substantial population declines...
Authors
Matthew J. Young, Frederick V. Feyrer, Steven T Lindley, David D. Huff
Deep learning of estuary salinity dynamics is physically accurate at a fraction of hydrodynamic model computational cost Deep learning of estuary salinity dynamics is physically accurate at a fraction of hydrodynamic model computational cost
Salinity dynamics in the Delaware Bay estuary are a critical water quality concern as elevated salinity can damage infrastructure and threaten drinking water supplies. Current state-of-the-art modeling approaches use hydrodynamic models, which can produce accurate results but are limited by significant computational costs. We developed a machine learning (ML) model to predict the 250 mg...
Authors
Galen Gorski, Salme Ellen Cook, Amelia Marie Snyder, Alison P. Appling, Theodore Paul Thompson, Jared David Smith, John C. Warner, Simon Nemer Topp
Groundwater and surface-water interactions in the He‘eia watershed, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i—Insights from analysis of historical data and numerical groundwater-model simulations Groundwater and surface-water interactions in the He‘eia watershed, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i—Insights from analysis of historical data and numerical groundwater-model simulations
He‘eia and ‘Ioleka‘a Streams in the He‘eia watershed on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, receive substantial discharge from dike-impounded groundwater. Previous studies indicated that groundwater withdrawals from the watershed affect streamflow. Resource managers and users seek information that can be used to balance the needs of competing uses of groundwater and streamflow in the watershed. In this...
Authors
Scot K. Izuka, Heidi L. Kane, Kolja Rotzoll