Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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: 19018

Arsenic Arsenic

No abstract available.
Authors
John F. Stolz, Ron Oremland

Nutrient inputs to the Laurentian Great Lakes by source and watershed estimated using SPARROW watershed models Nutrient inputs to the Laurentian Great Lakes by source and watershed estimated using SPARROW watershed models

Nutrient input to the Laurentian Great Lakes continues to cause problems with eutrophication. To reduce the extent and severity of these problems, target nutrient loads were established and Total Maximum Daily Loads are being developed for many tributaries. Without detailed loading information it is difficult to determine if the targets are being met and how to prioritize rehabilitation...
Authors
Dale M. Robertson, David A. Saad

Applications of Groundwater Helium Applications of Groundwater Helium

Helium abundance and isotope variations have widespread application in groundwater-related studies. This stems from the inert nature of this noble gas and the fact that its two isotopes ? helium-3 and helium-4 ? have distinct origins and vary widely in different terrestrial reservoirs. These attributes allow He concentrations and 3He/4He isotope ratios to be used to recognize and...
Authors
Justin T. Kulongoski, David R. Hilton

Re-establishing marshes can return carbon sink functions to a current carbon source in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California, USA Re-establishing marshes can return carbon sink functions to a current carbon source in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California, USA

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California was an historic, vast inland freshwater wetland, where organic soils almost 20 meters deep formed over the last several millennia as the land surface elevation of marshes kept pace with sea level rise. A system of levees and pumps were installed in the late 1800s and early 1900s to drain the land for agricultural use. Since then, land...
Authors
Robin L. Miller, Roger Fujii

Occurrence and fate of the herbicide glyphosate and its degradate aminomethylphosphonic acid in the atmosphere Occurrence and fate of the herbicide glyphosate and its degradate aminomethylphosphonic acid in the atmosphere

This is the first report on the ambient levels of glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the United States, and its major degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in air and rain. Concurrent, weekly integrated air particle and rain samples were collected during two growing seasons in agricultural areas in Mississippi and Iowa. Rain was also collected in Indiana in a
Authors
Feng-Chih Chang, M.F. Simcik, P. D. Capel

Biological and geochemical controls on diel dissolved inorganic carbon cycling in a low-order agricultural stream: Implications for reach scales and beyond Biological and geochemical controls on diel dissolved inorganic carbon cycling in a low-order agricultural stream: Implications for reach scales and beyond

Movement of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) through the hydrologic cycle is an important component of global carbon budgets, but there is considerable uncertainty about the controls of DIC transmission from landscapes to streams, and through river networks to the oceans. In this study, diel measurements of DIC, d13C-DIC, dissolved oxygen (O2), d18O-O2, alkalinity, pH, and other...
Authors
Craig Tobias, J.K. Bohlke

From deposition to erosion: Spatial and temporal variability of sediment sources, storage, and transport in a small agricultural watershed From deposition to erosion: Spatial and temporal variability of sediment sources, storage, and transport in a small agricultural watershed

The spatial and temporal variability of sediment sources, storage, and transport were investigated in a small agricultural watershed draining the Coast Ranges and Sacramento Valley in central California. Results of field, laboratory, and historical data analysis in the Willow Slough fluvial system document changes that transformed a transport-limited depositional system to an effective...
Authors
J.L. Florsheim, B.A. Pellerin, N.H. Oh, N. Ohara, P.A.M. Bachand, Sandra M. Bachand, B.A. Bergamaschi, P.J. Hernes, M.L. Kavvas

Stationarity: Wanted dead or alive? Stationarity: Wanted dead or alive?

Aligning engineering practice with natural process behavior would appear, on its face, to be a prudent and reasonable course of action. However, if we do not understand the long‐term characteristics of hydroclimatic processes, how does one find the prudent and reasonable course needed for water management? We consider this question in light of three aspects of existing and unresolved...
Authors
Harry F. Lins, Timothy A. Cohn

Comparison of bottom-track to global positioning system referenced discharges measured using an acoustic Doppler current profiler Comparison of bottom-track to global positioning system referenced discharges measured using an acoustic Doppler current profiler

A negative bias in discharge measurements made with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) can be caused by the movement of sediment on or near the streambed. The integration of a global positioning system (GPS) to track the movement of the ADCP can be used to avoid the systematic negative bias associated with a moving streambed. More than 500 discharge transects from 63 discharge
Authors
Chad R. Wagner, David S. Mueller

Rapid Holocene coastal change revealed by high-resolution micropaleontological analysis, Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, USA Rapid Holocene coastal change revealed by high-resolution micropaleontological analysis, Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, USA

Foraminiferal analyses of 404 contiguous samples, supported by diatom, lithologic, geochronologic and seismic data, reveal both rapid and gradual Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in an 8.21-m vibracore taken from southern Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Data record initial flooding of a latest Pleistocene river drainage and the formation of an estuary 9000. yr ago. Estuarine conditions...
Authors
Pre C. Grand, S.J. Culver, D. J. Mallinson, K.M. Farrell, D.R. Corbett, B. P. Horton, C. Hillier, S.R. Riggs, S.W. Snyder, M.A. Buzas

Calibration of models using groundwater age Calibration of models using groundwater age

There have been substantial efforts recently by geochemists to determine the age of groundwater (time since water entered the system) and its uncertainty, and by hydrologists to use these data to help calibrate groundwater models. This essay discusses the calibration of models using groundwater age, with conclusions that emphasize what is practical given current limitations rather than...
Authors
Ward E. Sanford
Was this page helpful?