Water Resources
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.
Variable-density groundwater flow and contaminant transport, Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) have migrated to groundwater beneath a former 9-acre landfill at Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) on Naval Base Kitsap, which was active from the 1930s through 1973 on the Keyport Peninsula, in Kitsap County, Washington. Biodegradation of CVOCs at OU-1 limits the mass of dissolved-phase CVOCs in groundwater...
Yager, Richard M.; Welch, Wendy B.; Headman, Alexander; Dinicola, Richard S.
Simulated effects of pumping in the Death Valley Regional Groundwater Flow System, Nevada and California—Selected management scenarios projected to 2120
Declining water levels and reduced natural discharge at springs, seeps, and phreatophyte areas primarily are the result of decades of groundwater development in the Death Valley regional flow system, in Nevada and California. A calibrated groundwater-flow model was used to simulate potential future effects of groundwater pumping on water levels...
Nelson, Nora C.; Jackson, Tracie R.
Land subsidence contributions to relative sea level rise at tide gauge Galveston Pier 21, Texas
Relative sea level rise at tide gauge Galveston Pier 21, Texas, is the combination of absolute sea level rise and land subsidence. We estimate subsidence rates of 3.53 mm/a during 1909–1937, 6.08 mm/a during 1937–1983, and 3.51 mm/a since 1983. Subsidence attributed to aquifer-system compaction accompanying groundwater extraction...
Liu, Yi; Li, Jiang; Fasullo, John; Galloway, Devin Hydrodynamics drive pelagic communities and food web structure in a tidal environment
Hydrodynamic processes can lead to the accumulation and/or dispersal of water column constituents, including sediment, phytoplankton, and particulate detritus. Using a combination of field observations and stable isotope tracing tools, we identified how hydrodynamic processes influenced physical habitat, pelagic communities, and food web structure...
Young, Matthew; Feyrer, Frederick; Stumpner, Paul; Larwood, Veronica; Patton, Oliver; Brown, Larry R. Application of the RSPARROW modeling tool to estimate total nitrogen sources to streams and evaluate source reduction management scenarios in the Grande River Basin, Brazil
Large-domain hydrological models are increasingly needed to support water-resource assessment and management in large river basins. Here, we describe results for the first Brazilian application of the SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model using a new open-source modeling and interactive decision support system...
Miller, Matthew; de Souza, Marcelo L; Alexander, Richard B; Gorman Sanisaca, Lillian; de Amorim Teixeira, Alexandre; Appling, Alison P.
Delineation of flood-inundation areas in Grapevine Canyon near Scotty’s Castle, Death Valley National Park, California
On October 18, 2015, a large flood caused considerable damage in Grapevine Canyon near Death Valley Scotty Historic District, in Death Valley National Park, California. Significant channel changes had limited the applicability of previously created flood-inundation maps to current conditions. Predicted flood-inundation maps for Scotty’s Castle...
Morris, Christopher M.; Welborn, Toby L.; Minear, J. Toby
Aquifer transmissivity in Nassau, Queens, and Kings Counties, New York, estimated from specific-capacity tests at production wells
As part of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to evaluate the sustainability of Long Island’s sole-source aquifer system, the transmissivities of four aquifers were estimated from specific-capacity tests at 447 production wells in Nassau, Queens, and Kings...
Williams, John H.; Woodley, Madison; Finkelstein, Jason S. Aufeis fields as novel groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the arctic cryosphere
River aufeis (ow′ fīse) are widespread features of the arctic cryosphere. They form when river channels become locally restricted by ice, resulting in cycles of water overflow and freezing and the accumulation of ice, with some aufeis attaining areas of ~ 25 + km2 and thicknesses of 6+ m. During winter, unfrozen sediments...
Huryn, Alexander D.; Gooseff, M.; Hendrickson, P.; Briggs, Martin A.; Tape, K.; Terry, Neil QCam: sUAS-based doppler radar for measuring river discharge
The U.S. Geological Survey is actively investigating remote sensing of surface velocity and river discharge (discharge) from satellite-, high altitude-, small, unmanned aircraft systems- (sUAS or drone), and permanent (fixed) deployments. This initiative is important in ungaged basins and river reaches that lack the infrastructure to deploy...
Fulton, John W.; Anderson, Isaac E.; Chiu, C.-L.; Sommer, Wolfram; Adams, Josip; Moramarco, Tommaso; Bjerklie, David M.; Fulford, Janice M.; Sloan, Jeff L.; Best, Heather; Conaway, Jeffrey S.; Kang, Michelle J.; Kohn, Michael S.; Nicotra, Matthew J.; Pulli, Jeremy J. Patterns and isotopic composition of greenhouse gases under ice in lakes of interior Alaska
Arctic and boreal lake greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are an important component of regional carbon (C) budgets. Yet the magnitude and seasonal patterns of lake GHG emissions are poorly constrained, because sampling is limited in these remote landscapes, particularly during winter and shoulder seasons. To better define patterns of under ice GHG...
O'Dwyer, Madeline; Butman, David; Striegl, Robert G.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Kuhn, Catherine D.; Bogard, Matthew J.
Bathymetry of Deadmans Lake, Golf Course Reservoir 9, Ice Lake, Kettle Lakes 1–3, and Non-Potable Reservoirs 1–4 at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, 2019
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), carried out bathymetric and topographic surveys to characterize the volume of Deadmans Lake, Golf Course Reservoir 9, Ice Lake, Kettle Lakes 1–3, and Non-Potable Reservoirs 1–4 at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. Bathymetric maps of each lake and reservoir are...
Kohn, Michael S.; Hempel, Laura A.
Estimating flood magnitude and frequency on streams and rivers in Connecticut, based on data through water year 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, updated flood-frequency estimates with 50-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, 100-, 200-, and 500-year recurrence intervals, respectively) for 141 streamgages in Connecticut and 11...
Ahearn, Elizabeth A.; Hodgkins, Glenn A.