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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: 19049

Effects of the herbicide diuron on cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) reflectance and photosynthetic parameters Effects of the herbicide diuron on cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) reflectance and photosynthetic parameters

Early indicators of salt marsh plant stress are needed to detect stress before it is manifested as changes in biomass and coverage. We explored a variety of leaf-level spectral reflectance and fluorescence variables as indicators of stress in response to the herbicide diuron. Diuron, a Photosystem II inhibitor, is heavily used in areas adjacent to estuaries, but its ecological effects...
Authors
S.L. Williams, A. Carranza, J. Kunzelman, S. Datta, Kathryn Kuivila

Application of iron and zinc isotopes to track the sources and mechanisms of metal loading in a mountain watershed Application of iron and zinc isotopes to track the sources and mechanisms of metal loading in a mountain watershed

Here the hydrogeochemical constraints of a tracer dilution study are combined with Fe and Zn isotopic measurements to pinpoint metal loading sources and attenuation mechanisms in an alpine watershed impacted by acid mine drainage. In the tested mountain catchment, δ56Fe and δ66Zn isotopic signatures of filtered stream water samples varied by ∼3.5‰ and 0.4‰, respectively. The inherent...
Authors
D.M. Borrok, R. B. Wanty, Ridley W. Ian, P. J. Lamothe, B. A. Kimball, P. L. Verplanck, R.L. Runkel

Distribution limits of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: a case study in the Rocky Mountains, USA Distribution limits of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: a case study in the Rocky Mountains, USA

Knowledge of the environmental constraints on a pathogen is critical to predicting its dynamics and effects on populations. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), an aquatic fungus that has been linked with widespread amphibian declines, is ubiquitous in the Rocky Mountains. As part of assessing the distribution limits of Bd in our study area, we sampled the water column and sediments for...
Authors
Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Chauncey W. Anderson, Julie D. Kirshtein, P. Stephen Corn

Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay

Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these...
Authors
John Y. Takekawa, A.K. Miles, D. C. Tsao-Melcer, D. H. Schoellhamer, S. Fregien, N.D. Athearn

The ecohealth assessment and ecological restoration division of urban water system in Beijing The ecohealth assessment and ecological restoration division of urban water system in Beijing

Evaluating six main rivers and six lakes in Beihuan water system (BWS) and diagnosing the limiting factors of eco-health were conducted for the ecohealth assessment and ecological restoration division of urban water system (UWS) for Beijing. The results indicated that Jingmi River and Nanchang River were in a healthy state, the degree of membership to unhealthy were 0.358, 0.392...
Authors
J. Liu, M. Ma, F. Zhang, Z. Yang, Joseph L. Domagalski

Lagrangian sampling for emerging contaminants through an urban stream corridor in Colorado Lagrangian sampling for emerging contaminants through an urban stream corridor in Colorado

Recent national concerns regarding the environmental occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs) have catalyzed a series of recent studies. Many ECs are released into the environment through discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and other sources. In 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Longmont initiated an investigation of selected ECs in a 13.8‐km reach of St...
Authors
J.B. Brown, W.A. Battaglin, R.E. Zuellig

Turbulent stresses and secondary currents in a tidal-forced channel with significant curvature and asymmetric bed forms Turbulent stresses and secondary currents in a tidal-forced channel with significant curvature and asymmetric bed forms

Acoustic Doppler current profilers are deployed to measure both the mean flow and turbulent properties in a channel with significant curvature. Direct measurements of the Reynolds stress show a significant asymmetry over the tidal cycle where stresses are enhanced during the flood tide and less prominent over the ebb tide. This asymmetry is corroborated by logarithmic fits using...
Authors
D.A. Fong, Stephen G. Monismith, M.T. Stacey, J.R. Burau

Future water-supply scenarios, Cape May County, New Jersey, 2003-2050 Future water-supply scenarios, Cape May County, New Jersey, 2003-2050

Stewards of the water supply in New Jersey are interested in developing a plan to supply potable and non-potable water to residents and businesses of Cape May County until at least 2050. The ideal plan would meet projected demands and minimize adverse effects on currently used sources of potable, non-potable, and ecological water supplies. This report documents past and projected potable...
Authors
Pierre J. Lacombe, Glen B. Carleton, Daryll A. Pope, Donald E. Rice

Channel water balance and exchange with subsurface flow along a mountain headwater stream in Montana, United States Channel water balance and exchange with subsurface flow along a mountain headwater stream in Montana, United States

Channel water balances of contiguous reaches along streams represent a poorly understood scale of stream-subsurface interaction. We measured reach water balances along a headwater stream in Montana, United States, during summer base flow recessions. Reach water balances were estimated from series of tracer tests in 13 consecutive reaches delineated evenly along a 2.6 km valley segment...
Authors
R.A. Payn, M.N. Gooseff, B.L. McGlynn, K.E. Bencala, S.M. Wondzell

The occurrence of antibiotics in an urban watershed: From wastewater to drinking water The occurrence of antibiotics in an urban watershed: From wastewater to drinking water

The presence of 28 antibiotics in three hospital effluents, five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), six rivers and a drinking water storage catchment were investigated within watersheds of South–East Queensland, Australia. All antibiotics were detected at least once, with the exception of the polypeptide bacitracin which was not detected at all. Antibiotics were found in hospital...
Authors
A.J. Watkinson, E.J. Murby, Dana W. Kolpin, S.D. Costanzo

Land-Surface Subsidence and Open Bedrock Fractures in the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York Land-Surface Subsidence and Open Bedrock Fractures in the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York

Open bedrock fractures were mapped in and near two brine field areas in Tully Valley, New York. More than 400 open fractures and closed joints were mapped for dimension, orientation, and distribution along the east and west valley walls adjacent to two former brine fields. The bedrock fractures are as much as 2 feet wide and over 50 feet deep, while linear depressions in the soil, which...
Authors
William R. Hackett, Gayle C. Gleason, William M. Kappel

Transport of tritium contamination to the atmosphere in an arid environment Transport of tritium contamination to the atmosphere in an arid environment

Soil–plant–atmosphere interactions strongly influence water movement in desert unsaturated zones, but little is known about how such interactions affect atmospheric release of subsurface water-borne contaminants. This 2-yr study, performed at the U.S. Geological Survey's Amargosa Desert Research Site in southern Nevada, quantified the magnitude and spatiotemporal variability of tritium...
Authors
C. Amanda Garcia, Brian J. Andraski, Michael J. Johnson, David A. Stonestrom, Robert L. Michel, C.A. Cooper, S.W. Wheatcraft
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