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.
colorspace: A toolbox for manipulating and assessing colors and palettes
The R package colorspace provides a flexible toolbox for selecting individual colors or color palettes, manipulating these colors, and employing them in statistical graphics and data visualizations. In particular, the package provides a broad range of color palettes based on the HCL (hue-chroma-luminance) color space. The three HCL dimensions have...
Zeileis, Achim; Fisher, Jason C.; Hornik, Kurt; Ihaka, Ross; McWhite, Claire D.; Murrell, Paul; Stauffer, Reto; Wilke, Claus O. Lateral carbon exports from drained peatlands: An understudied carbon pathway in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Degradation of peatlands via drainage is increasing globally and destabilizing peat carbon (C) stores. The effects of drainage on the timing and magnitude of lateral C losses from degraded peatlands remains understudied. We measured spatial and temporal variability in lateral C exports from three drained peat islands in the Sacramento‐San Joaquin...
Richardson, Christina M.; Fackrell, Joseph Kelii; Kraus, Tamara E. C.; Young, Megan B.; Paytan, Adina Towards the understanding of hydrogeochemical seismic responses in karst aquifers: A retrospective meta-analysis focused on the Apennines (Italy)
Earthquakes are known to affect groundwater properties, yet the mechanisms causing chemical and physical aquifer changes are still unclear. The Apennines mountain belt in Italy presents a rich literature of case studies documenting hydrogeochemical response to seismicity, due to the high frequency of seismic events and the presence of different...
Binda, Gilberto; Pozzi, Andrea; Michetti, Alessandro; Noble, Paula; Rosen, Michael R. Geochemistry and age of groundwater in the Williston Basin, USA: Assessing potential effects of shale-oil production on groundwater quality
Thirty water wells were sampled in 2018 to understand the geochemistry and age of groundwater in the Williston Basin and assess potential effects of shale-oil production from the Three Forks-Bakken petroleum system (TBPS) on groundwater quality. Two geochemical groups are identified using hierarchical cluster analysis. Group 1 represents the...
McMahon, Peter B.; Galloway, Joel M.; Hunt, Andrew; Belitz, Kenneth; Jurgens, Bryant; Johnson, Tyler D.
Multiple-well monitoring site adjacent to the North and South Belridge Oil Fields, Kern County, California
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board, is evaluating several questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources in California, including (1) the location of groundwater resources; (2) the proximity of oil and gas operations to groundwater and the geologic materials...
Everett, Rhett R.; Brown, Anthony A.; Gillespie, Janice M.; Kjos, Adam; Fenton, Nicole C. Critical shifts in trace metal transport and remediation performance under future low river flows
Exceptionally low river flows are predicted to become more frequent and more severe across many global regions as a consequence of climate change. Investigations of trace metal transport dynamics across streamflows reveal stark changes in water chemistry, metal transformation processes, and remediation effectiveness under exceptionally low-flow...
Byrne, Patrick; Onnis, Patrizia; Runkel, Robert L.; Frau, Ilaria; Lynch, Sarah F.L.; Edwards, Paul
Analysis of remedial scenarios affecting plume movement through a sole-source aquifer system, southeastern Nassau County, New York
A steady-state three-dimensional groundwater-flow model based on present conditions is coupled with the particle-tracking program MODPATH to assess the fate and transport of volatile organic-compound plumes within the Magothy and upper glacial aquifers in southeastern Nassau County, New York. Particles are forward tracked from locations within...
Misut, Paul E.; Walter, Donald A.; Schubert, Christopher; Dressler, Sarken
Landscape and climatic influences on actual evapotranspiration and available water using the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) Model in eastern Bernalillo County, New Mexico, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bernalillo County Public Works Division, conducted a 1-year study in 2015 to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) and available water within the East Mountain area in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. ET and available water vary spatiotemporally because of complex...
Douglas-Mankin, Kyle R.; McCutcheon, Ryan J.; Mitchell, Aurelia C.; Senay, Gabriel B.
Field comparison of five in situ turbidity sensors
Five commercially available turbidity sensors were field tested by the U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility for accuracy and data comparability. The tested sensors were the Xylem EXO (EXO), the Hach Solitax sc (Solitax), the In Situ Aqua TROLL sensor installed onto a TROLL 600 sonde (TROLL 600), the Campbell Scientific OBS501...
Snazelle, Teri T.
Arsenic and uranium occurrence in private wells in Connecticut, 2013–18—A spatially weighted and bedrock geology assessment
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, conducted a study to determine the presence of arsenic and uranium in private drinking water wells in Connecticut. Samples were collected during 2013–18 from wells completed in 115 geologic units, with 2,433 samples analyzed for arsenic and 2,191 samples...
Gross, Eliza L.; Brown, Craig J. Recent and projected precipitation and temperature changes in the Grand Canyon area with implications for groundwater resources
Groundwater is a critical resource in the Grand Canyon region, supplying nearly all water needs for residents and millions of visitors. Additionally, groundwater discharging at hundreds of spring locations in and near Grand Canyon supports important ecosystems in this mostly arid environment. The security of groundwater supplies is of critical...
Tillman, Fred; Gangopadhyay, Subhrendu; Pruitt, Tom A lagrangian-to-eulerian metric to identify estuarine pelagic habitats
Estuaries are among the world’s most productive ecosystems, but recent natural and anthropogenic changes have stressed these ecosystems. Tools to assess estuarine pelagic habitats are important to support and maintain healthy ecosystem function. In this work, we demonstrate that estuarine pelagic habitats can be identified by a simple ratio,...
Stumpner, Paul; Burau, Jon R.; Forrest, Alexander L.