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Publications

All of our publications are accessible through the USGS Publication Warehouse. Publications by scientists of the Oregon Water Science Center are listed below.

Filter Total Items: 786

Relations of Tualatin River water temperatures to natural and human-caused factors Relations of Tualatin River water temperatures to natural and human-caused factors

Aquatic research has long shown that the survival of cold-water fish, such as salmon and trout, decreases markedly as water temperatures increase above a critical threshold, particularly during sensitive life stages of the fish. In an effort to improve the overall health of aquatic ecosystems, the State of Oregon in 1996 adopted a maximum water-temperature standard of 17.8 degrees...
Authors
John C. Risley

Precipitation-runoff and streamflow-routing models for the Willamette River basin, Oregon Precipitation-runoff and streamflow-routing models for the Willamette River basin, Oregon

Precipitation-runoff and streamflow-routing models were constructed and assessed as part of a water-quality study of the Willamette River Basin. The study was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and was coordinated with the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) study of the Willamette River...
Authors
Antonius Laenen, John C. Risley

Assessment of the water resources of the Grand Ronde area, Oregon Assessment of the water resources of the Grand Ronde area, Oregon

Stream hydrographs show that throughout the Grand Ronde area most precipitation follows surface or shallow subsurface pathways to streams, resulting in rapid runoff and little natural water storage within the basin. Limited storage and low aquifer permeability restrict base flow to streams, and streamflows therefore decline rapidly once precipitation ceases. Shallow ground water and...
Authors
Kathleen A. McCarthy, John C. Risley, Rodney R. Caldwell, William D. McFarland

Water-temperature, specific-conductance, and meteorological data for the Tualatin River basin, Oregon, 1994-95 Water-temperature, specific-conductance, and meteorological data for the Tualatin River basin, Oregon, 1994-95

Water-temperature, air-temperature, specific- conductance, wind-speed, and solar-radiation data are presented from a study conducted in the Tualatin River Basin in northwestern Oregon during 7-month periods from May 1 through November 30, 1994 and May 1 through November 30, 1995. The study was done to assist local and State agencies in understanding temporal and spatial patterns of water
Authors
John C. Risley, Micelis C. Doyle

Comparison of chlorofluorocarbon-age dating with particle-tracking results of a regional ground-water flow model of the Portland Basin, Oregon and Washington Comparison of chlorofluorocarbon-age dating with particle-tracking results of a regional ground-water flow model of the Portland Basin, Oregon and Washington

This report describes the results of a study in which chlorofluorocarbon-age dating was used to evaluate the results of a ground-water particle tracker for the Portland Basin in Oregon and Washington.
Authors
Stephen R. Hinkle, Daniel T. Snyder

Summary of information on aquatic biota and their habitats in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, through 1995 Summary of information on aquatic biota and their habitats in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, through 1995

Available information on aquatic biota of the Willamette Basin was reviewed and summarized to describe current and historical conditions as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Biological parameters emphasized include the status, distribution, and trends of aquatic biota, particularly algae, macroinvertebrates, and fish; the condition of aquatic...
Authors
Bob Altman, C.M. Henson, I.R. Waite

Distribution of fish, benthic invertebrate, and algal communities in relation to physical and chemical conditions, Yakima River basin, Washington, 1990 Distribution of fish, benthic invertebrate, and algal communities in relation to physical and chemical conditions, Yakima River basin, Washington, 1990

Biological investigations were conducted in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, in conjunction with a pilot study for the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Ecological surveys were conducted at 25 sites in 1990 to (1) assess water-quality conditions based on fish, benthic invertebrate, and algal communities; (2) determine the hydrologic, habitat, and...
Authors
T. F. Cuffney, M. R. Meador, S. D. Porter, M. E. Gurtz

Nitrogen and phosphorus loading from drained wetlands adjacent to Upper Klamath and Agency lakes, Oregon Nitrogen and phosphorus loading from drained wetlands adjacent to Upper Klamath and Agency lakes, Oregon

Upper Klamath Lake and the connecting Agency Lake constitute a large, shallow lake in south-central Oregon that the historical record indicates has likely been eutrophic since its discovery by non-Native Americans. In recent decades, however, the lake has had annual occurrences of near-monoculture blooms of the blue-green alga Aphanizomenon flos-aquae that are thought to be a result of...
Authors
Daniel T. Snyder, Jennifer L. Morace

Methods for predicting peak discharge of floods caused by failure of natural and constructed earthen dams Methods for predicting peak discharge of floods caused by failure of natural and constructed earthen dams

Floods from failures of natural and constructed dams constitute a widespread hazard to people and property. Expeditious means of assessing flood hazards are necessary, particularly in the case of natural dams, which may form suddenly and unexpectedly. We revise statistical relations (derived from data for past constructed and natural dam failures) between peak discharge (Qp) and water...
Authors
Joseph S. Walder, Jim E. O'Connor
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