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The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 82,000 reports authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
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Water clarity of the Colorado River—Implications for food webs and fish communities Water clarity of the Colorado River—Implications for food webs and fish communities
The closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 resulted in drastic changes to water clarity, temperature, and flow of the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons. The Colorado River is now much clearer, water temperature is less variable throughout the year, and the river is much colder in the summer months. The flow—regulated by the dam—is now less variable annually, but has larger...
Authors
Nicholas Voichick, Theodore A. Kennedy, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, Kyrie Fry
Bedrock morphology and structure, upper Santa Cruz Basin, south-central Arizona, with transient electromagnetic survey data Bedrock morphology and structure, upper Santa Cruz Basin, south-central Arizona, with transient electromagnetic survey data
The upper Santa Cruz Basin is an important groundwater basin containing the regional aquifer for the city of Nogales, Arizona. This report provides data and interpretations of data aimed at better understanding the bedrock morphology and structure of the upper Santa Cruz Basin study area which encompasses the Rio Rico and Nogales 1:24,000-scale U.S. Geological Survey quadrangles. Data...
Authors
Mark W. Bultman, William R. Page
Spatiotemporal variability of inorganic nutrients during wastewater effluent dominated streamflow conditions in Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas, 2012–15 Spatiotemporal variability of inorganic nutrients during wastewater effluent dominated streamflow conditions in Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas, 2012–15
Nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, are a leading cause of water-quality impairment in Kansas and the Nation. Indian Creek is one of the most urban drainage basins in Johnson County, Kansas, and environmental and biological conditions are affected by contaminants from point and other urban sources. The Johnson County Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin (hereinafter Middle Basin)...
Authors
Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, Thomas J. Williams, Lindsey R. King
Sedimentary exhalative (sedex) zinc-lead-silver deposit model Sedimentary exhalative (sedex) zinc-lead-silver deposit model
This report draws on previous syntheses and basic research studies of sedimentary exhalative (sedex) deposits to arrive at the defining criteria, both descriptive and genetic, for sedex-type deposits. Studies of the tectonic, sedimentary, and fluid evolution of modern and ancient sedimentary basins have also been used to select defining criteria. The focus here is on the geologic...
Authors
Poul Emsbo, Robert R. Seal, George N. Breit, Sharon F. Diehl, Anjana K. Shah
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
The Community for Data Integration (CDI) continued to experience success in fiscal year 2015. The CDI community members have been sharing, learning, and collaborating through monthly forums, workshops, working groups, and funded projects. In fiscal year 2015, CDI coordinated 10 monthly forums with 16 different speakers from the U.S. Geological Survey and external partners; funded 11...
Authors
Madison L. Langseth, Michelle Y. Chang, Jennifer Carlino, J. Ryan Bellmore, Daniella D. Birch, Joshua Bradley, R. Sky Bristol, Daniel D. Buscombe, Jeffrey J. Duda, Anthony L. Everette, Tabitha A. Graves, Michelle M. Greenwood, David L. Govoni, Heather S. Henkel, Vivian B. Hutchison, Brenda K. Jones, Tim Kern, Jennifer Lacey, Rynn M. Lamb, Frances L. Lightsom, John L. Long, Ra’ad A. Saleh, Stan W. Smith, Christopher E. Soulard, Roland J. Viger, Jonathan A. Warrick, Katherine E. Wesenberg, Daniel J. Wieferich, Luke A. Winslow
Hydrogeologic framework of LaSalle County, Illinois Hydrogeologic framework of LaSalle County, Illinois
Water-supply needs in LaSalle County in northern Illinois are met by surface water and groundwater. Water-supply needs are expected to increase to serve future residential and mining uses. Available information on water use, geology, surface-water and groundwater hydrology, and water quality provides a hydrogeologic framework for LaSalle County that can be used to help plan the future...
Authors
Robert T. Kay, Clinton R. Bailey
High-resolution geophysical data from the Inner Continental Shelf: South of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts High-resolution geophysical data from the Inner Continental Shelf: South of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management have cooperated to map approximately 185 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf south of Martha’s Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts. This report contains geophysical data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during a survey in 2013. The geophysical data include (1) swath...
Authors
Seth D. Ackerman, Laura L. Brothers, David S. Foster, Brian D. Andrews, Wayne E. Baldwin, William C. Schwab
Collision and displacement vulnerability among marine birds of the California Current System associated with offshore wind energy infrastructure Collision and displacement vulnerability among marine birds of the California Current System associated with offshore wind energy infrastructure
With growing climate change concerns and energy constraints, there is an increasing need for renewable energy sources within the United States and globally. Looking forward, offshore wind-energy infrastructure (OWEI) has the potential to produce a significant proportion of the power needed to reach our Nation’s renewable energy goal. Offshore wind-energy sites can capitalize open areas...
Authors
Josh Adams, Emily C. Kelsey, Jonathan J. Felis, David M. Pereksta
Application of dimensionless sediment rating curves to predict suspended-sediment concentrations, bedload, and annual sediment loads for rivers in Minnesota Application of dimensionless sediment rating curves to predict suspended-sediment concentrations, bedload, and annual sediment loads for rivers in Minnesota
Consistent and reliable sediment data are needed by Federal, State, and local government agencies responsible for monitoring water quality, planning river restoration, quantifying sediment budgets, and evaluating the effectiveness of sediment reduction strategies. Heightened concerns about excessive sediment in rivers and the challenge to reduce costs and eliminate data gaps has guided...
Authors
Christopher A. Ellison, Joel T. Groten, David L. Lorenz, Karl S. Koller
Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2015 Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2015
The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were...
Authors
Joseph E. Beman, Christina F. Bryant
Estimating selected low-flow frequency statistics and harmonic-mean flows for ungaged, unregulated streams in Indiana Estimating selected low-flow frequency statistics and harmonic-mean flows for ungaged, unregulated streams in Indiana
Information on low-flow characteristics of streams is essential for the management of water resources. This report provides equations for estimating the 1-, 7-, and 30-day mean low flows for a recurrence interval of 10 years and the harmonic-mean flow at ungaged, unregulated stream sites in Indiana. These equations were developed using the low-flow statistics and basin characteristics...
Authors
Gary R. Martin, Kathleen K. Fowler, Leslie D. Arihood
Assessment of hydrogeologic terrains, well-construction characteristics, groundwater hydraulics, and water-quality and microbial data for determination of surface-water-influenced groundwater supplies in West Virginia Assessment of hydrogeologic terrains, well-construction characteristics, groundwater hydraulics, and water-quality and microbial data for determination of surface-water-influenced groundwater supplies in West Virginia
In January 2014, a storage tank leaked, spilling a large quantity of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol into the Elk River in West Virginia and contaminating the water supply for more than 300,000 people. In response, the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 373, which requires the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) to assess the susceptibility and...
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Katherine S. Paybins