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Publications

USGS has a long history of interdisciplinary research in the Salton Sea basin. Browse the publications below for more information about our research.

Filter Total Items: 131

Type C botulism in pelicans and other fish-eating birds at the Salton Sea

In 1996, type C avian botulism killed over 10,000 pelicans and nearly 10,000 other fish-eating birds at the Salton Sea in southern California. Although botulism had been previously documented in waterbirds at the Sea, this die-off was unusual in that it involved primarily fish-eating birds. The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorynchos) was the species with the greatest mortality in 1996. S
Authors
Tonie E. Rocke, Pauline Nol, C. Pelizza, K. K. Sturm

Pesticide concentrations in water and in suspended and bottom sediments in the New and Alamo rivers, Salton Sea Watershed, California, April 2003

This report contains pesticide concentration data for water, and suspended and bed sediment samples collected in April 2003 from twelve sites along the New and Alamo Rivers in the Salton Sea watershed, in southeastern California. The study was done in collaboration with the California State Regional Water Quality Control Board, Colorado River Region, to assess inputs of current-use pesticides asso
Authors
Lawrence A. LeBlanc, James L. Orlando, Kathryn Kuivila

Reclaiming agricultural drainage water with nanofiltration membranes: Imperial Valley, California, USA

We conducted pilot-scale field experiments using nanofiltration membranes to lower the salinity and remove Se, As and other toxic contaminants from saline agricultural wastewater in the Imperial Valley, California, USA. Farmlands in the desert climate (rainfall - 7.4 cm/a) of Imperial Valley cover -200,000 ha that are irrigated with water (-1.7 km3 annually) imported from the Colorado River. The s
Authors
Y.K. Kharaka, R. A. Schroeder, J. G. Setmire

Salton Sea

No abstract available.
Authors
Milton Friend

Salton Trough regional deformation estimated from combined trilateration and survey-mode GPS data

The Salton Trough in southeastern California, United States, has one of the highest seismicity and deformation rates in southern California, including 20 earthquakes M 6 or larger since 1892. From 1972 through 1987, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured a 41-station trilateration network in this region. We remeasured 37 of the USGS baselines using survey-mode Global Positioning System methods
Authors
G. Anderson, D.C. Agnew, H.O. Johnson

Dissolved pesticides in the Alamo River and the Salton Sea, California, 1996-97

Water samples were collected from the Alamo River and the Salton Sea, California, in autumn 1996 and late winter/early spring 1997 and analyzed for dissolved pesticides. The two seasons chosen for sampling were during pesticide application periods in the Imperial Valley. Pesticide concentrations were measured in filtered water samples using solid-phase extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography
Authors
Kathryn L. Crepeau, Kathryn Kuivila, Brian A. Bergamaschi

Chemical evolution of the Salton Sea, California: Nutrient and selenium dynamics

The Salton Sea is a 1000-km2 terminal lake located in the desert area of southeastern California. This saline (∼44 000 mg l−1 dissolved solids) lake started as fresh water in 1905–07 by accidental flooding of the Colorado River, and it is maintained by agricultural runoff of irrigation water diverted from the Colorado River. The Salton Sea and surrounding wetlands have recently acquired substantia
Authors
Roy A. Schroeder, William H. Orem, Yousif K. Kharaka

Avian disease at the Salton Sea

A review of existing records and the scientific literature was conducted for occurrences of avian diseases affecting free-ranging avifauna within the Salton Sea ecosystem. The period for evaluation was 1907 through 1999. Records of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey and the scientific literature were the data sources for the period of 1907–1939. The narrative reports o
Authors
Milton Friend

The Salton Sea: Proceedings of the Salton Sea Symposium

No abstract available.
Authors
D. A. Barnum, J. F. Elder, D. Stevens, M. Friend

The epizootiology of type C botulism in fish-eating birds at Salton Sea, California

During 1996, type C avian botulism killed over 15,000 fish-eating birds at the Salton Sea in southern California. Amont those affected were nearly 10,000 western white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and over 1,200 endangered California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus). Since 1996, smaller epizootics have occurred every year. Type C botulism is not typically associated wit
Authors
P. Nol

Source properties of earthquakes near the Salton Sea triggered by the 16 October 1999 M 7.1 Hector Mine, California, earthquake

We analyze the source properties of a sequence of triggered earthquakes that occurred near the Salton Sea in southern California in the immediate aftermath of the M 7.1 Hector Mine earthquake of 16 October 1999. The sequence produced a number of early events that were not initially located by the regional network, including two moderate earthquakes: the first within 30 sec of the P-wave arrival an
Authors
S. E. Hough, H. Kanamori

Possible importance of algal toxins in the Salton Sea, California

In response to wildlife mortality including unexplained eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) die-off events in 1992 and 1994 and other mortality events including large fish kills, a survey was conducted for the presence of algal toxins in the Salton Sea. Goals of this survey were to determine if and when algal toxins are present in the Salton Sea and to describe the phytoplankton composition during
Authors
Kristen M. Reifel, M. P. McCoy, Tonie E. Rocke, M. A. Tiffany, S. H. Hurlbert, D. J. Faulkner