Hydrologist Kurt Carpenter demonstrated gathering a water sample from the Willamette on the docks at OMSI. The netting gets pulled through the water and is then funneled into a sample bottle.
Kurt D Carpenter
Kurt Carpenter is a research hydrologist in the USGS Oregon Water Science Center.
Kurt joined the USGS Oregon District in 1992 to work for the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, an interdisciplinary program characterizing land use impacts to algae, benthic invertebrates, fish, and water quality of streams in the Willamette Basin. For nearly 30 years Kurt’s research has focused on the interface between water quality and hydrobiology, primarily impacts from nutrients (eutrophication) and contaminants (pesticides, volatile organic compounds). Kurt is currently PI of several harmful algal bloom (HAB) related projects in Oregon including at Detroit, Cougar and Blue Lakes where cyanobacterial toxins pose a threat to drinking water. Kurt is also active in post-fire monitoring and research following the 2020 Labor Day fires that threatens several major drinking water supplies. His most recent collaboration includes using remote sensing to detect algae in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs using hyperspectral data from ground- and space-based tools, including cameras aboard the International Space Station. In a project with Clean Water Services in the Tualatin River Basin, Kurt is investigating plankton communities in streams along with environmental DNA (“eDNA”) signatures to examine potential benefits of stream restoration.
Science and Products
Multiscale comparison of hyperspectral reflectance from periphyton in three Oregon rivers used for municipal supply
Harmful Algal Blooms and Drinking Water in Oregon
North Santiam River Basin Study
Clackamas River Basin Water-Quality Assessment
McKenzie River Source Water Study
Plankton taxonomy and water quality in the Tualatin River Basin to the west of Portland, Oregon, during the summers of 2019-21
Cyanotoxin concentrations in extracts from cyanobacteria colonies, plankton net tows, and Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) samplers in western rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, including drinking water sources in the Oregon Cascades: 2016-2020
Water quality measurements in off-channel water bodies of the Willamette River near Albany and Keizer, OR (2017 and 2019)
Absorbance and fluorescence measurements and concentrations of disinfection by-products in source water and finished water in the McKenzie River Basin, Oregon: 2012-2014
Phytoplankton identification and biovolume data for field samples from Detroit Lake, Oregon, and Owasco Lake, New York, collected in August 2019 and August 2020
Hyperspectral Characterization of Common Cyanobacteria Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms (ver. 2.0, October 2020)
Hydrologist Kurt Carpenter demonstrated gathering a water sample from the Willamette on the docks at OMSI. The netting gets pulled through the water and is then funneled into a sample bottle.
Microcyctis aeruginosa is a freshwater cyanobacteria that produce cyanotoxins such as Microcystin. Cyanotoxins are harmful to humans and pets.
Microcyctis aeruginosa is a freshwater cyanobacteria that produce cyanotoxins such as Microcystin. Cyanotoxins are harmful to humans and pets.
Diatom, Synedra, from the Greek word synedria meaning "a sitting together". The genus Synedra has long, needle like cells that can exist singly or radiate in colonies.
Diatom, Synedra, from the Greek word synedria meaning "a sitting together". The genus Synedra has long, needle like cells that can exist singly or radiate in colonies.
The star-shaped Asterionella is a genus of freshwater diatoms often found in star-shaped colonies of individuals. The thread like shape is Fragilaria a genus of fresh and saltwater diatom.
The star-shaped Asterionella is a genus of freshwater diatoms often found in star-shaped colonies of individuals. The thread like shape is Fragilaria a genus of fresh and saltwater diatom.
Algal bloom in the Ross Island Lagoon, Willamette River, Oregon.
Algal bloom in the Ross Island Lagoon, Willamette River, Oregon.
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Scytonema (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Scytonema (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc spongiforme (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc spongiforme (blue green algae)
Microcoelus algae on a rock from Clackamas River at Barton Park, Oregon
Microcoelus algae on a rock from Clackamas River at Barton Park, Oregon
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Dolichospermum (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Dolichospermum (blue green algae)
Algal Bloom in Cougar Reservoir, Oregon
Algal Bloom in Cougar Reservoir, Oregon
Anabena algal bloom in Timothy Lake, Oregon, 2004
Anabena algal bloom in Timothy Lake, Oregon, 2004
Etiology of a fish kill, Including the endangered Tidewater Goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi), in a northeastern pacific coastal lagoon
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Oregon
A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies
Field techniques for fluorescence measurements targeting dissolved organic matter, hydrocarbons, and wastewater in environmental waters: Principles and guidelines for instrument selection, operation and maintenance, quality assurance, and data reporting
Field techniques for the determination of algal pigment fluorescence in environmental waters—Principles and guidelines for instrument and sensor selection, operation, quality assurance, and data reporting
The use of algal fluorometers by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has become increasingly common. The basic principles of algal fluorescence, instrument calibration, interferences, data quantification, data interpretation, and quality control are given in Hambrook Berkman and Canova (2007). Much of the guidance given for instrument maintenance, data storage, and quality assurance in Wagner and ot
Sources and characteristics of dissolved organic carbon in the McKenzie River, Oregon, related to the formation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water
Spectral mixture analysis for surveillance of harmful algal blooms (SMASH): A field-, laboratory-, and satellite-based approach to identifying cyanobacteria genera from remotely sensed data
Spatial variability of phytoplankton in a shallow tidal freshwater system reveals complex controls on abundance and community structure
Reconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States
Safe drinking water at the point-of-use (tapwater, TW) is a United States public health priority. Multiple lines of evidence were used to evaluate potential human health concerns of 482 organics and 19 inorganics in TW from 13 (7 public supply, 6 private well self-supply) home and 12 (public supply) workplace locations in 11 states. Only uranium (61.9 μg L–1, private well) exceeded a National Prim
A river-scale Lagrangian experiment examining controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the presence and absence of treated wastewater effluent high in ammonium
Storm-event-transport of urban-use pesticides to streams likely impairs invertebrate assemblages
Upstream factors affecting Tualatin River algae—Tracking the 2008 Anabaena algae bloom to Wapato Lake, Oregon
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Oregon Lake Profile Analysis Tools
In response to recent harmful algal blooms (HABs) that have occurred in many of the large water storage reservoirs in the Willamette River Basin the USGS is measuring related water-quality parameters in Detroit Lake, Blue River Lake, and Cougar Lake. The USGS has also developed profiler tools that allow users to see how the water quality parameters vary with depth in those reservoirs.
Science and Products
- Science
Multiscale comparison of hyperspectral reflectance from periphyton in three Oregon rivers used for municipal supply
In this study, USGS scientists from multiple centers used advanced hyperspectral imaging techniques to advance monitoring of attached benthic algae (periphyton) in Cascade Range rivers used for municipal water supply. Periphyton are naturally occurring, but excess growth can harm ecosystems and degrade raw and treated drinking water quality. In these rivers, periphyton contain cyanobacteria that...Harmful Algal Blooms and Drinking Water in Oregon
Harmful algal blooms are a major environmental problem in all 50 states.North Santiam River Basin Study
The streamflow and water-quality conditions monitored by the USGS in the North Santiam River basin provide valuable information to water resource managersClackamas River Basin Water-Quality Assessment
Starting in 1997, the USGS began routinely studying water resources in the Clackamas River Basin. Whether it be assessing harmful algal blooms, runoff issues, streamflow, or watershed health, the USGS has worked with its partners to maintain one of Oregon's most beloved rivers.McKenzie River Source Water Study
Drinking water for the city of Eugene, Oregon, is drawn from the McKenzie River, a high-quality source that is nonetheless threatened by urban, agricultural, and forestry land uses upstream as well as by changes in water management in the watershed. In 2002, the USGS began monitoring dissolved pesticides in the McKenzie River and its tributaries. - Data
Plankton taxonomy and water quality in the Tualatin River Basin to the west of Portland, Oregon, during the summers of 2019-21
Water-quality data and plankton samples were collected at multiple locations within the Fernhill Natural Treatment wetland and along the Tualatin River, located to the west of Portland, Oregon, during the summers of 2018, 2019 and 2020. Water quality parameters collected include water temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, chlorophyll, and blue green algae. Data were cCyanotoxin concentrations in extracts from cyanobacteria colonies, plankton net tows, and Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) samplers in western rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, including drinking water sources in the Oregon Cascades: 2016-2020
This data release contains cyanotoxin concentrations for microcystins, cylindrospermopsins, anatoxins, and saxitoxins assessed using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) on 363 samples collected from 82 surface-water sites located in the Cascade Range in Oregon, and eight sites located outside of the Oregon Cascade Range in Washington and California, during 2016-2020. Three sample types wereWater quality measurements in off-channel water bodies of the Willamette River near Albany and Keizer, OR (2017 and 2019)
The tabular data sets and associated maps in this data release represent water-quality data that were collected between April and November of 2017 and between July and November of 2019 to describe baseline conditions prior to or sometimes following treatments using herbicides or other methods to reduce the biomass of non-native water primrose (Ludwigia) within off-channel water bodies of the WillaAbsorbance and fluorescence measurements and concentrations of disinfection by-products in source water and finished water in the McKenzie River Basin, Oregon: 2012-2014
This data release contains the results from a study that characterized the concentration and quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the McKenzie River, a relatively pristine watershed in western Oregon, and its link to forming disinfection by-products (DBPs) in treated drinking water. The study aimed to identify the primary source(s) of DOC in source water for the Eugene Water and Electric BPhytoplankton identification and biovolume data for field samples from Detroit Lake, Oregon, and Owasco Lake, New York, collected in August 2019 and August 2020
This dataset contains taxonomic and biovolume data for phytoplankton sampled from Detroit Lake, OR, in August, 2019, and August, 2020. Taxonomy is reported to the lowest possible taxonomic level along with total and percent biovolume. Surface grab samples for phytoplankton enumeration were collected with a van Dorn type sampler and then transferred into a clearn polycarbonate churn. Whole water saHyperspectral Characterization of Common Cyanobacteria Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms (ver. 2.0, October 2020)
This dataset is a collection of hyperspectral imagery profiles of 13 common algae associated with Harmful Algae Blooms (HAB). Data were retrieved from a hyperspectral microscope at, and with the cooperation of, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Samples were collected from USGS water quality sampling efforts, and were also purchased from commercial vendors of biological materials - Multimedia
Water Sampling on the Willamette River
Hydrologist Kurt Carpenter demonstrated gathering a water sample from the Willamette on the docks at OMSI. The netting gets pulled through the water and is then funneled into a sample bottle.
Hydrologist Kurt Carpenter demonstrated gathering a water sample from the Willamette on the docks at OMSI. The netting gets pulled through the water and is then funneled into a sample bottle.
Microcystis aeruginosa under the microscopeMicrocyctis aeruginosa is a freshwater cyanobacteria that produce cyanotoxins such as Microcystin. Cyanotoxins are harmful to humans and pets.
Microcyctis aeruginosa is a freshwater cyanobacteria that produce cyanotoxins such as Microcystin. Cyanotoxins are harmful to humans and pets.
The Diatom Synedra under the MicroscopeDiatom, Synedra, from the Greek word synedria meaning "a sitting together". The genus Synedra has long, needle like cells that can exist singly or radiate in colonies.
Diatom, Synedra, from the Greek word synedria meaning "a sitting together". The genus Synedra has long, needle like cells that can exist singly or radiate in colonies.
Asterionella and Fragilaria under the microscopeThe star-shaped Asterionella is a genus of freshwater diatoms often found in star-shaped colonies of individuals. The thread like shape is Fragilaria a genus of fresh and saltwater diatom.
The star-shaped Asterionella is a genus of freshwater diatoms often found in star-shaped colonies of individuals. The thread like shape is Fragilaria a genus of fresh and saltwater diatom.
Algal Bloom in Willamette RiverAlgal bloom in the Ross Island Lagoon, Willamette River, Oregon.
Algal bloom in the Ross Island Lagoon, Willamette River, Oregon.
Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Cyanobacteria - Scytonema (blue green algae)Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Scytonema (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Scytonema (blue green algae)
Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Phormidium (blue green algae)
Cyanobacteria - Nostoc (blue green algae)Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc (blue green algae)
Cyanobacteria - Nostoc spongiforme (blue green algae)Cyanobacteria - Nostoc spongiforme (blue green algae)Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc spongiforme (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Nostoc spongiforme (blue green algae)
Algae on a RockMicrocoelus algae on a rock from Clackamas River at Barton Park, Oregon
Microcoelus algae on a rock from Clackamas River at Barton Park, Oregon
Cyanobacteria - Dolichospermum (blue green algae)Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Dolichospermum (blue green algae)
Microscopic view of blue green algae sample. Some algae produce toxins that threaten the health and safety of living things that come in direct contact. Cyanobacteria - Dolichospermum (blue green algae)
Algal Bloom in Cougar Reservoir, OregonAlgal Bloom in Cougar Reservoir, Oregon
Algal Bloom in Cougar Reservoir, Oregon
Timothy Lake Algal BloomAnabena algal bloom in Timothy Lake, Oregon, 2004
Anabena algal bloom in Timothy Lake, Oregon, 2004
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 31
Etiology of a fish kill, Including the endangered Tidewater Goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi), in a northeastern pacific coastal lagoon
Ecological disturbances such as fish kills can negatively impact ecosystem processes in coastal lagoons. To gain an understanding of factors causing fish kills, we examined conditions associated with a summertime fish kill in a northeastern Pacific coastal lagoon (Rodeo Lagoon, CA, USA). Examination of available data indicated the fish kill was likely caused by hypoxia involving the following etioAuthorsFrederick V. Feyrer, Matthew J. Young, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Darren Fong, Kurt D. CarpenterHarmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Oregon
No abstract available.AuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Chauncey W. Anderson, Daniel SobotaA call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies
Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related to lack of funding for monitoring extreme events and the challenge of measuring the outsized hydrologic and eAuthorsSheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. EbelField techniques for fluorescence measurements targeting dissolved organic matter, hydrocarbons, and wastewater in environmental waters: Principles and guidelines for instrument selection, operation and maintenance, quality assurance, and data reporting
The use of field deployable fluorescence sensors by the U.S. Geological Survey has become increasingly common for a wide variety of surface water and groundwater investigations. This report addresses field deployable fluorometers that measure the fluorescence response of various substances in water exposed to incident light generated by the sensor. An introduction to the basic principles of fieldAuthorsAmanda Booth, Jacob Fleck, Brian A. Pellerin, Angela Hansen, Alexandra Etheridge, Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kurt D. Carpenter, Bryan D. Downing, Stewart A. Rounds, JohnFranco SaracenoField techniques for the determination of algal pigment fluorescence in environmental waters—Principles and guidelines for instrument and sensor selection, operation, quality assurance, and data reporting
The use of algal fluorometers by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has become increasingly common. The basic principles of algal fluorescence, instrument calibration, interferences, data quantification, data interpretation, and quality control are given in Hambrook Berkman and Canova (2007). Much of the guidance given for instrument maintenance, data storage, and quality assurance in Wagner and ot
AuthorsGuy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kurt D. Carpenter, Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Pellerin, Stewart A. Rounds, John Franco SaracenoSources and characteristics of dissolved organic carbon in the McKenzie River, Oregon, related to the formation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water
Executive SummaryThis study characterized the concentration and quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the McKenzie River, a relatively undeveloped watershed in western Oregon, and its link to forming disinfection by-products (DBPs) in treated drinking water. The study aimed to identify the primary source(s) of DOC in source water for the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s (EWEB) conventional tAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Angela M. Hansen, Bryan D. Downing, Jami H. Goldman, Jonathan Haynes, David Donahue, Karl MorgensternSpectral mixture analysis for surveillance of harmful algal blooms (SMASH): A field-, laboratory-, and satellite-based approach to identifying cyanobacteria genera from remotely sensed data
Algal blooms around the world are increasing in frequency and severity, often with the possibility of adverse effects on human and ecosystem health. The health and economic impacts associated with harmful algal blooms, or HABs, provide compelling rationale for developing new methods for monitoring these events via remote sensing. Although concentrations of chlorophyll-a and key pigments like phycoAuthorsCarl J. Legleiter, Tyler Victor King, Kurt D. Carpenter, Natalie Celeste Hall, Adam Mumford, E. Terrence Slonecker, Jennifer L. Graham, Victoria G. Stengel, Nancy Simon, Barry H. RosenSpatial variability of phytoplankton in a shallow tidal freshwater system reveals complex controls on abundance and community structure
Estuaries worldwide are undergoing changes to patterns of aquatic productivity because of human activities that alter flow, impact sediment delivery and thus the light field, and contribute nutrients and contaminants like pesticides and metals. These changes can influence phytoplankton communities, which in turn can alter estuarine food webs. We used multiple approaches-including high-resolution wAuthorsElizabeth B. Stumpner, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Alexander Parker, Francis Wilkerson, Bryan D. Downing, Richard Dugdale, Michael T. Murrell, Kurt D. Carpenter, James Orlando, Carol KendallReconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States
Safe drinking water at the point-of-use (tapwater, TW) is a United States public health priority. Multiple lines of evidence were used to evaluate potential human health concerns of 482 organics and 19 inorganics in TW from 13 (7 public supply, 6 private well self-supply) home and 12 (public supply) workplace locations in 11 states. Only uranium (61.9 μg L–1, private well) exceeded a National Prim
AuthorsPaul M. Bradley, Dana W. Kolpin, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Juliane B. Brown, Mary C. Cardon, Kurt D. Carpenter, Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. DeCicco, Julie E. Dietze, Nicola Evans, Edward T. Furlong, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Dale W. Griffin, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Celeste A. Journey, Kathryn Kuivila, Jason R. Masoner, Carrie A. McDonough, Michael T. Meyer, James L. Orlando, Mark J. Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. WilsonByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality LaboratoryA river-scale Lagrangian experiment examining controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the presence and absence of treated wastewater effluent high in ammonium
Phytoplankton are critical component of the food web in most large rivers and estuaries, and thus identifying dominant controls on phytoplankton abundance and species composition is important to scientists, managers, and policymakers. Recent studies from a variety of systems indicate that ammonium ( NH+4) in treated wastewater effluent decreases primary production and alters phytoplankton speciesAuthorsTamara E. C. Kraus, Kurt D. Carpenter, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Alexander Parker, Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Bryan D. Downing, Nicole Travis, Frances Wilkerson, Carol Kendall, Timothy MussenStorm-event-transport of urban-use pesticides to streams likely impairs invertebrate assemblages
Insecticide use in urban areas results in the detection of these compounds in streams following stormwater runoff at concentrations likely to cause toxicity for stream invertebrates. In this 2013 study, stormwater runoff and streambed sediments were analyzed for 91 pesticides dissolved in water and 118 pesticides on sediment. Detections included 33 pesticides, including insecticides, fungicides, hAuthorsKurt D. Carpenter, Kathryn Kuivila, Michelle Hladik, Tana Haluska, Michael B. ColeUpstream factors affecting Tualatin River algae—Tracking the 2008 Anabaena algae bloom to Wapato Lake, Oregon
Significant Findings A large bloom that included floating mats of the blue-green algae Anabaena flos-aquae occurred in the lower 20 miles of the Tualatin River in northwestern Oregon between July 7 and July 17, 2008. The floating bloom was deemed a hazard to recreational users of the river due to the potential production of algal toxins (anatoxin-a and microcystin), and a public health advisory wAuthorsStewart A. Rounds, Kurt D. Carpenter, Kristel J. Fesler, Jessica L. DorseyNon-USGS Publications**
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, J. Ryan Banta, Johanna M. Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David Clow, Brian A. Ebel, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael R. Meador, Gregory O. Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara Peterman, 2023, A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance understanding of wildfire impacts on water supplies. Submitted to: “Frontiers in Water” as a PERSPECTIVE article.Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, 2022, Strategies for Preventing and Managing Harmful Benthic Cyanobacterial Blooms (HCB-2). Washington, D.C.: Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, HCB Team (Holcomb, B., Stanton, B., Baysinger, C., Carpenter, K.D., etc, at https://hcb-2.itrcweb.org/Kraus, T.E., Saraceno, J., Downing, B., von Dessonneck, T., Goldman, J., Carpenter, K.D., McGhee, G., and Bergamaschi, B., Real time monitoring of dissolved organic matter (DOM) amount, composition, source, and reactivity using fluorescence spectroscopy: Applications for drinking water quality: Poster for American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco CA, 12/14/2010.Duff, J. H. Carpenter, K.D., and Triska, F.J., 2008, Seasonal phosphorus and nitrogen dynamics of open water during restoration of the Wood River Wetland, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA: Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. v. 30 (4), p. 515-520.Petersen, R.P. and Carpenter, K.D., 1996, Nutrient limitation in five lakes near Mount St. Helens, Washington: Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol., v. 26, p. 377-380.Carpenter, K.D., 1995, Indicators of nutrient limited plankton growth in lakes near Mount Saint Helens, Washington: Portland State University, MS thesis, 188 p.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Web Tools
Oregon Lake Profile Analysis Tools
In response to recent harmful algal blooms (HABs) that have occurred in many of the large water storage reservoirs in the Willamette River Basin the USGS is measuring related water-quality parameters in Detroit Lake, Blue River Lake, and Cougar Lake. The USGS has also developed profiler tools that allow users to see how the water quality parameters vary with depth in those reservoirs.
- News