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Michael R. Rosen (Former Employee)

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Drain carrying runoff from farm fields in Imperial Valley

Selenium Hazard in the Salton Sea Environment, Summary of Current Knowledge to Inform Future Science

The effect of selenium (Se) toxicity on wildlife has been known for more than 50 years. The threat of Se contamination gained greater attention from federal agencies in the 1980s due to the observation of embryo deformity and mortality in birds at a National Wildlife Refuge in California. Harmful effects from Se were determined to be connected to irrigation drainage water.As a result, an effort...
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California Water Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Selenium Hazard in the Salton Sea Environment, Summary of Current Knowledge to Inform Future Science

The effect of selenium (Se) toxicity on wildlife has been known for more than 50 years. The threat of Se contamination gained greater attention from federal agencies in the 1980s due to the observation of embryo deformity and mortality in birds at a National Wildlife Refuge in California. Harmful effects from Se were determined to be connected to irrigation drainage water.As a result, an effort...
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Microplastics sampling on Lake Mead

How are Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds Moving Through the Food Web in Lake Mead National Recreation Area?

Water quality in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAKE), particularly Las Vegas Bay, is affected by water coming from the Las Vegas Wash, an urban perennial stream whose water is comprised of treated wastewater and urban runoff coming from the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Common carp collected from Las Vegas Wash and Las Vegas Bay and largemouth bass collected from Las Vegas Bay have...
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Nevada Water Science Center
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How are Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds Moving Through the Food Web in Lake Mead National Recreation Area?

Water quality in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAKE), particularly Las Vegas Bay, is affected by water coming from the Las Vegas Wash, an urban perennial stream whose water is comprised of treated wastewater and urban runoff coming from the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Common carp collected from Las Vegas Wash and Las Vegas Bay and largemouth bass collected from Las Vegas Bay have...
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Girl Drinking Water

Groundwater Quality in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991—2010

A new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report summarizes the major findings of national and regional assessments of groundwater quality in 40 Principal Aquifers in the United States. Knowledge of contaminant occurrence and the factors that control contaminant concentrations can ensure the availability and quality of this vital natural resource in the future.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Groundwater Quality in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991—2010

A new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report summarizes the major findings of national and regional assessments of groundwater quality in 40 Principal Aquifers in the United States. Knowledge of contaminant occurrence and the factors that control contaminant concentrations can ensure the availability and quality of this vital natural resource in the future.
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Water and sediment data used to evaluate selenium hazards in the Salton Sea ecosystem

Due to declining water levels and increasing salinity in the Salton Sea which may increase the hazards to wildlife, the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are re-evaluating selenium concentrations in the region. As part of this work, selenium concentrations in water and sediment samples and selected other inorganic constituents were compiled from published reports, public databa
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California Water Science Center

Discharge, nutrient, and suspended sediment data for selected streams in the Lake Tahoe watershed

A time series of nutrient and mean daily discharge data were used to create models of daily concentration and loads for selected streams of the Lake Tahoe watershed. A total of 15 sites have records ranging from as early as 1972 to 2017. Nutrients in the data set include nitrate, ammonium, Kjeldahl Nitrogen, orthophosphate, and total phosphorus. Total suspended sediment concentrations are also inc
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California Water Science Center

X-Ray diffraction data for bulk sediment and clay separations taken from cores from Bristol Dry Lake, California and geothermal springs from Paoha Island (Mono Lake), California

X-Ray diffraction (XRD) data for bulk sediment and clay separations taken from cores from Bristol Dry Lake, California and geothermal springs from Paoha Island (Mono Lake), California. The data were collected for two separate projects: (1) determining the source of lithium in Bristol Dry Lake (BDL), and (2) determining the mechanism of sinter formation on Paoha Island, Mono Lake. The data from BDL
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Mineralogic, grain-size, biologic, and stable isotopic analyses of core TOPGUN-SODA10 2A-K from Big Soda Lake, Nevada, USA

These data were collected from the TOPGUN-SODA10 2AK core collected in 2010 by LacCore (University of Minnesota), the USGS. and the University of California (U.C.) Berkeley. The 8.9 meter length core had stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon sampled every 10 millimeters or so, and diatoms samples at every 50 millimeters to 200 millimeters depending on the depth in the core. mineralogic data were co
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California Water Science Center

Groundwater quality data from Bristol and Cadiz Basins, San Bernardino County, California, USA

Water chemistry data from wells drilled by brine operations in Bristol and Cadiz Basins in San Bernardino County, California, USA. These data are used in the Journal article: Rosen, M.R, Stillings, L.L., Kane, T., Campbell-Hay, K., Vitale, M., Spanjers, R., in press, Possible sources and mechanisms of anomalous Li and Ca enrichment in the Bristol Dry Lake brine compared to other playa brines in
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California Water Science Center

Supplemental Data for Groundwater Contributions to Excessive Algal Growth in the East Fork Carson River, Carson Valley, West-Central Nevada, 2010 and 2012

This data release contains two tabular data sets of water-quality data collected on the East Fork Carson River. EFCR_CQW.xlsx is a Microsoft Excel workbook containing continuous water-quality data collected by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) at a site on the East Fork Carson River over two time periods in 2010 and 2012. Data were collected at U.S. Geological Survey site num
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Nevada Water Science Center

Sperm quality biomarkers complement reproductive and endocrine parameters in investigating environmental contaminants in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (1999-2006)

Lake Mead National Recreational Area (LMNRA) serves as critical habitat for several federally listed species and supplies water for municipal, domestic, and agricultural use in the Southwestern U.S. Contaminant sources and concentrations vary among sub-basins within LMNRA. To investigate whether environmental contaminant exposure is associated with alterations in male common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
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Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Image: Hoover Dam and Lake Mead
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Image: Sampling Fish
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Image: Carson Valley
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Filter Total Items: 80

Middle and late Pleistocene pluvial history of Newark Valley, central Nevada, USA

Newark Valley lies between the two largest pluvial lake systems in the Great Basin, Lake Lahontan and Lake Bonneville. Soils and geomorphology, stratigraphic interpretations, radiocarbon ages, and amino acid racemization geochronology analyses were employed to interpret the relative and numerical ages of lacustrine deposits in the valley. The marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 2 beach barriers are
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Lakes of the western United States: Novel tools and new views

No abstract available.
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

From saline to freshwater: The diversity of western lakes in space and time

Beginning with the nineteenth-century territorial surveys, the lakes and lacustrine deposits in what is now the western United States were recognized for their economic value to the expanding nation. In the latter half of the twentieth century, these systems have been acknowledged as outstanding examples of depositional systems serving as models for energy exploration and environmental analysis, m
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Water Resources Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, California Water Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Potential role for microbial ureolysis in the rapid formation of carbonate tufa mounds

Modern carbonate tufa towers in the alkaline (~pH 9.5) Big Soda Lake (BSL), Nevada, exhibit rapid precipitation rates (exceeding 3 cm/year) and host diverse microbial communities. Geochemical indicators reveal that carbonate precipitation is, in part, promoted by the mixing of calcium-rich groundwater and carbonate-rich lake water, such that a microbial role for carbonate precipitation is unknown.
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Introduction to limnogeology: Progress, challenges, and opportunities: A tribute to Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch

Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch (1956–2016) was a leader and innovator in the specialty field of limnogeology since its beginnings in the late 1980s. Her excitement for field work and examining sediments was contagious, and she was always testing new research ideas. Beth would have been thrilled with the diversity of papers presented in the volume and the wide array of techniques used to determine t
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Middle Holocene hydrologic changes catalyzed by river avulsion in Big Soda Lake, Nevada, USA

Big Soda Lake is a 63 m deep, 1.6 km2 maar lake in the Great Basin of Nevada, USA. Water level in the lake is controlled by groundwater inputs from the surrounding aquifer and the only surface water input is rainfall, which is negligible. A core taken in 2010 records an 8.75 m depositional history of the lake. A radiocarbon date on fossil pollen from 8.4 m below the sediment water interface (BSWI)
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

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 regional aquifers in the area. In this study, we synt
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

A 450-year record of environmental change from Castle Lake, California (USA), inferred from diatoms and organic geochemistry

A 39-cm sediment core from Castle Lake, California (USA) spans the last ~ 450 years and was analyzed for diatoms and organic geochemistry (δ15N, δ13C, and C:N), with the goal of determining sensitivity to natural climate variation and twentieth century anthropogenic effects. Castle Lake is a subalpine, nitrogen-limited lake with ~ 5 months of annual ice cover. Human impacts include light recreatio
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Trends in nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentrations and loads in streams draining to Lake Tahoe, California, Nevada, USA

Lake Tahoe, a large freshwater lake of the eastern Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada, has 63 tributaries that are sources of nutrients and sediment to the lake. The Tahoe watershed is relatively small, and the surface area of the lake occupies about 38% of the watershed area (1313 km2). Only about 6% of the watershed is urbanized or residential land, and as part of a plan to maintain water cl
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center

Movement of synthetic organic compounds in the food web after the introduction of invasive quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) in Lake Mead, Nevada and Arizona, USA

Introductions of dreissenid mussels in North America have been a significant concern over the last few decades. This study assessed the distribution of synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) in the food web of Lake Mead, Nevada/Arizona, USA and how this distribution was influenced by the introduction of invasive quagga mussels. A clear spatial gradient of SOC concentrations in water was observed betwe
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, California Water Science Center, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Microplastics in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, USA: Occurrence and biological uptake

Microplastics are an environmental contaminant of growing concern, but there is a lack of information about microplastic distribution, persistence, availability, and biological uptake in freshwater systems. This is especially true for large river systems like the Colorado River that spans multiple states through mostly rural and agricultural land use. This study characterized the quantity and morp
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Idaho Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center

Li and Ca enrichment in the Bristol Dry Lake brine compared to brines from Cadiz and Danby Dry Lakes, Barstow-Bristol Trough, California, USA

Relatively few discharging playas in western United States extensional basins have high concentrations of lithium (Li) and calcium (Ca) in the basin-center brines. However, the source of both these ions is not well understood, and it is not clear why basins in close proximity within the same extensional trough have notably different concentrations of Li and Ca. In the Barstow-Bristol Trough, Calif
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Water Resources Mission Area, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, California Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Rosen, M.R., Miser, D.E. & Warren, J.K., 1988, Sedimentology, mineralogy, and isotopic analysis of Pellet Lake, Coorong Region, South Australia. Sedimentology, 35, 105-122.

Rosen, M.R., Miser, D.E., Starcher, M.A., & Warren, J.K., 1989, Formation of dolomite in the Coorong Region, South Australia. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 53, 661-669.
Rosen, M.R. & Warren, J.K., 1990, The origin and significance of groundwater seepage gypsum from Bristol Dry Lake Ca., USA. Sedimentology, 37, 983-996.
Rosen, M.R., 1991, Sedimentologic and geochemical constraints on the hydrologic evolution of Bristol Dry Lake, California, USA. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 84, 229-257.
Brown, W.J., & Rosen, M.R., 1995, Was there a Pliocene-Pleistocene fluvial-lacustrine connection between Death Valley and the Colorado River? Quaternary Research, 43, 286-296.
Jones, B., Renaut, R.W., & Rosen, M.R., 2004, Taxonomic fidelity of silicified filamentous microbes from hot spring systems in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, North Island, New Zealand. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 94, 475-483.
Pasvanoglu, S. Canik, B. & Rosen, M.R., 2004, Hydrogeology and possible effects of the Mw. 7.4 Marmara Earthquake (17 August 1999) on the spring waters in the Orhangazi-Bursa Area, Turkey. Journal Geological Society of India, 63, 313-322.
Rosen, M.R, 1994, The importance of groundwater in playas: A review of playa classifications and the sedimentology and hydrology of playas. In Rosen, M.R., (ed), Paleoclimate and Basin Evolution of Playa Systems, Geological Society of America Special Paper No. 289, 1-18.
Rosen, M.R., Turner, J.V., Coshell, L. & Gailitis, V., 1995, The effect of water temperature, stratification, and biological activity on the stable isotopic composition and timing of carbonate precipitation in a hypersaline lake. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59, 979-990.
Coshell, L., Rosen, M.R., & McNamara, K., 1998, Hydromagnesite replacement of biomineralised aragonite in a new location of Holocene stromatolites, Lake Walyungup, Western Australia, Sedimentology, 45, 1005-1018.
Rosen, M.R. & Jones, S. 1998, Controls on the groundwater composition of the Wanaka and Wakatipu basins, Central Otago, New Zealand. Hydrogeology Journal, 6, 264-281

**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.

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Scientists Study Selenium Hazard in the Salton Sea Environment

In the past decade, Salton Sea water elevation has declined due to drought, lining of canals, and changes to management of the Colorado River. This...

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Invasive Mussel Species Impacts the Food Web in Lake Mead

In an article for the journal Science of the Total Environment, USGS scientists and others discuss the impact of invasive quagga mussels on the...

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