Nancy Baker (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Pesticides
About 1 billion pounds of conventional pesticides are used each year in the United States to control weeds, insects, and other pests. The use of pesticides has resulted in a range of benefits, including increased food production and reduction of insect-borne disease, but also raises questions about possible adverse effects on the environment, including water quality. The National Water Quality...
Model and Data Resources Supporting Water-Quality Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
This dataset provides detailed information on availability of model resources (including models and datasets) that support the modeling of six key water-quality constituents (or constituent categories) across the hydrologic system. In addition, resources associated with nine “cross-cutting” topics for modeling water quality are included, with “cross-cutting” defined herein as having...
Geospatially derived environmental characteristics to prioritize watersheds for research and monitoring needs within 18 hydrologic regions across the United States
Water availability for human and ecosystem needs is a function of both water quantity and water quality, as described in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Strategy (Evenson and others, 2013). Recently, a quantitative approach to prioritize candidate watersheds for monitoring investment was developed to understand changes in water availability and advance the objectives of...
Water Level Altitude in Bedrock Wells and Meteorological Data at the Masser Groundwater Recharge Site between February 1 and December 31, 1999
This product contains time-series data for groundwater level altitudes in bedrock boreholes and meteorological information from a site administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The site, referred to as the Masser Groundwater Recharge Site, is located in the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province of eastern-central Pennsylvania, USA...
Glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in National Water Quality Network Streams and Rivers in the U.S., Water Years 2015-2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Network - Rivers and Streams (NWQN) is comprised of 110 surface-water monitoring sites designed to track ambient water-quality conditions across the nation. Although numerous constituents, including pesticides, have been collected at many of these sites since 1991, glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA)...
Geospatial database of the study boundary, sampled sites, watersheds, and riparian zones for U.S. Geological Survey Southeast Stream Quality Assessment
In 2015, the second of several Regional Stream Quality Assessments (RSQA) was done in the southeastern United States. The Southeast Stream Quality Assessment (SESQA) was a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project. One of the objectives of the RSQA, and thus the SESQA, is to characterize the relationships between water-quality stressors...
Data Sets and Figures for the Report Entitled, "A Field Study of Selected U.S. Geological Survey Analytical Methods for Measuring Pesticides in Filtered Stream Water, June-September 2012"
The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program and National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) are U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring programs that measure pesticide concentrations in the Nations streams and rivers, herein collectively referred to as streams. The NAWQA Program began monitoring pesticides in 1992 and the NASQAN Program began monitoring pesticides in...
Agricultural Pesticide Use Estimates for Selected Watersheds of the Surface Water Trends Project, 1992-2014, National Water Quality Program
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP) provides an understanding of water-quality conditions; whether conditions are getting better or worse over time; and how natural features and human activities affect those conditions. The Surface Water Trends (SWT) project of NWQP evaluates the directions, periods, and statistical significance of trends in water...
Agricultural Pesticide Use Estimates for the USGS National Water Quality Network, 1992-2014: Version 2
The National Water Quality Network (NWQN) for Rivers and Streams includes 113 surface-water river and stream sites monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP). The NWQN represents the consolidation of four historical national networks: the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network...
Datasets for the Report Entitled: "A Method for Addressing Differences in Concentrations of Fipronil and Three Degradates Obtained by Two Different Laboratory Methods"
This report provides data input and computation results for a method developed by Crawford and Martin (2017) to address differences in concentrations of fipronil and three degradates obtained by two different laboratory methods. Data are arranged in 9 tables that include water-quality site information, laboratory recovery data, laboratory analyses results and measured water-sample...
Watershed Boundaries for the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Network
The National Water Quality Network (NWQN) for Rivers and Streams includes 113 surface-water river and stream sites monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP). The NWQN represents the consolidation of four historical national networks: the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network...
Agricultural Pesticide Use Estimates for the USGS National Water Quality Network, 1992-2014
The National Water Quality Network (NWQN) for Rivers and Streams includes 113 surface-water river and stream sites monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP). The NWQN represents the consolidation of four historical national networks: the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network...
Filter Total Items: 38
Gaps in water quality modeling of hydrologic systems
This review assesses gaps in water quality modeling, emphasizing opportunities to improve next-generation models that are essential for managing water quality and are integral to meeting goals of scientific and management agencies. In particular, this paper identifies gaps in water quality modeling capabilities that, if addressed, could support assessments, projections, and evaluations...
Authors
Lisa Lucas, Craig J. Brown, Dale M. Robertson, Nancy T. Baker, Zachary Johnson, Christopher Green, Se Jong Cho, Melinda L. Erickson, Allen C. Gellis, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Noah Knowles, Andreas Prein, Paul Stackelberg
Ranking river basins for stream temperature research and monitoring in the contiguous United States
There is a need to prioritize research and data collection in river basins by integrating information from environmental, ecological, and socioeconomic datasets to maintain acceptable water quality for human uses and ecosystem health. Multiple anthropogenic and natural stressors are responsible for driving changes in stream temperatures that can alter ecosystems and degrade water quality...
Authors
Ramon C. Naranjo, Zachary Johnson, Lisa Lucas, Nancy T. Baker, Christopher Green
Prioritizing US Geological Survey science on salinization and salinity in candidate and selected priority river basins
The US Geological Survey (USGS) is selecting and prioritizing basins, known as Integrated Water Science basins, for monitoring and intensive study. Previous efforts to aid in this selection process include a scientifically defensible and quantitative assessment of basins facing human-caused water resource challenges (Van Metre et al. in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 192(7)...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Nancy T. Baker, Craig J. Brown, Christopher T. Green, Douglas B. Kent
Green infrastructure in the Great Lakes—Assessment of performance, barriers, and unintended consequences
The Great Lakes Basin covers around 536,393 square kilometers, and the Great Lakes hold more than 5,400 cubic miles of water, accounting for more than 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water supply. The Great Lakes provide a source of drinking water to tens of millions of people in Canada and the United States and support one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Increasing...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker, Daniel J. Sullivan, William R. Selbig, Ralph J. Haefner, David C. Lampe, E. Randall Bayless, Michael R. McHale
Nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations in the Maumee River and tributaries during 2019 rain-induced fallow conditions
Above average precipitation from October 2018 through July 2019 in the Maumee River (R.) Basin resulted in 29% of cropland left fallow, providing a glimpse of potential effects from decreased nutrient application. Ongoing monitoring at 15 water-quality sites on the Maumee R. upstream from Defiance enabled comparison with 2017, which was hydrologically similar to 2019 in precipitation and...
Authors
Tanja N. Williamson, Kimberly Shaffer, Donna L. Runkle, Matthew John Hardebeck, Edward G. Dobrowolski, Jeffrey W. Frey, Nancy T. Baker, Katie Marie Collier, Carrie A. Huitger, Stephanie P. Kula, Ralph J. Haefner, Lisa M Hartley, Hunter Frederick Crates, J. Jeremy Webber, Dennis P. Finnegan, Nicholas J. Reithel, Chad Toussant, Thomas L. Weaver
Causal factors for pesticide trends in streams of the United States: Atrazine and deethylatrazine
Pesticides are important for agriculture in the United States, and atrazine is one of the most widely used and widely detected pesticides in surface water. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which atrazine and its degradation product, deethylatrazine, increase and decrease in surface waters can help inform future decisions for water-quality improvement. This study considers...
Authors
Karen R. Ryberg, Wesley W. Stone, Nancy T. Baker
Influence of land use and region on glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in streams in the USA
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the United States for agricultural and non-agricultural weed control. Many studies demonstrate possible effects of glyphosate and its degradate AMPA on human and ecological health. Although glyphosate is thought to have limited mobility in soil, it is found year-round in many rivers and streams throughout the world in both agricultural and...
Authors
Laura Medalie, Nancy T. Baker, Megan E. Shoda, Wesley W. Stone, Michael T. Meyer, Edward G. Stets, Michaelah C. Wilson
Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and longterm...
Authors
Paul D. Capel, Kathleen A. McCarthy, Richard H. Coupe, Katia M. Grey, Sheila E. Amenumey, Nancy T. Baker, Richard L. Johnson
Contrasting nitrogen fate in watersheds using agricultural and water quality information
Surplus nitrogen (N) estimates, principal component analysis (PCA), and end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) were used in a multisite comparison contrasting the fate of N in diverse agricultural watersheds. We applied PCA-EMMA in 10 watersheds located in Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Mississippi, and Washington ranging in size from 5 to 1254 km2 with four nested watersheds. Watershed...
Authors
Hedeff I. Essaid, Nancy T. Baker, Kathleen A. McCarthy
Estimated agricultural pesticide use for Southeast Stream-Quality Assessment, 2014
Introduction One of the goals of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southeast Stream-Quality Assessment (SESQA) is to characterize contaminants at perennial-stream sites throughout the southern Piedmont and southern Appalachian Mountains. The evaluation of pesticide inputs from agricultural sources will aid in that characterization. Methods used for calculating county-level pesticide use...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker
Preliminary estimates of annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 2013
Summary This report provides preliminary estimates of annual agricultural use of 387 pesticide compounds in counties of the conterminous United States in 2013, compiled by means of methods described in Thelin and Stone (2013) and Baker and Stone (2015). U.S. Department of Agriculture county-level data for harvested-crop acreage were used in conjunction with proprietary Crop Reporting...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker
Estimated annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 2008-12
Annual county-level pesticide use was estimated for 423 herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides applied to agricultural crops grown in the conterminous United States during 2008–12. For all States except California, pesticide-use data were compiled from proprietary surveys of farm operations located within U.S. Department of Agriculture Crop Reporting Districts (CRDs). Surveyed...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker, Wesley W. Stone
Non-USGS Publications**
Baker, N.T., 1996, Use of a global positioning system and an acoustic doppler current profiler to map river and lake bathymetery: Published in Hallam, C.A., Salisbury, J.M., Lanfear, K.J., and Battaglin, W.A., eds., Proceedings of the American Water Resources Association Annual Symposium--Geographic Information Systems and Water Resources: Herndon, Virginia, American Water Resources Association, Technical Publication Series 96-3, p. 373-381.
**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.
Science and Products
Pesticides
About 1 billion pounds of conventional pesticides are used each year in the United States to control weeds, insects, and other pests. The use of pesticides has resulted in a range of benefits, including increased food production and reduction of insect-borne disease, but also raises questions about possible adverse effects on the environment, including water quality. The National Water Quality...
Model and Data Resources Supporting Water-Quality Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
This dataset provides detailed information on availability of model resources (including models and datasets) that support the modeling of six key water-quality constituents (or constituent categories) across the hydrologic system. In addition, resources associated with nine “cross-cutting” topics for modeling water quality are included, with “cross-cutting” defined herein as having...
Geospatially derived environmental characteristics to prioritize watersheds for research and monitoring needs within 18 hydrologic regions across the United States
Water availability for human and ecosystem needs is a function of both water quantity and water quality, as described in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Strategy (Evenson and others, 2013). Recently, a quantitative approach to prioritize candidate watersheds for monitoring investment was developed to understand changes in water availability and advance the objectives of...
Water Level Altitude in Bedrock Wells and Meteorological Data at the Masser Groundwater Recharge Site between February 1 and December 31, 1999
This product contains time-series data for groundwater level altitudes in bedrock boreholes and meteorological information from a site administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The site, referred to as the Masser Groundwater Recharge Site, is located in the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province of eastern-central Pennsylvania, USA...
Glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in National Water Quality Network Streams and Rivers in the U.S., Water Years 2015-2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Network - Rivers and Streams (NWQN) is comprised of 110 surface-water monitoring sites designed to track ambient water-quality conditions across the nation. Although numerous constituents, including pesticides, have been collected at many of these sites since 1991, glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA)...
Geospatial database of the study boundary, sampled sites, watersheds, and riparian zones for U.S. Geological Survey Southeast Stream Quality Assessment
In 2015, the second of several Regional Stream Quality Assessments (RSQA) was done in the southeastern United States. The Southeast Stream Quality Assessment (SESQA) was a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project. One of the objectives of the RSQA, and thus the SESQA, is to characterize the relationships between water-quality stressors...
Data Sets and Figures for the Report Entitled, "A Field Study of Selected U.S. Geological Survey Analytical Methods for Measuring Pesticides in Filtered Stream Water, June-September 2012"
The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program and National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) are U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring programs that measure pesticide concentrations in the Nations streams and rivers, herein collectively referred to as streams. The NAWQA Program began monitoring pesticides in 1992 and the NASQAN Program began monitoring pesticides in...
Agricultural Pesticide Use Estimates for Selected Watersheds of the Surface Water Trends Project, 1992-2014, National Water Quality Program
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP) provides an understanding of water-quality conditions; whether conditions are getting better or worse over time; and how natural features and human activities affect those conditions. The Surface Water Trends (SWT) project of NWQP evaluates the directions, periods, and statistical significance of trends in water...
Agricultural Pesticide Use Estimates for the USGS National Water Quality Network, 1992-2014: Version 2
The National Water Quality Network (NWQN) for Rivers and Streams includes 113 surface-water river and stream sites monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP). The NWQN represents the consolidation of four historical national networks: the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network...
Datasets for the Report Entitled: "A Method for Addressing Differences in Concentrations of Fipronil and Three Degradates Obtained by Two Different Laboratory Methods"
This report provides data input and computation results for a method developed by Crawford and Martin (2017) to address differences in concentrations of fipronil and three degradates obtained by two different laboratory methods. Data are arranged in 9 tables that include water-quality site information, laboratory recovery data, laboratory analyses results and measured water-sample...
Watershed Boundaries for the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Network
The National Water Quality Network (NWQN) for Rivers and Streams includes 113 surface-water river and stream sites monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP). The NWQN represents the consolidation of four historical national networks: the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network...
Agricultural Pesticide Use Estimates for the USGS National Water Quality Network, 1992-2014
The National Water Quality Network (NWQN) for Rivers and Streams includes 113 surface-water river and stream sites monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Program (NWQP). The NWQN represents the consolidation of four historical national networks: the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network...
Filter Total Items: 38
Gaps in water quality modeling of hydrologic systems
This review assesses gaps in water quality modeling, emphasizing opportunities to improve next-generation models that are essential for managing water quality and are integral to meeting goals of scientific and management agencies. In particular, this paper identifies gaps in water quality modeling capabilities that, if addressed, could support assessments, projections, and evaluations...
Authors
Lisa Lucas, Craig J. Brown, Dale M. Robertson, Nancy T. Baker, Zachary Johnson, Christopher Green, Se Jong Cho, Melinda L. Erickson, Allen C. Gellis, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Noah Knowles, Andreas Prein, Paul Stackelberg
Ranking river basins for stream temperature research and monitoring in the contiguous United States
There is a need to prioritize research and data collection in river basins by integrating information from environmental, ecological, and socioeconomic datasets to maintain acceptable water quality for human uses and ecosystem health. Multiple anthropogenic and natural stressors are responsible for driving changes in stream temperatures that can alter ecosystems and degrade water quality...
Authors
Ramon C. Naranjo, Zachary Johnson, Lisa Lucas, Nancy T. Baker, Christopher Green
Prioritizing US Geological Survey science on salinization and salinity in candidate and selected priority river basins
The US Geological Survey (USGS) is selecting and prioritizing basins, known as Integrated Water Science basins, for monitoring and intensive study. Previous efforts to aid in this selection process include a scientifically defensible and quantitative assessment of basins facing human-caused water resource challenges (Van Metre et al. in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 192(7)...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Nancy T. Baker, Craig J. Brown, Christopher T. Green, Douglas B. Kent
Green infrastructure in the Great Lakes—Assessment of performance, barriers, and unintended consequences
The Great Lakes Basin covers around 536,393 square kilometers, and the Great Lakes hold more than 5,400 cubic miles of water, accounting for more than 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water supply. The Great Lakes provide a source of drinking water to tens of millions of people in Canada and the United States and support one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Increasing...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker, Daniel J. Sullivan, William R. Selbig, Ralph J. Haefner, David C. Lampe, E. Randall Bayless, Michael R. McHale
Nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations in the Maumee River and tributaries during 2019 rain-induced fallow conditions
Above average precipitation from October 2018 through July 2019 in the Maumee River (R.) Basin resulted in 29% of cropland left fallow, providing a glimpse of potential effects from decreased nutrient application. Ongoing monitoring at 15 water-quality sites on the Maumee R. upstream from Defiance enabled comparison with 2017, which was hydrologically similar to 2019 in precipitation and...
Authors
Tanja N. Williamson, Kimberly Shaffer, Donna L. Runkle, Matthew John Hardebeck, Edward G. Dobrowolski, Jeffrey W. Frey, Nancy T. Baker, Katie Marie Collier, Carrie A. Huitger, Stephanie P. Kula, Ralph J. Haefner, Lisa M Hartley, Hunter Frederick Crates, J. Jeremy Webber, Dennis P. Finnegan, Nicholas J. Reithel, Chad Toussant, Thomas L. Weaver
Causal factors for pesticide trends in streams of the United States: Atrazine and deethylatrazine
Pesticides are important for agriculture in the United States, and atrazine is one of the most widely used and widely detected pesticides in surface water. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which atrazine and its degradation product, deethylatrazine, increase and decrease in surface waters can help inform future decisions for water-quality improvement. This study considers...
Authors
Karen R. Ryberg, Wesley W. Stone, Nancy T. Baker
Influence of land use and region on glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in streams in the USA
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the United States for agricultural and non-agricultural weed control. Many studies demonstrate possible effects of glyphosate and its degradate AMPA on human and ecological health. Although glyphosate is thought to have limited mobility in soil, it is found year-round in many rivers and streams throughout the world in both agricultural and...
Authors
Laura Medalie, Nancy T. Baker, Megan E. Shoda, Wesley W. Stone, Michael T. Meyer, Edward G. Stets, Michaelah C. Wilson
Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and longterm...
Authors
Paul D. Capel, Kathleen A. McCarthy, Richard H. Coupe, Katia M. Grey, Sheila E. Amenumey, Nancy T. Baker, Richard L. Johnson
Contrasting nitrogen fate in watersheds using agricultural and water quality information
Surplus nitrogen (N) estimates, principal component analysis (PCA), and end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) were used in a multisite comparison contrasting the fate of N in diverse agricultural watersheds. We applied PCA-EMMA in 10 watersheds located in Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Mississippi, and Washington ranging in size from 5 to 1254 km2 with four nested watersheds. Watershed...
Authors
Hedeff I. Essaid, Nancy T. Baker, Kathleen A. McCarthy
Estimated agricultural pesticide use for Southeast Stream-Quality Assessment, 2014
Introduction One of the goals of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southeast Stream-Quality Assessment (SESQA) is to characterize contaminants at perennial-stream sites throughout the southern Piedmont and southern Appalachian Mountains. The evaluation of pesticide inputs from agricultural sources will aid in that characterization. Methods used for calculating county-level pesticide use...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker
Preliminary estimates of annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 2013
Summary This report provides preliminary estimates of annual agricultural use of 387 pesticide compounds in counties of the conterminous United States in 2013, compiled by means of methods described in Thelin and Stone (2013) and Baker and Stone (2015). U.S. Department of Agriculture county-level data for harvested-crop acreage were used in conjunction with proprietary Crop Reporting...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker
Estimated annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 2008-12
Annual county-level pesticide use was estimated for 423 herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides applied to agricultural crops grown in the conterminous United States during 2008–12. For all States except California, pesticide-use data were compiled from proprietary surveys of farm operations located within U.S. Department of Agriculture Crop Reporting Districts (CRDs). Surveyed...
Authors
Nancy T. Baker, Wesley W. Stone
Non-USGS Publications**
Baker, N.T., 1996, Use of a global positioning system and an acoustic doppler current profiler to map river and lake bathymetery: Published in Hallam, C.A., Salisbury, J.M., Lanfear, K.J., and Battaglin, W.A., eds., Proceedings of the American Water Resources Association Annual Symposium--Geographic Information Systems and Water Resources: Herndon, Virginia, American Water Resources Association, Technical Publication Series 96-3, p. 373-381.
**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.