Stephen E Cox (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 17
Element concentrations and grain size of sediment from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam (Enloe Reservoir) near Oroville, Washington, 2019
In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a reconnaissance survey of concentrations of 41 trace elements present in bed sediment in the reservoir on the Similkameen River upstream from Enloe Dam, near Oroville, Washington. The Similkameen River drains a watershed containing highly mineralized geologic deposits with current (2019) and historical mining activity. Results of this survey indicated
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Christopher A. Curran, Andrew R. Spanjer, Chad C. Opatz, Renee K. Takesue, J. Lynn Bell
Contrasting mobilization of elements in contact with sediment from Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River, Washington, USA
Trace element contamination is known to be widely present in sediment of Lake Roosevelt and the riverine reach of the Columbia River in Washington State, USA due to discharges from several smelters and numerous mines dating back to the mid-1800's. In this study, the concentrations of aqueous elements in contact with bed sediment from the lake and river were examined under varying degrees of physic
Authors
Anthony Paulson, Stephen E. Cox
Characterizing toxicity of metal‐contaminated sediments from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, USA, to benthic invertebrates
Sediments from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, USA, are contaminated with metals from smelting operations. We conducted short‐term and long‐term tests with the midge Chironomus dilutus and the amphipod Hyalella azteca and short‐term tests with the freshwater mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea with 54 sediments from the Upper Columbia River to characterize thresholds for toxicity of metals to benth
Authors
John M. Besser, Jeffery Steevens, James L. Kunz, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Stephen E. Cox, Christopher A. Mebane, Laurie S. Balistrieri, Jesse A. Sinclair, Donald D. MacDonald
Concentrations of nutrients at the water table beneath forage fields receiving seasonal applications of manure, Whatcom County, Washington, autumn 2011–spring 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Whatcom Conservation District (WCD), collected groundwater-quality data for roughly 3 years (October 2011–May 2015) from near the water table beneath forage fields receiving regular seasonal applications of liquid dairy manure in Whatcom County, Washington. The work was done as part of an evaluation of WCD’s prototypical Application Risk Manageme
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Andrew R. Spanjer, Raegan L. Huffman, Robert W. Black, Jack E. Barbash, Nichole M. Embertson
Potential toxicity of dissolved metal mixtures (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) to early life stage white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Upper Columbia River, Washington, United States
The Upper Columbia River (UCR) received historical releases of smelter waste resulting in elevated metal concentrations in downstream sediments. Newly hatched white sturgeon hide within the rocky substrate at the sediment–water interface in the UCR for a few weeks before swim-up. Hiding behavior could expose them to metal contaminants, and metal toxicity could contribute to population declines in
Authors
Laurie S. Balistrieri, Christopher A. Mebane, Stephen E. Cox, Holly J. Puglis, Robin D. Calfee, Ning Wang
Continuous-flow centrifugation to collect suspended sediment for chemical analysis
Recent advances in suspended-sediment monitoring tools and surrogate technologies have greatly improved the ability to quantify suspended-sediment concentrations and to estimate daily, seasonal, and annual suspended-sediment fluxes from rivers to coastal waters. However, little is known about the chemical composition of suspended sediment, and how it may vary spatially between water bodies and tem
Authors
Kathleen E. Conn, Richard S. Dinicola, Robert W. Black, Stephen E. Cox, Richard W. Sheibley, James R. Foreman, Craig A. Senter, Norman T. Peterson
Monitoring plant tissue nitrogen isotopes to assess nearshore inputs of nitrogen to Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington
Mats of filamentous-periphytic algae present in some nearshore areas of Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington, may indicate early stages of eutrophication from nutrient enrichment of an otherwise highly oligotrophic lake. Natural abundance ratios of stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) measured in plant tissue growing in nearshore areas of the lake indicate that the major source of nitrog
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Patrick W. Moran, Raegan L. Huffman, Steven C. Fradkin
Preliminary characterization of nitrogen and phosphorus in groundwater discharging to Lake Spokane, northeastern Washington, using stable nitrogen isotopes
Lake Spokane, locally referred to as Long Lake, is a 24-mile-long section of the Spokane River impounded by Long Lake Dam that has, in recent decades, experienced water-quality problems associated with eutrophication. Consumption of oxygen by the decomposition of aquatic plants that have proliferated because of high nutrient concentrations has led to seasonally low dissolved oxygen concentrations
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Stephen E. Cox, Andrew R. Spanjer
Transport and deposition of asbestos-rich sediment in the Sumas River, Whatcom County, Washington
Heavy sediment loads in the Sumas River of Whatcom County, Washington, increase seasonal turbidity and cause locally acute sedimentation. Most sediment in the Sumas River is derived from a deep-seated landslide of serpentinite that is located on Sumas Mountain and drained by Swift Creek, a tributary to the Sumas River. This mafic sediment contains high amounts of naturally occurring asbestiform ch
Authors
Christopher A. Curran, Scott W. Anderson, Jack E. Barbash, Christopher S. Magirl, Stephen E. Cox, Katherine K. Norton, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Andrew R. Spanjer, James R. Foreman
Temporal variability of exchange between groundwater and surface water based on high-frequency direct measurements of seepage at the sediment-water interface
Seepage at the sediment-water interface in several lakes, a large river, and an estuary exhibits substantial temporal variability when measured with temporal resolution of 1 min or less. Already substantial seepage rates changed by 7% and 16% in response to relatively small rain events at two lakes in the northeastern USA, but did not change in response to two larger rain events at a lake in Minne
Authors
Donald O. Rosenberry, Rich W. Sheibley, Stephen E. Cox, Frederic W. Simonds, David L. Naftz
Sediment cores and chemistry for the Kootenai River White Sturgeon Habitat Restoration Project, Boundary County, Idaho
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, in cooperation with local, State, Federal, and Canadian agency co-managers and scientists, is assessing the feasibility of a Kootenai River habitat restoration project in Boundary County, Idaho. This project is oriented toward recovery of the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) population, and simultaneously targets habitat-based recovery
Authors
Gary J. Barton, Rhonda J. Weakland, Ryan L. Fosness, Stephen E. Cox, Marshall L. Williams
Sediment Loading from Crab Creek and Other Sources to Moses Lake, Washington, 2007 and 2008
The average sediment-accumulation rate on the bed of Moses Lake since 1980, based on the identification of Mount St. Helens ash in lakebed cores, was 0.24 inches per year. Summed over the lake surface area, the average sediment-accumulation rate on the lakebed is 190,000 tons per year. Based on USGS stream-gaging station data, the average annual sediment load to Moses Lake from Crab Creek was 32,0
Authors
Christopher S. Magirl, Stephen E. Cox, Mark C. Mastin, Raegan L. Huffman
Assessment of Sediment Quality and Volume behind Enloe Dam
The Issue: The Enloe Dam, a 100-yr old structure on the Similkameen River in Washington State, has not produced hydropower since 1958 and options are being considered for potential removal of the dam. The concentrations of sediment contaminants (primarily trace elements from a long history of mining and smelting operations in the US and Canada) trapped by Enloe Dam are unknown and may be high...
Sediment chemistry and characteristics of samples collected in 2019 from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam, Okanogan County, Washington (ver. 3.0, March 2022)
This data release provides information on the chemistry and character of bed sediments accumulated in the 1.6-mile long impoundment behind Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River in Okanogan County, WA. Sediment samples were collected during four weeks in October – December 2019. The sampling locations were distributed among 10 transects that ranged from 0.1-0.2 miles apart along the length of the rese
Concentration of nitrate and other water-quality constituents in groundwater from the water table beneath forage fields receiving seasonal applications of dairy manure, Whatcom County, Washington (2015)
Application of dairy manure to cropland is intended to provide nutrients for crop growth and improve soil quality, the goal being to match the rate of nutrient application to that rate of nutrient removal by the crop. Nitrate contamination of groundwater is widespread and persistent in the shallow surficial aquifer of northwestern Whatcom County where dairy farming and forage production is a prima
Toxicity and chemistry data from an evaluation of metal-contaminated sediments from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, 2013-2014
This resource contains chemistry and toxicity data from sediment toxicity tests conducted by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center with 66 sediment samples collected from in and around the Upper Columbia River in the fall of 2013. Toxicity testing was conducted from fall 2013 through summer 2014 with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis si
Trace elements concentrations in pore water and surface water near the sediment-water interface in the Upper Columbia River, Washington (2015)
Smelter slag containing copper and other trace elements is widespread in riverbed sediment of the upper Columbia River (UCR) of the United States. To evaluate potential risk to aquatic life concentrations of copper and other trace elements were measured in shallow pore-water and in river water samples collected near the sediment-water interface. Samples were collected using an in-situ pore-water p
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 17
Element concentrations and grain size of sediment from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam (Enloe Reservoir) near Oroville, Washington, 2019
In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a reconnaissance survey of concentrations of 41 trace elements present in bed sediment in the reservoir on the Similkameen River upstream from Enloe Dam, near Oroville, Washington. The Similkameen River drains a watershed containing highly mineralized geologic deposits with current (2019) and historical mining activity. Results of this survey indicated
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Christopher A. Curran, Andrew R. Spanjer, Chad C. Opatz, Renee K. Takesue, J. Lynn Bell
Contrasting mobilization of elements in contact with sediment from Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River, Washington, USA
Trace element contamination is known to be widely present in sediment of Lake Roosevelt and the riverine reach of the Columbia River in Washington State, USA due to discharges from several smelters and numerous mines dating back to the mid-1800's. In this study, the concentrations of aqueous elements in contact with bed sediment from the lake and river were examined under varying degrees of physic
Authors
Anthony Paulson, Stephen E. Cox
Characterizing toxicity of metal‐contaminated sediments from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, USA, to benthic invertebrates
Sediments from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, USA, are contaminated with metals from smelting operations. We conducted short‐term and long‐term tests with the midge Chironomus dilutus and the amphipod Hyalella azteca and short‐term tests with the freshwater mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea with 54 sediments from the Upper Columbia River to characterize thresholds for toxicity of metals to benth
Authors
John M. Besser, Jeffery Steevens, James L. Kunz, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Stephen E. Cox, Christopher A. Mebane, Laurie S. Balistrieri, Jesse A. Sinclair, Donald D. MacDonald
Concentrations of nutrients at the water table beneath forage fields receiving seasonal applications of manure, Whatcom County, Washington, autumn 2011–spring 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Whatcom Conservation District (WCD), collected groundwater-quality data for roughly 3 years (October 2011–May 2015) from near the water table beneath forage fields receiving regular seasonal applications of liquid dairy manure in Whatcom County, Washington. The work was done as part of an evaluation of WCD’s prototypical Application Risk Manageme
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Andrew R. Spanjer, Raegan L. Huffman, Robert W. Black, Jack E. Barbash, Nichole M. Embertson
Potential toxicity of dissolved metal mixtures (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) to early life stage white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Upper Columbia River, Washington, United States
The Upper Columbia River (UCR) received historical releases of smelter waste resulting in elevated metal concentrations in downstream sediments. Newly hatched white sturgeon hide within the rocky substrate at the sediment–water interface in the UCR for a few weeks before swim-up. Hiding behavior could expose them to metal contaminants, and metal toxicity could contribute to population declines in
Authors
Laurie S. Balistrieri, Christopher A. Mebane, Stephen E. Cox, Holly J. Puglis, Robin D. Calfee, Ning Wang
Continuous-flow centrifugation to collect suspended sediment for chemical analysis
Recent advances in suspended-sediment monitoring tools and surrogate technologies have greatly improved the ability to quantify suspended-sediment concentrations and to estimate daily, seasonal, and annual suspended-sediment fluxes from rivers to coastal waters. However, little is known about the chemical composition of suspended sediment, and how it may vary spatially between water bodies and tem
Authors
Kathleen E. Conn, Richard S. Dinicola, Robert W. Black, Stephen E. Cox, Richard W. Sheibley, James R. Foreman, Craig A. Senter, Norman T. Peterson
Monitoring plant tissue nitrogen isotopes to assess nearshore inputs of nitrogen to Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington
Mats of filamentous-periphytic algae present in some nearshore areas of Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington, may indicate early stages of eutrophication from nutrient enrichment of an otherwise highly oligotrophic lake. Natural abundance ratios of stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) measured in plant tissue growing in nearshore areas of the lake indicate that the major source of nitrog
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Patrick W. Moran, Raegan L. Huffman, Steven C. Fradkin
Preliminary characterization of nitrogen and phosphorus in groundwater discharging to Lake Spokane, northeastern Washington, using stable nitrogen isotopes
Lake Spokane, locally referred to as Long Lake, is a 24-mile-long section of the Spokane River impounded by Long Lake Dam that has, in recent decades, experienced water-quality problems associated with eutrophication. Consumption of oxygen by the decomposition of aquatic plants that have proliferated because of high nutrient concentrations has led to seasonally low dissolved oxygen concentrations
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Stephen E. Cox, Andrew R. Spanjer
Transport and deposition of asbestos-rich sediment in the Sumas River, Whatcom County, Washington
Heavy sediment loads in the Sumas River of Whatcom County, Washington, increase seasonal turbidity and cause locally acute sedimentation. Most sediment in the Sumas River is derived from a deep-seated landslide of serpentinite that is located on Sumas Mountain and drained by Swift Creek, a tributary to the Sumas River. This mafic sediment contains high amounts of naturally occurring asbestiform ch
Authors
Christopher A. Curran, Scott W. Anderson, Jack E. Barbash, Christopher S. Magirl, Stephen E. Cox, Katherine K. Norton, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Andrew R. Spanjer, James R. Foreman
Temporal variability of exchange between groundwater and surface water based on high-frequency direct measurements of seepage at the sediment-water interface
Seepage at the sediment-water interface in several lakes, a large river, and an estuary exhibits substantial temporal variability when measured with temporal resolution of 1 min or less. Already substantial seepage rates changed by 7% and 16% in response to relatively small rain events at two lakes in the northeastern USA, but did not change in response to two larger rain events at a lake in Minne
Authors
Donald O. Rosenberry, Rich W. Sheibley, Stephen E. Cox, Frederic W. Simonds, David L. Naftz
Sediment cores and chemistry for the Kootenai River White Sturgeon Habitat Restoration Project, Boundary County, Idaho
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, in cooperation with local, State, Federal, and Canadian agency co-managers and scientists, is assessing the feasibility of a Kootenai River habitat restoration project in Boundary County, Idaho. This project is oriented toward recovery of the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) population, and simultaneously targets habitat-based recovery
Authors
Gary J. Barton, Rhonda J. Weakland, Ryan L. Fosness, Stephen E. Cox, Marshall L. Williams
Sediment Loading from Crab Creek and Other Sources to Moses Lake, Washington, 2007 and 2008
The average sediment-accumulation rate on the bed of Moses Lake since 1980, based on the identification of Mount St. Helens ash in lakebed cores, was 0.24 inches per year. Summed over the lake surface area, the average sediment-accumulation rate on the lakebed is 190,000 tons per year. Based on USGS stream-gaging station data, the average annual sediment load to Moses Lake from Crab Creek was 32,0
Authors
Christopher S. Magirl, Stephen E. Cox, Mark C. Mastin, Raegan L. Huffman
Assessment of Sediment Quality and Volume behind Enloe Dam
The Issue: The Enloe Dam, a 100-yr old structure on the Similkameen River in Washington State, has not produced hydropower since 1958 and options are being considered for potential removal of the dam. The concentrations of sediment contaminants (primarily trace elements from a long history of mining and smelting operations in the US and Canada) trapped by Enloe Dam are unknown and may be high...
Sediment chemistry and characteristics of samples collected in 2019 from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam, Okanogan County, Washington (ver. 3.0, March 2022)
This data release provides information on the chemistry and character of bed sediments accumulated in the 1.6-mile long impoundment behind Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River in Okanogan County, WA. Sediment samples were collected during four weeks in October – December 2019. The sampling locations were distributed among 10 transects that ranged from 0.1-0.2 miles apart along the length of the rese
Concentration of nitrate and other water-quality constituents in groundwater from the water table beneath forage fields receiving seasonal applications of dairy manure, Whatcom County, Washington (2015)
Application of dairy manure to cropland is intended to provide nutrients for crop growth and improve soil quality, the goal being to match the rate of nutrient application to that rate of nutrient removal by the crop. Nitrate contamination of groundwater is widespread and persistent in the shallow surficial aquifer of northwestern Whatcom County where dairy farming and forage production is a prima
Toxicity and chemistry data from an evaluation of metal-contaminated sediments from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, 2013-2014
This resource contains chemistry and toxicity data from sediment toxicity tests conducted by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center with 66 sediment samples collected from in and around the Upper Columbia River in the fall of 2013. Toxicity testing was conducted from fall 2013 through summer 2014 with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis si
Trace elements concentrations in pore water and surface water near the sediment-water interface in the Upper Columbia River, Washington (2015)
Smelter slag containing copper and other trace elements is widespread in riverbed sediment of the upper Columbia River (UCR) of the United States. To evaluate potential risk to aquatic life concentrations of copper and other trace elements were measured in shallow pore-water and in river water samples collected near the sediment-water interface. Samples were collected using an in-situ pore-water p