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Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.

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Upper Illinois River basin Upper Illinois River basin

During the past 25 years, industry and government made large financial investments that resulted in better water quality across the Nation; however, many water-quality concerns remain. Following a 1986 pilot project, the U.S. Geological Survey began implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1991. This program differs from other national water-quality...
Authors
Michael J. Friedel

Photoprotective substance occurs primarily in outer layers of fish skin Photoprotective substance occurs primarily in outer layers of fish skin

Methanol extracts of dorsal skin layers, eyes, gills, and livers from ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation-sensitive and UVB-tolerant species of freshwater fish were examined for a substance that appears to be photoprotective. Significantly larger amounts of this substance were found in extracts of outer dorsal skin layers from both UVB-sensitive and UVB-tolerant fish when compared with...
Authors
D. L. Fabacher, E. E. Little

Development and application of a marine sediment pore-water toxicity test using Ulva fasciata zoospores Development and application of a marine sediment pore-water toxicity test using Ulva fasciata zoospores

An acute (96 h) pore-water toxicity test protocol using germination and growth of Ulva fasciatazoospores as endpoints was developed to test the toxicity of marine and estuarine sediment pore-water samples. Tests with an organic toxicant (sodium dodecyl sulfate; SDS), three metals (Cd, Cu, and Zn), and ammonia (NH3) were conducted to determine zoospore sensitivity. Zoospore germination...
Authors
Russell L. Hooten, R. Scott Carr

The CETAC ADX-500 Autodiluter System: A Study of Dilution Performance with the ELAN 6000 ICP-MS and ELAN Software The CETAC ADX-500 Autodiluter System: A Study of Dilution Performance with the ELAN 6000 ICP-MS and ELAN Software

The CETAC ADX-500 autodiluter system was tested with ELAN?? v 2.1 software and the ELAN 6000 ICP-MS instrument to determine on-line automated dilution performance during analysis of standard solutions containing nine analytes representative of the mass spectral range (mass 9 to mass 238). Two or more dilution schemes were tested for each of 5 test tube designs. Dilution performance was...
Authors
Thomas W. May, Ray H. Wiedmeyer

Water quality, hydrology, and invertebrate communities of three remnant wetlands in Missouri, 1995-97 Water quality, hydrology, and invertebrate communities of three remnant wetlands in Missouri, 1995-97

This report presents the results of a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from December 1995 through May 1997 to describe the water quality, hydrologic, and invertebrate characteristics of three remnant wetlands. These data may be used to help develop selected water-quality standards for wetlands in Missouri...
Authors
David C. Heimann, Suzanne R. Femmer

Water-quality assessment of the Ozark Plateaus study unit, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma — Nutrients, bacteria, organic carbon, and suspended sediment in surface water, 1993-95 Water-quality assessment of the Ozark Plateaus study unit, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma — Nutrients, bacteria, organic carbon, and suspended sediment in surface water, 1993-95

Nutrient, bacteria, organic carbon, and suspended- sediment samples were collected from 1993-95 at 43 surface-water-quality sampling sites within the Ozark Plateaus National Water- Quality Assessment Program study unit. Most surface-water-quality sites have small or medium drainage basins, near-homogenous land uses (primarily agricultural or forest), and are located predominantly in the
Authors
Jerri V. Davis, Richard W. Bell

Flood tracking chart for the Illinois River basin Flood tracking chart for the Illinois River basin

This Flood Tracking Chart for the Illinois River Basin in Illinois can be used to record and compare the predicted or current flood-crest stage to past flood-crest information. This information can then be used by residents and emergency-response personnel to make informed decisions concerning the threat of flooding to life and property. The chart shows a map of the Illinois River Basin...
Authors
Charles F. Avery, Robert R. Holmes, Jennifer B. Sharpe

Determination of bioavailable contaminants in the lower Missouri River following the flood of 1993 Determination of bioavailable contaminants in the lower Missouri River following the flood of 1993

The semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) technology was employed to determine the presence of bioavailable organochlorine pesticides (OCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)in the water of the main stem of the lower Missouri River and three of its tributaries. The SPMDs were deployed in 1994 following the extensive flood of 1993. Specifically, the...
Authors
J. D. Petty, B.C. Poulton, C.S. Charbonneau, J.N. Huckins, S.B. Jones, J.T. Cameron, H.F. Prest

Use of mini-refuges by female northern pintails wintering in southwestern Louisiana Use of mini-refuges by female northern pintails wintering in southwestern Louisiana

The Gulf Coast Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan began contracting private agricultural lands (hereafter mini-refuges) in 1988 to expand existing sanctuaries for northern pintails (Anas acuta) in southwestern Louisiana. Previous research suggested that mini-refuges may prove more attractive to pintails than permanent, open-water pools (pools) on refuges...
Authors
Robert R. Cox, Alan D. Afton

Indices of benthic community tolerance in contaminated Great Lakes sediments: Relations with sediment contaminant concentrations, sediment toxicity, and the sediment quality triad Indices of benthic community tolerance in contaminated Great Lakes sediments: Relations with sediment contaminant concentrations, sediment toxicity, and the sediment quality triad

We evaluated the toxic-units model developed by Wildhaber and Schmitt (1996) as a predictor of indices of mean tolerance to pollution (i.e., Lenat, 1993; Hilsenhoff, 1987) and other benthic community indices from Great Lakes sediments containing complex mixtures of environmental contaminants (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls – PCBs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – PAHs, pesticides...
Authors
M. L. Wildhaber, C. J. Schmitt
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