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Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 5568

Reversal of declining ground-water levels in the Chicago area Reversal of declining ground-water levels in the Chicago area

Abundant water resources have been an important part of the economic development of the Chicago area for more than a century. The city of Chicago, Ill., and other lakefront towns have used Lake Michigan as a water supply. Where water from Lake Michigan was not available or a need for supplemental water supplies was present, deep wells (generally greater than 700 feet) provided a clean...
Authors
Charles Avery

Relation between stream-water quality and geohydrology during base-flow conditions, Roberts creek watershed, Clayton County, Iowa Relation between stream-water quality and geohydrology during base-flow conditions, Roberts creek watershed, Clayton County, Iowa

An investigation to determine the relation between stream water quality and geohydrology in the Roberts Creek watershed, Clayton County, Iowa, was conducted during selected base-flow periods in 1988-90. Discharge measurements were made and water samples collected for analyses of nutrients and selected herbicides in 19 subbasins along the main stem and tributaries of Roberts Creek. The...
Authors
Stephen J. Kalkhoff

Contraction scour at a bridge over Wolf Creek, Iowa Contraction scour at a bridge over Wolf Creek, Iowa

Contraction scour at the State Highway 14 bridge over Wolf Creek in south-central Iowa was caused by a large flood on September 14 and 15, 1992. The bridge is a 30.5-m, single-span steel structure supported by vertical-wall concrete abutments with wingwalls. Approximately 6 meters of scour resulted from the flood. The peak discharge was estimated by water-surface profile analysis to be 2...
Authors
Edward E. Fischer

Reptiles and amphibians in the endangered longleaf pine ecosystem Reptiles and amphibians in the endangered longleaf pine ecosystem

The Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States contains a rich diversity of reptiles and amphibians (herpetofauna). Of the 290 species native to the Southeast, 170 (74 amphibians, 96 reptiles) are found within the range of the remnant longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem (Fig. 1). Many of these species are not found elsewhere, particularly those amphibians that require...
Authors
C. Kenneth Dodd

A survey of recent results in passive sampling of water and air by semipermeable membrane devices A survey of recent results in passive sampling of water and air by semipermeable membrane devices

A survey is presented of some recent results for passive sampling of water and air for trace organic contaminants using lipid-filled semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs). Results of water sampling for trace organochlorine compounds using simultaneously exposed SPMDs and the most universally applied biomonitor (bivalves) are discussed. In general, the total amounts of accumulated...
Authors
Harry F. Prest, James N. Huckins, Jimmie D. Petty, Sirpa Herve, Jaakko Paasivirta, Pertti Heinonen

Acute toxicity of ammonia (NH3-N) in sewage effluent to Chironomus riparius: II. Using a generalized linear model Acute toxicity of ammonia (NH3-N) in sewage effluent to Chironomus riparius: II. Using a generalized linear model

Toxicity of un-ionized ammonia (NH3-N) to the midge, Chironomus riparius was compared, using laboratory culture (well) water and sewage effluent (≈0.4 mg/L NH3-N) in two 96-h, static-renewal toxicity experiments. A generalized linear model was used for data analysis. For the first and second experiments, respectively, LC50 values were 9.4 mg/L (Test 1A) and 6.6 mg/L (Test 2A) for ammonia...
Authors
D.P. Monda, D.L. Galat, S.E. Finger, M.S. Kaiser

Amphibians Amphibians

Amphibians are ecologically important in most freshwater and terrestrial habitats in the United States: they can be numerous, function as both predators and prey, and constitute great biomass. Amphibians have certain physiological (e.g., permeable skin) and ecological (e.g., complex life cycle) traits that could justify their use as bioindicators of environmental health. For example...
Authors
R. Bruce Bury, P. Stephen Corn, C. Kenneth Dodd, Roy W. McDiarmid, Norman J. Scott

Reef fishes of the Florida Keys Reef fishes of the Florida Keys

The Florida Keys are a chain of islands extending 320 km (199 mi) along the southern edge of the Florida Plateau from Biscayne Bay to the Dry Tortugas (101 km [63 mi] west of Key West). The Florida Reef Tract, a band of living coral reefs paralleling the Keys, extends from Fowey Rocks to the Marquesas and includes about 130 km (81 mi) of bank reefs and 6,000 patch reefs. For convenience...
Authors
William F. Smith-Vaniz, James A. Bohnsack, James D. Williams
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