Publications
Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.
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U.S. stream flow measurement and data dissemination improve U.S. stream flow measurement and data dissemination improve
Stream flow information is essential for many important uses across a broad range of scales, including global water balances, engineering design, flood forecasting, reservoir operations, navigation, water supply, recreation, and environmental management. Growing populations and competing priorities for water, including preservation and restoration of aquatic habitat, are spurring demand...
Authors
Robert M. Hirsch, John E. Costa
Do pharmaceuticals, pathogens, and other organic waste water compounds persist when waste water is used for recharge? Do pharmaceuticals, pathogens, and other organic waste water compounds persist when waste water is used for recharge?
A proof-of-concept experiment was devised to determine if pharmaceuticals and other organic waste water compounds (OWCs), as well as pathogens, found in treated effluent could be transported through a 2.4 m soil column and, thus, potentially reach ground water under recharge conditions similar to those in arid or semiarid climates. Treated effluent was applied at the top of the 2.4 m...
Authors
Gail E. Cordy, Norma L. Duran, Herman Bouwer, Robert C. Rice, Edward T. Furlong, Steven D. Zaugg, Michael T. Meyer, Larry B. Barber, Dana W. Kolpin
Pioneer amateur naturalist Louis Judice: observations on the flora, fauna, geography, and agriculture of the Bayou Lafourche region, Louisiana, 1772-1786 Pioneer amateur naturalist Louis Judice: observations on the flora, fauna, geography, and agriculture of the Bayou Lafourche region, Louisiana, 1772-1786
No abstract available.
Authors
Carl A. Brasseaux, H. Dickson Hoese, Thomas Claud Michot
A Floristic Quality Assessment system for the coastal prairie of Louisiana A Floristic Quality Assessment system for the coastal prairie of Louisiana
Evaluation systems to assess the biotic integrity of plant communities exist for some ecosystems, but not the increasingly rare coastal prairies of Louisiana. A list of plant species occurring in Louisiana's coastal prairie was created and coefficients of conservatism (C) were assigned for each species. A Floristic Quality Index (FQI), which is calculated using the C values provided by a...
Authors
Larry K. Allain, Latimore Smith, Charles Allen, Malcolm Vidrine, James B. Grace
Seedling growth of Wisconsin fast plants (Brassica rapa) in field environments Seedling growth of Wisconsin fast plants (Brassica rapa) in field environments
In this 3-week laboratory, students investigate the effects of an abiotic or biotic ecological factor on the growth or reproduction of rapid-cycling brassica (Brassica rapa L.: Wisconsin Fast Plants) seedlings in the field. Measurable treatments include light, wind, herbivory, chemical or organic fertilizer, insecticides, and growth regulators (i.e., gibberellic acid spray, auxin paste)...
Authors
Valerie Barko, Beth A. Burke, David J. Gibson, Beth A. Middleton
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental contaminants and their effects on fish in the Columbia River Basin Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental contaminants and their effects on fish in the Columbia River Basin
This project examined and analyzed 560 fish representing eight species from 16 sites in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) from September 1997 to April 1998. Ten of the 16 sampling locations were historical National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (NCBP) sites where organochlorine and elemental contaminants in fish had been monitored from 1969 through 1986. Five sites were co-located at U...
Authors
Jo Ellen Hinck, Christopher J. Schmitt, Timothy M. Bartish, Nancy D. Denslow, Vicki Blazer, Patrick J. Anderson, James J. Coyle, Gail M. Dethloff, Donald E. Tillitt
Pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants within a leachate plume downgradient of a municipal landfill Pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants within a leachate plume downgradient of a municipal landfill
Ground water samples collected from the Norman Landfill research site in central Oklahoma were analyzed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic waste water contaminants (OWCs) in ground water. Five sites, four of which are located downgradient of the landfill, were sampled in 2000 and...
Authors
Kimberlee K. Barnes, Scott C. Christenson, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael J. Focazio, Edward T. Furlong, Steven D. Zaugg, Michael T. Meyer, Larry B. Barber
Occurrence of human pharmaceuticals in water resources of the United States: A review Occurrence of human pharmaceuticals in water resources of the United States: A review
The widespread environmental presence of some pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater compounds has been documented globally (e.g. Buser et al. 1998; Ternes 1998; Stumpf et al.1999; Heberer et al. 2001; Kümmerer 2001; Ternes et al. 2001; Scheytt et al. 2001; Golet et al. 2002; Kolpin et al. 2002; Boyd et al. 2003; Metcalf et al. 2003). Recently, there have been several literature...
Authors
M. J. Focazio, D.W. Kolpin, E. T. Furlong
Survival and growth of bottomland hardwood seedlings and natural woody invaders near forest edges Survival and growth of bottomland hardwood seedlings and natural woody invaders near forest edges
Several oak species are frequently planted for reforestation projects in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), but the success of these plantings has been variable. The survival and growth of planted seed or seedlings are affected by a variety of factors, including competition, herbivory, site preparation, precipitation, planting stock quality, and planting techniques. We...
Authors
John W. McCoy, Bobby D. Keeland, Kristi Wharton
Physical habitat dynamics in four side-channel chutes, lower Missouri River Physical habitat dynamics in four side-channel chutes, lower Missouri River
Construction of the side-channel chutes has become a popular means to rehabilitate habitate of the Lower Missouri River. We studied various aspects of hydrology, hydraulics, and geomorphology of four side-channel chutes to document a range of existing conditions in the Lower Missouri River. The Cranberry Bend side-channel chute has existed for at least 40 years and is an example of a...
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Harold E. Johnson, Mark S. Laustrup, Gary J. D’Urso, Joanna M. Reuter
Natural restoration basics for wetlands Natural restoration basics for wetlands
Around the world, dams, diversions, and drainage systems reengineer rivers for navigation, farming, and urban development, and this has caused vast changes in the environmental conditions of the flood plains adjacent to these rivers (Middleton, 2002). Even though “flood pulses,” the periodic overflow of these rivers, were once the most important hydrological factor regulating all...
Authors
Beth A. Middleton
Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, selenium, and zinc in fish from the Mississippi River Basin, 1995 Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, selenium, and zinc in fish from the Mississippi River Basin, 1995
Fish were collected in late 1995 from 34 National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (NCBP) stations and 12 National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) stations in the Mississippi River basin (MRB), and in late 1996 from a reference site in West Virginia. The NCBP sites represented key points (dams, tributaries, etc.) in the largest rivers of the MRB. The NAWQA sites were typically...
Authors
Christopher J. Schmitt