Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 5585

Detection of fresh ground water and a contaminant plume beneath Red Brook Harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2000 Detection of fresh ground water and a contaminant plume beneath Red Brook Harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2000

Trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene were detected in ground water in a vertical interval from about 68 to 176 feet below sea level beneath the shoreline where the contaminant plume emanating from a capped landfill on the Massachusetts Military Reservation intersects Red Brook Harbor. The highest concentrations at the shoreline, about 15 micrograms per liter of trichloroethene and 1...
Authors
Timothy D. McCobb, Denis R. LeBlanc

Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams

A recent study by the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows that a broad range of chemicals found in residential, industrial, and agricultural wastewaters commonly occurs in mixtures at low concentrations downstream from areas of intense urbanization and animal production. The chemicals include human and veterinary drugs (including antibiotics)...
Authors
Herbert T. Buxton, Dana W. Kolpin

Cold War legacy not a post-dismantlement environmental concern Cold War legacy not a post-dismantlement environmental concern

Standing ready to defend our country or to assure mutual destruction, the mid-west’s contribution to nuclear proliferation of the 60s and 70s resided innocuously beneath concrete slabs in Missouri’s cornfields. In June 1961, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) implemented a plan to place 150 intercontinental ballistic missiles in west-central Missouri. The missile was the solid...
Authors
Emitt C. Witt

Climate change impacts on U.S. coastal and marine ecosystems Climate change impacts on U.S. coastal and marine ecosystems

Increases in concentrations of greenhouse gases projected for the 21st century are expected to lead to increased mean global air and ocean temperatures. The National Assessment of Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change (NAST 2001) was based on a series of regional and sector assessments. This paper is a summary of the coastal and marine resources sector review of...
Authors
Donald Scavia, John C. Field, Donald F. Boesch, Robert W. Buddemeier, Virginia Burkett, Daniel R. Cayan, Michael Fogarty, Mark A. Harwell, Robert W. Howarth, Curt Mason, Denise J. Reed, Thomas C. Royer, Asbury H. Sallenger, James G. Titus

Subsurface controls on historical subsidence rates and associated wetland loss in southcentral Louisiana Subsurface controls on historical subsidence rates and associated wetland loss in southcentral Louisiana

Two regional releveling profiles and six tide gauges provide a basis for evaluating recent rates of delta plain subsidence in southcentral Louisiana. Analyses of these records demonstrate close correlations among highest historical rates of subsidence, rapid wetland losses, large volume hydrocarbon production, and probable reactivation of deep subsurface faults. Other researchers have...
Authors
Robert A. Morton, Noreen A. Buster, M. Dennis Krohn

Water quality in the Little Sac River basin near Springfield, Missouri, 1999-2001 Water quality in the Little Sac River basin near Springfield, Missouri, 1999-2001

The Little Sac River, north of Springfield, Missouri, flows through mainly agricultural and forest land. However, the quality of the river water is a concern because the river flows into Stockton Lake, which is a supplemental drinking water source for Springfield. Large bacterial densities and nutrient concentrations are primary concerns to the water quality of the river. A 29-river mile...
Authors
Brenda J. Smith

Ground-water monitoring plan, water quality, and variability of agricultural chemicals in the Missouri River alluvial aquifer near the City of Independence, Missouri, well field, 1998-2000 Ground-water monitoring plan, water quality, and variability of agricultural chemicals in the Missouri River alluvial aquifer near the City of Independence, Missouri, well field, 1998-2000

A detailed ground-water sampling plan was developed and executed for 64 monitoring wells in the city of Independence well field to characterize ground-water quality in the 10-year zone of contribution. Samples were collected from monitoring wells, combined Independence well field pumpage, and the Missouri River at St. Joseph, Missouri, from 1998 through 2000. In 328 ground-water samples...
Authors
Brian P. Kelly

Carbon budget for a subtropical seagrass dominated coastal lagoon: How important are seagrasses to total ecosystem net primary production? Carbon budget for a subtropical seagrass dominated coastal lagoon: How important are seagrasses to total ecosystem net primary production?

It has been assumed that because seagrasses dominate macrophyte biomass in many estuaries they also dominate primary production. We tested this assumption by developing three carbon budgets to examine the contribution of autotrophic components to the total ecosystem net primary production (TENPP) of Lower Laguna Madre, Texas. The first budget coupled average photosynthetic parameters...
Authors
James Kaldy, Christopher P. Onuf, Peter Eldridge, Luis A. Cifuentes

Response to comment on "Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance" Response to comment on "Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000: A national reconnaissance"

We thank Ericson et al. (1) for their careful review and thoughtful comments on the synthetic hormone data presented in our recent publication summarizing the results from the USGS nationwide reconnaissance for pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants (2). Their efforts have helped raise the awareness of the difficulties in accurately measuring these compounds at the low
Authors
Dana W. Kolpin, Edward T. Furlong, Michael T. Meyer, E. Michael Thurman, Steven D. Zaugg, Larry B. Barber, Herbert T. Buxton
Was this page helpful?