Publications
This list of Water Resources Mission Area publications includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists. A searchable database of all USGS publications can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 19115
Characterization of stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams Characterization of stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams
The presentation will provide an overview of a collaborative study between USGS, NC Department of Transportation and URS Corporation to characterize stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams. This investigation measured bridge deck runoff from 15 bridges for 12-15 storms, stream water-quality data for baseflow and storm...
Authors
Chad Wagner, Sharon Fitzgerald, Matthew Lauffer
Chronology and ecology of late Pleistocene megafauna in the northern Willamette Valley, Oregon Chronology and ecology of late Pleistocene megafauna in the northern Willamette Valley, Oregon
Since the mid-19th century, western Oregon's Willamette Valley has been a source of remains from a wide variety of extinct megafauna. Few of these have been previously described or dated, but new chronologic and isotopic analyses in conjunction with updated evaluations of stratigraphic context provide substantial new information on the species present, timing of losses, and...
Authors
Daniel M. Gilmour, Virginia L. Butler, James E. O'Connor, Edward Byrd Davis, Brendan J. Culleton, Douglas J. Kennett, Gregory W. L. Hodgins
Suburban groundwater quality as influenced by turfgrass and septic sources, Delmarva Peninsula, USA Suburban groundwater quality as influenced by turfgrass and septic sources, Delmarva Peninsula, USA
Suburban land use is expanding in many parts of the United States and there is a need to better understand the potential water-quality impacts of this change. This study characterized groundwater quality in a sandy, water-table aquifer influenced by suburban development and compared the results to known patterns in water chemistry associated with natural, background conditions and...
Authors
Joshua W. Kasper, Judith M. Denver, Joanna K. York
Causes and consequences of ecosystem service regionalization in a coastal suburban watershed Causes and consequences of ecosystem service regionalization in a coastal suburban watershed
The demand for ecosystem services and the ability of natural ecosystems to provide those services evolve over time as population, land use, and management practices change. Regionalization of ecosystem service activity, or the expansion of the area providing ecosystem services to a population, is a common response in densely populated coastal regions, with important consequences for...
Authors
Wilfred M. Wollheim, Mark B. Green, Brian A. Pellerin, Nathaniel B. Morse, Charles S. Hopkinson
Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation
This work examines the performance and limitations of a wet chemical oxidation carbon analyser interfaced with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (WCO-CRDS) in a continuous flow (CF) configuration for measuring δ13C of dissolved organic carbon (δ13C-DOC) in natural water samples. Low-chloride matrix (
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Randal B. Thomas, Nabil Saad, James J. Thordsen, Yousif K. Kharaka
Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus shale gas development, Tioga County, Pennsylvania Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus shale gas development, Tioga County, Pennsylvania
An integrated analysis of core, geophysical logs, gas isotopes, and specific-depth water-quality samples from the Cherry Flats test hole was used to characterize the stratigraphy, water-bearing zones, and groundwater quality at a site in southern Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The study was completed as a cooperative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of
Authors
John H. Williams, Dennis W. Risser, Clifford H. Dodge
Limnology of the Green Lakes Valley: Phytoplankton ecology and dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry at a long-term ecological research site Limnology of the Green Lakes Valley: Phytoplankton ecology and dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry at a long-term ecological research site
Background: Surface waters are the lowest points in the landscape, and therefore serve as excellent integrators and indicators of changes taking place in the surrounding terrestrial and atmospheric environment. Aims: Here we synthesise the findings of limnological studies conducted during the past 15 years in streams and lakes in the Green Lakes Valley, which is part of the Niwot Ridge...
Authors
Matthew P. Miller, Diane M. McKnight
Hindcast of water availability in regional aquifer systems using MODFLOW Farm Process Hindcast of water availability in regional aquifer systems using MODFLOW Farm Process
Coupled groundwater and surface-water components of the hydrologic cycle can be simulated by the Farm Process for MODFLOW (MF-FMP) in both irrigated and non-irrigated areas and aquifer-storage and recovery systems. MF-FMP is being applied to three productive agricultural regions of different scale in the State of California, USA, to assess the availability of water and the impacts of...
Authors
Wolfgang Schmid, Randall T. Hanson, Claudia C. Faunt, Steven P. Phillips
Surface-water quality in agricultural watersheds of the North Carolina Coastal Plain associated with concentrated animal feeding operations Surface-water quality in agricultural watersheds of the North Carolina Coastal Plain associated with concentrated animal feeding operations
The effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on water quality were investigated at 54 agricultural stream sites throughout the North Carolina Coastal Plain during 2012 and 2013. Three general watershed land-use types were examined during the study, including 18 background watersheds with no active CAFOs (BK sites), 18 watersheds with one or more active swine CAFOs but no...
Authors
Stephen L. Harden
Evaluation of perchlorate sources in the Rialto-Colton and Chino California subbasins using chlorine and oxygen isotope ratio analysis Evaluation of perchlorate sources in the Rialto-Colton and Chino California subbasins using chlorine and oxygen isotope ratio analysis
Perchlorate (ClO4-) in groundwater can be from synthetic or natural sources, the latter of which include both historical application of imported nitrate fertilizers from the Atacama Desert of Chile and naturally deposited ClO4- that forms atmospherically and accumulates in arid regions such as the southwestern US. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of isotopic data to...
Authors
Paul B. Hatzinger, J.K. Bohlke, John A. Izbicki, Nicholas F. Teague, Neil C. Sturchio
Dating base flow in streams using dissolved gases and diurnal temperature changes Dating base flow in streams using dissolved gases and diurnal temperature changes
A method is presented for using dissolved CFCs or SF6 to estimate the apparent age of stream base flow by indirectly estimating the mean concentration of the tracer in the inflowing groundwater. The mean value is estimated simultaneously with the mean residence times of the gas and water in the stream by sampling the stream for one or both age tracers, along with dissolved nitrogen and...
Authors
Ward E. Sanford, Gerolamo C. Casile, Karl B. Haase
Estimation of historic flows and sediment loads to San Francisco Bay,1849–2011 Estimation of historic flows and sediment loads to San Francisco Bay,1849–2011
River flow and sediment transport in estuaries influence morphological development over decadal and century time scales, but hydrological and sedimentological records are typically too short to adequately characterize long-term trends. In this study, we recover archival records and apply a rating curve approach to develop the first instrumental estimates of daily delta inflow and...
Authors
H.R. Moftakhari, D.A. Jay, S.A. Talke, David H. Schoellhamer