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: 19116
Thresholds of flow-induced bed disturbances and their effects on stream metabolism in an agricultural river Thresholds of flow-induced bed disturbances and their effects on stream metabolism in an agricultural river
Storm-driven flow pulses in rivers destroy and restructure sediment habitats that affect stream metabolism. This study examined thresholds of bed disturbances that affected patch- and reach-scale sediment conditions and metabolism rates. A 4 year record of discharge and diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations (ΔDO) was analyzed for disturbances and recovery periods of the ΔDO...
Authors
Ben L. O’Connor, Judson W. Harvey, Lauren E. McPhillips
Physical controls and predictability of stream hyporheic flow evaluated with a multiscale model Physical controls and predictability of stream hyporheic flow evaluated with a multiscale model
Improved predictions of hyporheic exchange based on easily measured physical variables are needed to improve assessment of solute transport and reaction processes in watersheds. Here we compare physically based model predictions for an Indiana stream with stream tracer results interpreted using the Transient Storage Model (TSM). We parameterized the physically based, Multiscale Model...
Authors
Susa H. Stonedahl, Judson W. Harvey, Joel Detty, Antoine Aubeneau, Aaron I. Packman
Calibration and intercomparison of acetic acid measurements using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) Calibration and intercomparison of acetic acid measurements using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS)
Acetic acid is one of the most abundant organic acids in the ambient atmosphere, with maximum mixing ratios reaching into the tens of parts per billion by volume (ppbv) range. The identities and associated magnitudes of the major sources and sinks for acetic acid are poorly characterized, due in part to the limitation in available measurement techniques. This paper demonstrates that...
Authors
K.B. Haase, W.C. Keene, A.A.P. Pszenny, H.R. Mayne, R.W. Talbot, B.C. Sive
Early indications of soil recovery from acidic deposition in U.S. red spruce forests Early indications of soil recovery from acidic deposition in U.S. red spruce forests
Forty to fifty percent decreases in acidic deposition through the 1980s and 1990s led to partial recovery of acidified surface waters in the northeastern United States; however, the limited number of studies that have assessed soil change found increased soil acidification during this period. From existing data, it's not clear whether soils continued to worsen in the 1990s or if recovery...
Authors
Gregory B. Lawrence, Walter C. Shortle, Mark B. David, Kevin T. Smith, Richard A.F. Warby, Andrei G. Lapenis
Arsenic speciation in food chains from mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vents Arsenic speciation in food chains from mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vents
Arsenic concentration and speciation were determined in benthic fauna collected from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents. The shrimp species, Rimicaris exoculata, the vent chimney-dwelling mussel, Bathymodiolus azoricus, Branchipolynoe seepensis, a commensal worm of B. azoricus and the gastropod Peltospira smaragdina showed variations in As concentration and in stable isotope (δ13C...
Authors
Vivien F. Taylor, Brian P. Jackson, Matthew R. Siegfried, Jana Navratilova, Kevin A. Francesconi, Julie Kirshtein, Mary Voytek
Directional connectivity in hydrology and ecology Directional connectivity in hydrology and ecology
Quantifying hydrologic and ecological connectivity has contributed to understanding transport and dispersal processes and assessing ecosystem degradation or restoration potential. However, there has been little synthesis across disciplines. The growing field of ecohydrology and recent recognition that loss of hydrologic connectivity is leading to a global decline in biodiversity...
Authors
Laurel G. Larsen, Jungyill Choi, Martha K. Nungesser, Judson W. Harvey
A graphical method to evaluate predominant geochemical processes occurring in groundwater systems for radiocarbon dating A graphical method to evaluate predominant geochemical processes occurring in groundwater systems for radiocarbon dating
A graphical method is described for identifying geochemical reactions needed in the interpretation of radiocarbon age in groundwater systems. Graphs are constructed by plotting the measured 14C, δ13C, and concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon and are interpreted according to specific criteria to recognize water samples that are consistent with a wide range of processes, including...
Authors
Liang-Feng Han, Niel Plummer, Pradeep Aggarwal
Conceptual model of sedimentation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Conceptual model of sedimentation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
Sedimentation in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta builds the Delta landscape, creates benthic and pelagic habitat, and transports sediment-associated contaminants. Here we present a conceptual model of sedimentation that includes submodels for river supply from the watershed to the Delta, regional transport within the Delta and seaward exchange, and local sedimentation in open...
Authors
David H. Schoellhamer, Scott Wright, Judith Z. Drexler
Strontium isotope systematics of mixing groundwater and oil-field brine at Goose Lake in northeastern Montana, USA Strontium isotope systematics of mixing groundwater and oil-field brine at Goose Lake in northeastern Montana, USA
Groundwater, surface water, and soil in the Goose Lake oil field in northeastern Montana have been affected by Cl−-rich oil-field brines during long-term petroleum production. Ongoing multidisciplinary geochemical and geophysical studies have identified the degree and local extent of interaction between brine and groundwater. Fourteen samples representing groundwater, surface water, and...
Authors
Zell E. Peterman, Joanna N. Thamke, Kiyoto Futa, Todd Preston
Quality of streams in Johnson County, Kansas, 2002--10 Quality of streams in Johnson County, Kansas, 2002--10
Stream quality in Johnson County, northeastern Kansas, was assessed on the basis of land use, hydrology, stream-water and streambed-sediment chemistry, riparian and in-stream habitat, and periphyton and macroinvertebrate community data collected from 22 sites during 2002 through 2010. Stream conditions at the end of the study period are evaluated and compared to previous years, stream...
Authors
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Mandy S. Stone, Barry C. Poulton, Jennifer L. Graham
Changing restoration rules: exotic bivalves interact with residence time and depth to control phytoplankton productivity Changing restoration rules: exotic bivalves interact with residence time and depth to control phytoplankton productivity
Non-native species are a prevalent ecosystem stressor that can interact with other stressors to confound resource management and restoration. We examine how interactions between physical habitat attributes and a particular category of non-native species (invasive bivalves) influence primary production in aquatic ecosystems. Using mathematical models, we show how intuitive relationships...
Authors
Lisa V. Lucas, Janet K. Thompson
Heat flow in vapor dominated areas of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field: implications for the thermal budget of the Yellowstone Caldera Heat flow in vapor dominated areas of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field: implications for the thermal budget of the Yellowstone Caldera
Characterizing the vigor of magmatic activity in Yellowstone requires knowledge of the mechanisms and rates of heat transport between magma and the ground surface. We present results from a heat flow study in two vapor dominated, acid-sulfate thermal areas in the Yellowstone Caldera, the 0.11 km2 Obsidian Pool Thermal Area (OPTA) and the 0.25 km2 Solfatara Plateau Thermal Area (SPTA)...
Authors
Shaul Hurwitz, Robert Harris, Cynthia Anne Werner, Fred Murphy