Surface Water
Surface Water
Streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs - collectively referred to as surface water - are important natural resources for irrigation, public supply, wetlands and wildlife. Surface water is also measured as annual runoff, which is the amount of rain and snowmelt drainage left after the demands of nature, evaporation from land, and transpiration from vegetation have been supplied. It supplies most of our basic water needs.
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Science Programs and Partnerships
The USGS partners with local, state, and other federal agencies through cooperative agreements for a variety of reasons. The USGS and partners jointly plan the scientific work conducted under cooperative agreements resulting in science that has broad relevance to address current water issues. Partners choose to work with the USGS because of the agency's broad technical expertise, its long-standing...
Hydrologic Modeling Software
The USGS has been a leader in the development of hydrologic and geochemical simulation models since the 1960's. USGS models are widely used to predict responses of hydrologic systems to changing stresses, such as increases in precipitation or ground-water pumping rates, as well as to predict the fate and movement of solutes and contaminants in water.
Comprehensive Mercury Studies
The objective specific to work conducted by the CAWSC is to produce a continuous time-series of suspended-sediment flux at an existing site in Alviso Slough.
San Antonio Reservoir Bathymetric Survey and Sedimentation Study
Over time, the flow of water into the San Antonio Reservoir has caused the build-up of sediment, decreasing storage capacity. Since water storage is a crucial issue in California, up-to-date information on the reservoir is needed. To accomplish this, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission approached the USGS California Water Science Center to conduct a bathymetric (depth) survey and other...
USGS ground- and boat-based support for the NASA airSWOT mission on the Sacramento River, California
This field work on the Sacramento River will be performed at two scales: a coarse-scale sampling from Keswick Dam to the I-5 Bridge near the city of Sacramento using Hobo stage recorders at approximately 10 – 20 km spacing; and fine-scale surveys in two reaches, one from approximately 30 km upstream and downstream of Colusa and another 30 km reach downstream of Knight’s Landing using Hobo stage...
Development of Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) for the Kings River Basin, California, with application for streamflow predictability and flood forecasting
This study will provide an analysis tool for forecasting seasonal and longer term streamflow variations, and for evaluating climate and land cover variations in the Kings River Basin. This study will directly or indirectly address several water-resource issues identified in the USGS Science Strategy document (USGS, 2007): drinking water availability, the suitability of aquatic habitat for biota...
Nitrogen Dynamics Along the Sacramento River and Links to Phytoplankton Dynamics: Resolving Spatial and Temporal Variability Using In-Situ, High-Frequency Measurements and Other Tools
The overall project objective is to further our understanding of the link between nitrogen and phytoplankton dynamics in the Sacramento River and to elucidate effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent on food web dynamics.
Bay Area Ensemble Modeling for Conservation and Biodiversity
The objective of this study is to provide downscaled ensemble projections of climate and hydrology for the next century for the state of California with specific application to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Development of unimpaired flows for mountain basins draining to the Bay Delta
The objective of this study is to develop daily historical climate surfaces and simulate unimpaired basin discharge, including surface water flow and baseflow, from all basins that drain to the Bay Delta. Basin drainage will be calibrated to DWR reconstructed flows, and comparisons of results will be made with other independently developed watershed models for basins in which they coincide. A...
Interactions Between Physical Processes and Suspended Sediment Quality in Relation to Spawning Migrations of Delta Smelt
The proposed study is designed to better establish relationships between patterns of delta smelt abundance and properties of suspended particles as measured by optical and acoustical techniques.
Causes and Relevance of Phytoplankton Blooms in the Northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Phytoplankton are an important part of aquatic food webs and ecosystems. These single-celled plants grow faster in the stronger light of spring or summer, resulting in population explosions called phytoplankton blooms. These blooms in turn feed zooplankton (free-floating aquatic microorganisms), providing food for many aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, crabs, and other invertebrates.
Improved Lower South Bay suspended-sediment flux measurements
Tidal marshes provide animal habitats and prevent erosion. Expanding towns and cities have claimed major parts of San Francisco Bay’s marshland. Sediment deposits are essential to rebuilding tidal marshes and keeping existing marshes intact. In the southern part of the Bay, the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the west coast is underway. Sediment flux measurements are key in deciding...