Publications
The following list of California Water Science Center publications includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists.
Filter Total Items: 1734
Copper, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in juvenile Chinook salmon and selected fish-forage organisms (aquatic insects) in the upper Sacramento River, California
This study assessed the downstream extent andseverity of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn)contamination from acid mine drainage on juvenile chinook salmon(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and aquatic insects over aroughly 270-km reach of the Sacramento River below KeswickReservoir. During April–May 1998, salmon were collected fromfour sites in the river and from a fish hatchery that receiveswater
Authors
Michael K. Saiki, Barbara A. Martin, Larry D. Thompson, Daniel Walsh
Pesticides associated with suspended sediments entering San Francisco Bay following the first major storm of water year 1996
Estuaries receive large quantities of suspended sediments following the first major storm of the water year. The first-flush events transport the majority of suspended sediments in any given year, and because of their relative freshness in the hydrologic system, these sediments may carry a significant amount of the sediment-associated pesticide load transported into estuaries. To characterize sedi
Authors
Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kathryn Kuivila, Miranda S. Fram
Effects of an agricultural drainwater bypass on fishes inhabiting the Grassland Water District and the lower San Joaquin River, California
The Grassland Bypass Project, which began operation in September 1996, was conceived as a means of diverting brackish selenium-contaminated agricultural drainwater away from canals and sloughs needed for transporting irrigation water to wetlands within the Grassland Water District (the Grasslands), Merced County, California. The seleniferous drainwater is now routed into the San Luis Drain for con
Authors
M. K. Saiki, B.A. Martin, S.E. Schwarzbach, T.W. May
Distribution of algae in the San Joaquin River, California, in relation to nutrient supply, salinity and other environmental factors
1. The taxonomic composition and biomass of the phytoplankton and the taxonomic composition of the phytobenthos of the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries were examined in relation to water chemistry, habitat and flow regime. Agricultural drainage and subsurface flow contribute to a complex gradient of salinity and nutrients in this eutrophic, 'lowland type' river.2. Because of light-limit
Authors
H.V. Leland, L. R. Brown, D. K. Mueller
Tannin diagenesis in mangrove leaves from a tropical estuary: A novel molecular approach
Molecular-level condensed tannin analyses were conducted on a series of mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) leaves at various stages of decomposition in a tropical estuary. Total molecular tannin yields ranged from 0.5% ash-free dry weight (AFDW) in the most highly degraded black leaves (6-7 weeks in the water) up to >7% AFDW in fresh leaves (80% procyanidin (PC) with the remainder being prodelphinidin (
Authors
P.J. Hernes, R. Benner, G.L. Cowie, M.A. Goi, B.A. Bergamaschi, J. I. Hedges
Nature and chlorine reactivity of organic constituents from reclaimed water in groundwater, Los Angeles County, California
The nature and chlorine reactivity of organic constituents in reclaimed water (tertiary-treated municipal wastewater) before, during, and after recharge into groundwater at the Montebello Forebay in Los Angeles County, CA, was the focus of this study. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in reclaimed water from this site is primarily a mixture of aromatic sulfonates from anionic surfactant degradation,
Authors
J. A. Leenheer, C.E. Rostad, L. B. Barber, R. A. Schroeder, R. Anders, M.L. Davisson
Geochemical and mineralogical controls on trace element release from the Penn Mine base-metal slag dump, California
Base-metal slag deposits at the Penn Mine in Calaveras County, California, are a source of environmental contamination through leaching of potentially toxic elements. Historical Cu smelting at Penn Mine (1865-1919) generated approximately 200,000 m3 of slag. The slag deposits, which are flooded annually by a reservoir used for drinking water and irrigation, also may be in contact with acidic groun
Authors
M.B. Parsons, D.K. Bird, M.T. Einaudi, Charles N. Alpers
Soil N and 15N variation with time in a California annual grassland ecosystem
The %N and ??15N values of soils and plants were measured along a chronosequence spanning 3 to 3000 Ky in a California annual grassland. Total soil N decreased with increasing soil age (1.1 to 0.4 kg N m-2) while the mean ?? 15N values of the soil N increased by several ??? from the youngest to oldest sites (+3.5 to +6.2 ???). The ?? 15N values of plants varied along the gradient, reflecting chang
Authors
D.L. Brenner, Ronald Amundson, W. Troy Baisden, C. Kendall, J. Harden
Hydrology of Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Yucca Mountain, located in southern Nevada in the Mojave Desert, is being considered as a geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste. Although the site is arid, previous studies indicate net infiltration rates of 5-10 mm yr-1 under current climate conditions. Unsaturated flow of water through the mountain generally is vertical and rapid through the fractures of the welded tuffs and slow
Authors
A. L. Flint, L. E. Flint, E. M. Kwicklis, G.S. Bodvarsson, J. M. Fabryka-Martin
Hierarchical programming for data storage and visualization
Graphics software is an essential tool for interpreting, analyzing, and presenting data from multidimensional hydrodynamic models used in estuarine and coastal ocean studies. The post-processing of time-varying three-dimensional model output presents unique requirements for data visualization because of the large volume of data that can be generated and the multitude of time scales that must be ex
Authors
John M. Donovan, Peter E. Smith
Survey of fishes and environmental conditions in Abbotts Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore, California
This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of fishery resources in Abbotts Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore. During February/March, May, August, and November 1999, fish were sampled with floating variable-mesh gill nets and small minnow traps from as many as 14 sites in the lagoon. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, total ammonia(NH3 + NH4+), salinity, turbidity, water dept
Authors
M. K. Saiki, B.A. Martin
InSAR analysis of natural recharge to define structure of a ground-water basin, San Bernardino, California
Using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) analysis of ERS-1 and ERS-2 images, we detect several centimeters of uplift during the first half of 1993 in two areas of the San Bernardino ground-water basin of southern California. This uplift correlates with unusually high runoff from the surrounding mountains and increased ground-water levels in nearby wells. The deformation of the land s
Authors
Z. Lu, W.R. Danskin