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Publications

Below is a list of available Colorado Water Science Center publications and published products.

Filter Total Items: 762

Long‐term trends in stream water and precipitation chemistry at five headwater basins in the northeastern United States

Stream water data from five headwater basins in the northeastern United States covering water years 1968–1996 and precipitation data from eight nearby precipitation monitoring sites covering water years 1984‐1996 were analyzed for temporal trends in chemistry using the nonparametric seasonal Kendall test. Concentrations of SO4declined at three of five streams during 1968–1996 (p < 0.1), and all of
Authors
David W. Clow, Alisa Mast

Streamflow characteristics for the Black Hills of South Dakota, through water year 1993

This report summarizes streamflow records and describes streamflow characteristics for streams draining the Black Hills of western South Dakota. Monthly and annual streamflow records are tabulated for all available years of record, through water year 1993, for 129 continuous-record gaging stations, including 111 stations for which records of daily flow are available and 18 stations for which only
Authors
L.D. Miller, D.G. Driscoll

Low-flow water-quality characterization of the Gore Creek watershed, upper Colorado River basin, Colorado, August 1996

The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) is one of 59 National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) study units designed to assess the status and trends of the Nation?s water quality (Leahy and others, 1990). The UCOL study unit began operation in 1994, and surface-water-quality data collection at a network of 14 sites began in October 1995 (Apodaca and others, 1996; Spahr and others, 1996). Gore Creek,
Authors
Kirby H. Wynn, Norman E. Spahr

Predictive double-layer modeling of metal sorption in mine-drainage systems

Previous comparison of predictive double-layer modeling and empirically derived metal-partitioning data has validated the use of the double-layer model to predict metal sorption reactions in iron-rich mine-drainage systems. The double-layer model subsequently has been used to model data collected from several mine-drainage sites in Colorado with diverse geochemistry and geology. This work demonstr
Authors
K. S. Smith, J. F. Ranville, D.L. Macalady

Trace elements in streambed sediment and fish liver at selected sites in the Upper Colorado River basin, Colorado 1995-96

Trace elements were analyzed in streambed-sediment samples collected from 16 sites and in fish-liver samples collected from 14 sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Colorado as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment program. Sites sampled represented agricultural, mining, mixed, and urban/recreation land uses and background conditions. The results for 15 trace elements in streambed-sed
Authors
J. R. Deacon, V. C. Stephens

One-Dimensional Transport with Inflow and Storage (OTIS): A Solute Transport Model for Streams and Rivers

OTIS is a mathematical simulation model used to characterize the fate and transport of water-borne solutes in streams and rivers. The governing equation underlying the model is the advection-dispersion equation with additional terms to account for transient storage, lateral inflow, first-order decay, and sorption. This equation and the associated equations describing transient storage and sorption
Authors
Robert L. Runkel

Water-quality characteristics of the Slate and East Rivers, Colorado, during the winter recreational season, December 1996

Periods of population influxes during winter recreation occur simultaneously with periods of extreme low flow in many Rocky Mountain areas. The ability of streams to assimilate additional nutrient loading is reduced by the low-flow conditions. Low-flow water-quality characteristics of the Slate and East Rivers, which drain the Crested Butte area, were investigated in December 1996. Six sites were
Authors
N.E. Spahr, J. R. Deacon

Winter fluxes of CO2 and CH4 from subalpine soils in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Fluxes of CO2 and CH4 through a seasonal snowpack were measured in and adjacent to a subalpine wetland in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Gas diffusion through the snow was controlled by gas production or consumption in the soil and by physical snowpack properties. The snowpack insulated soils from cold midwinter air temperatures allowing microbial activity to continue through the winter.
Authors
Alisa Mast, Kimberly P. Wickland, Robert G. Striegl, David W. Clow

World Wide Web home page for the South Platte NAWQA

A World Wide Web home page for the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, South Platte River Basin study is now online. The home page includes information about the basinwide investigation and provides viewing and downloading access to physical, chemical, and biological data collected by the study team.
Authors
Sharon L. Qi, Kevin F. Dennehy