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Publications

The scientific reputation of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for excellence, integrity and objectivity is one of the Bureau’s most important assets to ensuring long-term credibility and public trust. Below you can view OKI publications, and may search for them by TITLE or KEYWORD but not by AUTHOR.

For a more in-depth search, the USGS Pubs Warehouse provides access to over 130,000 publications.

Filter Total Items: 744

Nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow conditions as an indicator of legacy nitrate

Winter low‐flow (LF) conditions in streams provide a potential opportunity to evaluate the importance of legacy nitrate in catchments due to the dominance of slow‐flow transport pathways and lowered biotic activity. In this study, the concentration, flux, and trend of nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow conditions were analyzed at 320 sites in the conterminous United States. LF flow‐normaliz
Authors
Henry M. Johnson, Edward G. Stets

Meeting the challenge: U.S. Geological Survey North Atlantic and Appalachian Region fiscal year 2020 in review

The utilization, preservation, and conservation of the Nation’s resources requires well-informed management decisions. The North Atlantic and Appalachian Region (NAAR) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supports science-based decision making for Federal, State, and local policymakers to meet the challenges of today and into the future. The science centers in the NAAR have well-deserved reputatio
Authors

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water-Use Data and Research (WUDR) program overview and status as of October 22, 2020

The USGS Water-Use Data and Research Program (WUDR) is an appropriated program that began in Federal fiscal year 2015 and is authorized under the SECURE Water Act (Sec. 9508 (c)). WUDR provides financial assistance through cooperative agreements to State water resource agencies. The WUDR Program has two main goals: To improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and delivery of water-use dat
Authors
Kimberly Shaffer

Utica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management

The Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays in the Appalachian Basin are the fourth and first largest natural gas producing plays in the United States, respectively. Hydrocarbon production generates large volumes of brine (“produced water”) that must be disposed of, treated, or reused. Though Marcellus brines have been studied extensively, there are few studies from the Utica Shale Play. This study presen

Authors
Madalyn S. Blondes, Jenna L. Shelton, Mark A Engle, Jason Trembly, Colin A. Doolan, Aaron M. Jubb, Jessica Chenault, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Ralph J. Haefner, Brian E. Mailot

Pesticide mixtures show potential toxicity to aquatic life in U.S. streams, water years 2013-2017

During water years (WY) 2013–2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, sampled the National Water Quality Network – Rivers and Streams (NWQN) year-round and reported on 221 pesticides at 72 sites across the United States in agricultural, developed, and mixed land use watersheds. The Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) was used to estimate the potential chronic
Authors
S. Alex Covert, Megan E. Shoda, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Wesley W. Stone

Assessment of water quality and fecal contamination sources at Hook Pond, East Hampton, New York

SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Village of East Hampton, New York, conducted a 1-year study from August 2017 to August 2018 to provide data necessary to improve understanding of the sources of nutrients and pathogens to Hook Pond watershed to allow for possible mitigation or reduction of loads. Chronic eutrophication and recent concern over harmful cyanobacteria in Hook

Authors
Shawn C. Fisher, Brendan A. McCarthy, Christopher M. Kephart, Dale W. Griffin

Bathymetric surveys of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana made with a multibeam echosounder, 2016, and comparison with previous surveys

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Citizens Energy Group, conducted a bathymetric survey of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana in April and May of 2016 with a multibeam echosounder. Both reservoirs serve as water supply, flood control, and recreational resources for the city of Indianapolis and the surrounding communities.Morse and Geist Reservoirs were surveyed to create u
Authors
Justin A. Boldt, Zachary W. Martin

Monthly suspended-sediment apportionment for a western Lake Erie agricultural tributary

Black Creek, a headwater to the Maumee River and western Lake Erie, is an agricultural basin with a mix of cropland (66%), pasture (19%), and forest (7%) linked by a road network to the rural community. Suspended sediment was collected monthly during the 2018 water year for the main stem and two sub-basins using in-situ, passive samplers that integrated a range of streamflow conditions. Sediment
Authors
Tanja N. Williamson, Edward G. Dobrowolski, Allen C. Gellis, Timur Sabitov, Lillian Gorman Sanisaca

Predicting microcystin concentration action-level exceedances resulting from cyanobacterial blooms in selected lake sites in Ohio

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and the toxins they produce are a global water-quality problem. Monitoring and prediction tools are needed to quickly predict cyanotoxin action-level exceedances in recreational and drinking waters used by the public. To address this need, data were collected at eight locations in Ohio, USA, to identify factors significantly related to observed concentrations of
Authors
Donna S. Francy, Amie M.G. Brady, Erin A. Stelzer, Jessica R. Cicale, Courtney Paige Hackney, Harrison D Dalby, Pamela Struffolino, Daryl F. Dwyer

Hydrologic modeling to examine the influence of the forestry reclamation approach and climate change on mineland hydrology

Forests in the Appalachian region of the U.S. are threatened by a variety of short- and long-term pressures, including climate change, invasive species, and resource extraction. Surface mining for coal is one of the most important drivers of land-use change in the region, reducing native forest cover, causing forest fragmentation, eliminating intact soil, and affecting water resources. The Forestr
Authors
Tanja N. Williamson, Chris D. Barton

Nowcasting methods for determining microbiological water quality at recreational beaches and drinking-water source waters

Nowcasts are tools used to provide timely and accurate water-quality assessments of threats to drinking-water and recreational resources from fecal contamination or cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms. They use mathematical models and techniques to provide near-real-time estimates of fecal-indicator bacteria (FIB) and cyanotoxin concentrations. Techniques include logic-based thresholds, decision t
Authors
Donna S. Francy, Amie M.G. Brady, Jessica R. Cicale, Harrison D Dalby, Erin A. Stelzer

Trends in streamflow, nutrients, and total suspended solids in the Upper White River Basin, Indiana

The U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, analyzed existing water-quality and streamflow data from three locations in the Upper White River Basin, Indiana, to estimate annual mean concentrations and fluxes and to identify and quantify changes in water quality and streamflow over time. Water-quality data used in the analyses were collected between water years 1992 and
Authors
G.F. Koltun, Cassie Hauswald