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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

Tectonic activity as a significant source of crustal tetrafluoromethane emissions to the atmosphere: observations in groundwaters along the San Andreas Fault

Tetrafluoromethane (CF4) concentrations were measured in 14 groundwater samples from the Cuyama Valley, Mil Potrero and Cuddy Valley aquifers along the Big Bend section of the San Andreas Fault System (SAFS) in California to assess whether tectonic activity in this region is a significant source of crustal CF4 to the atmosphere. Dissolved CF4 concentrations in all groundwater samples but one were
Authors
Daniel A. Deeds, Justin T. Kulongoski, Jens Muhle, Ray F. Weiss

Magmatic gas emissions at Holocene volcanic features near Mono Lake, California, and their relation to regional magmatism

Silicic lavas have erupted repeatedly in the Mono Basin over the past few thousand years, forming the massive domes and coulees of the Mono Craters chain and the smaller island vents in Mono Lake. We report here on the first systematic study of magmatic CO2 emissions from these features, conducted during 2007–2010. Most notably, a known locus of weak steam venting on the summit of North Coulee is
Authors
D. Bergfeld, William C. Evans, James F. Howle, Andrew G. Hunt

Geochemical conditions and the occurrence of selected trace elements in groundwater basins used for public drinking-water supply, Desert and Basin and Range hydrogeologic provinces, 2006-11: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

The geochemical conditions, occurrence of selected trace elements, and processes controlling the occurrence of selected trace elements in groundwater were investigated in groundwater basins of the Desert and Basin and Range (DBR) hydrogeologic provinces in southeastern California as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GA
Authors
Michael T. Wright, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz

Examples of deformation-dependent flow simulations of conjunctive use with MF-OWHM

The dependency of surface- and groundwater flows and aquifer hydraulic properties on deformation induced by changes in aquifer head is not accounted for in the standard version of MODFLOW. A new USGS integrated hydrologic model, MODFLOW-OWHM, incorporates this dependency by linking subsidence and mesh deformation with changes in aquifer transmissivity and storage coefficient, and with flows that a
Authors
Randall T. Hanson, Jonathan A. Traum, Scott E. Boyce, Wolfgang Schmid, Joseph D. Hughes

In-situ arsenic removal during groundwater recharge through unsaturated alluvium

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and sustainability of in-situ removal of arsenic from water infiltrated through unsaturated alluvium. BACKGROUND Arsenic is naturally present in aquifers throughout the southwestern United States and elsewhere. In January 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic
Authors
David O'Leary, John A. Izbicki, T.J. Kim, Clark Ajawani, Donald Suarez, Thomas Barnes, Thomas Kulp, Matthew K. Burgess, Iwen Tseng

Cr(VI) occurrence and geochemistry in water from public-supply wells in California

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), in 918 wells sampled throughout California between 2004 and 2012 by the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment-Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) ranged from less than the study reporting limit of 1 microgram per liter (μg/L) to 32 μg/L. Statewide, Cr(VI) was reported in 31 percent of wells and equaled or exceeded the recently established (2014) California Maximu
Authors
John A. Izbicki, Michael Wright, Whitney A. Seymour, R. Blaine McCleskey, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz, Bradley K. Esser

Estimation of historic flows and sediment loads to San Francisco Bay,1849–2011

River flow and sediment transport in estuaries influence morphological development over decadal and century time scales, but hydrological and sedimentological records are typically too short to adequately characterize long-term trends. In this study, we recover archival records and apply a rating curve approach to develop the first instrumental estimates of daily delta inflow and sediment loads to
Authors
H.R. Moftakhari, D.A. Jay, S.A. Talke, David H. Schoellhamer

Twentieth-century shifts in forest structure in California: Denser forests, smaller trees, and increased dominance of oaks

We document changes in forest structure between historical(1930s) and contemporary (2000s) surveys of California vegetation through comparisons of tree abundance and size across the state and within several ecoregions. Across California, tree density in forested regions increased by 30% between the two time periods, whereas forest biomass in the same regions declined, as indicated by a 19% reducti
Authors
Patrick J. McIntyre, James H. Thorne, Christopher R. Dolanc, Alan L. Flint, Lorraine E. Flint, Maggi Kelly, David D. Ackerly

Conocimientos básico científico y técnico necesarios para la evaluación y gestion de los SAT

No abstract available.
Authors
Randall T. Hanson, Rubén Chávez Guillén, Ofelia Tujchneider, Alfonso Rivera, William Alley, Alyssa Dausman, Lourdes Batista, Marcela Espinoza

Suspended-sediment dynamics in the tidal reach of a San Francisco Bay tributary

To better understand suspended-sediment transport in a tidal slough adjacent to a large wetland restoration project, we deployed continuously-measuring temperature, salinity, depth, turbidity, and velocity sensors since 2010, and added a dissolved-oxygen sensor in 2012, at a near-bottom location in Alviso Slough (Alviso, California USA). Alviso Slough is the downstream reach of the Guadalupe River
Authors
Gregory Shellenbarger, Maureen A. Downing-Kunz, David H. Schoellhamer

An integrated approach to conjunctive-use analysis with the one-water hydrologic flow model, MODFLOW-OWHM

The MODFLOW-2005 (MF) family of hydrologic simulators has diverged into multiple versions designed for specific needs, thus limiting their use to their respective designs. The One-Water Hydrologic Flow Model (MF-OWHM v1.0) is an integrated hydrologic flow model that is an enhanced fusion of multiple MF versions. While maintaining compatibility with existing MF versions, MF-OWHM includes: linkages
Authors
Scott E. Boyce, Randall T. Hanson

Causes and consequences of ecosystem service regionalization in a coastal suburban watershed

The demand for ecosystem services and the ability of natural ecosystems to provide those services evolve over time as population, land use, and management practices change. Regionalization of ecosystem service activity, or the expansion of the area providing ecosystem services to a population, is a common response in densely populated coastal regions, with important consequences for watershed wate
Authors
Wilfred M. Wollheim, Mark B. Green, Brian A. Pellerin, Nathaniel B. Morse, Charles S. Hopkinson