Publications
Below is a list of available Colorado Water Science Center publications and published products.
Filter Total Items: 765
Hyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range
The influence of hyporheic zone interactions on the redox state of fulvic acids and other redox active species was investigated in an alpine stream and adjacent wetland, which is a more reducing environment. A tracer injection experiment using bromide (Br-) was conducted in the stream system. Simulations with a transport model showed that rates of exchange between the stream and hyporheic zone wer
Authors
Matthew P. Miller, Diane M. McKnight, R.M. Cory, Mark W. Williams, Robert L. Runkel
Storage and transit time of chemicals in thick unsaturated zones under rangeland and irrigated cropland, High Plains, United States
In 2000-2002, three rangeland and six irrigated sites were instrumented to assess the storage and transit time of chemicals in thick (15 to 50 m) unsaturated zones (UZ) in the High Plains. These processes are likely to influence relations between land use and groundwater quality, yet they have not been documented systematically in the High Plains. Land use and climate were important controls on th
Authors
P. B. McMahon, K. F. Dennehy, B. W. Bruce, J.K. Böhlke, R. L. Michel, J.J. Gurdak, D.B. Hurlbut
Modeling spatial and temporal variations in temperature and salinity during stratification and overturn in Dexter Pit Lake, Tuscarora, Nevada, USA
This paper examines the seasonal cycling of temperature and salinity in Dexter pit lake in arid northern Nevada, and describes an approach for modeling the physical processes that operate in such systems. The pit lake contains about 596,200 m3 of dilute, near neutral (pHs 6.7–9) water. Profiles of temperature, conductivity, and selected element concentrations were measured almost monthly during 19
Authors
Laurie S. Balistrieri, R.N. Tempel, L.L. Stillings, L.A. Shevenell
Regional patterns in the isotopic composition of natural and anthropogenic nitrate in groundwater, High Plains, U.S.A.
Mobilization of natural nitrate (NO3-) deposits in the subsoil by irrigation water in arid and semiarid regions has the potential to produce large groundwater NO3- concentrations. The use of isotopes to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic NO3- sources in these settings could be complicated by the wide range in δ15N values of natural NO3-. An ∼10 000 year record of paleorecharge from the
Authors
P. B. McMahon, J.K. Böhlke
Using the tracer-dilution discharge method to develop streamflow records for ice-affected streams in Colorado
Accurate ice-affected streamflow records are difficult to obtain for several reasons, which makes the management of instream-flow water rights in the wintertime a challenging endeavor. This report documents a method to improve ice-affected streamflow records for two gaging stations in Colorado. In January and February 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conserv
Authors
Joseph P. Capesius, Joseph R. Sullivan, Gregory B. O'Neill, Cory A. Williams
Hydrogeology and quality of ground water in the upper Arkansas River basin from Buena Vista to Salida, Colorado, 2000-2003
The upper Arkansas River Basin between Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado, is a downfaulted basin, the Buena Vista-Salida structural basin, located between the Sawatch and Mosquito Ranges. The primary aquifers in the Buena Vista-Salida structural basin consist of poorly consolidated to unconsolidated Quaternary-age alluvial and glacial deposits and Tertiary-age basin-fill deposits. Maximum thickness
Authors
Kenneth R. Watts
Rocky Mountain snowpack chemistry at selected sites, 2003
No abstract available.
Authors
George P. Ingersoll, M. Alisa Mast, Leora Nanus, David J. Manthorne, Heather H. Handran, Douglas M. Hulstrand, Jesse Winterringer
Mass loading of selected major and trace elements in Lake Fork Creek near Leadville, Colorado, September-October 2001
A mass-loading study of Lake Fork Creek of the Arkansas River between Sugarloaf Dam and the mouth was completed in September-October 2001 to help ascertain the following: (1) variation of pH and aqueous constituent concentrations (calcium, sulfate, alkalinity, aluminum, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and zinc) and their relation to toxicity standards along the study reach; (2) location an
Authors
Katherine Walton-Day, Jennifer L. Flynn, Briant A. Kimball, Robert L. Runkel
Historical perspective of statewide streamflows during the 2002 and 1977 droughts in Colorado
Since 1890, Colorado has experienced a number of widespread drought periods; the most recent statewide drought began during 1999 and includes 2002, a year characterized by precipitation, snowpack accumulation, and streamflows that were much lower than normal. Because the drought of 2002 had a substantial effect on streamflows in Colorado, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorad
Authors
Gerhard Kuhn
Effects of emission reductions at the Hayden powerplant on precipitation, snowpack, and surface-water chemistry in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area, Colorado, 1995-2003
Precipitation, snowpack, and surface-water samples collected during 1995-2003 were analyzed to evaluate the effects of emission reductions at the Hayden powerplant on water chemistry in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area. The Hayden powerplant, one of two large coal-fired powerplants in the Yampa Valley, was retrofitted with control systems during late 1998 and 1999 to reduce emissions of sulfur dio
Authors
M. Alisa Mast, Donald H. Campbell, George P. Ingersoll
Proceedings of the U.S. Geological Survey Fourth Biennial Geographic Information Science Workshop: Denver, Colorado, April 23-27, 2001
Introduction:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fourth Biennial Geographic Information Science (GIS) Workshop (USGS-GIS 2001) was held April 23-27, 2001, at the Denver Federal Center in Denver, Colorado. The workshop provided an environment for participants to improve their knowledge about GIS and GIS-related applications that are used within the USGS. Two major topics of USGS-GIS 2001 were the
Authors
Jennifer B. Sieverling, Stephen J. Char, Carma A. San Juan
Quantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998
Drainage from abandoned and inactive mines and from naturally mineralized areas in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado contributes metals to the upper Animas River near Silverton, Colorado. Tracer-injection studies and associated synoptic sampling were performed along two reaches of the upper Animas River to develop detailed profiles of stream discharge and to locate and quantify sources o
Authors
Suzanne S. Paschke, Briant A. Kimball, Robert L. Runkel