Publications
Browse more than 150,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center Publications
Filter Total Items: 3244
SFRmaker and Linesink-Maker: Rapid construction of streamflow routing networks from hydrography data
Groundwater models have evolved to encompass more aspects of the water cycle, but the incorporation of realistic boundary conditions representing surface water remains time-consuming and error-prone. We present two Python packages that robustly automate this process using readily available hydrography data as the primary input. SFRmaker creates input for the MODFLOW SFR package, while Linesink-mak
Authors
Andrew T. Leaf, Michael N. Fienen, Howard W. Reeves
Examining historical mercury sources in the Saint Louis River estuary: How legacy contamination influences biological mercury levels in Great Lakes coastal regions
Industrial chemical contamination within coastal regions of the Great Lakes can pose serious risks to wetland habitat and offshore fisheries, often resulting in fish consumption advisories that directly affect human and wildlife health. Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of concern in many of these highly urbanized and industrialized coastal regions, one of which is the Saint Louis River estuary (SLRE)
Authors
Sarah E. Janssen, Joel C. Hoffman, Ryan F. Lepak, David P. Krabbenhoft, David Walters, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Greg Peterson, Jacob M. Ogorek, John F. DeWild, Anne M Cotter, Mark Pearson, Michael T. Tate, Roger B. Yeardley, Marc A. Mills
Probabilities of detecting submersed aquatic vegetation species using a rake method may vary with biomass
Levels of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) are commonly assessed using a modified garden rake. However, the utility of the rake sampling method relative to methods that are typically viewed as more definitive (and expensive) such as snorkeling and coring remains a matter of debate. This study explores whether probabilities of species detections for four SAV species varied among sampling units in
Authors
Brian R. Gray
U.S. Geological Survey migratory bird science, 2020–21
Bird conservation as an endeavor engages a broad range of partners and a coordinated effort across State and Federal agencies, nongovernment organizations, universities and, at times, international partnerships. To understand information needs and respond to the many challenges in bird conservation, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists participate in Flyway committees, on Joint Venture board
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Mark H. Sherfy, Mark Wimer, Mona Khalil, Mark T. Wiltermuth
Inconsistent browning of northeastern U.S. lakes despite increased precipitation and recovery from acidification
Multiple studies have reported widespread browning of Northern Hemisphere lakes. Most examples are from boreal lakes that have experienced limited human influence, and browning has alternatively been attributed to changes in atmospheric deposition, climate, and land use. To determine the extent and possible causes of browning across a more geographically diverse region, we examined watercolor and
Authors
Jean-Francois Lapierre, Sarah M. Collins, Samantha K. Oliver, Emily H. Stanley, Tyler Wagner
Avoidance of cold-, cool-, and warm-water fishes to Zequanox® exposure
Zequanox® is a biopesticide registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency for controlling dreissenid mussels with demonstrated selective toxicity. However, some research has indicated that Zequanox may impact the body condition and survival of some non-target species. We assessed avoidance behaviors of two species of cold-, cool-,
Authors
Matthew Barbour, James A. Luoma, Todd J. Severson, Jeremy K. Wise, Barbara Bennie
Introduction to a special section: Integrated pest management—extending a terrestrial paradigm to aquatic environments
No abstract available.
Authors
Mark P. Gaikowski, Patrick Kočovský
Hydrographic and benthic mapping—St. Croix National Scenic Riverway—Osceola landing
High-resolution topographic and bathymetric mapping can assist in the analysis of river habitat. The National Park Service has been planning to relocate a boat ramp along the St. Croix River in Minnesota, across the river from the town of Osceola, Wisconsin, to improve visitor safety, improve operations for commercial use, enhance the overall visitor experience, and eliminate deferred maintenance
Authors
Jenny L. Hanson, Jayme M. Strange
Machine learning predicted redox conditions in the glacial aquifer system, northern continental United States
Groundwater supplies 50% of drinking water worldwide and 30% in the United States. Geogenic and anthropogenic contaminants can, however, compromise water quality, thus limiting groundwater availability. Reduction/oxidation (redox) processes and redox conditions affect groundwater quality by influencing the mobility and transport of common geogenic and anthropogenic contaminants. In the glacial aqu
Authors
Melinda L. Erickson, Sarah M. Elliott, Craig J. Brown, Paul Stackelberg, Katherine Marie Ransom, James E. Reddy
Re‐purposing groundwater flow models for age assessments: Important characteristics
Groundwater flow model construction is often time‐consuming and costly, with development ideally focused on a specific purpose, such as quantifying well capture from water bodies or providing flow fields for simulating advective transport. As environmental challenges evolve, the incentive to re‐purpose existing groundwater flow models may increase. However, few studies have evaluated which charact
Authors
Paul F. Juckem, J. Jeffrey Starn
National-scale reservoir thermal energy storage pre-assessment for the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey is performing a pre-assessment of the cooling potential for reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES) in five generalized geologic regions (Basin and Range, Coastal Plains, Illinois Basin, Michigan Basin, Pacific Northwest) across the United States. Reservoir models are developed for the metropolitan areas of eight cities (Albuquerque, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolin
Authors
Jeff D. Pepin, Erick R. Burns, Jesse E. Dickinson, Leslie L. Duncan, Eve L. Kuniansky, Howard W. Reeves
Estimation of suspended sediment at a discontinued streamgage on the lower Minnesota River at Fort Snelling State Park, Minnesota
In the spring of 2019, ice sheets transported down-stream during a large streamflow rise event in the lower Minnesota River destroyed an index-velocity streamgage at the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling State Park, Minnesota (U.S. Geological Survey station 05330920; hereafter referred to as “Ft. Snelling”). The streamgage previously used an acoustic Doppler velocity meter to provide instantaneous
Authors
Joel T. Groten, Jon S. Hendrickson, Linda R. Loomis