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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: 3223

Geomorphic responses of Duluth-area streams to the June 2012 flood, Minnesota

In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, completed a geomorphic assessment of 51 Duluth-area stream sites in 20 basins to describe and document the stream geomorphic changes associated with the June 2012 flood. Heavy rainfall caused flood peaks with annual exceedance probabilities of less than 0.002 (flood recurrence interval of greater than
Authors
Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Christopher A. Ellison, Christiana R. Czuba, Benjamin M. Young, Molly M. McCool, Joel T. Groten

Safety of the molluscicide Zequanox (R) to nontarget macroinvertebrates Gammarus lacustris (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) and Hexagenia spp. (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae)

Zequanox® is a commercial formulation of the killed bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A), that was developed to control dreissenid mussels. In 2014, Zequanox became the second product registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for use in open water environments as a molluscicide. Previous nontarget studies demonstrated the safety and selectivity of P. flu
Authors
Diane L. Waller, James A. Luoma, Richard A. Erickson

Methods for exploring uncertainty in groundwater management predictions

Models of groundwater systems help to integrate knowledge about the natural and human system covering different spatial and temporal scales, often from multiple disciplines, in order to address a range of issues of concern to various stakeholders. A model is simply a tool to express what we think we know. Uncertainty, due to lack of knowledge or natural variability, means that there are always alt
Authors
Joseph H. A. Guillaume, Randall J. Hunt, Alessandro Comunian, Baihua Fu, Rachel S Blakers

Patchiness in a large floodplain river: Associations among hydrology, nutrients, and fish communities

Large floodplain rivers have internal structures shaped by directions and rates of water movement. In a previous study, we showed that spatial variation in local current velocities and degrees of hydrological exchange creates a patch-work mosaic of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and ratios in the Upper Mississippi River. Here, we used long-term fish and limnological data sets to test the h
Authors
Nathan R. De Jager, Jeffrey N. Houser

Evaluation of a method for quantifying eugenol concentrations in the fillet tissue from freshwater fish species

AQUI-S 20E® (active ingredient, eugenol; AQUI-S New Zealand Ltd, Lower Hutt, New Zealand) is being pursued for approval as an immediate-release sedative in the United States. A validated method to quantify the primary residue (the marker residue) in fillet tissue from AQUI-S 20E–exposed fish was needed. A method was evaluated for determining concentrations of the AQUI-S 20E marker residue, eugenol
Authors
Jeffery R. Meinertz, Theresa M. Schreier, Scott T. Porcher, Justin Smerud

StreamThermal: A software package for calculating thermal metrics from stream temperature data

Improving quality and better availability of continuous stream temperature data allows natural resource managers, particularly in fisheries, to understand associations between different characteristics of stream thermal regimes and stream fishes. However, there is no convenient tool to efficiently characterize multiple metrics reflecting stream thermal regimes with the increasing amount of data.
Authors
Yin-Phan Tsang, Dana M. Infante, Jana S. Stewart, Lizhu Wang, Ralph Tingly, Darren Thornbrugh, Arthur Cooper, Daniel Wesley

Simulation of climate change effects on streamflow, groundwater, and stream temperature using GSFLOW and SNTEMP in the Black Earth Creek Watershed, Wisconsin

A groundwater/surface-water model was constructed and calibrated for the Black Earth Creek watershed in south-central Wisconsin. The model was then run to simulate scenarios representing common societal concerns in the basin, focusing on maintaining a cold-water resource in an urbanizing fringe near its upper stream reaches and minimizing downstream flooding. Although groundwater and surface water
Authors
Randall J. Hunt, Stephen M. Westenbroek, John F. Walker, William R. Selbig, R. Steven Regan, Andrew T. Leaf, David A. Saad

Documenting the use of the Long Term Resource Monitoring element’s fish monitoring methodologies throughout the Midwest

The Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program’s Long Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element is designed to monitor and assess long term trends in the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). To accomplish this, standardized methods are used that allow for comparisons across pools and rivers. In recent years, other projects and other agencies have adopted the LTRM fish methodologies for use
Authors
Levi E. Solomon, Andrew F. Casper

Environmental DNA mapping of Zebra Mussel populations

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has become a popular tool for detecting aquatic invasive species, but advancements have made it possible to potentially answer other questions like reproduction, movement, and abundance of the targeted organism. In this study we developed a Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) eDNA protocol. We then determined if this assay could be used to help determine Zebra Mussel bioma
Authors
Jon Amberg, Christopher M. Merkes

Development of targeted delivery techniques for Zequanox®

The effects of water temperature and concentration on the physical characteristics of Zequanox®, a dead-cell spray-dried powder formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A) used for controlling invasive dreissenid mussels (zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, and quagga mussel, Dreissena bugensis), were investigated to determine optimal temperature-specific concentrations and delivery tec
Authors
Todd J. Severson, James A. Luoma

Efficacy of spray –Dried Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A (Zequanox®), for controlling Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) within Lake Minnetonka, MN enclosures

The efficacy of whole water column and subsurface applications of the biopesticide Zequanox®, a commercially prepared spray-dried powder formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A), were evaluated for controlling zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) within 27-m2 enclosures in Lake Minnetonka (Deephaven, Minnesota). Five treatments consisting of (1) two whole water column Zequanox applic
Authors
James A. Luoma, Todd J. Severson

Network global navigation satellite system survey to harmonize water-surface elevation data for the Rainy River Basin

Continuously recording water-level streamgages in Rainy Lake and Namakan Reservoir are used to regulate water levels according to rule curves established in 2000 by the International Joint Commission; however, water levels at streamgages were referenced to a variety of vertical datums, confounding efforts to model the flow of water through the system, regulate water levels during periods of high i
Authors
Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, R. Jason Silliker, Brenda K. Densmore, Justin Krahulik