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Publications

This list of Water Resources Mission Area publications includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists. A searchable database of all USGS publications can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.

Filter Total Items: 18418

Ratios of methylmercury to total mercury in predator and primary consumer insects from Adirondack streams in New York State

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects aquatic biota in otherwise pristine settings such as the Adirondack region of New York State. Bioaccumulation of Hg is especially problematic in sensitive landscapes, where inorganic mercury from atmospheric deposition is readily converted, via natural processes, to methylmercury (MeHg), the toxic form that is taken up and biomagnified in aquatic foo
Authors
Karen Riva-Murray

Geochemical assessment of groundwater in the Big Chino subbasin, Arizona, 2011–18

A geochemical characterization of groundwater in the Big Chino subbasin of Arizona was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Prescott, the Town of Prescott Valley, and the Salt River Project, to understand groundwater evolution through the study area and the source of water to springs along the gaining reach of the Verde River just downstream from its confluence
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, Casey J. R. Jones

Hydrologic properties of a highly permeable firn aquifer in the Wilkins Ice Shelf, Antarctica

We present measurements of the density, hydraulic conductivity, and specific discharge of a widespread firn aquifer in Antarctica, within the Wilkins Ice Shelf. At the field site, the aquifer is 16.2 m thick, starting at 13.4 m from the snow surface and transitioning from water‐saturated firn to ice at 29.6 m. Hydraulic conductivity derived from slug tests show a geometric mean value of 1.4 ± 1.2 
Authors
Lynn Montgomery, C. Miege, Julie MIller, Bruce Wallin, Olivia L. Miller, Ted A. Scambos, D Kip Solomon, Richard Forster, Lora Koenig

Differences in neonicotinoid and metabolite sorption to activated carbon are driven by alterations to the insecticidal pharmacophore

Widespread application of neonicotinoids has led to their proliferation in waters. Despite low neonicotinoid hydrophobicity, our prior studies implicated granular activated carbon (GAC) in neonicotinoid removal. Based on known receptor binding characteristics, we hypothesized that the insecticidal pharmacophore influences neonicotinoid sorption. Our objectives were to illuminate drivers of neonico
Authors
Danielle T. Webb, Matthew R. Nagorzanski, Megan M Powers, David M. Cwiertny, Michelle Hladik, Gregory H. LeFevre

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

Estimating the effects of forest structure changes from wildfire on snow water resources under varying meteorological conditions

Modeling forest change effects on snow is critical to resource management. However, many models either do not appropriately model canopy structure or cannot represent fine‐scale changes in structure following a disturbance. We applied a 1 m2 resolution energy budget snowpack model at a forested site in New Mexico, USA, affected by a wildfire, using input data from lidar to represent prefire and po
Authors
C. David Moeser, Patrick Borxton, Adrian Harpold, Andrew J. Robertson

Statistical methods in water resources

This text began as a collection of class notes for a course on applied statistical methods for hydrologists taught at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Training Center. Course material was formalized and organized into a textbook, first published in 1992 by Elsevier as part of their Studies in Environmental Science series. In 2002, the work was made available online as a USGS report.The t
Authors
Dennis R. Helsel, Robert M. Hirsch, Karen R. Ryberg, Stacey A. Archfield, Edward J. Gilroy

Thermokarst amplifies fluvial inorganic carbon cycling and export across watershed scales on the Peel Plateau, Canada

As climate warming and precipitation increase at high latitudes, permafrost terrains across the circumpolar north are poised for intensified geomorphic activity and sediment mobilization that are expected to persist for millennia. In previously glaciated permafrost terrain, ice-rich deposits are associated with large stores of reactive mineral substrate. Over geological timescales, chemical weathe
Authors
Scott Zolkos, Suzanne E. Tank, Robert G. Striegl, Steven V. Kokelj, Justin Kokszka, Cristian Estop-Aragones, David Olefeldt

Resistance and resilience of pelagic and littoral fishes to drought in the San Francisco Estuary

Many estuarine ecosystems and the fish communities that inhabit them have undergone substantial changes in the past several decades, largely due to multiple interacting stressors that are often of anthropogenic origin. Few are more impactful than droughts, which are predicted to increase in both frequency and severity with climate change. In this study, we examined over five decades of fish monito
Authors
Brian Mahardja, Vanessa Tobias, Shruti Khanna, Lara Mitchell, Peggy W. Lehman, Ted Sommer, Larry R. Brown, Steven Culberson, Louise Conrad

Evaluation of the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage network in South Carolina, 2017

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been monitoring streamflow in South Carolina since the late 1800s. From the beginning, the USGS streamgage network in South Carolina has been dynamic, with streamgages being added or removed depending on their purpose and the availability of funding from Federal, State, and local partners. Streamflow monitoring is important for acquiring real-time data during
Authors
Toby D. Feaster, Katharine R. Kolb