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: 18422
Analysis of trends of water quality and streamflow in the Blackstone, Branch, Pawtuxet, and Pawcatuck Rivers, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 1979 to 2015
Trends in long-term water-quality and streamflow data from six water-quality-monitoring stations within three major river basins in Massachusetts and Rhode Island that flow into Narragansett Bay and Little Narragansett Bay were evaluated for water years 1979–2015. In this study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the
Authors
Jennifer G. Savoie, John R. Mullaney, Gardner C. Bent
A river-scale Lagrangian experiment examining controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the presence and absence of treated wastewater effluent high in ammonium
Phytoplankton are critical component of the food web in most large rivers and estuaries, and thus identifying dominant controls on phytoplankton abundance and species composition is important to scientists, managers, and policymakers. Recent studies from a variety of systems indicate that ammonium ( NH+4) in treated wastewater effluent decreases primary production and alters phytoplankton species
Authors
Tamara E. C. Kraus, Kurt D. Carpenter, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Alexander Parker, Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Bryan D. Downing, Nicole Travis, Frances Wilkerson, Carol Kendall, Timothy Mussen
Saltwater intrusion in the Floridan aquifer system near downtown Brunswick, Georgia, 1957–2015
IntroductionThe Floridan aquifer system (FAS) consists of the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA), an intervening confining unit of highly variable properties, and the Lower Floridan aquifer (LFA). The UFA and LFA are primarily composed of Paleocene- to Oligocene-age carbonate rocks that include, locally, Upper Cretaceous rocks. The FAS extends from coastal areas in southeastern South Carolina and contin
Authors
Gregory S. Cherry, Michael Peck
Refining previous estimates of groundwater outflows from the Medina/Diversion Lake system, San Antonio area, Texas
IntroductionIn 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the San Antonio Water System, began a study to refine previously derived estimates of groundwater outflows from Medina and Diversion Lakes in south-central Texas near San Antonio. When full, Medina and Diversion Lakes (hereinafter referred to as the Medina/Diversion Lake system) (fig. 1) impound approximately 255,000 acre-
Authors
Richard N. Slattery, William H. Asquith, John D. Gordon
Enhanced coal-dependent methanogenesis coupled with algal biofuels: Potential water recycle and carbon capture
Many coal beds contain microbial communities that can convert coal to natural gas (coalbed methane). Native microorganisms were obtained from Powder River Basin (PRB) coal seams with a diffusive microbial sampler placed downhole and used as an inoculum for enrichments with different nutrients to investigate microbially-enhanced coalbed methane production (MECoM). Coal-dependent methanogenesis more
Authors
Elliott P. Barnhart, Katherine J. Davis, Matthew S. Varonka, William H. Orem, Alfred B. Cunningham, Bradley D. Ramsay, Matthew W. Fields
Hydrologic, land cover, and seasonal patterns of waterborne pathogens in Great Lakes tributaries
Great Lakes tributaries are known to deliver waterborne pathogens from a host of sources. To examine the hydrologic, land cover, and seasonal patterns of waterborne pathogens (i.e. protozoa (2), pathogenic bacteria (4) human viruses, (8) and bovine viruses (8)) eight rivers were monitored in the Great Lakes Basin over 29 months from February 2011 to June 2013. Sampling locations represented a wide
Authors
Peter L. Lenaker, Steven R. Corsi, Mark A. Borchardt, Susan K. Spencer, Austin K. Baldwin, Michelle A. Lutz
Preferential flow, diffuse flow, and perching in an interbedded fractured-rock unsaturated zone
Layers of strong geologic contrast within the unsaturated zone can control recharge and contaminant transport to underlying aquifers. Slow diffuse flow in certain geologic layers, and rapid preferential flow in others, complicates the prediction of vertical and lateral fluxes. A simple model is presented, designed to use limited geological site information to predict these critical subsurface proc
Authors
John R. Nimmo, Kaitlyn M Creasey, Kimberlie Perkins, Benjamin B. Mirus
Lithological influences on contemporary and long-term regolith weathering at the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory
Lithologic differences give rise to the differential weatherability of the Earth’s surface and globally variable silicate weathering fluxes, which provide an important negative feedback on climate over geologic timescales. To isolate the influence of lithology on weathering rates and mechanisms, we compare two nearby catchments in the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory in Puerto Rico, which have s
Authors
Heather L. Buss, Maria Chapela Lara, Oliver Moore, Andrew C. Kurtz, Marjorie S. Schulz, Arthur F. White
Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow and analysis of projected water use for the Canadian River alluvial aquifer, western and central Oklahoma
This report describes a study of the hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow for the Canadian River alluvial aquifer in western and central Oklahoma conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. The report (1) quantifies the groundwater resources of the Canadian River alluvial aquifer by developing a conceptual model, (2) summarizes the gen
Authors
John H. Ellis, Shana L. Mashburn, Grant M. Graves, Steven M. Peterson, S. Jerrod Smith, Leland T. Fuhrig, Derrick L. Wagner, Jon E. Sanford
Complete genome sequence of the acetylene-fermenting Pelobacter sp. strain SFB93
Acetylene fermentation is a rare metabolism that was previously reported as being unique to Pelobacter acetylenicus. Here, we report the genome sequence of Pelobacter sp. strain SFB93, an acetylene-fermenting bacterium isolated from sediments collected in San Francisco Bay, CA.
Authors
John M. Sutton, Shaun Baesman, Janna L. Fierst, Amisha T. Poret-Peterson, Ronald S. Oremland, Darren S. Dunlap, Denise M. Akob
Complete genome sequences of two acetylene-fermenting Pelobacter acetylenicus strains
Acetylene fermentation is a rare metabolism that was serendipitously discovered during C2H2-block assays of N2O reductase. Here, we report the genome sequences of two type strains of acetylene-fermenting Pelobacter acetylenicus, the freshwater bacterium DSM 3246 and the estuarine bacterium DSM 3247.
Authors
John M. Sutton, Shaun Baesman, Janna L. Fierst, Amisha T. Poret-Peterson, Ronald S. Oremland, Darren S. Dunlap, Denise M. Akob
A regional assessment of chemicals of concern in surface waters of four Midwestern United States national parks
Anthropogenic chemicals and their potential for adverse biological effects raise concern for aquatic ecosystem health in protected areas. During 2013–15, surface waters of four Midwestern United States national parks were sampled and analyzed for wastewater indicators, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides. More chemicals and higher concentrations were detected at the two parks w
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, David VanderMeulen