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: 19030
Thickness and other characteristics of overbank sediment deposited during an extreme flood in May 1978 along the Powder River, Montana Thickness and other characteristics of overbank sediment deposited during an extreme flood in May 1978 along the Powder River, Montana
An extreme flood on the Powder River in southeastern Montana in May 1978 inundated its valley and deposited sediment on the floodplains and terraces at multiple heights. The recurrence interval for this flood was less than 1 percent in the reach between Moorhead and Broadus, Montana. Peak discharges at the U.S. Geological Survey streamgages at Moorhead and Broadus were 779 and 711 cubic...
Authors
John A. Moody, Robert H. Meade
Deep critical zone controls on shallow landslides Deep critical zone controls on shallow landslides
The deep critical zone (CZ) has long been recognized for its importance in influencing shallow landslides but was not considered feasible to include in slope stability models at the watershed scale. In this study, we demonstrate that simple approximations of the CZ in a fully coupled hydrologic and soil slope stability model can effectively capture the location, timing, and likely size...
Authors
Seulgi Moon, Giuseppe Formetta, Justin T. Higa, Riccardo Busti, Dino G. Bellugi, David G. Milledge, Brian A. Ebel, William E. Dietrich
Ice sheet dynamics drive pronounced changes in the subsurface freshwater-saltwater interface Ice sheet dynamics drive pronounced changes in the subsurface freshwater-saltwater interface
Saltwater is migrating into freshwater aquifers globally with water quality and biogeochemical implications, yet saltwater intrusion in glaciated regions is sparsely investigated. Field observations suggest that groundwater head in glaciated systems is influenced by ice sheet forcings and provides evidence that seawater infiltrated into offshore aquifers during past deglaciation events...
Authors
Julia Guimond, Aaron Mohammed, Barret L. Kurylyk, Michelle A. Walvoord, Victor F. Bense
Estimating discharge from undular hydraulic jumps: Feasibility assessment based on flume experiments Estimating discharge from undular hydraulic jumps: Feasibility assessment based on flume experiments
Rapids are common in steep rivers, often forming where flow transitions from supercritical (Froude number, Fr > 1) to subcritical (Fr
Authors
Daniel C. White, Elowyn Yager, Carl J. Legleiter, Gordon Grant, Laura A. Hempel, Christina M. Leonard, Katherine Adler, Merritt Elizabeth Harlan, Becky Fasth
Extreme precipitation variability and soil texture controls on water-table response Extreme precipitation variability and soil texture controls on water-table response
Extreme precipitation events (EPEs), a key class of hydrometeorological extremes, are intensifying globally under climate change; however, their effects on water-table dynamics across varying soil textures remain poorly understood. To better understand the impacts of EPEs, we conducted one-dimensional modeling to evaluate water-table response time, displacement, recession time, and total...
Authors
Claudia R. Corona, Shemin Ge, Suzanne P. Anderson, Jesse E. Dickinson
How to accelerate advances in ecological forecasting How to accelerate advances in ecological forecasting
Ecological forecasting offers critical insights for managing natural resources and safeguarding public well-being. Despite growing demand for these forecasts, progress is hindered by fragmented systems, redundant workflows, and limited interoperability. Drawing lessons from weather forecasting and recent successes like the NEON Ecological Forecasting Challenge, shared cyberinfrastructure...
Authors
Jacob Aaron Zwart, Cameron Thompson, Hassan Moustahfid, Jessica Burnett, Michael Dietze
Treatability study to evaluate bioremediation of trichloroethene at Site K, former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Arden Hills, Minnesota, 2020–22 Treatability study to evaluate bioremediation of trichloroethene at Site K, former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, Arden Hills, Minnesota, 2020–22
Executive Summary Chlorinated solvents, including trichloroethene (TCE) and other chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs), are widespread contaminants that can be treated by bioremediation approaches that enhance anaerobic reductive dechlorination. Reductive dechlorination can be enhanced either through the addition of an electron donor (biostimulation) or the addition of a known
Authors
Michelle M. Lorah, Emily H. Majcher, Adam C. Mumford, Ellie P. Foss, Trevor P. Needham, Andrew W. Psoras, Colin T. Livdahl, Jared J. Trost, Andrew M. Berg, Bridgette F. Polite, Denise M. Akob, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Characterizing operational signatures of reservoirs with the SWOT satellite by comparing natural lake and reservoir dynamics Characterizing operational signatures of reservoirs with the SWOT satellite by comparing natural lake and reservoir dynamics
Due to a lack of management operations data, hydrological models may represent reservoirs as natural lakes, leading to poor discharge predictions in regulated basins. To parse seasonal operational signatures, we compare the dynamics of natural lake and reservoir systems across North America using Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite observations and derived discharge...
Authors
Ryan Matthew Riggs, Jesse E. Dickinson, Craig B. Brinkerhoff, Md. Safat Sikder, Jida Wang, Huilin Gao, George H. Allen
Tracking baseflow supply dynamics using SWOT data from small groundwater-dominated lakes Tracking baseflow supply dynamics using SWOT data from small groundwater-dominated lakes
In situ surface-water monitoring strategies are biased towards larger perennial streams and lakes and are generally not designed to track mechanisms of baseflow supply contributed by the dynamic storage of aquifers. Additionally, small (
Authors
Martin A. Briggs, Merritt Elizabeth Harlan, David M. Rey, Danielle K. Hare, Denis R. LeBlanc, David F. Boutt, Michael N. Gooseff
Compilation of a nationwide river image dataset for identifying river channels and river rapids via deep learning Compilation of a nationwide river image dataset for identifying river channels and river rapids via deep learning
Remote sensing enables large-scale, image-based assessments of river dynamics, offering new opportunities for hydrological monitoring. We present a publicly available dataset consisting of 281,024 satellite and aerial images of U.S. rivers, constructed using an Application Programming Interface (API) and the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Hydrography Dataset. The dataset includes...
Authors
Nicholas Brimhall, Kelvyn K. Bladen, Tom Kerby, Carl J. Legleiter, Cameron Swapp, Hannah Fluckiger, Julie E Bahr, Makenna Roberts, Kaden Hart, Christina L. Stegman, Brennan Bean, Kevin Moon
A review and synthesis of post-wildfire shifts in hydrologic processes and streamflow generation mechanisms A review and synthesis of post-wildfire shifts in hydrologic processes and streamflow generation mechanisms
Critical water supply watersheds in the western United States (WUS) are impacted by wildfires, with potential negative effects on water quality and quantity. Scientific understanding is currently insufficient to deliver estimates of wildfire consequences for water quantity that are regionally accurate. Regional variability in the directionality and magnitude of post-wildfire shifts in...
Authors
Brian A. Ebel, John C. Hammond, Michelle A. Walvoord, Trevor Fuess Partridge, David M. Rey, Sheila F. Murphy
Development and field testing of a UAS-based-software-defined radar for measuring freshwater bathymetry Development and field testing of a UAS-based-software-defined radar for measuring freshwater bathymetry
We provide an overview of an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)-based software-defined radar (SDRadar) system for high-resolution geophysical observations. The radar transceiver is implemented on a Radio Frequency System-on-Chip (RFSoC) platform, along with an ultra-wideband Vivaldi antenna that has a starting operating frequency of 150 MHz, enabling the system to be used across different...
Authors
Sepehr Eskandari, Asem Melebari, Paul J. Kinzel, Robert Russell Lotspeich, Jack R. Eggleston, Mahta Moghaddam