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: 18468
A conceptual framework and monitoring strategy for movement of saltwater in the coastal plain aquifer system of Virginia
A conceptual framework synthesizes previous studies to provide an understanding of conditions, processes, and relations of saltwater to groundwater withdrawal in the Virginia Coastal Plain aquifer system. A strategy for monitoring saltwater movement is based on spatial relations between the saltwater-transition zone and 612 groundwater-production wells that were regulated during 2013 by the Virgin
Authors
E. Randolph Mcfarland
Documentation of input datasets for the soil-water balance groundwater recharge model of the Upper Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water to more than 35 million people in the United States and 3 million people in Mexico, irrigating more than 4.5 million acres of farmland, and generating about 12 billion kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power annually. The Upper Colorado River Basin, encompassing more than 110,000 square miles (mi2), contains the headwaters of the Colorado River (al
Authors
Fred D. Tillman
Geophysical investigation of the pressure field produced by water guns at a pond site in La Crosse, Wisconsin
Three different geophysical sensor types were used to characterize the underwater pressure waves generated by the underwater firing of a seismic water gun and their suitability for establishing a pressure barrier to potentially direct or prevent the movement of the Asian carps. The sensors used to collect the seismic information were blast rated hydrophones and underwater blast sensors. Specific l
Authors
Ryan F. Adams, William S. Morrow
Mercury, monomethyl mercury, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in surface water entering and exiting constructed wetlands treated with metal-based coagulants, Twitchell Island, California
Coagulation with metal-based salts is a practice commonly employed by drinking-water utilities to decrease particle and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in water. In addition to decreasing dissolved organic carbon concentrations, the effectiveness of iron- and aluminum-based coagulants for decreasing dissolved concentrations both of inorganic and monomethyl mercury in water was demonstrated
Authors
Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Tamara E.C. Kraus, Jacob A. Fleck, Angela M. Hansen, Sandra M. Bachand, William R. Horwath, John F. DeWild, David P. Krabbenhoft, Philip A.M. Bachand
Flood-inundation Maps for the Deerfield River, Franklin County, Massachusetts, from the Confluence with the Cold River Tributary to the Connecticut River
The U.S. Geological Survey developed flood elevations in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a 30-mile reach of the Deerfield River from the confluence of the Cold River tributary to the Connecticut River in the towns of Charlemont, Buckland, Shelburne, Conway, Deerfield, and Greenfield in Franklin County, Massachusetts to assist land owners, and emergency management worke
Authors
Pamela J. Lombard, Gardner C. Bent
Investigating the temporal effects of metal-based coagulants to remove mercury from solution in the presence of dissolved organic matter
The presence of mercury (Hg), particularly methylmercury (MeHg), is a concern for both human and ecological health as MeHg is a neurotoxin and can bioaccumulate to lethal levels in upper trophic level organisms. Recent research has demonstrated that coagulation with metal-based salts can effectively remove both inorganic mercury (IHg) and MeHg from solution through association with dissolved organ
Authors
Yumiko K. Henneberry, Tamara E. C. Kraus, David P. Krabbenhoft, William R. Horwath
Trends in pesticide concentrations and use for major rivers of the United States
Trends in pesticide concentrations in 38 major rivers of the United States were evaluated in relation to use trends for 11 commonly occurring pesticide compounds. Pesticides monitored in water were analyzed for trends in concentration in three overlapping periods, 1992–2001, 1997–2006, and 2001–2010 to facilitate comparisons among sites with variable sample distributions over time and among pestic
Authors
Karen R. Ryberg, Robert J. Gilliom
Water withdrawals in Florida, 2012
In 2012, the total amount of water withdrawn in Florida was estimated to be 14,237 million gallons per day (Mgal/d). Saline water accounted for 7,855 Mgal/d (55 percent), and freshwater accounted for 6,383 Mgal/d (45 percent). Groundwater accounted for 4,167 Mgal/d (65 percent) of freshwater withdrawals, and surface water accounted for the remaining 2,216 Mgal/d (35 percent). Surface water account
Authors
Richard L. Marella
High mercury wet deposition at a “clean Air” site in Puerto Rico
Atmospheric mercury deposition measurements are rare in tropical latitudes. Here we report on seven years (April 2005 to April 2012, with gaps) of wet Hg deposition measurements at a tropical wet forest in the Luquillo Mountains, northeastern Puerto Rico, U.S. Despite receiving unpolluted air off the Atlantic Ocean from northeasterly trade winds, during two complete years the site averaged 27.9 μg
Authors
James B. Shanley, Mark A. Engle, Martha A. Scholl, David P. Krabbenhoft, Robert Brunette, Mark L. Olson, Mary E. Conroy
Groundwater availability in the United States: the value of quantitative regional assessments
The sustainability of water resources is under continued threat from the challenges associated with a growing population, competing demands, and a changing climate. Freshwater scarcity has become a fact in many areas. Much of the United States surface-water supplies are fully apportioned for use; thus, in some areas the only potential alternative freshwater source that can provide needed quantitie
Authors
Kevin F. Dennehy, Thomas E. Reilly, William L. Cunningham
Global patterns and environmental controls of perchlorate and nitrate co-occurrence in arid and semi-arid environments
Natural perchlorate (ClO4−) is of increasing interest due to its wide-spread occurrence on Earth and Mars, yet little information exists on the relative abundance of ClO4− compared to other major anions, its stability, or long-term variations in production that may impact the observed distributions. Our objectives were to evaluate the occurrence and fate of ClO4− in groundwater and soils/caliche i
Authors
W Andrew Jackson, John K. Böhlke, Brian J. Andraski, Lynne S. Fahlquist, Laura M. Bexfield, Frank D. Eckardt, John B. Gates, Alfonso F. Davila, Christopher P. McKay, Balaji Rao, Ritesh Sevanthi, Srinath Rajagopalan, Nubia Estrada, Neil C. Sturchio, Paul B. Hatzinger, Todd A. Anderson, Greta J. Orris, Julio L. Betancourt, David A. Stonestrom, Claudio Latorre, Yanhe Li, Gregory J. Harvey
On critiques of “Stationarity is dead: Whither water management?”
We review and comment upon some themes in the recent stream of critical commentary on the assertion that “stationarity is dead,” attempting to clear up some misunderstandings; to note points of agreement; to elaborate on matters in dispute; and to share further relevant thoughts.
Authors
Paul C.D. Milly, Julio L. Betancourt, Malin Falkenmark, Robert M. Hirsch, Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz, Dennis P. Lettenmaier, Ronald J. Stouffer, Michael D. Dettinger, Valentina Krysanova