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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: 18422

Sediment sources and sealed-pavement area drive polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and metal occurrence in urban streams

Metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common pollutants in urban streambed sediment, yet their occurrence is highly variable and difficult to predict. To investigate sources of PAHs and metals to streambed sediment, we sampled pavement dust, soil, and streambed sediment in 10 urban watersheds in three regions of the United States and applied a fallout-radionuclide-based sediment-s
Authors
Peter C. Van Metre, Barbara Mahler, Sharon L. Qi, Allen C. Gellis, Christopher C. Fuller, Travis S. Schmidt

Characterization of ambient groundwater quality within a statewide, fixed-station monitoring network in Pennsylvania, 2015–19

Pennsylvania leads the Nation in the number of individuals that use groundwater for private domestic water supply; more than 3 million rural and suburban Pennsylvania residents rely on private domestic supplies for drinking water. These supplies are not regulated nor routinely monitored; thus relevant groundwater-quality information is not widely available. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in co
Authors
Matthew D. Conlon, Joseph W. Duris

Risk-based prioritization of organic chemicals and locations of ecological concern in sediment from Great Lakes tributaries

With improved analytical techniques, environmental monitoring studies are increasingly able to report the occurrence of tens or hundreds of chemicals per site, making it difficult to identify the most relevant chemicals from a biological standpoint. For this study, organic chemical occurrence was examined, individually and as mixtures, in the context of potential biological effects. Sediment was c
Authors
Austin K. Baldwin, Steven R. Corsi, Owen M. Stefaniak, Luke C. Loken, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Gerald T. Ankley, Brett R. Blackwell, Peter L. Lenaker, Michelle A. Nott, Marc A. Mills

Use case development for earth monitoring, analysis, and prediction (EarthMAP)—A road map for future integrated predictive science at the U.S. Geological Survey

Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 21st-century science strategy 2020–30 promotes a bureau-wide strategy to develop and deliver an integrated, predictive science capability that works at the scales and timelines needed to inform societally relevant resource management and protection and public safety and environmental health decisions (U.S. Geological Survey, 2021). This is the ove
Authors
Tamara S. Wilson, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Karen E. Jenni, Robert Horton, Randall J. Hunt, Dee M. Williams, Vivian P. Nolan, Nicholas G. Aumen, David S. Brown, Kyle W. Blasch, Peter S. Murdoch

A borehole test for chlorinated solvent diffusion and degradation rates in sedimentary rock

We present a new field measurement and numerical interpretation method (combined termed ‘test’) to parameterize the diffusion of trichloroethene (TCE) and its biodegradation products (DPs) from the matrix of sedimentary rock. The method uses a dual-packer system to interrogate a low-permeability section of the rock matrix adjacent to a previously contaminated borehole and uses the borehole monitor

Authors
Richelle M. Allen-King, Rebecca L. Kiekhaefer, Daniel J. Goode, Paul A. Hsieh, Michelle Lorah, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta

Quantifying regional effects of best management practices on nutrient losses from agricultural lands

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural areas have degraded the water quality of downstream rivers, lakes, and oceans. As a result, investment in the adoption of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) has grown, but assessments of their effectiveness at large spatial scales have lagged. This study applies regional Spatially Referenced Regression On Watershed-attributes (SPA
Authors
Victor L. Roland, Ana María García, David A. Saad, Scott W. Ator, Dale M. Robertson, Gregory E. Schwarz

Mine drainage precipitates attenuate and conceal wastewater-derived phosphate pollution in stream water

Hydrous ferric-oxide (HFO) coatings on streambed sediments may attenuate dissolved phosphate (PO4) concentrations at acidic to neutral pH conditions, limiting phosphorus (P) transport and availability in aquatic ecosystems. Mesh-covered tiles on which “natural” HFO from abandoned mine drainage (AMD) had precipitated were exposed to treated municipal wastewater (MWW) effluent or a mixture of stream
Authors
Peter M. Smyntek, Natalie Lamagna, Charles A. Cravotta, William H. J. Strosnider

Where groundwater seeps: Evaluating modeled groundwater discharge patterns with thermal infrared surveys at the river-network scale

Predicting baseflow dynamics, protecting aquatic habitat, and managing legacy contaminants requires explicit characterization and prediction of groundwater discharge patterns throughout river networks. Using handheld thermal infrared (TIR) cameras, we surveyed 47 km of stream length across the Farmington River watershed (1,570 km2; CT and MA, USA), mapping locations of bank and waterline groundwat
Authors
Janet R. Barclay, Martin A. Briggs, Eric Moore, J. Jeffrey Starn, Ann E.H. Hanson, Ashley Helton

Climate and land change impacts on future managed wetland habitat: A case study from California’s Central Valley

ConceptCalifornia’s Central Valley provides critical habitat for migratory waterbirds, yet only 10% of naturally occurring wetlands remain. Competition for limited water supplies and climate change will impact the long-term viability of these intensively managed habitats.ObjectivesForecast the distribution, abundance, and connectivity of surface water and managed wetland habitats, using 5 spatiall
Authors
Tamara S. Wilson, Elliott Matchett, Kristin B. Byrd, Erin Conlisk, Matthew E. Reiter, Cynthia Wallace, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Monica Mei Jeen Moritsch

The relative importance of mercury methylation and demethylation in rice paddy soil varies depending on the presence of rice plants

Neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) accumulates in rice grain from paddy soil, where its concentration is controlled by microbial mercury methylation and demethylation. Both up- and down-regulation of methylation is known to occur in the presence of rice plants in comparison to non-vegetated paddy soils; the influence of rice plant presence/absence on demethylation is unknown. To assess the concurrent
Authors
R. J. Strickman, S. M. Larson, H. Huang, Evangelos Kakouros, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, C. P. J. Mitchell, R. B. Neumann

Mesilla / Conejos-Médanos Basin: U.S.-Mexico transboundary water resources and research needs

Synthesizing binational data to characterize shared water resources is critical to informing binational management. This work uses binational hydrogeology and water resource data in the Mesilla/Conejos-Médanos Basin (Basin) to describe the hydrologic conceptual model and identify potential research that could help inform sustainable management. The Basin aquifer is primarily composed of continuous
Authors
Andrew J. Robertson, Anne-Marie Matherne, Jeff D. Pepin, Andre B. Ritchie, Donald S. Sweetkind, Andrew Teeple, Alfredo Granados Olivas, Ana Cristina García Vásquez, Kenneth C. Carroll, Erek H. Fuchs, Amy E. Galanter

Hydrology and water quality in 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia, 2012–16

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management, established a long-term water-quantity and water-quality monitoring program in 2012 to monitor and analyze the hydrologic and water-quality conditions of 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia—an urban and suburban area located in north-central Georgia that includes the easternmost part of the City o
Authors
Brent T. Aulenbach, Katharine R. Kolb, John K. Joiner, Andrew E. Knaak