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: 18454
Methods for computing water-quality concentrations and loads at sites operated by the U.S. Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Kansas Water Science Center (KSWSC) has published time-series computations of water-quality concentrations and loads based on in situ sensor data since 1995. Water-quality constituent concentrations or densities are computed using regression models that relate in situ sensor values to laboratory analyses of periodically collected samples. These regression models c
Authors
Mandy L. Stone, Casey J. Lee, Teresa J. Rasmussen, Thomas J. Williams, Ariele R. Kramer, Brian J. Klager
Low-flow period seasonality, trends, and climate linkages across the United States
Low-flow period properties, including timing, magnitude, and duration, influence many key processes for water resource managers and ecosystems. We computed annual low-flow period duration and timing metrics from 1951 to 2020 for 1032 conterminous United States (CONUS) streamgages and analyzed spatial patterns, trends through time, and relationships to climate. Results show northwestern and eastern
Authors
Caelan Simeone, Gregory J. McCabe, Jory Seth Hecht, John C. Hammond, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Carolyn G. Olson, Michael Wieczorek, David M. Wolock
Assessment of long-term changes in surface-water extent within Klamath Marsh, south-central Oregon, 1985–2021
The annual maximum extent of surface water in Klamath Marsh has naturally fluctuated in response to periods of wet and dry conditions in the surrounding basin. Field observations during the 2010s indicate that the annual maximum extent of surface water has been declining and the marsh is not responding to hydrologic inputs as it had historically. This report describes the results of a hydrologic e
Authors
Joseph J. Kennedy, Henry M. Johnson, Stephen B. Gingerich
Wildfires influence mercury transport, methylation, and bioaccumulation in headwater streams of the Pacific Northwest
The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires are among the most visible impacts of climate change. However, the effects of wildfires on mercury (Hg) transformations and bioaccumulation in stream ecosystems are poorly understood. We sampled soils, water, sediment, in-stream leaf litter, periphyton, and aquatic invertebrates in 36 burned (one-year post fire) and 21 reference headwater streams
Authors
Austin K. Baldwin, James Willacker, Branden L. Johnson, Sarah E. Janssen, Collin Eagles-Smith
Evidence of long-range transport of selenium downstream of coal mining operations in the Elk River Valley, Canada
Expanding coal-mining operations in the Elk River Valley (British Columbia, Canada) have increased total selenium (Se) concentrations in the transboundary Lake Koocanusa (Canada and United States), but the spatial extent of Se transport from the Elk River Mines is unknown. We evaluated multiple lines of evidence of long-range transport of Se at five sites downstream of the mines relative to a site
Authors
Madison Jo Foster, Meryl Biesiot Storb, Johanna Blake, Travis S. Schmidt, Rochelle A. Nustad, Ashley Morgan Bussell
The Native American Research Assistantship Program—Building capacity for Indigenous water-resources monitoring
Intertribal networks for collecting and analyzing hydrologic and environmental data are growing. The U.S. Geological Survey can be a key partner with Tribal Nations in the further development of network capacity. A first step is the internship opportunity available through the partnership between the USGS and The Wildlife Society: The Native American Research Assistantship Program.
Authors
Electa Hare-Red Corn, Robert F. Breault, Jason R. Sorenson
Integrating depth measurements from gaging stations with image archives for spectrally based remote sensing of river bathymetry
Remote sensing can be an effective tool for mapping river bathymetry, but the need for direct measurements to calibrate image-derived depth estimates impedes broader application of this approach. One way to circumvent the need for field campaigns dedicated to calibration is to capitalize upon existing data. In this study, we introduce a framework for Bathymetric Mapping using Gage Records and Imag
Authors
Carl J. Legleiter, Brandon Overstreet, Paul J. Kinzel
A predictive analysis of water use for Providence, Rhode Island
To explain the drivers of historical water use in the public water systems (PWSs) that serve populations in Providence, Rhode Island, and surrounding areas, and to forecast future water use, a machine-learning model (cubist regression) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with Providence Water to model daily per capita rates of domestic, commercial, and industrial water use.
Authors
Catherine A. Chamberlin
Guidelines for the use of automatic samplers in collecting surface-water quality and sediment data
The importance of fluvial systems in the transport of sediment, dissolved and suspended contaminants, nutrients, and bacteria through the environment is well established. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies sediment as the single most widespread water contaminant affecting the beneficial uses of the Nation’s rivers and streams. The evaluation of water-quality as it relates to
Authors
Timothy P. Wilson, Cherie V. Miller, Evan A. Lechner
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2015 - November 30, 2016
Executive SummaryA Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered June 7, 1954 (New Jersey v. New York, 347 U.S. 995), established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes the diversion of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from reservoirs owned by New York City to be made under the su
Authors
Kendra L. Russell, William J. Andrews, Vincent J. DiFrenna, J. Michael Norris, Robert R. Mason,
A conceptual framework to assess post-wildfire water quality: State of the science and knowledge gaps
Wildfire substantially alters aquatic ecosystems by inducing moderate to catastrophic physical and chemical changes. However, the relations of environmental and watershed variables that drive those effects are complex. We present a Driver-Factor-Stressor-Effect (DFSE) conceptual framework to assess the current state of the science related to post-wildfire water-quality. We reviewed 64 peer-reviewe
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Michelle I. Hornberger, Donald O. Rosenberry, Rebecca Frus, Richard M. Webb
Pesticide concentrations of surface water and suspended sediment in Yolo By-Pass and Cache Slough Complex, California, 2019–2021
Managed flow pulses in the north Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are an adaptive management tool used in efforts to enhance food availability in delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) habitat as part of the North Delta Food Subsidies Action. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) monitors non-managed seasonal and local flow pulses and managed flow pulses from agricultural drainage or main
Authors
Matthew Uychutin, James L. Orlando, Michelle L. Hladik, Corey J. Sanders, Michael S. Gross, Matthew D. De Parsia, Elisabeth M. LaBarbera, Laura Twardochleb, Brittany E. Davis