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: 18418
Beyond simple trend tests: Detecting significant changes in design-flood quantiles
Changes in annual maximum flood (AMF), which are usually detected using simple trend tests (e.g., Mann-Kendall test (MKT)), are expected to change design-flood estimates. We propose an alternate framework to detect significant changes in design-flood between two periods and evaluate it for synthetically generated AMF from the Log-Pearson Type-3 (LP3) distribution due to changes in moments associat
Authors
Chandramauli Awasthi, Stacey A. Archfield, Brian J. Reich, Arumugam Sankarasubramanian
A novel suspended-sediment sampling method: Depth-Integrated Grab (DIG)
Measuring suspended sediment in fluvial systems is critical to understanding and managing water resources. Sampling suspended sediment has been the primary means of understanding fluvial suspended sediment. Specialized samplers, sampling methods, and laboratory methods developed by select U.S. Federal Agencies are more representative of river and stream conditions than commonly used grab sampling
Authors
Joel T. Groten, Sara B. Levin, Erin N. Coenen, John (William) Lund, Gregory D. Johnson
Frequently asked questions about water quality in the Coeur d’Alene Basin area
No abstract available.
Authors
Lauren M. Zinsser
The "H," "A," and "B" of a HAB: A definitional framework
The use of the phrase “harmful algal bloom” and the acronym HAB originated in the marine science world, and referred to blooms also known as red tides, which can kill fish and sea life. The organisms that make up marine HABs generally do not thrive in lakes. In freshwater, HABs are most often associated with blooms of toxin-producing cyanobacteria. The term HAB started to be used broadly in the ea
Authors
Rebecca Michelle Gorney, Jennifer L. Graham, Jennifer C. Murphy
Hydrologic framework and characterization of the Little Colorado River alluvial aquifer near Leupp, Arizona
The Little Colorado River alluvial aquifer near Leupp, Arizona, was investigated as a possible source of irrigation water for the Leupp and Birdsprings Chapters of the Navajo Nation. The physical, chemical, and hydraulic characteristics of the alluvial aquifer were studied using geophysical surveys, installation of observation wells, water-level measurements, chemical analyses, groundwater pumping
Authors
Jon P. Mason, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Jamie P. Macy, Bruce Gungle
Utilizing anthropogenic compounds and geochemical tracers to identify preferential structurally controlled groundwater pathways influencing springs in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Study region: This study focuses on the Colorado River watershed in the area along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Study focus: This study utilizes anthropogenic chemical tracers to investigate the fate of treated wastewater effluent discharged within Grand Canyon National Park. Anthropogenic chemical tracers were used to discern preferential structurally controlled pathways in a complex region
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, Nicholas V. Paretti, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Larry B. Barber
U.S. Geological Survey Rocky Mountain Region 2022 science exchange, showcasing interdisciplinary and state-of-the-art USGS science
IntroductionThe Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River Basin in the Western United States represent complex, interconnected systems that sustain a number of species, including tens of millions of humans. These systems face several challenges, including worsening drought, altered wildfire regimes, climate change, and the spread of invasive species. These factors can exacerbate one another, further
Authors
Dana E. Peterson, Katherine L. French, Jeannette H. Oden, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy N. Titus, Katharine G. Dahm, Jessica M. Driscoll, William J. Andrews
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, Astrogeology Science Center, Central Energy Resources Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Modeling surface wave dynamics in upper Delaware Bay with living shorelines
Living shorelines gain increasing attention because they stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion. This study leverages physics-based models and bagged regression tree (BRT) machine learning algorithm to simulate wave dynamics at a living shoreline composed of constructed oyster reefs (CORs) in upper Delaware Bay. The physics-based models consist of coupled Delft3D-FLOW and SWAN in four-level neste
Authors
Ling Zhu, Q. Chen, Hongqing Wang, Nan Wang, Kelin Hu, William D. Capurso, L.M. Niemoczynski, Gregg Snedden
Community cloud computing infrastructure to support equitable water research and education
No abstract available.
Authors
Anthony M. Castronova, Ayman Nassar, Wouter Knoben, Michael N. Fienen, Louise Arnal, Martyn Clark
Chemical characteristics of wildfire ash across the globe and their environmental and socio-economic implications
The mobilisation of potentially harmful chemical constituents in wildfire ash can be a major consequence of wildfires, posing widespread societal risks. Knowledge of wildfire ash chemical composition is crucial to anticipate and mitigate these risks.Here we present a comprehensive dataset on the chemical characteristics of a wide range of wildfire ashes (42 types and a total of 148 samples) from w
Authors
Carmen Sanchez-Garcia, Cristina Santín, Jonay Neris, Gabriel Sigmund, Xose Lois Otero, Joella Manley, Gil González-Rodríguez, Claire Belcher, Artemi Cerdá, Abbey L Marcotte, Sheila F. Murphy, Charles Rhoades, Gary J. Sheridan, Tercia Strydom, Peter R. Robichaud, Stefan H. Doerr
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in United States tapwater: Comparison of underserved private-well and public-supply exposures and associated health implications
Drinking-water quality is a rising concern in the United States (US), emphasizing the need to broadly assess exposures and potential health effects at the point-of-use. Drinking-water exposures to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a national concern, however, there is limited information on PFAS in residential tapwater at the point-of-use, especially from private-wells. We conducted
Authors
Kelly L. Smalling, Kristin M. Romanok, Paul M. Bradley, Matthew C. Morriss, James L. Gray, Leslie K. Kanagy, Stephanie Gordon, Brianna Williams, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Daniel Jones, Laura A. DeCicco, Collin Eagles-Smith, Tyler Wagner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center
Bifenthrin, a ubiquitous contaminant, impairs the development and behavior of the threatened Longfin Smelt during early life stages
The Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) population in the San Franscisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Bay-Delta) has declined to ∼1% of its pre-1980s abundance and, as a result, is listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. The reasons for this decline are multiple and complex, including the impacts of contaminants. Because the spawning and rearing seasons of Longfi
Authors
Florian Mauduit, Amelie Segarra, Julia Sherman, Michelle Hladik, Luann Wong, Thomas M Young, Levi Lewis, Tien-Chieh Hung, Nann A. Fangue, Richard E Connon