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Kansas

Welcome to the Midcontinent Region! Our region includes 18 Science Centers in 11 States from the Great Lakes to the Dakotas. Our streamgage network is used to monitor and assess water resources across the region. Other research focuses on fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, midcontinental plant/animal species, invasive species, wildlife disease, and energy and mining.

News

Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025

Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025

Central Plains Water Science Center Quarterly Newsletter - March 2025

Central Plains Water Science Center Quarterly Newsletter - March 2025

USGS invests $3.8 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to map critical minerals across the Ozark Plateau

USGS invests $3.8 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to map critical minerals across the Ozark Plateau

Publications

Patterns of water-extractable soil organic matter in the US Great Plains: Insights from the Haas Soil Archive Patterns of water-extractable soil organic matter in the US Great Plains: Insights from the Haas Soil Archive

Novel approaches that are fast and sensitive are needed to evaluate soil change and integrate soil ecosystem properties. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) extracted from soil with water are associated with plant nutrients and microbial activity but information about change over time in the US Great Plains is sparse. We used cool (20°C) and hot (80°C) water extracts from historic (1947) and...
Authors
Jonathan J. Halvorson, Angela Hansen, Catherine E. Stewart, Mark A. Liebig

Understanding predator-prey-competitor dynamics between Lower Missouri River Macrhybopsis and Scaphirhynchus using a population—bioenergetics model ensemble Understanding predator-prey-competitor dynamics between Lower Missouri River Macrhybopsis and Scaphirhynchus using a population—bioenergetics model ensemble

The pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus is a long-lived, endangered fish in the Missouri River. Individuals become piscivorous as adults, so recruitment from stocking or reproduction could reduce populations of prey, including Macrhybopsis chubs. We constructed an individual- and age-based, multi-species, predator-prey-competitor model (IAMP) to represent the benthic community...
Authors
Mark L. Wildhaber, Janice L. Albers, Nicholas S. Green

Estimating agricultural irrigation water consumption for the High Plains aquifer region with integrated energy- and water-balance evapotranspiration modeling approaches Estimating agricultural irrigation water consumption for the High Plains aquifer region with integrated energy- and water-balance evapotranspiration modeling approaches

Estimation of irrigation water use provides essential information for the management and conservation of agricultural water resources. Conventionally, water use data are created based on reports and surveys from water users, whereas manual records may not be complete due to lacking flow meters, measurement gaps, inconsistent methods across regions, and time- and cost-consuming data...
Authors
Lei Ji, Gabriel B. Senay, MacKenzie Friedrichs, Stefanie Kagone

Science

Algal and Environmental Toxins Research Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas

About the Laboratory The Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists at the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL) in Lawrence, Kansas, to develop and employ targeted and non-targeted analytical methods for identification and quantitation of known and understudied algal/cyanobacterial toxins. The laboratory contructed in 2019 is a 2,500 square foot modern laboratory facility...
Algal and Environmental Toxins Research Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas

Algal and Environmental Toxins Research Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas

About the Laboratory The Environmental Health Program collaborates with scientists at the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL) in Lawrence, Kansas, to develop and employ targeted and non-targeted analytical methods for identification and quantitation of known and understudied algal/cyanobacterial toxins. The laboratory contructed in 2019 is a 2,500 square foot modern laboratory facility...
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Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project

The water supply for the city of Wichita, south-central Kansas, currently comes from the Equus Beds aquifer and Cheney Reservoir. Because these sources are not expected to meet projected city water needs into the 21st century (Warren and others, 1995), artificial recharge of the Equus Beds aquifer was investigated as one alternative to meet future water-supply demands. An additional potential...
Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project

Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project

The water supply for the city of Wichita, south-central Kansas, currently comes from the Equus Beds aquifer and Cheney Reservoir. Because these sources are not expected to meet projected city water needs into the 21st century (Warren and others, 1995), artificial recharge of the Equus Beds aquifer was investigated as one alternative to meet future water-supply demands. An additional potential...
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USGS Ecosystems Science in Support of Public Safety & Security

Science within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides a critical advantage in addressing public safety, infrastructure, and security issues surrounding natural disasters and changing landscapes, strengthening America’s ability to be a hazard ready Nation.
USGS Ecosystems Science in Support of Public Safety & Security

USGS Ecosystems Science in Support of Public Safety & Security

Science within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides a critical advantage in addressing public safety, infrastructure, and security issues surrounding natural disasters and changing landscapes, strengthening America’s ability to be a hazard ready Nation.
Learn More
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