Geology topics

Rodger F. Ferreira

Publications and source records attributed to Rodger F. Ferreira.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2007

Comparison of four artificial substrates and the Ponar grab for benthic invertebrate collection

Four different bottom‐placed artificial substrates were compared with the Ponar grab for collecting benthic invertebrates. Artificial substrate samples of organisms were larger and more diverse than those of the grab. Barbeque Basket samplers caught the most taxa and individuals and Beak Trays caught the least. Chironomids and crustaceans were dominant in artificial substrate samples. Exposure habitat (left or right bank) determined taxa availability, whereas sampler design determined suitability for colonization by the taxa. Diversity for Beak Tray samples was lower than that for other artificial substrates but higher than for Ponar samples. The Barbeque Basket, Bull Basket, and Multiple Plate samples were taxonomically similar. Ponar samples were different, and Beak Trays were of intermediate similarity. As qualitative samplers, Barbeque Baskets were 63 percent efficient, followed by Bull Baskets (55 percent), Multiple Plates (48 percent), Beak Trays (38 percent), and Ponar Grabs (6–10 percent). Bull Baskets required the least and Beak Trays the most replicates to be within a preselected percentage error of the mean at the 95 percent probability level for numbers of taxa and individuals, and for diversity. Under conditions of the study, Bull Baskets ranked highest, followed by Barbeque Baskets and Multiple Plates, in selected performance criteria. Differences between grab and artificial substrate samples are explainable in terms of major riverine habitats and characteristics of the collection methods.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗

USGS1995

Biological and associated water-quality data for lower Olmos Creek and upper San Antonio River, San Antonio, Texas, April - September 1989

Biological and associated water-quality data were collected from lower Olmos Creek and upper San Antonio River in San Antonio, Texas, during April-September 1989. Benthic macroinvertebrate, periphyton, and phytoplankton communities were sampled at three sites along the Olmos Creek/San Antonio River system. Total mean densities of benthic macroinvertebrates for the three sites ranged from 670 to 10,000 organisms per square meter. The most abundant macroinvertebrates were the class Insecta (insects). Total densities of periphyton ranged from 2,900 to 110,000 cells per square millimeter. Cyanophyta (blue-green algae) and Bacillariophyta (diatoms) were the predominant periphyton organisms. Total densities of phyto- plankton ranged from 5,000 to 47,000 cells per square milliliter. Blue-green algae accounted for more than one- half of the phytoplankton in each sample. Hardness ranged from 160 to 250 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate, and alkalinity ranged from 130 to 220 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate. The largest dissolved nitrite concentration was 0.038 milligram per liter. The largest total phosphorus concentration was 0.150 milligram per liter, over one-half of which was dissolved orthophosphate. Total aluminum and total iron were the only trace elements in water to exceed the reporting threshold by large concen- trations. Total aluminum concentrations ranged from 70 to 280 micrograms per liter, and total iron concentrations ranged from 70 to 340 micrograms per liter. Lead was the most prominent trace element in bottom-material samples, with concentrations ranging from 30 to 230 micrograms per gram.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1981

Mean annual streamflow of selected drainage basins in the coal area of southeastern Montana

Streamflow characteristics of drainage basins within the Fort Union coal region of southeastern Montana were estimated to provide premining data for evaluating the future effects of mining on the environment. Estimated annual mean streamflow at 22 data-collection stations for water years 1975-77 ranged from 0 to 887 cubic feet per second. These estimates are based on miscellaneous-streamflow records at each station and continuous-streamflow records from other stations in the study area. Estimated mean annual streamflow for a 10-year period (water years 1968- 77) ranged from 0 to 572 cubic feet per second. These long-term estimates were based on data from stations near the study area having continuous- streamflow records. Estimated mean annual runoff in inches for selected drainage basins within the study area showed no discernible pattern. Many of the drainage basins had a mean annual runoff of less than 0.60 inch; the maximum observed mean annual runoff was 4.45 inches.

Montana↗

USGS1980

Water-quality data from Taylor Creek drainage basin, El Dorado County, California, July 1975 through October 1976

Data were collected from July 1975 through October 1976 to establish benchmark water-quality conditions in the Taylor Creek drainage basin in California. The Taylor Creek drainage basin is a high-altitude system of lakes and streams which forms one of the tributaries to Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada. Sampling sites were distributed between the upper and lower reaches of the basin. Streamflow and water-quality data were collected at 13 stream sites. Water-quality data and depth profiles were collected at six lake sites. The reconnaissance included measurement and evaluation of the following selected characteristics: major chemicals, nutrients, fecal coliform bacteria, phytoplankton, periphytic algae, benthic macroinvertebrates, primary productivity, and stream community diversity. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1980

Limnological data for 12 reservoirs in Valley County, Montana

Water samples were collected from 12 reservoirs in northeastern Montana during the late winter, spring, summer, and early fall of 1978. The resulting physical and chemical water-quality data will be useful in managing the reservoirs for use of stock watering, waterfowl propagation, fish production, and recreation. The surface areas of the reservoirs range for 0.4 to 28.1 hectares with water depths ranging from 0.25 to 6.9 meters. The chemical composition of water varied among reservoirs and with season. Specific conductance ranged from 446 to 4,020 micromhos per centimeter during the winter sampling period and from 62 to 999 micromhos per centimeter during the spring sampling period. Although a pH of 6.9 was measured at one reservoir during the winter, pH values generally ranged from 7.7 to 9.8. Under ice cover, which averaged 1.0 meter thick in late February, three reservoirs attained dissolved-oxygen concentrations above saturation. Each reservoir can be classified as having one of the following three water types: sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulfate, or calcium sodium bicarbonate.

Montana↗

USGS1980

Statistical analyses of surface-water-quality variables in the coal area of southeastern Montana

Since 1974 a network of water-quality stations has been operated in the coal area of southeastern Montana. This report updates a previous report with 2 years of additional data collection and presents statistics and regression equations for water-quality variables. The most apparent feature of the study is the variability of water quality. Time-trend differences are most noticeable, with areal differences being present but more subtle. In comparing stations at the mouths of the five major drainages entering the Yellowstone River from the study area, water from the Powder River ranks near the middle of the group in dissolved-solids concentration (mean of 1,390 mg/L), but far exceeds the other drainages in suspended-sediment concentration, often exceeding 10,000 mg/L. The Tongue River generally has the best overall quality with respect to dissolved constituents; extremes are moderated by mixing in the Tongue River Reservoir. Suspended sediment ranged from 5 to 4,360 mg/L. Rosebud Creek shows about a 50-percent average increase in dissolved-solids concentration from the most upstream station to the mouth. Armells and Sarpy Creeks, smallest of the five drainages, have a pool-riffle configuration that influences both dissolved and suspended constituents. Pools permit greater evaporation, thus increasing dissolved-constituent concentrations. They also act as sediment traps. (USGS)

Montana↗

USGS1979

Data compilation of periphyton colonized on artificial substrates placed in the Sacramento and Feather rivers, California, 1975

Periphyton was collected from artificial substrates placed in the Sacramento and Feather rivers, California, and analyzed to determine the rate of colonization and succession of periphyton types with time. Samples for determination of water-quality characteristics, especially suspended-sediment concentrations, that might have a direct effect on the growth of periphyton were collected during each station visit. This paper describes the methods of data collection and presents qualitative and quantitative findings of periphyton collected during two colonization periods (August 5-September 5, 1975, and November 28-December 29, 1975) and associated water-quality data.

California↗

USGS1978

Observation of water quality in the mixed reach below the confluence of the Sacramento and Feather Rivers, California, August and November 1975

The area near the confluence of the Sacramento and Feather Rivers was selected for study of water-quality changes that occur when two large rivers mix. Water-quality measurements were made during August 13-14 and November 4-5, 1975. Considering the concentrations of most of the properties and constituents measured, the mixing of the Sacramento and Feather Rivers generally occurs as simple dilution. Specific conductance and silica had consistently larger measured Nalues than theoretical values in the mixed reach. Some deviations from the theoretical value for any one characteristic in the mixed water are probably the result of physical forces such as upwelling near the confluence of the two rivers, or the concentrating effect of evaporation as the mixed water in the Sacramento River flows downstream. Other deviations in values of constituent concentrations or other properties may be the result of plant and animal activities in the water. Benthic invertebrates and phytoplanktonic similarity indexes between selected paired sites correspond to the quantity of water common to each site. Paired sites with the least volume of water in common had the lowest similarity indexes.

California↗

USGS1977

Distribution and abundance of benthic organisms in the Sacramento River, California

General comparisons were made between benthic organism samples collected in 1960-61 and 1972-73 from five sites in the Sacramento River between Red Bluff and Knights Landing, Calif. The composition of benthic organisms from both collection periods was similar. The 1972-73 data showed variable patterns in monthly changes at each site and downstream changes each month with number of organisms per square meter, number of taxa per square meter, and diversity index. Generally, the mean number of taxa per square meter and diversity index for all sampling periods were higher in the upper reach than the lower reach of the Sacramento River. (Woodard-USGS)

California↗

USGS1976

A reconnaissance of the effects of a forest fire on water quality in Kings Canyon National Park, California

Following two forest fires in the Roaring River drainage basin, Kings Canyon National Park, Calif., water samples were collected from May to July 1974 to determine water-quality changes resulting from the fires. Field measurements included alkalinity , pH, specific conductance, temperature, and discharge. Samples were analyzed in the laboratory for major dissolved chemical constituents, selected plant nutrients, trace metals, suspended sediment, total organic carbon, and seston. Periphytic algae and benthic invertebrate samples were collected. A noticeable increase in the concentration of nitrogen was found in Roaring River immediately downstream from the Moraine Creek fire. The increase in the concentration of inorganic nitrogen compounds, however, was not great enough to pose a serious threat to the aquatic ecosystem. High total organic nitrogen concentrations may have been due, in part, to factors other than the effect of fire. The results of other water-quality measurements were typical of dilute Sierra Nevada streams and indicate that Roaring River was not adversely affected by the fires. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1974

Limnological data from selected lakes in the San Francisco Bay region, California

Limnological data were compiled on 21 lakes in the San Francisco Bay area. The data were obtained from regulating agencies and from recent surveys made by the U.S. Geological Survey. The history of each lake and of its respective regulating agency is presented, along with methods used for data collection and analyses. The largest reservoir, Lake Berryessa, has a volume of 1,600,000 acre-ft (1,975 hm 3 ), with a drainage. area of 576 mi 2 (1,490 km 2 ). Pilarcitos Lake is one of the smallest reservoirs, with a volume of 3,100 acre-ft (3. 8 hm 3 ) and a drainage area of 3. 80 mi 2 (9.84km 2 ). Eleven of the 21 reservoirs are open to the public for recreation. The most intensive shoreline development and use is at Lake Berryessa and Lake Merced. All but three of the 21 reservoirs (not including Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir) were thermally stratified during the summer. Eight of the reservoirs showed evidence of dissolvedoxygen depletion during the summer. Lafayette Reservoir and Loch Lomond are mechanically aerated in order to increase the dissolved-oxygen concentration and lower the surface water temperature. The lake waters ranged from the hard (320 mg/1 CaC0 3 ) of Calero Reservoir, to the soft (27 mg/1 CaC0 3 ) of Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir. Drainage from abandoned mercury mines in Santa Clara County has resulted in mercury concentrations in Calero and Lexington Reservoir fish which exceed U.S. Food and Drug limitations (0.5 μ /g) for acceptability of mercury in fish used for human food. In Loch Lomond, four major production periods of the blue-green algae, Anabaena sp . , occurred from May to October, 1967-69. Blue-green algae were the most numerous algae in Lake Del Valle from March through July 1971, with 5,400 blue-green algal organisms per millilitre collected in April.

California↗