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USGS2007

Validation of streamflow measurements made with acoustic doppler current profilers

The U.S. Geological Survey and other international agencies have collaborated to conduct laboratory and field validations of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements of streamflow. Laboratory validations made in a large towing basin show that the mean differences between tow cart velocity and ADCP bottom-track and water-track velocities were -0.51 and -1.10%, respectively. Field validations of commercially available ADCPs were conducted by comparing streamflow measurements made with ADCPs to reference streamflow measurements obtained from concurrent mechanical current-meter measurements, stable rating curves, salt-dilution measurements, or acoustic velocity meters. Data from 1,032 transects, comprising 100 discharge measurements, were analyzed from 22 sites in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and The Netherlands. Results of these analyses show that broadband ADCP streamflow measurements are unbiased when compared to the reference discharges regardless of the water mode used for making the measurement. Measurement duration is more important than the number of transects for reducing the uncertainty of the ADCP streamflow measurement. ?? 2007 ASCE.

Journal of Hydraulic Engineering↗

USGS2012

Limitations of quantitative analysis of deep crustal seismic reflection data: Examples from GLIMPCE

Amplitude preservation in seismic reflection data can be obtained by a relative true amplitude (RTA) processing technique in which the relative strength of reflection amplitudes is preserved vertically as well as horizontally, after compensating for amplitude distortion by near-surface effects and propagation effects. Quantitative analysis of relative true amplitudes of the Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution seismic data is hampered by large uncertainties in estimates of the water bottom reflection coefficient and the vertical amplitude correction and by inadequate noise suppression. Processing techniques such as deconvolution, F-K filtering, and migration significantly change the overall shape of amplitude curves and hence calculation of reflection coefficients and average reflectance. Thus lithological interpretation of deep crustal seismic data based on the absolute value of estimated reflection strength alone is meaningless. The relative strength of individual events, however, is preserved on curves generated at different stages in the processing. We suggest that qualitative comparisons of relative strength, if used carefully, provide a meaningful measure of variations in reflectivity. Simple theoretical models indicate that peg-leg multiples rather than water bottom multiples are the most severe source of noise contamination. These multiples are extremely difficult to remove when the water bottom reflection coefficient is large (>0.6), a condition that exists beneath parts of Lake Superior and most of Lake Huron.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2013

Monitoring sea lamprey pheromones and their degradation using rapid stream-side extraction coupled with UPLC-MS/MS

Pheromones guide adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to suitable spawning streams and mates, and therefore, when quantified, can be used to assess population size and guide management. Here, we present an efficient sample preparation method where 100 mL of river water was spiked with deuterated pheromone as an internal standard and underwent rapid field-based SPE and elution in the field. The combination of field extraction with laboratory UPLC-MS/MS reduced the sample consumption from 1 to 0.1 L, decreased the sample process time from more than 1 h to 10 min, and increased the precision and accuracy. The sensitivity was improved more than one order of magnitude compared with the previous method. The influences of experimental conditions were assessed to optimize the separation and peak shapes. The analytical method has been validated by studies of stability, selectivity, precision, and linearity and by the determination of the limits of detection and quantification. The method was used to quantify pheromone concentration from five streams tributary to Lake Ontario and to estimate that the environmental half-life of 3kPZS is about 26 h.

Journal of Separation Science↗

USGS2005

Occurrence of antibiotics in water from 13 fish hatcheries, 2001-2003

A 2-year study of extensive and intensive fish hatcheries was conducted to assess the general temporal occurrence of antibiotics in aquaculture. Antibiotics were detected in 15% of the water samples collected during the 2001-2002 collection period and in 31% of the samples during the 2003 collection period. Antibiotics were detected more frequently in samples from the intensive hatcheries (17 and 39%) than in samples from the extensive hatcheries (14 and 4%) during the 2001-2002 and 2003 collection periods, respectively. The maximum ormetoprim, oxytetracycline, and sulphadimethoxine concentrations were higher in samples from the intensive hatcheries (12, 10, and 36 µg L-1), respectively, than in samples from the extensive hatcheries (<0.05, 0.31, and 1.2 µg L-1), respectively. Sulphadimethoxine persisted for a longer period of time (up to 48 days) than ormetoprim (up to 28 days) and oxytetracycline (less than 20 days).

International Journal of Environmental Analytical ↗

USGS1978

Recognition of oxidized sulfide minerals as an exploration guide for uranium

The difference in color between tan to red oxidized sandstone and gray reduced sandstone on either side of the reduction-oxidation (redox) interface, which is- the locus of uranium concentration in roll-type deposits, has been noted and used locally as an exploration guide within known uranium districts. Reduced sandstone is characterized in many deposits by the presence of iron sulflde minerals (particularly marcasite and pyrite) that occur as replacements of and overgrowths on iron-titanium oxide minerals and plant debris and as cement of detrital grains. Oxidation of the sulfldes by oxygenated ground water forms yellow to red ferric oxide and ferric hydroxide phases ("limonite") that replace the FeS 2 minerals. Processes other than the oxidation of sulfldes, however, can cause reddening of clastic sediments without the creation of a redox boundary, and so color alone is not a sufficient condition by which to judge the potential for uranium ore in frontier areas. Ferric oxides that form by the oxidation of iron sulflde minerals can be distinguished from other forms of ferric oxide by reflection microscopic examination of polished grain mounts- and polished thin sections'. Diagnostic features of oxidized sulfldes are limonite pseudomorphs of sulfldes and limonite containing internal textures that mimic characteristic textures of previously sulfldized detrital phases. Recognition of oxidized sulfides by reflection microscopy, then, can distinguish oxidized sandstones, which might have a redox boundary downdip and which would therefore be favorable hosts for uranium concentration, from those without such potential.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗

USGS2010

Weighted regressions on time, discharge, and season (WRTDS), with an application to Chesapeake Bay River inputs

A new approach to the analysis of long‐term surface water‐quality data is proposed and implemented. The goal of this approach is to increase the amount of information that is extracted from the types of rich water‐quality datasets that now exist. The method is formulated to allow for maximum flexibility in representations of the long‐term trend, seasonal components, and discharge‐related components of the behavior of the water‐quality variable of interest. It is designed to provide internally consistent estimates of the actual history of concentrations and fluxes as well as histories that eliminate the influence of year‐to‐year variations in streamflow. The method employs the use of weighted regressions of concentrations on time, discharge, and season. Finally, the method is designed to be useful as a diagnostic tool regarding the kinds of changes that are taking place in the watershed related to point sources, groundwater sources, and surface‐water nonpoint sources. The method is applied to datasets for the nine large tributaries of Chesapeake Bay from 1978 to 2008. The results show a wide range of patterns of change in total phosphorus and in dissolved nitrate plus nitrite. These results should prove useful in further examination of the causes of changes, or lack of changes, and may help inform decisions about future actions to reduce nutrient enrichment in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.

Maryland, Virginia↗

USGS2021

Multi-year hydroclimatic droughts and pluvials across the conterminous United States

Time series of water‐year runoff for 2,109 hydrologic units (HUs) across the conterminous United States (CONUS) for the 1900 through 2014 period were used to identify drought and pluvial (i.e., wet) periods. Characteristics of the drought and pluvial events including frequency, duration, and severity were examined and compared. Additionally, a similar analysis was performed using gridded tree‐ring reconstructions of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for the period 1475 through 2005 to place the drought and pluvial characteristics determined using water‐year runoff for 1900 through 2014 in the context of multi‐century climate variability. The temporal and spatial variability of droughts and pluvials determined using runoff for the 1900 through 2014 period indicated that most drought events in the CONUS occurred before about 1970, whereas most pluvial periods occurred after about 1970. This change in the frequencies of drought and pluvial events around 1970 was largely related to an increase in fall (October through December) precipitation across much of the central United States. Also, the duration and severity of droughts and pluvials identified using runoff for the 1900 through 2014 period generally were not significantly different from the drought and pluvial characteristics identified using the PDSI for the 1475 through 2005 period.

International Journal of Climatology↗

USGS2019

Determination of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol and 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol glucuronide in edible fillet tissue of rainbow trout and channel catfish by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography

3-Trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) is a pesticide used for the selective control of sea lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus ) in stream and river tributaries of the Great Lakes. To determine concentrations of TFM and TFM glucuronide in the edible fillet tissue of fish during sea lamprey control treatments, an analytical method was developed to determine the concentrations of these residues in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ; RBT) and channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatis ; CCF). Homogenized fillets were extracted with methanol–water (80 + 20). TFM and TFM glucuronide were isolated from coextractives by C 18 solid-phase extraction. TFM glucuronide was hydrolyzed to TFM by the addition of β-glucuronidase to the TFM glucuronide extract. The extracts were analyzed separately by liquid chromatography with UV–visible detection. Recoveries from TFM-fortified CCF and RBT tissues were 84.1 and 96.1%, respectively. The method detection limits (MDLs) are 2.4 ng/g for TFM-fortified tissues of CCF and 3 ng/g for those of RBT. Recoveries were 78.8 and 77%from TFM glucuronide-fortified CCF and RBT tissues, respectively. The MDLs for TFM glucuronide-fortified tissues are 3.5 and 6.9 ng/g for CCF and RBT, respectively.

Journal of AOAC International↗

USGS2008

Attribution of declining Western U.S. Snowpack to human effects

Observations show snowpack has declined across much of the western United States over the period 1950-99. This reduction has important social and economic implications, as water retained in the snowpack from winter storms forms an important part of the hydrological cycle and water supply in the region. A formal model-based detection and attribution (D-A) study of these reductions is performed. The detection variable is the ratio of 1 April snow water equivalent (SWE) to water-year-to-date precipitation (P), chosen to reduce the effect of P variability on the results. Estimates of natural internal climate variability are obtained from 1600 years of two control simulations performed with fully coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. Estimates of the SWE/P response to anthropogenic greenhouse gases, ozone, and some aerosols are taken from multiple-member ensembles of perturbation experiments run with two models. The D-A shows the observations and anthropogenically forced models have greater SWE/P reductions than can be explained by natural internal climate variability alone. Model-estimated effects of changes in solar and volcanic forcing likewise do not explain the SWE/P reductions. The mean model estimate is that about half of the SWE/P reductions observed in the west from 1950 to 1999 are the result of climate changes forced by anthropogenic greenhouse gases, ozone, and aerosols. ?? 2008 American Meteorological Society.

Journal of Climate↗

USGS2012

Geochemical modeling of changes in shallow groundwater chemistry observed during the MSU-ZERT CO2 injection experiment

A field experiment involving the release of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into a shallow aquifer was conducted near Bozeman, Montana, during the summer of 2008, to investigate the potential groundwater quality impacts in the case of leakage of CO 2 from deep geological storage. As an essential part of the Montana State University Zero Emission Research and Technology (MSU-ZERT) field program, food-grade CO 2 was injected over a 30 day period into a horizontal perforated pipe a few feet below the water table of a shallow aquifer. The impact of elevated CO 2 concentrations on groundwater quality was investigated by analyzing water samples taken before, during, and following CO 2 injection, from observation wells located in the vicinity of the injection pipe, and from two distant monitoring wells. Field measurements and laboratory analyses showed rapid and systematic changes in pH, alkalinity, and conductance, as well as increases in the aqueous concentrations of naturally occurring major and trace element species. The geochemical data were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) to (1) understand potential correlations between aqueous species, and (2) to identify minerals controlling the chemical composition of the groundwater prior to CO 2 injection. These evaluations were used to assess possible geochemical processes responsible for the observed increases in the concentrations of dissolved constituents, and to simulate these processes using a multicomponent reaction path model. Reasonable agreement between observed and modeled data suggests that (1) calcite dissolution was the primary pH buffer, yielding increased Ca +2 concentrations in the groundwater, (2) increases in the concentrations of most major and trace metal cations except Fe could be a result of Ca +2 -driven exchange reactions, (3) the release of anions from adsorption sites due to competitive adsorption of carbonate could explain the observed trends of most anions, and (4) the dissolution of reactive Fe minerals (presumed ferrihydrite and fougerite, from thermodynamic analyses) could explain increases in total Fe concentration. Highlights ► Because the possibility of CO 2 leakage cannot be completely ruled out, the potential impact of CO 2 intrusion on the quality of fresh water aquifers overlying CO 2 storage sites needs to be investigated. ► Geochemical data from a field experiment involving the release of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into a shallow aquifer were evaluated. ► Geochemical model used to assess possible geochemical processes responsible for the observed increases in the concentrations of dissolved constituents. ► Reasonable agreement between observed and modeled data suggests that increases in the concentrations of most major and trace metal cations except Fe could be a result of Ca +2 -driven exchange reactions and the release of anions from adsorption sites due to competitive adsorption of carbonate could explain the observed trends of most anions.

Montana↗

USGS2020

Riverbank stability assessment of lower Osage River during hydro-peak flow events: The lower Osage River case (Missouri, USA)

The fluctuation of water level downstream from dams due to hydropower flow releases can negatively affect riverbank stability. This research aims to investigate riverbank instability resulting from the outflow variation of hydropower plants, using Bagnell Dam and the lower Osage River (Missouri, USA) as the basis of analysis. The effects of the water releases from the Bagnell Dam were investigated by computing a series of safety factors in relation to outflow events for 78 cross sections along the 130-km stretch of the lower Osage River using the BSTEM algorithm integrated into the HEC-RAS model package. The results showed that the rate of change in the flow magnitude at each cross section impacts the calculated safety factor. The flow release fluctuations will change the value of the safety factor along the river over time, as the safety factor value closely follows the variation in the flow rate. Also, the results show that the cross sections closer to Bagnell Dam are subjected to be more unstable than those farther downstream of Osage River.

Missouri↗

USGS2004

Shear wave velocity variation across the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, from receiver function inversion

The Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand is a region characterized by very high magma eruption rates and extremely high heat flow, which is manifest in high-temperature geothermal waters. The shear wave velocity structure across the region is inferred using non-linear inversion of receiver functions, which were derived from teleseismic earthquake data. Results from the non-linear inversion, and from forward synthetic modelling, indicate low S velocities at ∼6–16 km depth near the Rotorua and Reporoa calderas. We infer these low-velocity layers to represent the presence of high-level bodies of partial melt associated with the volcanism. Receiver functions at other stations are complicated by reverberations associated with near-surface sedimentary layers. The receiver function data also indicate that the Moho lies between 25 and 30 km, deeper than the 15 ± 2 km depth previously inferred for the crust–mantle boundary beneath the TVZ.

Taupo volcanic zone↗

USGS1995

The role of palynology in paleoecological analyses of Tertiary coals

Pollen, spores, and other plant microfossils are important constituents of Tertiary coals, both as petrographic components (the maceral sporinite) and as distinctive indicators of the nature of the depositional environment in which the coal-forming peat accumulated. Palynological analyses, which have been conducted on Tertiary coals since the 1930's, play an increasingly important role in modern paleoecological analyses of coals. Among the most important factors controlling the petrographic composition and facies characteristics of coal deposits are the types and relative abundances of plants that composed the peat. At present, wetland environments in which peat accumulates (mires) range from marshes and bogs to forested swamps; each is inhabited by distinctive plant communities. These plant communities are associated with varied conditions of climate, water depth, chemistry, and nutrient supply, and the floras can be indicative of these conditions. In the Tertiary Period, plant communities of mires were also highly diverse and specialized (especially as compared with those of the Carboniferous). The dominant species in some Paleocene mire floras were gymnosperms, but continuing a trend begun in Late Cretaceous time, angiosperms became increasingly prominent through the Tertiary. The diverse: angiosperm-dominated mire floras produced coals that vary significantly in facies and hence in quality. Such contrasts are evident in contemporaneous coals from different paleolatitudes, as well as among, coals of different ages within the Tertiary, as exemplified by selected deposits in the western United. States. The palynofloras of these coals reflect the floristic composition of the plant communities of the ancient mires.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗

USGS2010

The impact of bottom brightness on spectral reflectance of suspended sediments

Two experiments were conducted outdoors to investigate how bottom brightness impacts the spectral response of a water column under varied suspended sediment concentrations. A white aluminum panel placed at the bottom of the tank was used as the bright bottom, and a flat-black tank liner served as the dark bottom. Sixteen levels of suspended sediment from 25 to 400 mg litre -1 were used in each experiment. Spectral data were collected using a Spectron SE-590 spectroradiometer. The major findings include the following: the bright bottom had the greatest impact at visible wavelengths; when suspended sediment concentrations exceeded 100 mg litre -1 , the bright bottom response was found to be negligible; and, substrate brightness has minimal impact between 740 and 900 nm, suggesting that these wavelengths are best for measuring suspended sediment concentrations by means of remote sensing.

International Journal of Remote Sensing↗

USGS2013

Arsenic and mercury in the soils of an industrial city in the Donets Basin, Ukraine

Soil and house dust collected in and around Hg mines and a processing facility in Horlivka, a mid-sized city in the Donets Basin of southeastern Ukraine, have elevated As and Hg levels. Surface soils collected at a former Hg-processing facility had up to 1300 mg kg −1 As and 8800 mg kg −1 Hg; 1M HCl extractions showed 74–93% of the total As, and 1–13% of the total Hg to be solubilized, suggesting differential environmental mobility between these elements. In general, lower extractability of As and Hg was seen in soil samples up to 12 km from the Hg-processing facility, and the extractable (1M HCl, synthetic precipitation, deionized water) fractions of As are greater than those for Hg, indicating that Hg is present in a more resistant form than As. The means (standard deviation) of total As and Hg in grab samples collected from playgrounds and public spaces within 12 km of the industrial facility were 64 (±38) mg kg −1 As and 12 (±9.4) mg kg −1 Hg; all concentrations are elevated compared to regional soils. The mean concentrations of As and Hg in dust from homes in Horlivka were 5–15 times higher than dust from homes in a control city. Estimates of possible exposure to As and Hg through inadvertent soil ingestion are provided.

Donets Basin↗

USGS2009

Mercury and trace element contents of Donbas coals and associated mine water in the vicinity of Donetsk, Ukraine

Mercury-rich coals in the Donets Basin (Donbas region) of Ukraine were sampled in active underground mines to assess the levels of potentially harmful elements and the potential for dispersion of metals through use of this coal. For 29 samples representing c 11 to m 3 Carboniferous coals, mercury contents range from 0.02 to 3.5 ppm (whole-coal dry basis). Mercury is well correlated with pyritic sulfur (0.01 to 3.2 wt.%), with an r 2 of 0.614 (one outlier excluded). Sulfides in these samples show enrichment of minor constituents in late-stage pyrite formed as a result of interaction of coal with hydrothermal fluids. Mine water sampled at depth and at surface collection points does not show enrichment of trace metals at harmful levels, indicating pyrite stability at subsurface conditions. Four samples of coal exposed in the defunct open-cast Nikitovka mercury mines in Gorlovka have extreme mercury contents of 12.8 to 25.5 ppm. This coal was formerly produced as a byproduct of extracting sandstone-hosted cinnabar ore. Access to these workings is unrestricted and small amounts of extreme mercury-rich coal are collected for domestic use, posing a limited human health hazard. More widespread hazards are posed by the abandoned Nikitovka mercury processing plant, the extensive mercury mine tailings, and mercury enrichment of soils extending into residential areas of Gorlovka.

Donbas mines↗

USGS2013

Estimating reef fish discard mortality using surface and bottom tagging: effects of hook injury and barotrauma

We estimated survival rates of discarded black sea bass ( Centropristis striata ) in various release conditions using tag–recapture data. Fish were captured with traps and hook and line from waters 29–34 m deep off coastal North Carolina, USA, marked with internal anchor tags, and observed for release condition. Fish tagged on the bottom using SCUBA served as a control group. Relative return rates for trap-caught fish released at the surface versus bottom provided an estimated survival rate of 0.87 (95% credible interval 0.67–1.18) for surface-released fish. Adjusted for results from the underwater tagging experiment, fish with evidence of external barotrauma had a median survival rate of 0.91 (0.69–1.26) compared with 0.36 (0.17–0.67) for fish with hook trauma and 0.16 (0.08–0.30) for floating or presumably dead fish. Applying these condition-specific estimates of survival to non-tagging fishery data, we estimated a discard survival rate of 0.81 (0.62–1.11) for 11 hook and line data sets from waters 20–35 m deep and 0.86 (0.67–1.17) for 10 trap data sets from waters 11–29 m deep. The tag-return approach using a control group with no fishery-associated trauma represents a method to accurately estimate absolute discard survival of physoclistous reef species.

North Carolina↗

USGS2013

The transboundary non-renewable Nubian Aquifer System of Chad, Egypt, Libya and Sudan: Classical groundwater questions and parsimonious hydrogeologic analysis and modeling

Parsimonious groundwater modeling provides insight into hydrogeologic functioning of the Nubian Aquifer System (NAS), the world’s largest non-renewable groundwater system (belonging to Chad, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan). Classical groundwater-resource issues exist (magnitude and lateral extent of drawdown near pumping centers) with joint international management questions regarding transboundary drawdown. Much of NAS is thick, containing a large volume of high-quality groundwater, but receives insignificant recharge, so water-resource availability is time-limited. Informative aquifer data are lacking regarding large-scale response, providing only local-scale information near pumps. Proxy data provide primary underpinning for understanding regional response: Holocene water-table decline from the previous pluvial period, after thousands of years, results in current oasis/sabkha locations where the water table still intersects the ground. Depletion is found to be controlled by two regional parameters, hydraulic diffusivity and vertical anisotropy of permeability. Secondary data that provide insight are drawdowns near pumps and isotope-groundwater ages (million-year-old groundwaters in Egypt). The resultant strong simply structured three-dimensional model representation captures the essence of NAS regional groundwater-flow behavior. Model forecasts inform resource management that transboundary drawdown will likely be minimal—a nonissue—whereas drawdown within pumping centers may become excessive, requiring alternative extraction schemes; correspondingly, significant water-table drawdown may occur in pumping centers co-located with oases, causing oasis loss and environmental impacts.

Hydrogeology Journal↗