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At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
USGS2014

Discussion of “Some factors affecting rates of sedimentation in the Columbia River basin”

h ydrologists are generally aware of the number and complexity of the variables that are encountered in all aspects of hydrology, and the great difficulty of analyzing these factors quantitatively because of inadequacy of basic data. Because of limitations in funds, time, or scientific manpower, it is likely that the basic data will generally be less than the hydrologist's hopes. In this predicament, many students have sought methods whereby it might be possible to determine the approximate effects of various factors, on the basis of meager available information. The authors, by using statistical methods of analysis, have pointed out one way that may well be rewarding in studies of other aspects of hydrology where little basic information is available.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Application of the modified Einstein procedure for computation of total sediment load

A method that enables good estimates to be made of total sediment load has been tested with data from several western streams. The method, which uses both theoretical and empirical formulas, combines a modification of Einstein's procedure for computing bed‐material load and the usually available data from suspended‐sediment measurements. Basic data, including data from large natural and artificial turbulent flumes, and the results of computations are given.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Subsidence of the land surface in the Tulare‐Wasco (Delano) and Los Banos‐Kettleman City area, San Joaquin Valley, California

Releveling of bench marks in 1953 and 1954 by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey indicates that subsidence of the land surface has now exceeded ten feet in two areas of the San Joaquin Valley. In the Tulare‐Wasco (or Delano) area of Tulare County, subsidence which was as much as rive feet in 1940 now has about doubled. The maximum rate of subsidence in recent years has been about 0.8 foot a year. In the Los Banos‐Kettleman City area of western Fresno County, major subsidence extends from Ora Loma on the north beyond Huron on the south, a distance of 70 miles or more. The maximum rate there approaches one foot a year. Plots of subsidence against decline in artesian pressure suggest that pressure decline is a major cause of the subsidence. Compaction of the soil after irrigation is known to have caused substantial local subsidence in the Los Banos‐Kettleman City area, and tectonic adjustment and other causes also may have contributed to the subsidence.

California↗
USGS2014

Long-term trends of ground-water levels in the United States

Ground-water levels at the end of 1954 were at or near record-low stages throughout most of the southern two-thirds of the United States. These low stages, like those of the early 1930's, have led to frequent expression of the opinion that the water table throughout the country is continuously falling and that we are gradually exhausting our ground-water supplies. A good record of changes in ground-water levels is being obtained by the United States Geological Survey and cooperating State agencies from periodical measurements of water levels in nearly 20,000 observation wells. The records of some of these wells extend back 50 years. Many records are available for the period beginning in 1934. These long-term records indicate that in some areas the ground-water supply is overdeveloped. In the great majority of areas, however, the stage of the water levels correlates with the precipitation. Much of the country has been in drought and the water levels are at a low stage. As the precipitation increases, as it is bound to do later, the water levels will return to higher stages.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Prediction of ground‐water levels on basis of rainfall and temperate correlations

A method for predicting ground‐water levels in the glacial‐outwash deposits in the Ohio River valley near Louisville involves development of curves by graphical correlation to define the effects of winter precipitation and winter temperature on recharge to the water table, and to determine the decline of the water table as water leaks into the Ohio River. Recharge occurs in the winter when evaporation and transpiration are at a minimum and when the soil is at or near field capacity. Several months is required for the water to percolate through about 60 feet of alluvium to reach the water table.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Forecasting the dry‐weather flow of Pond Creek, Oklahoma: A progress report

Pond Creek in west‐central Oklahoma drains an area of 319 sq mi above the gaging station near Fort Cobb, Caddo County. Ground water, contained in the Permian Rush Springs sandstone under water‐table conditions, moves toward the creek at an almost unchanging rate. The discharge of ground water into the creek as dry‐weather flow is modified by evapotranspiration and antecedent overland runoff. Multiple correlations have been computed relating the dry‐weather flow to the water level in a well and to a factor indicative of the rate of evapotranspiration. A method for forecasting the factor indicative of evapotranspiration and one for forecasting the water level in the well during dry weather are given; the result is a method for forecasting the dry‐weather flow of the Creek. Forecasts of dry‐weather flow for seven and 21 days compare favorably with observed flows. The technique may be utilized to extend a forecast for several months.

Oklahoma↗
USGS2014

Numerical analysis of regional water levels to define aquifer hydrology

Two fundamental methods for studying aquifer hydrology are now in use. The first, applied many years ago, consists of detailed observation of aquifer inflow, outflow, and storage changes, and their variations in time. By analysis of these observations, estimates of the perennial recharge to the aquifer and other pertinent hydrologic data are obtained, all as gross characteristics of the aquifer. The need for greater detail gave rise to a second fundamental method: special field tests, such as pumping tests, by which the hydrologic coefficients could be measured in a comparatively short time. In order to evaluate properly the ability of an aquifer to serve as a source of perennial water supply, the geology and hydrology of the aquifer must be known in some detail over its entire area. The first method cannot supply the necessary detail in most cases, and the second method cannot ordinarily provide the needed areal coverage because of the lack of appropriate testing facilities. Thus an auxiliary third approach was sought which would combine the features of a simple data‐collection program with a final analysis yielding both adequate detail and areal coverage. A method designed to satisfy these requirements is described. Water‐level altitudes, usually observed in the course of more general ground‐water studies, are analyzed by numerical methods, using finite‐difference approximations of the basic differential equations which describe ground‐water flow. Analytical methods are given for nonsteady flow through homogeneous and nonhomogeneous aquifers. Both direct and statistical solutions are shown. The hydrologic factors are computed as functions of transmissibility, and for the nonhomogeneous aquifer the variations of transmissibility in space are computed also from the water‐level data. Knowledge of the absolute value of any one of the hydrologic factors at some location in the aquifer permits conversion of the computed functions to absolute terms for all the aquifer flow field studied.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Tidal fluctuations of water level observed in wells in East Tennessee

Semidiurnal water‐level fluctuations of tidal period have been observed in wells completed in the Chickamauga limestone of Middle and Late Ordovician age in east Tennessee. The periodic oscillations of the water level are similar to fluctuations in artesian pressure that in other localities have been recognized and correlated with earth tides.

Tennessee↗
USGS2014

Discussion of “The displacement of calibration curves for electrical soil‐moisture units”

This paper seems to leave unanswered a number of questions pertaining to calibration of soil‐moisture units. In Remson and Fox's discussion of results they list five facts that are shown by the calibration. The first three deal with the second drying curve being different than the first, and subsequent dryings being similar to the second one. Similar findings were brought out before by Bouyoucos [1949], and later substantiated by Colman [1949] and by others including the work at the Coshocton Station. The writer's discussion, however, is confined to the discrepancy of field calibration with laboratory calibrations which comprise the fourth and fifth facts discussed by Remson and Fox.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Discussion of “Application of the modified einstein procedure for computation of total sediment load”

Basically, any theory consists of a set of assumptions and various conclusions which are logically derived therefrom. An assumption, as the term is to be used here, may be based on an observed fact or relationship, a definition, an undefined (but generally accepted and understood) concept; or it may be based on a postulated relationship which has not been observed and may not even be directly observable. The conclusions of a theory in the physical sciences are, of course, intended to agree with and to predict observable facts. If a theory does not thus coincide with reality, it is eminently proper to examine the assumptions and the logical structure of the theory and, if possible, to modify the assumptions or correct the logic so that the conclusions do agree with observed facts.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Reconnaissance study of erosion and deposition produced by the flood of August 1955 in Connecticut

A large area in the valley bottoms in Connecticut was inundated by the flood of August 1955. Relative to the total area flooded that part permanently modified by the flow was surprisingly small. Although great in some places, the distribution of these permanent modifications of channel and flood plain was spotty. Erosion of the channel and valley bottom appears to have been most severe in narrow, steep valleys. Environments of deposition were diverse. They appeared to be related to rate and direction of flow, quantity and size of sediments locally available, and in some cases to the presence of vegetation. Most of the coarse sediment deposited in the valley appears to have been derived from local sources such as valley walls and terraces composed of glacial outwash and till and flood plains containing considerable gravel. Fine sand predominated in most of the sediment deposited. Considering the magnitude of the runoff, the quantity of fine sediment transported or deposited by the flood was small. The maximum observed concentration was 473 parts per million in Scantic River at Broad Brook. Newly deposited fine sediments are thin or absent on the flood plains of many valleys which were beneath 20 ft of slow‐moving flood waters. The paucity of deposition in such ideal depositional environments also indicates that the flow did not have a high concentration of fine sediments. A number of boulders five to seven feet in diameter were moved by flood waters in reaches in which smaller gravels were undisturbed. Severe erosion in the uplands was minor. In this reconnaissance we saw little evidence of newly formed gullies and no areas of severe sheet erosion. This was the case in both woodland and pasture land. Large amounts of subsurface flow and relatively unerodible ground are presumed to be responsible for the absence of erosion.

Connecticut↗
USGS2014

Application of statistical methods to the analysis of ground‐water levels

Valuable hydrologic information can be obtained from statistical analysis of water‐level trends. The time‐series and the functional‐equation approaches are applied to New Jersey well records representing different hydrologic conditions. The results are valuable as concise summaries of the records, for extrapolating observed data, for interpolating between measurements, and for estimating hydrologic factors such as coefficients of transrnissibility and storage, evapotranspiration, and ground‐water discharge.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

The thermal regime of an Arctic lake

Much of the Arctic coastal plain in Alaska is covered by shallow lakes. Those in the Barrow area, which are believed to be representative of most of the lakes in the coastal plain, are generally either two to three feet or six to nine feet deep. The shallow lakes can often provide a suitable summer water supply, but only the deeper lakes provide a significant water supply throughout the year. The water in the individual lakes is in an essentially isothermal state during the ice-free period that lasts from late June until September. The maximum temperature recorded in a lake near Barrow in 1954 was about 12°C. When ice formation begins, the temperature of the body of water as a whole may be only a few tenths of a degree above 0°C. Once the lake surface is iced over, the water temperatures may rise rapidly as much as 2°C, apparently owing to radiated heat received through the ice. The heating is terminated by a sudden cooling that coincides with the covering of the ice by a thin blanket of snow. This cooling is followed in turn by a second warming of the bottom and near-bottom water that takes place gradually over a period of weeks. The bottom sediments beneath the lake are the source of heat. The magnitude of the second rise and the time during which it takes place depend on the distance from shore and the depth of water. A gradual cooling takes place during the balance of the winter. Permafrost underlies the shallow lakes but an unfrozen basin several hundred feet deep may extend beneath the deeper lakes.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Radiotracer experiments in the Mohawk River, New York, to study sewage path and dilution

Sewage from the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory near Schenectady, N. Y., was dosed with 4.53 curies of P prior to discharge into the Mohawk River. Its pattern of diffusion was measured in the river with immersible GM‐tubes and by sampling. The initial path of sewage was strongly influenced by differences in density between sewage and river due to temperature. During warm months relatively cold sewage moved on the river bottom perpendicularly to river current. For at least the first 800 ft of travel the maximum sewage concentration decreased logarithmically with distance from outfall. The term ‘half‐distance’ (here about 110 ft) is proposed to describe the concentration change. During cold months sewage rose to the river surface and at times was moved upstream by wind. However, when the river temperature was near freezing, the sewage first rose and then sank as the temperature of the sewage‐river mixture approached 39° F.

New York↗
USGS2014

Yield of sediment in relation to mean annual precipitation

Effective mean annual precipitation is related to sediment yield from drainage basins throughout the climatic regions of the United States. Sediment yield is a maximum at about 10 to 14 inches of precipitation, decreasing sharply on both sides of this maximum in one case owing to a deficiency of runoff and in the other to increased density of vegetation. Data are presented illustrating the increase in bulk density of vegetation with increased annual precipitation and the relation of relative erosion to vegetative density. It is suggested that the effect of a climatic change on sediment yield depends not only upon direction of climate change, but also on the climate before the change. Sediment concentration in runoff is shown to increase with decreased annual precipitation, suggesting further that a decrease in precipitation will cause stream channel aggradation

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Water‐level fluctuations caused by Montana earthquake

The major earthquake of August 17, 1959, near the Montana‐Wyoming border had marked effects on water levels and artesian pressures in wells throughout the United States. Preliminary reports from field offices of the U. S. Geological Survey in 21 states show that water‐level fluctuations were automatically recorded in 136 observation wells. These wells for which records are available, and the maximum double amplitude of the fluctuations, are listed in Table 1.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Montana earthquakes noted in pennsylvania mine‐water pools

A recent paper by daCosta [1959] reported water ‐level fluctuations caused by the Montana earthquake of August 18, 1959, and mentioned the fluctuations registered in three mine ‐ water pools of the Northern anthracite field in northeastern Pennsylvania , ten miles north of Wilkes‐Barre. This paper will discuss the water ‐level phenomena of these pools in more detail. Most of the coal mines near Wilkes‐Barre are idle, and ground water is forming extensive mine ‐ water pools in the underground mine openings. Some of the pools are interconnected by boreholes, tunnels, and other openings through the barrier pillars between adjacent mines.

Montana↗
USGS2014

Recent advances in space science

The present rapid advance in space sciences, clearly apparent at previous semiyearly national meetings of the American Geophysical Union, was again in evidence at the Stanford meeting, December 27–29, 1962. A total of over 60 papers was presented by the Planetary Sciences Section, usually in sessions held jointly with other Sections, including Geomagnetism and Aeronomy; Meteorology; and Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology. Two symposia, jointly sponsored by the American Physical Society, also included items of space interest, such as the atmospheric drag of satellites and the Mariner 2 probe observations on Venus conducted a few days previous to the meeting.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗