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USGS2018

Assessing the influence of multiple stressors on stream diatom metrics in the upper Midwest, USA

Water resource managers face increasing challenges in identifying what physical and chemical stressors are responsible for the alteration of biological conditions in streams. The objective of this study was to assess the comparative influence of multiple stressors on benthic diatoms at 98 sites that spanned a range of stressors in an agriculturally dominated region in the upper Midwest, USA. The primary stressors of interest included: nutrients, herbicides and fungicides, sediment, and streamflow; although the influence of physical habitat was incorporated in the assessment. Boosted Regression Tree was used to examine both the sensitivity of various diatom metrics and the relative importance of the primary stressors. Percent Sensitive Taxa, percent Highly Motile Taxa, and percent High Phosphorus Taxa had the strongest response to stressors. Habitat and total phosphorous were the most common discriminators of diatom metrics, with herbicides as secondary factors. A Classification and Regression Tree (CART) model was used to examine conditional relations among stressors and indicated that fine-grain streams had a lower percentage of Sensitive Taxa than coarse-grain streams, with Sensitive Taxa decreasing further with increased water temperature (>30 °C) and triazine concentrations (>1500 ng/L). In contrast, streams dominated by coarse-grain substrate contained a higher percentage of Sensitive Taxa, with relative abundance increasing with lower water temperatures (<29 °C) and shallower water depth (<0.3 m). Quantile regression indicated that maximum water temperature appears to be a major limiting factor in Midwest streams; whereas both total phosphorus and percent fines showed a slight subsidy-stress response. While using benthic algae for assessing stream quality can be challenging, field-based studies can elucidate stressor effects and interactions when the response variables are appropriate, sufficient stressor resolution is achieved, and the number and type of sites represent a gradient of stressor conditions and at least a quasi-factorial design.

Ecological Indicators↗

USGS2003

Eutrophication of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes

Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior are classified as oligotrophic lakes on the basis of their biological, chemical, and physical characteristics. Lake Ontario, although rich in nutrients, is morphometrically oligotrophic or mesotrophic because of its large area of deep water. Lake Erie, the most productive of the lakes and the shallowest, is eutrophic. Several changes commonly associated with eutrophication in small lakes have been observed in the Great Lakes. These changes apparently reflect accelerated eutrophication in the Great Lakes due to man's activity. Chemical data compiled from a number of sources, dating as early as 1854, indicate a progressive increase in the concentrations of various major ions and total dissolved solids in all of the lakes except Lake Superior. The plankton has changed somewhat in Lake Michigan and the plankton, benthos, and fish populations of Lake Erie are greatly different today from those of the past. An extensive area of hypolimnetic water of Lake Erie has developed low dissolved oxygen concentrations in late summer within recent years.

Limnology and Oceanography↗

USGS1973

Water resources data for Missouri, water year 1972

Water resources data for the 1972 water year for Missouri including records of streamflow or lake storage at gaging stations, partial-record stations, and selected springs, and records of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface and ground water, are given in this report. In Part 1, records are included for 157 gaging stations of which 150 are streamflow discharge stations, and 7 are lake stations; also are included records for 104 crest-stage partial-record stations. Locations of gaging stations are shown in Figure 1. In Part 2, data on the quality of surface water (chemical, temperature, and sediment) were collected from designated sampling sites at predetermined intervals such as weekly, monthly, or less frequently, and at some sites data were recorded on punched paper tape at 30-, or 60-minute intervals. Records are given for 84 sampling stations of which 25 are partial-record stations and 5 are miscellaneous sites. Locations of water-quality stations are shown in Figure 2. A few pertinent stations (not included above) in bordering States are also included in this report. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of Anthony Homyk, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Missouri.

Missouri↗

USGS1973

Water resources data for Missouri, water year 1973

Water resources data for the 1973 water year for Missouri including records of streamflow or reservoir storage at gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites, and records of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface water, are given in this report. In Part 1, records are included for 146 gaging stations of which 139 are streamflow discharge stations, and 7 are reservoir or lake stations; also are included records for 106 crest-stage partial-record stations. Locations of gaging stations are shown in figure 1. In Part 2, data on the quality of surface water (chemical, temperature, and sediment) were collected from designated sampling sites at predetermined intervals such as once daily, weekly, monthly, or less frequently, and at some sites data were recorded on punched paper tape at 30-, or 60minute intervals. Records are given for 114 sampling stations of which 25 are partial-record stations, and 30 are miscellaneous sites. Locations of water-quality stations are shown in figure 2. A few pertinent stations (not included above) in bordering states are also included in this report. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of Anthony Homyk, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Missouri. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data have been released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Water-quality records beginning with the 1964 water year have been similarly released either in separate reports or in conjunction with streamflow records. These reports are for limited distribution and are designed primarily for rapid release of data shortly after the end of the water year.

Missouri↗

USGS1966

Surface water records of Missouri, 1964

The quality-of-water investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey are concerned with the chemical and physical characteristics of surface and ground water supplies of the Nation. The basic records for the 1964 water year for quality of surface waters within the State of Missouri are given in this report. The data were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of John H. Hubble, district chemist. The Geological Survey began publishing annual basic records of chemical quality, water temperatures, and suspended sediment in 1941 in the water-supply-paper series, "Quality of Surface Waters of the United States." The records for Missouri were first published in this series in 1948 when the records were being published in two volumes for the entire country. Beginning in 1950, the records were published in four volumes. Since 1959 these records have been published in five volumes; each volume covering an area where boundaries coincide with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Missouri are contained in Parts 5-6, 7 and 8 of the water-supply series. These publications are available in most major public libraries, (See "Water-Supply Papers" p. 11). Distribution of this report is limited and it is primarily for local and immediate use. The records will be published in the Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals, The first compilation will cover only the years 1964 and 1965.

Missouri↗

USGS1965

Water Resources Data for California, 1965; Part 2: Water Quality Records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1965 water year for the quality of surface waters in California are presented in this report. Data for a few water quality stations in bordering States are also included. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S Geological Survey under the direction of Walter Hofmann, district chief. Water quality information is presented for chemical quality, fluvial sediment, and water temperatures. The chemical quality includes concentrations of individual dissolved constituents and certain properties or characteristics such as hardness, sodium-adsorption-ratio, specific conductance, and pH. Fluvial sediment information is given for suspended-sediment discharges and concentrations and for particle-size distribution of suspended sediment and bed material. Water temperature data represent once-daily observations except for stations where a continuous temperature recorder furnishes information from which daily minimums and maximums are obtained.

California↗

USGS1990

Water quality characteristics of inflow to and outflow from B. Everett Jordan Lake, North Carolina, 1982-86

B. Everett Jordan Lake, a 13,900-acre reservoir in the north-central Piedmont of North Carolina, was completed in February 1982. Hydrologic data were collected at four inflow sites and one outflow site to define water-quality characteristics. Data include streamflow data and 56 physical and chemical characteristics of streamwater. Concentrations of some constituents at inflow sites were as much as 83-times greater than background concentrations in streams relatively unaffected by man. At the outflow site, however, some of these constituents were only as much as 6-times greater. The minimum dissolved-oxygen concentration measured at an inflow site was 1.0 mg/L, whereas the minimum concentration measured at the outflow site was 4.9 mg/L. Significant differences in other physical characteristics between inflow and outflow sites include a reduction in maximum concentration of suspended sediment from 2,360 mg/L in an inflow sample to 130 mg/L at the outflow site and a reduction of maximum specific conductance values from more than 1,100 microsiemens/centimeter in an inflow sample to 301 microsiemens/centimeter in outflow. The maximum concentration of total nitrogen at inflow sites was 27.0 mg/L compared with 3.2 mg/L at the outflow site. The maximum total phosphorus concentration at inflow sites was 13.0 mg/L compared with 0.6 mg/L at the outflow site. Average annual loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the outflow were as much as 67% and 40% of inflow loads, respectively. Maximum yields at an inflow site were 5.8 t/sq mi (tons per square mile) for nitrogen and 1.4 t/sq mi for phosphorus. Yields of these constituents at the outflow site were 1.5 and 0.2 t/mi, respectively.

North Carolina↗

USGS2010

Chemical fate and transport of atrazine in soil gravel materials at agrichemical distribution facilities

The gravel commonly used to cover parking lots and roadways at retail agrichemical facilities may contain relatively large concentrations of pesticides that resulted from past management problems. These pesticides may threaten groundwater quality. Previous studies, however, suggested that the pesticides had not moved from the gravel in several sample profiles. Excavations at a closed facility revealed tremendous variability in pesticide distribution within the site. Pesticides were present below the gravel in two profiles, but the mechanism(s) for their movement were not clear. The objectives of this study were to investigate how the physical and chemical properties of the gravel influence the environmental fate of atrazine. All of the gravel samples collected and characterized contained atrazine and sufficient organic C to adsorb significant amounts of atrazine, thus retarding its movement through the gravel. Laboratory column leaching experiments, however, suggested that much of the atrazine should leach from the gravel within a year or two. A field-scale test plot was constructed to study how atrazine moves through the gravel under controlled conditions. Atrazine was “spilled” in the test plot. Atrazine moved from the gravel both vertically and horizontally. It appears that formulated product spilled on gravel will leach. A single discrete spill can give rise to phantom spills whose occurrence and distribution is not related to any specific pesticide-management practice. The apparent lack of atrazine leaching from gravel appeared to be a transient phenomenon and/or the result of sampling limitations in previous studies. The contaminated gravel clearly poses a risk to groundwater quality.

Soil and Sediment Contamination↗

USGS1970

Water resources data for Idaho, water year 1969; Part 2, Water quality records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface- and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1969 water year for the quality of surface waters in Idaho are presented in this report. Data for a few water quality stations in bordering States are also included. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of W. L. Burnham, district chief, Boise, Idaho. Water-quality information is presented for chemical quality, water temperatures, and fluvial sediment. Chemical quality includes concentrations of individual dissolved constituents and certain properties or characteristics such as hardness, sodium adsorption ratio, specific conductance, and pH. Water temperature data represent once-daily observations except for stations where a continuous temperature recorder furnishes information from which daily maximums and minimums are obtained. Fluvial-sediment information is given for suspended-sediment discharges and concentrations and for particle size distribution of suspended sediment and bed material. The Geological Survey, from 1941 through 1965, published an annual series of water-supply papers, "Quality of Surface Waters of the United States," which contained the chemical-quality, temperature, and suspended-sediment data of the water. Each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Idaho are contained in Parts 9-14 of the water-supply paper series. These publications are available in most public libraries. Beginning with the 1964 water year, water quality records for surface and ground water have been released by the Geological Survey on a state boundary basis. This report is primarily for local and immediate use, and its distribution is limited. These records will be published later in Geological Survey water-supply papers.

Idaho↗

USGS1990

Water-quality characteristics of inflow to and outflow from Falls Lake, North Carolina, 1982-87

Falls Lake, an 11,300-acre reservoir in the north-central Piedmont of North Carolina, was completed in December 1983. Hydrologic data were collected at seven inflow sites and one outflow site between 1982 and 1987 to define water-quality characteristics. Data include streamflow data and 56 physical and chemical characteristics of streamwater. Concentrations of some constituents at inflow sites were as much as 10-to 110-times greater than background concentrations in streams relatively unaffected by man. At the outflow site, these constituents generally were 2-to 3-times greater than background values. The minimum dissolved-oxygen concentration measured at an inflow site was 0.6 mg/L, whereas the minimum concentration measured at the outflow site was 6.7 milligrams per liter. Significant differences in other physical characteristics between inflow and outflow sites include a reduction in maximum concentration of suspended sediment from 1,850 milligrams per liter in an inflow sample to 100 milligrams per liter in an outflow sample, and a reduction of maximum specific-conductance values from more than 1,200 microsiemens/centimeter in an inflow sample to 140 microsiemens per centimeter in the outflow. The maximum concentration of total nitrogen at inflow sites was 33 milligrams per liter compared with 4.5 milligrams per liter at the outflow site. Similarly, the maximum total phosphorus concentration at inflow sites was 20 milligrams per liter, but 0.22 milligrams per liter at the outflow site. Average annual loads of nitrogen and phosphorus in the outflow were as much as 66 percent and 21 percent of inflow loads, respectively. Although maximum inflow yields were 13 tons per square mile for nitrogen and 2.8 tons per square mile for phosphorus, yields of these constituents at the outflow site were about 1.1 and 0.05 tons per square mile, respectively.

North Carolina↗

USGS1970

Water Resources Data for California, 1968; Part 2: Water Quality Records

California↗

USGS1972

Water resources data for Mississippi, water year 1971

Water resources data for the 1971 water year for Mississippi including records of streamflow or reservoir storage at gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites, and records of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface water, are given in this report. In Part 1, records are included for 71 gaging stations of which 67 are streamflow discharge stations, and 4 are reservoir or lake stations; also are included records for 27 low-flow partial-record stations, 143 crest-stage partial-record stations, and 91 miscellaneous sites. Locations of gaging stations are shown in Figure 1. In Part 2, data on the quality of surface water (chemical and temperature) were collected from designated sampling sites at pre-determined intervals such as monthly, or less frequently, and at one site data were recorded on punched paper tape at 60-minute intervals. Records are given for 55 sampling stations of which 5 are continuous record stations, 26 are partial-record stations, and 3 are miscellaneous sites. Locations of water-quality stations are shown in Figure 1. A few pertinent stations (not included above) in bordering States are also included in this report. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of L. E. Carroon, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Mississippi.

Mississippi↗

USGS1974

Water resources data for Mississippi, water year 1973

Water resources data for the 1973 water year for Mississippi including records of streamflow or reservoir storage at gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites, and records of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface water, are given in this report. In Part 1, records are included for 79 gaging stations of which 75 are streamflow discharge stations, and 4 are reservoir or lake stations; also are included records for 58 low-flow partial-record stations, 139 crest-stage partial-record stations, and 79 miscellaneous sites. Locations of gaging stations are shown in Figure 1. In Part 2, data on the quality of surface water (chemical and temperature) were collected from designated sampling sites at predetermined intervals such as monthly, or less frequently. Records are given for 70 sampling stations of which 32 are continuous record stations, 26 are partial-record stations, and 12 are miscellaneous sites. Locations of water-quality stations are shown in Figure 1. A few pertinent stations (not included above) furnished by bordering States are also included in this report. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of L. E. Carroon, district chief. These data represent that portion of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Mississippi.

Mississippi↗

USGS1968

Water Resources Data for California, 1967; Part 2: Water Quality Records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geollogical Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface-and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1967 water year for the quality of surface waters in California are presented in this report. Data for a few water quality stations in bordering States are also included. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of R. Stanley Lord, district chief, Menlo Park, Calif. Water-quality information is presented for chemical quality, fluvial sediment, and water temperatures. The chemical quality includes concentrations of individual dissolved constituents and certain properties or characteristics such as hardness, sodium adsorption ratio, specific conductance, and pH. Fluvial-sediment information is given for suspended-sediment discharges and concentrations and for particle size distribution of suspended sediment and bed material. Water-temperature data represent once-daily observations except for stations where a continuous temperature recorder furnishes information from which daily minimums and maximums are obtained.

California↗

USGS2004

Fire as a physical process

This chapter explores fire as a physical process, including combustion, fuel characteristics, fuel models, fire weather, ignition sources, mechanisms for fire spread, and fire effects. In wildland fuels, combustion occurs in three phases: preheating, gaseous, and smoldering. Fuel is characterized by physical and chemical properties that affect combustion and fire behavior. Its characteristic classes are defined for a vegetation type and contain data for fuels in up to six strata representing potentially independent combustion environments. Fire weather includes air temperature, atmospheric moisture, atmospheric stability, and clouds and precipitation. Sufficient fuel, conducive weather, and an ignition are necessary ingredients for a fire. In line with this, this chapter investigates how these factors, combined with topography, cause a fire to spread. The chapter also introduces the physical parameters of fire behavior that affect fire severity, spotting, tree scorch height, plant mortality, biomass consumption, and microclimate.

Book chapter↗

USGS2006

Environmental framework of ground‐water contamination

Ramifications of contamination are increasingly involved in the majority of ground‐water problems. The volume of usable ground water is shrinking in many places because of dispersion of contaminated water . Consideration of ground‐water contamination as a multitude of independent problems, separately solvable as each problem arises, is outmoded; wise policies, relating water supply to contamination potential, are needed to alleviate and to forestall problems. Methodology of managing contamination problems calls for appropriate classification of the hydrogeologic environment; these classifications include aspects of interdependent factors such as permeability, sorption, hydraulic gradient, position of water table relative to some base, and distance from source of contamination . Effective evaluations relate the dynamics of the hydrogeologic environment to contingencies involving contamination , as man changes his water ‐development and waste‐disposal practices. Ways of contamination and pertinent parts of the physical environment include: waste‐disposal practices (at or near land surface and in deep formations), artificial recharge (at land surface and in aquifers), accidents, and salt‐ water contamination of aquifers (shallow depth from salty surface water and at variable depths from subjacent salty aquifers). Evaluation of waste‐disposal problems calls for appreciation of two opposing tendencies–the tendency of wastes to move with ground water and the tendency to be attenuated near disposal sites by decay or inherent decrease in potency, by chemical and physical sorption, and by dilution through dispersion of ground water . Mixed wastes of differing attenuation habits represent special complex problems.

Groundwater↗

USGS1969

Water resources data for Arizona, 1969: Part 2. Water quality records

Arizona↗

USGS1970

Water resources data for Arizona, 1970: Part 2. Water quality records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1970 water year for the quality of surface waters in Arizona are presented in this report. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of H. M. Babcock, district chief. The Geological Survey published the annual series of water-supply papers, ''Quality of Surface Waters of the United States,'' from 1941 through 1965, which contained the chemical-quality, temperature, and suspended-sediment data of the water. Each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Arizona are contained in part 9 of the water-supply paper series. (See table 4.) These publications are available in most public libraries. Beginning with the 1964 water year, water-quality records for surface water obtained by the Geological Survey have been published in a series of annual releases on a State boundary basis. These reports are primarily for local and immediate use, and their distribution is limited. The records also will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers.

Arizona↗