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USGS2007

Relation between fish communities and riparian zone conditions at two spatial scales

The relation offish community composition to riparian cover at two spatial scales was compared at 18 streams in the agricultural Minnesota River Basin. The two spatial scales were: (1) local riparian zone (a 200 meter wide buffer extending 2 to 3 kilometers upstream of the sampling reach); and (2) the upstream riparian zone (a 200 m wide buffer on the mainstem and all perennial tributaries upstream of the sampling reach). Analysis of variance indicated that streams with wooded-local riparian zones had greater fish species richness (means = 20 and 15, respectively) and Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores (means = 40 and 26, respectively) than streams with open-local riparian zones. Streams with wooded-upstream riparian zones tended (were not statistically significant) to have greater numbers of species (means = 19 and 15, respectively) and IBI scores (means = 33 and 28, respectively) than streams with open-upstream riparian zones. There was no significant interaction between the riparian zone conditions at the two scales. This study suggests that maintenance of wooded riparian cover along streams could be effective in maintaining or improving fish community composition in streams draining heavily agricultural areas.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗

USGS1995

Largemouth bass response to habitat and water quality rehabilitation in a backwater of the upper Mississippi River

Severe sedimentation since lock and dam construction in the 1930s has reduced water depth in Upper and Lower Brownˈs lakes, a backwater complex in Pool 13 of the upper Mississippi River, and resulted in periods of chronic anoxia. This backwater complex was rehabilitated by construction of a deflection levee, installation of a water control structure, and excavation of canals through the area. Water quality variables inside and outside the project area, movement of radio-tagged largemouth bass in response to changing oxygen concentrations, and creel statistics were used to evaluate the success of the improvements. Turbidity was significantly less in the Brownˈs Lake complex than in the main channel. Oxygen concentrations were allowed to deteriorate to 3 ppm before the water control structures were opened during the winter; within 7 d, oxygen concentrations as high as 10 ppm were found in the top strata in most of the Brownˈs Lake complex. Chemical and thermal stratification observed in the dredge canal water column were caused by colder (32°F), highly oxygenated water from the main channel moving over denser, warmer (36–38°F) water in the dredge canals. Water in the dredge canals remained stratified until ice-out, with colder, oxygenated water in the surface stratum; warmer, but anoxic, water in the bottom stratum; and a mixture (3–7 ppm oxygen and 35–36°F) in the middle stratum. Fourteen radio-tagged largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides were located in the Brownˈs Lake complex in December before oxygen concentrations began to decline, Concurrent with oxygen declines, most radio-tagged fish exited the complex through a slough connected to the main channel and returned when the water control structure was opened and oxygen concentrations increased. Some radio-tagged largemouth bass moved 4 mi under ice to return to the complex. Estimated angler effort and catch increased 58 and 117%, respectively, in the Lower Brownˈs Lake–Lainesville Slough complex following rehabilitation. A 10-fold increase in angler effort and catch was estimated for Upper Brownˈs Lake after the project was completed.

Iowa↗

USGS2025

Greater white-fronted goose habitat use in Louisiana provides water depth management insights

Numerous waterfowl species have altered their geographic distribution in recent decades. The greater white-fronted goose ( Anser albifrons ) has shifted its wintering distribution from coastal marshes in Texas and Louisiana, USA, to interior landscapes, creating challenges for conservation managers. Although the range shift has been primarily attributed to landscape-scale changes in rice production, effects of fine-scale habitat conditions on greater white-fronted goose habitat use are unknown. Thus, information on fine-scale environmental conditions could provide information to managers working to mitigate effects of the shift. We used global positioning system neck collars to monitor 78 greater white-fronted geese in Louisiana each winter during 2016–2019 and visited all used locations to record vegetation height, water depth, and land cover. We modeled greater white-fronted goose habitat use in 4 regions across Louisiana (central, coastal, north, southwest), and evaluated effects of vegetation height, water depth, land cover, and interactions. In our candidate model set, we included a sampling null, which accounted for differences in sampling frequencies among hunt seasons and diel periods. The top model in the central, coastal, and north regions included water depth, whereas the top model in the southwest region included water depth, vegetation height, and land cover. Parameter estimates and confidence intervals indicated that goose habitat use was higher at sites with >5.1 cm of water compared to dry sites or sites with <5.1 cm of water. In the southwest region, goose habitat use was highest in areas identified as other land cover (e.g., corn, cotton, rye, sugarcane) and lowest in open water. Although Louisiana has substantial anthropogenic food resources in the form of rice agriculture and abundant grazing opportunities afforded by mild winters, our results indicate that wet areas provide better habitat to greater white-fronted geese than dry areas. New agricultural flooding regimes in Louisiana could improve habitat quality and potentially mitigate some effects of the winter distribution shift.

Louisiana↗

USGS2025

Connecting tributary mercury loads to nearshore and offshore sediments in Lake Superior

Lake Superior has a vast and largely undeveloped watershed in comparison to the other Great Lakes, which makes it challenging to study mercury (Hg) sources and cycling. To examine Hg inputs to Lake Superior, we conducted an expansive binational assessment in 40 watersheds from a diverse range of landcover types. We further paired tributary Hg data to sediment source portfolios in the nearshore and offshore zones of Lake Superior through partnership with the Great Lakes Sediment Surveillance Program. We observed that total Hg loads were highest in the spring driven by the combination of elevated Hg concentrations and increased water discharge from snowmelt. In addition, total Hg concentrations in tributaries from remote, heavily forested regions, such as Pukaskwa National Park and the Minnesota Northshore, were higher than the Southshore and Thunder Bay regions. Methylmercury concentrations and loads were more spatially dependent, often corresponding to regions with more wetlands (e.g., Michigan Upper Peninsula). We estimated that the total Hg tributary load to Lake Superior in 2021 was 126 kg per year. To further examine the fate of watershed Hg sources, we examined sediments from 28 sites in Lake Superior using Hg stable isotopes. At open water sites, precipitation was the primary Hg source to sediments, but within nearshore sites Hg originated predominantly from watershed runoff. This work further defines the sources and fate of Hg within Lake Superior and highlights how Hg delivery is intrinsically tied to varying hydrologic regimes.

Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, Wisconsin↗

USGS2009

Saltwater intrusion in coastal regions of North America

Saltwater has intruded into many of the coastal aquifers of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, but the extent of saltwater intrusion varies widely among localities and hydrogeologic settings. In many instances, the area contaminated by saltwater is limited to small parts of an aquifer and to specific wells and has had little or no effect on overall groundwater supplies; in other instances, saltwater contamination is of regional extent and has resulted in the closure of many groundwater supply wells. The variability of hydrogeologic settings, three-dimensional distribution of saline water, and history of groundwater withdrawals and freshwater drainage has resulted in a variety of modes of saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers. These include lateral intrusion from the ocean; upward intrusion from deeper, more saline zones of a groundwater system; and downward intrusion from coastal waters. Saltwater contamination also has occurred along open boreholes and within abandoned, improperly constructed, or corroded wells that provide pathways for vertical migration across interconnected aquifers. Communities within the coastal regions of North America are taking actions to manage and prevent saltwater intrusion to ensure a sustainable source of groundwater for the future. These actions can be grouped broadly into scientific monitoring and assessment, engineering techniques, and regulatory approaches.

Hydrogeology Journal↗

USGS2021

Executive summary and annotated bibliography of selected references from “Microbial and viral indicators of pathogens and human health risks from recreational exposure to waters impaired by fecal contamination” with related project ideas for Gwinnett County, Georgia

This document was prepared in cooperation with Gwinnett County, Georgia, to supplement the journal article “Microbial and Viral Indicators of Pathogens and Human Health Risks from Recreational Exposure to Waters Impaired by Fecal Contamination” (published in Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment ). The document includes an executive summary of the article, project ideas for Gwinnett County to enhance its bacterial monitoring program, and an annotated bibliography of selected references from the article. Although tailored to Gwinnett County, the project ideas are based on the state of the science of monitoring for fecal-associated pathogens and pathogen indicators in impaired surface waters and may be of interest to water resources divisions of other municipalities.

Georgia↗

USGS1997

Shorebird-prey interactions in South Carolina coastal soft-sediments

We investigated the simultaneous influence of benthic prey (primarily insect larvae, oligochaetes, and polychaetes) on spring-migrating shorebirds (Charadriiformes) and shorebirds on prey in brackish managed wetlands of South Carolina. We proposed that positive correlations between shorebird and prey densities and between prey reduction and shorebird density might result in a negative feedback loop. The loop would be characterized by shorebird redistribution over time and equalization of shorebird and prey densities (and biomass) across the site. In support of the feedback loop ( i ) there were positive correlations between shorebird and prey densities (and biomass) early in migration; ( ii ) shorebird predation was responsible for declines of 49% in prey density and 50% in prey biomass in a shorebird exclosure experiment, with shorebird density positively correlated with prey decline in open plots; ( iii ) there was equalization of prey biomass across the site, and relative prey species abundance appeared to become more equal. Contrary to predictions, shorebirds did not redistribute after prey reduction, and patchiness of shorebird and prey densities persisted across the site. This failure was attributed to high prey density, even at the season's end, and high water depths. There were no confounding indirect trophic-level effects.

South Carolina↗

USGS1991

Chemical equilibrium and mass balance relationships associated with the Long Valley hydrothermal system, California, U.S.A.

Recent drilling and sampling of hydrothermal fluids from Long Valley permit an accurate characterization of chemical concentrations and equilibrium conditions in the hydrothermal reservoir. Hydrothermal fluids are thermodynamically saturated with secondary quartz, calcite, and pyrite but are in disequilibrium with respect to aqueous sulfide-sulfate speciation. Hydrothermal fluids are enriched in 18O by approximately 1??? relative to recharge waters. 18O and Cl concentrations in well cuttings and core from high-temperature zones of the reservoir are extensively depleted relative to fresh rhyolitic tuff compositions. Approximately 80% of the Li and 50% of the B are retained in the altered reservoir rock. Cl mass balance and open-system 18O fractionation models produce similar water-rock ratios of between 1.0 and 2.5 kg kg-1. These water-rock ratios coupled with estimates of reservoir porosity and density produce a minimum fluid residence time of 1.3 ka. The low fluid Cl concentrations in Long Valley correlate with corresponding low rock concentrations. Mass balance calculations indicate that leaching of these reservoir rocks accounts for Cl losses during hydrothermal activity over the last 40 ka. ?? 1991.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗

USGS2013

Impacts of climate, lake size, and supra- and sub-permafrost groundwater flow on lake-talik evolution, Yukon Flats, Alaska (USA)

In cold regions, hydrologic systems possess seasonal and perennial ice-free zones (taliks) within areas of permafrost that control and are enhanced by groundwater flow. Simulation of talik development that follows lake formation in watersheds modeled after those in the Yukon Flats of interior Alaska (USA) provides insight on the coupled interaction between groundwater flow and ice distribution. The SUTRA groundwater simulator with freeze–thaw physics is used to examine the effect of climate, lake size, and lake–groundwater relations on talik formation. Considering a range of these factors, simulated times for a through-going sub-lake talik to form through 90 m of permafrost range from ∼200 to > 1,000 years (vertical thaw rates < 0.1–0.5 m yr −1 ). Seasonal temperature cycles along lake margins impact supra-permafrost flow and late-stage cryologic processes. Warmer climate accelerates complete permafrost thaw and enhances seasonal flow within the supra-permafrost layer. Prior to open talik formation, sub-lake permafrost thaw is dominated by heat conduction. When hydraulic conditions induce upward or downward flow between the lake and sub-permafrost aquifer, thaw rates are greatly increased. The complexity of ground-ice and water-flow interplay, together with anticipated warming in the arctic, underscores the utility of coupled groundwater-energy transport models in evaluating hydrologic systems impacted by permafrost.

Alaska↗

USGS1979

Uranium transport in the Walker River Basin, California and Nevada

During the summer of 1976 waters from tributaries, rivers, springs and wells were sampled in the Walker River Basin. Snow and sediments from selected sites were also sampled. All samples were analyzed for uranium and other elements. The resulting data provide an understanding of the transport of uranium within a closed hydrologic basin as well as providing a basis for the design of geochemical reconnaissance studies for the Basin and Range Province of the Western United States. Spring and tributary data are useful in locating areas containing anomalous concentrations of uranium. However, agricultural practices obscure the presence of known uranium deposits and render impossible the detection of other known deposits. Uranium is extremely mobile in stream waters and does not appear to sorb or precipitate. Uranium has a long residence time (2500 years) in the open waters of Walker Lake; however, once it crosses the sediment-water interface, it is reduced to the U(IV) state and is lost from solution. Over the past two million years the amount of uranium transported to the terminal point of the Walker River system may have been on the order of 4 × 10 8 kg . This suggests that closed basin termini are sites for significant uranium accumulations and are, therefore, potential sites of uranium ore deposits.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗

USGS1992

Suspension freezing of bottom sediment and biota in the Northwest Passage and implications for Arctic Ocean sedimentation

Ice observations and sediment collected in a summer transit through the Northwest Passage provide insights on suspension freezing, the most important sediment entrainment mechanism for the Arctic Ocean. No evidence was seen for entrainment by bottom adfreezing, bluff slumping, river flooding, dragging ice keels, or significant eolian transport from land to sea. Lack of eolian sediment loading in the Northwest Passage, together with that already reported for northern Alaska, eliminates wind as an important source for fine sediment in the pack of the Beaufort Gyre and related parts of the Transpolar Drift. Muddy sediment with pebbles and cobbles, algae with holdfasts, ostracodes with appendages, and well-preserved mollusks and sea urchins were collected from two sites in a 50 km long stretch of turbid ice. These materials indicate that suspension freezing reaching to a water depth of 25–30 m during the previous fall was responsible for entrainment. This mechanism requires rapid ice formation in open, shallow water during a freezing storm, when the ocean becomes supercooled, and frazil and anchor ice attach to and ultimately lift sediment and living organisms to the sea surface. The mechanism, already known to be important in the Beaufort Sea, probably also affects wide, shallow Siberian shelves and leads to cross-shelf transport of shallow-water organisms and dropstones with "glacial striations" toward deep basins. This makes distinguishing glacial–interglacial cycles more difficult.

Nunavut↗

USGS2008

Cattail invasion of sedge/grass meadows in Lake Ontario: Photointerpretation analysis of sixteen wetlands over five decades

Photointerpretation studies were conducted to evaluate vegetation changes in wetlands of Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence River associated with regulation of water levels since about 1960. The studies used photographs from 16 sites (four each from drowned river mouth, barrier beach, open embayment, and protected embayment wetlands) and spanned a period from the 1950s to 2001 at roughly decadal intervals. Meadow marsh was the most prominent vegetation type in most wetlands in the late 1950s when water levels had declined following high lake levels in the early 1950s. Meadow marsh increased at some sites in the mid-1960s in response to low lake levels and decreased at all sites in the late 1970s following a period of high lake levels. Typha increased at nearly all sites, except wave-exposed open embayments, in the 1970s. Meadow marsh continued to decrease and Typha to increase at most sites during sustained higher lake levels through the 1980s, 1990s, and into 2001. Most vegetation changes could be correlated with lake-level changes and with life-history strategies and physiological tolerances to water depth of prominent taxa. Analyses of GIS coverages demonstrated that much of the Typha invasion was landward into meadow marsh, largely by Typha x glauca. Lesser expansion toward open water included both T. x glauca and T. angustifolia. Although many models focus on the seed bank as a key component of vegetative change in wetlands, our results suggest that canopy-dominating, moisture-requiring Typha was able to invade meadow marsh at higher elevations because sustained higher lake levels allowed it to survive and overtake sedges and grasses that can tolerate periods of drier soil conditions.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗

USGS2013

Monitoring vegetation response to episodic disturbance events by using multitemporal vegetation indices

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery and land/water assessments from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery were used to quantify the extent and severity of damage and subsequent recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005 within the vegetation communities of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. Field data on species composition and total live cover were collected from 232 unique plots during multiple time periods to corroborate changes in NDVI values over time. Aprehurricane 5-year baseline time series clearly identified NDVI values by habitat type, suggesting the sensitivity of NDVI to assess and monitor phenological changes in coastal wetland habitats. Monthly data from March 2005 to November 2006 were compared to the baseline average to create a departure from average statistic. Departures suggest that over 33% (4,714 km 2 ) of the prestorm, coastal wetlands experienced a substantial decline in the density and vigor of vegetation by October 2005 (poststorm), mostly in the east and west regions, where landfalls of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita occurred. The percentage of area of persistent vegetation damage due to long-lasting formation of new open water was 91.8% in the east and 81.0% and 29.0% in the central and west regions, respectively. Although below average NDVI values were observed in most marsh communities through November 2006, recovery of vegetation was evident. Results indicated that impacts and recovery from large episodic disturbance events that influence multiple habitat types can be accurately determined using NDVI, especially when integrated with assessments of physical landscape changes and field verifications.

Louisiana↗

USGS2015

New insight into California’s drought through open data

Historically unprecedented drought in California has brought water issues to the forefront of the nation’s attention. Crucial investigations that concern water policy, management, and research, in turn, require extensive information about the quality and quantity of California’s water. Unfortunately, key sources of pertinent data are unevenly distributed and frequently hard to find. Thankfully, the vital importance of integrating water data across federal, state, and tribal, academic, and private entities, has recently been recognized and addressed through federal initiatives such as the Climate Data Initiative of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and the Advisory Committee on Water Information’s Open Water Data Initiative . Here, we demonstrate an application of integrated open water data, visualized and made available online using open source software, for the purpose of exploring the impact of the current California drought. Our collaborative approach and technical tools enabled a rapid, distributed development process. Many positive outcomes have resulted: the application received recognition within and outside of the Federal Government, inspired others to visualize open water data, spurred new collaborations for our group, and strengthened the collaborative relationships within the team of developers. In this article, we describe the technical tools and collaborative process that enabled the success of the application.

BayGEO Journal↗

USGS2012

Heterogeneous redox conditions, arsenic mobility, and groundwater flow in a fractured-rock aquifer near a waste repository site in New Hampshire, USA

Anthropogenic sources of carbon from landfill or waste leachate can promote reductive dissolution of in situ arsenic (As) and enhance the mobility of As in groundwater. Groundwater from residential-supply wells in a fractured crystalline-rock aquifer adjacent to a Superfund site in Raymond, New Hampshire, USA, showed evidence of locally enhanced As mobilization in relatively reducing (mixed oxic-anoxic to anoxic) conditions as determined by redox classification and other lines of evidence. Redox classification was determined from geochemical indicators based on threshold concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate (NO 3- ), iron (Fe 2+ ), manganese (Mn 2+ ), and sulfate (SO 4 2- ). Redox conditions were evaluated also based on methane (CH 4 ), excess nitrogen gas (N 2 ) from denitrification, the oxidation state of dissolved As speciation (As(III) and As(V)), and several stable isotope ratios. Samples from the residential-supply wells primarily exhibit mixed redox conditions, as most have long open boreholes (typically 50–100 m) that receive water from multiple discrete fractures with contrasting groundwater chemistry and redox conditions. The methods employed in this study can be used at other sites to gauge redox conditions and the potential for As mobilization in complex fractured crystalline-rock aquifers where multiple lines of evidence are likely needed to understand As occurrence, mobility, and transport.

New Hampshire↗

USGS2014

Bird mortality during nocturnal migration over Lake Michigan: A case study

Millions of birds die each year during migration. Most of this mortality goes unobserved and conditions surrounding the actual events are often not thoroughly documented. We present a case study of substantial migrant casualties along the shores of southwestern Lake Michigan during May 1996 when we found 2,981 dead birds of 114 species, mostly migrant passerines. An unusual sequence of events allowed us to document the circumstances surrounding this migratory bird kill. Bird carcasses appeared on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan in the days following storm systems that produced high rain and in one case, hail. Encounters between birds and precipitation over open water were recorded by weather radar, and were followed by winds that drifted dead birds toward highly populated shorelines where the kill was observed and documented. Climatologically, May 1996 was exceptional for producing weather conditions that both killed birds en masse and allowed the mortality to be documented. As a result, this is one of the more thoroughly documented instances of a weather-related mass mortality event during migration.

Lake Michigan↗

USGS2022

Secretive marsh bird habitat relationships at mid-continent spring migration stopover sites

Despite several secretive marsh bird (SMB) species being listed as critically imperiled throughout the mid-continent of North America, limited information on SMB distribution and habitat use within primary migratory corridors results in uncertainty on contributions of wetlands in mid-latitude states toward their annual cycle needs. Our objectives were to quantify temporal patterns of SMB wetland occupancy during spring migration at a mid-latitude state and evaluate the relationships between SMB colonization probability and water-level management practices, and the resulting habitat conditions during spring migration. We conducted a 2-year, dynamic occupancy study (2013–2014) that included 6 rounds of repeated call-back surveys to detect the presence of 5 SMB species (i.e., Virginia rail [ Rallus limicola ], sora [ Porzana carolina ], king rail [ R. elegans ], least bittern [ Ixobrychus exilis ], and American bittern [ Botaurus lentiginosus ]) during spring (Apr–Jun) on 107 wetlands across 8 conservation areas and 4 national wildlife refuges throughout Missouri, USA. We detected sora most frequently, followed by least bittern, American bittern, Virginia rail, and king rail. Coefficient estimates indicated colonization probability for all species was positively associated with emergent vegetation cover and negatively associated with amount of open water. Open water was the only variable in the best supported model explaining American bittern site colonization, to which they were negatively associated. Virginia rail colonization had a strong positive association with vegetation height, whereas least bittern and sora site colonization were influenced positively by water depth and agriculture, respectively. Based on the habitat associations within and among SMB species identified in this study, wetland managers can tailor management strategies to optimize spring migration habitat for single- or multi-species objectives.

Missouri↗

USGS2021

Taxonomic and functional differences between winter and summer crustacean zooplankton communities in lakes across a trophic gradient

Despite increasing interest in winter limnology, few studies have examined under-ice zooplankton communities and the factors shaping them in different types of temperate lakes. To better understand drivers of zooplankton community structure in winter and summer, we sampled 13 lakes across a large trophic status gradient for crustacean zooplankton abundance, taxonomic and functional community composition and C/N stable isotopes. Average winter zooplankton densities were one-third of summer densities across the study lakes. Proportionally, cladocerans were more abundant in summer than winter, with the opposite pattern for calanoids and cyclopoids. In green (eutrophic) lakes, zooplankton densities were higher under the ice than in brown (dystrophic) and blue (oligotrophic) lakes, suggesting better conditions for zooplankton in productive lakes during winter. Overall, zooplankton communities were more similar across lakes under the ice than during the open water season. Feeding group classification showed a decrease in herbivore abundance and an increase in predators from summer to winter. C/N stable isotope results suggested higher lipid content in overwintering zooplankton and potentially increased reliance on the microbial loop by winter zooplankton. Our results show substantial variation in the seasonality of zooplankton communities in different lake types and identify some of the factors responsible for this variation.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗