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Biological Monitoring and Assessment of Watersheds in Rockdale County, Georgia, May - August 2003
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Biological, Physical, And Chemical Data From Gulf of Mexico Core PE0305-GC1
This paper presents benthic foraminiferal census data, and magnetic susceptibility, 210Pb , radiocarbon, and geochemical measurements from gravity core PE0305-GC1 (=GC1). Core GC1 was collected from the Louisiana continental shelf as part of an initiative to investigate the geographic and temporal extent of hypoxia, low-oxygen water, in the Gulf of Mexico. Hypoxia (<1.4 ml/l or <2 ppm oxygen concentration) in Gulf of Mexico waters can eventually lead to death of marine species. The development of hypoxia off the Mississippi delta has increased steadily since routine and systematic measurements were begun in 1985 and has been linked to the use of fertilizer in the Mississippi basin. Benthic foraminifers provide a proxy to track the development of hypoxia prior to 1985. Previous work determined that the relative occurrence of three low-oxygen-tolerant species is highest in the hypoxia zone. The cumulative percentage of these three species (% Pseudononion atlanticum + % Epistominella vitrea, + % Buliminella morgani = PEB index of hypoxia) was used to investigate fluctuation in paleohypoxia in four cores, including the upper 60 cm of GC1. In this report, we compile all available data from GC1 as the basis for further publications.
Biological, Physical and Chemical Data From Gulf of Mexico Gravity and Box Core MRD05-04
This paper presents the benthic foraminiferal census data, magnetic susceptibility measurements, vanadium and organic geochemistry (carbon isotope, sterols, and total organic carbon) data from the MRD05-04 gravity and box cores. The MRD05-04 cores were obtained from the Louisiana continental shelf in an on-going initiative to examine the geographic and temporal extent of hypoxia, low-oxygen bottom-water content, and geochemical transport. The development of low-oxygen bottom water conditions in coastal waters is dependent upon a new source of bio-available nutrients introduced into a well-stratified water column. A number of studies have concluded that the development of the current seasonal hypoxia (dissolved oxygen < 2 mg L-1) in subsurface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico is related to increased transport of nutrients (primarily nitrogen, but possibly also phosphorous) by the Mississippi River. However, the development of earlier episodes of seasonal low-oxygen subsurface water on the Louisiana shelf may be related to Mississippi River discharge.
Habitat and hydrology: Assessing biological resources of the Suwannee River Estuarine system
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a pilot integrated-science study during 2002 and 2003 to map, describe, and evaluate benthic and emergent habitats in the Suwannee River Estuary on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Categories of aquatic, emergent, and terrestrial habitats were determined from hyperspectral imagery and integrated with hydrologic data to identify estuarine fish habitats. Maps of intertidal and benthic habitat were derived from 12-band, 4-m resolution hyperspectral imagery acquired in September 2002. Hydrologic data were collected from tidal creeks during the winter of 2002-03 and the summer-fall of 2003. Fish were sampled from tidal creeks during March 2003 using rivulet nets, throw traps, and seine nets. Habitat characteristics, hydrologic data, and fish assemblages were compared for tidal creeks north and south of the Suwannee River. Tidal creeks north of the river had more shoreline edge and shallow habitat than creeks to the south. Tidal creeks south of the river were generally of lower salinity (fresher) and supported more freshwater marsh and submerged aquatic vegetation. The southern creeks tended to be deeper but less sinuous than the northern creeks. Water quality and inundation were evaluated with hydrologic monitoring in the creeks. In-situ gauges, recording pressure and temperature, documented a net discharge of brackish to saline groundwater into the tidal creeks with pronounced flow during low tide. Groundwater flow into the creeks was most prominent north of the river. Combined fish-sampling results showed an overall greater abundance of organisms and greater species richness in the southern creeks, nominally attributed a greater range in water quality. Fish samples were dominated by juvenile spot, grass shrimp, bay anchovy, and silverside. The short time frame for hydrologic monitoring and the one-time fish-sampling effort were insufficient for forming definitive conclusions. However, the combination of hyperspectral imagery and hydrologic data identified a range of habitat characteristics and differences in tidal-creek morphology. This endeavor related nearshore benthic habitat and hydrologic conditions with habitat suitability and fish assemblages and provides a template for similar applications in shallow and nearshore estuarine environments.
Temporal chemical data for sediment, water, and biological samples from the Lava Cap Mine Superfund site, Nevada County, California— 2006–2008
The Lava Cap Mine is located about 6 km east of the city of Grass Valley, Nevada County, California, at an elevation of about 900 m. Gold was hosted in quartz-carbonate veins typical of the Sierran Gold Belt, but the gold grain size was smaller and the abundance of sulfide minerals higher than in typical deposits. The vein system was discovered in 1860, but production was sporadic until the 1930s when two smaller operations on the site were consolidated, a flotation mill was built, and a 100-foot deep adit was driven to facilitate drainage and removal of water from the mine workings, which extended to 366 m. Peak production at the Lava Cap occurred between 1934 and 1943, when about 90,000 tons of ore per year were processed. To facilitate removal of the gold and accessory sulfide minerals, the ore was crushed to a very fine sand or silt grain size for processing. Mining operations at Lava Cap ceased in June 1943 due to War Production Board Order L-208 and did not resume after the end of World War II. Two tailings retention structures were built at the Lava Cap Mine. The first was a log dam located about 0.4 km below the flotation mill on Little Clipper Creek, and the second, built in 1938, was a larger earth fill and rip-rap structure constructed about 2 km downstream, which formed the water body now called Lost Lake. The log dam failed during a storm that began on December 31, 1996, and continued into January 1997; an estimated 8,000-10,000 m 3 of tailings were released into Little Clipper Creek during this event. Most of the fine tailings were deposited in Lost Lake, dramatically increasing its turbidity and resulting in a temporary 1-1.5 m rise in lake level due to debris blocking the dam spillway. When the blockage was cleared, the lake level quickly lowered, leaving a "bathtub ring" of very fine tailings deposited substantially above the water line. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated emergency action in late 1997 at the mine site to reduce the possibility of future movement of tailings, and began an assessment of the risks posed by physical and chemical hazards at the site. The EPA's assessment identified arsenic (As) as the primary hazard of concern. Three main exposure routes were identified: inhalation/ingestion of mine tailings, dermal absorption/ingestion of As in lake water from swimming, and ingestion of As-contaminated ground water or surface water. Lost Lake is a private lake which is completely surrounded by low-density residential development. Prior to the dam failure, the lake was used by the local residents for swimming and boating. An estimated 1,776 people reside within one mile of the lake, and almost all residents of the area use potable groundwater for domestic use. Risk factors for human exposure to As derived from mine wastes were high enough to merit placement of the mine site and surrounding area on the National Priority List (commonly called "Superfund"). The Lava Cap Mine Superfund site (LCMS) encompasses approximately 33 acres that include the mine site, the stretch of Little Clipper Creek between the mine and Lost Lake, the lake itself, and the area between the lake and the confluence of Little Clipper Creek with its parent stream, Clipper Creek. The area between the two creeks is named the "deposition area" due to the estimated 24 m thick layer of tailings that were laid down there during and after active mining. The lobate structure of Lost Lake is also due to deposition in this area. The deposition area and Lost Lake are together estimated to contain 382,277 m 3 of tailings. The primary goals of the EPA have been to minimize tailings movement downstream of Lost Lake and to ensure that residents in the area have drinking water that meets national water quality standards. EPA has officially decided to construct a public water supply line to deliver safe water to affected residences, since some residential wells in the area have As concentrations above the current drinking water standard (10 ppb). However, some deeper monitoring wells in the deposition area have As concentrations that are as much as 100 times the As drinking water standard (EPA, 2001). Fracture-dominated groundwater flowpaths complicate measurement of the rate and direction of groundwater flow in the area. Investigations of groundwater movement at the LCMS are planned by the EPA, but have not been undertaken at the time of this writing.
Biological dimensions of tern management-a case study of the least tern in Sonora, Mexico, and a comparative analysis of reproductive investment in terns
Least terns (Sternula antillarum) are threatened by rapid human development on the northern coast of Sonora, Mexico. Terns are bellwethers for changes along the world's coastlines, as their coastal breeding habitat is vulnerable to flooding and development. We conducted targeted ground and aerial surveys for least tern colonies along 160 kilometers of coast, and document our findings on colony sizes at nine sites over 3 years in the first portion of this report. Like many taxa, terns lay larger clutches at higher latitudes. In the second portion of this report, we evaluate least tern breeding lifespan, food availability, and nest predation as potential ecological reasons behind this differing clutch-size pattern. After correcting for phylogenetic relationships, we found that food availability, not breeding lifespan or nest predation rate, was related to reproductive investment across 46 species and populations of terns. We conclude that coastal development may have a greater impact on nesting terns in tropical regions as compared to temperate breeding locations, because global oceanic patterns of decreased food availability reduce reproductive investment in the tropics.
Time scales of change in chemical and biological parameters after engineered levee breaches adjacent to Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon
Eight sampling trips were coordinated after engineered levee breaches hydrologically reconnected both Upper Klamath Lake and Agency Lake, Oregon, to adjacent wetlands. The reconnection, by a series of explosive blasts, was coordinated by The Nature Conservancy to reclaim wetlands that had for approximately seven decades been leveed for crop production. Sets of nonmetallic porewater profilers (U.S. Patent 8,051,727 B1; November 8, 2011; http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/ week45/OG/html/1372-2/US08051727-20111108.html.) were deployed during these trips in November 2007, June 2008, May 2009, July 2009, May 2010, August 2010, June 2011, and July 2011 (table 1). Deployments temporally spanned the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and spatially involved three lake and four wetland sites. Spatial and temporal variation in solute benthic flux was determined by the field team, using the profilers, over an approximately 4-year period beginning 3 days after the levee breaches. The highest flux to the water column of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was detected in the newly flooded wetland, contrasting negative or insignificant DOC fluxes at adjacent lake sites. Over the multiyear study, DOC benthic fluxes dissipated in the reconnected wetlands, converging to values similar to those for established wetlands and to the adjacent lake (table 2). In contrast to DOC, benthic sources of soluble reactive phosphorus, ammonium, dissolved iron and manganese from within the reconnected wetlands were consistently elevated (that is, significant in magnitude relative to riverine and established-wetland sources) indicating a multi-year time scale for certain chemical changes after the levee breaches (table 2). Colonization of the reconnected wetlands by aquatic benthic invertebrates during the study trended toward the assemblages in established wetlands, providing further evidence of a multiyear transition of this area to permanent aquatic habitat (table 3). Both the lake and wetland benthic environments substantively contribute to macro- and micronutrients in the water column. Wetland areas undergoing restoration, and those being used for water storage, function very differently relatively to the established wetland within the Upper Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge, adjacent Upper Klamath Lake. Developing long-term management strategies for water quality in the Upper Klamath Basin requires recognition of the multi-year time scales associated with restoring wetlands that provide natural, seasonal ecosystem function and services.
Biological and geochemical data of gravity cores from Mobile Bay, Alabama
A study was conducted to understand the marine-influenced environments of Mobile Bay, Alabama, by collecting a series of box cores and gravity cores. One gravity core in particular demonstrates a long reference for changing paleoenvironmental parameters in Mobile Bay. Due to lack of abundance of foraminifers and (or) lack of diversity, the benthic foraminiferal data for two of the three gravity cores are not included in the results. The benthic foraminiferal data collected and geochemical analyses in this study provide a baseline for recent changes in the bay.
Biological and geochemical data along Indian Point, Vermilion Bay, Louisiana
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected shallow sediment cores and surface samples from a coastal salt marsh environment next to Vermilion Bay in southwest Louisiana in January 2013. The sampling was part of a larger USGS study to gather data for assessing environmental changes over the past 150 years. The objective of the study was to expand upon the historical context of sea level and storms affecting coastal systems and how these systems might change under persistent or varying conditions. The data from this report add to a regional environmental change database that aids with the continuing effort to understand the evolution of coastal systems. This report serves as an archive for sedimentological, radiochemical, and microbiological data derived from the sediment cores. Data are available for January 2013. Downloadable data are available as Excel spreadsheets and as JPEG files. Additional files include ArcGIS shapefiles of the sampling sites, detailed results of sediment analyses, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata. Acknowledgments The authors thank Nancy DeWitt, B.J. Reynolds, Christopher Reich (USGS, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center), for help with sample collection and processing; Michael Ball, Sarai Piazza, and Gregory Steyer (USGS, Coastal Restoration Assessment Branch) for assistance accessing CRMS Site 541; and Darrell Anders and Phillip Turnipseed (USGS National Wetlands Research Center) for technical support while in the field. We would also like to thank Caitlyn Reynolds and Nicholas Zaremba for their pre-release commentary and peer review. Information Statement This publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Although these data were processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution imply any such warranty. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and (or) contained herein. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency
Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of selected headwater streams along the Allegheny Front, Blair County, Pennsylvania, July 2011–September 2013
The Altoona Water Authority (AWA) obtains all of its water supply from headwater streams that drain western Blair County, an area underlain in part by black shale of the Marcellus Formation. Development of the shale-gas reservoirs will require new access roads, stream crossing, drill-pad construction, and pipeline installation, activities that have the potential to alter existing stream channel morphology, increase runoff and sediment supply, alter streamwater chemistry, and affect aquatic habitat. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Altoona Water Authority and Blair County Conservation District, investigated the water quality of 12 headwater streams and biotic health of 10 headwater streams. Channel morphology was characterized at 10 of 12 stream sites using 500-foot (minimum) longitudinal profiles, four cross-sections each, and pebble counts. Channel slopes ranged from 0.008 in Poplar Run near Newry to 0.045 in Mill Run. In general, streams draining watersheds of 5 square miles or less and at higher elevation had the steepest slopes. On the basis of the median particle size, determined during pebble counts, the streambed substrate can be characterized as cobble (Mill Run, Bells Gap Run, Tipton Run, and Sink Run), a mix of gravel and cobble (South Poplar Run, Dry Gap Run, Glenwhite Run, Sugar Run, Blair Gap Run), and gravel (Poplar Run, Newry). Daily mean values of gage height were determined, and continuous (30-minute interval) data consisting of specific conductance and water temperature were collected, at four sites; each site showed typical seasonal fluctuations and the effects of precipitation. Streamflow affected discrete water-quality. Dissolved oxygen always increased with increased streamflow. Most cations (including barium and strontium), along with pH, specific conductance, and total dissolved solids, decreased with greater streamflow, reflecting the dilution effect of moderately acidic surface runoff and precipitation on groundwater discharge (base flow) into the stream channels. Concentrations of trace elements varied by constituent and streamflow. On the basis of the results of water-quality analyses for the selected constituents, the water quality in 9 of the 12 streams can be considered fair or attaining with no measured constituent exceeding a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum or secondary contaminant level. Abandoned mine drainage (AMD) affects Glenwhite Run, Blair Gap Run, and Sugar Run. For Sugar Run, the AMD is reflected in the elevated iron concentration (greater than 300 micrograms per liter). Manganese concentrations greater than 50 micrograms per liter were measured in Glenwhite Run, Sugar Run, and Blair Gap Run. A mixing curve based upon chloride/bromide ratios for two end points—precipitation and deicing salts—indicate that deicing salt is migrating to the streams. A similar curve representative of late-emerging flowback water from Marcellus gas wells indicated that the surface-water samples had not been influenced by such brines. On the basis of the concentration of major ions, the streams in the study area generally had mixed cation and anion compositions. Calcium is the dominant cation in one stream. Carbonate and bicarbonate are the dominant anions for two streams, and sulfate is dominant in three streams. The remaining six streams do not have a dominant ion. Biotic health was characterized at 10 of 12 stream sites; the two sites excluded were established late in the study period (May 2013) for refinement of water quality in the headwaters of Poplar Run and the location of Marcellus Formation gas wells. On the basis of the Maryland Index of Biotic Integrity (MdIBI) for fish assemblages, 8 of 10 streams can be considered in fair health. Tipton Run had the highest MdIBI score (3.75) and the greatest number of native species. South Poplar Run had the lowest MdIBI score (1.75); pollution tolerant blacknose dace was dominant. On the basis of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity, 9 of 10 streams were characterized as attaining, with scores as high as 88.9 at Tipton Run. Only Sugar Run was characterized as impaired, with a score of 40.4.
Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Mission Area, initiated the Tapwater Exposure Study as part of an infrastructure project to assess human exposure to potential threats from complex mixtures of contaminants. In the pilot phase (2016), samples were collected from 11 States throughout the United States, and in the second phase (2017), the study focused on the Greater Chicago area, including North and South Chicago, Illinois, and East Chicago, Indiana. Residential tapwater samples were collected at private residences during both phases, and during the first phase, samples were collected from Federal office buildings and from one office 19-liter water-bottle source. During the second phase, raw intake and treated (pre-distributional) water samples also were collected from four drinking-water treatment facilities in the Greater Chicago area. Samples were sent to laboratories at the USGS, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and Colorado School of Mines Center for Environmental Risk Assessment, for potential drinking-water pathogens, chemical, and bioassay analyses. These analyses included more than 400 chemicals such as trace elements, steroid hormones, pharmaceuticals, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, cyanotoxins, and other organic compounds. The in vitro bioassay analyses included estrogen, androgen, and glucocorticoid receptor activity.
Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population biology at Big Sur and Monterey, California --Investigating the consequences of resource abundance and anthropogenic stressors for sea otter recovery
The range of the southern sea otter ( Enhydra lutris nereis ) spans most of the central California coast from Half Moon Bay to Gaviota. Some coastal areas within this range are heavily developed and highly impacted by humans, while other areas are wild and largely pristine. Determining the relative importance of food resource abundance, environmental conditions, and anthropogenic increases in pathogens and pollutants to population change in sea otters is critical to understanding limitations to population growth. To investigate the causal links between the sluggish population growth of sea otters in central California and factors that could be driving variation in survival and reproduction, we designed a study to compare two distinct subpopulations—one in an area of low human impact (Big Sur) and one in an area of high human impact (Monterey). Between 2008 and 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey and collaborators conducted a telemetry-based study of sea otters at these two locations. The results of this study were not consistent with the hypothesis that sea otters adjacent to human population centers (Monterey) experience higher exposure to pollutants and pathogens than those in lower impacted areas (Big Sur). In fact, based on serological analysis, female sea otters from Big Sur showed higher exposure rates to Toxoplasma gondii than did female otters from Monterey, while domoic acid exposure appeared to be similar at both sites. Gene expression (specifically transcription) analysis did not indicate any consistent differences between the two populations that would have suggested a response to pathogen or toxin exposure, although there were temporal changes in gene transcription for sea otters at Big Sur following potential exposure to run-off from wildfires that occurred during the study. Together, these metrics suggest that variation in exposure to environmental stressors occurred, but patterns were not clearly attributable to differences in human population densities or land-use patterns. When compared to Monterey, sea otters in Big Sur spent more time feeding, had a higher degree of dietary specialization, were in poorer body condition, and had lower survival rates (both pups and adults). Together, these metrics suggest that otters at Big Sur had greater nutritional stress, consistent with lower per-capita resource abundance. Overall, study results indicate that density-dependent population regulation, mediated by per-capita resource abundance, is the most significant factor currently limiting population growth in the center part of the range. Additionally, spatial and temporal variation in environmental and anthropogenic stressors also can affect sea otter health, although patterns of variation are complex and are not simply a function of proximity to human populations. We also found that exposure to environmental stressors (either natural or anthropogenic in origin) often is associated with resource limitation. Finally, our results indicate that sea otter populations are structured at relatively small spatial scales, and the processes that regulate population abundance (including density-dependent resource abundance) also occur at these smaller, more local scales.
Adaptive management of flows from R.L. Harris Dam (Tallapoosa River, Alabama)—Stakeholder process and use of biological monitoring data for decision making
Adaptive management has been applied to problems with multiple conflicting objectives in various natural resources settings to learn how management actions affect divergent values regarding system response. Hydropower applications have only recently begun to emerge in the field, yet in the specific example reported herein, stakeholders invested in determining the best management alternatives for attainment of a suite of objectives outlined in a long-term adaptive management program below R.L. Harris Dam, a large, privately owned dam in Alabama. Stakeholders convened an objective-setting workshop to engage a governance structure and developed a decision support model to determine appropriate actions that optimized stakeholder values. The process led to implemented change in dam operation inclusive of incorporating hypothetical responses in system parameters to management. To account for the iterative loop of adaptive management, yearly monitoring of state variables that approximated many stakeholder objectives was performed from 2005 to 2016 and data collected were incorporated into the decision model. Specific analysis of fish and macroinvertebrate population responses indicated a less than satisfactory response for some stakeholders to the flow-management changes at the dam. Uncertainty regarding the best management to provide adequate hydrologic and thermal habitats for fauna and boatable days for recreationists still exists. The project led to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission process for renewing the license to operate the dam (beginning in 2018); adaptive management could be a viable path forward to ensure stakeholder satisfaction related to new management options.
Updates for Wake Atoll biosecurity management, biological control, survey, and management, and integrated pest management plans
Pests and invasive species have been defined as any organism that can have real or perceived adverse effects on operations, or the well-being of personnel, native plants, animals, their environment and ecosystem processes; attack or damage real property, supplies, equipment, or are otherwise undesirable (paraphrased from many sources including 53 Federal Register [FR] 15975, May 4, 1988, as amended at 78 FR 13507, February 28, 2013). Biosecurity programs and pest management plans can be developed and implemented with the goals of preventing the arrival of or eradication or control of pests and invasive species to reduce the potential for adverse effects. Such plans have been developed for Wake Atoll (U.S. Air Force, unpub. data 2017). Periodic plan reviews are an integral step for evaluating plan efficacy and updating plans with new information for improving plan effectiveness. This report summarizes an evaluation of past, current, and potential biosecurity and pest management for Wake with the intent this information can be used for updating existing plans. This document was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and surveys were performed for the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron Natural Resources Program ACES PROJECT no. YGFZ17002 under agreement number F2MUAA7116GW01 between the USAF and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center (USGS-WERC).
Chemical and biological conditions in Bald Eagle Creek and prognosis of trophic characteristics of Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Foster Joseph Sayers. Reservoir will b.e impounded on moderately fertile soils; however, its water source, Bald Eagle Creek, is a bicarbonate-water stream that is over~y-enriched with nutrients. About 650 of the 1,730 acres to be inundated in summer are subject to infestation with aquatic weeds. Nuisance algal "blooms" are expected to occur in summer. The reservoir will stratify in early summer and water · releas·ed for conservation purposes and acid neutralization will consist mostly of hypolimnetic water. This water will be nearly depleted in. dissolved oxygen and will, at times, contain relatively high concentrations of heavy metallic ions and hydrogen:!sulfide.