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At least 919 records · Page 51Linked to original sources
USGS2018

Exposure to synthetic hydraulic fracturing waste influences the mucosal bacterial community structure of the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) epidermis

Production of natural gas using unconventional technologies has risen as demand for alternative fuels has increased. Impacts on the environment from waste generated from these processes are largely unexplored. In particular, the outcomes of organismal exposure to hydraulic fracturing waste have not been rigorously evaluated. We evaluated the effects of exposure to surrogate hydraulic fracturing waste (HF waste) on mucosal bacterial community structure of the brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) epidermis. Brook trout are fish native to streams at risk to HF waste exposure. Here, fish were exposed to four treatments (control, 0.00%; low, 0.01%; medium, 0.10%; and high, 1.0% concentrations) of surrogate HF waste synthesized to mimic concentrations documented in the field. Epidermal mucus samples were collected and assessed 15 days post-exposure to determine if the associated bacterial community varied among treatments. We observed differences in epidermal mucosal bacterial community composition at multiple taxonomic scales among treatments. These community changes reflected compositional differences in taxa dominance and community similarity rather than losses or gains in taxonomic richness. The dominant bacterial genus that explained the greatest variation in community structure between exposed and unexposed fish was Flavobacterium . Two genera associated with salmonid diseases, Flavobacterium and Pseudomonas , were statistically more abundant in high treatments than controls. These results suggest that exposure to low levels of HF waste influences bacterial colonization and may lead to a disruption that favors bacterial populations associated with fish disease.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1983

Selected hydrologic data, Kolob-Alton-Kaiparowits coal-fields area, south-central Utah

The Kolob-Alton-Kaiparowits coal-field area (pi. 1) includes about 4,500 square miles in parts of the Colorado River Basin and the Great Basin. The area varies in altitude from less than 4,000 to more than 10,000 feet, and is comprised chiefly of plateaus, benches, and terraces that are dissected by deep, narrow canyons. Principal streams draining the area are the Virgin, Sevier, Escalante, and Paria Rivers, and Coal, Kanab, and Wahweap Creeks. Most of the data included in this report were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey from October 1980 to September 1982. They were collected as part of a hydrologic study in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to evaluate potential impacts of coal mining on the area's water resources. The results of that study are to be published in a separate report. Several earlier coal-related hydrologic studies have been made in the Alton and Kolob coal-fields area. Hydrologic data collected during those studies may be found in the following reports: Goode (1964, 1966), Sandberg (1979), and Cordova (1981). Data collected at the streamflow-gaging stations shown on plate 1 are published separately in annual reports of the U.S. Geological Survey. Information about the availability of these data is given in table 8. The writer extends thanks to Judy Steiger and Dave Darby (former employees of the U.S. Geological Survey) for their contribution to this report. Officials of the following companies and agencies also were helpful and cooperative in providing data: Utah Power & Light Co.; El Paso Natural Gas Co.; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; and U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Utah↗
USGS2003

Life history dependent morphometric variation in stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon

The time course of morphometric variation among life histories for stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) parr (age-0+ to age-2+) was analyzed. Possible life histories were combinations of parr maturity status in the autumn (mature or immature) and age at outmigration (smolt at age-2+ or later age). Actual life histories expressed with enough fish for analysis in the 1997 cohort were immature/age-2+ smolt, mature/age-2 +smolt, and mature/age-2+ non-smolt. Tagged fish were assigned to one of the three life histories and digital pictures from the field were analyzed using landmark-based geometric morphometrics. Results indicated that successful grouping of fish according to life history varied with fish age, but that fish could be grouped before the actual expression of the life histories. By March (age-1+), fish were successfully grouped using a descriptive discriminant function and successful assignment ranged from 84 to 97% for the remainder of stream residence. A jackknife of the discriminant function revealed an average life history prediction success of 67% from age-1+ summer to smolting. Low sample numbers for one of the life histories may have limited prediction success. A MANOVA on the shape descriptors (relative warps) also indicated significant differences in shape among life histories from age-1+ summer through to smolting. Across all samples, shape varied significantly with size. Within samples, shape did not vary significantly with size for samples from December (age-0+) to May (age-1+). During the age-1+ summer however, shape varied significantly with size, but the relationship between shape and size was not different among life histories. In the autumn (age-1+) and winter (age-2+), life history differences explained a significant portion of the change in shape with size. Life history dependent morphometric variation may be useful to indicate the timing of early expressions of life history variation and as a tool to explore temporal and spatial variation in life history expression.

Oecologia↗
USGS2012

Evaluation of nature-like and technical fishways for the passage of alewives at two coastal streams in New England

Nature-like fishways have been designed with the intent to reconnect river corridors and provide passage for all species occurring in a system. The approach is gaining popularity both in Europe and North America, but performance of these designs has not been quantitatively evaluated in a field setting for any North American species. Two nature-like fishways and three technical fishways in New England were evaluated for passage of anadromous adult alewives Alosa pseudoharengus by using passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry. A perturbation boulder rock ramp (32 m long; 4.2% slope) constructed in Town Brook (Plymouth, Massachusetts) passed 94% of the fish that made passage attempts, with most fish ascending the ramp in less than 22 min. In the East River (Guilford, Connecticut), a step-pool bypass design (48 m long; 7.1% slope) passed only 40% of attempting fish, with a median transit time of 75 min. In Town Brook, a technical pool-and-weir fishway (14 m long; 14.3% slope) exhibited poor entry and poor passage for the fish. In contrast, in the East River, two technical steeppass fishways (3 m long; 29.6% and 9.6% slopes) passed the majority of available fish, although one of these steeppass fishways may have lacked sufficient flow to attract fish to the entrance. In both Town Brook and the East River, tagged fish passed rapidly downstream through all fishways after spawning. In the East River, the amount of time fish spent in the spawning habitat before migrating downstream ranged from 1 to 41 d. These studies demonstrate that some nature-like and technical fishway designs can effectively facilitate passage of alewives, but a fishway's location in relation to a spillway is important, and further evaluations are required to more precisely identify the influence of the vertical drop per pool and the specific local hydraulics on alewife behaviors and passage performance.

New England↗
USGS1949

Ground water in the Jordan Valley, Utah

The Jordan Valley is a small part of a larger area that during the glacial epoch was covered by an ancient lake known as Lake Bonneville. The Jordan River, the natural drainage path from Utah Lake, flows northward through the center of the valley and empties into Great Salt Lake. The Jordan Valley is a rockbottomed valley in which a great thickness of clay, silt, sand, and gravel has been laid down irregularly. The thickness of this material is not definitely known, but wells in the valley have penetrated as much as 2,000 feet without encountering bedrock. These sediments are chiefly stream and lake deposits. The material at the surface of the valley was deposited in an ancient lake which at its highest stage stood about 1,000 feet above the level of Great Salt Lake. The shore deposits laid down in this lake occur in the form of terraces or benches around the margin of this basin. The two most prominent benches are known as the Bonneville and Provo benches. The Bonneville bench was formed during the highest stage of the lake, and the Provo bench during a later stage about 400 feet lower. Ground water occurs in the valley as (1) shallow ground water overlying the confining layer creating the artesian basin, (2) local perched water bodies, and (3) an artesian basin or reservoir including the recharge area. It occurs chiefly in the pore spaces of the sand and gravel of the stream and lake deposits. The most permeable water-bearing material occurs near the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in the area occupied by the Provo and Bonneville benches. At some distance from the mountains beds of finer material dense silt and clay alternate with more permeable beds of sand and gravel, giving rise to artesian conditions. On the Provo and Bonneville benches the water levels lie at considerable distances below the surface; but in the lower areas along the Jordan River and west of Salt Lake City as far as the lake, artesian conditions exist and many flowing wells have been drilled. The principal sources of ground water in the Jordan Valley are the water that seeps into the ground from the streams entering the valley, the water that penetrates directly from the ram and snow that fall upon the bench lands on the east side of the valley, and the water that percolates downward from irrigation canals and from irrigated lands, chiefly derived from Utah Lake. In addition some deep-seated thermal water rises along the Wasatch fault. Field determinations of the chloride content of the ground water show that nearly all the waters from the main part of the area of artesian flow, extending from Salt Lake City to Murray have a chloride content of less than 100 parts per million, and most of them have less than 50 parts per million. The distribution of waters of different chloride content indicates that the water of the main part of the area of artesian flow is derived chiefly from supplies that contain only small amounts of chloride namely, seepage from the streams that head in the Wasatch Mountains and rain and snow that fall upon the Provo and Bonneville benches and penetrate downward through the permeable materials that underlie these benches

Utah↗
USGS2002

Water budget for and nitrogen loads to Northeast Creek, Bar Harbor, Maine

The potential for nutrient enrichment to coastal estuaries on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, may affect the health of these important ecosystems at Acadia National Park. Inputs of water and nitrogen entering one of these coastal estuaries, Northeast Creek, and adjacent wetlands on Mt. Desert Island were quantified in a recent study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service. Streamflow and concentra-tions of nitrogen species in the four perennial streams entering the wetland/estuary system were measured monthly for 18 months to estimate loads and develop a water budget. Old Mill Brook was instrumented with a continuous-recording stream-flow gage; the MOVE.1 record-extension technique was used with this and several other nearby continuous gages to estimate daily surface-water inflow to the wetland. Inflow from ungaged basins was estimated from the unit-area yield calculated from data obtained from the gaged basins. Precipitation data collected at the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) site at Acadia National Park Headquarters and the Acadia National Park weather station were used to calculate atmospheric inputs. Evapotranspiration from the wetland was calculated using Fennessey and Vogel?s regionalized multivariate regression model of Penman-Montieth evapotranspiration. Geologic data collected in the field and taken from published geologic maps indicate that ground water probably does not contribute significantly to the water budget of this wetland system. Surface-water outflow from the wetland was not calculated because of the tidal nature of the outlet of the wetland and the difficulties associated with measuring flow in a tidal stream.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2011

Species traits and environmental conditions govern the relationship between biodiversity effects across trophic levels

Changing environments can have divergent effects on biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships at alternating trophic levels. Freshwater mussels fertilize stream foodwebs through nutrient excretion, and mussel species-specific excretion rates depend on environmental conditions. We asked how differences in mussel diversity in varying environments influence the dynamics between primary producers and consumers. We conducted field experiments manipulating mussel richness under summer (low flow, high temperature) and fall (moderate flow and temperature) conditions, measured nutrient limitation, algal biomass and grazing chironomid abundance, and analyzed the data with non-transgressive overyielding and tripartite biodiversity partitioning analyses. Algal biomass and chironomid abundance were best explained by trait-independent complementarity among mussel species, but the relationship between biodiversity effects across trophic levels (algae and grazers) depended on seasonal differences in mussel species’ trait expression (nutrient excretion and activity level). Both species identity and overall diversity effects were related to the magnitude of nutrient limitation. Our results demonstrate that biodiversity of a resource-provisioning (nutrients and habitat) group of species influences foodweb dynamics and that understanding species traits and environmental context are important for interpreting biodiversity experiments.

Oecologia↗
USGS1999

Complex effusive events at Kilauea as documented by the GOES satellite and remote video cameras

GOES provides thermal data for all of the Hawaiian volcanoes once every 15 min. We show how volcanic radiance time series produced from this data stream can be used as a simple measure of effusive activity. Two types of radiance trends in these time series can be used to monitor effusive activity: (a) Gradual variations in radiance reveal steady flow-field extension and tube development. (b) Discrete spikes correlate with short bursts of activity, such as lava fountaining or lava-lake overflows. We are confident that any effusive event covering more than 10,000 m2 of ground in less than 60 min will be unambiguously detectable using this approach. We demonstrate this capability using GOES, video camera and ground-based observational data for the current eruption of Kilauea volcano (Hawai'i). A GOES radiance time series was constructed from 3987 images between 19 June and 12 August 1997. This time series displayed 24 radiance spikes elevated more than two standard deviations above the mean; 19 of these are correlated with video-recorded short-burst effusive events. Less ambiguous events are interpreted, assessed and related to specific volcanic events by simultaneous use of permanently recording video camera data and ground-observer reports. The GOES radiance time series are automatically processed on data reception and made available in near-real-time, so such time series can contribute to three main monitoring functions: (a) automatically alerting major effusive events; (b) event confirmation and assessment; and (c) establishing effusive event chronology.

Bulletin of Volcanology↗
USGS2010

The Index of Biological Integrity and the bootstrap revisited: an example from Minnesota streams

Multimetric indices, such as the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), are increasingly used by management agencies to determine whether surface water quality is impaired. However, important questions about the variability of these indices have not been thoroughly addressed in the scientific literature. In this study, we used a bootstrap approach to quantify variability associated with fish IBIs developed for streams in two Minnesota river basins. We further placed this variability into a management context by comparing it to impairment thresholds currently used in water quality determinations for Minnesota streams. We found that 95% confidence intervals ranged as high as 40 points for IBIs scored on a 0–100 point scale. However, on average, 90% of IBI scores calculated from bootstrap replicate samples for a given stream site yielded the same impairment status as the original IBI score. We suggest that sampling variability in IBI scores is related to both the number of fish and the number of rare taxa in a field collection. A comparison of the effects of different scoring methods on IBI variability indicates that a continuous scoring method may reduce the amount of bias in IBI scores.

Minnesota↗
USGS1978

Backwater at bridges and densely wooded flood plains, Tallahala Creek at Waldrup, Mississippi

New techniques for predicting water-surface profiles, needed in the design of economical, structurally sound, and environmentally compatible stream crossings, are under investigation. The investigation has accelerated with the advent of digital computers capable of analyzing large quantities of data. Among the techniques is the development of two-dimensional (2-D) digital models. Field data are essential for development and evaluation of these techniques for predicting water-surface profiles. This atlas is the first of a series that will provide a wide range of field data.

Mississippi↗
USGS1978

Backwater at bridges and densely wooded flood plains, Bogue Chitto near Summit, Mississippi

New techniques for predicting water-surface profiles, needed in the design of economical, structurally sound, and environmentally compatible stream crossings, are under investigation. The investigation has accelerated with the advent of digital computers capable of analyzing large quatities of data. Among the techniques is the development of two-dimensional (2-D) digital models. Field data are essential for development and evaluation of these techniques for predicting water-surface profiles. This atlas is one of a series that provide a wide range of field data.

Mississippi↗
USGS1972

Floods in Starkweather Creek basin, Madison, Wisconsin

The city of Madison is establishing standards for flood-plain zoning and land-use planning. The evaluation of flood potential is a necessary factor to be considered before such standards are established and put into effect. Purpose and scope. The purposes of this report are to determine the magnitude and water surface elevations of the regional (100-year) flood for both existing and future conditions, to determine their limits of flooding, and to analyze maximum hydraulic capacities of the channel system of Starkweather Creek. The regional flood is defined by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (1968, p. 94) as a flood that occurs on an average of once in 100 years and "which is representative of large floods known to have occurred generally in Wisconsin and reasonably characteristic of what can be expected to occur on a particular stream". The reaches evaluated are (1) Starkweather Creek and West Branch Starkweather Creek, for a distance of 6.0 river miles from the mouth at Lake Monona upstream to the U.S. Highway 51 crossing north of Truax Field; and (2) East Branch Starkweather Creek (2.8 river miles), from its confluence with the West Branch near Milwaukee Street upstream to a point near the Interstate Highway 90-94 crossing.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1977

A brief investigation of the surface-water hydrology of Yemen Arab Republic

Yemen, near the southwest tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a mountainous country bordered by a desert on the east and a coastal plain on the west. Rainfall is low and seasonal; consequently, most streams (wadis) are ephemeral. The natural flow regimens of many of the smaller wadis are modified by terracing for agriculture. The only streamflow data available in Yemen are short records on four large wadis. A brief field investigation and application of reconnaissance techniques are the bases for the largely qualitative description of the hydrology, and for the proposal to collect streamflow data needed for orderly development of the expanding economy. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2024

Groundwater model of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon

Groundwater development, mainly for large-scale irrigation, has increased substantially in the Harney Basin of southeastern Oregon since 2010. Concurrently, some areas of the basin experienced groundwater-level declines of more than 100 feet, and some shallow wells have gone dry. The Oregon Water Resources Department has limited new groundwater development in the basin until an improved understanding of the groundwater-flow system is available. The groundwater resources report by Gingerich and others (2022, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2021–5103, https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20215103 ) provides that understanding. This report describes the development of a numerical groundwater-flow model that can be used as a tool to help improve that understanding. The Harney Basin Groundwater Model was developed using the finite-difference groundwater-modeling software U.S. Geological Survey modular finite-difference groundwater-flow model (MODFLOW 6) and associated Python pre- and post-processing routines. The groundwater model encompasses the entire 5,240-square-mile Harney Basin and adjacent areas and is calibrated to the hydrologic conditions from 1930 to 2018. The model has a uniform grid consisting of 78,064 nearly square cells, each covering 2,005 by 2,007 feet (about 92 acres) and has 10 layers (780,640 total cells) representing the vertical distribution of hydrogeologic units. The results from the calibrated model simulations indicate that groundwater pumpage exceeded recharge since about the mid-1980s, resulting in an estimated net cumulative depletion of groundwater storage (discharge minus recharge) of about 840,000 acre-feet and also indicated declines in groundwater evapotranspiration and spring and stream discharge. Model simulations show as much as 100 feet of groundwater-level decline in some areas and more than 40 feet of decline in widespread areas in recent decades. Model simulations are consistent with field observations of groundwater levels through time.

Oregon↗
USGS1969

Measurement of discharge by the moving-boat method

This chapter describes the procedures for measuring discharge in large streams by the moving-boat technique. During the traverse of a boat across a stream, a sonic sounder records the geometry of the cross section, and a continuously operating current meter senses the combined stream and boat velocities. These data are converted to discharge for the cross section quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively. Measurements obtained by the moving-boat technique compare within 5 percent of measurements obtained by conventional means. Field and office procedures applicable to this method are outlined. Theory of technique is developed and equipment required is described. Selection and preparation of the cross section is detailed. A complete facsimile example of computation of a moving-boat measurement is given, and the determination and application of adjustment factors are described.

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations↗
USGS1954

Ground-water conditions in southwestern Langlade County, Wisconsin

Glacial outwash sand and gravel deposits are the principal aquifer in southwestern Langlade County, Wis. The underlying bedrock of pre-Cambrian age contains little or no water. The source of ground water is local precipitation. Information was collected on more than 300 wells in the area. Movement of ground water is generally southward and locally toward streams. Discharge is by streams and subsurface flow. Fluctuations of water levels in wells show a close correlation with seasonal precipitation and with average precipitation over a period of years. Pumping tests made at the city of Antigo's well field gave a coefficient of transmissibility of 62,000 gpd per ft and a coefficient of storage of 0.15 for the outwash deposits. It is estimated that recharge to a 90-squaremile area of the Antigo flats averages about 30,000 acre-feet per year. Of the 1,100 acrefeet pumped from wells in 1948, 69 percent was for municipal supply, 26 percent for rural supply, and 5 percent for irrigation. Use of water for irrigation has caused no measurable decline of water levels in the area as a whole.

Wisconsin↗