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Donald R. Kernodle

Publications and source records attributed to Donald R. Kernodle.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1981

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Noatak River basin, Alaska, 1978

Hydrologic data were collected in 1978 described water resources of the Noatak River basin, Alaska. Streamflow varies seasonally. No flow was observed from the upper part of the basin in late winter (April). In the lower part of the basin springs support perennial flow in the Kugururok River and downstream along the Noatak. The discharge of the Noatak was 150 cubic feet per second in April 1978. During the summer, rainstorms are common, and runoff produces high flow. During August 1978, flow was normal in the basin; unit runoff averaged about 1 cubic foot per second per square mile. The Noatak is a gravel-bed stream of moderate slope. It drops about 1,800 feet in elevation from a point near the head waters to the mouth, a distance of 400 miles. Streambed material in most places is gravel, cobbles, and boulders, maximum riffle depths and pool widths increase in a downstream direction. Stream velocity in August 1978 increased from about 1 foot per second in the upper basin to about 4 feet per second in the lower reaches. High-water marks of the maximum evident flood were found at elevations from bankfull to 5 feet above bankfull. Maximum evident flood unit runoff rates were estimated to be less than 50 cubic feet per second per square mile. Scars produced by ice jams were seldom seen above bankfull. Bank erosion appears to be most active in the lowlands. Water in the Noatak River basin is virtually unaffected by man 's activity. Water quality varies with location, weather, season, and source; the water is normally clear, cool, and hard. During late winter sea water intrudes into the Lower Noatak Canyon. Benthic invertebrate community composition and variability suggest the river 's undiminished natural quality. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1981

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Beluga, Peters Creek, and Healy coal areas, Alaska

The Beluga, Peters Creek, and Healy coal areas in Alaska were studied during 1975-78, with major emphasis on surface-water hydrology and water quality. In the Beluga coal area, mean annual discharge is estimated to range from 2.2 to 3.4 cubic feet per second per square mile of drainage area. The 7-day low flow having a 10-year recurrence interval is estimated to be 0.3 to 0.6 cubic feet per second per square mile. The dilute surface waters are a calcium bicarbonate type, have low concentrations of nutrients, and at times may contain dissolved iron and manganese in concentrations in excess of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended limits. The pooled diversity index of the benthic invertebrate community ranges from 2.93 to 4.06. No ground-water wells have been drilled in the potential mining areas. Water quality of streams in the Peters Creek coal area is similar to that of streams in the Beluga coal area. No attempt is made to define streamflow characteristics in the Peters Creek coal area due to poor correlations with nearby gaging stations. In the Healy coal area, streamflow characteristics of the two major basins studied are dissimilar. Lignite Creek is estimated to have less yield than Healy Creek. Studied tributaries of Healy and Lignite Creeks have a dissolved-solids range of 111 to 636 milligrams per liter and have calcium and bicarbonate or magnesium and bicarbonate as principal ions. Iron and manganese concentrations are high at some times of the year. The concentrations of sodium and chloride increase significantly in the lower reaches of Lignite Creek.

Alaska↗
USGS1980

Data from a hydrologic reconnaissance of the Beluga, Peters Creek, and Healy coal areas, Alaska

Data are tabulated from a hydrologic study of the Beluga, Peters Creek, and Healy coal areas from July 1975 to June 1979. These include streamflow and water-quality data for all three areas, ground-water data for the Beluga and Healy coal areas, and information from springs in the Beluga coal area. Results of analyses of samples of the benthic invertebrate community in the Beluga area are also included.

Alaska↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic reconnaissance of western Arctic Alaska, 1976 and 1977

A reconnaissance of the water resources of the western Arctic was conducted during April 1976 and August 1977. Data were collected at 9 springs, 9 lakes and 22 stream sites. Using slope-conveyance methods based on field evidence, estimates of bankfull and maximum evident flood-peak discharges were made for 20 selected streams. Maximum evident flood peak discharges ranged from 7.0 to 80.8 (ft3/s )/mi2 and averaged 30.1 (ft 3 /s)/mi 2 . These estimates bore no obvious relation to either drainage basin physiography or climatalogical characteristics. Both the bankfull and maximum evident flood-peak discharges were generally less than the 50-year flood and greater than the 2-year flood estimates made using regression relations developed from Alaska stream gaging records and drainage basin characteristics. Springs were found only in the foothills of the Brooks Range. Their discharge ranged from 1.42 ft 3 /s at the Eli River spring to 13.0 ft 3 /s at North Fork Squirrel River spring. Water temperatures of springs sampled ranged from 0.00C at the Omikviorok spring to 3.50C at the Kavrorak Springs near Kivalina. The nine springs were found by noting the locations of the associated icings on Landsat imagery of the previous year. Eleven stream sites were sampled under winter conditions; all were on the Arctic Slope. No winter streamflow was found at any of the streams. It appears that the streamflow on the Arctic Slope ceases in late winter except for limited local zones of ground-water discharge that form icings. Ice thickness on most lakes was 6 ft except at Teshekpuk Lake where the ice was 8 ft thick. Three of the nine lakes examined were frozen to the bottom. Winter water quality of the lakes and of standing water at stream sites was characterized by higher specific conductivity values than in summer. At three of the five lakes where specific conductance was measured, it was equal to or greater than 700 micromhos per centimeter at 25 ° C; at four of the five rivers where standing water was found, it was more than 400 micromhos per centimeter at 25 ° C. Biological sampling was done to identify the widest range of benthic invertebrates likely to be present in a representative reach of a stream. A total of nine spring sites was sampled using drift nets in April 1976. Twenty-one stream sites and one spring were sampled in August 1977 by dip nets. Total numbers of organisms collected using drift net sampling in April 1976 ranged from 0 to 480. Total numbers of organisms collected by dip net sampling in August 1977 ranged from 0 to 776. A hydrologic reconnaissance of the eastern Alaskan Arctic Slope was completed in 1975. The work covered in this report and in the 1975 companion report represents a preliminary hydrologic reconnaissance for the entire Alaskan Arctic Slope and western foothills regions of the Brooks Range.

Alaska↗
USGS1977

Aquatic organisms from selected sites along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline corridor, September 1970 to September 1972: supplement

This report is a supplement to earlier preconstruction studies of benthic invertebrates and water quality at selected sites along the trans-Alaska pipeline corridor. Some of the problems which arose during the course of data collection and analysis are discussed. Benthic invertebrate abundance and community-structure data are presented for 20 sites along the trans-Alaska pipeline for the period September 1970 to September 1972. In addition, a list of invertebrate taxa identified to various taxonomic levels is given for 42 sites along the pipeline. (See also W74-08369) (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Epifauna at Jackson Point in Port Valdez, Alaska, December 1970 through September 1972

A biological sampling program at Jackson Point in Port Valdez, Alaska, was begun in December 1970. Sixteen artificial substrate samplers (8 multiplate and 8 rock-fllled baskets with net liners) were retrieved after 2 to 4 months' exposure. The most common groups in order of their abundance were Copepoda, Foraminifera, Nematoda, and Ostracoda during winter; Copepoda, Nematoda, Cirripedra, and Foraminifera, during spring; Pelecypoda, Amphipoda, Insecta, and Cirripedia during summer; and Pelecypoda, Copepoda, Insecta, and Nematoda during fall. The most abundant species collected during the study were the blue mussels ( Mytilus edulis ), copepods ( Harpacticus sp.), midges ( Clunio sp., Ghironomidae), and fairy shrimp (unidentified amphipods). During the summer and fall of 1972 the total number of epifaunal organisms was 22 times greater than during the same period in 1971, with Mytilus edulis comprising 88 percent of the community in 1972 (more than triple the percentage for 1971). The two sampler types collected approximately the same major groups of organisms; however, the multiplate samplers collected an average of 1.6 times more organisms than the basket samplers. The basket sampler, on the other hand, collected three more species per sample than did the multiplate samplers, resulting in species diversities 0.3 to 0.6 greater than those of the multiplate samplers. Diversity values were lower during 1972, except for the spring sample. Seasonal diversity varied from a low of 0.36 in the summer of 1972 to a high of 3.99 in the fall of 1971.

Alaska↗
USGS1973

Field water-quality information along the proposed trans-Alaska pipeline corridor, September 1970 through September 1972

This report presents field water-quality information collected during parts of 1970, 1971, and 1972 along the proposed trans-Alaska pipeline corridor. The data include measurements of water and air temperature, specific conductance, alkalinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll "a," stream discharge, and ice conditions for 69 sites (fig. 1; table 1). At 11 stream sites 24-hour studies were conducted and additional data on barometric pressure, light intensity, percent cloud cover, and wind conditions are presented for these studies (table 2). Seasonal turbidity data are presented in table 3. This information was gathered in connection with studies of the biological characteristics of selected stream sites along the proposed trans-Alaska pipeline corridor. Laboratory data on the inorganic chemical and biological characteristics will appear in future data reports.

Alaska↗