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Geology topics

Robert R. Holmes

Publications and source records attributed to Robert R. Holmes.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2013

Documenting the stages and streamflows associated with the 2011 activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

The U.S. Geological Survey initiated a substantial effort in the summer of 2011 to measure and document the record-setting floods of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, including the reach in and near the New Madrid Floodway. The activation of the floodway, which had not occurred since 1937, provided a rare opportunity to collect a unique dataset describing a flood wave downstream from a levee breach as well as the flow through a large floodway. A total of 42 submersible pressure transducers collected time series of water levels while crews collected hundreds of depth, velocity, and streamflow measurements at selected locations in and near the floodway throughout the period from late April to late June. These data are presented in this chapter.

Missouri↗
USGS2012

Flood risk awareness during the 2011 floods in the central United States: showcasing the importance of hydrologic data and interagency collaboration

Floods have long had a major impact on society and the environment, evidenced by the more than 1,500 federal disaster declarations since 1952 that were associated with flooding. Calendar year 2011 was an epic year for floods in the United States, from the flooding on the Red River of the North in late spring to the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri River basin floods in the spring and summer to the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene along the eastern seaboard in August. As a society, we continually seek to reduce flood impacts, with these efforts loosely grouped into two categories: mitigation and risk awareness. Mitigation involves such activities as flood assessment, flood control implementation, and regulatory activities such as storm water and floodplain ordinances. Risk awareness ranges from issuance of flood forecasts and warnings to education of lay audiences about the uncertainties inherent in assessing flood probability and risk. This paper concentrates on the issue of flood risk awareness, specifically the importance of hydrologic data and good interagency communication in providing accurate and timely flood forecasts to maximize risk awareness. The 2011 floods in the central United States provide a case study of the importance of hydrologic data and the value of proper, timely, and organized communication and collaboration around the collection and dissemination of that hydrologic data in enhancing the effectiveness of flood forecasting and flood risk awareness.

Leadership and Management in Engineering↗
USGS2012

Natural hazards science strategy

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in natural hazards is to develop and apply hazard science to help protect the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation. The costs and consequences of natural hazards can be enormous, and each year more people and infrastructure are at risk. USGS scientific research—founded on detailed observations and improved understanding of the responsible physical processes—can help to understand and reduce natural hazard risks and to make and effectively communicate reliable statements about hazard characteristics, such as frequency, magnitude, extent, onset, consequences, and where possible, the time of future events. To accomplish its broad hazard mission, the USGS maintains an expert workforce of scientists and technicians in the earth sciences, hydrology, biology, geography, social and behavioral sciences, and other fields, and engages cooperatively with numerous agencies, research institutions, and organizations in the public and private sectors, across the Nation and around the world. The scientific expertise required to accomplish the USGS mission in natural hazards includes a wide range of disciplines that this report refers to, in aggregate, as hazard science. In October 2010, the Natural Hazards Science Strategy Planning Team (H–SSPT) was charged with developing a long-term (10-year) Science Strategy for the USGS mission in natural hazards. This report fulfills that charge, with a document hereinafter referred to as the Strategy, to provide scientific observations, analyses, and research that are critical for the Nation to become more resilient to natural hazards. Science provides the information that decisionmakers need to determine whether risk management activities are worthwhile. Moreover, as the agency with the perspective of geologic time, the USGS is uniquely positioned to extend the collective experience of society to prepare for events outside current memory. The USGS has critical statutory and nonstatutory roles regarding floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, coastal erosion, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and magnetic storms—the hazards considered in this plan. There are numerous other hazards of societal importance that are considered either only peripherally or not at all in this Strategy because they are either in another of the USGS strategic science plans (such as drought) or not in the overall mission of the USGS (such as tornados).

Open-File Report↗
USGS2011

Using observed postconstruction peak discharges to evaluate a hydrologic and hydraulic design model, Boneyard Creek, Champaign and Urbana, Illinois

Boneyard Creek—which drains an urbanized watershed in the cities of Champaign and Urbana, Illinois, including part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus—has historically been prone to flooding. Using the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM), a hydrologic and hydraulic model of Boneyard Creek was developed for the design of the projects making up the first phase of a long-term plan for flood control on Boneyard Creek, and the construction of the projects was completed in May 2003. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Cities of Champaign and Urbana and UIUC, installed and operated stream and rain gages in order to obtain data for evaluation of the design-model simulations. In this study, design-model simulations were evaluated by using observed postconstruction precipitation and peak-discharge data. Between May 2003 and September 2008, five high-flow events on Boneyard Creek satisfied the study criterion. The five events were simulated with the design model by using observed precipitation. The simulations were run with two different values of the parameter controlling the soil moisture at the beginning of the storms and two different ways of spatially distributing the precipitation, making a total of four simulation scenarios. The simulated and observed peak discharges and stages were compared at gaged locations along the Creek. The discharge at one of these locations was deemed to be critical for evaluating the design model. The uncertainty of the measured peak discharge was also estimated at the critical location with a method based on linear regression of the stage and discharge relation, an estimate of the uncertainty of the acoustic Doppler velocity meter measurements, and the uncertainty of the stage measurements. For four of the five events, the simulated peak discharges lie within the 95-percent confidence interval of the observed peak discharges at the critical location; the fifth was just outside the upper end of this interval. For two of the four simulation scenarios, the simulation results for one event at the critical location were numerically unstable in the vicinity of the discharge peak. For the remaining scenarios, the simulated peak discharges over the five events at the critical location differ from the observed peak discharges (simulated minus observed) by an average of 7.7 and -1.5 percent, respectively. The simulated peak discharges over the four events for which all scenarios have numerically stable results at the critical location differs from the observed peak discharges (simulated minus observed) by an average of -6.8, 4.0, -5.4, and 1.5 percent, for the four scenarios, respectively. Overall, the discharge peaks simulated for this study at the critical location are approximately balanced between overprediction and underprediction and do not indicate significant model bias or inaccuracy. Additional comparisons were made by using peak stages at the critical location and two additional sites and using peak discharges at one additional site. These comparisons showed the same pattern of differences between observed and simulated values across events but varying biases depending on streamgage and measurement type (discharge or stage). Altogether, the results from this study show no clear evidence that the design model is significantly inaccurate or biased and, therefore, no clear evidence that the modeled flood-control projects in Champaign and on the University of Illinois campus have increased flood stages or discharges downstream in Urbana.

Illinois↗
USGS2011

Flood of June 11, 2010, in the Upper Little Missouri River watershed, Arkansas

Catastrophic flash flooding occurred in the early morning hours of June 11, 2010, in the upper Little Missouri River and tributary streams in southwest Arkansas. The flooding, which resulted in 20 fatalities and substantial property damage, was caused by as much as 4.7 inches of rain falling in the upper Little Missouri River watershed in 3 hours. The 4.7 inches of rain in 3 hours corresponds to estimated annual exceedance probability of approximately 2 percent for a 3-hour duration storm. The maximum total estimated rainfall in the upper Missouri River watershed was 5.3 inches in 6 hours. Peak streamflows and other hydraulic properties were determined at five ungaged locations and one gaged location in the upper Little Missouri River watershed.The peak streamflow for the Little Missouri River at Albert Pike, Arkansas was 40,100 cubic feet per second, estimated to have occurred between 4:00 AM and 4:30 AM the morning of June 11, 2010. The peak streamflow resulted in average water depths in the nearby floodplain (Area C of the Albert Pike Campground) of 7 feet flowing at velocities potentially as great as 11 feet per second. Peak streamflow 9.1 miles downstream on the Little Missouri at the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage near Langley, Arkansas was 70,800 cubic feet per second, which corresponds to an estimated annual exceedance probability of less than 1 percent.

Arkansas↗
USGS2010

Flow over bedforms in a large sand-bed river: A field investigation

An experimental field study of flows over bedforms was conducted on the Missouri River near St. Charles, Missouri. Detailed velocity data were collected under two different flow conditions along bedforms in this sand-bed river. The large river-scale data reflect flow characteristics similar to those of laboratory-scale flows, with flow separation occurring downstream of the bedform crest and flow reattachment on the stoss side of the next downstream bedform. Wave-like responses of the flow to the bedforms were detected, with the velocity decreasing throughout the flow depth over bedform troughs, and the velocity increasing over bedform crests. Local and spatially averaged velocity distributions were logarithmic for both datasets. The reach-wise spatially averaged vertical-velocity profile from the standard velocity-defect model was evaluated. The vertically averaged mean flow velocities for the velocity-defect model were within 5% of the measured values and estimated spatially averaged point velocities were within 10% for the upper 90% of the flow depth. The velocity-defect model, neglecting the wake function, was evaluated and found to estimate thevertically averaged mean velocity within 1% of the measured values.

Missouri↗
USGS2010

100-Year flood–it's all about chance

In the 1960's, the United States government decided to use the 1-percent annual exceedance probability (AEP) flood as the basis for the National Flood Insurance Program. The 1-percent AEP flood was thought to be a fair balance between protecting the public and overly stringent regulation. Because the 1-percent AEP flood has a 1 in 100 chance of being equaled or exceeded in any 1 year, and it has an average recurrence interval of 100 years, it often is referred to as the '100-year flood'. The term '100-year flood' is part of the national lexicon, but is often a source of confusion by those not familiar with flood science and statistics. This poster is an attempt to explain the concept, probabilistic nature, and inherent uncertainties of the '100-year flood' to the layman.

General Information Product↗
USGS2010

Flooding in the United States Midwest, 2008

During 2008, record precipitation amounts, coupled with already saturated soils, resulted in flooding along many rivers in the United States Midwest. Separate flooding events occurred in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and September of 2008. The June floods were by far the most severe and widespread with substantial (and in places record) flooding and damage occurring in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Indiana had the most recurrent flooding during 2008, with peak-of-record streamflows occurring during January, February, March, June, and September. During 2008, peak-of-record streamflows were recorded at more than 147 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages. The annual exceedance probability of the peak streamflows at 25 streamgages was less than 0.2 percent and between 0.2 and 1 percent at 68 streamgages. Trends in flood magnitudes were computed for USGS Midwest streamgages that had no regulation. No Midwest-wide systematic trends upward or downward were evident, although clusters of consistent trends (both upward and downward) were detected in parts of the Midwest.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2010

Measurement of bedload transport in sand-bed rivers: A look at two indirect sampling methods

Sand-bed rivers present unique challenges to accurate measurement of the bedload transport rate using the traditional direct sampling methods of direct traps (for example the Helley-Smith bedload sampler). The two major issues are: 1) over sampling of sand transport caused by “mining” of sand due to the flow disturbance induced by the presence of the sampler and 2) clogging of the mesh bag with sand particles reducing the hydraulic efficiency of the sampler. Indirect measurement methods hold promise in that unlike direct methods, no transport-altering flow disturbance near the bed occurs. The bedform velocimetry method utilizes a measure of the bedform geometry and the speed of bedform translation to estimate the bedload transport through mass balance. The bedform velocimetry method is readily applied for the estimation of bedload transport in large sand-bed rivers so long as prominent bedforms are present and the streamflow discharge is steady for long enough to provide sufficient bedform translation between the successive bathymetric data sets. Bedform velocimetry in small sandbed rivers is often problematic due to rapid variation within the hydrograph. The bottom-track bias feature of the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) has been utilized to accurately estimate the virtual velocities of sand-bed rivers. Coupling measurement of the virtual velocity with an accurate determination of the active depth of the streambed sediment movement is another method to measure bedload transport, which will be termed the “virtual velocity” method. Much research remains to develop methods and determine accuracy of the virtual velocity method in small sand-bed rivers.

Missouri↗
USGS2008

Qualitative Comparison of Streamflow Information Programs of the U.S. Geological Survey and Three Non-Federal Agencies

A qualitative comparison was made of the streamgaging programs of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and three non-Federal agencies in terms of approximate costs and streamflow-information products produced. The three non-Federal agencies provided the USGS with detailed information on their streamgaging program and related costs, and the USGS explored, through publicly available Web sites and one-on-one discussions, the comparability of the streamflow information produced. The type and purpose of streamgages operated, the quality of streamflow record produced, and cost-accounting methods have a great effect on streamgaging costs. There are many uses of streamflow information, and the information requirements for streamgaging programs differ greatly across this range of purposes. A premise of the USGS streamgaging program is that the network must produce consistent data of sufficient quality to support the broadest range of possible uses. Other networks may have a narrower range of purposes; as a consequence, the method of operation, data-quality objectives, and information delivery may be different from those for a multipurpose network. As a result, direct comparison of the overall cost (or of the cost per streamgage) among these programs is not possible. The analysis is, nonetheless, very instructive and provides USGS program managers, agency leadership, and other agency streamgaging program managers useful insight to influence future decisions. Even though the comparison of streamgaging costs and streamflow information products was qualitative, this analysis does offer useful insights on longstanding questions of USGS streamgaging costs.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Velocity and Sediment Concentration Measurements over Bedforms in Sand-Bed Rivers

Bedforms often are present on the bed of alluvial sand-bed rivers. Bedforms, such as dunes, impact the flow field. In this field study, velocity and suspended-sediment concentration measurements were made longitudinally along a dune field in large (5-15 meters deep) alluvial sand-bed rivers. The velocity and suspended-sediment concentration data was collected using an acoustic Doppler current profiler, acoustic Doppler velocimeters, an optical backscatter sensor, and, two sediment intakes. This paper presents a description of these measurement devices and techniques for the collection of this data. Some preliminary results observed at the Missouri River at St. Charles, Missouri are presented.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2000

Suspended-sediment budget, flow distribution, and lake circulation for the Fox Chain of Lakes in Lake and McHenry Counties, Illinois, 1997-99

The Fox Chain of Lakes is a glacial lake system in McHenry and Lake Counties in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Sedimentation and nutrient overloading have occurred in the lake system since the first dam was built (1907) in McHenry to raise water levels in the lake system. Using data collected from December 1, 1997, to June 1, 1999, suspended-sediment budgets were constructed for the most upstream lake in the system, Grass Lake, and for the lakes downstream from Grass Lake. A total of 64,900 tons of suspended sediment entered Grass Lake during the study, whereas a total of 70,600 tons of suspended sediment exited the lake, indicating a net scour of 5,700 tons of sediment. A total of 44,100 tons of suspended sediment was measured exiting the Fox Chain of Lakes at Johnsburg, whereas 85,600 tons entered the system downstream from Grass Lake. These suspended-sediment loads indicate a net deposition of 41,500 tons downstream from Grass Lake, which represents a trapping efficiency of 48.5 percent. A large amount of recreational boating takes place on the Fox Chain of Lakes during summer months, and suspended-sediment load was observed to rise from 110 tons per day to 339 tons per day during the 1999 Memorial Day weekend (May 26 ?31, 1999). Presumably, this rise was the result of the boating traffic because no other hydrologic event is known to have occurred that might have caused the rise. This study covers a relatively short period and may not represent the long-term processes of the Fox Chain of Lakes system, although the sediment transport was probably higher than an average year. The bed sediments found on the bottom of the lakes are composed of mainly fine particles in the silt-clay range. The Grass Lake sediments were characterized as black peat with an organic content of between 9 and 18 percent, and the median particle size ranged from 0.000811 to 0.0013976 inches. Other bed material samples were collected at streamflow-gaging stations on the tributaries to the Fox Chain of Lakes. With the exception of Grass Lake Outlet at Lotus Woods, most of the bed sediments are sand size or larger. The bed material at the streamflow-gaging station at Grass Lake Outlet at Lotus Woods contains 31.5 percent silt- and clay-sized particles. The bed material at Nippersink Creek near Spring Grove also has higher silt content (10.7 percent) than the bed material found in the Fox River at Wilmot (2.1 percent) and Johnsburg (1.3 percent). Additionally, water velocities at 80 cross sections in the Fox Chain of Lakes were collected to provide sample circulation patterns during two separate 1-week periods, and discharge was measured at 18 locations in the lakes. These data were collected to be available for use in hydrodynamic models.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1998

Physical and chemical data on sediments deposited in the Missouri and the Mississippi River flood plains during the July through August 1993 flood

In July and August 1993, Missouri and Mississippi River floodwaters overtopped or breached levees and inundated agricultural and urban areas in the flood plains. To assess the regional variability of quality of silt and clay sediments transported and deposited during inundation, sediment samples were collected in September 1993 at 25 sites in the Missouri and the Mississippi River flood plains. The samples were analyzed for physical properties and chemical constituents that included particle-size distribution, water content, volatile solids, nutrients, carbon, selected trace elements, pesticides, and semi volatile organic compounds for post flood sediment samples, and particle-size distribution for preflood soil samples. Pesticides were detected in samples from many of the sites, with alachlor detected in one sample at a concentration of 54 micrograms per kilogram. Many semi volatile organic compounds were detected in samples at several sites, with the concentration of fluoranthene in one sample at 270 milligrams per kilogram. Procedures for selecting sites, techniques developed for sampling, laboratory analytical methods, and quality-assurance sampling methods also are described.

Illinois, Iowa, Missouri↗
USGS1998

Flood tracking chart for the Illinois River basin

This Flood Tracking Chart for the Illinois River Basin in Illinois can be used to record and compare the predicted or current flood-crest stage to past flood-crest information. This information can then be used by residents and emergency-response personnel to make informed decisions concerning the threat of flooding to life and property. The chart shows a map of the Illinois River Basin (see below), the location of real-time streamflow-gaging stations in the basin, graphs of selected historical recorded flood-crest stages at each of the stations, and sea-level conversion (SLC) factors that allow conversion of the current or predicted flood-crest stage to elevation above sea level. Each graph represents a streamflow-gaging station and has a space to record the most current river stage reported for that station by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts flood crests for many of the stations shown on this chart.

Illinois↗
USGS1997

Suspended-sediment budget for the Kankakee River Basin, 1993-95

A suspended-sediment budget was constructed for the Kankakee River Basin using suspended-sediment data collected from January 1993 through December 1995 at six existing U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations. The Iroquois River delivered almost twice as much suspended-sediment load to the Kankakee River main stem as did the Kankakee River above its junction with the Iroquois River. For the Iroquois River, the portion of the drainage area in Illinois contributed 86 percent of the total suspended-sediment load measured during the study. In contrast, for the Kankakee River upstream from the junction with the Iroquois, the portion of the drainage area in Illinois contributed only 17 percent of the total suspended-sediment load measured during the study. A net increase in total suspended-sediment load of 659,000 tons was measured in the main stem Kankakee River from the mouth of the Iroquois River to the streamflow-gaging station at Wilmington, Ill. This portion of the Kankakee River drainage had the highest suspended-sediment yield at 861 tons per day per square mile.

Illinois, Indiana↗
USGS1997

Floods of July 18-20, 1996, in northern Illinois

Record flooding occurred on many streams in northern Ilinois during July 18-20, 1996. Over 16 inches of rain fell at some locations during and just prior to this period. Peak of record discharges were recorded at 19 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow-gaging stations. The USGS, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Water Resources (IDNROWR), has compiled the available hydrologic data from the July 1996 flood in northern Illinois, and the data are presented in this report.

Open-File Report↗