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Research about Washington

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Washington.

At least 847 records · Page 47Linked to original sources
USGS2010

Use of electrical imaging and distributed temperature sensing methods to characterize surface water–groundwater exchange regulating uranium transport at the Hanford 300 Area, Washington

We explored the use of continuous waterborne electrical imaging (CWEI), in conjunction with fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensor (FO‐DTS) monitoring, to improve the conceptual model for uranium transport within the Columbia River corridor at the Hanford 300 Area, Washington. We first inverted resistivity and induced polarization CWEI data sets for distributions of electrical resistivity and polarizability, from which the spatial complexity of the primary hydrogeologic units was reconstructed. Variations in the depth to the interface between the overlying coarse‐grained, high‐permeability Hanford Formation and the underlying finer‐grained, less permeable Ringold Formation, an important contact that limits vertical migration of contaminants, were resolved along ∼3 km of the river corridor centered on the 300 Area. Polarizability images were translated into lithologic images using established relationships between polarizability and surface area normalized to pore volume ( S por ). The FO‐DTS data recorded along 1.5 km of cable with a 1 m spatial resolution and 5 min sampling interval revealed subreaches showing (1) temperature anomalies (relatively warm in winter and cool in summer) and (2) a strong correlation between temperature and river stage (negative in winter and positive in summer), both indicative of reaches of enhanced surface water–groundwater exchange. The FO‐DTS data sets confirm the hydrologic significance of the variability identified in the CWEI and reveal a pattern of highly focused exchange, concentrated at springs where the Hanford Formation is thickest. Our findings illustrate how the combination of CWEI and FO‐DTS technologies can characterize surface water–groundwater exchange in a complex, coupled river‐aquifer system.

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USGS2010

High-resolution seismic reflection imaging of growth folding and shallow faults beneath the Southern Puget Lowland, Washington State

Marine seismic reflection data from southern Puget Sound, Washington, were collected to investigate the nature of shallow structures associated with the Tacoma fault zone and the Olympia structure. Growth folding and probable Holocene surface deformation were imaged within the Tacoma fault zone beneath Case and Carr Inlets. Shallow faults near potential field anomalies associated with the Olympia structure were imaged beneath Budd and Eld Inlets. Beneath Case Inlet, the Tacoma fault zone includes an ∼350-m wide section of south-dipping strata forming the upper part of a fold (kink band) coincident with the southern edge of an uplifted shoreline terrace. An ∼2 m change in the depth of the water bottom, onlapping postglacial sediments, and increasing stratal dips with increasing depth are consistent with late Pleistocene to Holocene postglacial growth folding above a blind fault. Geologic data across a topographic lineament on nearby land indicate recent uplift of late Holocene age. Profiles acquired in Carr Inlet 10 km to the east of Case Inlet showed late Pleistocene or Holocene faulting at one location with ∼3 to 4 m of vertical displacement, south side up. North of this fault the data show several other disruptions and reflector terminations that could mark faults within the broad Tacoma fault zone. Seismic reflection profiles across part of the Olympia structure beneath southern Puget Sound show two apparent faults about 160 m apart having 1 to 2 m of displacement of subhorizontal bedding. Directly beneath one of these faults, a dipping reflector that may mark the base of a glacial channel shows the opposite sense of throw, suggesting strike-slip motion. Deeper seismic reflection profiles show disrupted strata beneath these faults but little apparent vertical offset, consistent with strike-slip faulting. These faults and folds indicate that the Tacoma fault and Olympia structure include active structures with probable postglacial motion.

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USGS2010

Flow resistance under conditions of intense gravel transport

A study of flow resistance was undertaken in a channelized reach of the North Fork Toutle River, downstream of Mount St. Helens, Washington. Hydraulic and sediment transport data were collected in flows with velocities up to 3 m/s and shear stresses up to 7 times the critical value needed for bed load transport. Details of the flow structure as revealed in vertical velocity profiles indicate that weak bed load transport over a plane gravel bed has little effect on flow resistance. The plane gravel bed persists up to stresses ∼3 times critical, at which point, irregular bed forms appear. Bed forms greatly increase flow resistance and cause velocity profiles to become distorted. The latter arises as an effect of flows becoming depth-limited as bed form amplitude increases. At very high rates of bed load transport, an upper stage plane bed appeared. Velocity profiles measured in these flows match the law of the wall closely, with the equivalent roughness being well represented by k s = 3 D 84 of the bed load. The effects noted here will be important in very large floods or in rivers that are not free to widen, such as those cut into bedrock.

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USGS2010

Glacier mass budget measurements by hydrologic means

Ice storage changes for the South Cascade Glacier drainage basin were determined for the 1957–1964 period using basin runoff and precipitation measurements. Measurements indicate that evaporation and condensation are negligible compared with the large runoff and precipitation values. Runoff, measured by a stream discharge station, averaged 4.04 m/yr; precipitation, determined by snow accumulation measurements at a central point on the glacier and by storage gages, averaged 3.82 m/yr, resulting in a basin net loss of about 0.22 m/yr. During the same period, South Cascade Glacier net budgets were determined by ablation stakes, snow density-depth profiles, and maps. The average glacier net budget for the period was −0.61sol;yr of water. This amount is equivalent to −0.26 m of water when averaged over the drainage basin (43% glacier-covered), which is in fair agreement with the net storage change measured by hydrologic methods. Agreement between the two methods for individual years is slightly less perfect.

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USGS2010

Hydrology of the North Cascades region, Washington: 1. Runoff, precipitation, and storage characteristics

The time and space distributions of measured precipitation and measured runoff and of spring storage, which is approximately equal to the subsequent summer runoff of snowmelt and stored groundwater, have been analyzed for the North Cascades region of Washington. Neither precipitation nor runoff shows a consistent relationship with altitude, chiefly because of precipitation-shadowing effects in this region of high relief. The relationship between mean annual precipitation and altitude is improved considerably when a topographic mean altitude is used instead of the actual altitude of the weather station. However, the improvement is not sufficient to explain a number of discrepancies that still occur. Some of the scatter in a precipitation-altitude plot appears to be due to a deficient precipitation catch by high-altitude gages. When the dependence of runoff on precipitation was examined on an annual, seasonal, and monthly basis, it was found that only a few low-altitude gages correlated well with basin runoff. In several instances, annual (water year) runoff could be better predicted from winter precipitation than from annual precipitation. Precipitation and runoff were tested for changes with time and both appeared to have been increasing slightly but not at a statistically significant level. When the summer (May–September) fraction of the total annual runoff is plotted against mean basin altitude, a consistent, physically reasonable, mildly curvilinear relationship is revealed. On the basis of this relationship, by using several drainages with diverse area-altitude profiles the spring storage versus altitude distribution can be estimated for each basin. The area-altitude distribution is used instead of the mean altitude in this calculation because of the apparent nonlinear relationship between runoff and altitude.

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USGS2010

Hydrology of the North Cascades region, Washington: 2. A proposed hydrometeorological streamflow prediction method

On the basis of a linear relationship between winter (October-April) precipitation and annual runoff from a drainage basin (Rasmussen and Tangborn, 1976) a physically reasonable model for predicting summer (May-September) streamflow from drainages in the North Cascades region was developed. This hydrometeorological prediction method relates streamflow for a season beginning on the day of prediction to the storage (including snow, ice, soil moisture, and groundwater) on that day. The spring storage is inferred from an input-output relationship based on the principle of conservation of mass: spring storage equals winter precipitation on the basin less winter runoff from the basin and less winter evapotranspiration, which is presumed to be small. The method of prediction is based on data only from the years previous to the one for which the prediction is made, and the system is revised each year as data for the previous year become available. To improve the basin storage estimate made in late winter or early spring, a short-season runoff prediction is made. The errors resulting from this short-term prediction are used to revise the storage estimate and improve the later prediction. This considerably improves the accuracy of the later prediction, especially for periods early in the summer runoff season. The optimum length for the test period appears to be generally less than a month for east side basins and between 1 and 2 months for those on the west side of the Cascade Range. The time distribution of the total summer runoff can be predicted when this test season is used so that on May 1 monthly streamflow for the May-September season can be predicted. It was found that summer precipitation and the time of minimum storage are two error sources that were amenable to analysis. For streamflow predictions in seasons beginning in early spring the deviation of the subsequent summer precipitation from a long-period average will contribute up to 53% of the prediction error. This contribution decreases to nearly zero during the summer and then rises slightly for late summer predictions. The reason for the smaller than expected effect of summer precipitation is thought to be due to the compensating effect of increased evaporative losses and increased infiltration when precipitation is greater than normal during the summer months. The error caused by the beginning winter month (assumed to be October in this study) not coinciding with the time of minimum storage was examined; it appears that October may be the best average beginning winter month for most drainages but that a more detailed study is needed. The optimum beginning of the winter season appears to vary from August to October when individual years are examined. These results demonstrate that standard precipitation and runoff measurements in the North Cascades region are adequate for constructing a predictive hydrologic model. This model can be used to make streamflow predictions that compare favorably with current multiple regression methods based on mountain snow surveys. This method has the added advantages of predicting the space and time distributions of storage and summer runoff.

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USGS2010

Dune migration in a steep, coarse-bedded stream

During 1986 and 1987, migrating bed forms composed of coarse sand and fine gravel ( d 50 =1.8 to 9.1 mm) were documented in the North Fork Toutle River at Kid Valley, Washington, at flow velocities ranging from 1.6 to 3.4 m s −1 and depths of 0.8 to 2.2 m. The bed forms (predominantly lower regime dunes) were studied with a sonic depth sounder transducer suspended in the river at a stationary point. Twelve temporal depth-sounding records were collected during storm runoff and nearly steady, average streamflow, with record durations ranging from 37 to 261 min. Waveform height was defined by dune front heights, which ranged from 12 to 70 cm. A weak correlation between flow depth and the standard deviation of bed elevation was noted. Dune front counts and spectral analyses of the temporal records showed that dune crests passed the observation point every 2 to 5 min. Dunes were often superposed on larger bed forms with wave periods between 10 and 30 min. Gradual changes in waveform height and periodicity occurred over several hours during storm runoff. The processes of dune growth and decay were both time-dependent and affected by changes in streamflow. Rates of migration for typical dunes were estimated to be 3 cm s −1 , and dune wavelengths were estimated to be 6 to 7 m.

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USGS2010

A simple algorithm for sequentially incorporating gravity observations in seismic traveltime tomography

The geologic structure of the Earth's upper crust can be revealed by modeling variation in seismic arrival times and in potential field measurements. We demonstrate a simple method for sequentially satisfying seismic traveltime and observed gravity residuals in an iterative 3-D inversion. The algorithm is portable to any seismic analysis method that uses a gridded representation of velocity structure. Our technique calculates the gravity anomaly resulting from a velocity model by converting to density with Gardner's rule. The residual between calculated and observed gravity is minimized by weighted adjustments to the model velocity-depth gradient where the gradient is steepest and where seismic coverage is least. The adjustments are scaled by the sign and magnitude of the gravity residuals, and a smoothing step is performed to minimize vertical streaking. The adjusted model is then used as a starting model in the next seismic traveltime iteration. The process is repeated until one velocity model can simultaneously satisfy both the gravity anomaly and seismic traveltime observations within acceptable misfits. We test our algorithm with data gathered in the Puget Lowland of Washington state, USA (Seismic Hazards Investigation in Puget Sound [SHIPS] experiment). We perform resolution tests with synthetic traveltime and gravity observations calculated with a checkerboard velocity model using the SHIPS experiment geometry, and show that the addition of gravity significantly enhances resolution. We calculate a new velocity model for the region using SHIPS traveltimes and observed gravity, and show examples where correlation between surface geology and modeled subsurface velocity structure is enhanced.

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USGS2010

Volcano collapse promoted by progressive strength reduction: New data from Mount St. Helens

Rock shear strength plays a fundamental role in volcano flank collapse, yet pertinent data from modern collapse surfaces are rare. Using samples collected from the inferred failure surface of the massive 1980 collapse of Mount St. Helens (MSH), we determined rock shear strength via laboratory tests designed to mimic conditions in the pre-collapse edifice. We observed that the 1980 failure shear surfaces formed primarily in pervasively shattered older dome rocks; failure was not localized in sloping volcanic strata or in weak, hydrothermally altered rocks. Our test results show that rock shear strength under large confining stresses is reduced ∼20% as a result of large quasi-static shear strain, as preceded the 1980 collapse of MSH. Using quasi-3D slope-stability modeling, we demonstrate that this mechanical weakening could have provoked edifice collapse, even in the absence of transiently elevated pore-fluid pressures or earthquake ground shaking. Progressive strength reduction could promote collapses at other volcanic edifices.

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USGS2010

Evidence of panmixia between sympatric life history forms of coastal cutthroat trout in two lower Columbia River tributaries

Coastal cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii exhibit resident and migratory life history strategies that often occur sympatrically, but the relationship between these forms within a population is poorly characterized. Through use of passive integrated transponder technology, migratory and resident coastal cutthroat trout were identified in two lower Columbia River tributaries (Abernathy Creek and the Chinook River) separated by more than 80 km. Genetic data from 17 highly variable microsatellite loci were used to ascertain the genetic population structure of these life history forms within and between streams. No distinct genetic separation was observed between the life history forms within a stream, as assessed by four different statistical approaches: permutation tests based on the genetic differentiation index F ST , principal components analysis of individuals, analysis of molecular variance, and contingency tests of allele frequency heterogeneity. Genetic differences were an order of magnitude higher between stream samples ( F ST > 0.03) than between life history forms within a stream ( F ST < 0.003). The contingency test detected allele frequency differences between migratory and resident life history forms in Abernathy Creek ( P = 0.001), but this result was influenced more by age-class structure than by reproductive isolation between life history forms. Results are consistent with a single, randomly mating population in each stream producing both migratory and resident life history forms. These data suggest that individual life history strategy in coastal cutthroat trout is predominantly determined by phenotypic plasticity rather than genotype.

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USGS2010

Use of induced polarization to characterize the hydrogeologic framework of the zone of surface‐water/groundwater exchange at the Hanford 300 Area, WA

An extensive continuous waterborne electrical imaging (CWEI) survey was conducted along the Columbia River corridor adjacent to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford 300 Area, WA, in order to improve the conceptual model for exchange between surface water and U ‐contaminated groundwater. The primary objective was to determine spatial variability in the depth to the Hanford‐Ringold (H‐R) contact, an important lithologic boundary that limits vertical transport of groundwater along the river corridor. Resistivity and induced polarization (IP) measurements were performed along six survey lines parallel to the shore (each greater than 2.5 km in length), with a measurement recorded every 0.5–3.0 m depending on survey speed, resulting in approximately 65,000 measurements. The H‐R contact was clearly resolved in images of the normalized chargeability along the river corridor due to the large contrast in surface area (hence polarizability) of the granular material between the two lithologic units. Cross sections of the lithologic structure along the river corridor reveal a large variation in the thickness of the overlying Hanford unit (the aquifer through which contaminated groundwater discharges to the river) and clearly identify locations along the river corridor where the underlying Ringold unit is exposed to the riverbed. Knowing the distribution of the Hanford and Ringold units along the river corridor substantially improves the conceptual model for the hydrogeologic framework regulating U exchange between groundwater and Columbia River water relative to current models based on projections of data from boreholes on land into the river.

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USGS2010

Ecoregion and land-use influence invertebrate and detritus transport from headwater streams

Summary 1. Habitats are often connected by fluxes of energy and nutrients across their boundaries. For example, headwater streams are linked to surrounding riparian vegetation through invertebrate and leaf litter inputs, and there is evidence that consumers in downstream habitats are subsidised by resources flowing from headwater systems. However, the strength of these linkages and the manner in which potential headwater subsidies vary along climatic and disturbance gradients are unknown. 2. We quantified the downstream transport of invertebrates, organic matter and inorganic sediment from 60 fishless headwater streams in the Wenatchee River Basin located on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in Washington, U.S.A. Streams were classified into four groups (each n = 15) based on their position within two ecological subregions (wet and dry) and the extent of past timber harvest and road development (logged and unlogged). 3. Time and ecoregion were significant for all response variables as transport varied across sampling periods, and dry ecoregion streams displayed significantly higher mean values. Logged sites also generally showed higher mean transport, but only inorganic sediment transport was significantly higher in logged sites. Both ecoregion and land-use interacted significantly with time depending on the response variable. Differences among stream categories were driven by relatively low levels of transport in unlogged drainages of the wet ecoregion. Interestingly, unlogged dry ecoregion streams showed comparable transport rates to logged sites in the wet ecoregion. Dominance by deciduous riparian vegetation in all but unlogged streams in the wet ecoregion is a primary hypothesised mechanism determining transport dynamics in our study streams. 4. Understanding the quantity and variation of headwater subsidies across climate and disturbance gradients is needed to appreciate the significance of ecological linkages between headwaters and associated downstream habitats. This will enable the accurate assessment of resource management impacts on stream ecosystems. Predicting the consequences of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on headwater stream transport rates will require knowledge of how both local and regional factors influence these potential subsidies. Our results suggest that resources transported from headwater streams reflect both the meso-scale land-use surrounding these areas and the constraints imposed by the ecoregion in which they are embedded.

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USGS2010

Zn and Cu isotopes as tracers of anthropogenic contamination in a sediment core from an urban lake

In this work, we use stable Zn and Cu isotopes to identify the sources and timing of the deposition of these metals in a sediment core from Lake Ballinger near Seattle, Washington, USA. The base of the Lake Ballinger core predates settlement in the region, while the upper sections record the effects of atmospheric emissions from a nearby smelter and rapid urbanization of the watershed. δ 66 Zn and δ 65 Cu varied by 0.50‰ and 0.29‰, respectively, over the 500 year core record. Isotopic changes were correlated with the presmelter period (∼1450 to 1900 with δ 66 Zn = +0.39‰ ± 0.09‰ and δ 65 Cu = +0.77‰ ± 0.06‰), period of smelter operation (1900 to 1985 with δ 66 Zn = +0.14 ± 0.06‰ and δ 65 Cu = +0.94 ± 0.10‰), and postsmelting/stable urban land use period (post 1985 with δ 66 Zn = 0.00 ± 0.10‰ and δ 65 Cu = +0.82‰ ± 0.12‰). Rapid early urbanization during the post World War II era increased metal loading to the lake but did not significantly alter the δ 66 Zn and δ 65 Cu, suggesting that increased metal loads during this time were derived mainly from mobilization of historically contaminated soils. Urban sources of Cu and Zn were dominant since the smelter closed in the 1980s, and the δ 66 Zn measured in tire samples suggests tire wear is a likely source of Zn.

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USGS2010

Headwater streams and forest management: does ecoregional context influence logging effects on benthic communities?

Effects of forest management on stream communities have been widely documented, but the role that climate plays in the disturbance outcomes is not understood. In order to determine whether the effect of disturbance from forest management on headwater stream communities varies by climate, we evaluated benthic macroinvertebrate communities in 24 headwater streams that differed in forest management (logged-roaded vs. unlogged-unroaded, hereafter logged and unlogged) within two ecological sub-regions (wet versus dry) within the eastern Cascade Range, Washington, USA. In both ecoregions, total macroinvertebrate density was highest at logged sites (P = 0.001) with gathering-collectors and shredders dominating. Total taxonomic richness and diversity did not differ between ecoregions or forest management types. Shredder densities were positively correlated with total deciduous and Sitka alder (Alnus sinuata) riparian cover. Further, differences in shredder density between logged and unlogged sites were greater in the wet ecoregion (logging &times; ecoregion interaction; P = 0.006) suggesting that differences in post-logging forest succession between ecoregions were responsible for differences in shredder abundance. Headwater stream benthic community structure was influenced by logging and regional differences in climate. Future development of ecoregional classification models at the subbasin scale, and use of functional metrics in addition to structural metrics, may allow for more accurate assessments of anthropogenic disturbances in mountainous regions where mosaics of localized differences in climate are common.

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USGS2010

Separation, characterization and initial reaction studies of magnetite particles from Hanford sediments

Magnetic and density separation methods have been applied to composite sediment samples from the Hanford formation from sediment recovered during drilling of an uncontaminated borehole located near the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. This paper describes the results of using those separation methods and from the characterization and initial reactivity measurements on a highly magnetic fraction isolated from that sediment. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the highly magnetic sediment fraction indicates that this material contains predominantly magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ). Particle morphology observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compositions determined energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) are consistent with this identification. Analyses by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates that there is a thin coating on the particles that are likely a type of aluminosilicate. This highly magnetic fraction of material is not reactive with indigo carmine, an organic redox probe molecule that was shown to readily react with synthetic magnetite. Because of the limited amounts of material readily available, initial tests have been conducted that demonstrate the ability to complete U(VI) sorption on individual particles (nominally ∼100 μm in size) of the isolated sediment and to remove and mount these individual particles for analysis of the concentration and chemical state of the sorbed U species using small area XPS.

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USGS2010

The effects of simulated solar UVB radiation on early developmental stages of the Northwestern Salamander (Ambystoma gracile) from three lakes

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) has received much attention as a factor that could play a role in amphibian population declines. UV can be hazardous to some amphibians, but the resultant effects depend on a variety of environmental and behavioral factors. In this study, the potential effects of UV on the Northwestern Salamander, Ambystoma gracile , from three lakes were assessed in the laboratory using a solar simulator. We measured the survival of embryos and the survival and growth of larvae exposed to four UV treatments in controlled laboratory studies, the UV absorbance of egg jelly, oviposition depths in the lakes, and UV absorbance in water samples from the three lakes. Hatching success of embryos decreased in the higher UV treatments as compared to the control treatments, and growth of surviving larvae was significantly reduced in the higher UVB irradiance treatments. The egg jelly exhibited a small peak of absorbance within the UVB range (290&ndash;320 nm). The magnitude of UV absorbance differed among egg jellies from the three lakes. Oviposition depths at the three sites averaged 1.10 m below the water surface. Approximately 66% of surface UVB radiation was attenuated at 10-cm depth in all three lakes. Results of this study indicate that larvae may be sensitive to UVB exposure under laboratory conditions; however, in field conditions the depths of egg deposition in the lakes, absorbance of UV radiation by the water column, and the potential for behavioral adjustments may mitigate severe effects of UV radiation.

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USGS2010

Occurrence of herbicides and pharmaceutical and personal care products in surface water and groundwater around Liberty Bay, Puget Sound, Washington

Organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), pose a risk to water quality and the health of ecosystems. This study was designed to determine if a coastal community lacking point sources, such as waste water treatment plant effluent, could release PPCPs, herbicides, and plasticizers at detectable levels to their surface water and groundwater. Research was conducted in Liberty Bay, an embayment within Puget Sound, where 70% of the population (∼10,000) uses septic systems. Sampling included collection of groundwater and surface water with grab samples and the use of polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS). We analyzed for a broad spectrum of 25 commonly used compounds, including PPCPs, herbicides, and a flame retardant. Twelve contaminants were detected at least once; only N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, caffeine, and mecoprop, a herbicide not attributed to septic systems, were detected in more than one grab sample. The use of POCIS was essential because contaminants were present at very low levels (nanograms), which is common for PPCPs in general, but particularly so in such a small community. The use of POCIS allowed the detection of five compounds that were not present in grab samples. Data suggest that the community is contaminating local water with PPCPs; this effect is likely to increase as the population and product usage increase. The results presented here are a first step toward assessing the transport of herbicides and PPCPs into this coastal system.

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