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USGS2009

Exploring subtle land use and land cover changes: A framework for future landscape studies

Land cover and land use changes can have a wide variety of ecological effects, including significant impacts on soils and water quality. In rural areas, even subtle changes in farming practices can affect landscape features and functions, and consequently the environment. Fine-scale analyses have to be performed to better understand the land cover change processes. At the same time, models of land cover change have to be developed in order to anticipate where changes are more likely to occur next. Such predictive information is essential to propose and implement sustainable and efficient environmental policies. Future landscape studies can provide a framework to forecast how land use and land cover changes is likely to react differently to subtle changes. This paper proposes a four step framework to forecast landscape futures at fine scales by coupling scenarios and landscape modelling approaches. This methodology has been tested on two contrasting agricultural landscapes located in the United States and France, to identify possible landscape changes based on forecasting and backcasting agriculture intensification scenarios. Both examples demonstrate that relatively subtle land cover and land use changes can have a large impact on future landscapes. Results highlight how such subtle changes have to be considered in term of quantity, location, and frequency of land use and land cover to appropriately assess environmental impacts on water pollution (France) and soil erosion (US). The results highlight opportunities for improvements in landscape modelling.

Landscape Ecology↗

USGS2021

Multiple co-occurring and persistently detected cyanotoxins and associated cyanobacteria in adjacent California lakes

The global proliferation of toxin producing cyanobacterial blooms has been attributed to a wide variety of environmental factors with nutrient pollution, increased temperatures, and drought being three of the most significant. The current study is the first formal assessment of cyanotoxins in two impaired lakes, Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore, in southern California that have a history of cyanobacterial blooms producing high biomass as measured by chl-a. Cyanotoxins in Lake Elsinore were detected at concentrations that persistently exceeded California recreational health thresholds, whereas Canyon Lake experienced persistent concentrations that only occasionally exceeded health thresholds. The study results are the highest recorded concentrations of microcystins, anatoxin-a, and cylindrospermopsin detected in southern California lakes. Concentrations exceeded health thresholds that caused both lakes to be closed for recreational activities. Cyanobacterial identifications indicated a high risk for the presence of potentially toxic genera and agreed with the cyanotoxin results that indicated frequent detection of multiple cyanotoxins simultaneously. A statistically significant correlation was observed between chlorophyll-a (chl-a) and microcystin concentrations for Lake Elsinore but not Canyon Lake, and chl-a was not a good indicator of cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin-a, or nodularin. Therefore, chl-a was not a viable screening indicator of cyanotoxin risk in these lakes. The study results indicate potential acute and chronic risk of exposure to cyanotoxins in these lakes and supports the need for future monitoring efforts to help minimize human and domestic pet exposure and to better understand potential effects to wildlife. The frequent co-occurrence of complex cyanotoxin mixtures further complicates the risk assessment process for these lakes given uncertainty in the toxicology of mixtures.

California↗

USGS2007

Geochemical characterization of streambed sediment in the upper Illinois River basin

Geochemistry of fine-fraction streambed sediments collected from the upper Illinois River basin was surveyed in the fall of 1987 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment pilot projects. The survey included 567 samples analyzed for 46 elements. Three distinctive distribution patterns were found for seven U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants surveyed, as well as for boron and phosphorus: (1) enrichment of elements in the Chicago urban area and in streams draining the urban area relative to rural areas, (2) enrichment in main stems relative to tributaries, and (3) enrichment in low-order streams at high-population-density sites relative to low-population-density sites. Significant differences in background concentrations, as measured by samples from low-order streams, were observed among five subbasins in the study area. Uncertain geochemical correspondence between low-order, background sites and high-order, generally metal enriched sites prevented determination of background levels that would be appropriate for high-order sites. The within-sample ratio of enriched elements was variable within the Chicago area but was constant in the Illinois River downstream from Chicago. Element ratios imply a composite fine-fraction sediment in the Illinois River of 35-40 percent Des Plaines River origin and 60-65 percent Kankakee River origin.

Water Resources Bulletin↗

USGS2009

Environmental factors affecting contaminant toxicity in aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates

Physical and natural factors have long been known to influence the toxicity of environmental contaminants to vertebrates. The majority of data that address this topic have been derived from studies on fish, highly inbred laboratory rodents, and man.' The degree to which these factors modify toxicity has principally been elucidated by controlled laboratory experiments. Until recently, the significance of such effects to free-ranging vertebrates Figure 23.1 was frequently overlooked in ecological risk assessments.' Drawing upon controlled experiments and observational science, we overview environmental factors that influence pollutant toxicity in fish and wildlife, and present some perspective on their ecotoxicological significance.

Book chapter↗

USGS1996

Susceptibility of ground water to surface and shallow sources of contamination in Mississippi

Ground water, because of its extensive use in agriculture, industry, and public-water supply, is one of Mississippi's most important natural resources. Ground water is the source for about 80 percent of the total freshwater used by the State's population (Solley and others, 1993). About 2,600 Mgal/d of freshwater is withdrawn from aquifers in Mississippi (D.E. Burt, Jr., U.S. Geological Survey, oral commun., 1995). Wells capable of yielding 200 gal/min of water with quality suitable for most uses can be developed nearly anywhere in the State (Bednar, 1988). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Pollution Control, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Bureau of Plant Industry, conducted an investigation to evaluate the susceptibility of ground water to contamination from surgace and shallow sources in Mississippi. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to develop and analyze statewide spatial data layers that contain geologic, hydrologic, physiographic, and cultural information.

Mississippi↗

USGS2020

Time-series model, statistical methods, and software documentation for R–QWTREND—An R package for analyzing trends in stream-water quality

As part of a U.S. Geological Survey water-quality study started in 2018, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a publicly available software package called R–QWTREND was developed for analyzing trends in stream-water quality. The R–QWTREND package is a collection of functions written in R, an open source language and a general environment for statistical computing and graphics. The package uses a parametric time-series model to express logarithmically transformed concentration in terms of flow-related variability, trend, and serially correlated model errors. Flow-related variability captures natural variability in concentration on the basis of concurrent and antecedent streamflow. The trend identifies systematic changes in concentration in terms of potential step trends, piecewise monotonic trends, or user-specified trends. Maximum likelihood estimation is used to estimate model parameters and determine the best-fit trend model. This report describes the time-series model and statistical methodology behind R–QWTREND and provides formal documentation for installing and using the package.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1990

Hydrogeologic and water-quality data from well clusters near the wastewater-treatment plant, U.S. Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina

Hydrogeologic and ground-water quality data were collected near the wastewater-treatment plant and associated polishing lagoons at the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina, in 1988. Between March and May 1988, two observation wells were installed upgradient and six wells were installed downgradient of the polishing lagoons and sampled for organic and inorganic U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants. Placement of the well screens allowed sampling from both the upper and lower parts of the surficial aquifer. Natural gamma-ray geophysical logs were run in the four deepest wells. Lithologic logs were prepared from split-spoon samples collected during the drilling operations. Laboratory hydraulic conductivity tests were conducted on samples of fine-grained material recovered from the two confining units that separate the surficial aquifer and the drinking-water supply aquifer; values ranged from 0.011 to 0.014 foot per day (4x10-6 to 5x10-6 centimeters per second). Static water levels were recorded on April 25, 1988. Relatively low concentrations of purgeable organic compounds (up to 2.2 micrograms per liter for dichlorodifluoromethane), acid and base/neutral extractable compounds (up to 58 micrograms per liter for bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), or pesticides (up to 0.03 micrograms per liter for diazinon and methyl parathion) were detected in water samples collected from all of the wells. Trace metals were detected in concentrations above minimum detectable limits in all of the wells and were found to be higher in water samples collected from the downgradient wells (up to 320 micrograms per liter for zinc) than in water samples from the upgradient wells.

North Carolina↗

USGS2004

Organic contaminants associated with suspended sediment collected during five cruises of the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries, May 1988 to June 1990

Suspended-sediment samples were obtained from sites along the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries to determine the presence of halogenated hydrophobic organic compounds on the suspended sediment smaller than 63 micrometers. Sample collection involved pumping discharge-weighted volumes of river water along a cross section of the river into a continuous-flow centrifuge to isolate the suspended sediment. The suspended sediment was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, pentachloroanisole, chlorothalonil, pentachlorophenol, dachthal, chlordane, nonachlor, and penta-, hexa-, hepta-, and octachlorobiphenyls. Samples collected during June 1989 and February-March 1990 also were analyzed for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, and triazines. Samples were collected at sites on the Mississippi River from above St. Louis, Missouri to below New Orleans, Louisiana, and on the Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Wabash, Cumberland, Tennessee, White, Arkansas, and Yazoo Rivers. Masses of selected halogenated hydrophobic organic compounds associated with the suspended sediment at each site are presented in this report in tabular format, along with suspended-sediment concentration, water discharge, and organic-carbon content.

Mississippi River↗

USGS2020

Water-quality trends for selected sites and constituents in the international Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota and North Dakota, United States, and Manitoba, Canada, 1970–2017

A comprehensive study to evaluate water-quality trends, while considering natural hydroclimatic variability, in the Red River of the North Basin and assess water-quality conditions for the Red River of the North crossing the international boundary near Emerson, Manitoba, Canada (the binational site), was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and in collaboration with Manitoba Sustainable Development and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The international Red River of the North Basin encompasses 3 U.S. States (South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota) and 1 Canadian Province (Manitoba). Water quality in the Red River of the North Basin is of concern for both Federal governments and State and Provincial governments. Water-quality objectives have been previously established for selected dissolved ions and recently (2019) proposed for selected nutrients for the binational site. In the current (2020) study, water-quality data from State, Provincial, and Federal agencies in the United States and Canada for sites in the Red River of the North Basin from 1970 to 2017 were compiled and used for trend analysis. Trend analysis using a water-quality dataset from multiple agencies that collect water-quality data for various objectives presented multiple challenges. The trend-analysis approach was able to accommodate differences in water-quality data caused by field-collection and laboratory-analytical method differences, disparities in sampling frequencies, and spatial and temporal gaps in data. Most of these challenges were overcome by the statistical tool, R–QWTREND, which identifies trends in concentration unrelated to variability in streamflow. The integrated basin approach used in the current study, combined with comparing current data trends with historical trends, provided valuable insights into understanding how water quality is changing spatially (34 sites analyzed for a recent period, 2000–15) and temporally (5 sites analyzed for a 45-year historical period, 1970–2015) within the Red River of the North Basin. One of the most consistent spatial and temporal changes observed in the current study was increasing concentrations of sulfate among tributary and main-stem sites since 2000. For some sites, increases were detected starting as early as 1985. Total dissolved solids and chloride concentrations had spatial and temporal patterns like sulfate. Although R–QWTREND removes the variability in constituent concentration caused by natural streamflow variability, all variability in sulfate caused by hydroclimatic variability may not be captured because of changes in hydrologic pathways and changes in the contributions of sulfate from various natural sources. Nutrient concentrations demonstrated less consistent spatial and temporal changes than sulfate, and changes in nutrient concentrations were assumed to be more closely tied to human-induced rather than natural changes. Nitrate-plus-nitrite concentrations were mostly increasing in the upper Red River of the North subbasin, and for nitrate plus nitrite and total nitrogen, the Sheyenne River subbasin had consistent decreasing concentrations. Since 2000, total phosphorus has decreased in the upper Red River of the North subbasin, but total phosphorus concentration has increased for sites in the lower Red River of the North subbasin, and for some main-stem sites, concentrations have been increasing since 1985. Unlike sulfate, the pattern in historical trends for total phosphorus for the main-stem sites differed from tributary sites, indicating that human-induced changes affected tributaries and main-stem sites differently. The more detailed evaluation of flow-averaged water-quality conditions for the binational site provided an understanding of how loads have changed over time and what proportion of the year and season concentrations are expected to exceed water-quality objectives. In a basin with highly variable streamflow like the Red River of the North, the trend in flow-averaged load (assuming streamflow conditions are the same year after year) provided a robust measure of change over time. Increasing concentrations of sulfate, chloride, total dissolved solids, and total phosphorus since 1985 for the binational site resulted in longer periods of exceedance of water-quality objectives per year occurring over time. For total nitrogen, decreasing concentrations resulted in shorter periods of exceedance per year during 1980 to 2015, but concentrations were still expected to exceed the water-quality objective about half the year. Periods of when exceedances were likely to occur during the year were affected by the source and transport mechanisms of the constituent. Trend results from this effort identified how water quality has changed across the basin, and further investigation would help to identify causes for the trends observed here. Information from the current study provides a basis for future trend attribution studies, evaluation of water-quality objectives, and development of comprehensive strategies for reducing nutrients to desired targets and establishes a baseline for tracking future progress in the Red River of the North Basin.

Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba↗

USGS1981

Survey of selected organic compounds in aquifers of New York State excluding Long Island

Samples from 56 wells at 49 sites in New York State, excluding Long Island, were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for the presence of organic compounds designated ' priority pollutants ' by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Most samples were taken from public-supply wells tapping shallow, permeable aquifers, the most susceptible to contamination. Analytical sensitivity reported by the laboratory for most compounds was less than 1 microgram per liter, but contamination during collection, shipping, or laboratory processing required that concentrations be about 10 micrograms per liter before the presence of a compound could be confirmed. Only a small percentage of wells sampled in this study was found to be contaminated. Where contamination is present, it probably results from point sources such as landfills or dumps rather than from general sources such as atmospheric deposition or proximity to urban centers. Two sites, Brewster in Putnam County and Olean in Cattaraugus County, showed clear evidence of contamination. Two other sites, Corning in Steuben County and Fulton in Oswego County, showed evidence of possible contamination. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1982

Chemical-quality reconnaissance of the water and surficial bed material in the Delaware River estuary and adjacent New Jersey tributaries, 1980-81

This report presents chemical-quality data collected from May 1980 to January 1981 at several locations within the Delaware River estuary and selected New Jersey tributaries. Samples of surface water were analyzed Environmental Protection Agency ' priority pollutants, ' including acid extractable, base/neutral extractable and volatile organic compounds, in addition to selected dissolved inorganic constituents. Surficial bed material at selected locations was examined for trace metals, insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and base/neutral extractable organic compounds. Trace levels (1-50 micrograms per liter) of purgeable organic compounds, particularly those associated with the occurrence of hydrocarbons, were found in about 60% of the water samples taken. DDT, DDD, DDE, PCB 's and chlordane are present in most surficial bed material samples. Diazinon was the only organophosphorous insecticide detected in the study (1.6 micrograms per kilogram at one location). High values for select trace metals in bed material were discovered at two locations. Of the 10 sites sampled, the surficial bed material containing the most contamination was found along one cross section of Raccoon Creek at Bridgeport. An additional analysis of Raccoon Creek revealed bed material containing toluene, oil and grease, and trace quantities of 15 base/neutral extractable organic compounds, including polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, and chlorinated benzenes.

New Jersey↗

USGS1996

Hydrogeology and ground-water quality of glacial-drift aquifers, Leech Lake Indian Reservation, north-central Minnesota

Among the duties of the water managers of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in north-central Minnesota are the development and protection of the water resources of the Reservation. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Leech Lake Indian Reservation Business Committee, conducted a three and one half-year study (1988-91) of the ground-water resources of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. The objectives of this study were to describe the availability and quality of ground water contained in glacial-drift aquifers underlying the Reservation. Aquifers and confining units are present throughout the entire thickness of the glacial drift in the study area, which includes the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and adjacent parts of Beltrami, Hubbard, Itasca, and Cass Counties in north-central Minnesota, an area of approximately 2,145 square miles. An unconfined aquifer underlies most of the central and north-central parts of the study area. The saturated thickness of the aquifer ranges from 0 to about 105 feet. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity, estimated from 19 slug tests, ranges from 0.6 to 31 feet per day. The transmissivity of the aquifer ranges from 19 to more than 20,000 feet squared per day and is greatest in an area from west of Cass Lake to Lake Winnibigoshish. Theoretical maximum well yields range from less than 10 to about 2,000 gallons per minute. The unconfined and uppermost confined aquifers are physically and hydraulically separated by a fine-grained confining unit, consisting of till or lake deposits, that ranges in thickness from 3 to 254 feet. The thickness of the uppermost confined aquifer ranges from 5 to about 53 feet. On the basis of specific-capacity data, the transmissivity of the aquifer ranges from less than 100 feet squared per day in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the study area to about 21,000 feet squared per day near Cass Lake. Theoretical maximum well yields range from less than 10 to about 2,600 gallons per minute. Recharge to the ground-water system is predominantly from precipitation that infiltrates to the saturated zone. An analysis of four hydrographs for observation wells screened in the unconfined aquifer indicated spring recharge amounts during 1989 of 1-4 inches. Discharge from the ground-water system occurs by leakage to streams, lakes, and wetlands, evapotranspiration, withdrawals by wells, and underflow to the southeast within the Mississippi River Valley. Streamflow measurements indicate that ground-water discharge to the Mississippi River is greater in the western part of the study area between Cass Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish than in the eastern part downstream from Lake Winnibigoshish. The general regional direction of ground-water flow in the unconfined and uppermost confined aquifers is to the east and southeast. Ground-water flow is also toward the Mississippi River and the three large lakes in the study area, Lake Winnibigoshish and Cass and Leech Lakes. Water moves through the ground-water system predominantly horizontally in the aquifers, whereas vertical components of flow are significant in confining units. Downward leakage of water occurs in highland areas where ground water flows downward from overlying till to the uppermost confined aquifer. Water moves vertically upward from deep to shallow aquifers in areas of regional discharge, the Mississippi River, Cass Lake, Lake Winnibigoshish. and Leech Lake. Waters from both the unconfined and uppermost confined aquifers generally are suitable for domestic consumption, crop irrigation, and most other uses. Concentrations of iron and manganese in water from both aquifers frequently exceed levels that may impart an undesirable taste or odor to water. Calcium and bicarbonate are the predominant ions in water from both the unconfined and uppermost confined aquifers. Water from both the unconfined and uppermost confined aquifers is hard to very hard, averaging 187 and 247 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate, respectively. Differences in the mean concentrations of constituents in waters from the unconfined and uppermost confined aquifers vary. The mean concentrations of chloride, manganese, dissolved organic carbon, sulfate, and dissolved iron were greater for water from the unconfined aquifer than for water from the uppermost confined aquifer. Conversely, the mean concentrations of calcium, potassium, silica, sodium, fluoride, and boron were greater for water from the uppermost confined aquifer than for water from the unconfined aquifer. These higher concentrations of naturally occurring constituents in waters from the uppermost confined aquifer may occur because of the longer flow paths and longer residence times of water in the uppermost confined aquifer as compared to the unconfined aquifer. Nutrients include nitrogen and phosphorus species. The mean concentrations of dissolved nitrogen (NO 2 + NO 3 , dissolved) and total phosphorus were about 5 and 1.5 times greater for water from the unconfined aquifer than for water from the uppermost confined aquifer, respectively. None of the water samples had concentrations of dissolved nitrogen greater than the maximum contaminant level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (10 milligrams per liter) and only one water sample had a concentration greater than 3 milligrams per liter. Water collected from wells completed in the unconfined aquifer in residential and recreational land-use areas had concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, and cyanide equal to or less than 6 micrograms per liter. Concentrations of organic-acid herbicides in water from three wells screened in the unconfined aquifer in managed-forest land-use areas were all below detection levels. Concentrations of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants in water from three wells screened in the unconfined aquifer and from one well screened in the uppermost confined aquifer were also all below detection levels.

Minnesota↗

USGS1976

Thermographic mosaic of Yellowstone National Park

An uncontrolled thermographic mosaic, which covers most of the area of Yellowstone National Park, has been compiled. The recording of aerial thermographic data on videotape is established as one of the prerequisites for the preparation of more accurate mosaics. Post-mission processing of the videotape record can rectify the nadir line to a topographic map base, correct for v/h variations in adjacent flight lines, correct for yaw distortions, rectify distortions caused by pitch, and rectify distortions produced by non-linearity of the side-wise scan. Installation of a thermal infrared scanning radiometer in a gyrostabilized mount and post-mission processing of the videotape record (principally rectification of side-wise scan distortion) would yield a controlled, photogrammetrically accurate thermographic mosaic. However, the techniques used in the preparation of the uncontrolled thermographic mosaic of Yellowstone National Park can be immediately applied to the preparation of regional thermographic mosaics, important to geologists and other scientists and engineers in studies of geothermal and volcanic areas, and to other types of environmental investigations such as pollution studies of large water bodies (e.g., harbors, estuaries, lakes, etc.), where a precise planimetric image is not critical.

Idaho;Montana;Wyoming↗

USGS2016

Detecting significant change in stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities in wilderness areas

A major challenge in the biological monitoring of stream ecosystems in protected wilderness areas is discerning whether temporal changes in community structure are significantly outside of a reference condition that represents natural or acceptable annual variation in population cycles. Otherwise sites could erroneously be classified as impaired. Long-term datasets are essential for understanding these trends, to ascertain whether any changes in community structure significantly beyond the reference condition are permanent shifts or with time move back to within previous limits. To this end, we searched for long-term (>8 years) quantitative data sets of macroinvertebrate communities in wadeable rivers collected by similar methods and time of year in protected wilderness areas with minimal anthropogenic disturbance. Four geographic areas with datasets that met these criteria in the USA were identified, namely: McLaughlin Nature Reserve in California (1 stream), Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennesse-North Carolina (14 streams), Wind River Wilderness Areas in Wyoming (3 streams) and Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska (6 streams). Two statistical approaches were applied: Taxonomic Distinctness (TD) to describe changes in diversity over time and non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) to describe changes over time in community persistence (Jaccards Index) and community stability (Bray–Curtis Index). Control charts were used to determine if years in MDS plots were significantly outside a reference condition. For Hunting Creek, TD showed three years outside natural variation which could be attributed to severe hydrological events but years outside the natural-variation funnel at sites in other geographical areas were inconsistent and could not be explained by environmental variables. TD identified simulated severe pollutant events which caused the removal of entire invertebrate assemblages but not simulated water temperature shifts. Within a region, both MDS analyses typically identified similar years as exceeding reference condition variation, illustrating the utility of the approach for identifying wider spatial scale effects that influence more than one stream. MDS responded to both simulated water temperature stress and a pollutant event, and generally outlying years on MDS plots could be explained by environmental variables, particularly higher precipitation. Multivariate control charts successfully identified whether shifts in community structure identified by MDS were significant and whether the shift represented a press disturbance (long-term change) or a pulse disturbance. We consider a combination of TD and MDS with control charts to be a potentially powerful tool for determining years significantly outside of a reference condition variation.

Alaska, California, North Carolina, Tennesse, Wyom↗

USGS2013

Insights and issues with simulating terrestrial DOC loading of Arctic river networks

Terrestrial carbon dynamics inﬂuence the contribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to river networks in addition to hydrology. In this study, we use a biogeochemical process model to simulate the lateral transfer of DOC from land to the Arctic Ocean via riverine transport. We estimate that, over the 20th century, the pan-Arctic watershed has contributed, on average, 32 Tg C/yr of DOC to river networks emptying into the Arctic Ocean with most of the DOC coming from the extensive area of boreal deciduous needle-leaved forests and forested wetlands in Eurasian watersheds. We also estimate that the rate of terrestrial DOC loading has been increasing by 0.037 Tg C/yr2 over the 20th century primarily as a result of climate-induced increases in water yield. These increases have been offset by decreases in terrestrial DOC loading caused by wildﬁres. Other environmental factors (CO2 fertilization, ozone pollution, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, timber harvest, agriculture) are estimated to have relatively small effects on terrestrial DOC loading to Arctic rivers. The effects of the various environmental factors on terrestrial carbon dynamics have both offset and enhanced concurrent effects on hydrology to inﬂuence terrestrial DOC loading and may be changing the relative importance of terrestrial carbon dynamics on this carbon ﬂux. Improvements in simulating terrestrial DOC loading to pan-Arctic rivers in the future will require better information on the production and consumption of DOC within the soil proﬁle, the transfer of DOC from land to headwater streams, the spatial distribution of precipitation and its temporal trends, carbon dynamics of larch-dominated ecosystems in eastern Siberia, and the role of industrial organic efﬂuents on carbon budgets of rivers in western Russia.

Ecological Applications↗

USGS2013

Measuring environmental change in forest ecosystems by repeated soil sampling: a North American perspective

Environmental change is monitored in North America through repeated measurements of weather, stream and river flow, air and water quality, and most recently, soil properties. Some skepticism remains, however, about whether repeated soil sampling can effectively distinguish between temporal and spatial variability, and efforts to document soil change in forest ecosystems through repeated measurements are largely nascent and uncoordinated. In eastern North America, repeated soil sampling has begun to provide valuable information on environmental problems such as air pollution. This review synthesizes the current state of the science to further the development and use of soil resampling as an integral method for recording and understanding environmental change in forested settings. The origins of soil resampling reach back to the 19th century in England and Russia. The concepts and methodologies involved in forest soil resampling are reviewed and evaluated through a discussion of how temporal and spatial variability can be addressed with a variety of sampling approaches. Key resampling studies demonstrate the type of results that can be obtained through differing approaches. Ongoing, large-scale issues such as recovery from acidification, long-term N deposition, C sequestration, effects of climate change, impacts from invasive species, and the increasing intensification of soil management all warrant the use of soil resampling as an essential tool for environmental monitoring and assessment. Furthermore, with better awareness of the value of soil resampling, studies can be designed with a long-term perspective so that information can be efficiently obtained well into the future to address problems that have not yet surfaced.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

USGS1995

Urban stormwater runoff study at Davenport, Iowa

Urban storm water runoff is being investigated as a nonpoint source of pollution across the country as urban areas with populations over 100,000 conduct studies designed to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for their stormwater discharges. From 1991 through 1994, the City of Davenport, Iowa (fig. 1), and the U.S. Geological Survey cooperatively conducted a study designed to meet technical conditions of the permit application and to develop the criteria for ongoing monitoring during the term of the permit.

Iowa↗

USGS2013

Seventy-five years of science—The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center

As of January 2010, 75 years have elapsed since Dr. Frederic Fish initiated the pioneering research program that would evolve into today’s Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC). Fish began his research working alone in the basement of the recently opened Fisheries Biological Laboratory on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington. WFRC’s research began under the aegis of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ends its first 75 years as part of the U.S. Geological Survey with a staff of more than 150 biologists and support personnel and a heritage of fundamental research that has made important contributions to our understanding of the biology and ecology of the economically important fish and fish populations of the Nation. Although the current staff may rarely stop to think about it, WFRC’s antecedents extend many years into the past and are intimately involved with the history of fisheries conservation in the Western United States. Thus, WFRC Director Lyman Thorsteinson asked me to write the story of this laboratory “while there are still a few of you around who were here for some of the earlier years” to document the rich history and culture of WFRC by recognizing its many famous scientists and their achievements. This historyalso would help document WFRC’s research ‘footprint’ in the Western United States and its strategic directions. Center Director Thorsteinson concluded that WFRC’s heritage told by an emeritus scientist also would add a texture of legitimacy based on personal knowledge that will all-to-soon be lost to the WFRC and to the USGS. The WFRC story is important for the future as well as for historical reasons. It describes how we got to the place we are today by documenting the origin, original mission, and our evolving role in response to the constantly changing technical information requirements of new environmental legislation and organizational decision-making. The WFRC research program owes its existence to the policy requirements of Federal conservation legislation originating with the construction of Grand Coulee Dam in 1933. The research program was shaped by laws enacted in subsequent years such as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1972), National Environmental Policy Act (1973), Endangered Species Act (1974), and Northwest Power Planning Act (1980), to name only a few. The WFRC has not been constrained by direct management or regulatory responsibility for a particular fishery (such as providing sustainable catch limits data to a resource management structure). Thus, WFRC has been able to concentrate on scientific pursuits and information needs required by contemporary environmental legislation. Over the years, we have pioneered in several important areas of fisheries research including the diagnoses and control of diseases in economically important fish, effects of environmental alterations on the physiological quality and survival of Pacific salmon released from federal mitigation hatcheries, applications in biotelemetry, and the bioenergetics of predator-prey interactions in the Columbia River. The WFRC of today is a widely distributed organization in the Western United States. Knowledge of the historical connections and accomplishments of our predecessors is important beyond the sense of pride and unity it instills in the WFRC family of today. For example, a discerning reader will note the evolution of WFRC’s research from a single disciplinary focus (early era—hatchery disease problems), to multiple disciplines (middle to late era—species, populations, habitats; threatened and endangered species), to the present era (multidisciplinary and with increasing process focus). For the benefit of the current WFRC staff, more emphasis has been placed on the early years rather than on the present day because people are quite naturally more familiar with the recent past than with the research done during the first decades of WFRC’s existence. By every rational measure, the WFRC has evolved into a fisheries research organization well positioned to provide the biological information needed to support the continued conservation and management of our Nation’s living aquatic natural resources. The high standard of excellence that connects WFRC’s past to our present research program provides a firm foundation on which to base the work yet to be done. In another 75 years, WFRC will undoubtedly be a very different place than it is today, but its evolution will be forever rooted in the story of the research and of the people related here. More about the diverse fisheries research projects WFRC scientists are conducting today is available at WFRC’s website: http://wfrc.usgs.gov/.

Washington↗