SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Environmental Research: Water”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources

USGS2015

Hydraulic fracturing water use variability in the United States and potential environmental implications

Until now, up-to-date, comprehensive, spatial, national-scale data on hydraulic fracturing water volumes have been lacking. Water volumes used (injected) to hydraulically fracture over 263,859 oil and gas wells drilled between 2000 and 2014 were compiled and used to create the first U.S. map of hydraulic fracturing water use. Although median annual volumes of 15,275 m3 and 19,425 m3 of water per well was used to hydraulically fracture individual horizontal oil and gas wells, respectively, in 2014, about 42% of wells were actually either vertical or directional, which required less than 2600 m3 water per well. The highest average hydraulic fracturing water usage (10,000−36,620 m3 per well) in watersheds across the United States generally correlated with shale-gas areas (versus coalbed methane, tight oil, or tight gas) where the greatest proportion of hydraulically fractured wells were horizontally drilled, reflecting that the natural reservoir properties influence water use. This analysis also demonstrates that many oil and gas resources within a given basin are developed using a mix of horizontal, vertical, and some directional wells, explaining why large volume hydraulic fracturing water usage is not widespread. This spatial variability in hydraulic fracturing water use relates to the potential for environmental impacts such as water availability, water quality, wastewater disposal, and possible wastewater injection-induced earthquakes.

Water Resources Research↗

USGS2026

Biological, environmental, and geomorphological factors influencing reach-specific survival of spring Chinook Salmon smolts upstream of the Columbia–Snake River hydrosystem

Objective Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are exhibiting catastrophic declines throughout much of the Pacific Northwest, and juvenile mortality contributions are disproportionately high. Many Pacific salmon smolt populations are exhibiting high natal stream mortality; however, detailed natal stream reach-specific survival knowledge is lacking. Our objectives were to estimate natal stream reach-specific survival and identify influential covariates for spring Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha smolts. An additional objective was to evaluate (i.e., estimate postrestoration cumulative survival) a novel and strategic large-scale river restoration approach (i.e., stream confluence restoration) in two Pacific Northwest spring Chinook Salmon natal streams. Methods Using radiotelemetry techniques during March–June (2011–2017), we estimated natal stream reach-specific survival for spring Chinook Salmon smolts in Catherine Creek and the Grande Ronde River, northeast Oregon. We examined the interrelated influences of temporal, biological, environmental, and geomorphological covariates on the behavior, travel time, and reach-specific survival of spring Chinook Salmon smolts that were emigrating through two hydrologically altered natal streams in the interior Columbia River basin. For each natal stream smolt tag-group, Cormack–Jolly–Seber reach-specific survival estimates that were adjusted for premature tag failure (i.e., bias-corrected) were generated. Subsequently, smolt effects were estimated using reach-specific travel times and survival estimates coupled with individual time-varying covariates from radio-tagged smolts and occupied reaches using an existing predator–prey model (i.e., mean free-path length [ XT ] model). Complementary population-specific principal coordinate analyses (PCoAs) were conducted to facilitate visualization of multicovariate resemblances in ordination space. Last, we employed our best-fitting XT model to model cumulative changes in smolt survival that were associated with a large-scale stream channel restoration scenario (i.e., restoration of the historical Catherine Creek and Grande Ronde River confluence). Results In aggregate, Catherine Creek smolts exhibited high mortality throughout Catherine Creek but near-100% survival upon entering the Grande Ronde River. In contrast, Grande Ronde River smolts generally exhibited low mortality upstream from the Grande Ronde Valley and high mortality throughout the Grande Ronde Valley. Our best-fitting XT model indicated that smolt survival was positively correlated with discharge, body size, and current velocity but negatively correlated with avian predation. Natural-origin smolts from Catherine Creek displayed higher λ-values (i.e., distance between predator–prey encounters) than their significantly larger and faster emigrating hatchery conspecifics, indicating that hatchery smolts may be more susceptible to predation. Our population-specific PCoAs further revealed that novel water (i.e., unique water chemistry) and emigration rate were the strongest predictors of reach occupancy in multivariate ordination space. Under a stream restoration scenario of restoring the historical hydrological template (i.e., restored channel configuration), our best-fitting XT model predicted changes in population-specific cumulative survivals to the lower Grande Ronde Valley (Imbler, Oregon) ranging from −38.4% to 69.0% for Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek spring Chinook Salmon smolts, respectively. Conclusions Our best-fitting XT model and PCoAs identified the relative importance of biological, environmental, and geomorphological factors to both natural- and hatchery-origin Chinook Salmon smolt survival in two neighboring interior natal streams in the Columbia River basin. Our research indicates that concurrent habitat restoration and fish management strategies, including focused attention on smolt-rearing nursery habitat restoration, piscivorous avian control plans, adaptive management strategies for hatchery smolt releases, and discharge and novel water regime restoration projects, may yield survival benefits to “in-basin” Chinook Salmon smolts. Our research can inform origin-type-specific Chinook Salmon smolt management, habitat restoration, and future research decisions throughout the upper Grande Ronde River subbasin and potentially the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon, Washington↗

USGS1983

Sedimentology of Southwestern Roads region, U.S. Virgin Islands: origin and rate of sediment accumulation

Sand deposits on southern insular shelf of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, were investigated to determine their origin, environmental processes and accumulation rates. Sea-floor samples show that the sand has been derived (in situ) mainly from calcareous algae and molluscs. Zonation of the dominant sand producers is related to the present environmental setting; water depth has the greatest influence. Carbon-14 data (bulk sample) of cores indicate accumulation rates of slightly less than 1 mm/year for the last 5,000 years. Faunal studies show that the climate has remained constant over the past 5,000 years. The only changes in environmental conditions appear to have been an increase in water depth, changes in the patterns of water movement, and an increase in water temperature.

Virgin Islands↗

USGS1990

Sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus L.): A literature review

Sago pondweed ( Potamogeton pectinatus L.) is a submersed macrophyte of nearly cosmopolitan distribution. The plant is of worldwide importance as a waterfowl food but also can be a nuisance in irrigation canals and recreational areas. The plant reproduces by many different means, depending on habitat and environmental stress. Several genetic ecotypes have evolved. Most important as waterfowl food are the turions (tubers), vegetative propagules rich in carbohydrates that are mostly buried in bottom sediments. In temperate wetlands, most turions sprout in spring, making sago behave as an annual. Drupelets (seeds) are the sexual propagules of sago and provide a mechanism for sago to survive periods of drought and excessive water salinity. Drupelets can be washed ashore or carried by birds for long distances. Sago decomposes rapidly at senescence, annually in temperate wetlands. Sago is mostly found in semipermanently or permanently flooded mixosaline lacustrine, palustrine, and riverine wetlands < 2.5 m deep, where fetches are not large or currents are < 1 m/s. Sago seems to prefer stable water levels but can tolerate significant water level fluctuations. Among the Potamogetons, only sago tolerates high salinity, pH, and alkalinity, but it fares poorly among specialist taxa in acidic or nutrient-poor waters. Sago is highly tolerant of eutrophic waters, and it can be the only species of submersed macrophyte present in heavily polluted sites. Sago grows in nearly all bottom substrates. Turbidity is the factor that most frequently limits sago growth. Sago often occurs in monotypic stands but can grow with many other submersed and emergent macrophytes. Dominance by sago in certain wetlands sometimes alternates with dominance by other submersed macrophytes when salinities or other environmental factors change. Sago also can be associated with a large variety of unattached filamentous, planktonic, or epiphytic algae. Increased turbidity caused by planktonic algae often is responsible for lowered sago production. Less common biotic limiting factors are organic pollutants and consumption and uprooting by waterfowl and fish. Sago provides food or shelter for amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals. The greatest value of sago in North America is as food for migrant and staging waterfowl, primarily diving ducks and swans. Sago beds also provide habitat for a large complex of invertebrates (an important food source for young waterfowl), but direct consumption of living sago by invertebrates is negligible. Sago has been propagated for many years-indoors, as an experimental organism for work in plant physiology or herbicide testing, and outdoors, for purposes of attracting waterfowl. Much work has also been done developing methods to control excessive sago growth in fishponds and irrigation canals. Future research should concentrate on (1) determining, in a variety of wetland types, the causes of light-limiting turbidity that often suppresses sago growth, (2) understanding the ways in which human activities on and near wetlands affect sago production, and (3) developing reliable and predictable techniques to stimulate sago production for waterfowl by using water level manipulations and other means, in a variety of environmental settings.

Resource Publication↗

USGS2016

Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues

Introduction This circular provides an overview of selected activities that were conducted within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Integrated Methods Development Project, an interdisciplinary project designed to develop new tools and conduct innovative research requiring integration of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing expertise. The project was supported by the USGS Mineral Resources Program, and its products and acquired capabilities have broad applications to missions throughout the USGS and beyond. In addressing challenges associated with understanding the location, quantity, and quality of mineral resources, and in investigating the potential environmental consequences of resource development, a number of field and laboratory capabilities and interpretative methodologies evolved from the project that have applications to traditional resource studies as well as to studies related to ecosystem health, human health, disaster and hazard assessment, and planetary science. New or improved tools and research findings developed within the project have been applied to other projects and activities. Specifically, geophysical equipment and techniques have been applied to a variety of traditional and nontraditional mineral- and energy-resource studies, military applications, environmental investigations, and applied research activities that involve climate change, mapping techniques, and monitoring capabilities. Diverse applied geochemistry activities provide a process-level understanding of the mobility, chemical speciation, and bioavailability of elements, particularly metals and metalloids, in a variety of environmental settings. Imaging spectroscopy capabilities maintained and developed within the project have been applied to traditional resource studies as well as to studies related to ecosystem health, human health, disaster assessment, and planetary science. Brief descriptions of capabilities and laboratory facilities and summaries of some applications of project products and research findings are included in this circular. The work helped support the USGS mission to “provide reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.” Activities within the project include the following: Spanned scales from microscopic to planetary; Demonstrated broad applications across disciplines; Included life-cycle studies of mineral resources; Incorporated specialized areas of expertise in applied geochemistry including mineralogy, hydrogeology, analytical chemistry, aqueous geochemistry, biogeochemistry, microbiology, aquatic toxicology, and public health; and Incorporated specialized areas of expertise in geophysics including magnetics, gravity, radiometrics, electromagnetics, seismic, ground-penetrating radar, borehole radar, and imaging spectroscopy. This circular consists of eight sections that contain summaries of various activities under the project. The eight sections are listed below: Laboratory Facilities and Capabilities, which includes brief descriptions of the various types of laboratories and capabilities used for the project; Method and Software Development, which includes summaries of remote-sensing, geophysical, and mineralogical methods developed or enhanced by the project; Instrument Development, which includes descriptions of geophysical instruments developed under the project; Minerals, Energy, and Climate, which includes summaries of research that applies to mineral or energy resources, environmental processes and monitoring, and carbon sequestration by earth materials; Element Cycling, Toxicity, and Health, which includes summaries of several process-oriented geochemical and biogeochemical studies and health-related research activities; Hydrogeology and Water Quality, which includes descriptions of innovative geophysical, remote-sensing, and geochemical research pertaining to hydrogeology and water-quality applications; Hazards and Disaster Assessment, which includes summaries of research and method development that were applied to natural hazards, human-caused hazards, and disaster assessments; and Databases and Framework Studies, which includes descriptions of fundamental applications of geophysical studies and of the importance of archived data.

Circular↗

USGS2020

'Dust in the wind’ from source-to-sink: Analysis of the 14-15 April 2015 storm in Utah

On 14–15 April 2015, an intense intermountain cyclone in the western USA caused high winds and a dust storm that degraded air quality in the eastern Great Basin, and deposited dust-on-snow (DOS) in the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City, Utah. We analyzed the storm and documented its “source-to-sink” development to relate the frontal passage with dust mobilization, air quality changes, and dust deposition on montane snowpack near Alta, Utah. This case study is first to track a dust storm and measure the elemental composition and radiative properties of the resulting DOS as a single specific event layer in Wasatch montane snowpack; prior studies have assessed seasonally aggregated DOS deposits. Dust plumes on MODIS imagery indicate mobilization from known regional “hotspots” for aeolian activity, including clay- and silt-rich alluvium, modern playas, and disturbed areas within the Pleistocene Paleolake Bonneville Basin. This 2015 single event dust layer was 1–3 cm thick with a median dust size of 10.81–12.55 µm; its measured radiative properties are similar to aggregated dusts previously assessed in Wasatch snowpack. Dust from the 2015 DOS event is enriched in the elements As, Cd, Cu, and Mo by a 10× factor relative to average elemental concentrations in the upper continental crust; its heavy metals (Cu, Pb, As, Cd, Mo, Zn) are probably derived from regional mine operations. Tracking elemental fluxes from source-to-sink is important for resolving environmental impacts, and informing future analysis of single storm dust loading, ecosystem impacts, and quantity and quality of meltwater-fed drinking water.

Utah↗

USGS2012

Hydrologic and landscape database for the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma

A hydrologic and landscape database was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges and their contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The database is composed of a set of ASCII files, Microsoft Access® files, Microsoft Excel® files, an Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS® geodatabase, ESRI ArcGRID® raster datasets, and an ESRI ArcReader® published map. The database was developed as an assessment and evaluation tool to use in examining refuge-specific hydrologic patterns and trends as related to water availability for refuge ecosystems, habitats, and target species; and includes hydrologic time-series data, statistics, and hydroecological metrics that can be used to assess refuge hydrologic conditions and the availability of aquatic and riparian habitat. Landscape data that describe the refuge physiographic setting and the locations of hydrologic-data collection stations are also included in the database. Categories of landscape data include land cover, soil hydrologic characteristics, physiographic features, geographic and hydrographic boundaries, hydrographic features, regional runoff estimates, and gaging-station locations. The database geographic extent covers three hydrologic subregions—the Lower Mississippi–St Francis (0802), the Upper White (1101), and the Lower Arkansas (1111)—within which human activities, climatic variation, and hydrologic processes can potentially affect the hydrologic regime of the refuges and adjacent areas. Database construction has been automated to facilitate periodic updates with new data. The database report (1) serves as a user guide for the database, (2) describes the data-collection, data-reduction, and data-analysis methods used to construct the database, (3) provides a statistical and graphical description of the database, and (4) provides detailed information on the development of analytical techniques designed to assess water availability for ecological needs.

Arkansas;Missouri;Oklahoma↗

USGS1996

Joint US Geological Survey, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission workshop on research related to low-level radioactive waste disposal, May 4-6, 1993, National Center, Reston, Virginia; Proceedings

This report contains papers presented at the "Joint U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Technical Workshop on Research Related to Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLW) Disposal" that was held at the USGS National Center Auditorium, Reston, Virginia, May 4-6, 1993. The objective of the workshop was to provide a forum for exchange of information, ideas, and technology in the geosciences dealing with LLW disposal. This workshop was the first joint activity under the Memorandum of Understanding between the USGS and NRC's Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research signed in April 1992. Participants included invited speakers from the USGS, NRC technical contractors (U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories and universities) and NRC staff for presentation of research study results related to LLW disposal. Also in attendance were scientists from the DOE, DOE National Laboratories, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, State developmental and regulatory agencies involved in LLW disposal facility siting and licensing, Atomic Energy Canada Limited (AECL), private industry, Agricultural Research Service, universities, USGS and NRC.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1993

U.S. Geological Survey; North Carolina's water resources; a partnership with State, Federal and local agencies

For more than 80 years, the Federal-State Cooperative Program in North Carolina has been an effective partnership that provides timely water information for all levels of government. The cooperative program has raised awareness of State and local water problems and issues and has enhanced transfer and exchange of scientific information. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts statewide water-resources investigations in North Carolina that include hydrologic data collection, applied research studies, and other interpretive studies. These programs are funded through cooperative agreements with the North Carolina Departments of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources; Human Resources; and Transportation, as well as more than a dozen city and county governmental agencies. The USGS also conducts special studies and data-collection programs for Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that contribute to North Carolina's water information data base. Highlights of selected programs are presented to show the scope of USGS activities in North Carolina and their usefulness in addressing water-resource problems. The reviewed programs include the statewide data-collection program, estuarine studies, the National Water-Quality Assessment program, military installation restoration program, and groundwater flow model-development program in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont provinces.

North Carolina↗

USGS2017

Uptake and disposition of select pharmaceuticals by bluegill exposed at constant concentrations in a flow-through aquatic exposure system

The increasing use of pharmaceuticals has led to their subsequent input into and release from wastewater treatment plants, with corresponding discharge into surface waters that may subsequently exert adverse effects upon aquatic organisms. Although the distribution of pharmaceuticals in surface water has been extensively studied, the details of uptake, internal distribution, and kinetic processing of pharmaceuticals in exposed fish have received less attention. For this research, we investigated the uptake, disposition, and toxicokinetics of five pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, methocarbamol, rosuvastatin, sulfamethoxazole, and temazepam) in bluegill sunfish ( Lepomis macrochirus ) exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations (1000–4000 ng L –1 ) in a flow-through exposure system. Temazepam and methocarbamol were consistently detected in bluegill biological samples with the highest concentrations in bile of 4, 940, and 180 ng g –1 , respectively, while sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac, and rosuvastatin were only infrequently detected. Over 30-day exposures, the relative magnitude of mean concentrations of temazepam and methocarbamol in biological samples generally followed the order: bile ≫ gut > liver and brain > muscle, plasma, and gill. Ranges of bioconcentration factors (BCFs) in different biological samples were 0.71–3960 and 0.13–48.6 for temazepam and methocarbamol, respectively. Log BCFs were statistically positively correlated to pH adjusted log K ow (that is, log D ow ), with the strongest relations for liver and brain ( r 2 = 0.92 and 0.99, respectively), implying that bioconcentration patterns of ionizable pharmaceuticals depend on molecular status, that is, whether a pharmaceutical is un-ionized or ionized at ambient tissue pH. Methocarbamol and temazepam underwent rapid uptake and elimination in bluegill biological compartments with uptake rate constants ( K u ) and elimination rate constants ( K e ) at 0.0066–0.0330 h –1 and 0.0075–0.0384 h –1 , respectively, and half-lives at 18.1–92.4 h. Exposure to mixtures of diclofenac, methocarbamol, sulfamethoxazole, and temazepam had little or no influence on the uptake and elimination rates, suggesting independent multiple uptake and disposition behaviors of pharmaceuticals by fish would occur when exposed to effluent-influenced surface waters.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2006

Opportunities and Needs for Mobile-Computing Technology to Support U.S. Geological Survey Fieldwork

To assess the opportunities and needs for mobile-computing technology at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), we conducted an internal, Internet-based survey of bureau scientists whose research includes fieldwork. In summer 2005, 144 survey participants answered 65 questions about fieldwork activities and conditions, technology to support field research, and postfieldwork data processing and analysis. Results suggest that some types of mobile-computing technology are already commonplace, such as digital cameras and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, whereas others are not, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and tablet-based personal computers (tablet PCs). The potential for PDA use in the USGS is high: 97 percent of respondents record field observations (primarily environmental conditions and water-quality data), and 87 percent take field samples (primarily water-quality data, water samples, and sediment/soil samples). The potential for tablet PC use in the USGS is also high: 59 percent of respondents map environmental features in the field, primarily by sketching in field notebooks, on aerial photographs, or on topographic-map sheets. Results also suggest that efficient mobile-computing-technology solutions could benefit many USGS scientists because most respondents spend at least 1 week per year in the field, conduct field sessions that are least 1 week in duration, have field crews of one to three people, and typically travel on foot about 1 mi from their field vehicles. By allowing researchers to enter data directly into digital databases while in the field, mobile-computing technology could also minimize postfieldwork data processing: 93 percent of respondents enter collected field data into their office computers, and more than 50 percent spend at least 1 week per year on postfieldwork data processing. Reducing postfieldwork data processing could free up additional time for researchers and result in cost savings for the bureau. Generally, respondents support greater use of mobile-computing technology at the USGS and are interested in training opportunities and further discussions related to data archiving, access to additional digital data types, and technology development.

Circular↗

USGS2020

Thinking like a consumer: Linking aquatic basal metabolism and consumer dynamics

The increasing availability of high‐frequency freshwater ecosystem metabolism data provides an opportunity to identify links between metabolic regimes, as gross primary production and ecosystem respiration patterns, and consumer energetics with the potential to improve our current understanding of consumer dynamics (e.g., population dynamics, community structure, trophic interactions). We describe a conceptual framework linking metabolic regimes of flowing waters with consumer community dynamics. We use this framework to identify three emerging research needs: (1) quantifying the linkage of metabolism and consumer production data via food web theory and carbon use efficiencies, (2) evaluating the roles of metabolic dynamics and other environmental regimes (e.g., hydrology, light) in consumer dynamics, and (3) determining the degree to which metabolic regimes influence the evolution of consumer traits and phenology. Addressing these needs will improve the understanding of consumer biomass and production patterns as metabolic regimes can be viewed as an emergent property of food webs.

Limnology and Oceanography Letters↗

USGS2017

Spatial and temporal dynamics of suspended particle characteristics and composition in Navigation Pool 19 of the Upper Mississippi River

Suspended particles are an essential component of large rivers influencing channel geomorphology, biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, and food web resources. The Upper Mississippi River is a large floodplain river that exhibits pronounced spatiotemporal variation in environmental conditions and biota, providing an ideal environment for investigating dynamics of suspended particles in large river ecosystems. Here we investigated two questions: (i) How do suspended particle characteristics (e.g. size and morphology) vary temporally and spatially? and (ii) What environmental variables have the strongest association with particle characteristics? Water sampling was conducted in June, August, and September of 2013 and 2014 in Navigation Pool 19 of the Upper Mississippi River. A FlowCAM® (Flow Cytometer and Microscope) particle imaging system was used to enumerate and measure particles 53–300 μm in diameter for size and shape characteristics (e.g. volume, elongation, and symmetry). Suspended particle characteristics varied considerably over space and time and were strongly associated with discharge and concentrations of nitrate + nitrite (NO 3 − ) and soluble reactive phosphorus. Particle characteristics in backwaters were distinct from those in other habitats for most of the study period, likely due to reduced hydrologic connectivity and higher biotic production in backwaters. During low discharge, phytoplankton and zooplankton made up relatively greater proportions of the observed particles. Concurrently during low discharge, concentrations of chlorophyll, volatile suspended solids, and total phosphorus were higher. Our results suggest that there are complex interactions among space, time, discharge, and other environmental variables (e.g. water nutrients), which drive suspended particle dynamics in large rivers.

Mississippi River↗

USGS2020

An interactive data visualization framework for exploring geospatial environmental datasets and model predictions

With the rise of large-scale environmental models comes new challenges for how we best utilize this information in research, management and decision making. Interactive data visualizations can make large and complex datasets easier to access and explore, which can lead to knowledge discovery, hypothesis formation and improved understanding. Here, we present a web-based interactive data visualization framework, the Interactive Catchment Explorer (ICE), for exploring environmental datasets and model outputs. Using a client-based architecture, the ICE framework provides a highly interactive user experience for discovering spatial patterns, evaluating relationships between variables and identifying specific locations using multivariate criteria. Through a series of case studies, we demonstrate the application of the ICE framework to datasets and models associated with three separate research projects covering different regions in North America. From these case studies, we provide specific examples of the broader impacts that tools like these can have, including fostering discussion and collaboration among stakeholders and playing a central role in the iterative process of data collection, analysis and decision making. Overall, the ICE framework demonstrates the potential benefits and impacts of using web-based interactive data visualization tools to place environmental datasets and model outputs directly into the hands of stakeholders, managers, decision makers and other researchers.

Water↗

USGS2004

When synthetic chemicals degrade in the environment: What are the absolute fate, effects, and potential risks to humans and the ecosystem?

Various processes degrade synthetic chemicals—pesticides, pharmaceuticals, biocides, and industrials—in the environment ( 1 , 2 ). Consequently, the environment may be exposed to a mixture of the parent compounds and any resulting degradation products (degradates). Recent advances in analytical methodology and greater access to analytical standards have advanced degradates research ( 3 , 4 ). Specifically, research on pesticides has found degradates in surface water ( 5 – 10 ), groundwater ( 11 – 13 ), precipitation ( 14 – 16 ), air ( 17 , 18 ), and sediment ( 19 , 20 ). Pharmaceuticals and detergent degradates also exist in the environment ( 21 – 23 ). Figure 1 shows that degradates were detected as often as or more frequently than the parent compound. Although some regulatory schemes require information about the impacts of degradates on human and environmental health, that information does not exist for many compounds ( 25 , 26 ). Pesticides are the exception. In this article, we bring together the available data to address the environmental behavior of degradates and their effects on organisms and discuss how to identify substances of potential concern. In addition, we cite gaps in the current knowledge and make recommendations for future research requirements. While the article focuses on pesticides, we believe these observations can be extended to biologically active compounds and some industrial substances.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2023

Stream temperature prediction in a shifting environment: The influence of deep learning architecture

Stream temperature is a fundamental control on ecosystem health. Recent efforts incorporating process guidance into deep learning models for predicting stream temperature have been shown to outperform existing statistical and physical models. This performance is in part because deep learning architectures can actively learn spatiotemporal relationships that govern how water and energy propagate through a river network. However, exploration of how spatiotemporal awareness and process guidance influence a model's generalizability under shifting environmental conditions such as climate change is limited. Here, we use Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to interrogate how differing deep learning architectures affect a model's learned spatial and temporal dependencies, and how those learned dependencies affect a model's ability to maintain high accuracy when applied to unseen environmental conditions. Using the Delaware River Basin in the northeastern United States as a test case, we compare two spatiotemporally aware process-guided deep learning models for predicting stream temperature (a recurrent graph convolution network—RGCN, and a temporal convolution graph model—Graph WaveNet). Both models achieve equally high predictive performance when testing data are well represented in the training data (test root mean squared errors of 1.64°C and 1.65°C); however, Graph WaveNet significantly outperforms RGCN in 4 out of 5 experiments where test partitions represent different types of unseen environmental conditions. XAI results show that the architecture of Graph WaveNet leads to learned spatial relationships with greater fidelity to physical processes, and that this fidelity improves the generalizability of the model when applied to shifting and/or unseen environmental conditions.

Delaware River Basin↗

USGS2020

Reducing water scarcity by improving water productivity in the United States

Nearly one-sixth of U.S. river basins are unable to consistently meet societal water demands while also providing sufficient water for the environment. Water scarcity is expected to intensify and spread as populations increase, new water demands emerge, and climate changes. Improving water productivity by meeting realistic benchmarks for all water users could allow U.S. communities to expand economic activity and improve environmental flows. Here we utilize a spatially detailed database of water productivity to set realistic benchmarks for over 400 industries and products. We assess unrealized water savings achievable by each industry in each river basin within the conterminous U.S. by bringing all water users up to industry- and region-specific water productivity benchmarks. Some of the most water stressed areas throughout the U.S. West and South have the greatest potential for water savings, with around half of these water savings obtained by improving water productivity in the production of corn, cotton, and alfalfa. By incorporating benchmark-meeting water savings within a national hydrological model (WaSSI), we demonstrate that depletion of river flows across Western U.S. regions can be reduced on average by 6.2–23.2%, without reducing economic production. Lastly, we employ an environmentally extended input-output model to identify the U.S. industries and locations that can make the biggest impact by working with their suppliers to reduce water use 'upstream' in their supply chain. The agriculture and manufacturing sectors have the largest indirect water footprint due to their reliance on water-intensive inputs but these sectors also show the greatest capacity to reduce water consumption throughout their supply chains.

Conterminous United States↗

USGS2022

Black carbon dominated dust in recent radiative forcing on Rocky Mountain snowpacks

The vast majority of surface water resources in the semi-arid western United States start as winter snowpack. Solar radiation is a primary driver of snowmelt, making snowpack water resources especially sensitive to even small increases in concentrations of light absorbing particles such as mineral dust and combustion-related black carbon (BC). Here we show, using fresh snow measurements and snowpack modeling at 51 widely distributed sites in the Rocky Mountain region, that BC dominated impurity-driven radiative forcing in 2018. BC contributed three times more radiative forcing on average than dust, and up to 17 times more at individual locations. Evaluation of 2015 to 2018 archived samples from most of the same sites yielded similar results. These findings, together with long-term observations of atmospheric concentrations and atmospheric model studies, indicate that BC rather than dust has dominated radiative forcing by light absorbing impurities on snow for decades, indicating that mitigation strategies to reduce radiative forcing on headwater snow-water resources would need to focus on reducing winter and spring BC emissions.

Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyomin↗