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USGS1987

Results of a workshop concerning ecological zonation in bottomland hardwoods

Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulatory responsibilities concerning the discharge of dredged or fill material into the Nation's waters. In addition to its advisory role in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' permit program, EPA has a number of specific authorities, including formulation of the Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines, use of Section 404(c) to prohibit disposal at particular sites, and enforcement actions for unauthorized discharges. A number of recent court cases focus on the geographic scope of Section 404 jurisdiction in potential bottomland hardwood (BLH) wetlands and the nature of landclearing activities in these areas that require a permit under Section 404. Accordingly, EPA needs to establish the scientific basis for implementing its responsibilities under Section 404 in bottomland hardwoods. EPA is approaching this task through a series of workshops designed to provide current scientific information on bottomland hardwoods and to organize that information in a manner pertinent to key questions, including the following. What are the characteristics of bottomland hardwoods (in terms of hydrology, soils, vegetation, fish, wildlife, agricultural potential, and the like) and how can the functions (e.g., flood storage, water quality maintenance, detrital export) that they perform best be quantified? How do perturbations like landclearing, levee construction, and drainage impact the functions that bottomland hardwoods perform and how can these effects best be quantified? And finally, how significant are the impacts and how is their significance likely to change under various management scenarios? The first workshop in this series was held December 3-7, 1984, in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The workshop was attended by over 40 scientists and regulators (see ACKNOWLEDGMENTS section) and facilitated by the editors of this report under an Interagency Agreement between EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The general objective of the workshop was to examine ways in which the structure and function of BLH ecosystems can be characterized and, in particular, to investigate the utility of a conceptual framework developed at a workshop held in Lake Lanier, Georgia, in 1980. In this framework, the transition from aquatic habitats to upland habitats through a BLH ecosystem is divided into six zones based on concomitant variation in the soil moisture regime and associated vegetation (Table 1). The zonation concept is of particular interest to EPA from at least two perspectives. The first is simply as a framework for organizing information. If the zones are discernible in the field, have recognizable characteristics, and perform identifiable functions, they might form a useful basis for tasks such as assessing the impacts of a particular site-specific activity. The second is the potential utility of the zonation concept in identifying the wetland portions of BLH communities. If the zones can be recognized in the field, and if one or more of them can be shown consistently to have wetland characteristics (i.e., perform functions, such as detrital export, often attributed to wetlands), while others do not, then the zones might have utility in identifying areas that fall under the jurisdiction of Section 404. The workshop itself was divided into two parts. The first was a series of papers in which authors described current research and data-synthesis activities in the context of the zonation concept. The second was a series of six workgroups in which participants discussed the zonation concept from the perspective of hydrology, soils, vegetation, fish, wildlife, and ecosystem processes. This report is a compilation of the written material from those workgroups, much of which was produced at the workshop. The formal papers presented in the first part of the workshop have been distributed to participants under separate cover, but are referenced in this report by citations such as: (Jones, workshop presentation).

Report↗

USGS2010

Predicting coastal cliff erosion using a Bayesian probabilistic model

Regional coastal cliff retreat is difficult to model due to the episodic nature of failures and the along-shore variability of retreat events. There is a growing demand, however, for predictive models that can be used to forecast areas vulnerable to coastal erosion hazards. Increasingly, probabilistic models are being employed that require data sets of high temporal density to define the joint probability density function that relates forcing variables (e.g. wave conditions) and initial conditions (e.g. cliff geometry) to erosion events. In this study we use a multi-parameter Bayesian network to investigate correlations between key variables that control and influence variations in cliff retreat processes. The network uses Bayesian statistical methods to estimate event probabilities using existing observations. Within this framework, we forecast the spatial distribution of cliff retreat along two stretches of cliffed coast in Southern California. The input parameters are the height and slope of the cliff, a descriptor of material strength based on the dominant cliff-forming lithology, and the long-term cliff erosion rate that represents prior behavior. The model is forced using predicted wave impact hours. Results demonstrate that the Bayesian approach is well-suited to the forward modeling of coastal cliff retreat, with the correct outcomes forecast in 70–90% of the modeled transects. The model also performs well in identifying specific locations of high cliff erosion, thus providing a foundation for hazard mapping. This approach can be employed to predict cliff erosion at time-scales ranging from storm events to the impacts of sea-level rise at the century-scale.

Marine Geology↗

USGS1997

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 7 (MORRTH00020007) on Town Highway 2 (FAS 239), crossing Ryder Brook, Morristown, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure MORRTH00020007 on Town Highway 2 crossing Ryder Brook, Morristown, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I investigation provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the Green Mountain section of the New England physiographic province in North-central Vermont. The 18.5-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the surface cover is pasture and forest. In the study area, Ryder Brook generally is straight and incised with a slope of approximately 0.002 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 48 ft and an average channel depth of 3 ft. The channel bed is bedrock with pockets of sand and gravel in several locations through the reach. The gravel has a median grain size (D 50 ) of 17.7 mm (0.0581 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on July 16, 1996 indicated that the reach was stable. The Town Highway 2 crossing of Ryder Brook is a 84-ft-long, two-lane bridge consisting of one 84-foot steel-beam span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, January 31, 1996). The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutment walls with spill-through embankments. The channel is skewed approximately 10 degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is 15 degrees. The only scour protection measure at the site was type-3 stone fill (less than 48 inches diameter) on the spill-through embankments of each abutment. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour predictions for all modelled flows at this site were zero. Abutment scour predictions ranged from 5.6 to 8.1 ft. The worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 500- year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured-streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. However, historical bridge records and field notes indicate the abutment footings may be set on bedrock. It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1995, p. 47). Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont↗

USGS2024

Artificial structure selection by economically important reef fishes at North Carolina artificial reefs

Artificial reefs can play an important role in marine fisheries management by supplementing or enhancing natural habitats. Despite their increased use in recent years, the choice of structures used at artificial reefs remains largely haphazard due to the lack of information on reef structure performance. Few studies have examined the use of different artificial reef structures by individual fish. From 2021-2022, we acoustically tagged 72 black sea bass ( Centropristis striata ), 34 gag ( Mycteroperca mircrolepis ), 27 greater amberjack ( Seriola dumerili ), nine almaco jack ( S. rivoliana ), and eight red snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus ) on four artificial reef complexes near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, U.S. Available artificial reef structures consisted of materials of various sizes and heights made of concrete and metal. We tracked tagged fish using a fine-scale positioning system for ~100 days. Black sea bass exhibited high site fidelity to the artificial structure where we caught them, rarely moving away from that structure. The limited movement resulted in low transition probabilities; we conclude that black sea bass do not select for particular artificial structures. Gag and red snapper moved greater distances away from artificial structures and routinely moved between them. Greater amberjack and almaco jack moved the most within the complexes displaying circling behavior around individual structures and were the only species that regularly moved off the artificial reef complexes. Greater amberjack movements away from artificial sites were most commonly directed to surrounding shipwrecks. Whereas gag, red snapper, almaco jack, and greater amberjack used all available structures, they consistently selected for high relief structures, such as vessels, more than other structures. These results will be useful to managers charged with decisions on what types of structures to place at artificial reef complexes to supplement or enhance habitat for economically important fishes.

North Carolina↗

USGS2016

Surface-air mercury fluxes across Western North America: A synthesis of spatial trends and controlling variables

Mercury (Hg) emission and deposition can occur to and from soils, and are an important component of the global atmospheric Hg budget. This paper focuses on synthesizing existing surface-air Hg flux data collected throughout the Western North American region and is part of a series of geographically focused Hg synthesis projects. A database of existing Hg flux data collected using the dynamic flux chamber (DFC) approach from almost a thousand locations was created for the Western North America region. Statistical analysis was performed on the data to identify the important variables controlling Hg fluxes and to allow spatiotemporal scaling. The results indicated that most of the variability in soil-air Hg fluxes could be explained by variations in soil-Hg concentrations, solar radiation, and soil moisture. This analysis also identified that variations in DFC methodological approaches were detectable among the field studies, with the chamber material and sampling flushing flow rate influencing the magnitude of calculated emissions. The spatiotemporal scaling of soil-air Hg fluxes identified that the largest emissions occurred from irrigated agricultural landscapes in California. Vegetation was shown to have a large impact on surface-air Hg fluxes due to both a reduction in solar radiation reaching the soil as well as from direct uptake of Hg in foliage. Despite high soil Hg emissions from some forested and other heavily vegetated regions, the net ecosystem flux (soil flux + vegetation uptake) was low. Conversely, sparsely vegetated regions showed larger net ecosystem emissions, which were similar in magnitude to atmospheric Hg deposition (except for the Mediterranean California region where soil emissions were higher). The net ecosystem flux results highlight the important role of landscape characteristics in effecting the balance between Hg sequestration and (re-)emission to the atmosphere.

Science of the Total Environment↗

USGS1996

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 57 (BRIDTH00650057) on Town Highway 65, crossing Broad Brook, Bridgewater, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure BRIDTH00650057 on Town Highway 65 crossing Broad Brook, Bridgewater, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). A Level I study is included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I study provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, available from VTAOT files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and can be found in Appendix D. The site is in the Green Mountain physiographic province of central Vermont in the town of Bridgewater. The 26.9-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the US left bank is forested; DS left bank is shrub and brushland; US right bank is lawn and the DS right bank has very little vegetation and is largely coincident with the Ottauquechee River. In the study area, Broad Brook has an incised channel with a slope of approximately 0.0067 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 60 ft and an average channel depth of 3 ft. The predominant channel bed material is gravel (D 50 is 46.2 mm or 0.151 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on October 25, 1994, indicated that the reach was stable. The Town Highway 65 crossing of Broad Brook is a 47-ft-long, one-lane bridge consisting of one 44-ft steel-beam span with a timber deck, supported by vertical concrete abutments with wingwalls on the upstream and downstream sides (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written commun., August, 1994). The US right wingwall and road approach is protected by stone fill. The US and DS right wingwalls and the right abutment are reported as having 1.0 to 1.5 ft of scour at the time of the Level one assessment on 10/25/94. Erosion from road wash affects all road approach embankments. Broad Brook flows into the Ottauquechee River approximately 30 ft downstream of the bridge. The channel approach to the bridge is straight with the bridge skewed 20 degrees to flow and the opening skew-to-roadway is 0 degrees. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1993). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term aggradation or degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to reduction in flow area caused by a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute scour depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 0.4 ft to 1.5 ft and the worst-case contraction scour occurred at the incipient overtopping discharge. Abutment scour ranged from 6.0 ft to 14.6 ft and the worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 100-year discharge. Scour depths and depths to armoring are summarized on p. 14 in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scour elevations, based on the calculated depths are presented in tables 1 and 2; a graph of the scour elevations is presented in figure 8 Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. For all scour presented in this report, “the scour depths adopted [by VTAOT] may differ from the equation values based on engineering judgement” (Richardson and others, 1993, p. 21, 27). It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1993, p. 48). Many factors, including historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic assessment, and the results of the hydraulic analyses, must be considered to properly assess the validity of abutment scour results.

Vermont↗

USGS1996

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 8 (HANCTH00020008) on Town Highway 2, crossing Hancock Branch White River, Hancock, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure HANCTH00020008 on town highway 2 crossing the Hancock Branch White River, Hancock, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). A Level I study is included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I study provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from VTAOT files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and can be found in Appendix D. The site is in the Green Mountain physiographic province of central Vermont in the town of Hancock. The 8.4-mi 2 drainage area is predominantly rural and forested. In the vicinity of this site, the banks have dense woody vegetation coverage. In the study area, the Hancock Branch White River is an incised, sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.038 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 47.0 ft and an average channel depth of 3.0 ft. The predominant channel bed material is cobble (D 50 is 102 mm or 0.336 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on November 16, 1994, indicated that the reach was stable. The town highway 2 crossing of the Hancock Branch White Riveris a 33-ft-long, two-lane bridge consisting of one 30-foot steel-beam span with a concrete deck (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written commun., August 26, 1994). The bridge is supported by steep sloping, cement-grouted, cobble-stone abutments with wingwalls. The channel is skewed approximately ten degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is zero degrees. A scour hole 1.5 ft deeper than the mean thalweg depth was observed along the upstream left wingwall and left abutment during the Level I assessment. The only scour protection measure at the site was type-2 stone fill (less than 36 inches diameter) at the upstream end of the upstream left wingwall. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1993). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term aggradation or degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to reduction in flow area caused by a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute scour depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 0.6 ft to 1.3 ft and the worst-case contraction scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Abutment scour ranged from 9.4 ft to 15.2 ft and the worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Scour depths and depths to armoring are summarized on p. 14 in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scour elevations, based on the calculated depths are presented in tables 1 and 2; a graph of the scour elevations is presented in figure 8 Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. For all scour presented in this report, “the scour depths adopted [by VTAOT] may differ from the equation values based on engineering judgement” (Richardson and others, 1993, p. 21, 27). It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1993, p. 48). Many factors, including historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic assessment, and the results of the hydraulic analyses, must be considered to properly assess the validity of abutment scour results.

Vermont↗

USGS1996

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 34 (RANDTH00660034) on Town Highway 66, crossing Second Branch White River, Randolph, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure RANDTH00660034 on town highway 66 crossing the Second Branch White River, Randolph, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). A Level I study is included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I study provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge available from VTAOT files was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and can be found in Appendix D. The site is in the Green Mountain physiographic division of central Vermont in the town of Randolph. The 51.3-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the left and right banks are covered by fields with some brush on the upstream left and downstream right banks and with row crops on the downstream left overbank. In the study area, the Second Branch White River has a sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.002 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 60 ft and an average channel depth of 7 ft. The predominant channel bed material is sand (D 50 is 1.34 mm or 0.0044 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on August 11, 1994, indicated that the reach was laterally unstable. Channel scour is evident along the left half of the channel from about 30 feet upstream to about 20 feet downstream of the bridge. There is a cut bank with block failures along the left bank upstream of the bridge further indicating instability of the stream reach. The town highway 66 crossing of the Second Branch White Riveris a 57-ft-long, one-lane covered bridge consisting of one 45-foot span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, July 29, 1994). The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutments with one wingwall on the upstream left side. The base of the left abutment was protected by type-1 stone fill (less than 12 inches diameter). The channel is skewed approximately 40 degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is 45 degrees. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1993). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term aggradation or degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to reduction in flow area caused by a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute scour depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 6.3 ft to 7.8 ft and the worst-case contraction scour occurred at the 100-year discharge. Abutment scour ranged from 7.9 ft to 20.3 ft and the worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Scour depths and depths to armoring are summarized on p. 14 in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scour elevations, based on the calculated depths are presented in tables 1 and 2; a graph of the scour elevations is presented in figure 8 Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. For all scour presented in this report, “the scour depths adopted [by VTAOT] may differ from the equation values based on engineering judgement” (Richardson and others, 1993, p. 21, 27). It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1993, p. 48). Many factors, including historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic assessment, and the results of the hydraulic analyses, must be considered to properly assess the validity of abutment scour results.

Vermont↗

USGS2017

Imputation approaches for animal movement modeling

The analysis of telemetry data is common in animal ecological studies. While the collection of telemetry data for individual animals has improved dramatically, the methods to properly account for inherent uncertainties (e.g., measurement error, dependence, barriers to movement) have lagged behind. Still, many new statistical approaches have been developed to infer unknown quantities affecting animal movement or predict movement based on telemetry data. Hierarchical statistical models are useful to account for some of the aforementioned uncertainties, as well as provide population-level inference, but they often come with an increased computational burden. For certain types of statistical models, it is straightforward to provide inference if the latent true animal trajectory is known, but challenging otherwise. In these cases, approaches related to multiple imputation have been employed to account for the uncertainty associated with our knowledge of the latent trajectory. Despite the increasing use of imputation approaches for modeling animal movement, the general sensitivity and accuracy of these methods have not been explored in detail. We provide an introduction to animal movement modeling and describe how imputation approaches may be helpful for certain types of models. We also assess the performance of imputation approaches in two simulation studies. Our simulation studies suggests that inference for model parameters directly related to the location of an individual may be more accurate than inference for parameters associated with higher-order processes such as velocity or acceleration. Finally, we apply these methods to analyze a telemetry data set involving northern fur seals ( Callorhinus ursinus ) in the Bering Sea. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.

Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environme↗

USGS2020

Acoustic Sediment Estimation Toolbox (ASET): A software package for calibrating and processing TRDI ADCP data to compute suspended-sediment transport in sandy rivers

Quantifying suspended-sediment transport is critical for a variety of disciplines related to the management of water resources. However, the number of gauging stations and monitoring networks in most rivers around the world is insufficient to improve understanding of river dynamics and support water resource management decisions. This is mainly due to the high operational costs and intensive labor involved in traditional sediment measurement techniques, especially in sand bed rivers where coarse material varies spatially in the river cross section. Recently, the acoustic surrogate method has received attention as a potentially accurate surrogate technology for estimating suspended-sediment concentrations. In addition, the acoustic surrogate method, through use of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), has the advantage of being able to simultaneously measure the flow velocity field and cross-sectional area when moving-boat measurements are performed. In spite of the important advances made in the implementation of this technique, there are no widely-available, free tools for processing the ADCP acoustic signal cross section measurements which include options to extrapolate velocity and sediment in unmeasured ADCP zones and develop calibrations with physical samples. This paper presents a new software called Acoustic Sediment Estimation Toolbox (ASET), which enables the user to develop a calibration between the acoustic signal collected with a down-looking Teledyne RD Instruments ADCP and sediment concentrations determined using traditional sediment sampling techniques. Moreover, ASET software uses dynamic ADCP measurements to estimate the total suspended-sediment transport through a river cross section. The theoretical framework and data processing routines applied by each module in ASET are presented. Finally, a comparison is made between the results obtained by ASET and by traditional methodologies for computing suspended-sediment transport in a large river system (Paraná River, Argentina).

Computers & Geosciences↗

USGS2001

Nitrogen release from rock and soil under simulated field conditions

A laboratory study was performed to simulate field weathering and nitrogen release from bedrock in a setting where geologic nitrogen has been suspected to be a large local source of nitrate. Two rock types containing nitrogen, slate (1370 mg N kg-1) and greenstone (480 mg N kg-1), were used along with saprolite and BC horizon sand from soils derived from these rock types. The fresh rock and weathered material were used in batch reactors that were leached every 30 days over 6 months to simulate a single wet season. Nitrogen was released from rock and soil materials at rates between 10-20 and 10-19 mo1 N cm-2 s-1. Results from the laboratory dissolution experiments were compared to in situ soil solutions and available mineral nitrogen pools from the BC horizon of both soils. Concentrations of mineral nitrogen (NO3- + NH4+) in soil solutions reached the highest levels at the beginning of the rainy season and progressively decreased with increased leaching. This seasonal pattern was repeated for the available mineral nitrogen pool that was extracted using a KCl solution. Estimates based on these laboratory release rates bracket stream water NO3-N fluxes and changes in the available mineral nitrogen pool over the active leaching period. These results confirm that geologic nitrogen, when present, may be a large and reactive pool that may contribute as a non-point source of nitrate contamination to surface and ground waters. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical Geology↗

USGS1968

Application of ultraviolet reflectance and stimulated luminescence to the remote detection of natural materials

Carbonate rocks and evaporite deposits commonly exhibit relatively high reflectance in the ultraviolet (<3600A), and some outcrops of these materials are selectively shown on ultraviolet imagery. Other materials which are commonly strongly imaged on ultraviolet imagery and photography include water, snow, concrete, and metallic objects, particularly aluminum. Outdoor tests of an active ultraviolet imaging system have demonstrated the feasibility of imaging ultraviolet stimulated luminescence of such minerals as talc, dolomite, and deweylite along quarry faces from distances of several hundred feet. The system features a cathode ray tube transmitter, an image dissector receiver, and a video monitor on which the distribution of luminescent material is imaged as the outcrop is scanned. A pulsed ultraviolet laser emitting at 3371A has been used successfully in the laboratory to stimulate phosphorescence of selected rock and mineral specimens and to discriminate between them on the basis of decay time which ranges from less than three to more than 10 microseconds. Initial results suggest that sodic feldspars have longer decay periods than calcic feldspars. Some granites also appear to have decay periods significantly different from other types of granite in the same locality. Outdoor tests with a high-resolution grating spectrometer were successful in detecting luminescent materials by means of the so-called "Fraunhofer line-depth method". This method is advantageous because it uses the sun so an ultraviolet source and therefore ifs independent of low-powered artificial sources such as cathode ray tubes, lasers, and mercury vapor lamps„ A Fraunhofer line- discriminator suitable for aircraft operation has been constructed, and initial on-the- ground tests are being performed on Rhodamine WT, a luminescent dye used by hydrologists and oceanographers in studies of current dynamics in streams and estuaries.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2019

Soil aggregates as a source of dissolved organic carbon to streams: An experimental study on the effect of solution chemistry on water extractable carbon

Over the past two decades, headwater streams of the northern hemisphere have shown increased amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), coinciding with decreased acid deposition. The exact nature of the mechanistic link between precipitation composition and stream water DOC is still widely debated in the literature. We hypothesize that soil aggregates are the main source of stream water DOC and that DOC release is greater in organic rich, riparian soils vs. hillslope soils. To test these hypotheses, we collected soils from two main landscape positions (hillslope and riparian zones) from the acid-impacted Sleepers River Research Watershed in northeastern Vermont. We performed aqueous soil extracts with solutions of different ionic strength (IS) and composition to simulate changes in soil solution. We monitored dynamic changes in soil particle size, aggregate architecture and composition, leachate DOC concentrations, dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics by fluorescence spectroscopy and trends in bioavailability. In low IS solutions, extractable DOC concentrations were significantly higher, particle size (by laser diffraction) was significantly smaller and organic material was separated from mineral particles in scanning electron microscope observations. Furthermore, higher DOC concentrations were found in Na + compared to Ca 2+ solutions of the same IS. These effects are attributed to aggregate dispersion due to expanding diffuse double layers in decreased IS solutions and to decreased bridging by divalent cations. Landscape position impacted quality but not quantity of released DOC. Overall, these results indicate that soil aggregates might be one important link between Critical Zone inputs (i.e., precipitation) and exports in streams.

Vermont↗

USGS1989

Comparison of several analytical methods for the determination of tin in geochemical samples as a function of tin speciation

Accurate and precise determinations of tin in geological materials are needed for fundamental studies of tin geochemistry, and for tin prospecting purposes. Achieving the required accuracy is difficult because of the different matrices in which Sn can occur (i.e. sulfides, silicates and cassiterite), and because of the variability of literature values for Sn concentrations in geochemical reference materials. We have evaluated three methods for the analysis of samples for Sn concentration: graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HGA-AAS) following iodide extraction, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. Two of these methods (HGA-AAS and ICP-OES) required sample decomposition either by acid digestion or fusion, while the third (EDXRF) was performed directly on the powdered sample. Analytical details of all three methods, their potential errors, and the steps necessary to correct these errors were investigated. Results showed that similar accuracy was achieved from all methods for unmineralized samples, which contain no known Sn-bearing phase. For mineralized samples, which contain Sn-bearing minerals, either cassiterite or stannous sulfides, only EDXRF and fusion ICP-OES methods provided acceptable accuracy. This summary of our study provides information which helps to assure correct interpretation of data bases for underlying geochemical processes, regardless of method of data collection and its inherent limitations. ?? 1989.

Chemical Geology↗

USGS1996

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 46 (CHELTH00680046) on Town Highway 68, crossing the First Branch of the White River, Chelsea, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure CHELTH00680046 on town highway 68 crossing the First Branch of the White River, Chelsea, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I investigation provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the Green Mountain section of the New England physiographic province of central Vermont in the town of Chelsea. The 58.2-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the banks have dense woody vegetation coverage. In the study area, the First Branch of the White River has a sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.0054 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 92 ft and an average channel depth of 4 ft. The predominant channel bed material is gravel and cobble (D 50 is 52.7 mm or 0.173 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on November 16, 1994, indicated that the reach was stable. The town highway 68 crossing of the First Branch of the White River is a 61-ft-long, onelane covered bridge with a 52-foot clear-span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written commun., August 26, 1994). The bridge is supported by vertical, stone abutments with a concrete wingwall on the downstream right. The left abutment is laid-up stone supported by concrete at the upstream and downstream ends of the laid-up stone abutment. The channel is skewed approximately 40 degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is 15 degrees. A scour hole 1.5 ft deeper than the mean thalweg depth was observed under the bridge during the Level I assessment. The scour protection measures in place at the site were type- 2 stone fill (less than 36 inches diameter) at the road approach embankments except the downstream left embankment which had no protection. The upstream right road embankment, impacted by the channel bend, has an extensive covering of stone fill for erosion protection. Type-3 stone fill (less than 48 inches diameter) was noted along the right abutment. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 0.9 to 2.6 ft. The worst-case contraction scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Abutment scour ranged from 14.3 to 24.0 ft. The worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured-streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. The left abutment sits atop a bedrock outcrop. The results of the calculated scour depths will be limited by the bedrock. It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1995, p. 47). Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont↗

USGS1980

Side-scan sonograph data from eastern Rhode Island Sound and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts

Two hundred twenty-four kilometers of closely spaced side-scan sonograph data have been collected from eastern Rhode Island Sound and Vineyard Sound, Mass., by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the New England Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These data were obtained during the August 1976 cruise of the B./V A. E. VERRILL as part of a continuing regional study of the Massachusetts offshore area to determine the suitability and potential environmental effect of ocean dumping of large volumes of harbor dredge-spoil material. Specifically, as part of a proposed Federal Harbor improvement and maintenance dredging of Fall River and Mt. Hope Bay, Mass. under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers, the disposal of the resultant dredge spoil is planned for an ocean dump site located in eastern Rhode Island Sound. The proposed site is also under consideration as a "regional" disposal grounds to be utilized by State and private organizations performing dredging work authorized by the Corps. The data were obtained by using a Klein Side Scan Towfish* (sonar frequency, 100 kHz; pulse length, 0.1 msec). Signal returns from the starboard and port scans were automatically tuned, texture-enhanced, and printed centerout on 2 channels of a 3-channel Klein* wet-paper graphic recorder. Scan ranges of 75 m and 150 m were used. For comparison of graphic display, incoming signals from the starboard scan were also recorded on the third channel using a manual (nonautomatic) tuning mode. Navigational control was provided by Loran -C (positional accuracy within 0.2 km). Positional information was logged at 15-minute intervals and at major course changes. The original records may be examined at the Data Library, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA 02543. Microfilm copies of the data are available for purchase from the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center (NGSDC), Boulder, CO 80302.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2020

Dilution and propagation of provenance trends in sand and mud: Geochemistry and detrital zircon geochronology of modern sediment from central California (U.S.A.)

Integrated, multi-method provenance studies of siliciclastic sedimentary deposits are increasingly used to reconstruct the history of source-to-sink transport, paleogeography, and tectonics. Invariably, analysis of large-scale depositional systems must confront issues regarding how to best sample the system and adequately cope with the details of sediment mixing. Potential biases including variations in grain size, sediment flux, and zircon concentration may cause provenance tracking tools to misrepresent the contributions of source-areas that contribute to large drainage networks. We have acquired U-Pb detrital zircon data from modern sand and whole rock geochemistry from mud sampled from the Sacramento-San Joaquin drainage of central California to elucidate conditions that can skew provenance trends along the course of a major river system. This drainage network is fed by headwaters that tap the Mesozoic pluton-dominated southern Sierra Nevada, the Paleozoic-Mesozoic wallrock and volcanic-dominated northern Sierra Nevada, the ultramafic-dominated eastern Klamath Mountains, and the intermediate to mafic Cascades volcanic arc. Analysis of the results indicates that detrital zircon provenance trends effectively record source variations for the southern, granite-dominated portion of the drainage network where contrasts in lithology and inferred zircon fertility are relatively minor. In these circumstances, mixture modeling of U-Pb detrital zircon data calibrated with a measure of zircon fertility approximates relative sediment flux contributed by individual drainages. Alternatively, in the northern parts of the system, source regions underlain by ultramafic and /or volcanic rocks are poorly represented, or entirely missing, in down-stream detrital zircon records. In some cases, mud geochemistry data more faithfully represents sediment provenance trends. Sampling performed at the confluence of the Sacramento, American, Mokolumne, and San Joaquin rivers within the Sacramento Delta region yields a detrital zircon age distribution that is indistinguishable from that of an independently established database of Sierra Nevada batholith crystallization ages. However, when the combined river flows along a recently established passage to the Pacific through the San Francisco Bay region, dredged sediment is found to be significantly contaminated by locally eroded material from the Franciscan Complex and other rocks that crop out within the Coast Ranges. Large variation of Zr concentrations measured throughout the Bay area document that significant hydrodynamic fractionation impacts sediment delivery through this segment of the system. The more Sierra Nevada-like detrital zircon age distribution yielded by a piston-core sample from the continental slope may be explained by either early-stage unroofing of the Coast Ranges or more efficient sand delivery from the delta to the Pacific by a free flowing river driven by a low stand in sea level.

California↗

USGS2007

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation 15.—Methods of phase II and III well installation and development and results of well logging, hydraulic testing, and water-level measurements in the Red River Valley, New Mexico, 2002-04

In April 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey and the New Mexico Environment Department began a cooperative study to infer the pre-mining ground-water chemistry at the Molycorp molybdenum mine site in the Red River Valley of north- central New Mexico. This report is one in a series of reports that can be used to determine pre-mining ground-water conditions at the mine site. Weathering of hydrothermally altered bedrock in the study area has resulted in steep, highly erosive, and sparsely vegetated scar areas that are clearly visible from the ground and in aerial photographs. Runoff from intense summer rainfall over tributary drainages containing scar areas can transport large quantities of sediment and form debris fans where these tributaries join the Red River. Twenty-nine observation wells were installed in three phases as part of this study in the Red River Valley and tributary drainages. Eight Phase II observation wells were drilled using an air-rotary/hammer rig. Three Phase II and 10 phase III small-diameter wells were installed using a direct-push rig. Lithologic logs were recorded for all eight Phase II drilled wells. Borehole geophysical logging (including natural gamma, induction, and single-detector neutron) was conducted in three Phase II wells. Aquifer tests conducted during 2003 to estimate the hydraulic properties of debris-flow and Red River alluvial deposits in and near Straight Creek included a flow-meter survey, slug tests, and a pumping test. Results of a flow-meter survey in well SC-7A indicated that about 77 percent of the water entered the well from a 10-foot-thick zone near the top of the screened interval and about 23 percent of the water entered the well from a 15-foot-thick zone near the bottom of the screened interval. Slug tests, performed in 11 wells during June 3-5, 2003, indicated that the mean and median estimated hydraulic conductivities for debris-flow deposits were 15.25 and 15.35 feet per day, respectively, for bedrock were 0.12 and 0.08 feet per day, respectively, and for mixed debris flow and Red River alluvium were 73-207 (estimated range) and 80 feet per day. In general, bedrock has the smallest hydraulic conductivity, debris-flow material has the next highest hydraulic conductivity, and mixed debris flow and Red River alluvium has the largest hydraulic conductivity. A pumping test conducted December 3-4, 2003, using well AWWT-1 as the pumped well, and wells AWWT-2, SC-5A, SC-5B, SC-7A, and SC-8A as observation wells, indicated estimated transmissivity of 12,000 to 34,000 feet squared per day and estimated hydraulic conductivity of 230 to 340 feet per day. Water-level measurements in wells SC-6A, SC-7A, SC-8A, and the Hottentot, Hansen, and La Bobita wells show that water levels typically rose rapidly during melting of the winter snowpack in the springtime and then generally declined during the rest of the year. The water-level rise in response to spring snowmelt occurred earlier and was smaller at larger distances from the Red River. Differences between the stage in the Red River and water levels in wells SC-8A and SC-9A, and the absence of water in well SC-9A at the time of well completion, indicate that the Red River has a poor hydraulic connection to the underlying ground-water system and the surface-water system is perched above the ground-water system at this site. Water levels in Phase III wells indicate that the Red River and the shallow ground-water system are connected hydraulically from near wells 4-1D and 4-1S downstream to near wells 2-1 and 2-2 but are poorly connected near the La Bobita well and well 1.

New Mexico↗