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At least 919 records · Page 51Linked to original sources
USGS2008

Relating groundwater to seasonal wetlands in southeastern Wisconsin, USA

Historically, drier types of wetlands have been difficult to characterize and are not well researched. Nonetheless, they are considered to reflect the precipitation history with little, if any, regard for possible relation to groundwater. Two seasonal coastal wetland types (wet prairie, sedge meadow) were investigated during three growing seasons at three sites in the Lake Michigan Basin, Wisconsin, USA. The six seasonal wetlands were characterized using standard soil and vegetation techniques and groundwater measurements from the shallow and deep systems. They all met wetland hydrology criteria (e.g., water within 30 cm of land surface for 5% of the growing season) during the early portion of the growing season despite the lack of appreciable regional groundwater discharge into the wetland root zones. Although root-zone duration analyses did not fit a lognormal distribution previously noted in groundwater-dominated wetlands, they were able to discriminate between the plant communities and showed that wet prairie communities had shorter durations of continuous soil saturation than sedge meadow communities. These results demonstrate that the relative rates of groundwater outflows can be important for wetland hydrology and resulting wetland type. Thus, regional stresses to the shallow groundwater system such as pumping or low Great Lake levels can be expected to affect even drier wetland types. ?? Springer-Verlag 2008.

Hydrogeology Journal↗
USGS2006

Carbon dioxide emissions from vegetation-kill zones around the resurgent dome of Long Valley caldera, eastern California, USA

A survey of diffuse CO 2 efflux, soil temperature and soil-gas chemistry over areas of localized vegetation-kill on and around the resurgent dome of Long Valley caldera California was performed to evaluate the premise that gaseous and thermal anomalies are related to renewed intrusion of magma. Some kill sites are long-lived features and others have developed in the past few years. Total anomalous CO 2 emissions from the thirteen areas average around 8.7 t per day; but the majority of the emissions come from four sites west of the Casa Diablo geothermal power plant. Geochemical analyses of the soil-gases from locations west and east of the plant revealed the presence of isobutane related to plant operations. The δ 13 C values of diffuse CO 2 range from − 5.7‰ to − 3.4‰, similar to values previously reported for CO 2 from hot springs and thermal wells around Long Valley. At many of the vegetation-kill sites soil temperatures reach boiling at depths ≤ 20 cm. Soil temperature/depth profiles at two of the high-emissions areas indicate that the conductive thermal gradient in the center of the areas is around 320 °C m − 1 . We estimate total heat loss from the two areas to be about 6.1 and 2.3 MW. Given current thinking on the rate of hydrothermal fluid flow across the caldera and using the CO 2 concentration in the thermal fluids, the heat and CO 2 loss from the kill areas is easily provided by the shallow hydrothermal system, which is sourced to the west of the resurgent dome. We find no evidence that the development of new areas of vegetation kill across the resurgent dome are related to new input of magma or magmatic fluids from beneath the resurgent dome. Our findings indicate that the areas have developed as a response to changes in the shallow hydrologic system. Some of the changes are likely related to fluid production at the power plant, but at distal sites the changes are more likely related to seismicity and uplift of the dome.

California↗
USGS1991

Disturbance effects on aquatic vegetation in regulated and unregulated lakes in northern Minnesota

The effects of water-level regulation on aquatic macrophyte communities were investigated by comparing two regulated lakes in northern Minnesota with a nearby unregulated lake (Lac La Croix). Natural annual fluctuations of about 1.8 m were replaced with fluctuations of 1.1 m and 2.7 m in the regulated lakes, and the timing of water-level changes was also altered. Quadrats were sampled along transects that followed depth contours representing different plant habitats in the unregulated lake. Ordinations showed that the macrophyte communities at all sampled depths of the regulated lakes differed from those in the unregulated lake. The unregulated lake supported structurally diverse plant communities at all depths. In the lake with reduced fluctuations, only four taxa were present along transects that were never dewatered; all were erect aquatics that extended through the entire water column. In the lake with increased fluctuations, rosette and mat-forming species dominated transects where drawdown occurred in early winter and disturbance resulted from ice formation in the sediments. The natural hydrologic regime at the unregulated lake resulted in intermediate disturbance and high diversity. There was either too little or too much disturbance from water-level fluctuations in the regulated lakes, both resulting in reduced structural diversity.

Canadian Journal of Botany↗
USGS2006

The influence of fall-spawning coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) on growth and production of juvenile coho salmon rearing in beaver ponds on the Copper River Delta, Alaska

This study examined the influence of fall-spawning coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) on the density, growth rate, body condition, and survival to outmigration of juvenile coho salmon on the Copper River Delta, Alaska, USA. During the fall of 1999 and 2000, fish rearing in beaver ponds that received spawning salmon were compared with fish from ponds that did not receive spawners and also with fish from ponds that were artificially enriched with salmon carcasses and eggs. The response to spawning salmon was variable. In some ponds, fall-spawning salmon increased growth rates and improved the condition of juvenile coho salmon. The enrichment with salmon carcasses and eggs significantly increased growth rates of fish in nonspawning ponds. However, there was little evidence that the short-term growth benefits observed in the fall led to greater overwinter growth or survival to outmigration when compared with fish from the nonspawning ponds. One potential reason for this result may be that nutrients from spawning salmon are widely distributed across the delta because of hydrologic connectivity and hyporheic flows. The relationship among spawning salmon, overwinter growth, and smolt production on the Copper River Delta does not appear to be limited entirely to a simple positive feedback loop. ?? 2006 NRC.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS2018

Groundwater modeling

The state of the science and practice in groundwater modeling brings to mind highly sophisticated computer models that are running in parallel on many multi-processor machines. These models are expected to incorporate many different processes of both saturated and unsaturated groundwater flow and transport and possibly the media to which it connects, like surface waters and the atmosphere. We are increasingly aware we cannot study groundwater flow in isolation if we are to make useful predictions of, for instance, the impacts of climate change on the groundwater regime. We have come a long way. Today we are no longer limited to equations for flow toward a well, perhaps near an infinitely long straight canal (method of images), to sandbox models in the laboratory, or to simple steady state models of flow in a single aquifer. We now have computer models that solve groundwater flow and transport in multi-aquifer settings under transient conditions and with a user-friendly graphical user interface that allows widespread use. Additionally, multi-media models are now leaving the research environment and becoming available to mainstream consultants. So in that sense the science of groundwater modeling has matured. The practice of groundwater modeling, however, has also matured. We have come to realize that model output, being a necessary simplification of an unknowably complex natural world, has inherent limitations. That is, a model of reality is not reality itself. There is uncertainty associated with all facets of our model—parameterization, aquifer geometry and discretization, boundary conditions, and future hydrologic drivers such as future pumping regimes and climates. Today a model is now more appropriately seen as a tool that provides a quantitative framework to make supportable forecasts rather than an oracle that gives us all the answers. In this chapter we set out to briefly review the state of the science and practice in modeling. In doing so, we augment existing assessments from the journal Groundwater (e.g., Hunt and Zheng 2012; Langevin and Panday 2012; Molz 2017a,b; White 2017), specifically in terms of modeling approach. An effective modeling approach is critical. If a modeler does not decompose the societal problem correctly, the model will not be fit-for-purpose, no matter how sophisticated the code’s capabilities. Moreover, capabilities of codes will be ever improving; good modeling practices have a timelessness that is more robust. How best to decompose the problem and provide models that are accepted? We lay out here some approaches for today’s applied groundwater modeling. Specifically, we suggest: (1) a step-wise modeling process; (2) including a two-dimensional areal model within this process; (3) keeping abreast of industry standards; and (4) ways to increase acceptance of the models we produce.

Book chapter↗
USGS1965

Mathematical models of catchment behavior

After an examination of trends in the modeling of hydrologic systems, a review of some recent studies is given. The authors' preliminary studies on the feasibility and efficiency of the automatic evaluation of catchment model parameters by use of a digital computer are described and some results presented.

Journal of the Hydraulics Division↗
USGS2021

Capturing the transient hydrological response in sandy soils during a rare cloudburst associated with shallow slope failures; A case study in the Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, USA

A cloudburst on 7 August 2018 in the coastal bluffs of the Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, induced flooding, erosion and multiple shallow slope failures that adversely affected the surrounding hillside residential area. Historically, short-duration deluges are rare in the New York Bay region, with only eight cloudbursts of greater magnitude documented since 1948. The coastal bluffs consist of a variably thick, sandy surficial material overlying flat-lying, mostly non-indurated Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, including some low-permeability glauconitic units. The bluffs have been affected by both historical deep-seated and shallow landslide movement, the latter typically related to heavy, relatively long-duration rainfall associated with tropical cyclones and nor'easters. The shallow hydrological response during the rare cloudburst was captured at two hydrological monitoring sites and yielded insights into rapidly changing moisture conditions resulting in slope failure. Additional information is provided on historical cloudbursts that have affected the region, antecedent moisture conditions, and documented landslide types and processes.

New Jersey↗
USGS2019

Phosphorus and the Chesapeake Bay: Lingering issues and emerging concerns for agriculture

Hennig Brandt's discovery of phosphorus (P) occurred during the early European colonization of the Chesapeake Bay region. Today, P, an essential nutrient on land and water alike, is one of the principal threats to the health of the bay. Despite widespread implementation of best management practices across the Chesapeake Bay watershed following the implementation in 2010 of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) to improve the health of the bay, P load reductions across the bay's 166,000‐km 2 watershed have been uneven, and dissolved P loads have increased in a number of the bay's tributaries. As the midpoint of the 15‐yr TMDL process has now passed, some of the more stubborn sources of P must now be tackled. For nonpoint agricultural sources, strategies that not only address particulate P but also mitigate dissolved P losses are essential. Lingering concerns include legacy P stored in soils and reservoir sediments, mitigation of P in artificial drainage and stormwater from hotspots and converted farmland, manure management and animal heavy use areas, and critical source areas of P in agricultural landscapes. While opportunities exist to curtail transport of all forms of P, greater attention is required toward adapting P management to new hydrologic regimes and transport pathways imposed by climate change.

Delaware, Maryland, Virginia↗
USGS2015

Classification of ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial stream reaches using a TOPMODEL-based approach

Whether a waterway is temporary or permanent influences regulatory protection guidelines, however, classification can be subjective due to a combination of factors, including time of year, antecedent moisture conditions, and previous experience of the field investigator. Our objective was to develop a standardized protocol using publicly available spatial information to classify ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial streams. Our hypothesis was that field observations of flow along the stream channel could be compared to results from a hydrologic model, providing an objective method of how these stream reaches can be identified. Flow-state sensors were placed at ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial stream reaches from May to December 2011 in the Appalachian coal basin of eastern Kentucky. This observed flow record was then used to calibrate the simulated saturation deficit in each channel reach based on the topographic wetness index used by TOPMODEL. Saturation deficit values were categorized as flow or no-flow days, and the simulated record of streamflow was compared to the observed record. The hydrologic model was more accurate for simulating flow during the spring and fall seasons. However, the model effectively identified stream reaches as intermittent and perennial in each of the two basins.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
USGS2011

Modeled sources, transport, and accumulation of dissolved solids in water resources of the southwestern United States

Information on important source areas for dissolved solids in streams of the southwestern United States, the relative share of deliveries of dissolved solids to streams from natural and human sources, and the potential for salt accumulation in soil or groundwater was developed using a SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes model. Predicted area‐normalized reach‐catchment delivery rates of dissolved solids to streams ranged from <10 (kg/year)/km 2 for catchments with little or no natural or human‐related solute sources in them to 563,000 (kg/year)/km 2 for catchments that were almost entirely cultivated land. For the region as a whole, geologic units contributed 44% of the dissolved‐solids deliveries to streams and the remaining 56% of the deliveries came from the release of solutes through irrigation of cultivated and pasture lands, which comprise only 2.5% of the land area. Dissolved‐solids accumulation is manifested as precipitated salts in the soil or underlying sediments, and (or) dissolved salts in soil‐pore or sediment‐pore water, or groundwater, and therefore represents a potential for aquifer contamination. Accumulation rates were <10,000 (kg/year)/km 2 for many hydrologic accounting units (large river basins), but were more than 40,000 (kg/year)/km 2 for the Middle Gila, Lower Gila‐Agua Fria, Lower Gila, Lower Bear, Great Salt Lake accounting units, and 247,000 (kg/year)/km 2 for the Salton Sea accounting unit.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New M↗
USGS2011

Response in the trophic state of stratified lakes to changes in hydrology and water level: potential effects of climate change

To determine how climate-induced changes in hydrology and water level may affect the trophic state (productivity) of stratified lakes, two relatively pristine dimictic temperate lakes in Wisconsin, USA, were examined. Both are closed-basin lakes that experience changes in water level and degradation in water quality during periods of high water. One, a seepage lake with no inlets or outlets, has a small drainage basin and hydrology dominated by precipitation and groundwater exchange causing small changes in water and phosphorus (P) loading, which resulted in small changes in water level, P concentrations, and productivity. The other, a terminal lake with inlets but no outlets, has a large drainage basin and hydrology dominated by runoff causing large changes in water and P loading, which resulted in large changes in water level, P concentrations, and productivity. Eutrophication models accurately predicted the effects of changes in hydrology, P loading, and water level on their trophic state. If climate changes, larger changes in hydrology and water levels than previously observed could occur. If this causes increased water and P loading, stratified (dimictic and monomictic) lakes are expected to experience higher water levels and become more eutrophic, especially those with large developed drainage basins.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1999

Sea-level rise and coastal forests on the Gulf of Mexico

In this report, we review literature pertaining to the response of coastal forests on the Gulf of Mexico to sea-level rise. The report is divided into chapters that discuss effects of sea-level rise on non-mangrove forests, effects of sea-level rise on mangrove forests, and responses of Gulf coast trees to increased flooding and salinity. An assessment of the extent of coastal forest likely to be affected by sea-level rise in the near future is beyond the scope of this report. Chapter 1 discusses sea-level effects on non-mangrove forests of the Gulf of Mexico including descriptions of how coastlines and, therefore, coastal forests have changed through the Holo~ene, a discussion of how coastal geomorphology and hydrology may affect interactions of coastal forest with sea-level rise, and an evaluation of the role that hurricanes might play in coastal forest retreat. Literature on geological changes throughout the Holocene is not fully reviewed; sufficient information is given to place current rates of coastal forest retreat into historical perspective. Similarly, effects of hurricanes on coastal forests are not fully reviewed. Information that is pertinent to the role of hurricanes in coastal forest retreat and to the effects of hurricanes on the forest's interaction with sea level is presented. For more extensive reviews of hurricane effects on coastal forests of the Caribbean and the southeastern United States, the reader is referred to issues of BioScience (1994, Vol 44, no. 4), Biotropica (1991, "Special Issue: Ecosystem, Plant, and Animal Responses to Hurricanes in the Caribbean", Vol. 23, No. 4, Part A) and the Journal of Coastal Research (1991, "Impacts of Hurricane Hugo, Special Issue No. 8; and 1995, "Imprcts of Hurricane Andrew on the Coastal Zones of Florida and Louisiana: 22-26 August 1992", Special Issue No. 21). Selected pertinent information from Virginia, South and North Carolina has been included in this review, because much of our knowledge of coastal forest response to hurricanes, salinity and flooding comes from the Atlantic coast. These areas are floristically similar to the northern Gulf of Mexico. Species distribution of coastal forest trees and shrubs on the Gulf of Mexico are listed in Appendix 1. Extensive research has been conducted on the responses of individual tree species to increased salinity and flooding. Synthesis of this research, although very important for evaluating effects of sea-level rise and various hydrological modifications on coastal forest, is beyond the scope of this review. These studies are included as an annotated bibliography (Appendix 2). Selected field studies on tree responses to changes in hydrology and salinity (impoundments, drainage, etc.) are referenced in Appendix 3. A review of mangrove response to sea-level rise is included in Chapter 2. Mangrove forests are discussed in the context of Holocene changes in geomorphology. Predictions of the fate of mangroves in the face of future sea-level rise, as well as a review of factors that affect interactions between mangroves and sea-level rise are discussed. Selected references from outside the United States are included, because much of our knowledge of how mangroves react to sea-level rise comes from other tropical areas of the world. A discussion of hurricane effects on the mangroves of south Florida highlights gaps in our knowledge of how hurricanes affect responses of mangrove vegetation to sea-level rise there. Mangrove responses to temperature and elevated CO2 are briefly mentioned. These factors, as well as sea level, are expected to change in the future and may affect mangrove distribution.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2001

Ecosystem processes and nitrogen export in northern U.S. watersheds.

There is much interest in the relationship of atmospheric nitrogen (N) inputs to ecosystem outputs as an indicator of possible "nitrogen saturation" by human activity. Longer-term, ecosystem-level mass balance studies suggest that the relationship is not clear and that other ecosystem processes may dominate variation in N outputs. We have been studying small, forested watershed ecosystems in five northern watersheds for periods up to 35 years. Here I summarize the research on ecosystem processes and the N budget. During the past 2 decades, average wet-precipitation N inputs ranged from about 0.1 to 6 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) among sites. In general, sites with the lowest N inputs had the highest output-to-input ratios. In the Alaska watersheds, streamwater N output exceeded inputs by 70 to 250%. The ratio of mean monthly headwater nitrate (NO3-) concentration to precipitation NO3- concentration declined with increased precipitation concentration. A series of ecosystem processes have been studied and related to N outputs. The most important appear to be seasonal change in hydrologic flowpath, soil freezing, seasonal forest-floor inorganic N pools resulting from over-winter mineralization beneath the snowpack, spatial variation in watershed forest-floor inorganic N pools, the degree to which snowmelt percolates soils, and gross soil N mineralization rates.

Scientific World Journal↗
USGS2025

Influence of local river hydraulics on Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) habitat selection during four spawning years, 2017–2020

Understanding fine-scale habitat selection of endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus ) is an important component for monitoring and recovery efforts. Fine-scale habitat selection and quantifying temporal changes in suitable habitat contributes to the work of addressing recruitment failure within the Kootenai River population. Habitat suitability indices were developed using over 96 000 acoustic telemetry sturgeon detections and two-dimensional hydrodynamic model simulations near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, USA. The selected habitat was assessed to develop habitat suitability indices for sturgeon; females undergoing spawn migrations and non-spawners. The most frequented locations were 8–9 m deep and water velocities of 0.3–0.7 m·s −1 . These observations suggest sturgeon with different spawning capabilities selected similar habitat. Weighted usable area was calculated to understand temporal variability in habitat quality, which showed a positive relationship with increases in flow. Results help understand the habitat limiting factors in regulated hydrologic regimes; provide biologists insight for monitoring efforts in discrete habitat conditions; guidance for water managers and the regulation of upstream water resources; and guidance to restoration practitioners for in-stream structure designs.

Idaho↗
USGS2022

From data to interpretable models: Machine learning for soil moisture forecasting

Soil moisture is critical to agricultural business, ecosystem health, and certain hydrologically driven natural disasters. Monitoring data, though, is prone to instrumental noise, wide ranging extrema, and nonstationary response to rainfall where ground conditions change. Furthermore, existing soil moisture models generally forecast poorly for time periods greater than a few hours. To improve such forecasts, we introduce two data-driven models, the Naive Accumulative Representation (NAR) and the Additive Exponential Accumulative Representation (AEAR). Both of these models are rooted in deterministic, physically based hydrology, and we study their capabilities in forecasting soilmoisture over time periods longer than a fewhours. Learned model parameters represent the physically based unsaturated hydrological redistribution processes of gravity and suction. We validate our models using soil moisture and rainfall time series data collected from a steep gradient, post-wildfire site in southern California. Data analysis is complicated by rapid landscape change observed in steep, burned hillslopes in response to even small to moderate rain events. The proposed NAR and AEAR models are, in forecasting experiments, shown to be competitive with several established and state-of-the-art baselines. The AEAR model fits the data well for three distinct soil textures at variable depths below the ground surface (5, 15, and 30 cm). Similar robust results are demonstrated in controlled, laboratory-based experiments. Our AEAR model includes readily interpretable hydrologic parameters and provides more accurate forecasts than existing models for time horizons of 10–24 h. Such extended periods of warning for natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, provide actionable knowledge to reduce loss of life and property.

International Journal of Data Science and Analytic↗
USGS2008

Global daily reference evapotranspiration modeling and evaluation

Accurate and reliable evapotranspiration (ET) datasets are crucial in regional water and energy balance studies. Due to the complex instrumentation requirements, actual ET values are generally estimated from reference ET values by adjustment factors using coefficients for water stress and vegetation conditions, commonly referred to as crop coefficients. Until recently, the modeling of reference ET has been solely based on important weather variables collected from weather stations that are generally located in selected agro-climatic locations. Since 2001, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) has been producing six-hourly climate parameter datasets that are used to calculate daily reference ET for the whole globe at 1-degree spatial resolution. The U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science has been producing daily reference ET (ETo) since 2001, and it has been used on a variety of operational hydrological models for drought and streamflow monitoring all over the world. With the increasing availability of local station-based reference ET estimates, we evaluated the GDAS-based reference ET estimates using data from the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS). Daily CIMIS reference ET estimates from 85 stations were compared with GDAS-based reference ET at different spatial and temporal scales using five-year daily data from 2002 through 2006. Despite the large difference in spatial scale (point vs . ∼100 km grid cell) between the two datasets, the correlations between station-based ET and GDAS-ET were very high, exceeding 0.97 on a daily basis to more than 0.99 on time scales of more than 10 days. Both the temporal and spatial correspondences in trend/pattern and magnitudes between the two datasets were satisfactory, suggesting the reliability of using GDAS parameter-based reference ET for regional water and energy balance studies in many parts of the world. While the study revealed the potential of GDAS ETo for large-scale hydrological applications, site-specific use of GDAS ETo in complex hydro-climatic regions such as coastal areas and rugged terrain may require the application of bias correction and/or disaggregation of the GDAS ETo using downscaling techniques.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
USGS2011

A perspective on nonstationarity and water management

This essay offers some perspectives on climate-related nonstationarity and water resources. Hydrologists must not lose sight of the many sources of nonstationarity, recognizing that many of them may be of much greater magnitude than those that may arise from climate change. It is paradoxical that statistical and deterministic approaches give us better insights about changes in mean conditions than about the tails of probability distributions, and yet the tails are very important to water management. Another paradox is that it is difficult to distinguish between long-term hydrologic persistence and trend. Using very long hydrologic records is helpful in mitigating this problem, but does not guarantee success. Empirical approaches, using long-term hydrologic records, should be an important part of the portfolio of research being applied to understand the hydrologic response to climate change. An example presented here shows very mixed results for trends in the size of the annual floods, with some strong clusters of positive trends and a strong cluster of negative trends. The potential for nonstationarity highlights the importance of the continuity of hydrologic records, the need for repeated analysis of the data as the time series grow, and the need for a well-trained cadre of scientists and engineers, ready to interpret the data and use those analyses to help adjust the management of our water resources.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗