Three-year investigation of mosquito breeding in natural and impounded tidal marshes in Delaware
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Technical Bulletin↗
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Restoration of Wolves in North America
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Technical Review↗
Acidic Depositions: Effects on Wildlife and Habitats
The phenomenon of 'acid rain' is not new; it was recognized in the mid-1800s in industrialized Europe. In the 1960s a synthesis of information about acidification began in Europe, along with predictions of ecological effects. In the U.S. studies of acidification began in the 1920s. By the late 1970s research efforts in the U.S. and Canada were better coordinated and in 1980 a 10-year research program was undertaken through the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Plan (NAPAP) to determine the causes and consequences of acidic depositions. Much of the bedrock in the northeastern U.S. and Canada contains total alkalinity of <200 ?eq 1-1, thus, it lacks acid-neutralizing capacity. In the U.S. about 5% of the land area and in Canada about 43 % of the land area is sensitive to acidic depositions. Further, these areas receive >20 kg/ha/yr of wet sulphate depositions and are vulnerable to acidifying processes. Acidic depositions contribute directly to acidifying processes of soil and soil water. Soils must have sufficient acid-neutralizing capacity or acidity of soil will increase. Natural soil-forming processes that lead to acidification can be accelerated by acidic depositions. Long-term effects of acidification are predicted, which will reduce soil productivity mainly through reduced availability of nutrients and mobilization of toxic metals. Severe effects may lead to major alteration of soil chemistry, soil biota, and even loss of vegetation. Several species of earthworms and several other taxa of soil-inhabiting invertebrates, which are important food of many vertebrate wildlife species, are affected by low pH in soil. Loss of canopy in declining sugar maples results in loss of insects fed on by certain neotropical migrant bird species. No definitive studies categorically link atmospheric acidic depositions with direct or indirect effects on wild mammals. Researchers have concentrated on vegetative and aquatic effects. Circumstantial evidence suggests that effects are probable for certain species of aquatic-dependent mammals (water shrew, mink, and otter) and that these species are at risk from the loss of foods or contamination of these foods by metals, especially methylmercury. Continued acidification of terrestrial habitats, to the extent that earthworm populations are broadly reduced, might expose some fossorial mammalian species to risk because of decline in their major prey species. Acidic deposition affects primarily aquatic habitats of avian species by disrupting food webs (ecological effects) and increasing amounts of available heavy metals (mercury, aluminum, cadmium) in prey of avian species (toxicological effects). The ecological effects of acidifying wetlands are to reduce acid-intolerant prey (invertebrates) and to change prey quality from high-calcium bearing prey to low-calcium bearing prey. The toxicological effects are to increase contamination by heavy metals, especially methylated mercury, in foods of breeding waterbirds. The combination of these 2 types of effects results in potentially lower survival of adults and reduced production, growth, or survival of young of many bird species. Effects of acidification on herpteofauna and their habitats are mainly reproductive failure of susceptible species and reduced or metal-contaminated foods for both amphibians and reptiles.
Wildlife Society Technical Review↗
Field guide to the nonindigenous marine fishes of Florida
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Florida↗
Population biology of yellow perch in southern Lake Michigan, 1971-79
This study was based mainly on gill-net collections of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) made during July and August 1971-79, in southern Lake Michigan at Grand Haven, Saugatuck, South Haven, Benton Harbor, and New Buffalo, Michigan; Michigan City and Gary, Indiana; Waukegan, Illinois; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Abundance of yellow perch was above the 1971-79 average in 1971 and 1972, below average in 1979, and about average or in doubt in the other years. Abundance during 1976-79 was greatest at Saugatuck and decreased more or less progressively from Saugatuck southward and around the southern end of the lake. The geographical differences in abundance were attributable partly to differences in fishing mortality. Average lengths of fish caught were greatest at Saugatuck, and generally greater in Michigan waters than in other areas; they were greater for females than for males. Fish sampled ranged in age from I to IX, but 88% of the males and 81% of the females were of ages II-V. Older perch were generally more common in State of Michigan waters, particularly at Saugatuck, than elsewhere. Females grew faster than males after the second year of life. Average lengths of males and females at the end of 3 years were 197 and 214 mm, respectively, in Michigan waters and 186 and 195 mm in Indiana-Illinois (few perch were caught in Wisconsin). The relation of weight (W) to length (L) for combined sexes was W = 2.6761(10-6) x L3.2644. Perch in southeastern Lake Michigan spawned mainly from late May to mid June. Virtually all males were mature in their second year, but some females not until their fourth year. Perch 174 to 355 mm long contained 9, 300 to 136, 000 eggs. Approximate mortalities of males and females in Michigan waters were 52% and 48%, respectively; rates were higher in Indiana-Illinois.
Lake Michigan↗
Development and application of downscaled hydroclimatic predictor variables for use in climate vulnerability and assessment studies
This paper outlines the production of 270-meter grid-scale maps for 14 climate and derivative hydrologic variables for a region that encompasses the State of California and all the streams that flow into it. The paper describes the Basin Characterization Model (BCM), a map-based, mechanistic model used to process the hydrological variables. Three historic and three future time periods of 30 years (1911–1940, 1941–1970, 1971–2000, 2010–2039, 2040–2069, and 2070–2099) were developed that summarize 180 years of monthly historic and future climate values. These comprise a standardized set of fine-scale climate data that were shared with 14 research groups, including the U.S. National Park Service and several University of California groups as part of this project. We present three analyses done with the outputs from the Basin Characterization Model: trends in hydrologic variables over baseline, the most recent 30-year period; a calibration and validation effort that uses measured discharge values from 139 streamgages and compares those to Basin Characterization Model-derived projections of discharge for the same basins; and an assessment of the trends of specific hydrological variables that links historical trend to projected future change under four future climate projections. Overall, increases in potential evapotranspiration dominate other influences in future hydrologic cycles. Increased potential evapotranspiration drives decreasing runoff even under forecasts with increased precipitation, and drives increased climatic water deficit, which may lead to conversion of dominant vegetation types across large parts of the study region as well as have implications for rain-fed agriculture. The potential evapotranspiration is driven by air temperatures, and the Basin Characterization Model permits it to be integrated with a water balance model that can be derived for landscapes and summarized by watershed. These results show the utility of using a process-based model with modules representing different hydrological pathways that can be inter-linked.
California↗
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Pine Valley drainage basin, Millard, Beaver, and Iron counties, Utah
The Pine Valley drainage basin is an area of about 730 square miles (1,890 square kilometres) in Millard, Beaver, and Iron Counties in southwestern Utah. Total annual precipitation in the basin averages about 410,000 acre-ft (acre-feet) or 506 hm 3 (cubic hectometres). Less than 500 acre-ft (0.6 hm 3 ) of runoff reaches the playa on the lowest part of the valley floor. There is no surface outflow from the basin. All streams are ephemeral except in short headwater reaches of a few streams where perennial or intermittent ground-water discharge sustains flow. Surface-water development and use in the basin are insignificant.
Utah↗
Bedrock aquifers of eastern San Juan County, Utah
This study is one of a series of studies appraising the waterbearing properties of the Navajo Sandstone and associated formations in southern Utah. The stu<¥ area is al:x>dy area is about 4,600 square miles, extending from the Utah-Arizona State line northward to the San Juan-Grand County line and westward from the Utah-Colorado State line to the longitude of about 109°50'. Some of the water-yielding formations are grouped into aquifer systems. The C aquifer is comprised of the DeChelly Sandstone Member of the Cutler Formation. The P aquifer is comprised of the Cedar Mesa Member of the Cutler Formation and the undifferentiated Cutler Formation. The N aquifer is comprised of the sedimentary section that includes the Wingate Sandstone, Kayenta Formation, Navajo Sandstone, Carmel Formation, and Entrada sandstone. The M aquifer is comprised of the Bluff Sandstone Member and other sandstone units of the Morrison Formation. The D aquifer is comprised of the Burro Canyon Formation and Dakota Sandstone. Discharge from the ground-water reservoir to the San Juan River between gaging stations at Four Corners and Mexican Hat is about 66 cubic feet per second. The N aquifer is the main aquifer in the study area. Recharge by infiltration of precipitation is estimated to be 25,000 acre-feet per year. A major ground-water divide exists under the broad area east of Monticello. The thickness of the N aquifer, where the sedimentary section is fully preserved and saturated, generally is 750 to 1,250 feet. Hydraulic conductivity values obtained from aquifer tests range from 0.02 to 0.34 foot per day. The total volume of water in transient storage is about 11 million acre-feet. Well discharge somewhat exceeded 2,340 acre-feet during 1981. Discharge to the San Juan River from the N aquifer is estimated to be 6.9 cubic feet per second. Water quality ranges from a calcium bicarbonate to sodium chloride type water
Utah↗
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Dugway Valley-Government Creek area, West-Central Utah
The Dugway Valley-Government Creek area covers about 890 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) in west-central Utah. Total annual precipitation on the area averages about 380,000 acre-feet (470 cubic hectometers). Most streams are ephemeral except for a few in their upper reaches--all are ephemeral below the altitude of about 6,000 feet (1,830 meters). Surface-water development and use in the area are insignificant.
Utah↗
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Tule Valley drainage basin, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah
The Tule Valley drainage basin is an area of about 940 square miles in Juab and Millard Counties in west-central Utah. Precipitation in the basin averages about 8 inches annually. There is no surface outflow and all streams are ephemeral. Annual runoff averages about 0.09 inch. Because there is no sustained runoff, and flow is local and infrequent, reservoirs do not provide dependable water supplies. Ground-water recharge from precipitation in the basin is estimated to average 7,600 acre-feet annually. Discharge, principally by evapotranspiration, averages about 40,000 acre-feet annually. Subsurface inflow from adjacent areas is estimated to average about 32,000 acre-feet annually.
Utah↗
Hydrology of the Beaver Valley area, Beaver County, Utah, with emphasis on ground water
Beaver Valley includes 534 square miles in southwestern Utah, in the Basin and Range physiographic province. The project area consists of a valley plain underlain by unconsolidated to partly consolidated material. The valley plain is bounded by mountains that are composed of partly consolidated to consolidated rocks of Pennsylvanian through Tertiary age except for local thin unconsolidated surficial deposits of Quaternary age. The water needs of the valley are supplied mainly by four streams rising in the Tushar Mountains along the eastern side of the valley and by wells in the unconsolidated to partly consolidated materials of the valley plain. The objectives of this study were (1) to measure and analyze the discharge/recharges rates and (2) to measure and analyze the total amount of water in storage in the ground-water reservoirs.
Utah↗
Seepage study of the Sevier River and the Central Utah, McIntyre, and Leamington Canals, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah
A study of the gains or losses of the Sevier River and the Central Utah, McIntyre, and Leamington Canals in the Leamington area, in Juab and Millard Counties, Utah, was made to determine changes in those reaches. Three to seven sets of seepage measurements made during 1980 were used in the analysis. Adjustments for fluctuations in flow were made from information obtained from water-stage recorders operated at selected locations during the time of each seepage run. The study showed an overall net gain of about 9 cubic feet per second (0.25 cubic meter per second) in the Sevier River and about 1.3 cubic feet per second (0.04 cubic meter per second) in the Leamington Canal. It also showed a net loss of about 1 cubic feet per second (0.20 cubic meter per second) in the Central Utah Canal and about 0.8 cubic foot per second (0.02 cubic meter per second) in the McIntyre Canal. The gains in the Sevier River and Leamington Canal probably come chiefly as return seepage of water lost from the Central Utah and McIntyre Canals.
Utah↗
Reconnaissance of the quality of surface water in the San Rafael River basin, Utah
The water-quality reconnaissance of the San Rafael River basin, Utah, encompassed an area of about 2,300 square miles (5,960 square kilometers). Data were obtained by the U.S. Geological Survey one or more times at 116 sites from June 1977 to September 1978. At 19 other sites visited during the same period, the streams were dry. Precipitation and stream discharge were significantly less than normal during 1977 and ranged from less than to more than normal during 1978. Exposed rocks in the San Rafael River basin range in age from Permian to Holocene. The Carmel Formation of Jurassic age and various members of the Mancos Shale of Cretaceous age are major contributors of dissolved solids to streams in the basin. There are eight major reservoirs having a total usable capacity of 115, 000 acre-feet (142 cubic hectometers); seven are mainly for irrigation supply; one, having a usable capacity of 30,530 acre-feet (38 cubic hectometers), is for power plant water supply. From about April to November, major diversions from Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks nearly deplete the flow downstream; during such periods, downstream flow in these streams and in the San Rafael River is mainly irrigation-return flow and some ground-water seepage. The water at the points of major diversion on Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks is of excellent quality for irrigation; salinity hazard is low to medium, and sodium hazard is low. Dissolved-solids concentrations are less than 500 milligrams per liter. The water at the mouths of Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks has markedly larger dissolved-solids concentrations than does the water upstream from major diversions. The changes in the chemical quality occur in stream reaches that cross a belt of land 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 kilometers) wide where the Mancos Shale is widely exposed. This also is the area where nearly all the intensive irrigation in the San Rafael River basin is practiced. There are no perennial tributaries to the San Rafael River downstream from Ferron Creek. Except during infrequent short periods of runoff from cloudbursts or snowmelt, the flow in the San Rafael River is composed of the flow that reaches the mouths of Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks. The quality of water in the mainstem of the San Rafael River is largely determined by the major consumptive use of water for irrigation in upstream areas and by the poor quality of irrigation-return flow. During the data-collection periods for this study, dissolved-solids concentrations in the San Rafael River were more than 2,000 milligrams per liter except during snowmelt runoff in June 1978 and during a major flood in August 1977. The concentrations of trace elements, with the exception of strontium, were relatively small; strontium concentrations exceeded 1,500 micrograms per liter at seven sites. Most of the suspended-sediment discharge of the San Rafael River probably occurs during a few days each year and results mainly from cloudburst runoff.
Utah↗
Reconnaissance of water quality in the Duchesne River basin and some adjacent drainage areas, Utah
A water-quality reconnaissance in the Duchesne River basin and some adjacent drainage areas, Utah, covered an area of about 4,400 square miles (11,400 square kilometres)--about 4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometres) in the Duchesne River basin and the remainder in the drainage areas of Pariette Draw and Pelican Lake. Data were obtained by the U.S. Geological Survey one or more times at 108 sites during the period March 1973 to September 1974 and by the Geological Surveyor other Federal agencies at 49 other sites during earlier years.
Utah↗
Aquifer tests of the Navajo Sandstone near Caineville, Wayne County, Utah
Ground water in the Navajo Sandstone near Caineville, Wayne County, Utah, was studied during 1975-77 as part of an investigation of water in bedrock in the lower Dirty Devil River basin area. The purpose of the study near Caineville was to determine the water-bearing properties of the Navajo by utilizing data obtained mainly during test drilling and aquifer testing by the Intermountain Power Project.
Utah↗
Hydrologic evaluation of Ashley Valley, northern Uinta basin area, Utah
The water resources of the northern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado, were studied during 1971-74. Ashley Valley was evaluated in slightly greater detail than the general area, in order to assess the general relation of ground- and surface-water supplies. In Ashley Valley , the principal source of both irrigation supply and ground-water recharge is the flow from Ashley Creek canyon . Ground-water recharge to the valley fill, however, is mainly from canal and field losses along the west side of the valley. The permeability of the fill in most places is high, and water-level records indicate rapid changes in storage in response to the annual applications of irrigation water. Prior to the distribution of water from Steinaker Reservoir, the short runoff season led to a brief, intense irrigation period that was followed by a long period of post-irrigation drainage. After the reservoir began operation, smaller applications of water were made during a longer season, and ground-water levels rose in parts of the valley , mainly the lower areas. Despite local water-level rises, no perennially gaining reaches of the canals were observed. The amount of ground water available from storage in Ashley Valley is estimated to be 50,000-75,000 acre-feet (62-92 cubic hectometres), or enough water to supply irrigation in the valley for a maximum of 2 years. The ground-water storage varies annually about 10 percent and has not changed significantly. Ground water is discharged from Ashley Valley both by seepage back to Ashley Creek and by evapotranspiration . Evapotranspiration of surface and ground water has increased by an estimate 20 percent above the 48,000 acre-feet (59 cubic hectometers) determined for pre-reservoir conditions. As a result, the water that flows from Ashley Valley has been degraded in chemical quality. The water from Ashley Creek canyon is fresh . Mixing of snowmelt and base flow in Steinaker Reservoir yields a water of more uniform quality; but despite some concentration by evaporation from the reservoir, the outflow from the reservoir is fresh. Ground water in most of the valley is fresh , but the water increases in dissolved-solids concentration toward the south and east as a result of both evapotranspiration and solution of minerals from the valley fill and soils .
Utah↗
Ground-water conditions in the upper Virgin River and Kanab Creek basins area, Utah, with emphasis on the Navajo sandstone
The upper Virgin River and Kanab Creek basins area occupies parts of Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties in south-central Utah. It includes about 1,300 square miles (3,370 square kilometers) in the upper Virgin River basin and about 650 square miles (1,680 square kilometers) in the upper Kanab Creek basin. The area is sparsely populated with Kanab (population about 1,400 in 1975) being the largest community. Although the area is largely agricultural, it is known to contain large coal reserves with potential for development.
Utah↗