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At least 937 records · Page 52Linked to original sources
USGS2024

Abiotic and biotic factors related to growth of non-native Walleyes in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho

Objective Growth is one of the primary drivers of fish population dynamics and understanding factors influencing growth is vital to effective management of fish populations. This study investigated potential factors influencing growth of a recently established, non-native population of Walleye Sander vitreus in the Lake Pend Oreille system in northern Idaho. Methods We used relative growth index to describe growth of Walleyes relative to populations across North America. Mixed‐effects modeling was used to relate growth to abiotic (i.e., mean summer water temperature, river inflow) and biotic (i.e., kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka abundance and biomass; opossum shrimp Mysis diluviana density) variables. Models were ranked using Akaike's information criterion corrected for small sample size. Individual variability in growth was related to diet represented by stable isotopes (i.e., δ 15 N, δ 13 C) using linear regression for age‐1, age‐2, age‐3, and age‐5 individuals. Subsequently, for each age‐class, we evaluated differences in δ 15 N and δ 13 C between fast‐growing (i.e., 75th and higher percentiles of growth) and slow‐growing (i.e., 25th and lower percentiles of growth) individuals. Results The relative growth index suggested that Walleye grew fast relative to other populations, particularly those at similar latitudes to the Lake Pend Oreille system. Mixed-effects regression modeling indicated that growth of Walleyes was positively associated with temperature as well as abundance and biomass of kokanee; growth was negatively associated with inflow from the Clark Fork River and Mysis diluviana density. The top model explaining growth of Walleyes contained temperature and abundance of kokanee as environmental variables. The second equally plausible (i.e., within 2 AICc) model contained temperature. Growth of Walleyes varied among individuals. Generally, fast-growing Walleyes had higher δ15N than slow-growing Walleyes. Similarly, δ13C was more depleted in the fast-growing individuals for all age classes, except age 1, suggesting that age-1 individuals used higher proportions of littoral prey items compared to other age classes. Conclusion This study showed that kokanee abundance and temperature appeared to be important factors influencing growth of Walleyes in the Lake Pend Oreille system. Additionally, variability in growth appeared to be related to variability in diet, particularly for age-1 Walleyes. Impact statement Growth of Walleyes has been extensively studied, yet few studies have evaluated growth of Walleyes in novel systems or assessed individual variability in growth. Our research adds to the understanding of individual variability in growth and factors influencing population dynamics of non-native Walleyes.

Idaho↗
USGS2007

A new towed platform for the unobtrusive surveying of benthic habitats and organisms

Maps of coral ecosystems are needed to support many conservation and management objectives, as well as research activities. Examples include ground-truthing aerial and satellite imagery, characterizing essential habitat, assessing changes, and monitoring the progress of restoration efforts. To address some of these needs, the U.S. Geological Survey developed the Along-Track Reef-Imaging System (ATRIS), a boat-based sensor package for mapping shallow-water benthic environments. ATRIS consists of a digital still camera, a video camera, and an acoustic depth sounder affixed to a moveable pole. This design, however, restricts its deployment to clear waters less than 10 m deep. To overcome this limitation, a towed version has been developed, referred to as Deep ATRIS. The system is based on a light-weight, computer-controlled, towed vehicle that is capable of following a programmed diving profile. The vehicle is 1.3 m long with a 63-cm wing span and can carry a wide variety of research instruments, including CTDs, fluorometers, transmissometers, and cameras. Deep ATRIS is currently equipped with a high-speed (20 frames · s-1) digital camera, custom-built light-emitting-diode lights, a compass, a 3-axis orientation sensor, and a nadir-looking altimeter. The vehicle dynamically adjusts its altitude to maintain a fixed height above the seafloor. The camera has a 29° x 22° field-of-view and captures color images that are 1360 x 1024 pixels in size. GPS coordinates are recorded for each image. A gigabit ethernet connection enables the images to be displayed and archived in real time on the surface computer. Deep ATRIS has a maximum tow speed of 2.6 m · s-1and a theoretical operating tow-depth limit of 27 m. With an improved tow cable, the operating depth can be extended to 90 m. Here, we present results from the initial sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico and Biscayne National Park, Florida, USA, and discuss the utility of Deep ATRIS for map-ping coral reef habitats. Several example mosaics illustrate the high-quality imagery that can be obtained with this system. The images also reveal the potential for unobtrusive animal observations; fish and sea turtles are unperturbed by the presence of Deep ATRIS

Florida↗
USGS2002

Complex earthquake rupture and local tsunamis

In contrast to far-field tsunami amplitudes that are fairly well predicted by the seismic moment of subduction zone earthquakes, there exists significant variation in the scaling of local tsunami amplitude with respect to seismic moment. From a global catalog of tsunami runup observations this variability is greatest for the most frequently occurring tsunamigenic subduction zone earthquakes in the magnitude range of 7 < M w < 8.5. Variability in local tsunami runup scaling can be ascribed to tsunami source parameters that are independent of seismic moment: variations in the water depth in the source region, the combination of higher slip and lower shear modulus at shallow depth, and rupture complexity in the form of heterogeneous slip distribution patterns. The focus of this study is on the effect that rupture complexity has on the local tsunami wave field. A wide range of slip distribution patterns are generated using a stochastic, self-affine source model that is consistent with the falloff of far-field seismic displacement spectra at high frequencies. The synthetic slip distributions generated by the stochastic source model are discretized and the vertical displacement fields from point source elastic dislocation expressions are superimposed to compute the coseismic vertical displacement field. For shallow subduction zone earthquakes it is demonstrated that self-affine irregularities of the slip distribution result in significant variations in local tsunami amplitude. The effects of rupture complexity are less pronounced for earthquakes at greater depth or along faults with steep dip angles. For a test region along the Pacific coast of central Mexico, peak nearshore tsunami amplitude is calculated for a large number ( N = 100) of synthetic slip distribution patterns, all with identical seismic moment ( M w = 8.1). Analysis of the results indicates that for earthquakes of a fixed location, geometry, and seismic moment, peak nearshore tsunami amplitude can vary by a factor of 3 or more. These results indicate that there is substantially more variation in the local tsunami wave field derived from the inherent complexity subduction zone earthquakes than predicted by a simple elastic dislocation model. Probabilistic methods that take into account variability in earthquake rupture processes are likely to yield more accurate assessments of tsunami hazards.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS2021

Microbial and viral indicators of pathogens and human health risks from recreational exposure to waters impaired by fecal contamination

Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (e.g., fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli , and enterococci) have been used for decades to monitor for and protect the public from waterborne pathogens from fecal contamination. However, FIB may not perform well at predicting the presence of waterborne pathogens or human health outcomes from recreational exposure to fecal-contaminated surface waters. Numerous factors can influence the relationship between FIB and pathogens or human health outcomes, including the source(s) of contamination, the type of pathogen(s) present, differences in the survival and behavior of FIB and pathogens in the wastewater conveyance and treatment process, and varying environmental conditions. As a result, different indicators, such as source-specific microbial source tracking (MST) markers and viral fecal indicators, have been used as possible surrogates to better approximate pathogen abundance and human health risks in recreational waters. The performance of these alternative indicators has been mixed, with some promise of viral indicators better approximating viral pathogens than bacterial fecal indicators, and FIB generally more closely associated with bacterial and protozoal pathogen presence than human MST markers. Many of the assays to detect and quantify fecal indicators and pathogens are polymerase chain reaction-based assays, which detect and quantify nucleic acid [deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)] sequences specific to a target of interest. Recent advances in DNA and RNA sequencing technologies may push the field toward metabarcoding approaches, where multiple targets can be detected and quantified simultaneously. Metabarcoding is currently more applicable to bacterial and protozoal assessments than viral assessments based on a lack of universal metabarcoding markers for viruses. Innovative technologies, such as biosensors and nanotechnologies, may provide more sensitive and accurate tools to detect and quantify pathogens. When a specific pathogen is of concern for a recreational water body, a practical approach in estimating the likelihood of human health outcomes is the application of quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs). Quantitative microbial risk assessments can be used to model the likelihood of pathogen-specific human health outcomes from recreational exposure as a function of a surrogate indicator. Inputs for QMRAs include the ratio between the indicator to be monitored and the pathogen of interest, the concentration of the indicator, the amount of water ingested, and the likelihood of the health outcome based on the estimated amount of pathogen consumed. There are numerous unknowns about the behavior and survival of fecal indicators and pathogens in environmental waters. Developing accurate models to predict pathogen concentrations from fecal indicators in recreational waters will require a better understanding of these unknowns. Current methods and technologies for detecting and quantifying fecal indicators and pathogens are limited due to the rare and patchy nature of pathogens. Technological advances may help improve sensitivity for detecting and quantifying pathogens.

Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environm↗
USGS2005

Anatahan, Northern Mariana Islands: Reconnaissance geological observations during and after the volcanic crisis of spring 1990, and monitoring prior to the May 2003 eruption

Anatahan island is 9.5 km east–west by 3.5 km north–south and truncated by an elongate caldera 5 km east–west by 2.5 km north–south. A steep-walled pit crater ∼1 km across and ∼200 m deep occupies the eastern part of the caldera. The island is the summit region of a mostly submarine stratovolcano. The oldest subaerial rocks (stage 1) are exposed low on the outer flanks and in the caldera walls. These include thick (∼10 m) and thin (2–3 m) lava flows, well-indurated tuffs, and scoria units that make up the bulk of the island. Rock compositions range from basaltic andesite to dacite, and most are plagioclase-phyric. On the steep north and south flanks of the volcano, these rocks are cut by numerous east–west-oriented, few-hundred-m-long lineaments of undetermined origin. Indurated breccias unconformably overlie scarps cut into stage 1 units low on the south flank. Intermediate-age eruptive units (stage 2) include caldera-filling lava flows and pyroclastic deposits and, on the outer flanks, vents and valley-filling lava flows. The youngest pre-2003 volcanic unit on Anatahan (stage 3) is a hydromagmatic surge and fall deposit rich in accretionary lapilli. Prior to 2003, this unit was found over almost the entire island, and in many places original depositional surfaces and outcrops could be found in high-energy environments along the coast, indicating a young (but undetermined) age. During reconnaissance visits in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 2001, geothermal activity (fumaroles as well as pits with boiling, sediment-laden pools) was observed in the southern part of the pit crater. In March and April 1990, increased local seismicity, a large regional earthquake, and reported increased fumarolic activity in the pit crater prompted evacuation of Anatahan village, at the west end of the island. Our first field investigation took place in late April 1990 to assess the level of volcanic unrest, conduct reconnaissance geological observations, collect rock and geothermal water samples, and set up a geophysical monitoring network. Results at this time were inconclusive with respect to determining whether the activity was anomalous. Water in some of the geothermal pits within the pit crater was boiling, and pH values as low as 0.7 were recorded in the field. An electronic distance measurement (EDM) network was installed, and over a ∼1-week period, up to 9 cm of extension occurred across some lines but not others. Seismicity was characterized by intermittent local earthquakes but no sustained swarms or tremor. A brief visit in June 1990 revealed that the shallow lake near the boiling pits was gone, but activity in the pits themselves was similar to that of April 1990. Only minor extension had occurred along a single EDM line since the previous visit, and no earthquakes >M2.5 occurred during the visit. Subsequent 1- to 2-day visits occurred in October 1990, May 1992, May 1994, and June 2001. Activity within the geothermal pits was relatively constant during every visit, although during this 11-year period the level of the water in each pit decreased. In June 2001, a ∼50-m-wide region of mud pots and steaming ground in the central part of the geothermal area had developed. No geologic evidence, however, suggested that an eruption would occur < 2 years afterward. Most of the EDM lines showed slight extension between late 1990 and 1992, followed by very gradual contraction from 1992 to 2001. A more extensive seismic-monitoring system was installed on the Northern Mariana Islands during these visits, and it recorded a small seismic swarm at Anatahan from May to July 1993. The telemetry component of the seismic equipment broke prior to 2001 and had not been repaired by the time of the May 2003 eruption, so no precursory seismic data were recorded to indicate pre-eruption unrest.

Northern Mariana Islands↗
USGS2014

High-resolution delineation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds in a dipping, fractured mudstone: depth- and strata-dependent spatial variability from rock-core sampling

Synthesis of rock-core sampling and chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC) analysis at five coreholes, with hydraulic and water-quality monitoring and a detailed hydrogeologic framework, was used to characterize the fine-scale distribution of CVOCs in dipping, fractured mudstones of the Lockatong Formation of Triassic age, of the Newark Basin in West Trenton, New Jersey. From these results, a refined conceptual model for more than 55 years of migration of CVOCs and depth- and strata-dependent rock-matrix contamination was developed. Industrial use of trichloroethene (TCE) at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) from 1953 to 1995 resulted in dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) TCE and dissolved TCE and related breakdown products, including other CVOCs, in underlying mudstones. Shallow highly weathered and fractured strata overlie unweathered, gently dipping, fractured strata that become progressively less fractured with depth. The unweathered lithology includes black highly fractured (fissile) carbon-rich strata, gray mildly fractured thinly layered (laminated) strata, and light-gray weakly fractured massive strata. CVOC concentrations in water samples pumped from the shallow weathered and highly fractured strata remain elevated near residual DNAPL TCE, but dilution by uncontaminated recharge, and other natural and engineered attenuation processes, have substantially reduced concentrations along flow paths removed from sources and residual DNAPL. CVOCs also were detected in most rock-core samples in source areas in shallow wells. In many locations, lower aqueous concentrations, compared to rock core concentrations, suggest that CVOCs are presently back-diffusing from the rock matrix. Below the weathered and highly fractured strata, and to depths of at least 50 meters (m), groundwater flow and contaminant transport is primarily in bedding-plane-oriented fractures in thin fissile high-carbon strata, and in fractured, laminated strata of the gently dipping mudstones. Despite more than 18 years of pump and treat (P&T) remediation, and natural attenuation processes, CVOC concentrations in aqueous samples pumped from these deeper strata remain elevated in isolated intervals. DNAPL was detected in one borehole during coring at a depth of 27 m. In contrast to core samples from the weathered zone, concentrations in core samples from deeper unweathered and unfractured strata are typically below detection. However, high CVOC concentrations were found in isolated samples from fissile black carbon-rich strata and fractured gray laminated strata. Aqueous-phase concentrations were correspondingly high in samples pumped from these strata via short-interval wells or packer-isolated zones in long boreholes. A refined conceptual site model considers that prior to P&T remediation groundwater flow was primarily subhorizontal in the higher-permeability near surface strata, and the bulk of contaminant mass was shallow. CVOCs diffused into these fractured and weathered mudstones. DNAPL and high concentrations of CVOCs migrated slowly down in deeper unweathered strata, primarily along isolated dipping bedding-plane fractures. After P&T began in 1995, using wells open to both shallow and deep strata, downward transport of dissolved CVOCs accelerated. Diffusion of TCE and other CVOCs from deeper fractures penetrated only a few centimeters into the unweathered rock matrix, likely due to sorption of CVOCs on rock organic carbon. Remediation in the deep, unweathered strata may benefit from the relatively limited migration of CVOCs into the rock matrix. Synthesis of rock core sampling from closely spaced boreholes with geophysical logging and hydraulic testing improves understanding of the controls on CVOC delineation and informs remediation design and monitoring.

New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania↗
USGS2004

Limnological and climatic environments at Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon during the past 45 000 years

Upper Klamath Lake, in south-central Oregon, contains long sediment records with well-preserved diatoms and lithological variations that reflect climate-induced limnological changes. These sediment archives complement and extend high resolution terrestrial records along a north-south transect that includes areas influenced by the Aleutian Low and Subtropical High, which control both marine and continental climates in the western United States. The longest and oldest core collected in this study came from the southwest margin of the lake at Caledonia Marsh, and was dated by radiocarbon and tephrochronology to an age of about 45 ka. Paleolimnological interpretations of this core, based upon geochemical and diatom analyses, have been augmented by data from a short core collected from open water environments at nearby Howards Bay and from a 9-m core extending to 15 ka raised from the center of the northwestern part of Upper Klamath Lake. Pre- and full-glacial intervals of the Caledonia Marsh core are characterized and dominated by lithic detrital material. Planktic diatom taxa characteristic of cold-water habitats (Aulacoseira subarctica and A. islandica) alternate with warm-water planktic diatoms (A. ambigua) between 45 and 23 ka, documenting climate changes at millennial scales during oxygen isotope stage (OIS) 3. The full-glacial interval contains mostly cold-water planktic, benthic, and reworked Pliocene lacustrine diatoms (from the surrounding Yonna Formation) that document shallow water conditions in a cold, windy environment. After 15 ka, diatom productivity increased. Organic carbon and biogenic silica became significant sediment components and diatoms that live in the lake today, indicative of warm, eutrophic water, became prominent. Lake levels fell during the mid-Holocene and marsh environments extended over the core site. This interval is characterized by high levels of organic carbon from emergent aquatic vegetation (Scirpus) and by the Mazama ash (7.55 ka), generated by the eruption that created nearby Crater Lake. For a brief time the ash increased the salinity of Upper Klamath Lake. High concentrations of molybdenum, arsenic, and vanadium indicate that Caledonia Marsh was anoxic from about 7 to 5 ka. After the mid-Holocene, shallow, but open-water environments returned to the core site. The sediments became dominated (>80%) by biogenic silica. The open-water cores show analogous but less extreme limnological and climatic changes more typical of mid-lake environments. Millennial-scale lake and climate changes during OIS 3 at Upper Klamath Lake contrast with a similar record of variation at Owens Lake, about 750 km south. When Upper Klamath Lake experienced cold-climate episodes during OIS 3, Owens Lake had warm but wet episodes; the reverse occurred during warmer intervals at Upper Klamath Lake. Such climatic alternations apparently reflect the variable position and strength of the Aleutian Low during the mid-Wisconsin.

Oregon↗
USGS2024

Does the extent of glacial cover across watersheds and discharge periods affect dietary resource use of nearshore fishes in the Northern Gulf of Alaska?

Northern high-latitude glaciers impact nearshore marine ecosystems through the discharge of cold and fresh waters, including nutrients and organic matter. Fishes are important integrators of ecosystem processes and hold key positions in the transfer of energy to higher trophic positions in such systems. This study used a natural gradient in space and time, including watershed glacial cover (0–60%) of five adjacent estuaries and three sequential discharge periods (pre-peak, peak, post-peak) in the northern Gulf of Alaska (Kachemak Bay) to test whether differences in glacial cover of watersheds upstream of estuaries affect dietary resource use of nearshore fishes. Dietary resource use was assessed using stomach content and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses to determine fish diet composition and trophic niche width. Crescent gunnel ( Pholis laeta ), a mostly sedentary species, was our focal species for comparisons across estuaries and discharge periods. Discharge period had a greater influence on diet composition and trophic niche width of crescent gunnels than watershed glacial coverage. Niche width of crescent gunnel was larger during the post-peak discharge period compared to pre-peak and peak periods, coincident with a shift in prey spectrum. However, watershed glacial cover was not a suitable predictor of niche width of crescent gunnel. Trophic resource use was also considered along this glacial cover gradient for two other fish species, Pacific staghorn sculpin ( Leptocottus armatus ) and starry flounder ( Platichthys stellatus ), but within the post-peak discharge period only. These species exploited a larger prey base compared to crescent gunnel, likely due to their greater mobility. Similar to crescent gunnel, there were no relationships in trophic niche width associated with watershed glacial coverage for these other species during the post-peak discharge period. Instead, trophic resource use of these three nearshore fish species was influenced by a more complex set of dynamic environmental variables (salinity, temperature, turbidity, and discharge), as well as static watershed characteristics, especially vegetation cover. Such drivers can act through changes in metabolic rates, modulating foraging strategies and trophic connectivity, as well as terrestrial nutrient delivery to support estuarine production. The environmental conditions associated with the glacially influenced estuaries during our study period (2020−2021) seemed within a range that allowed nearshore fishes to maintain energy pathways and prey bases across these estuaries, but it is unknown how these estuarine food webs may be influenced in years of extreme conditions such as during heat waves, droughts, or floods.

Alaska↗
USGS2017

Late Cretaceous inoceramid bivalves of the Kuskokwim Basin, southwestern Alaska, and their implications for basin evolution

Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Kuskokwim Group are exposed in a large region of southwestern Alaska and are mainly composed of deformed turbidite deposits that contain few fossils other than inoceramid bivalves. This paper documents the taxonomy of the inoceramids in the Kuskokwim Group, develops an inoceramid biostratigraphy based on known ranges in other regions, and analyzes biogeographic patterns, paleoecology, and depositional history of the Kuskokwim Group. Most of the inoceramid bivalves present in the Kuskokwim Group are of Cenomanian and Turonian age, and an assemblage of species typical of late Turonian age rocks is particularly well developed. Only two localities appear to be as young as Santonian age. The following 16 species or subspecies are discussed and illustrated in detail: Birostrina tamurai Matsumoto and Noda, Inoceramus virgatus Schlüter, I. pennatulus Pergament, I. pictus minus Matsumoto, I. cf. I. yabei Nagao and Matsumoto, I. ? sp. aff. I. costatus Nagao and Matsumoto, I. hobetsensis Nagao and Matsumoto, I. longealatus Tröger, I. frechi Flegel, I. waltersdorfensis waltersdorfensis Andert, I. cf. I. waltersdorfensis hannovrensis Heinz, I. kuskokwimensis n. sp., Mytiloides cf. M. opalensis (Böse), M. teraokai (Matsumoto and Noda), M. cf. M. incertus (Jimbo), and Sphenoceramus naumanni (Yokoyama). In addition, a specimen with affinities to Mytiloides striatoconcentricus carpathicus (Simionescu) and a specimen that may belong to the I. (Cremnoceramus?) rotundatus–I. ( C .) erectus lineage are illustrated. Most of the taxa present in the Kuskokwim region are found in other regions of the North Pacific, particularly Japan and eastern Siberia, or are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Only one species, I. kuskokwimensis n. sp., is new and may be endemic. North Pacific taxa are predominant in the Kuskokwim region, but intervals near the Cenomanian–Turonian Stage boundary and in the upper Turonian contain taxa characteristic of Europe and the Western Interior basin of North America; some of these taxa have not been recorded previously in the North Pacific region. Turonian heteromorph ammonite assemblages associated with inoceramids in the finer grained facies of the Kuskokwim region are similar to those found in coeval rocks of Japan and Germany. The depositional area of the Kuskokwim Group can be broken into two northeast-trending subbasins, the Kuskokwim River subbasin to the northwest and the Mulchatna River subbasin to the southeast, connected by the Nushagak Hills corridor. Within the Kuskokwim River subbasin, deposition apparently started earlier in the north (middle Cenomanian) than in the south (late Cenomanian to early Turonian), and prograding deltaic sedimentation along the western margin also appears to have started earlier in the north. No marine fossils younger than latest Turonian to earliest Coniacian are known from the Kuskokwim River subbasin. The youngest fossils identified are Santonian in age and are from deep-water deposits in the Nushagak Hills corridor. Few fossils are known from the Mulchatna River subbasin and age control is limited.

Journal of Paleontology↗
USGS2020

Phytoremediation of slightly brackish, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon‐contaminated groundwater from 250 ft below land surface: A pilot‐scale study using salt‐tolerant, endophyte‐enhanced hybrid poplar trees at a Superfund site in the Central Valley of California, April‒November 2019

Slightly brackish groundwater contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at a Superfund site in the Central Valley of California was pumped from 250 feet below land surface to a water storage tank using solar power and then gravity‐fed into 18, 330‐gallon intermediate bulk containers (totes) as follows: (1) Five totes contained planting medium with three salt‐tolerant hybrid poplar trees per tote ( n = 15); (2) Seven totes contained planting medium with three salt‐tolerant hybrid poplar trees per tote and inoculated with the naturally occurring, PAH‐degrading endophyte Pseudomonas putida PD1 ( n = 21); (3) Three totes contained planting medium only ( n = 0); (4) One tote contained groundwater with three PD1‐inoculated trees ( n = 3) and one tote contained groundwater with three regular trees ( n = 3); and (5) One tote contained groundwater only ( n = 0). All trees grew well during the 7‐month growing season in spite of the area's hot, dry air temperature, little precipitation, tote‐influent chloride concentrations of 290 mg/L, and tote‐influent naphthalene concentrations that ranged from 650 to 5100 mg/L. PD1‐inoculated trees initially had 56% larger tree area (tree height × tree width) than regular trees and up to 69% larger tree area by the end of the growing season, indicating some conferred phytoprotection to the PAH contamination. All trees had similar trunk caliper (diameter) and leaf chlorophyll content by the end of the growing season. Total naphthalene removal ranged from 88% to 100% across all totes. The lowest naphthalene removal of 88% was observed in a tote that contained only planting medium and indicates substantial adsorption of naphthalene onto the high organic content of the planting medium. Contaminant removal due to uptake by the hybrid poplar trees was confirmed by the detection of naphthalene in in vivo passive samplers placed in tree trunks. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, total xylenes, 2‐methylnaphthalene, 1,2,4‐trimethylbenzene, and isopropylbenzene were also detected. These results from the pilot‐scale study indicate that a full‐scale application of using salt‐tolerant hybrid poplar trees at this site could effectively decrease naphthalene concentrations in groundwater pumped from the deep aquifer. These initial results provide hope for similar application at other contaminated sites characterized by groundwater at considerable depths, especially at Superfund sites where costly pump‐and‐treat systems have been used long term to treat low levels of groundwater contamination.

California↗
USGS2008

Distribution and variability of redox zones controlling spatial variability of arsenic in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, southeastern Arkansas

Twenty one of 118 irrigation water wells in the shallow (25-30??m thick) Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in the Bayou Bartholomew watershed, southeastern Arkansas had arsenic (As) concentrations (< 0.5 to 77????g/L) exceeding 10????g/L. Sediment and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed from the sites of the highest, median, and lowest concentrations of As in groundwater in the alluvial aquifers located at Jefferson County, Arkansas. A traditional five-step sequential extraction was performed to differentiate the exchangeable, carbonate, amorphous Fe and Mn oxide, organic, and hot HNO3-leachable fraction of As and other compounds in sediments. The Chao reagent (0.25??M hydroxylamine hydrochloride in 0.25??M HCl) removes amorphous Fe and Mn oxides and oxyhydroxides (present as coatings on grains and amorphous minerals) by reductive dissolution and is a measure of reducible Fe and Mn in sediments. The hot HNO3 extraction removes mostly crystalline metal oxides and all other labile forms of As. Significant total As (20%) is complexed with amorphous Fe and Mn oxides in sediments. Arsenic abundance is not significant in carbonates or organic matter. Significant (40-70????g/kg) exchangeable As is only present at shallow depth (0-1??m below ground surface). Arsenic is positively correlated to Fe extracted by Chao reagent (r = 0.83) and hot HNO3 (r = 0.85). Arsenic extracted by Chao reagent decreases significantly with depth as compared to As extracted by hot HNO3. Fe (II)/Fe (the ratio of Fe concentration in the extracts of Chao reagent and hot HNO3) is positively correlated (r = 0.76) to As extracted from Chao reagent. Although Fe (II)/Fe increases with depth, the relative abundance of reducible Fe decreases noticeably with depth. The amount of reducible Fe, as well as As complexed to amorphous Fe and Mn oxides and oxyhydroxides decreases with depth. Possible explanations for the decrease in reducible Fe and its complexed As with depth include historic flushing of As and Fe from hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) by microbially-mediated reductive dissolution and aging of HFO to crystalline phases. Hydrogeochemical data suggests that the groundwater in the area falls in the mildly reducing (suboxic) to relatively highly reducing (anoxic) zone, and points to reductive dissolution of HFO as the dominant As release mechanism. Spatial variability of gypsum solubility and simultaneous SO42- reduction with co-precipitation of As and sulfide is an important limiting process controlling the concentration of As in groundwater in the area. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal of Contaminant Hydrology↗
USGS2011

Acetate availability and its influence on sustainable bioremediation of Uranium-contaminated groundwater

Field biostimulation experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy's Integrated Field Research Challenge (IFRC) site in Rifle, Colorado, have demonstrated that uranium concentrations in groundwater can be decreased to levels below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) drinking water standard (0.126 μM). During successive summer experiments – referred to as “Winchester” (2007) and “Big Rusty” (2008) - acetate was added to the aquifer to stimulate the activity of indigenous dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria capable of reductively immobilizing uranium. The two experiments differed in the length of injection (31 vs. 110 days), the maximum concentration of acetate (5 vs. 30 mM), and the extent to which iron reduction (“Winchester”) or sulfate reduction (“Big Rusty”) was the predominant metabolic process. In both cases, rapid removal of U(VI) from groundwater occurred at calcium concentrations (6 mM) and carbonate alkalinities (8 meq/L) where Ca-UO 2 -CO 3 ternary complexes constitute >90% of uranyl species in groundwater. Complete consumption of acetate and increased alkalinity (>30 meq/L) accompanying the onset of sulfate reduction corresponded to temporary increases in U(VI); however, by increasing acetate concentrations in excess of available sulfate (10 mM), low U(VI) concentrations (0.1–0.05 μM) were achieved for extended periods of time (>140 days). Uniform delivery of acetate during “Big Rusty” was impeded due to decreases in injection well permeability, likely resulting from biomass accumulation and carbonate and sulfide mineral precipitation. Such decreases were not observed during the short-duration “Winchester” experiment. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA genes demonstrated that Geobacter sp. and Geobacter -like strains dominated the groundwater community profile during iron reduction, with 13 C stable isotope probing (SIP) results confirming these strains were actively utilizing acetate to replicate their genome during the period of optimal U(VI) removal. Gene transcript levels during “Big Rusty” were quantified for Geobacter -specific citrate synthase ( gltA ), with ongoing transcription during sulfate reduction indicating that members of the Geobacteraceae were still active and likely contributing to U(VI) removal. The persistence of reducible Fe(III) in sediments recovered from an area of prolonged (110-day) sulfate reduction is consistent with this conclusion. These results indicate that acetate availability and its ability to sustain the activity of iron- and uranyl-respiring Geobacter strains during sulfate reduction exerts a primary control on optimized U(VI) removal from groundwater at the Rifle IFRC site over extended time scales (>50 days).

Geomicrobiology Journal↗
USGS2004

Fast ground-water mixing and basal recharge in an unconfined, alluvial aquifer, Konza LTER Site, Northeastern Kansas

Ground-water chemistry and water levels at three levels in a well nest were monitored biweekly for two and a half years in a shallow unconfined floodplain aquifer in order to study the dynamics of such shallow aquifers. The aquifer, in northeastern Kansas, consists of high porosity, low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments dominated by silt and bounded by fractured limestone and shale bedrock. Results show that the aquifer underwent chemical stratification followed by homogenization three times during the study period. The length of time between maximum stratification and complete homogenization was 3-5 months. The chemical parameters most useful for demonstrating the mixing trends were dissolved nitrate and sulfate. Higher nitrate concentrations were typical of unsaturated zone water and were sourced from fertilizer applied to the cultivated fields on the floodplain. Variations in sulfate concentrations are attributed to dissolution of rare gypsum in limestone bedrock and variable evapoconcentration in the unsaturated zone. The mixing of three chemically different waters (entrained, unsaturated-zone water; water entering the base of the floodplain aquifer; and water in residence before each mixing event) was simulated. The resident water component for each mixing event was a fixed composition based on measured water chemistry in the intermediate part of the aquifer. The entrained water composition was calculated using a measured composition of the shallow part of the aquifer and measurements of soil-water content in the unsaturated zone. The incoming basal water composition and the fractions of each mixing component were fitted to match the measured chemistry at the three levels in the aquifer. A conceptual model for this site explains: (1) rapid water-level rises, (2) water-chemistry changes at all levels in the aquifer coincident with the water-level rises, (3) low measured hydraulic conductivity of the valley fill and apparent lack of preferential flow pathways, (4) minuscule amounts of unsaturated-zone recharge, and (5) dissolved oxygen peaks in the saturated zone lagging water-level peaks. We postulate that rainfall enters fractures in bedrock adjacent to the floodplain. This recharge water moves rapidly through the fractured bedrock into the base of the floodplain aquifer. The recharge event through the bedrock causes a rapid rise in water level in the floodplain aquifer, and the chemistry of the deepest water in the floodplain aquifer changes at that time. The rising water also entrains slow-moving, nitrate-rich, unsaturated-zone water, altering the chemistry of water in the shallow part of the aquifer. Vertical chemical stratification in the aquifer is thus created by the change in water chemistry in the upper and lower parts of the saturated zone. As the water level begins to decline, the aquifer undergoes mixing that eventually results in homogeneous water chemistry. The rise in water level from the recharge event also displaces gas from the unsaturated zone that is then replaced as the water level declines following the recharge event. This new, oxygen-rich vadose-zone air equilibrates rapidly with saturated-zone water, resulting in a dissolved oxygen pulse in the ground water that peaks one-half to 2 months after the water-level peak. This oxygen pulse subsequently declines over a period of 2-6 months. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal of Hydrology↗
USGS2014

Developing and testing temperature models for regulated systems: a case study on the Upper Delaware River

Water temperature is an important driver of many processes in riverine ecosystems. If reservoirs are present, their releases can greatly influence downstream water temperatures. Models are important tools in understanding the influence these releases may have on the thermal regimes of downstream rivers. In this study, we developed and tested a suite of models to predict river temperature at a location downstream of two reservoirs in the Upper Delaware River (USA), a section of river that is managed to support a world-class coldwater fishery. Three empirical models were tested, including a Generalized Least Squares Model with a cosine trend (GLScos), AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). We also tested one mechanistic Heat Flux Model (HFM) that was based on energy gain and loss. Predictor variables used in model development included climate data (e.g., solar radiation, wind speed, etc.) collected from a nearby weather station and temperature and hydrologic data from upstream U.S. Geological Survey gages. Models were developed with a training dataset that consisted of data from 2008 to 2011; they were then independently validated with a test dataset from 2012. Model accuracy was evaluated using root mean square error (RMSE), Nash Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), percent bias (PBIAS), and index of agreement (d) statistics. Model forecast success was evaluated using baseline-modified prime index of agreement (md) at the one, three, and five day predictions. All five models accurately predicted daily mean river temperature across the entire training dataset (RMSE = 0.58–1.311, NSE = 0.99–0.97, d = 0.98–0.99); ARIMA was most accurate (RMSE = 0.57, NSE = 0.99), but each model, other than ARIMA, showed short periods of under- or over-predicting observed warmer temperatures. For the training dataset, all models besides ARIMA had overestimation bias (PBIAS = −0.10 to −1.30). Validation analyses showed all models performed well; the HFM model was the most accurate compared other models (RMSE = 0.92, both NSE = 0.98, d = 0.99) and the ARIMA model was least accurate (RMSE = 2.06, NSE = 0.92, d = 0.98); however, all models had an overestimation bias (PBIAS = −4.1 to −10.20). Aside from the one day forecast ARIMA model (md = 0.53), all models forecasted fairly well at the one, three, and five day forecasts (md = 0.77–0.96). Overall, we were successful in developing models predicting daily mean temperature across a broad range of temperatures. These models, specifically the GLScos, ANN, and HFM, may serve as important tools for predicting conditions and managing thermal releases in regulated river systems such as the Delaware River. Further model development may be important in customizing predictions for particular biological or ecological needs, or for particular temporal or spatial scales.

Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania↗
USGS2010

Hydrogeology of the potsdam sandstone in northern New York

The Potsdam Sandstone of Cambrian age forms a transboundary aquifer that extends across northern New York and into southern Quebec. The Potsdam Sandstone is a gently dipping sequence of arkose, subarkose, and orthoquartzite that unconformably overlies Precambrian metamorphic bedrock. The Potsdam irregularly grades upward over a thickness of 450 m from a heterogeneous feldspathic and argillaceous rock to a homogeneous, quartz-rich and matrix-poor rock. The hydrogeological framework of the Potsdam Sandstone was investigated through an analysis of records from 1,500 wells and geophysical logs from 40 wells, and through compilation of GIS coverages of bedrock and surficial geology, examination of bedrock cores, and construction of hydrogeological sections. The upper several metres of the sandstone typically is weathered and fractured and, where saturated, readily transmits groundwater. Bedding-related fractures in the sandstone commonly form sub-horizontal flow zones of relatively high transmissivity. The vertical distribution of sub-horizontal flow zones is variable; spacings of less than 10 m are common. Transmissivity of individual flow zones may be more than 100 m 2 /d but typically is less than 10 m 2 /d. High angle fractures, including joints and faults, locally provide vertical hydraulic connection between flow zones. Hydraulic head gradients in the aquifer commonly are downward; a laterally extensive series of sub-horizontal flow zones serve as drains for the groundwater flow system. Vertical hydraulic head differences between shallow and deep flow zones range from 1 m to more than 20 m. The maximum head differences are in recharge areas upgradient from the area where the Chateauguay and Chazy Rivers, and their tributaries, have cut into till and bedrock. Till overlies the sandstone in much of the study area; its thickness is generally greatest in the western part, where it may exceed 50 m. A discontinuous belt of bedrock pavements stripped of glacial drift extends across the eastern part of the study area; the largest of these is Altona Flat Rock. Most recharge to the sandstone aquifer occurs in areas of thin, discontinuous till and exposed bedrock; little recharge occurs in areas where this unit is overlain by thick till and clay. Discharge from the sandstone aquifer provides stream and river baseflow and is the source of many springs. A series of springs that are used for municipal bottled water and fish-hatchery supply discharge from 1,000 to 5,000 L/min adjacent to several tributaries east of the Chateauguay River. The major recharge areas for the Chateauguay springs are probably upgradient to the southeast, where the till cover is thin or absent.

New York↗
USGS1999

NEOCHIM: An electrochemical method for environmental application

Ion migration and electroosmosis are the principal processes underlying electrokinetic remediation of hazardous wastes from soils. These processes are a response of charged species to an applied electrical current and they are accompanied by electrolysis of water at the electrodes through which the current is applied. Electrolysis results in the formation of OH- at the cathode and H+ at the anode. The current drives the OH- and H+ thus formed from the electrodes, through the soil and to the electrode of opposite charge. Introduction of OH- and H+ into the soil being treated modifies soil chemistry and can interfere with either the collection or immobilization of hazardous waste ions. The introduction of either OH- or H+ to the soil can be problematic to electrokinetic remediation but the problem caused by OH- has been the focus of most researchers. The problem has been addressed by flushing the OH- from the soil near the cathode or treating the soil with buffers. These treatments would apply as well to soils affected by H+. With the NEOCHIM technology, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for use as a sampling technique in exploration for buried ore deposits, OH- and H+ are retained in the inner compartment of two-compartment electrodes and are thus prevented from reaching the soil. This enables the extraction of cations and anions, including anionic forms of toxic metals such as HAsO42-. One of the principal attributes of NEOCHIM is the large volume of soil from which ions can be extracted. It is mathematically demonstrable that NEOCHIM extraction volumes can be orders of magnitude greater than volumes typically sampled in more conventional geochemical exploration methods or for environmental sampling. The technology may also be used to introduce selected ions into the soil that affect the solubility of ceratin ions present in the soil. Although field tests for mineral exploration have shown NEOCHIM extraction efficiencies of about 25-35%, laboratory experiments suggest that significantly higher efficiencies are possible. The attributes of NEOCHIM combined with relatively low cost of electrical power, indicate that the technology may be useful for remediation and monitoring of hazardous waste sites. Of particular importance is that NEOCHIM extractions affect only dissolved and electrically charged species, hence those prone to move in groundwater.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed a technology called NEOCHIM for use as a sampling technique in exploration for buried deposits. With this technology, OH- and H+ are retained in the inner compartment of two-compartment electrodes and are thus prevented from reaching the soil. This enables the extraction of cations and anions. Laboratory experiments suggest extraction efficiencies higher than 25-35%.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗
USGS2008

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2008

Each chapter of the 2008 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries (MCS) includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, 5-year salient statistics, and world production and resources. The MCS is the earliest comprehensive source of 2007 mineral production data for the world. More than 90 individual minerals and materials are covered by two-page synopses. National reserves and reserve base information for most mineral commodities found in this report, including those for the United States, are derived from a variety of sources. The ideal source of such information would be comprehensive evaluations that apply the same criteria to deposits in different geographic areas and report the results by country. In the absence of such evaluations, national reserves and reserve base estimates compiled by countries for selected mineral commodities are a primary source of national reserves and reserve base information. Lacking national assessment information by governments, sources such as academic articles, company reports, common business practice, presentations by company representatives, and trade journal articles, or a combination of these, serve as the basis for national reserves and reserve base information reported in the mineral commodity sections of this publication. A national estimate may be assembled from the following: historically reported reserves and reserve base information carried for years without alteration because no new information is available; historically reported reserves and reserve base reduced by the amount of historical production; and company reported reserves. International minerals availability studies conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, before 1996, and estimates of identified resources by an international collaborative effort (the International Strategic Minerals Inventory) are the basis for some reserves and reserve base estimates. The USGS collects information about the quantity and quality of mineral resources but does not directly measure reserves, and companies or governments do not directly report reserves or reserve base to the USGS. Reassessment of reserves and reserve base is a continuing process and the intensity of this process differs for mineral commodities, countries, and time period. Abbreviations and units of measure, and definitions of selected terms used in the report, are in Appendix A and Appendix B, respectively. A resource/reserve classification for minerals, based on USGS Circular 831 (published with the U.S. Bureau of Mines) is Appendix C, and a directory of USGS minerals information country specialists and their responsibilities is Appendix D. The USGS continually strives to improve the value of its publications to users. Constructive comments and suggestions by readers of the MCS 2008 are welcomed.

Mineral Commodity Summaries↗
USGS2005

Mudstone sedimentation at high latitudes: Ice as a transport medium for mud and supplier of nutrients

Controls on mudstone deposition at high latitudes are poorly known relative to low latitudes. In recent sediments deposited in these environments, ice significantly influences sediment transport and primary productivity. The products of ice transport are relatively well known in glacimarine settings, but are less well known from below melting sea ice. This latter setting is significant as today it is associated with high primary organic productivity. The aim of this study is to assess how sea ice might have controlled lithofacies variability and organic-matter distribution and preservation in an ancient marine, siliciclastic mudstone-dominated succession deposited at high latitudes. Combined sedimentary logging, optical and electron optical (back-scatte red electron imagery), geochemical, and isotopic methods were used to determine sample variability in forty-five samples collected from the Lower Cretaceous succession in the Mikkelsen Bay State #1 borehole (North Slope, Alaska). The succession overall fines upward and contains muddy sandstones and sand- and silt-bearing, clay-rich mudstones towards its base in contrast to clay-rich and clay-dominated mudstones towards its top. Some of the mudstone units exhibit thin (< 5 mm), relic-beds that fine upward weakly. In some units small (0.5 mm), bed-parallel silt-filled microburrows disrupt depositional laminae whereas in others pervasive burrowing completely obliterates original depositional textures. Many of the units are pelleted. These mudstones are unusual in that they contain minor but very striking outsize grains, composed of subrounded to rounded sand and granule-size material. In addition, they are good petroleum source rocks, with between 2.8 and 5.9 wt % total organic carbon, of predominantly Type II kerogen. The organic matter has an isotopic signature ranging from -25.4??? ??13C to -28.1??? ??13C. Thin tuffs (< 20 mm) and carbonate-cemented units are also present. Given the absence of significant polar ice in the Early Cretaceous the outsized grains are interpreted to have been deposited from a combination of melting, dirty anchor, and fast ice. The mud fraction, which forms the bulk of the sediment, is interpreted to have been deposited from melting, sediment-laden frazil ice, and fast ice. After deposition sediments were partially reworked by bottom currents generated by brine rejection during sea ice formation. Sympagic organisms, grazing on algae and bacteria both within and below the ice, pelleted the sediment. Bioturbation, which varies through the succession, indicates that sedimentation probably occurred beneath a predominantly oxic or dysoxic water column. In this setting productivity was fueled by nutrients released from melting sea ice in the marginal ice zone. The good petroleum source potential of these mudstones is attributed to high organic productivity coupled to episodic and rapid sedimentation rather than existence of bottom-water anoxia linked to upwelling. Because sea-ice rafting was probably the dominant sediment transport mechanism it is not appropriate to use sequence stratigraphic methodology to predict lithofacies variability in this environment. Copyright ?? 2005, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology).

Journal of Sedimentary Research↗