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At least 1,063 records · Page 59Linked to original sources
USGS1989

Geohydrology and susceptibility of aquifers to surface contamination in Alabama; area 5

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, is conducting a series of geohydrologic studies to delineate the major aquifers and their susceptibility to contamination in Alabama. This report delineates and describes the geohydrology and susceptibility of the major aquifers to contamination in Area 5--Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Lee, Randolph, and Tallapoosa Counties. Little groundwater is used for public water supplies in Area 5. Groundwater withdrawals for public supply in 1985 were 0.88 million gal/day. Most cities and towns that formerly used groundwater presently use surface water. None of the sedimentary rocks or unconsolidated deposits is tapped by public supply wells. None of the igneous and metamorphic rocks are considered a major aquifer because of low yields. Aquifers in the study area are susceptible to surface contamination throughout their entire outcrop area. Areas that are highly faulted and valley areas where groundwater is at or near land surface have potential to be highly susceptible to surface contamination. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1993

Hydrology, vegetation, and soils of four north Florida River flood plains with an evaluation of state and federal wetland determinations

A study of hydrologic conditions, vegetation, and soils was made in wetland forests of four north Florida streams from 1987 to 1990. The study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation to support State and Federal efforts to improve wetland delineation methodology in flood plains. Plant communities and soils were described and related to topographic position and long-term hydrologic conditions at 10 study plots located on 4 streams. Detailed appendixes give average duration, frequency, and depth of flooding; canopy, subcanopy, and ground-cover vegetation; and taxonomic classification, series, and profile descriptions of soils for each plot. Topographic relief, range in stage, and depth of flooding were greatest on the alluvial flood plain of the Ochlockonee River, the largest of the four streams. Soils were silty in the lower elevations of the flood plain, and tree communities were distinctly different in each topographic zone. The Aucilla River flood plain was dominated by levees and terraces with very few depressions or low backwater areas. Oaks dominated the canopy of both lower and upper terraces of the Aucilla flood plain. Telogia Creek is a blackwater stream that is a major tributary of the Ochlockonee River. Its low, wet flood plain was dominated by Wyssa ogeche (Ogeechee tupelo) trees, had soils with mucky horizons, and was inundated by frequent floods of very short duration. The St. Marks River, a spring-fed stream with high base flow, had the least topographic relief and lowest range in stage of the four streams. St. Marks soils had a higher clay content than the other streams, and limestone bedrock was relatively close to the surface. Wetland determinations of the study plots based on State and Federal regulatory criteria were evaluated. Most State and Federal wetland determinations are based primarily on vegetation and soil characteristics because hydrologic records are usually not available. In this study, plots were located near long-term gaging stations, thus wetland determinations based on plant and soil characteristics could be evaluated at sites where long-term hydrologic conditions were known. Inconsistencies among hydrology, vegetation, and soil determinations were greatest on levee communities of the Ochlockonee and Aucilla River flood plains. Duration of average annual longest flood was almost 2 weeks for both plots. The wetland species list currently used (1991) by the State lacks many ground-cover species common to forested flood plains of north Florida rivers. There were 102 ground-cover species considered upland plants by the State that were present on the nine annually flooded plots of this study. Among them were 34 species that grew in areas continuously flooded for an average of 5 weeks or more each year. Common flood-plain species considered upland plants by the State were: Hypoxis leptocarpa (yellow star-grass), and two woody vines, Brunnichia ovata (ladies' eardrops) and Campsis radican s (trumpet-creeper), which were common in areas flooded continuously for 6 to 9 weeks a year; Sebastiania fruticosa (Sebastian-bush), Chasmanthium laxum (spikegrass), and Panicum dichotomum (panic grass), which typically grew in areas flooded an average of 2 to 3 weeks or more per year; Vitis rotundifolia (muscadine) and Toxicodendron radicans (poison-ivy), usually occurring in areas flooded an average of 1 to 2 weeks a year; and Quercus virginiana (live oak) present most often in areas flooded approximately 1 week a year. Federal wetland regulations (1989) limited wetland jurisdiction to only those areas that are inundated or saturated during the growing season. However, year-round hydrologic records were chosen in this report to describe the influence of hydrology on vegetation, because saturation, inundation, or flowing water can have a variety of both beneficial and adverse effects on flood-plain vegetation at any time of the year. These effects can occur because: (1) Soil temperatures in north Florida are probably high enough in winter for anaerobic conditions to develop in saturated soils. (2) Many plants in the flood plains of north Florida are active in the nongrowing season and might be adapted to anaerobic conditions in winter. (3) Other effects of standing water, such as decreased light penetration, prevention of seed germination, and protection of seeds from herbivores; and effects of flowing water, such as scouring and deposition of sediments, seed dispersal, and mechanical injury, can occur any time of year.

Florida↗
USGS1996

Evaluation of agricultural best-management practices in the Conestoga River headwaters, Pennsylvania: Characterization of surface-runoff and ground-water quantity and quality in a small carbonate basin near Churchtown, Pennsylvania, prior to terracing and implementation of nutrient management: Water-quality study of the Conestoga River headwaters, Pennsylvania

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection1 , conducted a study as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Clean Water Program to determine the effects of agricultural best-management practices on surface-water and ground-water quality in the Conestoga River headwaters basin. This report describes Field-Site 1 and characterizes the surface-runoff and ground-water quantity and quality at the site from January 1983 through September 1984, before the implementation of terracing and nutrient-management best-management practices. The 22.1-acre site, part of two dairy farms, was cropland used primarily for the production of corn and alfalfa, and is underlain by carbonate rock. During the 21-month study period, 91.2 inches of precipitation fell, of which 66 percent occurred during the 1984 water year. Of the 169 storms of 0.10 inch or larger, 97 produced measurable runoff. The average annual application of nutrients to the 14.4 acres of cornfields was 410 pounds per acre of nitrogen and 110 pounds per acre of phosphorus. About three times more nutrients were applied during 1984 water year than during the 1983 water year. The approximate soil-nitrate concentration as nitrogen for the study period was 8.2 milligrams per kilogram in the top 8 inches of soil. Runoff for the study period totalled 714,000 cubic feet, or 9.8 percent of total precipitation. Eighty-eight percent of the runoff occurred during the 1984 water year. Regression analyses indicate that total runoff was controlled primarily by total precipitation amounts during storms and by antecedent moisture conditions; mean event and maximum instantaneous discharges are controlled by precipitation intensity and by antecedent moisture conditions. Regression analyses also suggest that crop cover on the corn acreage affected runoff amounts and rates. Mean concentrations in runoff ranged from 24 to 73,000 milligrams per liter for suspended sediment, 0.45 to 24 milligrams per liter for total phosphorus, and 1.5 to 55 milligrams per liter for total nitrogen. Of the total nitrogen in instantaneous runoff samples, a median of 72 percent was total organic nitrogen. Results of multiple regression analyses suggest that mean nitrogen concentrations in runoff (1) increased with increased surface-nitrogen applications made prior to runoff, and (2) were diluted with increased precipitation duration. Runoff from storms on frozen ground produced the highest loads of nitrogen in runoff. Over the 21-month study period, an estimated 258 tons of suspended sediment, 314 pounds of nitrogen, and 176 pounds of phosphorus were transported with runoff from the site. Of this, 88 percent of the nitrogen and phosphorus loads and 94 percent of the suspended-sediment load were discharged during the wet 1984 water year. The loads for the study period represent 2.5 percent of the total nitrogen and 5.5 percent of the total phosphorus applied to the site as manure and commercial fertilizer. The ground-water basin at the site is slightly larger than the surface-water basin. Ground-water levels, except at one well, responded quickly to recharge; water levels peaked several hours to a day after precipitation. Surface-applied materials moved rapidly to the water table through macropores and slowly by transport through micropores in the unsaturated zone. Median concentrations of dissolved nitrate ranged from 9.2 to 13 milligrams per liter as nitrogen for ground-water samples collected monthly from five wells and a spring. Dissolved nitrate comprised 93 percent (median percentage) of the total nitrogen in ground-water samples. The effect of recharge on ground-water nitrate concentrations was affected by variations in nutrient availability at the land surface and in the unsaturated zone. A lag time of 1 to 3 months was observed between the time that nitrogen was applied to the land surface and local maximums in nitrate concentrations were detected in ground water unaffected by recharge events. Approximately 3,187,000 cubic feet of ground water and an associated 2,200 pounds of nitrate-nitrogen discharged from the site during the study period. For the study period, 42 percent of the precipitation recharged to ground water, 10 percent became runoff, and 48 percent evapotranspired. Inputs of nitrogen to the study area were estimated to be 93 percent from manure, 5 percent from commercial fertilizer, and 2 percent from precipitation. Nitrogen outputs from the system were estimated to be 38 percent to crop uptake, 39 percent to volatilization, 20 percent to ground-water discharge, and 3 percent to surface runoff.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1994

Relation of stream quality to streamflow, and estimated loads of selected water-quality constituents in the James and Rappahannock rivers near the fall line of Virginia, July 1988 through June 1990

This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality-- Division of Intergovernmental Coordination to monitor and estimate loads of selected nutrients and suspended solids discharged to Chesapeake Bay from two major tributaries in Virginia. From July 1988 through June 1990, monitoring consisted of collecting depth-integrated, cross-sectional samples from the James and Rappahannock Rivers during storm- flow conditions and at scheduled intervals. Water- quality constituents that were monitored included total suspended solids (residue, total at 105 degrees Celsius), dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, dissolved ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (ammonia plus organic), total nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved orthopohosphorus, total organic carbon, and dissolved silica. Daily mean load estimates of each constituent were computed by month, using a seven-parameter log-linear-regression model that uses variables of time, discharge, and seasonality. Water-quality data and constituent- load estimates are included in the report in tabular and graphic form. The data and load estimates provided in this report will be used to calibrate the computer modeling efforts of the Chesapeake Bay region, evaluate the water quality of the Bay and the major effects on the water quality, and assess the results of best-management practices in Virginia.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1995

Estimated availability of water from stratified-drift aquifers in the Concord River Basin, Massachusetts

An understanding of water availability in the Concord River Basin for public and private supply requires an understanding of the interaction between surface-water and ground-water systems. This understanding is needed because excessive ground-water withdrawals may reduce streamflows to unacceptable levels. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, Office of Water Resources, studied the Concord River Basin to estimate the volume of water available from stratified-drift aquifers. A combined hydrograph-separation and streamflow-duration-curve analysis indicates that 20.8 million cubic feet of water could be withdrawn from the stratified-drift aquifer above the South Acton streamflow-gaging station during a 102-day period of no recharge before streamflow would be reduced to a prescribed minimum level. This volume, which equals 2.85 million cubic feet per square mile of stratified drift, was used to estimate volume of available water in 17 aquifer areas in the Concord River Basin. The total volume of available water in the Concord River Basin is estimated to be 561 million cubic feet. Finite-difference ground-water-flow models for the River Meadow Brook aquifer area and the Sudbury and Concord aquifer area quantified the current and potential water availability. The results of three withdrawal simulations for each aquifer area indicate that the 1989 ground-water withdrawal rates would not exceed the volume of water that would be available during a 102-day period of no recharge if water-table drawdowns were not considered. However, results do indicate that volumes of withdrawn water would exceed the available water in the two aquifer areas if maximum lowering of the water table as a percentage of total saturated thickness were 10 and 65 percent at existing and hypothetical wells.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1995

Water-quality characteristics of selected public recreational lakes and ponds in Connecticut

Reconnaissance limnological and lakebed-sediment surveys were conducted in Connecticut during 1989-91 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protec- tion, to evaluate water-quality characteristics of selected public recreational lakes and ponds in the State. Limnological surveys were conducted on 49 lakes and ponds selected from a list of 105 publicly owned waterbodies that qualified for water- quality assessments under Section 314 of the Federal Clean Water Act. Lakebed-sediment surveys were conducted in 9 river impoundments and 1 riverine lake below industrial areas and 2 headwater lakes in relatively pristine areas. The limnological surveys consisted of two sampling events--during spring turnover and during the summer stratifi- cation. Each sampling event included depth profiles of water temperature, specific conductance, hydrogen-ion activity, and dissolved oxygen concen- trations; measurements of Secchi disc transparency; and the collection of samples for the analyses of alkalinity, chlorophyll, phosphorus, and nitrogen concentrations. Areal extent and population density of the dominant aquatic macrophytes were qualita- tively noted during the summer sampling event. These water-quality data were used to determine the trophic classification and acidification status of the 49 lakes. The trophic classification yielded the following results: 2 oligotrophic, 8 early mesotrophic, 13 mesotrophic, 5 late mesotrophic, 10 eutrophic, and 11 highly eutrophic lakes. In terms of acidification status, 7 lakes were classified as acid threatened and 42 as not threatened. A Wilcoxon two-tailed signed rank test was used to compare data for 13 lakes and ponds from the present survey with data from the 1973-75 or 1978-79 surveys conducted by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. The test showed no significant difference at the 90 percent confidence level for spring nitrogen and summer chlorophyll-a concen- trations, a significant increase at the 90 percent confidence level in summer phosphorus concentra- tions, and a significant decrease at the 95 percent confidence level in summer transparency. For the lakebed-sediment surveys, composite-grab samples were collected from the deepest part of each lake. Samples were analyzed for arsenic, cyanide, organic and inorganic carbon, selected metals, and methylene-extractable, synthetic organic compounds classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as semi-volatile priority pollutants. Hanover Pond, Eagleville Lake, and West Thompson Lake had three of the four highest concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc, and cyanide. The four lakes with the highest concentrations of arsenic (Aspinook Pond, Fitchville Pond, Mashapaug Pond, and West Thompson Lake) are located in the eastern part of Connecticut. The three samples with the highest mercury concentrations were from Lake Lillinonah and Lake Zoar. There appears to be a positive correlation between the concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc, and cyanide. Only 15 of the 54 synthetic organic compounds analyzed for were detected in 9 of the 12 lakes sampled. Of these 15 compounds, 14 are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the 15th is a phthalate ester. Hanover Pond had the most compounds detected (9), and phenanthrene was the compound detected in the most lakes (8).

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1995

Changes in the volume of water in the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer in the Delta, northwestern Mississippi, 1980-94

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Land and Water Resources, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, estimated the volumetric changes of water in the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer in northwestern Mississippi from 1980 through 1994. Volumetric changes of water in the alluvial aquifer were estimated for the entire Delta and for five selected areas within the Delta. The volume of water per square mile in the alluvial aquifer in the Delta changed from 17,886 acre-feet during fall 1980 to 17,719 acre-feet during fall 1994, a decrease in volume per square mile of 167 acre-feet. The minimum volume of water per square mile in the alluvial aquifer in the Delta during 1980-94 was 17,640 acre-feet during fall 1988. Of five selected areas within the Delta, an area near Cleveland in Bolivar County had the greatest change in volume of water in the alluvial aquifer. During fall 1980 this area had 20,790 acre-feet of water per square mile in the aquifer; by fall 1994, the volume had decreased to 19,947 acre-feet of water per square mile. An area located in the vicinity of the Sunflower-Leflore County line has within its boundaries a large cone of depression in the potentiometric surface of the alluvial aquifer. The volume of water per square mile in this area decreased from 17,857 acre-feet during fall 1980 to 17,075 acre-feet during fall 1994.

Mississippi↗
USGS1997

Pesticides in surface water of the Mid-Atlantic region

Water-quality data from 463 surface-water sites were compiled and analyzed to document the occurrence and distribution of pesticides in surface water of the Mid-Atlantic region as part of the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Those data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey from October 1973 through March 1997 were used in the analyses. Data are available for a large part of the Mid-Atlantic region, but large spatial gaps in the data do exist. USGS data bases contained analyses of surface-water samples for 127 pesticide compounds, including 12 degradates, but only 16 of the compounds were commonly detected. Atrazine, metolachlor, simazine, prometon, alachlor, tebuthiuron, cyanazine, diazinon, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, pendimethalin, 2,4-D, dieldrin, DCPA, metribuzin, and desethylatrazine (an atrazine degradate) were detected in more than 100 of the samples analyzed. At least one pesticide was detected in about 75 percent of the samples collected and at more than 90 percent of the sites sampled. Concentrations greater than the Federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for drinking water of 3 micrograms per liter (ug/L) for atrazine were found in 67 of 2,076 samples analyzed; concentrations greater than the MCL of 2ug/L for alachlor were found in 13 of 1,693 samples analyzed, and concentrations greater than the MCL of 4 ug/L for simazine were found in 17 of 1,995 samples analyzed. Concentrations of four pesticides were greater than Federal Health Advisory levels for drinking water, and concentrations of nine pesticides were greater than Federal Ambient Water-Quality Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Organisms. Streams draining basins with different land uses tend to have different pesticide detection frequencies and median concentrations. Median concentrations of herbicides tend to be highest in streams draining basins in which the major land use is agriculture, whereas median concentrations of insecticides tend to be highest in streams draining extensively urbanized basins. Concentrations of both herbicides and insecticides are usually highest during the spring and summer, although many pesticides are present at low concentrations in surface water throughout the year. Pesticide concentrations vary greatly seasonally and over different hydrologic conditions, with overall variation sometimes exceeding four orders of magnitude. During periods of pesticide application (typically spring and summer), the occurrence of selected pesticides in some streams in the Mid-Atlantic region is related to streamflow. Correlations between concentrations of selected pesticides and streamflow are statistically significant during spring and summer for small (draining less than 55 square miles) streams. Concentrations of selected pesticides in small streams increase during high flows in the growing season, up to 30 times the concentrations present during low-flow conditions in the growing season. In small streams draining urban areas, concentrations of atrazine decrease during high-flow events but concentrations of the insecticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos increase. This may be due to the differences in the pesticides used in agricultural and urban areas and the amounts applied.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1976

Hydrology and sedimentation of Bixler Run Basin, central Pennsylvania

Rainfall, streamflow, stream chemical, and sediment discharge data were collected from Bixler Run near Loysville, Pa., during the period from February 1954 to September 1969 as part of a project to evaluate sediment discharge from an agricultural area in which soil-conservation techniques were being adopted at a moderate rate. The study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, State Conservation Commission. Sediment yields from the basin averaged 64 tons per square mile (22 tonnes per square kilometre) per year, approximately 25 percent less than yields from the surrounding area. The relation between water discharge and suspended-sediment discharge remained constant during the study. Suspended-sediment concentrations in the streamflow were less than 10 milligrams per litre 70 percent of the time. The concentration of chloride ions in the streamflow increased from 1959 to 1969. Ground water maintained flows at the gaging location at a rate of 1.9 cubic feet per second (0.054 cubic metres per second) during the period of data collection.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2026

Monitoring changes in Landsat thermal features in urban and non-urban interfaces from 1986 to 2023 in two international urban centers: Implications for climate and global issues

Rapid urbanization is reshaping thermal environments worldwide, with the strongest impacts occurring at the interface between urban and non-urban areas. Impervious surfaces, as key indicators of urban expansion, are critical for monitoring urban growth and assessing surface urban heat island (SUHI) effects. Land use and land cover change (LULCC) provides an essential link between urban dynamics and their environmental and societal consequences. Here, we integrated the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Climate Global Issues (CGI) Land Cover Product with Landsat thermal time-series to investigate SUHI evolution in two contrasting metropolitan regions: Wuhan, China, and Brasília, Brazil. Using data spanning 1986–2023, we analyzed the relationships between land cover, Landsat-based land surface temperature (LST), and SUHI intensity, and identified persistent thermal hotspots. Results demonstrate that the land cover data utilized increases the accuracy of impervious surface mapping along urban–rural gradients. Average SUHI intensities were 3.4 °C in Wuhan and 3.3 °C in Brasília, with statistically significant warming trends of 0.04 °C/year and 0.01 °C/year, respectively. Maximum temperature proved to be a robust indicator of SUHI intensification, capturing long-term upward trends. Our findings highlight the important role of urban land cover dynamics in shaping temporal SUHI variability and hotspot emergence. This prototype framework demonstrates the scientific and policy value of combining long-term land cover monitoring information with satellite thermal monitoring to quantify and track SUHI at city scale, supporting sustainable urban planning and climate adaptation strategies.

Remote Sensing↗
USGS1987

UTILIZATION OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF REGIONAL GROUND-WATER QUALITY.

The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs and several State agencies in Oregon has prepared a digital spatial database at 1:500,000 scale to be used as a basis for evaluating the potential for ground-water contamination by pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. Geographic information system (GIS) software was used to assemble, analyze, and manage spatial and tabular environmental data in support of this project. Physical processes were interpreted relative to published spatial data and an integrated database to support the appraisal of regional ground-water contamination was constructed. Ground-water sampling results were reviewed relative to the environmental factors present in several agricultural areas to develop an empirical knowledge base which could be used to assist in the selection of future sampling or study areas.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1996

Appalachian piedmont regolith: Relations of saprolite and residual soils to rock-type

Saprolite is a major product of rock weathering on the Appalachian Piedmont from New Jersey to Alabama. On the Piedmont, it is the primary substrate from which residual soils are developed. Properties of saprolite and residual soils are highly related to their parent rocks. Studies of cores and outcrops illustrate that rock structure and mineralogy control upland regolith zonation. Saprolite develops by in situ chemical alteration of a wide variety of mafic to highly silicic rocks. Thickness of upland saprolite varies from a few meters on mafic rocks to tens of meters on silicic rocks. Saprolite thickness decreases with increasing slope and saprolite is generally thin or absent in valley bottoms. Massive residual subsoils and soils develop by physical and chemical processes that alter the upper few meters of saprolite. The fabric, texture and mineralogy of residual soils are distinctly different from underlying saprolite. The boundary between soil and saprolite is often gradual, and often a zone of low permeability. Geologic maps are useful guides to Piedmont regolith thickness and zonation. In regional design studies, geologic maps and regolith characteristics can be useful in environmental decision-making.

Geotechnical Special Publication↗
USGS1998

Cotton herbicides in the surface waters of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (the Delta)

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting two studies to assess the environmental fate of herbicides used in cotton producing areas of the southeastern United States. The first study is evaluating surface-water quality on a regional basis and relating water quality to land use. The second study is examining the use of Best Management Practices to reduce off-site movement of agricultural chemicals in surface-water runoff. Maximum concentrations of the herbicides fluometuron and norflurazon in samples from surface water in edge-of-field studies were 23 and 7 micrograms per liter, respectively. Also, they were detected in the runoff of nearly every sampled storm for the 1997 water year at concentrations higher than 1.0 microgram per liter. Fluometuron and norflurazon were measured frequently in samples from rivers and streams in cotton producing areas, but the frequency of occurrence and the maximum concentrations were less than those in the edge-of-field studies.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2014

Status of important prey fishes in the U.S. waters of Lake Ontario, 2013: Introduction and methods

Lake Ontario has a mean depth of 86 m (282 ft) and a maximum depth of 244 m (801 ft) (Herdendorf 1982). The southern, New York portion of the lake has the deepest water (Figure 1). In New York waters, about 67% of the lake is <160 m (525 ft) deep and about 82% of the lake is <180 m (591 ft) deep. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) have cooperatively assessed Lake Ontario prey fishes each year since 1978. Bottom trawl assessments were initially focused on Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus (April), Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax (June), and Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus (October). Seasonal survey timing corresponded to the peak catches in 1972 when collections were made every month May to October (Owens et al. 2003). Twelve transects were established at approximately 25-km intervals along the U.S. shoreline (Figure 2). Alewife assessment was conducted at all transects, Rainbow Smelt assessment at all transects except Fair Haven, and six transects representing eastern, southern, and western lake areas were sampled for Slimy Sculpin (Figure 2). Changes in the Lake Ontario ecosystem (species invasion, oligotrophication, native species rebound) require ongoing evaluation of current methods which sometimes necessitate redistribution of trawl effort, or changes in sampling designs and/or gear. For instance, the spring Alewife assessment is now used also to assess invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus population dynamics. Likewise, the fall benthic fish assessment (formerly sculpin assessment) now also tracks dynamics of the rebounding native Deepwater Sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii population, the apparent declining population of Slimy Sculpin, and fall distribution of Round Goby.

Lake Ontario↗
USGS1997

Test-trench studies in the Amargosa Desert, southern Nevada: Results and application of information to landfill covers in arid environments

As arid sites in the western United States are increasingly sought for disposal of the Nation's hazardous wastes and as volumes of locally generated wastes increase, concern about the potential effect of contaminants on environmental quality is being raised. Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey's Amargosa Desert research site near Beatty, Nevada are being done to evaluate mechanisms that can affect waste isolation in an arid environment. Precipitation at the site averages about 108 mm yr -1 . Results have shown that, under undisturbed conditions, the naturally stratified soils in combination with native plants are effective in limiting the potential for percolation of precipitation. Under nonvegetated waste-site conditions, data indicated the accumulation and shallow, but continued, penetration of infiltrated water, However, water potentials below the test trenches and below the 2-m depth for nonvegetated soil indicated the persistence of an upward driving force for water flow during the 5-yr test period. General trends in trench-cover subsidence suggested a positive relation with cumulative precipitation, but subsidence did not appear to have a measurable effect on the water balance. Erosion rates were inversely related to near-surface rock-fragment content. Results suggest that the ultimate fate of contaminants buried at properly managed solid-waste sites may be determined largely by the interactions among climate and the surface-cover features of the disposal facility, and how these factors change with time.

Nevada↗
USGS2017

Nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macrobenthos

Lower trophic levels support the prey fish on which most sport fish depend. Therefore, understanding the production potential of lower trophic levels is integral to the management of Lake Ontario’s fishery resources. Lower trophic-level productivity differs among offshore and nearshore waters. In the offshore, there is concern about the ability of the lake to support Alewife (Table 1) production due to a perceived decline in productivity of phytoplankton and zooplankton whereas, in the nearshore, there is a concern about excessive attached algal production (e.g., Cladophora) associated with higher nutrient concentrations—the oligotrophication of the offshore and the eutrophication of the nearshore (Mills et al. 2003; Holeck et al. 2008; Dove 2009; Koops et al. 2015; Stewart et al. 2016). Even though the collapse of the Alewife population in Lake Huron in 2003 (and the associated decline in the Chinook Salmon fishery) may have been precipitated by a cold winter (Dunlop and Riley 2013), Alewife had not returned to high abundances in Lake Huron as of 2014 (Roseman et al. 2015). Failure of the Alewife population to recover from collapse has been attributed to declines in lower trophic-level production (Barbiero et al. 2011; Bunnell et al. 2014; but see He et al. 2015). In Lake Michigan, concerns of a similar Alewife collapse led to a decrease in the number of Chinook Salmon stocked. If lower trophic-level production declines in Lake Ontario, a similar management action could be considered. On the other hand, in Lake Erie, which supplies most of the water in Lake Ontario, eutrophication is increasing and so are harmful algal blooms. Thus, there is also a concern that nutrient levels and algal blooms could increase in Lake Ontario, especially in the nearshore. Solutions to the two processes of concern—eutrophication in the nearshore and oligotrophication in the offshore—may be mutually exclusive. In either circumstance, fisheries management needs information on the productivity of lower trophic levels in Lake Ontario. In this chapter, we review the status of lower trophic levels in Lake Ontario with special attention to the current (2008-2013) and previous (2003-2007) reporting periods. During the two reporting periods, three whole-lake surveys of lower trophic levels were conducted: the Lower Trophic Level Assessment (LOLA) in 2003 and 2008 (Makarewicz and Howell 2012; Munawar et al. 2015b) and the Cooperative Science and Management Initiative (CSMI) in 2013. Analyses of the CSMI data are ongoing. In addition to the three one-year sources of information on lower trophic levels, several multi-year sources of information are available, including data from the surveillance program conducted since 1965 by Environment Canada (EC) (Dove 2009), monitoring conducted since 1980 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) (Barbiero et al. 2014; Reavie et al. 2014), sampling for a Bioindex Program at two stations, one offshore and one in the Eastern Basin, assessments of Mysis diluviana (formerly Mysis relicta) conducted since 1980 by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Johannsson et al. 1998, 2011) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF), and monitoring conducted since 1995 by the Biomonitoring Program (BMP) on the New York side of the lake (Holeck et al. 2015b). The BMP is a collaboration of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Cornell University.

Special Publication↗
USGS2018

Standard operating procedure 1.2.16 wadeable stream reach-scale field data collection—version 1.0

The following standard operation procedure (SOP) outlines the procedure for collecting physical habitat data from previously selected and benchmarked wadeable streams. The purpose of this SOP is to ensure that data are collected using methods that are consistent between reaches and years. Using the methods described in this SOP will also ensure that the data will be comparable to data collected by other DOI agencies as well as non-governmental monitoring efforts. This SOP provides step-by-step directions and field data sheets tailored to the collection activities. The techniques and procedures outlined in this SOP were based on methods used by the United States Geological Survey (Fitzpatrick et al. 2008), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA 2013), and the United States Department of Agriculture (Harrelson et al. 1994) and were modified for the Piedmont and Coastal Plain rivers in SECN parks.

Southeast Coast Network Standard Operating Procedu↗
USGS2019

Scientific Framework for resilience research on the Upper Mississippi River System

The goal of this research framework is to outline research that would continue to improve our understanding of ecological resilience of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) and inform management of the system for health and resilience. We provide a broad overview of recently completed and ongoing work that has been funded as a part of the UMRS Ecological Resilience Assessment and related efforts to provide context for how proposed research questions build upon our current knowledge and may inform restoration planning and design. We describe two primary objectives within this research framework - the first objective is to investigate hypothesized drivers and feedbacks related to specified resilience, and the second is to expand our utility of general resilience indicators through further development and evaluation. The intended audience for this framework is the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program (UMRR). The UMRR partnership is made up of natural resource agencies from five states (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin) and five federal agencies (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service).

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin↗