USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Hydrology”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,189 records · Page 66Linked to original sources
USGS2016

Geochemistry and hydrology of perched groundwater springs: assessing elevated uranium concentrations at Pigeon Spring relative to nearby Pigeon Mine, Arizona (USA)

The processes that affect water chemistry as the water flows from recharge areas through breccia-pipe uranium deposits in the Grand Canyon region of the southwestern United States are not well understood. Pigeon Spring had elevated uranium in 1982 (44 μg/L), compared to other perched springs (2.7–18 μg/L), prior to mining operations at the nearby Pigeon Mine. Perched groundwater springs in an area around the Pigeon Mine were sampled between 2009 and 2015 and compared with material from the Pigeon Mine to better understand the geochemistry and hydrology of the area. Two general groups of perched groundwater springs were identified from this study; one group is characterized by calcium sulfate type water, low uranium activity ratio 234 U/ 238 U (UAR) values, and a mixture of water with some component of modern water, and the other group by calcium-magnesium sulfate type water, higher UAR values, and radiocarbon ages indicating recharge on the order of several thousand years ago. Multivariate statistical principal components analysis of Pigeon Mine and spring samples indicate Cu, Pb, As, Mn, and Cd concentrations distinguished mining-related leachates from perched groundwater springs. The groundwater potentiometric surface indicates that perched groundwater at Pigeon Mine would likely flow toward the northwest away from Pigeon Spring. The geochemical analysis of the water, sediment and rock samples collected from the Snake Gulch area indicate that the elevated uranium at Pigeon Spring is likely related to a natural source of uranium upgradient from the spring and not likely related to the Pigeon Mine.

Arizona↗
USGS2021

Modeling hydrologic processes associated with soil saturation and debris flow initiation during the September 2013 storm, Colorado Front Range

Seven days of extreme rainfall during September 2013 produced more than 1100 debris flows in the Colorado Front Range, about 78% of which occurred on south-facing slopes (SFS). Previously published soil moisture (volumetric water content) observations suggest that SFS were wetter than north-facing slopes (NFS) during the event, which contrasts with soil moisture patterns observed during normal conditions. Various causes have been hypothesized for the preferential saturation of SFS, but those hypotheses remain largely untested. Here, we analyze the soil moisture patterns using additional soil moisture observations, determine the hydrologic processes controlling the preferential saturation of SFS, and evaluate the importance of soil moisture in predicting the debris flow initiation sites. Soil moisture patterns are simulated using the Equilibrium Moisture from Topography, Vegetation, and Soil (EMT + VS) model. Five hypotheses are tested that may have influenced the soil moisture reversal including higher rainfall rates, lower interception rates, lower saturated water content, thinner soils, and reduced deep drainage on SFS. The EMT + VS model is coupled with an infinite slope stability model to produce factor of safety maps. The hypotheses are tested by comparing the modeled soil moisture to soil moisture observations and the debris flow initiation sites. The results suggest that differences in interception and deep drainage between SFS and NFS were primarily responsible for producing wetter SFS, but the soil moisture pattern likely played a smaller role than vegetation and slope in determining where debris flows initiated. The final model predicts instability at approximately 72% of the observed debris flow initiation sites.

Colorado↗
USGS2006

Solute sources in stream water during consecutive fall storms in a northern hardwood forest watershed: A combined hydrological, chemical and isotopic approach

Understanding the effects of climate change including precipitation patterns has important implications for evaluating the biogeochemical responses of watersheds. We focused on four storms in late summer and early fall that occurred after an exceptionally dry period in 2002. We analyzed not only the influence of these storms on episodic chemistry and the role of different water sources in affecting surface water chemistry, but also the relative contributions of these storms to annual biogeochemical mass balances. The study site was a well studied 135-ha watershed in the Adirondack Park of New York State (USA). Our analyses integrated measurements on hydrology, solute chemistry and the isotopic composition of NO 3 − (δ 15 N and δ 18 O) and SO 4 2− (δ 34 S and δ 18 O) to evaluate how these storms affected surface water chemistry. Precipitation amounts varied among the storms (Storm 1: Sept. 14–18, 18.5 mm; Storm 2: Sept. 21–24, 33 mm; Storm 3: Sept. 27–29, 42.9 mm; Storm 4: Oct. 16–21, 67.6 mm). Among the four storms, there was an increase in water yields from 2 to 14%. These water yields were much less than in studies of storms in previous years at this same watershed when antecedent moisture conditions were higher. In the current study, early storms resulted in relatively small changes in water chemistry. With progressive storms the changes in water chemistry became more marked with particularly major changes in C b (sum of base cations), Si, NO 3 − , and SO 4 2− , DOC and pH. Analyses of the relationships between Si, DOC, discharge and water table height clearly indicated that there was a decrease in ground water contributions (i.e., lower Si concentrations and higher DOC concentrations) as the watershed wetness increased with storm succession. The marked changes in chemistry were also reflected in changes in the isotopic composition of SO 4 2− and NO 3 − . There was a strong inverse relationship between SO 4 2− concentrations and δ 34 S values suggesting the importance of S biogeochemical redox processes in contributing to SO 4 2− export. The isotopic composition of NO 3 − in stream water indicated that this N had been microbially processed. Linkages between SO 4 2− and DOC concentrations suggest that wetlands were major sources of these solutes to drainage waters while the chemical and isotopic response of NO 3 − suggested that upland sources were more important. Although these late summer and fall storms did not play a major role in the overall annual mass balances of solutes for this watershed, these events had distinctive chemistry including depressed pH and therefore have important consequences to watershed processes such as episodic acidification, and the linkage of these processes to climate change.

Biogeochemistry↗
USGS2016

Amphibian dynamics in constructed ponds on a wildlife refuge: developing expected responses to hydrological restoration

Management actions are based upon predictable responses. To form expected responses to restoration actions, I estimated habitat relationships and trends (2002–2015) for four pond-breeding amphibians on a wildlife refuge (Montana, USA) where changes to restore historical hydrology to the system greatly expanded (≥8 times) the flooded area of the primary breeding site for western toads ( Anaxyrus boreas ). Additional restoration actions are planned for the near future, including removing ponds that provide amphibian habitat. Multi-season occupancy models based on data from 15 ponds sampled during 7 years revealed that the number of breeding subpopulations increased modestly for Columbia spotted frogs ( Rana luteiventris ) and was stationary for long-toed salamanders ( Ambystoma macrodactylum ) and Pacific treefrogs ( Pseudacris regilla ). For these three species, pond depth was the characteristic that was associated most frequently with occupancy or changes in colonization and extinction. In contrast, a large decrease in colonization by western toads explained the decline from eight occupied ponds in 2002 to two ponds in 2015. This decline occurred despite an increase in wetland area and the colonization of a newly created pond. These changes highlight the challenges of managing for multiple species and how management responses can be unpredictable, possibly reducing the efficacy of targeted actions.

Hydrobiologia↗
USGS2012

On the relative roles of hydrology, salinity, temperature, and root productivity in controlling soil respiration from coastal swamps (freshwater)

Background and aims Soil CO 2 emissions can dominate gaseous carbon losses from forested wetlands (swamps), especially those positioned in coastal environments. Understanding the varied roles of hydroperiod, salinity, temperature, and root productivity on soil respiration is important in discerning how carbon balances may shift as freshwater swamps retreat inland with sea-level rise and salinity incursion, and convert to mixed communities with marsh plants. Methods We exposed soil mesocosms to combinations of permanent flooding, tide, and salinity, and tracked soil respiration over 2 1/2 growing seasons. We also related these measurements to rates from field sites along the lower Savannah River, Georgia, USA. Soil temperature and root productivity were assessed simultaneously for both experiments. Results Soil respiration from mesocosms (22.7-1678.2 mg CO 2 m -2 h -1 ) differed significantly among treatments during four of the seven sampling intervals, where permanently flooded treatments contributed to low rates of soil respiration and tidally flooded treatments sometimes contributed to higher rates. Permanent flooding reduced the overall capacity for soil respiration as soils warmed. Salinity did reduce soil respiration at times in tidal treatments, indicating that salinity may affect the amount of CO 2 respired with tide more strongly than under permanent flooding. However, soil respiration related greatest to root biomass (mesocosm) and standing root length (field); any stress reducing root productivity (incl. salinity and permanent flooding) therefore reduces soil respiration. Conclusions Overall, we hypothesized a stronger, direct role for salinity on soil respiration, and found that salinity effects were being masked by varied capacities for increases in respiration with soil warming as dictated by hydrology, and the indirect influence that salinity can have on plant productivity.

Georgia↗
USGS2012

Spatial analysis of geologic and hydrologic features relating to sinkhole occurrence in Jefferson County, West Virginia

In this study the influence of geologic features related to sinkhole susceptibility was analyzed and the results were mapped for the region of Jefferson County, West Virginia. A model of sinkhole density was constructed using Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) that estimated the relations among discrete geologic or hydrologic features and sinkhole density at each sinkhole location. Nine conditioning factors on sinkhole occurrence were considered as independent variables: distance to faults, fold axes, fracture traces oriented along bedrock strike, fracture traces oriented across bedrock strike, ponds, streams, springs, quarries, and interpolated depth to groundwater. GWR model parameter estimates for each variable were evaluated for significance, and the results were mapped. The results provide visual insight into the influence of these variables on localized sinkhole density, and can be used to provide an objective means of weighting conditioning factors in models of sinkhole susceptibility or hazard risk.

West Virginia↗
USGS2011

Cumuilative Effects of Impoundments on the Hydrology of Riparian Wetlands along the Marmaton River, west-central Missouri

The effects of proposed impoundments and resulting streamflow regulation on riparian wetlands in the Marmaton River Basin, Missouri, USA were determined using measurements and numerical simulations of wetland water budgets. Calibrated and validated Soil-Plant-Air-Water (SPAW) models were used to simulate daily water depths of four riparian wetlands for Current (model scenario of existing impoundments) and Proposed (model scenario of existing and proposed impoundments) impoundment conditions. The simulated frequency of flooding decreased 19–65% at the wetlands following the additions of proposed impoundments. The reduced flooding resulted in decreases in wetland water depths at all sites during the 10 simulated growing seasons under Proposed conditions with an average duration of continuous water-depth declines of 289 days at the upstream (most regulated) site. Downstream wetlands within the zone of least regulation had an average duration of water level decreases of about 20 days. Decreased water levels under Proposed conditions resulted in a range of 65–365 additional dry days at the study wetlands during the simulated 10-year period of Proposed conditions. The areas of the four wetlands meeting the hydrologic criteria of a formal jurisdictional wetland definition decreased ranging from zero to 31% under Proposed impoundment conditions.

Wetlands↗
USGS2015

Response of Schoenoplectus acutus and Schoenoplectus californicus at different life-history stages to hydrologic regime

For wetland restoration success to be maximized, restoration managers need better information regarding how the frequency, depth, and duration of flooding affect soil chemistry and the survival, growth, and morphology of targeted plant species. In a greenhouse study we investigated the impact of four different flooding durations (0 %, 40 %, 60 %, and 100 %) on soil physicochemistry and the responses of seedlings and adults of two species of emergent wetland macrophytes commonly used in restoration efforts ( Schoenoplectus acutus and Schoenoplectus californicus ). The longest flooding duration, which created more reducing soil conditions, resulted in significantly reduced survival of S. acutus adults (34 ± 21 % survival) and complete mortality of seedlings of both species. Schoenoplectus californicus adults exhibited higher flooding tolerance, showing little impact of flooding on morphology and physiology. A companion field study indicated that S. californicus maintained stem strength regardless of flooding duration or depth, supporting the greenhouse study results. This information serves to improve our understanding of the ecological differences between these species as well as provide restoration managers with better guidelines for targeted elevation and hydrologic regimes for these species in order to enhance the success of restoration plantings and better predict restoration site development.

Wetlands↗
USGS2016

Temperature and hydrology affect methane emissions from Prairie Pothole Wetlands

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) in central North America consists of millions of depressional wetlands that each have considerable potential to emit methane (CH 4 ). Changes in temperature and hydrology in the PPR from climate change may affect methane fluxes from these wetlands. To assess the potential effects of changes in climate on methane emissions, we examined the relationships between flux rates and temperature or water depth using six years of bi-weekly flux measurements during the snow-free period from six temporarily ponded and six permanently ponded wetlands in North Dakota, USA. Methane flux rates were among the highest reported for freshwater wetlands, and had considerable spatial and temporal variation. Methane flux rates increased with increasing temperature and water depth, and were especially high when conditions were warmer and wetter than average (163 ± 28 mg CH 4 m −2 h −1 ) compared to warmer and drier (37 ± 7 mg CH 4 m −2 h −1 ). Methane emission rates from permanent wetlands were less sensitive to changes in temperature and water depth compared to temporary wetlands, likely due to higher sulfate concentrations in permanent wetlands. While the predicted increase in temperature with climate change will likely increase methane emission rates from PPR wetlands, drier conditions could moderate these increases.

Wetlands↗
USGS1993

Hydrologic, chemical, and isotopic characterization of two small watersheds on Catoctin Mountain, north-central Maryland, U.S.A.

Two small (100 ha) watersheds located on Catoctin Mountain in north-central Maryland were intensively instrumented in 1990 and have been hydrologically, chemically, and isotopically monitored for 3 years. Dissolved concentrations of major ions (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + , total AI, CI - , NO 3 - , SO 4 2- , HCO 3 - , and SiO 2 ) and stable isotopic (D and 18 O) values have been analyzed for most types of water (precipitation, throughfall, two depths of soil water, shallow groundwater, and streamwater) that enter, travel through, and exit each watershed. The major objectives of the study were to characterize the chemical and isotopic signatures of all aqueous components of the watersheds and to interpret the causes of the changes in chemical and isotopic compositions of streamwater during storm runoff. This paper describes selected results of the study.

Maryland↗
USGS1994

Use of long-term tritium records from the Colorado River to determine timescales for hydrologic processes associated with irrigation in the Imperial Valley, California

Tritium records were used to study hydrologic processes associated with irrigation and drainage in the Imperial Valley, a 2000-km 2 agricultural area in the southeastern California desert. Tritium was analyzed in surface water, ground water, soil-pore water and drain water, and the results were compared to the historical record of tritium in the Colorado River. The Colorado River record was reconstructed using a simple reservoir model and precipitation data in the Colorado River Basin for the period prior to 1965, and from continuous measurements in the river for 1965–1988. This historical record is especially useful in the arid Imperial Valley because recent agricultural development has been entirely dependent on irrigation water diverted from the Colorado River and local recharge is negligible. Results indicate that it takes about 5 a for irrigation drainage to move through the soil to a depth of 2–3 m. Drainwaters have a wide range in tritium concentrations because of varying degrees of influence from ground-water intrusion, and from rapid percolation of irrigation through preferred pathways. The net result is that drainwater from about 40 fields had a range in tritium concentration similar to that of the Colorado River over the last 9 a (1980–1988), a period during which tritium concentration was declining about 15% annually in the river.

California↗
USGS2020

Quantitative paleoflood hydrology

This chapter reviews the paleohydrologic techniques and approaches used to reconstruct the magnitude and frequency of past floods using geological evidence. Quantitative paleoflood hydrology typically leads to two phases of analysis: (1) documentation and assessment of flood physical evidence (paleostage indicators), and (2) relating identified flood evidence to flood discharge, based on hydraulic calculations. Most paleoflood studies rely on stratigraphic sequences of fine-grained flood deposits found in slack-water and eddy environments in bedrock rivers to enable the estimates of paleodischarges for floods of past few centuries or millennia. Geochronology, commonly based on techniques such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon, enable paleoflood age estimates. Such paleoflood discharge and age information can vastly improve flood frequency estimates, particularly for large and rare floods for which quantile estimates are typically poorly constrained by short historical records. The inclusion of such physical evidence of flooding into flood frequency assessments has been aided by new techniques of frequency analysis that can efficiently employ such data. Consequently, paleoflood analysis is supporting probability risk management of critical infrastructure such as nuclear facilities, dams, or bridges. Paleoflood studies also support understanding of the recurrence of geomorphically effective flows and assessment of non-stationarity in the frequency of large floods due to climate, land-use, or other environmental changes.

Llobregat River↗
USGS2006

Assimilation of snow covered area information into hydrologic and land-surface models

This paper describes a data assimilation method that uses observations of snow covered area (SCA) to update hydrologic model states in a mountainous catchment in Colorado. The assimilation method uses SCA information as part of an ensemble Kalman filter to alter the sub-basin distribution of snow as well as the basin water balance. This method permits an optimal combination of model simulations and observations, as well as propagation of information across model states. Sensitivity experiments are conducted with a fairly simple snowpack/water-balance model to evaluate effects of the data assimilation scheme on simulations of streamflow. The assimilation of SCA information results in minor improvements in the accuracy of streamflow simulations near the end of the snowmelt season. The small effect from SCA assimilation is initially surprising. It can be explained both because a substantial portion of snowmelts before any bare ground is exposed, and because the transition from 100% to 0% snow coverage occurs fairly quickly. Both of these factors are basin-dependent. Satellite SCA information is expected to be most useful in basins where snow cover is ephemeral. The data assimilation strategy presented in this study improved the accuracy of the streamflow simulation, indicating that SCA is a useful source of independent information that can be used as part of an integrated data assimilation strategy. ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advances in Water Resources↗
USGS2009

Assessing the impact of land use change on hydrology by ensemble modeling (LUCHEM) III: Scenario analysis

An ensemble of 10 hydrological models was applied to the same set of land use change scenarios. There was general agreement about the direction of changes in the mean annual discharge and 90% discharge percentile predicted by the ensemble members, although a considerable range in the magnitude of predictions for the scenarios and catchments under consideration was obvious. Differences in the magnitude of the increase were attributed to the different mean annual actual evapotranspiration rates for each land use type. The ensemble of model runs was further analyzed with deterministic and probabilistic ensemble methods. The deterministic ensemble method based on a trimmed mean resulted in a single somewhat more reliable scenario prediction. The probabilistic reliability ensemble averaging (REA) method allowed a quantification of the model structure uncertainty in the scenario predictions. It was concluded that the use of a model ensemble has greatly increased our confidence in the reliability of the model predictions. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd.

Advances in Water Resources↗
USGS2018

Application of hydrologic-tracer techniques to the Casargiu adit and Rio Irvi (SW-Sardinia, Italy): Using enhanced natural attenuation to reduce extreme metal loads

Hydrologic tracer techniques were applied to Rio Irvi (SW Sardinia), a stream affected by mine drainage, allowing the calculation of stream discharge and metal loads and comparison to other streams. The calculated discharge showed a continuous increase from near 21.2 L/s to 29.1 L/s. Cumulative loads of mine-related constituents, including the Casargiu adit inflow, were large, with more than 9900 kg/day of SO 4 2− , 2370 kg/day of Zn, 550 kg/day of Fe and 172 kg/day of Mn. The greatest measurable inflow source of metals, other than the Casargiu adit, was an acidic tributary (L4), but most sources of instream metal load were related to dispersed groundwater inflows. Some of those groundwater inflows were related to non-flowing tributaries. Calculations of the cumulative instream metal load, excluding the Casargiu adit inflow, indicated increases of 1250 kg/day for SO 4 2 , 858 kg/day for Zn - , 137 kg/day gain for Fe and 60 kg/day for Mn. Rio Irvi Zn load was extreme for a stream of this size and discharge. A comparison with two other mine-affected rivers in Sardinia indicated the loading in Rio Irvi was two to three orders of magnitude greater. This difference was attributed to different geochemical conditions, but also to a lack of a biogeochemical barrier like that seen to be acting along and below the riverbed in Rio San Giorgio. Several years of intense vegetation growth in the river bed of Rio San Giorgio created a biogeochemical barrier to metal loading, and the cumulative Zn load there was near 8 kg/day, despite being a drainage with a greater mass of mine wastes to contribute to the load.

Sardinia↗
USGS2010

Limited hydrologic response to Pleistocene climate change in deep vadose zones - Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Understanding the movement of water through thick vadose zones, especially on time scales encompassing long-term climate change, is increasingly important as societies utilize semi-arid environments for both water resources and sites viewed as favorable for long-term disposal or storage of hazardous waste. Hydrologic responses to Pleistocene climate change within a deep vadose zone in the eastern Mojave Desert at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, were evaluated by uranium-series dating of finely layered hyalitic opal using secondary ion mass spectrometry. Opal is present within cm-thick secondary hydrogenic mineral crusts coating floors of lithophysal cavities in fractured volcanic rocks at depths of 200 to 300 m below land surface. Uranium concentrations in opal fluctuate systematically between 5 and 550 μg/g. Age-calibrated profiles of uranium concentration correlate with regional climate records over the last 300,000 years and produce time-series spectral peaks that have distinct periodicities of 100- and 41-ka, consistent with planetary orbital parameters. These results indicate that the chemical compositions of percolating solutions varied in response to near-surface, climate-driven processes. However, slow (micrometers per thousand years), relatively uniform growth rates of secondary opal and calcite deposition spanning several glacial–interglacial climate cycles imply that water fluxes in the deep vadose zone remained low and generally buffered from the large fluctuations in available surface moisture during different climates.

Nevada↗
USGS2023

Can spatial food web subsidies associated with river hydrology and lateral connectivity be detected using stable isotopes?

During and following lateral connections, aquatic organisms residing in the river channel may assimilate material from sources imported from oxbows, and oxbow residents may consume and assimilate material imported from the channel. Hydrology, lateral connectivity, and stable isotope ratios of fishes and mussels were analyzed for evidence of spatial food web subsidies between the active channel and oxbow lakes in the floodplain of the Guadalupe River, Texas. During surveys conducted between March 2016 and April 2017, fish, mussel, periphyton, seston, and riparian plant samples were collected in and around two oxbows and adjacent channel sites for analysis of stable isotope ratios. Biplots of δ 13 C and δ 15 N were graphed for basal sources and specimens of six common fish species, four sunfish species ( Lepomis spp. combined), and two mussel species (Unionidae combined) captured from oxbows and the channel. Within each graph, polygons were drawn to indicate the space occupied by animals that could have assimilated feasible combinations of source materials originating from either oxbows or the river channel. Based on positions of animals within source polygons, riparian C4 grasses were not an important source of organic matter supporting biomass of fishes and mussels within the channel or oxbows. Overall, 84% of organisms had isotopic signatures consistent with assimilation of in situ sources, but also 76% of all organisms were inconclusive with regards to cross-habitat exchanges. Outliers that may have assimilated ex situ source material were observed for only 4% of 313 organisms from oxbows and 9% of 232 organisms from the channel, and some but not all of these cases followed high flow pulses that connected oxbows for extended periods. Several issues that compromise inferences from stable isotope analysis were identified, and estimation of spatial food web subsidies in fluvial systems could be enhanced by analyzing additional biomarkers, such as isotopic ratios of other elements and compound-specific stable isotopes, as well as additional sources, time-specific biotracers, and experimental approaches that directly track movement of sources and organisms in spatially structured food webs.

Texas↗
USGS2006

Geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical interpretations of mineral deposits as analogs for understanding transport of environmental contaminants

Base- and precious-metal mineral deposits comprise anomalous concentrations of metals and associated elements, which may be useful subjects for study as analogs for migration of environmental contaminants. In the geologic past, hydrothermal mineral deposits formed at the intersection of favorable geologic, hydrologic and geochemical gradients. In the present, weathering of these sulfide-rich deposits occurs as a result of the interplay between rates of oxygen supply versus rates of ground or surface-water flow. Transport and spatial dispersion of elements from a mineral deposit occurs as a function of competing rates of water flow versus rates of attenuation mechanisms such as adsorption, dilution, or (co)precipitation. In this paper we present several case studies from mineralized and altered sedimentary and crystalline aquifers in the western United States to illustrate the geologic control of ground-water flow and solute transport, and to demonstrate how this combined approach leads to a more complete understanding of the systems under study as well as facilitating some capability to predict major flow directions in aquifers.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗