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At least 1,351 records · Page 75Linked to original sources
USGS2006

Evidence for intensification of the global water cycle: Review and synthesis

One of the more important questions in hydrology is: if the climate warms in the future, will there be an intensification of the water cycle and, if so, the nature of that intensification? There is considerable interest in this question because an intensification of the water cycle may lead to changes in water-resource availability, an increase in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms, floods, and droughts, and an amplification of warming through the water vapor feedback. Empirical evidence for ongoing intensification of the water cycle would provide additional support for the theoretical framework that links intensification with warming. This paper briefly reviews the current state of science regarding historical trends in hydrologic variables, including precipitation, runoff, tropospheric water vapor, soil moisture, glacier mass balance, evaporation, evapotranspiration, and growing season length. Data are often incomplete in spatial and temporal domains and regional analyses are variable and sometimes contradictory; however, the weight of evidence indicates an ongoing intensification of the water cycle. In contrast to these trends, the empirical evidence to date does not consistently support an increase in the frequency or intensity of tropical storms and floods.

Journal of Hydrology↗
USGS1977

Hydrologic data for North Creek, Trinity River basin, Texas, 1975

This report contains the rainfall, runoff, and storage data collected during the 1975 water year for the 21.6-square-mile area above the stream-gaging station North Creek near Jacksboro, Texas. The weighted-mean rainfall in the study area during the water year was 39.01 inches, which is greater than the 18-year average of 30.21 inches for the period 1958-75. Monthly rainfall totals ranged from 1.04 inches in November to 7.94 inches in May. The mean discharge for 1975 at the stream-gaging station was 5.98 cfs, compared with the 14-year (1957-70) average of 5.75 cfs. The annual runoff from the basin above the stream-gaging station was 4,330 acre-feet or 3.76 inches. Three storms were selected for detailed computations for the 1975 water year. The storms occurred on Oct. 30-31, 1974, May 2, 1975 , and Aug. 26, 1975. Rainfall and discharge were computed on the basis of a refined time breakdown. Patterns of the storms are illustrated by hydrographs and mass curves. A summary of rainfall-runoff data is tabulated. There are five floodwater-retarding structures in the study area. These structures have a total capacity of 4,425 acre-feet below flood-spillway crests and regulate streamflow from 16.3 square miles, or 75 percent of the study area. A summary of the physical data at each of the floodwater-retarding structures is included. (Woodard-USGS)

Texas↗
USGS1977

Hydrologic data for Little Elm Creek, Trinity River basin, Texas, 1975

This report contains rainfall, runoff, and storage data collected during the 1975 water year for a 75.5 sq mi area above the stream-gaging station Little Elm Creek near Aubrey, Texas. Floodflows from 35.7 sq mi of the area are regulated by 16 floodwater-retarding structures constructed by the Soil Conservation Service. Six storm periods were selected for detailed computations and analyses. Water-quality data is given for Little Elm Creek. (Woodard-USGS)

Texas↗
USGS1980

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Dallas, Texas, metropolitan area, 1978

This report contains rainfall and runoff data collected during the 1978 water year for drainage basins of Joes Creek, Bachman Branch, Turtle Creek, Coombs Creek, Cedar Creek, White Rock Creek, Elam Creek, Fivemile Creek, Newton Creek, Whites Branch, Prairie Creek, Tenmile Creek, Duck Creek, and South Mesquite Creek in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area. The information will be useful in determining the extent to which progressive urbanization will affect the yield and mode of occurrence of storm runoff. Detailed rainfall-runoff computations are presented for ten storm periods during the 1978 water year. (USGS)

Texas↗
USGS1973

Selected hydrologic data, lower Bear River drainage basin, Box Elder County, Utah

This report presents selected basic data from a study of the ground- water resources of the lower Bear River drainage basin, Box Elder County, Utah. The study was made during 1970-72 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. Incorporated in this report are data collected by the Geological Survey and by other organizations since 1935. This report is intended to make the data conveniently available and to supplement an interpretive report which will be published separately.

Utah↗
USGS2019

Evaluation of recommended revisions to Bulletin 17B

For the past 36 years, Bulletin 17B, published by the Interagency Committee on Water Data in 1982, has guided flood-frequency analyses in the United States. During this period, much has been learned about both hydrology and statistical methods. In keeping with the tradition of periodically updating the Bulletin 17B guidelines in light of advances in our understanding and methods, the Hydrologic Frequency Analysis Work Group (HFAWG) was charged by the Subcommittee on Hydrology (SOH) of the Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) to consider possible updates to Bulletin 17B. The purpose of this report is to consider the statistical performance of possible revisions to Bulletin 17B procedures. Of particular interest are procedures designed to accommodate more general forms of flood information. The concern is how the proposed procedures would affect the precision, accuracy and robustness of flood-frequency estimates. The investigations reported here focus on techniques for the following: incorporating information related to historical flooding that occurred outside the period of systematic streamgaging; and identification of potentially influential low floods (PILFs). The proposed changes, which mostly involve generalizing Bulletin 17B’s method-of-moments procedures by using the Expected Moments Algorithm (EMA), are relatively modest, at least in the sense that they would not affect the main features of Bulletin 17B. The proposed methods include the following: continued use of the log-Pearson Type 3 (LP3) distribution; continued use of the Method-of-Moments fitting method applied to the logarithms of annual-peak-flow data; and a generalization of the Grubbs-Beck test used in Bulletin 17B to identify low outliers. The new multiple Grubbs-Beck test is sensitive to multiple PILFs. The hydrological literature already provides extensive support for the theory behind the proposed changes. The remaining question is practical: How well do the proposed methods perform under typical and realistic conditions and, specifically, with difficult records occasionally encountered in practice? In order to answer these questions, the HFAWG commissioned the work reported here. The following four major sets of results are provided: Monte Carlo simulations of fitting procedures employing data drawn from simulated LP3 populations; Monte Carlo simulations of fitting procedures employing data drawn from non-LP3 populations that were selected to reflect likely deviations of flood series from LP3 distributions, based on the experience of HFAWG members; a direct comparison of the fitted LP3 distributions for 82 real “test sites” identified by an independent data group as both “typical” and “challenging” for flood-frequency estimation; and simulations of fitting procedures using records obtained by resampling with replacement from the longest of the 82 test-site records. Collectively, these studies provide a reasonably comprehensive, valid, and robust assessment of the properties of the Bulletin 17B methods and proposed alternatives. The experiments and analysis indicate that the flood quantile estimators, proposed as a revision of Bulletin 17B, do the following: perform generally as well as, and in some cases much better than, Bulletin 17B estimators in terms of the mean square error of flood quantiles estimates; allow for incorporation and efficient statistical treatment of broader classes of flood-frequency data and information, including historical information, binomial data and interval data; and generally confirm studies and the theoretical findings reported in the hydrological literature that would support use of updated estimation procedures that have been developed since Bulletin 17B was published.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2020

Modeling the surface water and groundwater budgets of the US using MODFLOW-OWHM

Assessments of groundwater and surface water budgets at a large scale, such as the contiguous United States, often separately analyze the complex dynamics linking the surface and subsurface categories of water resources. These dynamics include recharge and groundwater contributions to streamflow. The time-varying simulation of these complex hydrologic dynamics, across large spatial and temporal scales, remains a scientific challenge due to the complexity of the processes and data availability. In this study, groundwater fluxes and surface hydrologic processes are simulated across the contiguous US for 1950-2010. The simulation estimates the monthly water budget components, such as groundwater recharge, surface runoff, and evapotranspiration; streamflow in major rivers is routed while accounting for groundwater exchange. Human impacts are included through groundwater pumping, and climate variability is included, including variability in precipitation, temperature and potential evapotranspiration. The simulated groundwater level and river discharge have strong correlation with USGS observation wells and streamflow gages, with R 2 values of 0.992 and 0.946, respectively. The simulated evapotranspiration is compared with three other published estimation methods, showing that it is able to capture the magnitude and seasonality of evapotranspiration over the Mississippi River basin. As such, the model is able to reasonably simulate the surface and groundwater budgets over the US, allowing for questions of the relative importance of climate and human impacts to be explored in the future.

Advances in Water Resources↗
USGS2014

Surface-groundwater interactions in hard rocks in Sardon Catchment of western Spain: an integrated modeling approach

The structural and hydrological complexity of hard rock systems (HRSs) affects dynamics of surface–groundwater interactions. These complexities are not well described or understood by hydrogeologists because simplified analyses typically are used to study HRSs. A transient, integrated hydrologic model (IHM) GSFLOW (Groundwater and Surface water FLOW) was calibrated and post-audited using 18 years of daily groundwater head and stream discharge data to evaluate the surface–groundwater interactions in semi-arid, ∼80 km 2 granitic Sardon hilly catchment in Spain characterized by shallow water table conditions, relatively low storage, dense drainage networks and frequent, high intensity rainfall. The following hydrological observations for the Sardon Catchment, and more generally for HRSs were made: (i) significant bi-directional vertical flows occur between surface water and groundwater throughout the HRSs; (ii) relatively large groundwater recharge represents 16% of precipitation (P, 562 mm.y −1 ) and large groundwater exfiltration (∼11% of P) results in short groundwater flow paths due to a dense network of streams, low permeability and hilly topographic relief; deep, long groundwater flow paths constitute a smaller component of the water budget (∼1% of P); quite high groundwater evapotranspiration (∼5% of P and ∼7% of total evapotranspiration); low permeability and shallow soils are the main reasons for relatively large components of Hortonian flow and interflow (15% and 11% of P, respectively); (iii) the majority of drainage from the catchment leaves as surface water; (iv) declining 18 years trend (4.44 mm.y −1 ) of groundwater storage; and (v) large spatio-temporal variability of water fluxes. This IHM study of HRSs provides greater understanding of these relatively unknown hydrologic systems that are widespread throughout the world and are important for water resources in many regions.

Sardon Catchment↗
USGS1942

Summaries of yearly and flood flow relating to Iowa streams 1873-1940

As a result of the need for basic data and the lack of a current and convenient summary concerning the surface-water resources of Iowa, a synoptic inventory has been prepared as a part of the present State-wide program which is made possible by State and Federal cooperative action. These hydrologic data are assembled in abbreviated form for the convenient* of the public and in order that a current State report containing stream-flow records under one cover will be more readily accessible for Iowa. This inventory is here presented in the form of a brief compilation report which summarizes results of stream-flow measurements relating to Iowa streams through out the years during which local. State and Federal agencies have cooperated in Iowa with the water resources branch of the United States Geological Survey. The principal basic data consist of concise summaries for gaging stations in Iowa and certain relevant locations adjacent thereto for which records for five or more complete years have been collected. These summaries include a comprehensive description and history of each station followed by a table giving in convenient form and for general use the figures of maximum and minimum daily dis charge and yearly mean discharge and runoff for the water and calendar years of record. In addition, approximately 300 miscellaneous discharge measurements, which have been made within the State of Iowa, am included in an original and convenient listing. A summary of maximum discharges at LIS places is also given together with other data pertinent to flood flow in Iowa.

Iowa↗
USGS1997

Reconnaissance of surface-water quality in the North Platte Natural Resources District, western Nebraska, 1993

In 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey and the North Platte Natural Resources District began a 3-year study to determine the geohydrology and water quality of the North Platte River alluvial aquifer near Oshkosh, Garden County, Nebraska. The objectives of the study were to determine the geohydrologic properties of the North Platte River alluvial aquifer, to establish a well network for long- term monitoring of concentrations of agricultural chemicals including nitrate and herbicides, and to establish baseline concentrations of major ions in the ground water. To meet these objectives, monitor wells were installed at 11 sites near Oshkosh. The geohydrologic properties of the aquifer were estimated from water-level measurements at selected irrigation wells located in the study area and short- term constant-discharge aquifer tests at two monitor wells. Water samples were collected bimonthly and analyzed for specific conductance, pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients including dissolved nitrate. Samples were collected semiannually for analysis of major ions, and annually for triazine and acetamide herbicides. Evaluation of the aquifer-test data indicates the hydraulic conductivities of the North Platte River alluvial aquifer range between 169 and 184 feet per day and transmissivities ranged from 12,700 to 26,700 feet-squared per day. The average specific yield for the alluvial aquifer, based on the two aquifer tests, was 0.2. Additional hydrologic data for the alluvial aquifer include a horizontal gradient of about 0.002 foot per foot and estimated ground- water flow velocities of about 0.1 to 1.8 feet per day. Evaluation of the water-quality data indicates that nitrate concentrations exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Maximum Contamination Level of 10 milligrams per liter for drinking water in areas to the east and west of Oshkosh. In these areas, nitrate concentrations generally are continuing to rise. West of Oshkosh the highest concentrations are now exceeding 50 milligrams per liter. With the exception of one sample, nitrate concentrations exceeding the Maximum Contamination Level were not detected in three wells used to monitor the ground water flowing into and out of the study area, nor in a monitor well located near a municipal well. Results of the study also indicate that an influx of water from Lost Creek Valley, north of the study area, may be mixing with ground water near Oshkosh and diluting concentrations of nitrate.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2014

Summary of hydrologic conditions in Kansas, 2013 water year

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Kansas Water Science Center (KSWSC), in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, maintains a long-term network of hydrologic monitoring gages in the State of Kansas. These include 195 real-time streamflow-gaging stations (herein gages) and 12 real-time reservoir-level monitoring stations. These data and associated analysis, accumulated for many years, provide a unique overview of hydrologic conditions and help improve our understanding of our water resources.

Kansas↗
USGS2008

Compilation of Stratigraphic Thicknesses for Caldera-Related Tertiary Volcanic Rocks, East-Central Nevada and West-Central Utah

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and a designee from the State of Utah are currently conducting a water-resources study of aquifers in White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah, in response to concerns about water availability and limited geohydrologic information relevant to ground-water flow in the region. Production of ground water in this region could impact water accumulations in three general types of aquifer materials: consolidated Paleozoic carbonate bedrock, and basin-filling Cenozoic volcanic rocks and unconsolidated Quaternary sediments. At present, the full impact of extracting ground water from any or all of these potential valley-graben reservoirs is not fully understood. A thorough understanding of intermontane basin stratigraphy, mostly concealed by the youngest unconsolidated deposits that blanket the surface in these valleys, is critical to an understanding of the regional hydrology in this area. This report presents a literature-based compilation of geologic data, especially thicknesses and lithologic characteristics, for Tertiary volcanic rocks that are presumably present in the subsurface of the intermontane valleys, which are prominent features of this area. Two methods are used to estimate volcanic-rock thickness beneath valleys: (1) published geologic maps and accompanying descriptions of map units were used to compile the aggregate thicknesses of Tertiary stratigraphic units present in each mountain range within the study areas, and then interpolated to infer volcanic-rock thickness in the intervening valley, and (2) published isopach maps for individual out-flow ash-flow tuff were converted to digital spatial data and thickness was added together to produce a regional thickness map that aggregates thickness of the individual units. The two methods yield generally similar results and are similar to volcanic-rock thickness observed in a limited number of oil and gas exploration drill holes in the region, although local geologic complexity and the inherent assumptions in both methods allow only general comparison. These methods serve the needs of regional ground-water studies that require a three-dimensional depiction of the extent and thickness of subsurface geologic units. The compilation of geologic data from published maps and reports provides a general understanding of the distribution and thickness of tuffs that are presumably present in the subsurface of the intermontane valleys and are critical to understanding the ground-water hydrology of this area.

Data Series↗
USGS1970

Ground-water conditions in southern Utah Valley and Goshen Valley, Utah

The investigation of ground-water conditions in southern Utah Valley and Goshen Valley, Utah, was made by the U. S. Geological Survey as part of a cooperative program with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, to investigate the water resources of the State. The purposes of the investigation were to (1) determine the occurrence, recharge, discharge, movement, storage, chemical quality, and availability of ground water; (2) appraise the effects of increased withdrawal of water from wells; and (3) evaluate the effect of the Central Utah Project on the ground-water reservoir and the water supply of Utah Lake. This report presents a description of the aquifer system in the two valleys, a detailed description of the ground-water resources, and conclusions about potential development and its effect on the hydrologic conditions in the valleys. Two supplementary reports are products of the investigation. A basic-data release (Cordova, 1969) contains most of the basic data collected for the investigation, including well characteristics, drillers' logs, water levels, pumpage from wells, chemical analyses of ground and surface waters, and discharge of selected springs, drains, and streams. An interpretive report (Cordova and Mower, 1967) contains the results of a large-scale aquifer test in southern Utah Valley.

Utah↗
USGS2022

Hydrology and water quality in 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia, 2012–16

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management, established a long-term water-quantity and water-quality monitoring program in 2012 to monitor and analyze the hydrologic and water-quality conditions of 15 watersheds in DeKalb County, Georgia—an urban and suburban area located in north-central Georgia that includes the easternmost part of the City of Atlanta. This report synthesizes the watershed characteristics and monitoring data collected for the first 5 years of the program, 2012 through 2016. The study area was predominantly medium-density residential (43.9 percent), commercial/industrial/institutional (21.4 percent), forest/park/agriculture (13.6 percent), and high-density residential (11.5 percent) land uses. Land-surface slope averaged 8.7 percent, imperviousness averaged 25.3 percent, and population density averaged 2,936 people per square mile. Watershed imperviousness ranged from 8.7 to 36.6 percent. In the study area for 2014 to 2016 (when streamflow data were available for all watersheds), runoff represented 40.9 percent of precipitation. Hydrograph separations indicated that 43 percent of runoff occurred as base flow, whereas the remainder occurred as stormflow. Higher watershed imperviousness was significantly related to higher amounts of runoff (Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient [ r ] = 0.517), higher runoff ratios ( r = 0.646), and lower amounts ( r = −0.637) and proportions ( r = −0.898) of base-flow runoff. Stormwater best management practices have been implemented in the study watersheds; however, these practices do not appear to fully mitigate the effects of urban development and land use on stream hydrology. Total copper, lead, and zinc concentrations in base-flow and stormflow samples exceeded the national recommended aquatic life criteria for chronic and acute conditions, respectively, to varying degrees. Escherichia coli density predictive regression models indicated that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Beach Action Value was exceeded at individual watersheds between 44.6 and 100 percent of the time. Exceedance of the Beach Action Value indicates possible unsafe conditions for primary contact recreation and could be used for timely notification of the potential health risks. Annual loads and yields were estimated for 15 constituents. Loads were typically higher for years with higher runoff while variations among watershed yields appear associated with watershed and land use characteristics. The lowest yields for almost all constituents occurred in the Stone Mountain Creek watershed—likely the result of the retention of sediment and reduction of nutrients in Stone Mountain Lake and two smaller downstream reservoirs within the watershed. The Little Stone Mountain Creek watershed also had some of the lowest yields for most constituents, likely due to the lack of many pollutant sources associated with its predominantly medium-density residential land use (95.5 percent), but had the highest total nitrate plus nitrite yields. The Intrenchment Creek watershed consistently had some of the highest yields across all constituents except for total nitrate plus nitrite. The high yields may be related to its high percentage of impervious area (36.0 percent) and high amount of heavily developed land use (high-density residential, 29.9 percent and commercial/industrial/institutional, 26.0 percent). Mean watershed constituent yields in this study were significantly higher than those from a similar analysis of 13 suburban to urban watersheds in adjacent Gwinnett County for 6 of the 10 constituents compared. This study provides a thorough assessment of watershed characteristics, hydrology, and water-quality conditions of the 15 study watersheds and can be used to identify possible factors that affect runoff and water quality. Watershed managers can use these data and analyses to inform management decisions regarding the designated uses of streams, minimization of flooding, protection of aquatic habitats, and optimization of the effectiveness of best management practices.

Georgia↗
USGS2020

Time scales of arsenic variability and the role of high-frequency monitoring at three water-supply wells in New Hampshire, USA

Groundwater geochemistry, redox process classification, high-frequency physicochemical and hydrologic measurements, and climate data were analyzed to identify controls on arsenic (As) concentration changes. Groundwater was monitored in two public-supply wells (one glacial aquifer and one bedrock aquifer), and one bedrock-aquifer domestic well in New Hampshire, USA, from 2014 to 2018 to identify time scales of and controls on As concentration changes. Concentrations of As and other geochemical constituents were measured bimonthly. Specific conductance (SC), pH, dissolved oxygen, and pumping rate/water level were measured at high frequency (every 5 to 15 min). Median (and 95% confidence interval) As concentrations at the three wells were 4.1 (3.7–4.6), 18.9 (17.2–23.6), and 37.5 (30.4–42.9) μg/L. Arsenic variability in each of the three wells, in relative standard deviation, ranged from 9 to 12%. Median quarterly As concentrations were highest in all wells in the spring. The bedrock-aquifer public-supply well As concentration increased over the period of study while pumping rate decreased. In the public-supply wells, As variability was correlated with SC and pH, and As species were related to SC, pH, pumping, precipitation, and changes in redox process. Specific conductance also had a seasonal pattern in the two public-supply wells and was correlated with Na and Cl. Excess Na in water samples suggests possible ion exchange with dissolved Ca, creating more capacity to dissolve CaCO 3 from calcareous rocks, which can increase pH and in turn, As concentrations in wells. High-frequency monitoring data are cost effective to collect, which could be advantageous in other parts of the United States and in the many parts of the world where glacial aquifers are in direct contact with other water supply aquifers or where water from different aquifers have potential to mix.

New Hampshire↗