Geology topics

J. J. Steuer

Publications and source records attributed to J. J. Steuer.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2009

Polychlorinated biphenyls as probes of biogeochemical processes in rivers

A field study was conducted to investigate the use of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) congener and homolog assemblages as tracers of biogeochemical processes in the Milwaukee and Manitowoc Rivers in southeastern Wisconsin from 1993 to 1995. PCB congeners in the dissolved and suspended particle phases, along with various algal indicators (algal carbon and pigments), were quantitated in the water seasonally. In addition, PCB congener assemblages were determined seasonally in surficial bed sediments. Biogeochemical processes investigated included: determination of the source of suspended particles and bottom sediments by comparison with known Aroclor mixtures, water-solid partitioning, and algal uptake of PCBs. Seasonal differences among the PCB assemblages were observed mainly in the dissolved phase, somewhat less in the suspended particulate phase, and not at all in the bed sediments.

Wisconsin↗

USGS2009

Relationship of stream ecological conditions to simulated hydraulic metrics across a gradient of basin urbanization

The relationships among urbanization, stream hydraulics, and aquatic biology were investigated across a gradient of urbanization in 30 small basins in eastern Wisconsin, USA. Simulation of hydraulic metrics with 1-dimensional unsteady flow models was an effective means for mechanistically coupling the effects of urbanization with stream ecological conditions (i.e., algae, invertebrates, and fish). Urbanization, characterized by household, road, and urban land density, was positively correlated with the lowest shear stress for 2 adjacent transects in a reach for the low-flow summer (p < 0.001) and autumn (p < 0.01) periods. Urbanization also was positively correlated with Reynolds number and % exposed stream bed during months with moderate to low flows. Our study demonstrated the value of temporally and spatially explicit hydraulic models for providing mechanistic insight into the relationships between hydraulic variables and biological responses. For example, the positive correlation between filter-feeding invertebrate richness and minimum 2-transect shear stress observed in our study is consistent with a higher concentration of water-column particulates available for filtration. The strength of correlations between hydraulic and biological metrics is related to the time period (annual, seasonal, or monthly) considered. The hydraulic modeling approach, whether based on hourly or daily flow data, allowed documentation of the effects of a spatially variable response within a reach, and the results suggest that stream response to urbanization varies with hydraulic habitat type. ?? North American Benthological Society.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗

USGS2008

Use of complex hydraulic variables to predict the distribution and density of unionids in a side channel of the Upper Mississippi River

Previous attempts to predict the importance of abiotic and biotic factors to unionids in large rivers have been largely unsuccessful. Many simple physical habitat descriptors (e.g., current velocity, substrate particle size, and water depth) have limited ability to predict unionid density. However, more recent studies have found that complex hydraulic variables (e.g., shear velocity, boundary shear stress, and Reynolds number) may be more useful predictors of unionid density. We performed a retrospective analysis with unionid density, current velocity, and substrate particle size data from 1987 to 1988 in a 6-km reach of the Upper Mississippi River near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. We used these data to model simple and complex hydraulic variables under low and high flow conditions. We then used classification and regression tree analysis to examine the relationships between hydraulic variables and unionid density. We found that boundary Reynolds number, Froude number, boundary shear stress, and grain size were the best predictors of density. Models with complex hydraulic variables were a substantial improvement over previously published discriminant models and correctly classified 65-88% of the observations for the total mussel fauna and six species. These data suggest that unionid beds may be constrained by threshold limits at both ends of the flow regime. Under low flow, mussels may require a minimum hydraulic variable (Rez.ast;, Fr) to transport nutrients, oxygen, and waste products. Under high flow, areas with relatively low boundary shear stress may provide a hydraulic refuge for mussels. Data on hydraulic preferences and identification of other conditions that constitute unionid habitat are needed to help restore and enhance habitats for unionids in rivers. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Hydrobiologia↗

USGS2007

Importance of physical and hydraulic characteristics to unionid mussels: A retrospective analysis in a reach of large river

Interest in understanding physical and hydraulic factors that might drive distribution and abundance of freshwater mussels has been increasing due to their decline throughout North America. We assessed whether the spatial distribution of unionid mussels could be predicted from physical and hydraulic variables in a reach of the Upper Mississippi River. Classification and regression tree (CART) models were constructed using mussel data compiled from various sources and explanatory variables derived from GIS coverages. Prediction success of CART models for presence-absence of mussels ranged from 71 to 76% across three gears (brail, sled-dredge, and dive-quadrat) and 51% of the deviance in abundance. Models were largely driven by shear stress and substrate stability variables, but interactions with simple physical variables, especially slope, were also important. Geospatial models, which were based on tree model results, predicted few mussels in poorly connected backwater areas (e.g., floodplain lakes) and the navigation channel, whereas main channel border areas with high geomorphic complexity (e.g., river bends, islands, side channel entrances) and small side channels were typically favorable to mussels. Moreover, bootstrap aggregation of discharge-specific regression tree models of dive-quadrat data indicated that variables measured at low discharge were about 25% more predictive (PMSE = 14.8) than variables measured at median discharge (PMSE = 20.4) with high discharge (PMSE = 17.1) variables intermediate. This result suggests that episodic events such as droughts and floods were important in structuring mussel distributions. Although the substantial mussel and ancillary data in our study reach is unusual, our approach to develop exploratory statistical and geospatial models should be useful even when data are more limited. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Hydrobiologia↗

USGS2006

Association of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with live algae and total lipids in rivers - A field-based approach

The association of PCBs and live algal cells in rivers was studied at four locations during four seasons in two Wisconsin rivers. Positive relations between particle-associated PCBs and both chlorophyll-a and algal carbon concentrations indicated that live algal cells were a significant sorption phase for dissolved PCBs. Large Pennate diatoms (Navicula, Synedra, Pinnularia, Diatoma, and Cocconeis), or more rarely, Euglenoids (Trachelomonas sp.), dominated most sample assemblages on an algal carbon basis. These assemblages made up the highest percentage of total SOC during spring (average=50%) and lowest during summer (average=15%). At the three impounded sites, most individual PCB congeners were relatively enriched in samples characterized by: (1) high concentrations of algal carbon (as a percent of SOC), (2) algal assemblages dominated (or co-dominated) by Euglenoids, and (3) high concentrations of total lipids. Despite relatively higher masses of sorbed PCBs in the most lipid-rich samples, there was no robust correlation between total lipid content and particle-associated PCBs when aggregating all samples from the study. A possible explanation is that PCBs are associated with other structural components in live algae and (or) departure from chemical equilibrium in the river due to algal growth kinetics. A kinetic uptake model was used to calculate the mass of PCBs associated with the total organic carbon content of live algae. Based on this model, PCBs were enriched in algal cells during bloom seasons (spring and fall) compared to non-bloom seasons (summer and winter). Further, although individual PCB congener partition coefficients (log) to live algal cells (range=5.3-6.4) overlapped to those for detritus (range=3.6-7.4), PCBs tended to be enriched in detrital carbon pools during non-bloom conditions. The larger range of estimated PCB partition coefficients for detritus likely reflects the more heterogeneous nature of this material compared to live algal cells.

Science of the Total Environment↗

USGS2005

Delineating a recharge area for a spring using numerical modeling, Monte Carlo techniques, and geochemical investigation

Recharge areas of spring systems can be hard to identify, but they can be critically important for protection of a spring resource. A recharge area for a spring complex in southern Wisconsin was delineated using a variety of complementary techniques. A telescopic mesh refinement (TMR) model was constructed from an existing regional-scale ground water flow model. This TMR model was formally optimized using parameter estimation techniques; the optimized "best fit" to measured heads and fluxes was obtained by using a horizontal hydraulic conductivity 200% larger than the original regional model for the upper bedrock aquifer and 80% smaller for the lower bedrock aquifer. The uncertainty in hydraulic conductivity was formally considered using a stochastic Monte Carlo approach. Two-hundred model runs used uniformly distributed, randomly sampled, horizontal hydraulic conductivity values within the range given by the TMR optimized values and the previously constructed regional model. A probability distribution of particles captured by the spring, or a "probabilistic capture zone," was calculated from the realistic Monte Carlo results (136 runs of 200). In addition to portions of the local surface watershed, the capture zone encompassed areas outside of the watershed - demonstrating that the ground watershed and surface watershed do not coincide. Analysis of water collected from the site identified relatively large contrasts in chemistry, even for springs within 15 m of one another. The differences showed a distinct gradation from Ordovician-carbonate-dominated water in western spring vents to Cambrian-sandstone-influenced water in eastern spring vents. The difference in chemistry was attributed to distinctive bedrock geology as demonstrated by overlaying the capture zone derived from numerical modeling over a bedrock geology map for the area. This finding gives additional confidence to the capture zone calculated by modeling.

Ground Water↗

USGS2004

Validation of two dilution models to predict chloramine-T concentrations in aquaculture facility effluent

Accurate estimates of drug concentrations in hatchery effluent are critical to assess the environmental risk of hatchery drug discharge resulting from disease treatment. This study validated two dilution simple n models to estimate chloramine-T environmental introduction concentrations by comparing measured and predicted chloramine-T concentrations using the US Geological Survey's Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center aquaculture facility effluent as an example. The hydraulic characteristics of our treated raceway and effluent and the accuracy of our water flow rate measurements were confirmed with the marker dye rhodamine WT. We also used the rhodamine WT data to develop dilution models that would (1) estimate the chloramine-T concentration at a given time and location in the effluent system and (2) estimate the average chloramine-T concentration at a given location over the entire discharge period. To test our models, we predicted the chloramine-T concentration at two sample points based on effluent flow and the maintenance of chloramine-T at 20 mg/l for 60 min in the same raceway used with rhodamine WT. The effluent sample points selected (sample points A and B) represented 47 and 100% of the total effluent flow, respectively. Sample point B is-analogous to the discharge of a hatchery that does not have a detention lagoon, i.e. The sample site was downstream of the last dilution water addition following treatment. We then applied four chloramine-T flow-through treatments at 20mg/l for 60 min and measured the chloramine-T concentration in water samples collected every 15 min for about 180 min from the treated raceway and sample points A and B during and after application. The predicted chloramine-T concentration at each sampling interval was similar to the measured chloramine-T concentration at sample points A and B and was generally bounded by the measured 90% confidence intervals. The predicted aver,age chloramine-T concentrations at sample points A or B (2.8 and 1.3 mg/l, respectively) were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the average measured chloramine-T concentrations (2.7 and 1.3 mg/l, respectively). The close agreement between our predicted and measured chloramine-T concentrations indicate either of the dilution models could be used to adequately predict the chloramine-T environmental introduction concentration in Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center effluent.

Aquacultural Engineering↗

USGS2001

Evaluating the effects of urbanization and land-use planning using ground-water and surface-water models

Why are the effects of urbanization a concern? As the city of Middleton, Wisconsin, and its surroundings continue to develop, the Pheasant Branch watershed (fig.l) is expected to undergo urbanization. For the downstream city of Middleton, urbanization in the watershed can mean increased flood peaks, water volume and pollutant loads. More subtly, it may also reduce water that sustains the ground-water system (called "recharge") and adversely affect downstream ecosystems that depend on ground water such as the Pheasant Branch Springs (hereafter referred to as the Springs). The relation of stormwater runoff and reduced ground-water recharge is complex because the surface-water system is coupled to the underlying ground-water system. In many cases there is movement of water from one system to the other that varies seasonally or daily depending on changing conditions. Therefore, it is difficult to reliably determine the effects of urbanization on stream baseflow and spring flows without rigorous investigation. Moreover, mitigating adverse effects after development has occurred can be expensive and administratively difficult. Overlying these concerns are issues such as stewardship of the resource, the rights of the public, and land owners' rights both of those developing their land and those whose land is affected by this development. With the often- contradictory goals, a scientific basis for assessing effects of urbanization and effectiveness of mitigation measures helps ensure fair and constructive decision-making. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Middleton and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, completed a study that helps address these issues through modeling of the hydrologic system. This Fact Sheet discusses the results of this work.

Wisconsin↗

USGS2000

Simulation of the recharge area for Frederick Springs, Dane County, Wisconsin

The Pheasant Branch watershed in Dane County is expected to undergo development. There are concerns that this development will adversely affect water resources, including Frederick Springs, a large spring complex in the watershed. The spring's recharge area was delineated using a telescopic mesh refinement (TMR) model constructed from an existing regional-scale ground-water flow model, and further refined by adding nearby surface-water features, a refined recharge array based on a surface-water model, and increasing the vertical leakage between the deep aquifers. This TMR model was formally optimized using the parameter estimation code UCODE. The results of optimization demonstrated that the best fit to measured heads and fluxes was obtained by using a horizontal hydraulic conductivity two times that of the original regional model for layer 2 and 80 percent smaller for layer 3. This range of parameter values was formally considered using a stochastic Monte Carlo approach. Two-hundred model runs used uniformly distributed, randomly sampled, horizontal hydraulic conductivity values within the range given by the TMR optimized values and the previously constructed regional model. A probability distribution of particles captured by the spring, or a probabilistic capture zone' was calculated from the realistic Monte Carlo results (136 runs of 200). In addition to portions of the local surface watershed, the capture zone encompassed distant areas in the North Fork of the Pheasant Branch watershed and areas entirely outside of the Pheasant Branch - demonstrating that the ground-watershed and surface watershed do not coincide. Analysis of samples from the springs and a nearby municipal well identified large contrasts in chemistry, even for springs within 50 feet of one another. The differences were stable over time, were present in both ion and isotope analyses, and showed a distinct gradation from high nitrate, high calcium, Ordovician-carbonate dominated water in western spring vents to low nitrate, lower calcium, Cambrian-sandstone influenced water in eastern spring vents. The difference in chemistry was attributed to distinctive bedrock geology as demonstrated by overlaying the 50 percent probability capture zone over a bedrock geology map for the area. This finding gives additional confidence to the capture zone calculated by the ground-water flow model.

Wisconsin↗

USGS1996

Mobility of 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl in model systems containing bottom sediments and water from the lower Fox River, Wisconsin

Sediment-water partitioning and diffusive transport of 2,2’,5,5’-tetrachlorobiphenyl, PCB congener IUPAC #52 (TCB52) were examined in laboratory experiments with sediments from two sites in the lower Fox River, Wisconsin. Native water was pumped at controlled flow rates through cells containing sediments amended with a known activity of carbon-14-labeled TCB52. Concentrations of TCB52 in water and sediments were determined by liquid scintillation measurements of carbon-14 activity. Sediment-water partitioning was independent of flow rate for rates up to 8 m/d. Distribution coefficients (K d ) and soil-sorption coefficients (K oc ) were found to be at maximum levels 5–10 cm below the surface, despite an absence of significant variation in the fraction of organic carbon (f oc ) through the same profile. Other factors, such as the effects of colloids and microbial activity in the sediments, are likely to be important in controlling the PCB distribution. Log K d and log K oc ranges were 4.1–4.9 and 5.3–6.1, respectively, and calculated effective diffusivities at the sediment-water interface ranged from 3 to 8 × 10 −10 cm 2 /s. Gradual increases with time in TCB52 concentrations in the water phase, possibly due to effects of microbial activity, were observed. Diffusion experiments and models showed that the TCB52 migration rate within the sediment column is 8-9 mm/yr.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗

USGS1996

Contaminant concentrations in stormwater from eight lake Superior basin cities, 1993-94

The U.S. Geological Survey collected Stormwater samples from eight Lake Superior Basin cities to determine the quality of urban runoff entering Lake Superior from urban areas. The samples were collected during July 1993-September 1994 from storm sewers in Ishpeming, Negaunee, Sault Ste. Marie, and Houghton, Michigan; Virginia and Ribbing, Minnesota; and Ashland and Hurley, Wisconsin. Automated samplers were installed in manholes draining the selected sewers within each city. Water samples were collected for analyses of total recoverable metals, nutrients, and poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Concentrations of these constituents for each site are listed in data tables.

Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin↗