Geology topics

P. M. Ruhl

Publications and source records attributed to P. M. Ruhl.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2007

Estimation and application of indicator values for common macroinvertebrate genera and families of the United States

Tolerance of macroinvertebrate taxa to chemical and physical stressors is widely used in the analysis and interpretation of bioassessment data, but many estimates lack empirical bases. Our main objective was to estimate genus- and family-level indicator values (IVs) from a data set of macroinvertebrate communities, chemical, and physical stressors collected in a consistent manner throughout the United States. We then demonstrated an application of these IVs to detect alterations in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages along gradients of urbanization in New England and Alabama. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to create synthetic gradients of chemical stressors, for which genus- and family-level weighted averages (WAs) were calculated. Based on results of PCA, WAs were calculated for three synthetic gradients (ionic concentration, nutrient concentration, and dissolved oxygen/water temperature) and two uncorrelated physical variables (suspended sediment concentration and percent fines). Indicator values for each stress gradient were subsequently created by transforming WAs into ten ordinal ranks based on percentiles of values across all taxa. Mean IVs of genera and families were highly correlated to road density in Alabama and New England, and supported the conclusions of independent assessments of the chemical and physical stressors acting in each geographic area. Family IVs were nearly as responsive to urbanization as genus IVs. The limitations of widespread use of these IVs are discussed.

Ecological Indicators↗

USGS1996

Water-quality assessment of the Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Basin, North Carolina and Virginia; organochlorine compounds in Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) soft tissues and whole redbrest sunfish (Lepomis auritus) 1992-93

The analysis of potential contaminants in biological tissues is an important part of many water-quality assessment programs, including the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Tissue analyses often are used to provide information about (1) direct threats to ecosystem integrity, and (2) the occurrence and distribution of potential contaminants in the environment. During 1992-93, Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) soft tissues and whole redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) samples were collected and analyzed to obtain information about the occurrence and distribution of organochlorine compounds in the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage Basin of North Carolina and Virginia. The investigation was conducted as part of the NAWQA Program. Relatively few organochlorine compounds were detected and of the compounds detected, all were detected in relatively low concentrations. The organochlorine compounds detected were p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, dieldrin, trans-nonachlor, PCB's, and toxaphene. Multiple compounds were detected at 16 of 19 sites sampled. Compared to Asiatic clams, redbreast sunfish appear to be better bioindicators of organochlorine contamination in aquatic systems. Except for one detection of toxaphene, pesticide concentrations are well below the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering (NAS/NAE) guidelines for the protection of fish-eating wildlife.

North Carolina, Virginia↗

USGS1996

Water-quality assessment of the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin, North Carolina and Virginia; trace elements in Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) soft tissues and redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) livers, 1992-93

The analysis of potential contaminants in biological tissues is an important part of many water-quality assessment programs, including the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Tissue analyses often are used to provide information about (1) direct threats to ecosystem integrity, and (2) the occurrence and distribution of potential contaminants in the environment. During 1992-93, trace elements in Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) soft tissues and redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) livers were analyzed to obtain information about the occurrence and distribution of trace element contaminants in the Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Basin of North Carolina and Virginia. The investigation was conducted as part of the NAWQA Program. All but 3 of the 22 trace elements that were analyzed were detected. Although all 10 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) priority pollutants were detected in the tissues sampled, they were present in relatively low concentrations. Concentrations of U.S. EPA priority pollutants in Asiatic clams collected in the Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Basin are similar to concentrations observed in other NAWQA study units in the southeastern United States. Mercury (a U.S. EPA priority pollutant) was widely detected, being present in 29 of 30 tissue samples, but concentrations did not exceed the FDA action level for mercury of a risk-based screening value for the general public. Mercury concentrations in Asiatic clams were similar to concentrations in other NAWQA study areas in the Southeast.

North Carolina, Virginia↗

USGS1995

Surface-water-quality assessment of the upper Illinois River Basin in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin: Analysis of relations between fish-community structure and environmental conditions in the Fox, Des Plaines, and Du Page River basins in Illinois, 1982-84

Multivariate analyses of fish-community, water- quality, streambed-sediment-quality, and habitat data collected from 1982 through 1984 in the Fox, Des Plaines, and Du Page River Basins in northeastern Illinois indicate that fish-community structure was strongly related to water-quality gradients commonly associated with differences between agricultural and urban land uses. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and the Alternate Index of Biotic Integrity (AIBI) tended to group fish communities by river basin. Streams in the predominantly agricultural Fox River Basin tended to have similar DCA scores, the highest AIBI scores, and relatively diverse fish communities that usually included several intolerant species. Streams in the more heavily urbanized Chicago, Little Calumet, Des Plaines, and Du Page River Basins tended to have lower AIBI scores and fish communities dominated by fewer; more tolerant species. Correlative (Spearman's rho) and graphical analyses showed that DCA and AIBI scores for nonwadable sites were more strongly related to water qualiity and streambed- sediment quality than to habitat conditions. DCA and AIBI scores for wadable sites were most strongly related to water quality, were not related to streambed-sediment quality, and were moderately related to habitat variables indicative of stream size. Streams in the Fox River Basin had the smallest concentrations of chemical constituents commonly associated with anthropogenic sources. Streams in the heavily urbanized Des Plaines and Du Page River Basins had larger concentrations of chemical constituents associated with urban runoff and point-sourca discharges. Although fish-community structure was strongly related to the water quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acute and chronic criteria for the protection of freshwater aquatic life were exceeded at few stations. These fish communities may have been responding either to concentrations below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria or to cumulative or synergistic effects of overall water quality.

Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin↗