Geology topics

Research about Iowa, Missouri

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Iowa, Missouri.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2026

Stream sediment sources in Medicine Creek, northern Missouri and southern Iowa

This report presents the results of a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Missouri Department of Natural Resources to quantify sediment transport source contributions in the Medicine Creek drainage basin. Understanding relative source contributions provides valuable information for selecting the conservation practices that may be most effective in reducing sediment and sediment-associated nutrient transport in the Medicine Creek drainage basin and similar areas of the Lower Grand River drainage basin. Sediment samples were collected from potential contributing areas (source samples) and from fluvial-transported samples (target samples). Source sample types included streambanks, row crop fields, and a combined pastures and forests category. Samples were analyzed for particle size and quantity of carbon, nitrogen, stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, and 49 mineral elements as potential tracers. Results for the carbon stable isotope ratio of carbon-13/carbon-12 (δ 13 C) and concentrations of total carbon, total nitrogen, calcium, potassium, and copper were selected by discriminant function analysis as the best combination of multiple tracers to differentiate each source type. The discriminant function analysis poorly differentiated pastures and forests, so these source types were combined. The sources defined by the discriminant function analysis were then used in an unmixing model to apportion sources for each target sample. In the study area, transported sediment was predominantly bank sediment, with an overall average of 86.9 percent of suspended-sediment samples and depositional streambed samples attributed to bank material. Suspended-sediment samples from the mainstem of Medicine Creek were dominated by bank sediments (average of 95.8 percent), and depositional streambed samples from throughout the drainage basin had more variable source contributions with an average of 71.1 percent attributed to bank material. The relative importance of upland sources (row crop fields and the combined pastures and forests category) varied seasonally and with streamflow but was not related to land use or drainage basin size. Relative contributions from upland sources were greater in the summer through winter rather than spring and during lower streamflow, though this may be driven by the seasonality of streamflow. These results indicate management practices that reduce bank erosion could be effective strategies for managing the dominant source of sediment and sediment-associated phosphorus.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2025

Temporal changes in nutrient concentrations in the Lower Grand River and selected drainage basins, Missouri and Iowa, during the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (2010–23)

This report describes a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Missouri Department of Natural Resources that evaluated temporal changes in total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the Lower Grand River hydrologic unit. The study focused on trends since 2010, when the basin was designated as a priority drainage basin of the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). At three local drainage basins within the Lower Grand hydrological unit (MRBI sites), stream nutrient trends were evaluated using flow-adjusted (FA) TN and TP concentrations for water years 2011 through 2023. FATN concentration trends were not statistically significant for any MRBI site. One site (site 2) showed a statistically significant increasing trend in FATP concentration, indicating a possible increase in phosphorus sources in parts of the basin. Overall, streamflow variability appeared to be the dominant factor affecting nutrient concentrations at MRBI sites. At five regional drainage basins, including the Grand River and nearby rivers with data from 1994 through 2023 (long-term sites), annual flow-normalized (FN) TN and TP concentrations were evaluated for trends before (water years 2000–10) and during (water years 2010–23) the MRBI. For water years 2010 through 2023, annual FNTN and FNTP concentrations decreased in the Grand River, as well as in the Nodaway and Chariton Rivers, which were not targeted by the MRBI. The Grand River (site 9) reversed from increasing to decreasing FNTP concentrations after 2010, with a 26-percent reduction. Annual FNTN and FNTP concentrations also decreased at the Missouri River sites. While nutrient reductions in the Grand River may reflect the effects of implemented conservation practices, similar trends in nearby, nontargeted rivers and the absence of strong decreasing trends at MRBI sites suggest that broader regional factors, instead of or in addition to MRBI efforts, may have contributed to nutrient reductions in the Grand River.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2021

Periphyton biomass and community compositions as indicators of water quality in the Lower Grand River hydrologic unit, Missouri and Iowa, 2011–18

Biological communities, including periphyton, are continuously affected by chemical, physical, and other biological factors, and the health of these communities can reflect the overall health of the aquatic system. A diverse community is more robust, and communities with lower richness and evenness often indicate a degraded community dominated by few taxa tolerant to the degraded conditions, which makes the community more susceptible to ecological changes. Water-quality nutrient samples were collected at sites in the Lower Grand River during 2010 through 2018 and periphyton sample collections began in 2011 to describe the periphyton community and overall ecological health. Nutrient sample concentrations were generally elevated at these sites, which can lead to eutrophication, excessive plant and algae growth, drinking-water taste and odor problems, low dissolved-oxygen concentrations, and harmful algal blooms. Concentrations of total nitrogen were greater than acceptable as described by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and total phosphorus concentrations were greater than reference concentrations. Periphyton communities were dominated by taxa that are tolerant to or indicative of elevated nutrient concentrations; and nuisance algae, or harmful algal bloom producers, were identified at all sites, except one. The presence of these producers indicates that harmful algal blooms may have high potential during optimal conditions at these sites. Chlorophyll concentrations that exceed 100 milligrams per square meter are considered nuisance and were determined in 11 percent of the samples and at every site during September 2012. Samples were collected during low-flow conditions when nutrient concentrations are generally lower than during high-flow and runoff conditions. Elevated nutrient concentrations during low-flow conditions indicate nutrient concentrations are likely elevated throughout most of the year. Agriculture is the primary land use within the Lower Grand River and is likely a primary source of nutrients and sediments. Conservation practices intended to reduce nutrient loss from agriculture fields have increased because of the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative and will potentially increase the ecological, chemical, and physical health of these waterways.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2018

Bend-scale geomorphic classification and assessment of the Lower Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, to the Mississippi River for application to pallid sturgeon management

Management actions intended to increase growth and survival of pallid sturgeon ( Scaphirhynchus albus ) age-0 larvae on the Lower Missouri River require a comprehensive understanding of the geomorphic habitat template of the river. The study described here had two objectives relating to where channel-reconfiguration projects should be located to optimize effectiveness. The first objective was to develop a bend-scale (that is, at the scale of individual bends, defined as “cross-over to cross-over”) geomorphic classification of the Lower Missouri River to help in the design of monitoring and evaluation of such projects. The second objective was to explore whether geomorphic variables could provide insight into varying capacities of bends to intercept drifting larvae. The bend-scale classification was based on geomorphic and engineering variables for 257 bends from Sioux City, Iowa, to the confluence with the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri. We used k-means clustering to identify groupings of bends that shared the same characteristics. Separate 3-, 4-, and 6-cluster classifications were developed and mapped. The three classifications are nested in a hierarchical structure. We also explored capacities of bends to intercept larvae through evaluation of linear models that predicted persistent sand area or catch per unit effort (CPUE) of age-0 sturgeon as a function of the same geomorphic variables used in the classification. All highly ranked models that predict persistent sand area contained mean channel width and standard deviation of channel width as significant variables. Some top-ranked models also included contributions of channel sinuosity and density of navigation structures. The sand-area prediction models have r-squared values of 0.648–0.674. In contrast, the highest-ranking CPUE models have r-squared values of 0.011–0.170, indicating much more uncertainty for the biological response variable. Whereas the persistent sand model documents that physical processes of transport and accumulation are systematic and predictable, the poor performance of the CPUE models indicate that additional processes will need to be considered to predict biological transport and accumulation.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2017

Temporal changes in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations with comparisons to conservation practices and agricultural activities in the Lower Grand River, Missouri and Iowa, and selected watersheds, 1969–2015

This report presents the results of a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Missouri Department of Natural Resources to estimate total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations at monitoring sites within and near the Lower Grand River hydrological unit. The primary objectives of the study were to quantify temporal changes in TN and TP concentrations and compare those concentrations to conservation practices and agricultural activities. Despite increases in funding during 2011–15 for conservation practices in the Lower Grand River from the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, decreases in flow-normalized TN and TP concentrations during this time at the long-term Grand River site were less than at other long-term sites, which did not receive funding from the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative. The relative differences in the magnitude of flow-normalized TN and TP concentrations among long-term sites are directly related to the amount of agricultural land use within the watershed. Significant relations were determined between nitrogen from cattle manure and flow-normalized TN concentrations at selected long-term sites, indicating livestock manure may be a substantial source of nitrogen within the selected long-term site watersheds. Relations between flow-normalized TN and TP concentrations with Conservation Reserve Program acres and with nitrogen and phosphorus from commercial fertilizer indicate that changes in these factors alone did not have a substantial effect on stream TN and TP concentrations; other landscape activities, runoff, within-bank nutrients that are suspended during higher streamflows, or a combination of these have had a greater effect on stream TN and TP concentrations; or there is a lag time that is obscuring relations. Temporal changes in flow-adjusted TN and TP concentrations were not substantial at Lower Grand River Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative sites, indicating factors besides stream variability did not have substantial effects on TN and TP concentrations. Flow-weighted TN and TP concentrations at Lower Grand River Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watershed Initiative sites increase with increasing streamflow, which indicates runoff, within-bank nutrients that are suspended during higher streamflows, or both, have more effect on stream TN and TP concentrations than consistent point sources or groundwater sources. Timing of TN and TP concentration increases compared to streamflow increases indicate that nitrogen and phosphorus loads are more strongly related to streamflow than to a particular period of the year, indicating that runoff, within-bank nutrients that are suspended during higher streamflows, or both are a substantial source of nutrients regardless of timing.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2007

Microcystin distribution in physical size class separations of natural plankton communities

Phytoplankton communities in 30 northern Missouri and Iowa lakes were physically separated into 5 size classes (>100 µm, 53-100 µm, 35-53 µm, 10-35 µm, 1-10 µm) during 15-21 August 2004 to determine the distribution of microcystin (MC) in size fractionated lake samples and assess how net collections influence estimates of MC concentration. MC was detected in whole water (total) from 83% of lakes sampled, and total MC values ranged from 0.1-7.0 µg/L (mean = 0.8 µg/L). On average, MC in the >100 µm size class comprised ~40% of total MC, while other individual size classes contributed 9-20% to total MC. MC values decreased with size class and were significantly greater in the >100 µm size class (mean = 0.5 µg/L) than the 35-53 µm (mean = 0.1 µg/L), 10-35 µm (mean = 0.0µg/L), and 1-10 µm (mean = 0.0 µg/L) size classes (p < 0.01). MC values in nets with 100-µm, 53-µm, 35-µm, and 10-µm mesh were cumulatively summed to simulate the potential bias of measuring MC with various size plankton nets. On average, a 100-µm net underestimated total MC by 51%, compared to 37% for a 53-µm net, 28% for a 35-µm net, and 17% for a 10-µm net. While plankton nets consistently underestimated total MC, concentration of algae with net sieves allowed detection of MC at low levels (≤0.01 µg/L); 93% of lakes had detectable levels of MC in concentrated samples. Thus, small mesh plankton nets are an option for documenting MC occurrence, but whole water samples should be collected to characterize total MC concentrations.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2000

Water-quantity and water-quality aspects of a 500-year flood - Nishnabotna River, southwest Iowa, June 1998

Flooding that occurred in southwest Iowa during June 15–17, 1998, was the worst flood ever recorded on the Nishnabotna River, exceeding the theoretical 500-year flood calculated from peak-flow records (1922 to present). This flood was a direct consequence of severe thunderstorm activity that caused more than 4 inches of rain to fall over a large part of the Nishnabotna River Basin. In fact, a new official State record for 24-hour total rainfall (13.18 inches) was set by this storm. The peak streamflow of the Nishnabotna River near Hamburg, Iowa, was 65,100 cubic feet per second, about 20 percent more than any previous recorded peak streamflow at this site. To determine the concentrations of selected contaminants that might be present in this record flooding, water-quality samples were collected within hours of the flood peak. The results from these samples documented the presence of numerous herbicide compounds (11 parent compounds and 12 herbicide degradates). The highest herbicide concentration was 5.06 micrograms per liter (µg/L) for atrazine, followed by metolachlor (1.16 µg/L), metolachlor ESA (1.04 µg/L), acetochlor OA (0.99 µg/L), and acetochlor ESA (0.95 µg/L). The total herbicide concentration (summation of the 23 herbicide compounds detected) was 15.6 µg/L. The timing of the severe thunderstorm activity and flooding, which occurred shortly after chemical application associated with planting of crops, was the principal reason for the large number and concentrations of herbicide compounds found in the flood water. At the time the water-quality samples were collected, the Nishnabotna River was transporting about 6,000 pounds of suspended sediment, 18 pounds of nitrogen, 3 pounds of phosphorus, and 0.02 pound of atrazine each second. These loads were about 10 to 150 times greater than those during a previous runoff event, and about 260 to 4,600 times greater than those during a previous base-flow condition. This sampling demonstrates the importance of collecting both water-quantity and water-quality data during flood events to estimate contaminant loads. Potential environmental effects of a flood can only be understood when both components are measured.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS1991

Floods in the Nishnabotna River basin, Iowa

Flood-elevation profiles and flood-peak discharges for floods during 1972, 1982, and 1987 in the Nishnabotna River basin are given in this report. The profiles are for the 1972 flood on the West and East Nishnabotna Rivers, the 1982 flood on Indian Creek, and the 1987 flood on the lower West Nishnabotna River. A flood history describes rainfall conditions and reported damages for floods occurring during 1947,1958,1972,1982, and 1987. Discharge for the 1982 flood on Indian Creek is 1.1 times larger than the 100-year recurrence interval discharge.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS1983

Hydrology of area 38, Western Region, Interior Coal Province, Iowa and Missouri

A nationwide need for information characterizing hydrologic conditions in mined and potential mine areas has become paramount with the enactment of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. This report is designed to be useful to the mine owners, operators, and others by presenting information about the existing hydrologic conditions and by identifying sources of hydrologic information. General hydrologic information is presented using a brief text with an accompanying map, chart, graph, or other illustration for each of a series of water-resources-related topics. The summation of the topical discussions provides a description of the hydrology of the area. Coal has been mined for 130 years in Area 38, but large reserves remain. Production peaked in 1917 when Iowa produced 9 million tons and Missouri produced 6 million tons. Underground mining has been replaced by surface mining in Area 38. Not all past surface-mined lands are subject to reclamation under recently enacted reclamation laws. The surface-water monitoring network in Area 38 consists of 183 stations. Streamflow varies seasonally and from year to year. Water-quality data are available for 49 stations in the study area. Measurements of specific conductance, dissolved solids, pH, alkalinity, sulfate, iron, manganese, trace metals and other constituents are available for 36 stations operated between 1978 and 1981 expressly for the collection of water-quality data within basins containing coal mines. A cumulative impact of coal mining on the mineralization of surface water is evident from specific-conductance data for stations downstream from mining activities. Alkalinity in streams in Area 38 averaged greater than 118 milligrams per liter, providing the capability to neutralize acid-mine drainage to some extent. Sulfate concentrations in streamflow averaged 88 milligrams per liter at stations upstream from coal mines and 269 milligrams per liter at stations downstream from coal mines. Significant relationships exist between totalrecoverable-iron concentrations and suspendedsediment concentrations. Manganese concentrations are larger in streams draining mined areas. Streamflow at 5 of the 36 coal-hydrology stations in Area 38, all located downstream from coal mines, exceeded acid-mine-drainage criteria at one time or another. In Area 38 dissolved-solids concentrations in water from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer range from 300 to 15,000 milligrams per liter; in southcentral Iowa and where the aquifer underlies the Missouri River alluvium, as in Boone County, Missouri, dissolved-solids concentrations are less than 1,000 milligrams per liter. In these areas the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer is suitable for domestic and other uses. Chemical quality of water from Quaternary aquifers generally is suitable for domestic uses and other uses, dissolved-solids concentrations averaged less than 1,000 milligrams per liter. Iron, manganese and nitrate are excessive in some instances. Chemical quality of water from Mississippian and Pennsylvanian aquifers is unsuitable for domestic use and may be unsuitable for other uses. The Pennsylvanian and Misissippian aquifers have average sulfate concentrations in excess of 1,000 milligrams per liter.

Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS1980

Water quality of Indian Creek-Van Buren watershed, Iowa and Missouri

Generally, the water quality of Indian Creek-Van Buren watershed is suitable as a source of Municipal, industrial and agricultural water supply and for fish and wildlife. This suitability is based upon comparisons of the existing water quality of Indian Creek to Federal and State water quality standards and criteria developed for the protection of water sources and the fish and wildlife that inhabit these waters. The water in the basin is a calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate type that is low in dissolved solids. Concentrations of nutrients and metals, except iron, are low. Two pesticides, diazinon and dieldrin were detected in trace aMounts within the stream. Variations in water quality were evident from station to station and from season to season. Water quality was more homogeneous during the period of high flow and generally poorest during the period of least flow.

Iowa, Missouri↗