Geology topics

Research about Wellfleet, Massachusetts

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2023

Calibrating optical turbidity measurements with suspended-sediment concentrations from the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, from November 2018 to November 2019

The sediment budget in the tidally restricted Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, must be quantified so restoration options for the river can be evaluated. Platforms equipped with optical turbidity sensors were deployed seaward and landward of the Herring River restriction to measure a time series of turbidity, from which a time series of suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) can be estimated. Water samples were collected periodically from the Herring River from November 2018 to November 2019 and analyzed for SSC to derive a relationship to turbidity measurements given in nephelometric turbidity units. This report presents the data-collection methods used and the linear calibration model generated by repeated median regression to convert turbidity measurements to SSC.

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USGS2021

Culverts delay upstream and downstream migrations of river herring (Alosa spp.)

Alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) and blueback herring ( Alosa aestivalis ) are iteroparous anadromous fish found throughout the East Coast of North America. The phenology of anadromous fish migrations is important for fitness, and the duration of spawning migrations has been compressed in recent years in response to climate change. Anthropogenic barriers to movement, such as dams and culverts at road-stream crossings, can further disrupt migration phenology by delaying movement and increasing predation risk. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry to quantify upstream and downstream migratory delay at five road-stream-crossing culverts on the Herring River (MA, USA). Groundspeeds were reduced at all culverts in both directions, confirming that the culverts impede movement despite high passage proportions. The cumulative delay of the culverts on the upstream migration was sufficient to more than double the amount of time required to traverse the river if the culverts had been absent. Furthermore, the presence of snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina ) ambushing river herring within one of the culverts resulted in reduced passage rates beyond the reduction in movement caused by the physical structure itself. This highlights that physical barriers can create cascading ecological consequences and the importance of taking a holistic approach to understanding barrier effects.

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USGS2021

Activity patterns of anadromous fish below a tide gate: Observations from high‐resolution imaging sonar

The construction of dams and tide gates on waterways has altered the physical structure of many coastal, estuarine, and freshwater systems. These changes have come at a cost to fish populations, most notably diadromous species, which rely on connectivity between marine and freshwater systems. These anthropogenic structures can have direct effects on migrating fish, such as blocking fish passage, or have more subtle effects, such as changing movement patterns. This study used a high‐resolution Adaptive Resolution Imaging Sonar to examine the behavior of Striped Bass Morone saxatilis , a large coastal predator, and Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and Blueback Herring Alosa aestivalis (collectively known as river herring), which are forage fish, below a tide gate structure on the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, during the river herring spring spawning run. Striped Bass were persistently present downstream of the tide gate and exhibited strong diurnal and tidal patterns. Activity of Striped Bass was highest at night and during ebb tides. During peak outflow periods, river herring were observed milling downstream of the dam in a scour pool, indicating delayed upstream passage. River herring upstream migration was primarily associated with daytime and during incoming tides. Downstream‐migrating river herring were primarily observed during nighttime hours. While it was documented that the tide gates provided a physical impediment to migration, their effect on predator behavior could pose an additional challenge to migrating river herring, further complicating their recovery efforts. Due to the prevalence of obstructed waterways, studying the behavior of fish around anthropogenic structures is important in understanding the full range of impacts that these systems have under varying ecological conditions and on ecological relationships.

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USGS2021

Assessment of water quality and discharge in the Herring River, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, November 2015 to September 2017

The U.S. Geological Survey, Cape Cod National Seashore of the National Park Service, and Friends of Herring River cooperated from 2015 to 2017 to assess nutrient concentrations and fluxes across the ocean-estuary boundary at a dike on the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The purpose of this assessment was to characterize environmental conditions prior to a future removal of the dike, which has restricted saltwater inputs into the Herring River watershed for more than 100 years. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance were monitored continuously, and flow-weighted composite samples were collected approximately twice per month at the ocean-estuary boundary. Bidirectional discharge was computed for the U.S. Geological Survey Herring River at Chequessett Neck Road at Wellfleet, Massachusetts, streamgage (011058798) by using a stage-area rating and index-velocity ratings developed with acoustic Doppler current profile measurements made upstream and downstream from the dike. LOADEST regression modeling software was used to estimate nutrient fluxes (loads) from composite, paired nutrient concentration and discharge data in conjunction with continuous discharge data. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance were also monitored continuously on two tributaries to the Herring River, Pole Dike Creek and Bound Brook, from late-May 2016 to mid-June 2017. Composite or discrete water samples were collected from the tributaries approximately twice per month in most months from late-May 2016 to mid-June 2017 and analyzed for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon. Flow-weighted concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and total nitrogen on the Herring River at the dike on the ebb tide generally varied between 0.01 and 0.1, 0.003 and 0.03, and 0.3 and 0.7 milligram per liter as nitrogen, respectively. Flow-weighted concentrations of orthophosphate, total dissolved phosphorus, and total phosphorus generally varied between 0.002 and 0.02, 0.003 and 0.06, and 0.03 and 0.1 milligram per liter as phosphorus, respectively, on the ebb tide. Flow-weighted concentrations of silicate and dissolved organic carbon on the ebb tide generally varied between 0.08 and 3.0 milligrams per liter of silica (silicon dioxide), and 1.7 and 5.6 milligrams per liter of carbon, respectively. Ebb tide concentrations of nitrate were highest in winter and lowest in summer. By contrast, ebb tide concentrations of phosphorus species were highest in late summer and early fall and lowest in winter. Silica and dissolved organic carbon did not exhibit systematic variation in seasonal concentrations. There was uncertainty in estimates of nutrient fluxes, but the LOADEST-estimated fluxes indicated that annual (and in almost all cases seasonal) exports (ebb tides) exceeded inputs (flood tides). Ebb tide concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, total nitrogen, and silica were positively correlated with antecedent cumulative 7-day precipitation.

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USGS2020

Hydrogeology and interactions of groundwater and surface water near Mill Creek and the Herring River, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, 2017–18

Groundwater levels and stream stage were monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Friends of Herring River, at 19 sites in the Mill Creek Basin, a tributary of the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on outer Cape Cod, to provide baseline data prior to a proposed restoration of tidal flow to the Herring River estuary at the Cape Cod National Seashore. Tidal flow in the Herring River has been restricted by a tide-control structure since 1909. Baseline data are necessary to understand current conditions and provide information on water levels for comparison to future water levels under the proposed Herring River restoration, which includes restoration of salt marshes by enhancing tidal flow to the Herring River and construction of a tide-control structure on Mill Creek to prevent the flooding of upstream private properties, including a golf course. Analysis of data collected during monitoring-well installation at eight locations on or near the golf course and Mill Creek, along with analysis of existing information, determined that parts of the study area are underlain by salt marsh deposits up to 18 feet (ft) thick. These marsh deposits are directly underlain by estuarine sediments, and adjacent upland areas are underlain by medium to very coarse sand. The freshwater lens on the golf course is 70 ft thick or more. Groundwater levels at individual wells in the study area fluctuated by 1.3 to 2.6 ft during the study period (June 1, 2017, to June 14, 2018). Total precipitation during this period was 60.8 inches, about 10 inches greater than the long-term (2000–17) annual average (50.3 inches). Groundwater levels on Cape Cod generally were normal to above normal during the study owing to the higher than normal precipitation. Tidal amplitudes of groundwater levels caused by daily fluctuations at nearby tidal waterbodies (M2 tidal harmonic) were as large as 0.12 ft at a well 105 ft from the tidally restricted Herring River and as large as 0.06 ft at a well 575 ft from Wellfleet Harbor. Tidal fluctuations in groundwater levels were generally limited to areas about 1,500 ft from the nearest tidal waterbody. Under the initial proposed restoration, where mean tides would be maintained similar to current conditions, tidal fluctuations would be restored to parts of Mill Creek, and subsequent tidal fluctuations in groundwater levels could increase at some of the areas closest to the proposed tide-control structure, but the fluctuations would be less than about 0.06 ft in magnitude. Regression models were used to describe the variability of daily mean tidally filtered groundwater levels and daily maximum stream stage in Mill Creek. Significant independent variables for the groundwater-level model included daily tidally filtered Wellfleet Harbor stage with a lag time of zero to 2 days, 7-day precipitation, the growing degree days (50 degrees Fahrenheit), and the quartile of groundwater levels relative to a long period of record at a nearby observation well. Significant independent variables to predict the Mill Creek stage included daily mean groundwater levels in nearby wells, 7-day precipitation, growing degree days (50 degrees Fahrenheit), and a binary indicator of either a flooded or nonflooded condition on the golf course near Mill Creek. Flooding in Mill Creek occurred primarily when groundwater levels at nearby wells reached certain thresholds, when the precipitation in the preceding 7 days was at least 0.92–1.04 inches, and during the nongrowing season.

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USGS2018

Assessing risks from harbor dredging to the northernmost population of diamondback terrapins using acoustic telemetry

The northern diamondback terrapin ( Malaclemys terrapin terrapin ) is a saltmarsh-dependent turtle that occupies coastal habitats throughout much of the Atlantic coast of North America. We used a novel application of acoustic telemetry to quantify both mobility and occupancy of terrapins within a dredged harbor and surrounding habitats, and used these metrics to quantify relative risk to individuals posed by harbor dredging. Terrapins showed strong fidelity to brumating areas within subdrainages, but extensive movements between these zones during the active period. Activity was greatest in late spring and early summer, declining to near zero by December. Occupancy of the dredge zone was also greatest during spring and summer and declined throughout the autumn months to an annual minimum during winter. Taken together, these data indicate that risks from harbor dredging are minimized during the autumn and early winter months.

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USGS1991

Summer oxygen depletion in a diked New England estuary

The diked and freshened Herring River estuary (Wellfleet, Massachusetts) experiences regular summer hypoxia and one- to three-week periods of main stream anoxia, often accompanied by fish kills. Stream hypoxia results from the temperature-dependent increase in oxygen demand of organic matter released by diked salt marsh deposits; periods of total anoxial are induced by heavy rains which increase the runoff of wetland organic matter. Historic reductions in tidal flushing have extended the low salinity region of the estuary normally characterized by high organic loads and minimal flushing. Recurrent main stream anoxia has depressed both migratory and resident aquatic fauna.

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