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USGS1979

Physiological and biochemical aspects of ozone toxicity to rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri )

An acute toxicity curve for dissolved ozone (O 3 ) in soft water at 10 °C, using 10–13-cm rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) as the test species was calculated. The 96-h LC50 (95%, confidence interval) was 9.3 (8.1–10.6)&ensp;μg/L. The lethal threshold level was about 8&ensp;μg/L mandating that a conservative margin of safety be used if ozone is employed as a fish disease control agent. Death apparently results from massive destruction of the gill lamellar epithelium together with a severe hydromineral imbalance. In partial chronic (3-mo) testing, 2&ensp;μg/L caused no significant biological damage while 5&ensp;μg/L caused some gill pathological changes and reduced feeding behavior. Accordingly, 2&ensp;μg/L is suggested as a provisional maximum safe exposure level, pending completion of life cycle studies. Thus, if ozone-treated water is discharged into the environment, dissolved O 3 should be reduced to at least the 2&ensp;μg/L level to minimize adverse impacts on salmonids in receiving waters.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗

USGS2000

Channel incision and patterns of cottonwood stress and mortality along the Mojave River, California

In 1995, mapping and classification of riparian vegetation along the Mojave River in southern California revealed an 8-km reach in which riparian cottonwoods ( Populus fremontii Wats.) were stressed or dying. We tested a set of predictions based on the inference that cottonwood decline was an indirect result of lowered water-table levels following flood-related channel incision. Comparisons of topographic cross-sections from 1963 and 1997, indicated a net change in channel elevation between −0·71 and −3·6 m within zones of cottonwood stress and mortality. Ages of young cottonwood and willow stems adjacent to the present channel and radial stem growth of surviving cottonwoods were consistent with the inference that channel incision, associated with sustained flooding in January and February of 1993, lowered channel elevations throughout the affected reach. Well records and soil redoximorphic features indicate that channel incision caused net water-table declines ⩾1·5 m on portions of the adjacent flood plain where cottonwood stand mortality ranged between 58 and 93%. In areas where water-table declines were estimated to be <1·0 m, stand mortality was 7–13%.

Journal of Arid Environments↗

USGS1978

Pressure gradients and boiling as mechanisms for localizing ore in porphyry systems

Fluid inclusions in ore zones of porphyry systems indicate that extensive boiling of hydrothermal fluids accompanies deposition of ore and gangue minerals. The boiling commonly accompanied a change from a lithostatic to a hydrostatic environment during evolution of an epizonal stock. Pressure gradients near the margin of the stock can determine whether ore or only a diffuse zone of mineralization is formed. A sharp drop in pressure in an epizonal environment is more likely to cause extensive boiling than a comparable change in a deeper environment, as the slope of the boiling curve steepens with an increase 'in pressure. The drop in pressure causes the hydrothermal fluids to boil and creates a crackle (stockwork) breccia, which hosts the veinlets of gangue quartz and ore minerals. The boiling selectively partitions CO 2 , H 2 S, and HCl into the vapor phase, changing the pH, composition, ionic strength, and thus the solubility product of metal complexes in the remaining liquid and causing the ore and gangue to come out of solution. Fluid inclusions trapped from boiling solutions can exhibit several forms, depending on the physical and chemical conditions of the hydrothermal fluid from which they were trapped. In one case, inclusions when heated can homogenize to either liquid or vapor at the same temperature, which is the true boiling temperature. In another case, homogenization of various inclusions can occur through a range of temperatures. The latter case results from the trapping of mixture of liquid and vapor. Variations in salinity can result from boiling of the hydrothermal fluid, or intermittent incorporation of high-salinity fluids from the magma, or trapping of fluids of varying densities at pressure-temperature conditions above the critical point of the fluid. In places, paleopressure-temperature transition zones can be recognized by fluid-inclusion homogenization temperatures and phase relationships and by the presence of anhydrite daughter minerals. Boiling of a hydrothermal fluid in the porphyry environment affects light stable isotopes. Hydrogen is preferentially fractionated into the vapor phase from water boiling below 223°C; above this temperature deuterium is selectively enriched in the vapor phase. In certain environments boiling creates a vapor-dominated system in which the condensate is swept away by meteoric waters and the H/D in the residual fluids is progressively increased through time.

Utah↗

USGS1998

Vulnerability of desert biological soil crusts to wind erosion: The influences of crust development, soil texture, and disturbance

Biological soil crusts, consisting of cyanobacteria, green algae, lichens, and mosses, are important in stabilizing soils in semi-arid and arid lands. Integrity of these crusts is compromised by compressional disturbances such as foot, vehicle, or livestock traffic. Using a portable wind tunnel, we found threshold friction velocities (TFVs) of undisturbed crusts well above wind forces experienced at these sites; consequently, these soils are not vulnerable to wind erosion. However, recently disturbed soils or soils with less well-developed crusts frequently experience wind speeds that exceed the stability thresholds of the crusts. Crustal biomass is concentrated in the top 3 mm of soils. Sandblasting by wind can quickly remove this material, thereby reducing N and C inputs from these organisms. This loss can result in reduced site productivity, as well as exposure of unprotected subsurface sediments to wind and water erosion. Actions to reduce impacts to these crusts can include adjustments in type, intensity, and timing of use.

Journal of Arid Environments↗

USGS2007

Use of a wetland index to evaluate changes in riparian vegetation after livestock exclusion

A method was developed to characterize ecological integrity of riparian sites based on the abundance of hydric species. This wetland index can be calculated with species data, or with community type data as performed here. Classified riparian community types were used to describe vegetation at 14 livestock exclosures and adjacent grazed areas. Community type wetland index values were generated and used to calculate site wetland index values. It was hypothesized that removal of livestock would result in higher wetland index values because of release from herbivory and decreased physical disturbance of vegetation, streambanks, and soil. The wetland index for exclosures was about 12% higher than grazed sites; differences were statistically significant (p < 0.01) based on paired t-tests. The increase in hydric vegetation after livestock exclusion may have contributed to the greater bank stability (p = 0.002) and smaller width-to-depth ratio (p = 0.005) in exclosures. Challenges were encountered in using community types to describe and compare site vegetation, which could be avoided with species data collection. The wetland index can be a tool to monitor sites over time, compare sites with similar environments, or compare sites for which environmental differences can be accounted.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗

USGS2015

Effects of climate and land cover on hydrology in the southeastern U.S.: Potential impacts on watershed planning

The hydrologic response to statistically downscaled general circulation model simulations of daily surface climate and land cover through 2099 was assessed for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin located in the southeastern United States. Projections of climate, urbanization, vegetation, and surface-depression storage capacity were used as inputs to the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System to simulate projected impacts on hydrologic response. Surface runoff substantially increased when land cover change was applied. However, once the surface depression storage was added to mitigate the land cover change and increases of surface runoff (due to urbanization), the groundwater flow component then increased. For hydrologic studies that include projections of land cover change (urbanization in particular), any analysis of runoff beyond the change in total runoff should include effects of stormwater management practices as these features affect flow timing and magnitude and may be useful in mitigating land cover change impacts on streamflow. Potential changes in water availability and how biota may respond to changes in flow regime in response to climate and land cover change may prove challenging for managers attempting to balance the needs of future development and the environment. However, these models are still useful for assessing the relative impacts of climate and land cover change and for evaluating tradeoffs when managing to mitigate different stressors.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia↗

USGS2023

A river basin spatial model to quantitively advance understanding of riverine tree response dynamics to water availability and hydrological management

Ecological condition continues to decline in arid and semi-arid river basins globally due to hydrological over-abstraction combined with changing climatic conditions. Whilst provision of water for the environment has been a primary approach to alleviate ecological decline, how to accurately monitor changes in riverine trees at fine spatial and temporal scales, remains a substantial challenge. This is further complicated by constantly changing water availability across expansive river basins with varying climatic zones. Within, we combine rare, fine-scale, high frequency temporal in-situ field collected data with machine learning and remote sensing, to provide a robust model that enables broadscale monitoring of physiological tree water stress response to environmental changes via actual evapotranspiration (ET). Physiological variation of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (River Red Gum) and E. largiflorens (Black Box) trees across 10 study locations in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, Australia, was captured instantaneously using sap flow sensors, substantially reducing tree response lags encountered by monitoring visual canopy changes. Actual ET measurement of both species was used to bias correct a national spatial ET product where a Random Forest model was trained using continuous timeseries of in-situ data of up to four years. Precise monthly AMLETT ( A ustralia-wide M achine L earning ET for T rees) ET outputs in 30 m pixel resolution from 2012 to 2021, were derived by incorporating additional remote sensing layers such as soil moisture, land surface temperature, radiation and EVI and NDVI in the Random Forest model. Landsat and Sentinal-2 correlation results between in-situ ET and AMLETT ET returned R 2 of 0.94 (RMSE 6.63 mm period −1 ) and 0.92 (RMSE 6.89 mm period −1 ), respectively. In comparison, correlation between in-situ ET and a national ET product returned R 2 of 0.44 (RMSE 34.08 mm period −1 ) highlighting the need for bias correction to generate accurate absolute ET values. The AMLETT method presented here, enhances environmental management in river basins worldwide. Such robust broadscale monitoring can inform water accounting and importantly, assist decisions on where to prioritize water for the environment to restore and protect key ecological assets and preserve floodplain and riparian ecological function.

The Journal of Environmental Management↗

USGS1981

Reservoir properties of submarine- fan facies: Great Valley sequence, California

Submarine-fan sandstones of the Great Valley sequence west of the Sacramento Valley, California, have low porosities and permeabilities (64 samples averaged 10.1% porosity and 0.87 millidarcies permeability). However, petrography and scanning electron microscope studies indicate that most sands in almost all submarine fan environments are originally porous and permeable. Thin turbidite sandstones deposited in areas dominated by shale in outer-fan, basin-plain, and overbank environments are cemented mainly by calcite; shale dewatering is inferred to contribute to rapid cementation early in the burial process. Sands deposited in inner- and middle-fan channels within interchannel and fan-fringe environments that contain only thin shale beds have small percentages of intergranular matrix or cement. The original porosity is substantially reduced mechanically at shallow depths and by pressure solution at deeper levels. Permeability decreases systematically with increasing age of the rocks, presumably as a result of increasing burial depths. Computer-run stepwise regression analyses show that the porosity is inversely related to the percentage of calcite cement. Such parameters as the contents of quartz, feldspar, and unstable rock fragments have no correlative effect on either porosity or permeability. The results reported here indicate original porosity and permeability can be high in deep-water submarine fans and that fan environments dominated by sand (with high sand/shale ratios) are more likely to retain higher porosity and permeability to greater depths than sand interbedded with thick shale sequences.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗

USGS1973

Problems of underground storage of wastes

Problems of underground storage of waste involve geology in its broadest sense, including hydrology, geochemistry, and geophysics. Wastes may be solid, liquid, or gaseous, and they may be chemically toxic or noxious, esthetically offensive, or radioactive. Some wastes require only temporary containment, whereas others must be isolated for indefinitely long periods. The means and locale for emplacement underground depend upon many governing geological factors, including the physical, chemical, hydrological, and hydraulic properties of the host formation. These must be studied relative to the physical, chemical, and thermal properties of the waste and of potential interactions between the waste and the host formation. Thorough knowledge is essential because lack of it may lead to undesirable or disastrous environmental consequences. Escape of waste may contaminate the surface or near-surface environment; it may destroy the usefulness or accessibility of resources such as ground water, petroleum, and minerals. Effective management of underground waste requires adaptation of current technology and development of new technology.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗

USGS2001

Distribution and abundance of the Yuma clapper rail ( Rallus longirostris yumanensis ) in the Colorado River delta, México

We estimated the abundance of Yuma clapper rails in the Ciénega de Santa Clara and determined the distribution of the subspecies in the Colorado River delta region in México. The maximum estimate of abundance was 6629 individuals (95% C.I. 4859–8399), assuming a response rate by rails to taped calls of 60%. Rails were widely distributed in the delta, occupying almost all marshlands dominated by cattail. As this is an endangered subspecies shared by México and the U.S., the conservation of the delta ecosystem should be the interest of both countries, especially when water management decisions upstream in the U.S. have an impact over natural areas downstream in México.

Journal of Arid Environments↗

USGS2016

Identification and dating of indigenous water storage reservoirs along the Rio San José at Laguna Pueblo, western New Mexico, USA

An investigation into indigenous water storage on the Rio San José in western New Mexico was conducted in support of efforts by the Pueblo of Laguna to adjudicate their water rights. Here we focus on stratigraphy and geochronology of two Native American-constructed reservoirs. One reservoir located near the community of Casa Blanca was formed by a &sim;600 m (2000 feet) long stone masonry dam that impounded &sim;1.6 × 10 6 m 3 (&sim;1300 acre-feet) of stored water. Four optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages obtained on reservoir deposits indicate that the dam was constructed prior to AD 1825. The other reservoir is located adjacent to Old Laguna Pueblo and contains only a small remnant of its former earthen dam. The depth and distribution of reservoir deposits and a photogrammetric analyses of relict shorelines indicate a storage capacity of &sim;6.5 × 10 6 m 3 (&sim;5300 ac-ft). OSL ages from above and below the base of the reservoir indicate that the reservoir was constructed sometime after AD 1370 but before AD 1750. The results of our investigation are consistent with Laguna oral history and Spanish accounts demonstrating indigenous construction of significant water-storage reservoirs on the Rio San José prior to the late nineteenth century.

New Mexico↗

USGS2021

Do lake-specific characteristics mediate the temporal relationship between walleye growth and warming water temperatures?

Walleye ( Sander vitreus ) population declines have been linked to climate change, but it is unclear how the growth of this cool-water species may be affected by warming water temperatures. Because warming rates vary among lakes, it is uncertain whether lake characteristics may mediate the temperature effects on walleye growth or may vary as a result of differences in lake habitat or productivity. In this study, we ( i ) quantified walleye annual growth from 1983 to 2015 in 61 lakes in midwestern United States; ( ii ) estimated the relationship between annual early life growth ( ω ; mm·year –1 ) and water growing degree days (GDD); and ( iii ) identified lake characteristics affecting log e ( ω )–GDD relationships. On average, ω estimates significantly increased with increasing GDD; however, this relationship varied in direction and magnitude among lakes. We estimated an 84% posterior probability of a negative effect of water clarity on the log e ( ω )–GDD relationship, suggesting that water clarity may mediate the effect of warming water temperatures by affecting the magnitude and direction of the log e ( ω )–GDD relationship. Our results provide insights into the conservation of cool-water species in a changing environment and identify lakes characteristics in which walleye growth may be more resilient to climate change.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗

USGS2010

Utilization of AMD sludges from the anthracite region of Pennsylvania for removal of phosphorus from wastewater

Excess phosphorus (P) inputs from human sewage, animal feeding operations, and nonpoint source discharges to the environment have resulted in the eutrophication of sensitive receiving bodies of water such as the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay. Phosphorus loads in wastewater discharged from such sources can be decreased by conventional treatment with iron and aluminum salts but these chemical reagents are expensive or impractical for many applications. Acid mine drainage (AMD) sludges are an inexpensive source of iron and aluminum hydrous oxides that could offer an attractive alternative to chemical reagent dosing for the removal of P from local wastewater. Previous investigations have focused on AMD sludges generated in the bituminous coal region of western Pennsylvania, and confirmed that some of those sludges are good sorbents for P over a wide range of operating conditions. In this study, we sampled sludges produced by AMD treatment at six different sites in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania for potential use as P sequestration sorbents. Sludge samples were dried, characterized, and then tested for P removal from water. In addition, the concentrations of acid-extractable metals and other impurities were investigated. Test results revealed that sludges from four of the sites showed good P sorption and were unlikely to add contaminants to treated water. These results indicate that AMD sludges could be beneficially used to sequester P from the environment, while at the same time decreasing the expense of sludge disposal.

Pennsylvania↗

USGS1997

The genus Krithe (Ostracoda) from the Campanian and Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of the northern US Gulf Coastal Plain

The ostracode genus Krithe is one of the most common genera in the Upper Cretaceous (late Santonian to Maastrichtian) deposits of the northern Gulf Coastal Plain of North America. Although it is never abundant, the genus occurs in sediments that were deposited under a wide range of palaeoenvironments, including nearshore sandy marls to offshore, nearly pure, chalk. The taxonomy of this taxon has been problematical, and what is herein considered to be a single species, K. cushmani, has been referred to in the literature under five different names. Two morphotypes were observed: relatively large individuals with 'mushroom'-shaped vestibules collected from chalk, and smaller individuals with pocket-shaped vestibules collected from nearshore deposits. Species of Krithe have been hypothesized to be useful in estimating dissolved oxygen concentration in ancient ocean floors, based on details of their morphology. Whereas the relationship between size and environment corroborates with previous predictions (larger individuals live in deeper water), the morphology of the vestibules contradicts predictions (the larger vestibules occur in the nearshore deposits and the smaller, more constricted vestibules occur in the chalk). A causal relationship between environment and morphology is discussed.

Journal of Micropalaeontology↗

USGS2021

Flow dynamics influence fish recruitment in hydrologically connected river-reservoir landscapes

Hydrologic processes are often important determinants of successful recruitment of native fishes. However, water management practices can result in abnormal changes in daily and seasonal hydrology patterns. Rarely has fish recruitment across river–reservoir landscapes been considered in relation to flow management, despite the direct relationship between reservoir water management and the resulting upstream and downstream hydrology. We evaluated the relationships between lotic and lentic hydrology and recruitment of two native broadcast-spawning fishes, Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens and Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum . Four seasonal periods for each species were identified that related to the species’ spawning biology, from which we derived our remaining hydrology variables. Annual hydrology variables were also considered in our analysis. We developed regression models in conjunction with a model-selection procedure for each species and habitat type based on the catch-curve residuals from fish populations in hydrologically connected river–reservoir systems in the Ozark Highland and Ouachita Mountain ecoregions, USA. Our results indicated that recruitment of reservoir Freshwater Drum was negatively correlated to annual reservoir retention time. In lotic habitats, Freshwater Drum recruitment was positively correlated with prespawn discharge conditions and negatively correlated with annual flow variability. Similarly, riverine Gizzard Shad recruitment was positively correlated to the frequency of high-flow pulses during the spawning period. Our results indicate that releasing reservoir water to best mimic relatively natural flow patterns may benefit some broadcast-spawning species that occupy both lentic and downstream lotic environments, especially during the spring. This information, combined with future efforts on additional spawning guilds, will provide a foundation for developing holistic river–reservoir water-allocation plans.

Missouri, Oklahoma↗

USGS1993

Glyphidocythere, a new deep marine, paradoxostomatid (Ostracoda) from the Quaternary and recent of the Indo-Pacific

Chapman’s (1910) Pseudocythere funafutiensis from 1924m off Funafuti, western Pacific is redescribed and illustrated together with additional Pleistocene and Recent material from the Coral and Tasman seas. A new paradoxostomatid genus, Glyphidocythere, is described to accommodate it and two other species yet to be formally described from the Banda Sea, eastern Indonesia. The genus is apparently restricted to the marine slope environment of low (less than 20°) southern latitudes. In the Coral and Tasman seas G. funafutiensis occurs within a narrow bathyal depth range (955m to 1754m) coincident with the Antarctic Intermediate Water.

Journal of Micropalaeontology↗

USGS2013

Evaluating changes to reservoir rule curves using historical water-level data

Flood control reservoirs are typically managed through rule curves (i.e. target water levels) which control the storage and release timing of flood waters. Changes to rule curves are often contemplated and requested by various user groups and management agencies with no information available about the actual flood risk of such requests. Methods of estimating flood risk in reservoirs are not easily available to those unfamiliar with hydrological models that track water movement through a river basin. We developed a quantile regression model that uses readily available daily water-level data to estimate risk of spilling. Our model provided a relatively simple process for estimating the maximum applicable water level under a specific flood risk for any day of the year. This water level represents an upper-limit umbrella under which water levels can be operated in a variety of ways. Our model allows the visualization of water-level management under a user-specified flood risk and provides a framework for incorporating the effect of a changing environment on water-level management in reservoirs, but is not designed to replace existing hydrological models. The model can improve communication and collaboration among agencies responsible for managing natural resources dependent on reservoir water levels.

International Journal of River Basin Management↗

USGS2024

Sulphide petrology and ore genesis of the stratabound Sheep Creek sediment-hosted Zn–Pb–Ag–Sn prospect, and U–Pb zircon constraints on the timing of magmatism in the northern Alaska Range

The Sheep Creek prospect is a stratabound Zn–Pb–Ag–Sn massive sulfide occurrence in the Bonnifield mining district, northern Alaska Range. The prospect is within a quartz–sericite–graphite–chlorite schist unit associated with Devonian carbonaceous and siliceous metasedimentary rocks. Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits in the district are hosted in felsic metavolcanic rocks (362 ± 2 Ma) associated with siliciclastic and carbonaceous sedimentary rocks that overlie the stratigraphic sequence hosting the Sheep Creek prospect. Felsic metaigneous rocks in underlying units are 372 ± 4 to 366 ± 4 Ma. Sheep Creek is atypical of the other sulfide deposits in the district in (1) having Sn grades up to 1.2%; (2) being contained in fine-grained, quartz-rich rocks and quartz–pebble conglomerate that likely originated as chert and chert-clast sediment, respectively; and (3) showing minimal evidence of volcanic components in the host rocks. Comparison of immobile trace-element proportions for graphitic and siliceous rocks from the Sheep Creek area with those for argillite associated with the Bonnifield VMS deposits indicates a continental volcanic-arc provenance for the former and a within-plate and passive margin provenance for the latter. In contrast to previously published interpretations, our data analysis supports a clastic-dominated (CD) rather than a VMS affinity for the Sheep Creek prospect. In our model, Zn–Pb–Ag–Sn mineralization formed by syngenetic or early diagenetic processes on or beneath the seafloor, possibly in the shallow-water environment of an outer continental shelf setting. Potential analogues are the Paleozoic CD deposits in the Canadian Selwyn Basin outboard of the Laurentian continental margin.

Alaska↗