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USGS2012

Lake sturgeon population attributes and reproductive structure in the Namakan Reservoir, Minnesota and Ontario

Quantified were the age, growth, mortality and reproductive structure of lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) collected in the US and Canadian waters of the Namakan Reservoir. The hypotheses were tested that (i) age and growth of lake sturgeon in the Namakan Reservoir would differ by sex and reproductive stage of maturity, and (ii) that the relative strength of year-classes of lake sturgeon in the reservoir would be affected by environmental variables. To quantify age, growth and mortality of the population, existing data was used from a multi-agency database containing information on all lake sturgeon sampled in the reservoir from 2004 to 2009. Lake sturgeon were sampled in the Minnesota and Ontario waters of the Namakan Reservoir using multi-filament gillnets 1.8 m high and 30–100 m long and varying in mesh size from 178 to 356 mm stretch. Reproductive structure of the lake sturgeon was assessed only during spring 2008 and 2009 using plasma testosterone and estradiol-17β concentrations. Ages of lake sturgeon >75 cm ranged from 9 to 86 years (n = 533, mean = 36 years). A catch-curve analysis using the 1981–1953 year classes estimated total annual mortality of adults to be 4.8% and annual survival as 95.2%. Using logistic regression analysis, it was found that total annual precipitation was positively associated with lake sturgeon year-class strength in the Namakan Reservoir. A 10 cm increase in total annual precipitation was associated with at least a 39% increase in the odds of occurrence of a strong year class of lake sturgeon in the reservoir. Plasma steroid analysis revealed a sex ratio of 2.4 females: 1 male and, on average, 10% of female and 30% of male lake sturgeon were reproductively mature each year (i.e. potential spawners). Moreover, there was evidence based on re-captured male fish of both periodic and annual spawning, as well as the ability of males to rapidly undergo gonadal maturation prior to spawning. Knowledge of lake sturgeon reproductive structure and factors influencing recruitment success contribute to the widespread conservation efforts for this threatened species.

Minnesota, Ontario↗

USGS2019

Subhourly mesoscale analysis of the 2011-2017 North American monsoon near its northwest boundary

The North American Monsoon (NAM) delivers precipitation to the southwestern USA during the warm-dry summer season. The seasonal extent of NAM precipitation is highly variable and is likely to change under future climate change. Our objective was to determine how large scale monsoonal patterns as well as local variables influence precipitation events near the NAM northwest boundary. Intra- and inter-annual changes in the northwest sector of the NAM were represented by subhourly weather data collected on the Sheep Range (2300 m asl), in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada, during 2011-2017. Our study site is part of the Nevada Climate-ecohydrological Assessment Network (NevCAN), an automated observing system established in early 2011. Three seasons were classified using the subhourly weather data including: 1) cool season, 2) early warm season, 3) and late warm season, where the transition between early and late warm season was marked by the day when in situ dewpoint temperature first exceeded 9.4 ºC. Based on analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), dewpoint temperature had the greatest relationship with total hourly precipitation, followed by vapor pressure deficit, solar radiation, and air temperature. The only significant interaction term was between hour of the day and dewpoint temperature, highlighting the importance of dewpoint temperature for afternoon thunderstorms, which are typical of monsoonal precipitation. Besides in situ meteorological variables, we also analyzed NCEP/NCAR vertically integrated water vapor transport (IVT) and long-term 800-m PRISM precipitation time series. Regional composites were developed for IVT for the three seasons. Water vapor in the cool and early warm season originated mostly from the Pacific Ocean, while a transition in IVT to a NAM pattern occurred in the late warm season. Overall, this highly instrumented yet remote site was representative of NAM precipitation, despite noticeable variability in its timing and amount.

Nevada↗

USGS2020

Isotopic and geochemical assessment of the sensitivity of groundwater resources of Guam, Mariana Islands, to intra- and inter-annual variations in hydroclimate

Assessing the sensitivity of groundwater systems to hydroclimate variability is critical to sustainable management of the water resources of Guam, US territory. We assess spatial and temporal variability of isotopic and geochemical compositions of vadose and phreatic groundwater sampled from cave drip sites and production wells, respectively, to better understand the vulnerability of the freshwater lens on Guam to variability in hydroclimate. We independently evaluate the existing conceptual model of the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer that is largely based on physical, as opposed to geochemical, observations. Sampling was conducted from 2008 to 2015, over which rainfall gradually increased. Major ion geochemistry and Sr isotope values of groundwater show varying influence from soil, limestone bedrock, and seawater. Geochemical modeling that can explain spatial variability in groundwater Na+ and Mg2+ concentrations and Sr/Ca and 87Sr/86 Sr values indicates that groundwater compositions are dominantly controlled by mixing of freshwater with seawater and water-rock interaction. Differences between amount-weighted annual average precipitation δ18 O values and groundwater δ18 O values indicate a recharge bias toward the wet season, consistent with other tropical carbonate island aquifer settings. Intra- and inter-annual variations in Na+ concentrations and δ18 O values in groundwater reflect sensitivity of recharge to seasonal variations in rainfall amount and changes in annual rainfall amounts. Our results indicate the influence of multiple modes of recharge on groundwater compositions and spatial variability in the sensitivity of groundwater to seawater mixing. This sensitivity of the freshwater lens points to the vulnerability of groundwater resources to changes in recharge associated with climate, land-use change, and increases in population.

Journal of Hydrology↗

USGS2012

Sediment entrainment by debris flows: In situ measurements from the headwaters of a steep catchment

Debris flows can dramatically increase their volume, and hence their destructive potential, by entraining sediment. Yet quantitative constraints on rates and mechanics of sediment entrainment by debris flows are limited. Using an in situ sensor network in the headwaters of a natural catchment we measured flow and bed properties during six erosive debris-flow events. Despite similar flow properties and thicknesses of bed sediment entrained across all events, time-averaged entrainment rates were significantly faster for bed sediment that was saturated prior to flow arrival compared with rates for sediment that was dry. Bed sediment was entrained from the sediment-surface downward in a progressive fashion and occurred during passage of dense granular fronts as well as water-rich, inter-surge flow. En masse failure of bed sediment along the sediment-bedrock interface was never observed. Large-magnitude, high-frequency fluctuations in total normal basal stress were dissipated within the upper 5 cm of bed sediment. Within this near surface layer, concomitant fluctuations in Coulomb frictional resistance are expected, irrespective of the influence of pore fluid pressure or fluctuations in shear stress. If the near-surface sediment was wet as it was overridden by a flow, additional large-magnitude, high-frequency pore pressure fluctuations were measured in the near-surface bed sediment. These pore pressure fluctuations propagated to depth at subsonic rates and in a diffusive manner. The depth to which large excess pore pressures propagated was typically less than 10 cm, but scaled as ( D / f i ) 0.5 , in which D is the hydraulic diffusivity and f i is the frequency of a particular pore pressure fluctuation. Shallow penetration depths of granular-normal-stress fluctuations and excess pore pressures demonstrate that only near-surface bed sediment experiences the full dynamic range of effective-stress fluctuations, and as a result, can be more easily entrained than deeper sediment. These data provide robust tests for mechanical models of entrainment and demonstrate that a debris flow over wet bed sediment will be larger than the same flow over dry bed sediment.

Colorado↗

USGS2019

Timescales of water-quality change in a karst aquifer, south-central Texas

Understanding the drivers and timescales over which groundwater quality changes informs groundwater management, use, and protection. To better understand timescales of water-quality change over short (daily to monthly) and long (seasonal to decadal) timescales, the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Enhanced Trends Network (ETN) program instrumented and sampled three wells in the Edwards aquifer in south-central Texas. The wells were instrumented to provide high-frequency continuous (subhourly) water-quality data (temperature, pH, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen), which were augmented by the collection of discrete samples (about 6 per year) for a range of geochemical constituents (including selected isotopes and age tracers). ETN data (2013–2017) are considered with data from additional sites for the same time period, and also historical records (over more than 80 years) of climatic and hydrologic conditions. During the four-year study, hydrologic conditions transitioned from very dry to very wet. Sites in the updip/unconfined part of the aquifer showed notable changes in water level and geochemistry (1) in response to rainfall/recharge events, and (2) over the multiyear dry/wet cycle. Sites in the downdip/confined part of the aquifer showed changes in water level/spring discharge over similar timescales, although the response is more muted. Geochemistry at the downdip/confined sites, however, varied slowly and minimally, indicating that the geochemical response of the deeper aquifer is decoupled from recent hydrologic responses. Changes at the updip/unconfined sites reflect mixing with recent recharge, whereas the downdip/confined sites were dominated by mineral-solution reactions resulting from longer (decadal) residence times. Mean groundwater ages interpreted from measured age tracers and lumped parameter models range from 7 to >700 years (where mixed with premodern downdip water) but were mostly modern. The aquifer is characterized by updip-to-downdip trends in geochemistry with respect to water-rock interaction and groundwater age. Fourier spectral analysis of historical records indicate hydrologic variability has occurred at dominant periods of 30 and 15 years; in conjunction with age tracers, these results provide insight into timescales at which the aquifer’s public supply is vulnerable to changes in the water quality of recharge.

Texas↗

USGS2021

Evaluation of remote mapping techniques for earthquake-triggered landslide inventories in an urban subarctic environment: A case study of the 2018 Anchorage, Alaska Earthquake

Earthquake-induced landslide inventories can be generated using field observations but doing so can be challenging if the affected landscape is large or inaccessible after an earthquake. Remote sensing data can be used to help overcome these limitations. The effectiveness of remotely sensed data to produce landslide inventories, however, is dependent on a variety of factors, such as the extent of coverage, timing, and data quality, as well as environmental factors such as atmospheric interference (e.g., clouds, water vapor) or snow and vegetation cover. With these challenges in mind, we use a combination of field observations and remote sensing data from multispectral, light detection and ranging (lidar), and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors to produce a ground failure inventory for the urban areas affected by the 2018 magnitude (M w ) 7.1 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake. The earthquake occurred during late November at high latitude (∼61°N), and the lack of sunlight, persistent cloud cover, and snow cover that occurred after the earthquake made remote mapping challenging for this event. Despite these challenges, 43 landslides were manually mapped and classified using a combination of the datasets mentioned previously. Using this manually compiled inventory, we investigate the individual performance and reliability of three remote sensing techniques in this environment not typically hospitable to remotely sensed mapping. We found that differencing pre- and post-event normalized difference vegetation index maps and lidar worked best for identifying soil slumps and rapid soil flows, but not as well for small soil slides, soil block slides and rock falls. The SAR-based methods did not work well for identifying any landslide types because of high noise levels likely related to snow. Some landslides, especially those that resulted in minor surface displacement, were identifiable only from the field observations. This work highlights the importance of the rapid collection of field observations and provides guidance for future mappers on which techniques, or combination of techniques, will be most effective at remotely mapping landslides in a subarctic and urban environment.

Alaska↗

USGS2012

The structure of subtidal currents within and around Lydonia Canyon: Evidence for enhanced cross-shelf fluctuations over the mouth of the canyon

Between October 1980 and April 1981, currents were measured within Lydonia Canyon and on the adjacent shelf and slope. The amplitude of the subtidal currents over the shelf and slope ranged between 10 and 30 cm s −1 , but within the canyon, they were typically smaller than 5 cm s −1 . The subtidal currents had well-defined spatial structures over the shelf and the slope and in the middle and outer portions of the canyon. The along-isobath flow over the shelf and slope was unaltered by the canyon. Currents within the canyon and just above it were driven up and down the canyon by the cross-shelf pressure gradient in geostrophic equilibrium with the along-shelf flow. The measurements suggest that the Coriolis force on the cross-canyon flow, turbulent Reynolds stresses, and acceleration of the along-canyon flow balanced the imposed pressure gradient for flow near the rim of Lydonia Canyon. The Coriolis force was not important in the deeper portions of the canyon, where baroclinic adjustments of the density field began to be an important factor in the momentum balance. A simple model indicates that the magnitude of the horizontal turbulent viscosity coefficient for subtidal flow in this narrow canyon is 10 6 to 10 7 cm 2 s −1 . The mixing indicated by the large amplitude of the viscosity coefficient was probably caused by the strong tidal currents present within Lydonia Canyon. On the shelf, along-isobath currents were locally driven by the large-scale component of the wind field; along-shelf currents were equally correlated with local winds and with winds from sites 700 km northeast of Lydonia Canyon. Wind stress was not correlated with currents over the slope in water deeper than 450 m or with currents within the canyon.

Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans↗

USGS2012

The early bird gets the shrimp: Confronting assumptions of isotopic equilibrium and homogeneity in a wild bird population

1. Because stable isotope distributions in organic material vary systematically across energy gradients that exist in ecosystems, community and population structures, and in individual physiological systems, isotope values in animal tissues have helped address a broad range of questions in animal ecology. It follows that every tissue sample provides an isotopic profile that can be used to study dietary or movement histories of individual animals. Interpretations of these profiles depend on the assumption that metabolic pools are isotopically well mixed and in equilibrium with dietary resources prior to tissue synthesis, and they extend to the population level by assuming isotope profiles are identically distributed for animals using the same proximal dietary resource. As these assumptions are never fully met, studying structure in the variance of tissue isotope values from wild populations is informative. 2. We studied variation in δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 2 H and δ 18 O data for feathers from a population of eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) that migrate to Great Salt Lake each fall to moult feathers. During this time, they cannot fly and feed almost exclusively on superabundant brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana). The ecological simplicity of this situation minimized the usual spatial and trophic complexities often present in natural studies of feather isotope values. 3. Ranges and variances of isotope values for the feathers were larger than those from previously published studies that report feather isotopic variance, but they were bimodally distributed in all isotope dimensions. Isotope values for proximal dietary resources and local surface water show that some of the feathers we assumed to have been grown locally must have been grown before birds reached isotopic equilibrium with local diet or immediately prior to arrival at Great Salt Lake. 4. Our study provides novel insights about resource use strategies in eared grebes during migration. More generally, it demonstrates the utility of studying variance structures and questioning assumptions implicit in the interpretation of stable isotope data from wild animals.

Utah↗

USGS2025

Practical application of time-lapse camera imagery to develop water-level data for three hydrologic monitoring sites in Wisconsin during water year 2020

Using camera imagery to measure water level (camera-stage) is a well-researched area of study. Previous camera-stage studies have shown promising results when implementing this technology with tight constraints on test conditions. However, there is a need for a more comprehensive evaluation of the extensibility of camera-stage to practical applications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test a camera-stage method under a wide variety of test conditions to better understand the successes and challenges of using this technology in real-world scenarios. In this study, this approach was tested during Water Year 2020 at three existing U.S. Geological Study (USGS) stream gaging stations in south central Wisconsin that had existing USGS water-level instrumentation. The specific reference objects tested were white pipes and a concrete wall. Since successful application of camera-stage relies on use of suitable images, all captured images in this study were visually inspected to determine suitability for application of camera-stage. Camera-stage measurements were then computed only on images deemed suitable and the results were compared with ground-truth stage values to determine the accuracy. For the purposes of this study, camera-stage values within ±0.10 ft of the actual stage were considered acceptable. One major challenge highlighted was the potential difficulty in obtaining suitable imagery, with the proportion of suitable images varying greatly between the four trials from 38 % to 92 %. The results from applying camera-stage to suitable images were encouraging though, with 79 % to 99 % of evaluated camera-stage values qualifying as acceptable among the four test trials.

Wisconsin↗

USGS2005

Hydrologic properties of coal beds in the Powder River Basin, Montana I. Geophysical log analysis

As part of a multidisciplinary investigation designed to assess the implications of coal-bed methane development on water resources for the Powder River Basin of southeastern Montana, six wells were drilled through Paleocene-age coal bedsalong a 31-km east–west transect within the Tongue River drainage basin. Analysis of geophysical logs obtained in these wells provides insight into the hydrostratigraphic characteristics of the coal and interbedded siliciclastic rocks and their possible interaction with the local stress field. Natural gamma and electrical resistivity logs were effective in distinguishing individual coal beds. Full-waveform sonic logs were used to determine elastic properties of the coal and an attendant estimate of aquifer storage is in reasonable agreement with that computed from a pumping test. Inspection of magnetically oriented images of the borehole walls generated from both acoustic and optical televiewers and comparison with coal cores infer a face cleat orientation of approximately N33°E, in close agreement with regional lineament patterns and the northeast trend of the nearby Tongue River. The local tectonic stress field in this physiographic province as inferred from a nearby 1984 earthquake denotes an oblique strike-slip faulting regime with dominant east–west compression and north–south extension. These stress directions are coincident with those of the primary fracture sets identified from the televiewer logs and also with the principle axes of the drawdown ellipse produced from a complementary aquifer test, but oblique to apparent cleat orientation. Consequently, examination of these geophysical logs within the context of local hydrologic characteristics indicates that transverse transmissivity anisotropy in these coals is predominantly controlled by bedding configuration and perhaps a mechanical response to the contemporary stress field rather than solely by cleat structure.

Montana↗

USGS2010

Predicting unsaturated zone nitrogen mass balances in agricultural settings of the United States

Unsaturated zone N fate and transport were evaluated at four sites to identify the predominant pathways of N cycling: an almond [ Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb] orchard and cornfield ( Zea mays L.) in the lower Merced River study basin, California; and corn–soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotations in study basins at Maple Creek, Nebraska, and at Morgan Creek, Maryland. We used inverse modeling with a new version of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) to estimate soil hydraulic and nitrogen transformation parameters throughout the unsaturated zone; previous versions were limited to 3-m depth and relied on manual calibration. The overall goal of the modeling was to derive unsaturated zone N mass balances for the four sites. RZWQM2 showed promise for deeper simulation profiles. Relative root mean square error (RRMSE) values for predicted and observed nitrate concentrations in lysimeters were 0.40 and 0.52 for California (6.5 m depth) and Nebraska (10 m), respectively, and index of agreement ( d ) values were 0.60 and 0.71 ( d varies between 0 and 1, with higher values indicating better agreement). For the shallow simulation profile (1 m) in Maryland, RRMSE and d for nitrate were 0.22 and 0.86, respectively. Except for Nebraska, predictions of average nitrate concentration at the bottom of the simulation profile agreed reasonably well with measured concentrations in monitoring wells. The largest additions of N were predicted to come from inorganic fertilizer (153–195 kg N ha −1 yr −1 in California) and N fixation (99 and 131 kg N ha −1 yr −1 in Maryland and Nebraska, respectively). Predicted N losses occurred primarily through plant uptake (144–237 kg N ha −1 yr −1 ) and deep seepage out of the profile (56–102 kg N ha −1 yr −1 ). Large reservoirs of organic N (up to 17,500 kg N ha −1 m −1 at Nebraska) were predicted to reside in the unsaturated zone, which has implications for potential future transfer of nitrate to groundwater.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗

USGS2012

Experimental determination of soil heat storage for the simulation of heat transport in a coastal wetland

Two physical experiments were developed to better define the thermal interaction of wetland water and the underlying soil layer. This information is important to numerical models of flow and heat transport that have been developed to support biological studies in the South Florida coastal wetland areas. The experimental apparatus consists of two 1.32 m diameter by 0.99 m tall, trailer-mounted, well-insulated tanks filled with soil and water. A peat–sand–soil mixture was used to represent the wetland soil, and artificial plants were used as a surrogate for emergent wetland vegetation based on size and density observed in the field. The tanks are instrumented with thermocouples to measure vertical and horizontal temperature variations and were placed in an outdoor environment subject to solar radiation, wind, and other factors affecting the heat transfer. Instruments also measure solar radiation, relative humidity, and wind speed. Tests indicate that heat transfer through the sides and bottoms of the tanks is negligible, so the experiments represent vertical heat transfer effects only. The temperature fluctuations measured in the vertical profile through the soil and water are used to calibrate a one-dimensional heat-transport model. The model was used to calculate the thermal conductivity of the soil. Additionally, the model was used to calculate the total heat stored in the soil. This information was then used in a lumped parameter model to calculate an effective depth of soil which provides the appropriate heat storage to be combined with the heat storage in the water column. An effective depth, in the model, of 5.1 cm of wetland soil represents the heat storage needed to match the data taken in the tank containing 55.9 cm of peat/sand/soil mix. The artificial low-density laboratory sawgrass reduced the solar energy absorbed by the 35.6 cm of water and 55.9 cm of soil at midday by less than 5%. The maximum heat transfer into the underlying peat–sand–soil mix lags behind maximum solar radiation by approximately 2 h. A slightly longer temperature lag was observed between the maximum solar radiation and maximum water temperature both with and without soil.

Journal of Hydrology↗

USGS2010

The perfect debris flow? Aggregated results from 28 large-scale experiments

Aggregation of data collected in 28 controlled experiments reveals reproducible debris-flow behavior that provides a clear target for model tests. In each experiment ∼10 m 3 of unsorted, water-saturated sediment composed mostly of sand and gravel discharged from behind a gate, descended a steep, 95-m flume, and formed a deposit on a nearly horizontal runout surface. Experiment subsets were distinguished by differing basal boundary conditions (1 versus 16 mm roughness heights) and sediment mud contents (1 versus 7 percent dry weight). Sensor measurements of evolving flow thicknesses, basal normal stresses, and basal pore fluid pressures demonstrate that debris flows in all subsets developed dilated, coarse-grained, high-friction snouts, followed by bodies of nearly liquefied, finer-grained debris. Mud enhanced flow mobility by maintaining high pore pressures in flow bodies, and bed roughness reduced flow speeds but not distances of flow runout. Roughness had these effects because it promoted debris agitation and grain-size segregation, and thereby aided growth of lateral levees that channelized flow. Grain-size segregation also contributed to development of ubiquitous roll waves, which had diverse amplitudes exhibiting fractal number-size distributions. Despite the influence of these waves and other sources of dispersion, the aggregated data have well-defined patterns that help constrain individual terms in a depth-averaged debris-flow model. The patterns imply that local flow resistance evolved together with global flow dynamics, contradicting the hypothesis that any consistent rheology applied. We infer that new evolution equations, not new rheologies, are needed to explain how characteristic debris-flow behavior emerges from the interactions of debris constituents.

Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface↗

USGS2011

Physical properties of sediment from the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope

This study characterizes cored and logged sedimentary strata from the February 2007 BP Exploration Alaska, Department of Energy, U.S. Geological Survey (BPXA-DOE-USGS) Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well on the Alaska North Slope (ANS). The physical-properties program analyzed core samples recovered from the well, and in conjunction with downhole geophysical logs, produced an extensive dataset including grain size, water content, porosity, grain density, bulk density, permeability, X-ray diffraction (XRD) mineralogy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and petrography. This study documents the physical property interrelationships in the well and demonstrates their correlation with the occurrence of gas hydrate. Gas hydrate (GH) occurs in three unconsolidated, coarse silt to fine sand intervals within the Paleocene and Eocene beds of the Sagavanirktok Formation: Unit D-GH (614.4 m-627.9 m); unit C-GH1 (649.8 m-660.8 m); and unit C-GH2 (663.2 m-666.3 m). These intervals are overlain by fine to coarse silt intervals with greater clay content. A deeper interval (unit B) is similar lithologically to the gas-hydrate-bearing strata; however, it is water-saturated and contains no hydrate. In this system it appears that high sediment permeability (k) is critical to the formation of concentrated hydrate deposits. Intervals D-GH and C-GH1 have average "plug" intrinsic permeability to nitrogen values of 1700 mD and 675 mD, respectively. These values are in strong contrast with those of the overlying, gas-hydrate-free sediments, which have k values of 5.7 mD and 49 mD, respectively, and thus would have provided effective seals to trap free gas. The relation between permeability and porosity critically influences the occurrence of GH. For example, an average increase of 4% in porosity increases permeability by an order of magnitude, but the presence of a second fluid (e.g., methane from dissociating gas hydrate) in the reservoir reduces permeability by more than an order of magnitude.

Alaska↗

USGS2012

The M2 tide on the Amazon Shelf

As part of A Multidisciplinary Amazon Shelf Sediment Study (AMASSEDS), moored and shipboard current measurements made over the Amazon shelf during 1990–1991 have been analyzed to determine the dominant semidiurnal tidal constituent, the M 2 . These results have been combined with coastal sea level data from within the Amazon and Para Rivers, the adjacent shelf, and with satellite‐derived tidal elevation data from off the shelf to provide a more complete description of the M 2 tide in this complex river/shelf system. Near the Amazon River mouth the M 2 tide propagates across the shelf and through the mouth as a damped progressive wave, with its amplitude decreasing and phase increasing upriver. Over the adjacent shelf north of Cabo Norte, the M 2 tide approaches a damped standing wave, with large amplitudes (greater than 1.5 m) near the coast due to near resonance within the coastal embayment formed by the Cabo Norte shoal to the south and Cabo Cassipore to the north. The observed M 2 tidal currents are nearly rectilinear and oriented primarily across the local isobaths. Comparisons between tidal observations in both the North Channel and the Cabo Norte‐Cabo Cassipore embayment and a simple variable‐width channel tidal model indicate that (1) most of the M 2 tidal energy dissipation occurs over the mid‐ and inner shelf (in water depths less than 20 m) and (2) fluid muds found there cause a significant reduction (of order 50%) in the effective bottom friction felt by the M 2 tide. The approximate resonant period of the Cabo Norte‐Cabo Cassipore embayment is 11.9 hours, and at resonance the average energy dissipation per forcing period is roughly 2.2 times the average mechanical energy in the embayment. This damping rate is large enough that the tidal amplification is rather insensitive to forcing frequency, so that the response of the embayment to forcing over the semidiurnal band should be essentially the same. The vertical structure of the M 2 tidal current is examined at one outer shelf site located in 65‐m water depth. The observed semimajor axis increases logarithmically with height above bottom within the lowest 1–2 m and reaches a maximum in excess of 0.5 m/s at approximately 11 m above bottom. The mean ellipticity is small (less than 0.1) and positive, indicating clockwise rotation of a nearly rectilinear current, and the semimajor axis is oriented within 10° of the local cross‐isobath direction. The M 2 phase increases with height above bottom, with flood at the bottom leading flood at the surface by about 1 hour. A simple, local homogeneous tidal model with time‐ and space‐dependent eddy viscosity simulates the observed near‐bottom velocity reasonably well, however, the model suggests that stratification above the lowest few meters may significantly affect the tidal boundary layer structure at this site. The M 2 energy flux onto the Amazon shelf and into the Amazon and Para Rivers has been estimated using current and surface elevation data and the best fit variable‐width channel model results. The net M 2 energy flux into the mouths of the Amazon and Para Rivers is 0.47×10 10 W and 0.19×10 10 W, respectively. A net M 2 energy flux of about 3.3×10 10 W occurs onto the shelf between the North Channel of the Amazon River and Cabo Cassipore. This stretch of the Amazon shelf accounts for about 1.3% of the global dissipation of the M 2 tide.

Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans↗

USGS2009

Spatial habitat use patterns of sea otters in coastal washington

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) movements, home range, and activity budgets were described from data collected during very-high-frequency radiotelemetry studies of 75 individuals on the outer coast of Washington State between 1992 and 1999. Sea otters were located at least once per week from 22 accessible sites along the coast. Over the 7-year study period, range expansion occurred from the core range north and east into the Strait of Juan de Fuca (SJF) as well as southward on the outer coast. Forty-three percent of the sea otters moved into the SJF at least once, most often in winter, using habitat that had not been occupied by sea otters since their extirpation 100 years ago. All sea otters spent portions of their time in the vicinity of Cape Alava, and many animals demonstrated consistent periodic seasonal shifts between specific portions of the coastline over several years. Ninety-five percent annual linear home ranges differed between sex and age classes. Adult males used the largest amount of coastline (50 km ?? 9 5D) and subadult females used the least (24 ?? 9 km). Both adult males and females demonstrated high seasonal periodicity in range use in summer and winter. Twenty-four-hour time budgets in the core portion of the range revealed on average sea otters spent 41% ?? 14% SD of the time foraging and 45% ?? 13% of the time resting (age and sex classes pooled). Adult and subadult female sea otters were most frequently found resting and foraging close to shore (< 1,000 m) and in shallow water (0-10 m), whereas adult and subadult males rested and foraged > 1,000 m offshore and at depths between 10 and 30 m. Given current rates of population growth and observed mobility, sea otters in Washington have high potential for range expansion into unoccupied habitat such as Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, the SJF, or along Vancouver Island. ?? 2009 American Society of Mammalogists.

Journal of Mammalogy↗

USGS2006

Trends in snowfall versus rainfall in the western United States

The water resources of the western United States depend heavily on snowpack to store part of the wintertime precipitation into the drier summer months. A well-documented shift toward earlier runoff in recent decades has been attributed to 1) more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow and 2) earlier snowmelt. The present study addresses the former, documenting a regional trend toward smaller ratios of winter-total snowfall water equivalent (SFE) to winter-total precipitation (P) during the period 1949-2004. The trends toward reduce d SFE are a response to warming across the region, with the most significant reductions occurring where winter wet-day minimum temperatures, averaged over the study period, were warmer than -5??C. Most SFE reductions were associated with winter wet-day temperature increases between 0?? and +3??C over the study period. Warmings larger than this occurred mainly at sites where the mean temperatures were cool enough that the precipitation form was less susceptible to warming trends. The trends toward reduced SFE/P ratios w ere most pronounced in March regionwide and in January near the West Coast, corresponding, to widespread warming in these months. While mean temperatures in March were sufficiently high to allow the warming, trend to produce SFE/P declines across the study region, mean January temperatures were cooler. with the result that January SFE/P impacts were restricted to the lower elevations near the West Coast. Extending the analysis back to 1920 sho ws that although the trends presented here may be partially attributable to interdecadal climate variability associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation. they also appear to result from still longer-term climate shifts.

Journal of Climate↗

USGS2022

Evaluation of select velocity measurement techniques for estimating discharge in small streams across the United States

Multiple instruments and methods exist for collecting discrete streamflow measurements in small streams with low flows, defined here as less than 5.7 m 3 /s (200 ft3/s). Included in the available methods are low-cost approaches that are infrequently used, in part, because their uncertainty is not well known. In this work, we evaluated the accuracy and suitability of three low-cost velocity measurement methods (surface float [SF], velocity head rod [VR], and rising body [RB]) and three conventional current meters (acoustic Doppler velocimeter, and mechanical Price type AA and Price Pygmy meters) relative to discharge calculated from stable artificial hydraulic controls. A total of 231 measurements were made by 20 individuals during 88 site visits to 24 sites in eight states. Accuracies were assessed for all methods and precision was evaluated for the low-cost methods. The median percent error was below 5% for conventional methods, and below 20% for the low-cost methods. The SF was the most accurate (median absolute percent error 14%) and precise (mean percent precision of 11%) low-cost method. The RB and VR, respectively, had 15% and 20% median absolute percent error and 29% and 12% mean percent precision. Results suggest that low-cost methods, when used appropriately, can be used to estimate discharge data under low flow conditions when measurements with conventional methods are not feasible and the associated accuracies meet end-user measurement objectives.

continental United States↗