Hydrology Commons^™

Development Of A Long-Term (1884-2006) Serially Complete Dataset Of U.S. Temperatures And Precipitation For Climate Services, Jinshing You, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Martha Shulski, Mark D. Svoboda, Michael J. Hayes

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Serially complete climate datasets with no missing data are necessary for a diverse group of users working in many economic sectors. In this article we describe the procedures used to create a Serially Complete Data set (SCD) for the U.S. We include the selection criterion applied to potential SCD stations, the various procedural steps and the details applied to each step. A few observations that were not previously digitized were obtained from observers official paper reports. The methods used to estimate missing data are the Spatial Regression Test and the Inverse Distance Weighting technique. Using the criterion for selecting stations …

A Historical Perspective On Nebraska’S Variable And Changing Climate, Martha Shulski, William Baule, Crystal J. Stiles, Natalie A. Umphlett

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Nebraska is situated at the intersection of the northern and southern Great Plains, exhibiting a dramatic longitudinal gradient for precipitation and humidity, and benefiting from groundwater resources. The continental climate is highly variable temporally both for temperature and precipitation. Our assessment of long-term meteorological observations shows that over the last century the annual average temperature in Nebraska has warmed approximately 0.6°C, which is similar to the increase in the global average temperature over the same time period. Furthermore, we found minimum temperatures have warmed more than maximum temperatures, and winter and spring show the strongest warming. We found no significant …

The Groundwater Atlas Of Saunders County, Nebraska, Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Spatial Patterns Of Soil Hydraulic Conductivity And Depth On Local And Hillslope Scale Shallow Water Table Dynamics, Casey E. Ryan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Much research in forested headwater catchments has focused on the role of topography for organizing subsurface flow and the hydrologic connectivity of upland flow paths to stream networks. However, little work has been conducted to evaluate how localized and hillslope scale patterns of hydraulic conductivity and soil depth contribute to spatial patterns of water table duration, magnitude, and connectivity. I monitored shallow groundwater dynamics in wells distributed across a 1st order hillslope in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Montana. Additionally, I collected in-situ measurements of soil saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil depth at 10m intervals across the study hillslope and compared …

Quality Of Water From Tile Drains In Fields Treated With Poultry Litter In Mclean County, Kentucky, E. Glynn Beck, Lisa Y. Blue, David A. Atwood

Information Circular--KGS

Poultry litter (a mixture of feed, manure, and bedding material) is commonly used as a soil amendment to row-crop fields in western Kentucky. Because of feed additives, litter typically has elevated concentrations of contaminants, including metals and anions. These metals and anions can accumulate in the soil and therefore could be transported to surface water through drainage tiles. In order to assess water quality in tile drains, a pilot study was conducted in 2008 in McLean County, Kentucky, in which 10 tile drains and six drainage ditches were sampled for total metals and anions. Seven of the tile-drained fields were …

Channel Morphology At A Meander Bend Chute Cutoff Partially Obstructed By Woody Debris, Drew Sobczak

Masters Theses

Field and flume experiments have examined the conceptual model for a meander bend in depth. Large woody debris piles are often associated with the development of a chute cutoff due to local aggradation and deflection of flow. This paper examines the bed morphology of a meander bend chute cutoff that is partially obstructed by woody debris. The bed morphology of the channel around the woody debris pile as well as the head of the cutoff are mapped. The pile is shielding the point bar immediately behind it and causing a narrow, deep channel on either side of the pile. The …

Detection, Occurrence And Fate Of Emerging Contaminants In Agricultural Environments, Daniel D. Snow, David A. Cassada, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Xu Li, Matteo D'Alessio, Rachel Levine, Yun Zhang, J. Brett Sallach

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

A total of 43 papers published in 2014 were reviewed ranging from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to measuring and predicting biological effects for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, natural and synthetics steroids, and antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds. This review is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Analytical Methods, Occurrence and Fate, Antibiotic Resistance Genes, and Risk Assessment.

A Potential Long-Lived Upper Cretaceous Paleodrainage System In The U.S. Southwestern Georgia-Southeastern Alabama Region, Daniel L. Black

Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf Coastal Plain unconformity separates crystalline basement of the Appalachian core from sedimentary units of the Coastal Plain. In the Columbus, Georgia region, basement rocks of the Uchee terrane are typically overlain by sands and gravels of the Tuscaloosa Formation. Sediments within the Tuscaloosa Formation indicate partial derivation from gneiss of the Columbus Metamorphic Complex, the nearby Pine Mountain belt and potentially rocks of Inner Piedmont-eastern Blue Ridge terranes. Mapping along the Coastal Plain unconformity near the Lower Chattahoochee River Valley indicates the presence of one or more large paleovalleys in the Upper Cretaceous sub-Coastal Plain surface that occupy …

North-Central Nebraska Geology: Niobrara River Valley In Brown, Cherry, And Keya Paha Counties, R. M. Joeckel, L. M. Howard, S T. Tucker

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2015, A. R. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

On The Uncertainty Of Sea-Ice Isostasy, Cathleen Geiger, Peter Wadhams, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Jacqueline Richter-Menge

Dartmouth Scholarship

During late winter 2007, coincident measurements of sea ice were collected using various sensors at an ice camp in the Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic. Analysis of the archived data provides new insight into sea-ice isostasy and its related R-factor through case studies at three scales using different combinations of snow and ice thickness components. At the smallest scale (<1 m; point scale), isostasy is not expected, so we calculate a residual and define this as �� (‘zjey’) to describe vertical displacement due to deformation. From 1 to 10 m length scales, we explore traditional isostasy and identify a specific sequence of thickness calculations which minimize freeboard and elevation uncertainty. An effective solution exists when the R-factor is allowed to vary: ranging from 2 to 12, with mean of 5.17, mode of 5.88 and skewed distribution. At regional scales, underwater, airborne and spaceborne platforms are always missing thickness variables from either above or below sea level. For such situations, realistic agreement is found by applying small-scale skewed ranges for the R-factor. These findings encourage a broader isostasy solution as a function of potential energy and length scale. Overall, results add insight to data collection strategies and metadata characteristics of different thickness products.

Dynamic Surface Water-Groundwater Exchange In Tidal Freshwater Zones: Insights From The Christina River Basin (Delaware, Usa), Cole T. Musial

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

In coastal rivers, tides can propagate for tens to hundreds of kilometers inland beyond the saltwater line. Yet the influence of tides on river-aquifer connectivity and solute transport in tidal freshwater zones (TFZs) is largely unknown. We estimate that along the TFZ of White Clay Creek (Delaware, USA), more than 17% of river water exchanges through hyporheic and riparian storage zones due to tidal pumping alone. Additional hyporheic processes such as flow through bedforms likely contribute even more exchange. The turnover length associated with the tidal pumping process is 39 km, similar to turnover lengths for all hyporheic exchange processes …

Geologic Map Of The Welcome Quadrangle And An Adjacent Part Of The Wells Quadrangle, Elko County, Nevada, Allen J. Mcgrew, Arthur W. Snoke

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Located in central Elko County, the Welcome and adjacent part of the Wells quadrangles expose a remarkable array of critical relationships for understanding the geologic history of the State of Nevada and the interior of the southwestern U.S. Cordillera. Covering the northern end of the East Humboldt Range and adjacent Clover Valley and Clover Hill, this map includes the northern terminus of the Ruby Mountains-East Humboldt Range metamorphic core complex. The oldest rocks in the State of Nevada (the gneiss complex of Angel Lake), and Nevada’s only exposures of Archean rock, form the core of a multikilometer scale, southward-closing recumbent …

Habitat Assessment And Ecological Restoration Design For An Unnamed Tributary Of Stone Dam Creek, Conway, Arkansas, Paige E. Boyle, Mary C. Savin, James A. Mccarty, Marty D. Matlock

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Urbanization can lead to increased sedimentation, erosion, pollution, and runoff into streams. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (RBPs) are sets of guidelines that can be used to assess a habitat’s sedimentology, hydrology, vegetation, and geomorphology to determine impairment. An unnamed tributary of Stone Dam Creek on the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) campus in Conway, Arkansas runs partially underground and through the urbanized UCA campus watershed. The stream was assessed using the USEPA’s RBPs to determine impairment of the stream, and received a RBP score of 71.2 out of 200 compared to 153.5 in a …

New Atlas Features Corn Belt Farmers' Perspectives On Agriculture And Climate, John Tyndall, J. Gordon Arbuckle, Tonya Haigh, Cody L. Knutson, Lois Wright Morton, Linda Stalker Prokopy, Melissa Widhalm

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

The Farmer Perspectives on Agriculture and Weather Variability in the Corn Belt: A Statistical Atlas is a new publication available online at . The atlas includes maps and tables that make it easy for readers to gauge farmer perspectives within the US Corn Belt. Topics covered include farmer beliefs about climate change, attitudes toward actions in response to increased weather variability, risk perceptions, and experiences with weather extremes. This region-specific information on farmers' climate change and risk beliefs is designed to help Extension personnel tailor the climate adaptation and education programming they offer in their region.

The Implications Of Climate Change For Nebraska: Summary Report Of Sector-Based Roundtable Discussions (September-October 2015), Donald A. Wilhite, Kimberly Morrow

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Introduction ... iv

Roundtable Reports: Overview ... iv

Rural Nebraskans Poll: Summary of Key Outcomes on Climate Change ... vi

Summary of Roundtable Discussions ... 1

Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystems and Wildlife in Nebraska ... 1

Implications of Climate Change on Human Health in Nebraska ... 11

Implications of Climate Change on Nebraska’s Forests and Fire ... 21

Implications of Climate Change on Nebraska’s Agriculture, Food and Water ... 27

Implications of Climate Change on Energy Availability, Use and Management in Nebraska ... 31

Climate Change in Nebraska: What Does it Mean for our Faith Communities? …

Utilizing Hydrology And Geomorphology Relationships To Estimate Streamflow Conditions On Maui And O‘Ahu, Hawai‘I, Brytne Okuhata

Scripps Senior Theses

As the population on the island of Maui drastically increases, water resource demands continue to rise. In order to match water demands and to manage water resources, it is important to understand streamflow and drainage basin interactions. If relationships between a drainage basin’s hydrologic and geomorphologic characteristics can be quantified, then streamflow conditions of ungaged streams can potentially be estimated. The baseflow recession constant is an important variable to analyze for water management, yet until this study, recession constants were not calculated for the island of Maui, or Hawai‘i as a whole. Recession constants of currently gaged streams on Maui …

Sediment Routing Through Channel Confluences: Particle Tracing In A Gravel-Bed River Headwaters, Kurt Imhoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sediment routing in gravel-bed rivers refers to the intermittent transport and storage of bedload particles, where short-duration steps are separated by periods of inactivity. Channel morphology governs sediment routing, but morphologic effects on routing in headwater systems are not well understood compared to lowland systems. RFID tracers are a valuable tool that can be employed to characterize routing processes in headwater channels through individual particle tracking. I present research on coarse sediment transport and dispersion through confluences using sediment tracers in the East Fork Bitterroot River basin, MT. I investigate the following questions: (1) How do sediment routing patterns through …

Using Modflow To Predict Impacts Of Groundwater Pumpage To Instream Flow: Upper Kittitas County, Washington, Zoe O. Futornick

All Master's Theses

Surface waters in the Yakima River Basin in central Washington are considered over allocated. Since 1960, new water demands have been met through groundwater withdrawals, with most groundwater users holding a later priority date than senior and junior surface water users. As a result of the discussions surrounding this issue, the Upper Kittitas Groundwater Rule has been in effect since 2010. Pumping from new domestic (i.e., permit-exempt or “exempt”) groundwater wells in Upper Kittitas County is not allowed unless mitigation is used to offset the groundwater use. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has already created a basin-wide model for …

Spatio-Temporal Patterns Of Water Table And Vegetation Status Of A Deserted Area, Limin Duan, Tingxi Liu, Xixi Wang, Yanyun Luo

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding groundwater-vegetation interactions is crucial for sustaining fragile environments of desert areas such as the Horqin Sandy Land (HSL) in northern China. This study examined spatio-temporal variations in the water table and the associated vegetation status of a 9.71 km² area that contains meadowland, sandy dunes, and intermediate transitional zones. The depth of the water table and hydrometeorologic parameters were monitored and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data were utilized to assess the vegetation cover. Spatio-temporal variations over the six-year study period were examined and descriptive groundwater-vegetation associations developed by overlaying a water table …

Integrating Geoscience Into Undergraduate Education About Environment, Society, And Sustainability Using Place-Based Learning: Three Examples, David Gosselin, Steven Burian, Tim Lutz, Julie Maxson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

From water to energy, and from climate change to natural hazards, the geosciences (marine, Earth, and atmospheric science) have an important role to play in addressing a wide range of societal issues, with particular relevance to how humans can live sustainably on Earth. Although arguably important to developing solutions for many societal issues, more often than not, students have limited exposure to the geosciences in high school or college. To address this geoscience literacy problem, the Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future (InTeGrate) Talent Expansion Center has engaged members of the geoscience community and their colleagues in allied …

Impact Of Antecedent Groundwater Heads And Transient Aquifer Storage On Flood Peak Attenuation In An Unconfined Karst Aquifer: Study Of The Upper Suwannee River, Florida, Usa., Jeremy Loucks

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Flood peak attenuation is an important aspect of understanding flooding and its effects. Few studies exist that look at the effects of ground-surface water interactions in regards to peak attenuation, and fewer still focus on karst environments. In the karstic, variably confined Suwannee River Basin, discharge, river stage, and water table data that were collected over a ten-year period were analyzed to determine the relationship between antecedent groundwater head and flood peak attenuation. Flooding causes high hydraulic heads in the river, which rise faster than corresponding groundwater heads. Springs which normally feed groundwater into the river reverse flow, and conduits …

Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Transport Property Heterogeneity In The Borden Aquifer, Richelle M. Allen-King, Indra Kalinovich, David F. Dominic, Guohui Wang, Reid Polmanteer, Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

We determined that the spatial heterogeneity in aquifer properties governing the reactive transport of volatile organic contaminants is defined by the arrangement of lithofacies. We measured permeability (k) and perchloroethene sorption distribution coefficient (K_d) for lithofacies that we delineated for samples from the Canadian Forces Base Borden Aquifer. We compiled existing data and collected 57 new cores to characterize a 30 m section of the aquifer near the test location of Mackay et al. (1986). The k and K_d were measured for samples taken at six elevations from all cores to create a data set consisting of …

Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Transport Property Heterogeneity In The Borden Aquifer, Richelle M. Allen-King, Indra Kalinovich, David F. Dominic, Guohui Wang, Reid Polmanteer, Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

We determined that the spatial heterogeneity in aquifer properties governing the reactive transport of volatile organic contaminants is defined by the arrangement of lithofacies. We measured permeability (k) and perchloroethene sorption distribution coefficient (K_d) for lithofacies that we delineated for samples from the Canadian Forces Base Borden Aquifer. We compiled existing data and collected 57 new cores to characterize a 30 m section of the aquifer near the test location of Mackay et al. (1986). The k and K_d were measured for samples taken at six elevations from all cores to create a data …

Applying Wetland Rating Systems To Assess Functions Of Depressional Wetlands Created By A Mass Wasting Feature, Table Mountain, Washington, Thomas S. Wachholder

All Master's Theses

The formation of wetlands in the Swauk Watershed has been primarily controlled by mass wasting events, which includes landslide activity. Landslide activity has been the primary influential process in shaping the landscape where wetland systems have formed on the surface of landslide deposits. The wetland sites used in this study, near the base of Table Mountain, were chosen because they inhabit the same ancient landslide, have the same underlying geology, and vary in aspect and elevation. The elevational gradient of the sites ranges from 1300 – 1600 m and the individual wetlands differ in terms of north- and south-facing aspects. …

Evaluating A Satellite-Based Seasonal Evapotranspiration Product And Identifying Its Relationship With Other Satellite-Derived Products And Crop Yield: A Case Study For Ethiopia, Tsegaye Tadesse, Gabriel B. Senay, Getachew Berhan, Teshome Regassa, Shimelis Beyene

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Satellite-derived evapotranspiration anomalies and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are currently used for African agricultural drought monitoring and food security status assessment. In this study, a process to evaluate satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ETa) products with a geospatial statistical exploratory technique that uses NDVI, satellite-derived rainfall estimate (RFE), and crop yield data has been developed. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the ETa using the NDVI and RFE, and identify a relationship between the ETa and Ethiopia’s cereal crop (i.e., teff, sorghum, corn/maize, barley, and wheat) yields during the main rainy …

Characterization Of Groundwater Discharge In A Back Barrier Tidal Creek, Matthew L. Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater discharge in the coastal environment is known to be a complex process. The driving mechanisms of groundwater discharge vary on spatial and temporal scales that can significantly impact coastal water chemistry and play a role in ecological zonation. Evolving combinations of observational and modeling approaches provide a basis to quantify groundwater discharge in a spatial and temporal sense. Here we employ a combination of geochemical (naturally occurring radon isotope) and geophysical (electrical resistivity) techniques to measure groundwater-surface water interactions along a back-barrier tidal creek. In addition to field measurements, a unique non-steady state radon mass balance equation was developed …

Quantifying Water Budgets To Evaluate The Hydrologic Performance Of Two Stormwater Detention Ponds In Coastal South Carolina, Samantha Corley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to their ability to reduce local flooding and protect receiving waters from intense stormwater pulses, stormwater detention ponds are commonly used stormwater management practices. Stormwater engineers construct ponds to moderate peak flow intensities and to allow residence time of the water within the pond to enhance nutrient removal prior to discharging into downstream ecosystems. Yet rarely, if ever, is the functionality of these ponds verified post-construction. This study aimed to compare hydrologic performance of two stormwater detention ponds located in coastal South Carolina to theoretical design plans by assessing a high resolution water budget. Inflow components of the water …

Hydrologic And Temperature Regime Influence On Growth And Recruitment Of Fishes In An Upper Midwest Riverine Ecosystem, Brett Donald Nelson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The natural flow regime is often identified as the primary driver of ecological integrity in rivers. The Minnesota River basin is characterized by a row-crop agricultural landscape with an extensive network of drainage tiles and ditches to improve land productivity. Intensive surface and subsurface drainage alters flow regimes, increasing the magnitude and frequency of high flows. Changes in river hydrology lead to alterations in geomorphology, including increased bank erosion, channel widening, and downward incision that can lead to floodplain disconnection. Disruption of historical hydrology can alter energy flow and connection to specialized habitats subsequently affecting important aquatic communities and populations …

Predicting Irrigation Efficiency In The Rio Grande Project, Gerardo Melendez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Surface water losses in the Bureau of Reclamation’s (USBR) Rio Grande Project have become more prevalent within the past few years of the drought of the 2000’s. Simple regressions were performed in order to find correlations and determine factors that may affect the flows within the Rio Grande Project. Correlations were found in the difference between Rio Grande below Caballo flows and Rio Grande at El Paso flows, and between the diversion ratio and groundwater levels. Caballo Reservoir release amounts were found to be fairly well correlated with the difference between the Rio Grande below Caballo and the Rio Grande …