Ground-Water Hydrology of the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California
Gannett, Marshall W.; Lite, Kenneth E.; La Marche, Jonathan L.; Fisher, Bruce J.; Polette, Danial J.
2007-01-01
The upper Klamath Basin spans the California-Oregon border from the flank of the Cascade Range eastward to the Basin and Range Province, and encompasses the Klamath River drainage basin above Iron Gate Dam. Most of the basin is semiarid, but the Cascade Range and uplands in the interior and eastern parts of the basin receive on average more than 30 inches of precipitation per year. The basin has several perennial streams with mean annual discharges of hundreds of cubic feet per second, and the Klamath River at Iron Gate Dam, which represents drainage from the entire upper basin, has a mean annual discharge of about 2,100 cubic feet per second. The basin once contained three large lakes: Upper and Lower Klamath Lakes and Tule Lake, each of which covered areas of 100 to 150 square miles, including extensive marginal wetlands. Lower Klamath Lake and Tule Lake have been mostly drained, and the former lake beds are now cultivated. Upper Klamath Lake remains, and is an important source of irrigation water. Much of the wetland surrounding Upper Klamath Lake has been diked and drained, although efforts are underway to restore large areas. Upper Klamath Lake and the remaining parts of Lower Klamath and Tule Lakes provide important wildlife habitat, and parts of each are included in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex. The upper Klamath Basin has a substantial regional ground-water flow system. The late Tertiary to Quaternary volcanic rocks that underlie the region are generally permeable, with transmissivity estimates ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 feet squared per day, and compose a system of variously interconnected aquifers. Interbedded with the volcanic rocks are late Tertiary sedimentary rocks composed primarily of fine-grained lake sediments and basin-filling deposits. These sedimentary deposits have generally low permeability, are not good aquifers, and probably restrict ground-water movement in some areas. The regional ground-water system is underlain and bounded on the east and west by older Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks that have generally low permeability. Eight regional-scale hydrogeologic units are defined in the upper Klamath Basin on the basis of surficial geology and subsurface data. Ground water flows from recharge areas in the Cascade Range and upland areas in the basin interior and eastern margins toward stream valleys and interior subbasins. Ground water discharge to streams throughout the basin, and most streams have some component of ground water (baseflow). Some streams, however, are predominantly ground-water fed and have relatively constant flows throughout the year. Large amounts of ground water discharges in the Wood River subbasin, the lower Williamson River area, and along the margin of the Cascade Range. Much of the inflow to Upper Klamath Lake can be attributed to ground-water discharge to streams and major spring complexes within a dozen or so miles from the lake. This large component of ground water buffers the lake somewhat from climate cycles. There are also ground-water discharge areas in the eastern parts of the basin, for example in the upper Williamson and Sprague River subbasins and in the Lost River subbasin at Bonanza Springs. Irrigated agriculture is an integral part of the economy of the upper Klamath Basin. Although estimates vary somewhat, roughly 500,000 acres are irrigated in the upper Klamath Basin, about 190,000 acres of which are part of the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Project. Most of this land is irrigated with surface water. Ground water has been used for many decades to irrigate areas where surface water is not available, for example outside of irrigation districts and stream valleys. Ground water has also been used as a supplemental source of water in areas where surface water supplies are limited and during droughts. Ground water use for irrigation has increased in recent years due to drought and shifts in surface-water allocation from irrigati
Klamath River Basin water-quality data
Smith, Cassandra D.; Rounds, Stewart A.; Orzol, Leonard L.; Sobieszczyk, Steven
2018-05-29
The Klamath River Basin stretches from the mountains and inland basins of south-central Oregon and northern California to the Pacific Ocean, spanning multiple climatic regions and encompassing a variety of ecosystems. Water quantity and water quality are important topics in the basin, because water is a critical resource for farming and municipal use, power generation, and for the support of wildlife, aquatic ecosystems, and endangered species. Upper Klamath Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Oregon (112 square miles) and is known for its seasonal algal blooms. The Klamath River has dams for hydropower and the upper basin requires irrigation water to support agriculture and grazing. Multiple species of endangered fish inhabit the rivers and lakes, and the marshes are key stops on the Pacific flyway for migrating birds. For these and other reasons, the water resources in this basin have been studied and monitored to support their management distribution.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-04-12
... a Petition To List Chinook Salmon AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic... salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin as threatened or... conduct a status review of the Chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin to determine...
Eldridge, Sara L. Caldwell; Wherry, Susan A.; Wood, Tamara M.
2014-01-01
Upper Klamath Lake in south-central Oregon has become increasingly eutrophic over the past century and now experiences seasonal cyanobacteria-dominated and potentially toxic phytoplankton blooms. Growth and decline of these blooms create poor water-quality conditions that can be detrimental to fish, including two resident endangered sucker species. Upper Klamath Lake is the primary water supply to agricultural areas within the upper Klamath Basin. Water from the lake is also used to generate power and to enhance and sustain downstream flows in the Klamath River. Water quality in Upper Klamath Lake has been monitored by the Klamath Tribes since the early 1990s and by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 2002. Management agencies and other stakeholders have determined that a re-evaluation of the goals for water-quality monitoring is warranted to assess whether current data-collection activities will continue to adequately provide data for researchers to address questions of interest and to facilitate future natural resource management decisions. The purpose of this study was to (1) compile an updated list of the goals and objectives for long-term water-quality monitoring in Upper Klamath Lake with input from upper Klamath Basin stakeholders, (2) assess the current water-quality monitoring programs in Upper Klamath Lake to determine whether existing data-collection strategies can fulfill the updated goals and objectives for monitoring, and (3) identify potential modifications to future monitoring plans in accordance with the updated monitoring objectives and improve stakeholder cooperation and data-collection efficiency. Data collected by the Klamath Tribes and the USGS were evaluated to determine whether consistent long-term trends in water-quality variables can be described by the dataset and whether the number and distribution of currently monitored sites captures the full range of environmental conditions and the multi-scale variability of water-quality parameters in the lake. Also, current monitoring strategies were scrutinized for unnecessary redundancy within the overall network.
Decline of the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) population in the Klamath Basin, Oregon, 2001-2010
Jaime L. Stephens; Sarah M. Rockwell; C. John Ralph; John D Alexander
2015-01-01
We monitored the Black Tern (Childonias niger) population at Agency and Upper Klamath Lakes, in the Klamath Basin, Oregon, from 2001â2010. We estimated that the population of adult Black Terns declined at these 2 joined waterbodies by 8.4% annually. In contrast, our analysis of Breeding Bird Survey data for the Bird...
Hess, Glen W.; Stonewall, Adam J.
2014-01-01
In 2013, the Upper Klamath Lake Basin, Oregon, experienced a dry spring, resulting in an executive order declaring a state of drought emergency in Klamath County. The 2013 drought limited the water supply and led to a near-total cessation of surface-water diversions for irrigation above Upper Klamath Lake once regulation was implemented. These conditions presented a unique opportunity to understand the effects of water right regulation on streamflows. The effects of regulation of diversions were evaluated by comparing measured 2013 streamflow with data from hydrologically similar years. Years with spring streamflow similar to that in 2013 measured at the Sprague River gage at Chiloquin from water years 1973 to 2012 were used to define a Composite Index Year (CIY; with diversions) for comparison to measured 2013 streamflows (no diversions). The best-fit 6 years (1977, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1994, and 2001) were used to determine the CIY. Two streams account for most of the streamflow into Upper Klamath Lake: the Williamson and Wood Rivers. Most streamflow into the lake is from the Williamson River Basin, which includes the Sprague River. Because most of the diversion regulation affecting the streamflow of the Williamson River occurred in the Sprague River Basin, and because of uncertainties about historical flows in a major diversion above the Williamson River gage, streamflow data from the Sprague River were used to estimate the change in streamflow from regulation of diversions for the Williamson River Basin. Changes in streamflow outside of the Sprague River Basin were likely minor relative to total streamflow. The effect of diversion regulation was evaluated using the “Baseflow Method,” which compared 2013 baseflow to baseflow of the CIY. The Baseflow Method reduces the potential effects of summer precipitation events on the calculations. A similar method using streamflow produced similar results, however, despite at least one summer precipitation event. The result of the analysis estimates that streamflow from the Williamson River Basin to Upper Klamath Lake increased by approximately 14,100 acre-feet between July 1 and September 30 relative to prior dry years as a result of regulation of surface-water diversions in 2013. Quantifying the change in streamflow from regulation of diversion for the Wood River Basin was likely less accurate due to a lack of long-term streamflow data. An increase in streamflow from regulation of diversions in the Wood River Basin of roughly 5,500 acre-feet was estimated by comparing the average August and September streamflow in 2013 with historical August and September streamflow. Summing the results of the estimated streamflow gain of the Williamson River Basin (14,100 acre-feet) and Wood River (5,500 acre-feet) gives a total estimated increase in streamflow into Upper Klamath Lake resulting from the July 1–September 2013 regulation of diversions of approximately 19,600 acre-feet.
Algal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Linking water quality to juvenile sucker health
VanderKooi, S.P.; Burdick, S.M.; Echols, K.R.; Ottinger, C.A.; Rosen, B.H.; Wood, T.M.
2010-01-01
As the lead science agency for the Department of Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey is actively involved in resource issues in the Klamath River basin. Activities include research projects on endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, threatened coho salmon, groundwater resources, seasonal runoff forecasting, water quality in Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, nutrient cycling in wetlands, and assessment of land idling programs to reduce water consumption. Many of these studies are collaborations with various partners including Department of Interior agencies, Indian Tribes, and State agencies.
McCormick, Paul V.; Campbell, Sharon G.
2007-01-01
A literature review of best management practices to reduce nutrient loading was performed to provide information for resource managers in the Klamath Basin, Oregon. Although BMPs have already been implemented in the watershed, some sense of their effectiveness in reducing phosphorus loading and their cost for installation and maintenance is still lacking. This report discusses both causes of nutrient loading and a wide-variety of BMPs used to treat or reduce causal factors. We specifically focused on cattle grazing as the principal land-use and causal factor for nutrient loading in the Klamath Basin above Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Several BMP types, including stream corridor fencing, riparian buffer strips and constructed wetlands, seem to have potential for reducing phosphorus loading that may result from cattle grazing. However, no single BMP is likely to be the most effective in all locations or situations.
Preliminary report on the ground-water resources of the Klamath River basin, Oregon
Newcomb, Reuben Clair; Hart, D.H.
1958-01-01
The Klamath River basin, including the adjacent Lost River basin, includes about 5,500 square miles of plateaus, mountain-slopes and valley plains in south-central Oregon. The valley plains range in altitude from about 4,100 feet in the south to more than 4,500 feet at the northern end; the mountain and plateau lands rise to an average altitude of 6,000 feet at the drainage divide, some peaks rising above 9,000 feet. The western quarter of the basin is on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range and the remainder consists of plateaus, mountains, and valleys of the basin-and-range type. The rocks of the Klamath River basin range in age from Recent to Mesozoic. At the southwest side of the basin in Oregon, pre-Tertiary metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks, which form extensive areas farther west, are overlain by sedimentary rocks of Eocene age and volcanic rocks of Eocene and Oligocene age. These early Tertiary rocks dip east toward the central part of the Klamath River basin. The complex volcanic rocks of high Cascades include three units: the lowest unit consists of a sequence of basaltic lava flows about 800 feet thick; the medial unit is composed of volcanic-sedimentary and sedimentary rocksthe Yonna formation200 to 2,000 feet thick; the uppermost unit is a sequence of basaltic lava flows commonly about 200 feet thick. These rocks dip east from the Cascade Range and are the main bedrock formations beneath most of the basin. Extensive pumice deposits, which emanated from ancestral Mount Mazama, cover large areas in the northwestern part of the basin. The basin has an overall synclinal structure open to the south at the California boundary where it continues as the Klamath Lake basin in California. The older rocks dip into the basin in monoclinal fashion from the adjoining drainage basins. The rocks are broken along rudely rectangular nets of closely spaced normal faults, the most prominent set of which trends northwest. The network of fault displacements includes two main grabens, the Klamath and the Langell, which were downthrown approximately 50 and 1,000 feet, respectively. The average annual precipitation varies with the altitude, the higher parts of the Cascade Range getting more than 60 inches, and the semiarid valley plains receive as little as 13 inches in some places. Most precipitation occurs in the winter. The principal tributaries, Williamson and Sprague Rivers, rise near the higher parts of the eastern rim of the basin, flow through narrow valley plains to the western part, and discharge into Upper Klamath Lake. Wood River and associated creeks also empty into Upper Klamath Lake after draining southward along along the eastern foot of the Cascade Range. The Klamath River receives the outflow from Upper Klamath Lake, via Link River and Lake Ewauna, and flows southwestward through Keno Gap and hance through a youthful canyon, to its lower valley in California. The ground water occurs largely in an unconfined, or water-table, condition, though areas of local confinement are present. The regional water table is graded to a base level about equal to that of the major drainage on the valley plains. The slop of the water table, where water is confined, or the piezometric surface is downstream at about the same grade as that of the surface drainage in each of the larger valleys, and ground-water divides occur between the upper parts of adjacent major valleys. The principal water-bearing units are the lower lava rocks and upper lava rocks of the volcanic rocks of high Cascades, the pumice of Quaternary age, and the alluvium. In places layers of coarse fragmental material in the Yonna formation (Newcomb, 1958) also transmit water. The water-bearing units, especially the breccia layers of the lava rocks and the pumice, yield large amounts of water to wells and provide natural discharge outlets for the ground water. The spring outflows to the Williamson and Wood Rivers-Crooked Creek drainage, mea
Colonial waterbird predation on Lost River and Shortnose suckers in the Upper Klamath Basin
Evans, Allen F.; Hewitt, David A.; Payton, Quinn; Cramer, Bradley M.; Collis, Ken; Roby, Daniel D.
2016-01-01
We evaluated predation on Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus and Shortnose Suckers Chasmistes brevirostris by American white pelicans Pelecanus erythrorhynchos and double-crested cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus nesting at mixed-species colonies in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California during 2009–2014. Predation was evaluated by recovering (detecting) PIT tags from tagged fish on bird colonies and calculating minimum predation rates, as the percentage of available suckers consumed, adjusted for PIT tag detection probabilities but not deposition probabilities (i.e., probability an egested tag was deposited on- or off-colony). Results indicate that impacts of avian predation varied by sucker species, age-class (adult, juvenile), bird colony location, and year, demonstrating dynamic predator–prey interactions. Tagged suckers ranging in size from 72 to 730 mm were susceptible to cormorant or pelican predation; all but the largest Lost River Suckers were susceptible to bird predation. Minimum predation rate estimates ranged annually from <0.1% to 4.6% of the available PIT-tagged Lost River Suckers and from <0.1% to 4.2% of the available Shortnose Suckers, and predation rates were consistently higher on suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, than on suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. There was evidence that bird predation on juvenile suckers (species unknown) in Upper Klamath Lake was higher than on adult suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, where minimum predation rates ranged annually from 5.7% to 8.4% of available juveniles. Results suggest that avian predation is a factor limiting the recovery of populations of Lost River and Shortnose suckers, particularly juvenile suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and adult suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir. Additional research is needed to measure predator-specific PIT tag deposition probabilities (which, based on other published studies, could increase predation rates presented herein by a factor of roughly 2.0) and to better understand biotic and abiotic factors that regulate sucker susceptibility to bird predation.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for September 30, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 18, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for October 29, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for June 23, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for August 29, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for September 21, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 25, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 28, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for October 22, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for November 8, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for September 27, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for August 19, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for August 19, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for October 16, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for August 4, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for September 20, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for October 7, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 9, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for May 6, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for June 26, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for April 29, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 12, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 2, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for April 30, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for May 25, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for June 1, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for June 17, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-5 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for June 16, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for April 7, 2004: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-5 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-5 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-5 on March 1, 1984 marks the addition of the fifth satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-5 satellite carries the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
A selected bibliography of water-related research in the upper Klamath Basin, Oregon
Brownell, Dorie L.; Rinallo, Mia R.
1995-01-01
A bibliography containing 165 selected references was compiled to assist local, State, and Federal agencies that have ongoing water-related research interests in the Upper Klamath Basin. The report has two parts. Part 1 is a list of bibliographic citations alphabetized by author, and Part 2 is a subject index that references bibliographic entries. Categories of the subject index include chemistry, ecology, geology, hydrology, land use, and water management related reports. Maps, reports, proposals, theses, dissertations, and journal articles are referenced. Some of the environmental issues addressed by references in the bibliography are hypereutrophication, nuisance algal blooms, endangered fish species, water allocation questions, wetland and riparian habitat restoration, and pesticide and fertilizer utilization.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Records, R.; Fassnacht, S. R.; Arabi, M.; Duffy, W. G.
2014-12-01
Elevated total phosphorus (P) loading into Upper Klamath Lake, southern Oregon, United States has caused hypereutrophic conditions impacting endangered lake fish species. Increases in P loading have been attributed to land use changes, such as timber harvest and wetland drainage. The contribution of P to Upper Klamath Lake has been estimated from each major tributary, yet little research has explored what land use or other variables have most influence on P loading within the tributaries. In addition, previous work has shown a range of potential hydroclimatic shifts by the 2040s, with potential to alter P loading mechanisms. In this study, we use statistical methods including principle component analysis and multiple linear regression to determine what hydroclimatic and landscape variables best explain flow-weighted P concentration in the Sprague River, one of three main tributaries to Upper Klamath Lake. Identification of key variables affecting P loading has direct implications for management decisions in the Upper Klamath River Basin. Increases in P loading related to sediment loading are due to bank and upslope erosion. The former is more prevalent in areas of historic channel alteration and cattle grazing, while the latter is more dominant in areas of heavy timber harvesting and more precipitation as rain.
Waterfowl migration on Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges 1953-2001
Gilmer, David S.; Yee, Julie L.; Mauser, David M.; Hainline, James M.
2004-01-01
The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) complex, located in northeastern California and southern Oregon, is situated on a major Pacific Flyway migration corridor connecting waterfowl breeding grounds in the north with major wintering grounds in California and Mexico. The complex comprises five waterfowl refuges including Lower Klamath NWR, Tule Lake NWR, Upper Klamath NWR, Klamath Marsh NWR, and Clear Lake NWR, and one bald eagle refuge, Bear Valley NWR. Lower Klamath and Tule Lake NWRs are the largest refuges in the complex; historically, they supported some of the greatest autumn and spring concentrations of migrating waterfowl in North America. Starting in 1953, standardized waterfowl surveys from small aircraft have been conducted in autumn through spring. This report summarizes waterfowl migration activity (i.e., abundance, species composition, distribution on refuges, and chronology) over four time periods—the long-term (1953-2001), early (1953-76), recent (1977-2001), and the most recent (1998-2001)—to describe changing patterns of migration on Klamath Basin refuges from autumn 1953 to spring 2001.Over the long term, waterfowl abundance (birds per day) on the refuge complex averaged about 1.0 million in autumn and about 360,000 in spring. A record peak count of 5.8 million waterfowl was recorded September 24-25, 1958. Average abundance of autumn staging waterfowl for the refuge complex, after reaching record levels in the 1950s and early 1960s, began a decline that lasted until the 1980s. A gradual recovery occurred during the 1990s, but autumn abundance has not recovered to pre-1970 levels. In contrast to autumn, average spring abundance was generally lower in the early decades but has gradually increased through the 1990s, particularly on Lower Klamath NWR.Dabbling ducks represented an average of 68% of all waterfowl in autumn and 55% in spring for the long term. Northern pintail (Anas acuta) was dominant, representing 62% of all dabblers in autumn and 51% in spring. A significant decline in pintail abundance starting in the late 1950s altered waterfowl composition on Klamath Basin refuges. As pintail declined, other species such as mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and green-winged teal (Anas crecca) increased in abundance. Although Arctic nesting geese, including white-fronted (Anser albifrons), cackling Canada (Branta canadensis minima), white geese (lesser snow [Chen caerulescens caerulescens], and Ross’s [Chen rossii]) have become less prominent in recent decades, they reached an historically high abundance during autumn in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly on Tule Lake NWR.Tule Lake NWR supported the highest average autumn waterfowl populations until surpassed by Lower Klamath NWR around 1980. During the recent period (1977-2001), Lower Klamath NWR accounted for 60% of all waterfowl using the refuge complex in autumn and 61% in spring. Habitat diversity and wetland productivity contributed to its greater waterfowl abundance. Tule Lake NWR supported the most geese over the long term, 79% in autumn and 66% in spring; however, total waterfowl abundance on this refuge in autumn has been in decline, likely because of reduced diversity and productivity of sumps in the refuge. Upper Klamath, Klamath Marsh, and Clear Lake NWRs accounted for less than 8% of total waterfowl use in autumn and spring but provided diverse habitats for migrants.Waterfowl use-days on Klamath Basin refuges typically peaked in mid-autumn, decreased as migrants passed through the basin, and then reached a lesser peak during spring passage. Waterfowl abundance reached a pronounced peak in autumn during the early period (1953-76), but spring peak buildup was much less pronounced. For the recent period the autumn peak was more subdued.Waterfowl abundance, species composition, and distribution on Klamath Basin refuges have fluctuated over the decades and have been influenced by events such as productivity on breeding grounds and habitat conditions on wintering grounds that cause shifts in migration patterns. A major challenge for the future appears to be the availability of adequate water for wetland management on Klamath Basin refuges.
Past and future water conflicts in the Upper Klamath Basin: An economic appraisal
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boehlert, Brent B.; Jaeger, William K.
2010-10-01
The water conflict in the Upper Klamath Basin typifies the growing competition between agricultural and environmental water uses. In 2001, drought conditions triggered Endangered Species Act-related requirements that curtailed irrigation diversions to the Klamath Reclamation Project, costing irrigators tens of millions of dollars. Although this event has significantly elevated the perceived risk of future economic catastrophe in the basin (and therefore the level of conflict among water users), several key changes related to water availability have occurred since 2001. These changes include reduced ESA requirements and increased groundwater pumping capacity, which have lowered the actual risk and severity of future water shortages. In this paper, we use a mathematical programming model to evaluate how these changes alter the likelihood and economic consequences of future shortages. We also consider the effect of more flexible transfers among irrigators via water markets. Our analysis indicates that future drought conditions like those seen in 2001 would have more modest economic impacts than in 2001 and that when combined with contingent groundwater supplementation and water transfer mechanisms such as water markets, both the likelihood and magnitude of economic losses among irrigators would be greatly reduced.
Groundwater simulation and management models for the upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California
Gannett, Marshall W.; Wagner, Brian J.; Lite, Kenneth E.
2012-01-01
The upper Klamath Basin encompasses about 8,000 square miles, extending from the Cascade Range east to the Basin and Range geologic province in south-central Oregon and northern California. The geography of the basin is dominated by forested volcanic uplands separated by broad interior basins. Most of the interior basins once held broad shallow lakes and extensive wetlands, but most of these areas have been drained or otherwise modified and are now cultivated. Major parts of the interior basins are managed as wildlife refuges, primarily for migratory waterfowl. The permeable volcanic bedrock of the upper Klamath Basin hosts a substantial regional groundwater system that provides much of the flow to major streams and lakes that, in turn, provide water for wildlife habitat and are the principal source of irrigation water for the basin's agricultural economy. Increased allocation of surface water for endangered species in the past decade has resulted in increased groundwater pumping and growing interest in the use of groundwater for irrigation. The potential effects of increased groundwater pumping on groundwater levels and discharge to springs and streams has caused concern among groundwater users, wildlife and Tribal interests, and State and Federal resource managers. To provide information on the potential impacts of increased groundwater development and to aid in the development of a groundwater management strategy, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Oregon Water Resources Department and the Bureau of Reclamation, has developed a groundwater model that can simulate the response of the hydrologic system to these new stresses. The groundwater model was developed using the U.S. Geological Survey MODFLOW finite-difference modeling code and calibrated using inverse methods to transient conditions from 1989 through 2004 with quarterly stress periods. Groundwater recharge and agricultural and municipal pumping are specified for each stress period. All major streams and most major tributaries for which a substantial part of the flow comes from groundwater discharge are included in the model. Groundwater discharge to agricultural drains, evapotranspiration from aquifers in areas of shallow groundwater, and groundwater flow to and from adjacent basins also are simulated in key areas. The model has the capability to calculate the effects of pumping and other external stresses on groundwater levels, discharge to streams, and other boundary fluxes, such as discharge to drains. Historical data indicate that the groundwater system in the upper Klamath Basin fluctuates in response to decadal climate cycles, with groundwater levels and spring flows rising and declining in response to wet and dry periods. Data also show that groundwater levels fluctuate seasonally and interannually in response to groundwater pumping. The most prominent response is to the marked increase in groundwater pumping starting in 2001. The calibrated model is able to simulate observed decadal-scale climate-driven fluctuations in the groundwater system as well as observed shorter-term pumping-related fluctuations. Example model simulations show that the timing and location of the effects of groundwater pumping vary markedly depending on the pumping location. Pumping from wells close (within a few miles) to groundwater discharge features, such as springs, drains, and certain streams, can affect those features within weeks or months of the onset of pumping, and the impacts can be essentially fully manifested in several years. Simulations indicate that seasonal variations in pumping rates are buffered by the groundwater system, and peak impacts are closer to mean annual pumping rates than to instantaneous rates. Thus, pumping effects are, to a large degree, spread out over the entire year. When pumping locations are distant (more than several miles) from discharge features, the effects take many years or decades to fully impact those features, and much of the pumped water comes from groundwater storage over a broad geographic area even after two decades. Moreover, because the effects are spread out over a broad area, the impacts to individual features are much smaller than in the case of nearby pumping. Simulations show that the discharge features most affected by pumping in the area of the Bureau of Reclamation's Klamath Irrigation Project are agricultural drains, and impacts to other surface-water features are small in comparison. A groundwater management model was developed that uses techniques of constrained optimization along with the groundwater flow model to identify the optimal strategy to meet water user needs while not violating defined constraints on impacts to groundwater levels and streamflows. The coupled groundwater simulation-optimization models were formulated to help identify strategies to meet water demand in the upper Klamath Basin. The models maximize groundwater pumping while simultaneously keeping the detrimental impacts of pumping on groundwater levels and groundwater discharge within prescribed limits. Total groundwater withdrawals were calculated under alternative constraints for drawdown, reductions in groundwater discharge to surface water, and water demand to understand the potential benefits and limitations for groundwater development in the upper Klamath Basin. The simulation-optimization model for the upper Klamath Basin provides an improved understanding of how the groundwater and surface-water system responds to sustained groundwater pumping within the Bureau of Reclamation's Klamath Project. Optimization model results demonstrate that a certain amount of supplemental groundwater pumping can occur without exceeding defined limits on drawdown and stream capture. The results of the different applications of the model demonstrate the importance of identifying constraint limits in order to better define the amount and distribution of groundwater withdrawal that is sustainable.
Drought in the Klamath River Basin
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
For more than 100 years groups in the western United States have fought over water. During the 1880s, sheep ranchers and cattle ranchers argued over drinking water for their livestock on the high plains. In 1913, the city of Los Angeles began to draw water away from small agricultural communities in the Owen Valley, leaving a dusty dry lake bed. In the late 1950s, construction of the Glen Canyon Dam catalyzed the American environmental movement. Today, farmers are fighting fishermen, environmentalists, and Native American tribes over the water in the Upper Klamath River Basin. A below-average winter snowpack and low rainfall throughout the year have caused an extreme drought in the area along the California/Oregon border. In April 2001 a U.S. District Court stopped water deliveries to farms in the Klamath Irrigation District to preserve adequate water levels in Upper Klamath Lake to protect two endangered species of Mullet fish (called suckers). Water was also reserved for the threatened Coho Salmon which need enough water to swim downstream from their spawning grounds to the ocean. In addition, several Native American tribes have rights to Klamath River water. Further complicating the situation are a handful of wildlife refuges which usually receive enough irrigation wastewater to support upwards of a million migratory birds and 900 Bald Eagles. This year, however, several of the refuges may not have enough water for the birds which begin arriving in early fall. The severity of this year's drought is underscored by the town of Bonanza, Oregon. Famous for its natural springs, and entirely dependent on wells for drinking water, the town's water supply is now contaminated with pesticides, fertilizer, and manure. The water quality is so bad it's not even safe to bathe in, much less drink. The problem stems from a very low water table. The drop in underground water levels is caused directly by the drought, and indirectly from the increased irrigation from underground aquifers to compensate for the lack of water from Upper Klamath Lake. As the water table drops, clean water stops flowing from the springs and wells, and dirty water from fields flows into the water beneath Bonanza. Area farmers, many of them entirely dependent on irrigation, immediately launched protests when the court's decision to stop irrigation flows was announced, leading to national media coverage. On July 24 the Department of the Interior approved the release of some irrigation water from Upper Klamath Lake, but the flow lasted only until August 23. The water was enough to save some fields growing winter feed for livestock, but some other crops were unsalvageable, and water didn't reach every farmer who needed it. The Klamath Project dates back to 1903, when the Reclamation Service (now the Bureau of Reclamation, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior) investigated the possibility of converting rangeland, wetlands, and natural lakes into irrigated farmland. Construction began in 1906, the first water deliveries were made in 1907, and the project was completed in 1924. The Bureau of Reclamation supplies water to the farmers at the cost of delivery, without charging for the water. Fodder, barley, oats, potatoes, and wheat are the principal crops on the 225,000 acres of irrigated land. In addition, the irrigation dams control floodwaters, and the Link River Dam supplies hydroelectric power. The images above show the northeast portion of the Klamath Basin in 2000 (top) and 2001 (lower). These true-color images were acquired by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus sensor aboard the Landsat 7 satellite, launched by NASA and operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. Upper Klamath Lake, with its endangered sucker fish, is at the upper left, with the town of Klamath falls immediately below it. Bonanza is to the right of Klamath Falls. Tule Lake, which has been partially converted to farmland, is at the lower right and is surrounded by the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. To the left of Tule Lake are the remains of Lower Klamath Lake and the marshes of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Farms left dry by the water shortage appear brown in this year's image. Most of the farms without irrigation water are between Upper Klamath Lake and Tule Lake. The land immediately surrounding Tule Lake did receive irrigation water this year, and as a result is greener than the fields to the north. Some farms rely on wells and not Klamath Project water, and many of these remained green, as well. Images courtesy USGS EROS Data Center and the Landsat 7 Science Team
Klamath River Reconstruction: Strategies for Dealing with Uncertainty in Calibration Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Woodhouse, C. A.; Malevich, S. B.; Meko, D. M.; Gangopadhyay, S.
2013-12-01
The upper Klamath Basin has been the center of conflict over competing water uses and values in recent years, exacerbated by drought conditions. Currently, water needs for irrigation, fish, and riparian environments are being addressed and plans for sharing limited water resources are being negotiated. In a number of major river basins in the western US, extended records of streamflow from tree rings have been found useful for planning by placing recent droughts in a long term context and characterizing the long-term hydrologic variability over past centuries. The focus of this research is the first reconstruction of the upper Klamath River and its potential use for management. One challenge in the reconstruction of Klamath River streamflow is the availability of high quality streamflow data for reconstruction model calibration. In the Klamath basin, a long history of diversions for irrigation along with complex wetland hydrology has made the accurate estimation of natural flows difficult. A number of sources of hydrology are available, but all show differences in magnitudes of high and low flows. While the uncertainties in the calibration streamflow data can be described and quantified, they cannot be overcome, and thus impart uncertainty to the resulting reconstruction. Thus, it is important to develop analysis strategies that highlight the most certain aspects of the reconstruction. In the case of the Klamath River records, the most robust information concerns the sequences of flow, and duration and frequency of wet and dry intervals. In the reconstruction, which extends from 1493-2010, analyses of frequency and distribution of extreme low flow years, runs of consecutive years of low flows, and the probability of transitions between wet and dry years all document long-term natural hydrologic variability, over which the impacts of climate change will be imposed. While not a perfect record of past flow, the Klamath reconstruction provides information that can be useful to management. A challenge is to convey the uncertainties, but to also highlight the information for which we have the most confidence, and why.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McDowell, P. F.
2009-12-01
The semi-arid Upper Klamath Basin is a complex landscape of agricultural land, pasture and forests, drained by rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Unique characteristics of the river systems include high natural nutrient loadings, large springs, low gradients, high sinuosity, fine sediment, herbaceous-dominated riparian vegetation, and habitat for salmonid and sucker fish. Following listing of several fish species under the Endangered Species Act in the 1980s to 90s, the Upper Klamath Basin has become a focal point of river management and restoration. Drought conditions in 2001 resulted in a cutoff of irrigation water and a political crisis. The crisis engendered a distrust of scientists by many residents of the basin. Political conflict over allocation of water resources and ecosystem management has continued since 2001. In this environment, multiple groups, including federal and state agencies and NGOs, have developed restoration assessments and agendas, and they have also implemented numerous restoration projects. These restoration guidance documents are typically based on input from local residents and landowners as well as the published scientific literature. The documents from different groups are generally consistent but priorities vary somewhat. Gaps in scientific understanding of the river systems are recognized as a handicap in restoration planning. The science knowledge base has been growing since 2001 but generally lags behind on-the-ground restoration activities. Research can help in addressing two critical questions important in restoration implementation. What restoration strategies are best suited to the processes and dynamics of this system? Are the specific restoration designs being employed effective at meeting restoration goals? In addition to following scientific standards of practice, scientific research needs to be framed with an awareness of how formal and informal knowledge is used in restoration implementation.
Gannett, Marshall W.; Breen, Katherine H.
2015-07-28
The use of groundwater to supplement surface-water supplies for the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Project in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California markedly increased between 2000 and 2014. Pre-2001 groundwater pumping in the area where most of this increase occurred is estimated to have been about 28,600 acre-feet per year. Subsequent supplemental pumping rates have been as high as 128,740 acre-feet per year. During this period of increased pumping, groundwater levels in and around the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Project have declined by about 20-25 feet. Water-level declines are largely due to the increased supplemental pumping, but other factors include increased pumping adjacent to the Klamath Project and drying climate conditions. This report summarizes the distribution and magnitude of supplemental groundwater pumping and groundwater-level declines, and characterizes the relation between the stress and response in subareas of the Klamath Project to aid decision makers in developing groundwater-management strategies.
Sullivan, Annett B.; Sogutlugil, I. Ertugrul; Deas, Michael L.; Rounds, Stewart A.
2014-01-01
The upper Klamath River and adjacent Lost River are interconnected basins in south-central Oregon and northern California. Both basins have impaired water quality with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) in progress or approved. In cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Watercourse Engineering, Inc., have conducted modeling and research to inform management of these basins for multiple purposes, including agriculture, endangered species protection, wildlife refuges, and adjacent and downstream water users. A water-quality and hydrodynamic model (CE-QUAL-W2) of the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the Klamath River for 2006–09 is one of the tools used in this work. The model can simulate stage, flow, water velocity, ice cover, water temperature, specific conductance, suspended sediment, nutrients, organic matter in bed sediment and the water column, three algal groups, three macrophyte groups, dissolved oxygen, and pH. This report documents two model scenarios and a test of the existing model applied to year 2011, which had exceptional water quality. The first scenario examined the water-quality effects of recirculating Klamath Straits Drain flows into the Ady Canal, to conserve water and to decrease flows from the Klamath Straits Drain to the Klamath River. The second scenario explicitly incorporated a 2.73×106 m2 (675 acre) off-channel connected wetland into the CE-QUAL-W2 framework, with the wetland operating from May 1 through October 31. The wetland represented a managed treatment feature to decrease organic matter loads and process nutrients. Finally, the summer of 2011 showed substantially higher dissolved-oxygen concentrations in the Link-Keno reach than in other recent years, so the Link-Keno model (originally developed for 2006–09) was run with 2011 data as a test of model parameters and rates and to develop insights regarding the reasons for the improved water-quality conditions.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for May 30, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-7 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-7 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-7 on April 15, 1999 marks the addition of the latest satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-7 satellite carries the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor. A mechanical failure of the ETM+ Scan Line Corrector (SLC) occurred on May 31, 2003, with the result that all Landsat 7 scenes acquired from July 14, 2003 to present have been collected in 'SLC-off' mode. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for April 28, 2006: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-7 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-7 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-7 on April 15, 1999 marks the addition of the latest satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-7 satellite carries the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor. A mechanical failure of the ETM+ Scan Line Corrector (SLC) occurred on May 31, 2003, with the result that all Landsat 7 scenes acquired from July 14, 2003 to present have been collected in 'SLC-off' mode. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for June 24, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-7 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-7 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-7 on April 15, 1999 marks the addition of the latest satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-7 satellite carries the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor. A mechanical failure of the ETM+ Scan Line Corrector (SLC) occurred on May 31, 2003, with the result that all Landsat 7 scenes acquired from July 14, 2003 to present have been collected in 'SLC-off' mode. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 11, 2004: Path 45 Rows 30 and 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This image is a mosaic of Landsat-7 images of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-7 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-7 on April 15, 1999 marks the addition of the latest satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-7 satellite carries the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor. A mechanical failure of the ETM+ Scan Line Corrector (SLC) occurred on May 31, 2003, with the result that all Landsat 7 scenes acquired from July 14, 2003 to present have been collected in 'SLC-off' mode. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Upper Klamath Basin Landsat Image for July 10, 2006: Path 44 Row 31
Snyder, Daniel T.
2012-01-01
This subset of a Landsat-7 image shows part of the upper Klamath Basin. The original images were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). EROS is responsible for archive management and distribution of Landsat data products. The Landsat-7 satellite is part of an ongoing mission to provide quality remote sensing data in support of research and applications activities. The launch of Landsat-7 on April 15, 1999 marks the addition of the latest satellite to the Landsat series. The Landsat-7 satellite carries the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor. A mechanical failure of the ETM+ Scan Line Corrector (SLC) occurred on May 31, 2003, with the result that all Landsat 7 scenes acquired from July 14, 2003 to present have been collected in 'SLC-off' mode. More information on the Landsat program can be found online at http://landsat.usgs.gov/.
Schenk, Liam N.; Anderson, Chauncey W.; Diaz, Paul; Stewart, Marc A.
2016-12-22
Executive SummarySuspended-sediment and total phosphorus loads were computed for two sites in the Upper Klamath Basin on the Wood and Williamson Rivers, the two main tributaries to Upper Klamath Lake. High temporal resolution turbidity and acoustic backscatter data were used to develop surrogate regression models to compute instantaneous concentrations and loads on these rivers. Regression models for the Williamson River site showed strong correlations of turbidity with total phosphorus and suspended-sediment concentrations (adjusted coefficients of determination [Adj R2]=0.73 and 0.95, respectively). Regression models for the Wood River site had relatively poor, although statistically significant, relations of turbidity with total phosphorus, and turbidity and acoustic backscatter with suspended sediment concentration, with high prediction uncertainty. Total phosphorus loads for the partial 2014 water year (excluding October and November 2013) were 39 and 28 metric tons for the Williamson and Wood Rivers, respectively. These values are within the low range of phosphorus loads computed for these rivers from prior studies using water-quality data collected by the Klamath Tribes. The 2014 partial year total phosphorus loads on the Williamson and Wood Rivers are assumed to be biased low because of the absence of data from the first 2 months of water year 2014, and the drought conditions that were prevalent during that water year. Therefore, total phosphorus and suspended-sediment loads in this report should be considered as representative of a low-water year for the two study sites. Comparing loads from the Williamson and Wood River monitoring sites for November 2013–September 2014 shows that the Williamson and Sprague Rivers combined, as measured at the Williamson River site, contributed substantially more suspended sediment to Upper Klamath Lake than the Wood River, with 4,360 and 1,450 metric tons measured, respectively.Surrogate techniques have proven useful at the two study sites, particularly in using turbidity to compute suspended-sediment concentrations in the Williamson River. This proof-of-concept effort for computing total phosphorus concentrations using turbidity at the Williamson and Wood River sites also has shown that with additional samples over a wide range of flow regimes, high-temporal-resolution total phosphorus loads can be estimated on a daily, monthly, and annual basis, along with uncertainties for total phosphorus and suspended-sediment concentrations computed using regression models. Sediment-corrected backscatter at the Wood River has potential for estimating suspended-sediment loads from the Wood River Valley as well, with additional analysis of the variable streamflow measured at that site. Suspended-sediment and total phosphorus loads with a high level of temporal resolution will be useful to water managers, restoration practitioners, and scientists in the Upper Klamath Basin working toward the common goal of decreasing nutrient and sediment loads in Upper Klamath Lake.
Maule, Alec G.; Vanderkooi, Scott P.; Hamilton, John B; Stocking , Richard; Bartholomew, Jerri
2009-01-01
We evaluated a stock for restoring runs of fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Upper Klamath River basin by monitoring its development in Iron Gate Hatchery and in net-pens in the Williamson River and Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon. We transferred age-1 hatchery fall Chinook salmon to net-pens in October 2005 and age-0 fall Chinook salmon in May 2006. Indices of smolt development were assessed in the hatchery and after 3 and 14 d in net-pens. Based on gill Na+, K+-ATPase activity and plasma thyroxine (T4) concentration, age-1 Chinook salmon were not developing smolt characteristics in the hatchery during October. Fish transferred to the river or lake had increased plasma cortisol in response to stress and increased T4 accompanying the change in water, but they did not have altered development. Variables in the age-0 Chinook salmon indicated that the fish in the hatchery were smolting. The fish in the river net-pens lost mass and had gill ATPase activity similar to that of the fish in the hatchery, whereas the fish transferred to the lake gained mass and length, had reduced condition factor, and had higher gill ATPase than the fish in the river. These results, along with environmental variables, suggest that the conditions in the lake were more conducive to smoltification than those in the river and thus accelerated the development of Chinook salmon. No Chinook salmon in the hatchery or either net-pen became infected with the myxosporean parasite Ceratomyxa shasta (the presence of which in the river and lake was confirmed) during either trial or when held for 90 d after a 10-d exposure in net-pens (2006 group). We concluded that that there is little evidence of physiological impairment or significant upriver vulnerability to C. shasta among this stock of fall Chinook salmon that would preclude them from being reintroduced into the Upper Klamath River basin.
Life history diversity in Klamath River steelhead
Hodge, Brian W.; Wilzbach, Peggy; Duffy, Walter G.; Quinones, Rebecca M.; Hobbs, James A.
2016-01-01
Oncorhynchus mykiss exhibits a vast array of life histories, which increases its likelihood of persistence by spreading risk of extirpation among different pathways. The Klamath River basin (California–Oregon) provides a particularly interesting backdrop for the study of life history diversity in O. mykiss, in part because the river is slated for a historic and potentially influential dam removal and habitat recolonization project. We used scale and otolith strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analyses to characterize life history diversity in wildO. mykiss from the lower Klamath River basin. We also determined maternal origin (anadromous or nonanadromous) and migratory history (anadromous or nonanadromous) of O. mykiss and compared length and fecundity at age between anadromous (steelhead) and nonanadromous (Rainbow Trout) phenotypes of O. mykiss. We identified a total of 38 life history categories at maturity, which differed in duration of freshwater and ocean rearing, age at maturation, and incidence of repeat spawning. Approximately 10% of adult fish sampled were nonanadromous. Rainbow Trout generally grew faster in freshwater than juvenile steelhead; however, ocean growth afforded adult steelhead greater length and fecundity than adult Rainbow Trout. Although 75% of individuals followed the migratory path of their mother, steelhead produced nonanadromous progeny and Rainbow Trout produced anadromous progeny. Overall, we observed a highly diverse array of life histories among Klamath River O. mykiss. While this diversity should increase population resilience, recent declines in the abundance of Klamath River steelhead suggest that life history diversity alone is not sufficient to stabilize a population. Our finding that steelhead and Rainbow Trout give rise to progeny of the alternate form (1) suggests that dam removal might lead to a facultatively anadromous O. mykiss population in the upper basin and (2) raises the question of whether both forms of O. mykiss in the Klamath River should be managed under the same strategy.
The history of recent limnological changes and human impact on Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Bradbury, J. Platt; Colman, Steve M.; Reynolds, Richard L.
2004-01-01
Hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake has been studied for almost 50 years to evaluate the nature, cause, and effects of its very productive waters. Mitigation of undesirable effects of massive cyanobacterial blooms requires understanding their modern causes as well as their history. Knowledge of the pre-settlement natural limnology of this system can provide guidelines for lake restoration and management of land and water use strategies to maximize the benefits of this aquatic resource. This investigation uses a paleolimnological approach to document the nature and chronology of limnological and biological changes in Upper Klamath Lake for the past 200 years, covering the time when the lake was first described until today. A 45-cm gravity core, dated by 210Pb and diatom correlations, was analyzed for diatoms, pollen, akinetes (resting spores) of the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, reworked tephra shards, and sediment magnetic characteristics. Pollen profiles show little vegetation change during this time. In contrast, diatoms indicative of increased nutrient fluxes (P and Si) increase moderately, coinciding with the settlement of the region by Euro-Americans. Numerous settlement activities, including draining of lake-margin marshes, upstream agriculture and timber harvest, road construction, and boat traffic, may have affected the lake. Magnetic properties and reworked tephra suggest riparian changes throughout the basin and increased lithogenic sediment delivery to the lake, especially after 1920 when the marshes near the mouth of the Williamson River were drained and converted to agricultural and pasture land. Drainage and channelization also decreased the ability of the marshes to function as traps and filters for upstream water and sediments. Akinetes of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae record progressive eutrophication of Upper Klamath Lake beginning in the 20th century and particularly after 1920 when lake-margin marsh reclamation more than doubled. The coincidence of limnological changes and human activities following European settlement suggests a major impact on the Upper Klamath Lake ecosystem, although ascribing specific limnological changes to specific human activities is difficult.
Boellstorff, D.E.; Ohlendorf, H.M.; Anderson, D.W.; O'Neill, E.J.; Keith, J.O.; Prouty, R.M.
1985-01-01
Samples were analyzed for 12 organochlorine chemicals. Concentrations of DDT + DDD and dieldrin in American white pelican(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) eggs collected at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges decreased from 1969 to 1981; DDE and polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) residues did not significantly change. Differences between PCB residues in eggs collected from Lower Klamath and Clear Lake colonies in 1969 suggest different migration routes or wintering areas between populations nesting at these two locations. White pelican and western grebe(Aechmophorus occidentalis) PCB/DDE ratios were 0.13 and 1.58, respectively, suggesting different exposure patterns. White pelican eggshell thickness increased between 1969 and 1981, but remained significantly less than pre-1947 values. Western grebe shell thickness was not significantly different from pre-1947 values. Endrin caused some of the pelican mortalities in the Klamath Basin from 1975 to 1981. Pelicans may have acquired endrin in California, but possibly from areas outside of the Klamath Basin.
Flint, Lorraine E.; Flint, Alan L.
2012-01-01
Stream temperature estimates under future climatic conditions were needed in support of fish production modeling for evaluation of effects of dam removal in the Klamath River Basin. To allow for the persistence of the Klamath River salmon fishery, an upcoming Secretarial Determination in 2012 will review potential changes in water quality and stream temperature to assess alternative scenarios, including dam removal. Daily stream temperature models were developed by using a regression model approach with simulated net solar radiation, vapor density deficit calculated on the basis of air temperature, and mean daily air temperature. Models were calibrated for 6 streams in the Lower, and 18 streams in the Upper, Klamath Basin by using measured stream temperatures for 1999-2008. The standard error of the y-estimate for the estimation of stream temperature for the 24 streams ranged from 0.36 to 1.64°C, with an average error of 1.12°C for all streams. The regression models were then used with projected air temperatures to estimate future stream temperatures for 2010-99. Although the mean change from the baseline historical period of 1950-99 to the projected future period of 2070-99 is only 1.2°C, it ranges from 3.4°C for the Shasta River to no change for Fall Creek and Trout Creek. Variability is also evident in the future with a mean change in temperature for all streams from the baseline period to the projected period of 2070-99 of only 1°C, while the range in stream temperature change is from 0 to 2.1°C. The baseline period, 1950-99, to which the air temperature projections were corrected, established the starting point for the projected changes in air temperature. The average measured daily air temperature for the calibration period 1999-2008, however, was found to be as much as 2.3°C higher than baseline for some rivers, indicating that warming conditions have already occurred in many areas of the Klamath River Basin, and that the stream temperature projections for the 21st century could be underestimating the actual change.
Thomas M. Quigley; Sylvia J. Arbelbide
1997-01-01
The Assessment of Ecosystem Components in the Interior Columbia Basin and Portions of the Klamath and Great Basins provides detailed information about current conditions and trends for the biophysical and social systems within the Basin. This information can be used by land managers to develop broad land management goals and priorities and provides the context for...
MacCoy, D.E.
1994-01-01
Physical, chemical, and biological data were collected between 1990 and 1992 as part of a detailed study by the U.S. Department of Interior of the effects of irrigation drainage on aquatic resources in the Klamath Basin of California and Oregon. Most of the sites for data collection were in and around the upper and lower sump of Tule Lake, in the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and along major drains in Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. The physical and chemical data consist of particle-size determinations and concentrations of carbon, mercury, arsenic, chlorophenoxy acid, and organochlorine, organophosphate, and carbamate pesticides in bottom sediment; and concentrations of organophosphate, carbamate, and pyrethroid pesticides, major and trace inorganic constituents, nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon in water. Continuous dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conduc- tance, and temperature data from selected sites in 1991 and 1992 are presented in graphical form to summarize the diel water-quality conditions. The biological data consists of concentrations of inorganic constituents and organochlorine pesticides in tissue, invertebrate and fish population surveys, fish health surveys, frog call surveys, egg shell thickness of avian eggs, and in situ and static toxicity bioassay data collected in 1991 and 1992 using aquatic bacteria, plants, invertebrates, fish, and bird species as test organisms.
Unauthorized Appropriations and Expiring Authorizations
2015-01-15
other purposes P.L. 109-338 John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 2006 (sec. 702(f), 16 U.S.C. 461...Indefinite Unauthorized FY 2015 Appropriations: 1,120,235,000 Upper Klamath Basin Ecological Restoration projects (sec. 1024)* FY 2002 Appropriation... Ethics Authorization Act of 2001P.L. 107-119 Office of Government Ethics * FY 2006 Appropriation Authorized: Indefinite Unauthorized FY 2015 Appropriations
Duffy, Walter G.; Kahara, Sharon N.; Records, Rosemary M.
2011-01-01
Executive Summary-Ecosystem Services Derived from Wetlands Reserve Program Conservation Practices in California's Central Valley and Oregon's Upper Klamath River Basin. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is one of several programs implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since the WRP's inception in 1990, it has resulted in the restoration of approximately 29,000 hectares in California's Central Valley (CCV) and roughly 12,300 hectares in Oregon's Upper Klamath River Basin (UKRB). Both the CCV and UKRB are agricultural dominated landscapes that have experienced extensive wetland losses and hydrological alteration. Restored habitats in the CCV and UKRB are thought to provide a variety of ecosystem services, but little is known about the actual benefits afforded. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) California Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit in collaboration with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service surveyed 70 WRP sites and 12 National Wildlife Refuge sites in the CCV, and 11 sites in the UKRB to estimate ecosystem services provided. In the CCV, sites were selected along three primary gradients; (1) restoration age, (2) management intensity, and (3) latitude (climate). Sites in the UKRB were assessed along restoration age and management intensity gradients where possible. The management intensity gradient included information about the type and frequency of conservation practices applied at each site, which was then ranked into three categories that differentiated sites primarily along a hydrological gradient. Information collected was used to estimate the following ecosystem services: Soil and vegetation nutrient content, soil loss reduction, floodwater storage as well as avian, amphibian, fish, and pollinator use and habitat availability. Prior to this study, very little was known about WRP habitat morphology in the CCV and UKRB. Therefore in this study, we described these habitats and related them to ecosystem services provided. Our results indicate that although WRP in the CCV and UKRB provide a number of benefits, there may be management mediated trade-offs among ecosystem services. In this report, we considered ecosystem services at the site-specific scale; however, future work will extend to include effects of WRP relative to surrounding cropland.
Kuwabara, James S.; Topping, Brent R.; Carter, James L.; Wood, Tamara M.; Parcheso, Francis; Cameron, Jason M.; Asbill, Jessica R.; Carlson, Rick A.; Fend, Steven V.
2012-01-01
Eight sampling trips were coordinated after engineered levee breaches hydrologically reconnected both Upper Klamath Lake and Agency Lake, Oregon, to adjacent wetlands. The reconnection, by a series of explosive blasts, was coordinated by The Nature Conservancy to reclaim wetlands that had for approximately seven decades been leveed for crop production. Sets of nonmetallic porewater profilers (U.S. Patent 8,051,727 B1; November 8, 2011; http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/ week45/OG/html/1372-2/US08051727-20111108.html.) were deployed during these trips in November 2007, June 2008, May 2009, July 2009, May 2010, August 2010, June 2011, and July 2011 (table 1). Deployments temporally spanned the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and spatially involved three lake and four wetland sites. Spatial and temporal variation in solute benthic flux was determined by the field team, using the profilers, over an approximately 4-year period beginning 3 days after the levee breaches. The highest flux to the water column of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was detected in the newly flooded wetland, contrasting negative or insignificant DOC fluxes at adjacent lake sites. Over the multiyear study, DOC benthic fluxes dissipated in the reconnected wetlands, converging to values similar to those for established wetlands and to the adjacent lake (table 2). In contrast to DOC, benthic sources of soluble reactive phosphorus, ammonium, dissolved iron and manganese from within the reconnected wetlands were consistently elevated (that is, significant in magnitude relative to riverine and established-wetland sources) indicating a multi-year time scale for certain chemical changes after the levee breaches (table 2). Colonization of the reconnected wetlands by aquatic benthic invertebrates during the study trended toward the assemblages in established wetlands, providing further evidence of a multiyear transition of this area to permanent aquatic habitat (table 3). Both the lake and wetland benthic environments substantively contribute to macro- and micronutrients in the water column. Wetland areas undergoing restoration, and those being used for water storage, function very differently relatively to the established wetland within the Upper Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge, adjacent Upper Klamath Lake. Developing long-term management strategies for water quality in the Upper Klamath Basin requires recognition of the multi-year time scales associated with restoring wetlands that provide natural, seasonal ecosystem function and services.
Russell F. Thurow; Danny C. Lee; Bruce E. Rieman
2000-01-01
This chapter summarizes information on presence, absence, current status, and probable historical distribution of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss and stream-type (age-1 migrant) and ocean type (age-0 migrant) chinook salmon O. tshawytscha in the interior Columbia River basin and portions of the Klamath River basin. Data were compiled from existing sources and via surveys...
Russell F. Thurow; Bruce E. Rieman; Danny C. Lee; Philip J. Howell; Raymon D. Perkinson
2007-01-01
We summarized existing knowledge (circa 1996) of the potential historical range and the current distribution and status of non-anadromous interior redband trout Oncorhynchus mykiss ssp. in the U.S. portion of the interior Columbia River Basin and portions of the Klamath River and Great Basins (ICRB). We estimated that the potential historical range included 5,458...
Heat-flow data and their relation to observed geothermal phenomena near Klamath Falls, Oregon
Sass, J.H.; Sammel, Edward A.
1976-01-01
Two holes were drilled to depths of about 180 m in the Lower Klamath Lake basin south of Klamath Falls, Oregon, to obtain heat flow data and to provide estimates of the thermal conductivity of the valley fill. Twenty-nine thermal conductivity determinations on eight cores give a mean conductivity of 1.82 mcal/cm s °C (0.75 W/m °K). Curvature in the upper 50 m of both terriperature profiles indicates a decrease in surface temperature of about 1.8°C, presumably resulting frorn reclamation of what was marshland in the early part of this century. A surprisingly low heat flow of 0.3 HFU (1 HFU = 10−6 cal/cm2 s = 41.8 mW/m2) was measured at site LS near the center of the basin. At site OC-1, 7 km east of LS and 2 km from the Klamath Hills geothermal zone, the heat flow was 1.44 HFU, also a low value in this setting. Temperature profiles in 15 unused water wells in the area had linear gradients ranging from 47° to 170°C/km. The corresponding lower limits of heat flow (conductivities measured at the two heat flow sites being used) range from 0.8 to 3.1 HFU. These variations in heat flow evidently are caused by temperature variations in a convecting system within the near-surface volcanic rocks and do not provide firm constraints on the nature of heat sources at depth.
Water Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2005
Hoilman, Gene R.; Lindenberg, Mary K.; Wood, Tamara M.
2008-01-01
During June-October 2005, water quality data were collected from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes in Oregon, and meteorological data were collected around and within Upper Klamath Lake. Data recorded at two continuous water quality monitors in Agency Lake showed similar temperature patterns throughout the field season, but data recorded at the northern site showed more day-to-day variability for dissolved oxygen concentration and saturation after late June and more day-to-day variability for pH and specific conductance values after mid-July. Data recorded from the northern and southern parts of Agency Lake showed more comparable day-to-day variability in dissolved oxygen concentrations and pH from September through the end of the monitoring period. For Upper Klamath Lake, seasonal (late July through early August) lows of dissolved oxygen concentrations and saturation were coincident with a seasonal low of pH values and seasonal highs of ammonia and orthophosphate concentrations, specific conductance values, and water temperatures. Patterns in these parameters, excluding water temperature, were associated with bloom dynamics of the cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Aphanizomenon flos-aquae in Upper Klamath Lake. In Upper Klamath Lake, water temperature in excess of 28 degrees Celsius (a high stress threshold for Upper Klamath Lake suckers) was recorded only once at one site during the field season. Large areas of Upper Klamath Lake had periods of dissolved oxygen concentration of less than 4 milligrams per liter and pH value greater than 9.7, but these conditions were not persistent throughout days at most sites. Dissolved oxygen concentrations in Upper Klamath Lake on time scales of days and months appeared to be influenced, in part, by bathymetry and prevailing current flow patterns. Diel patterns of water column stratification were evident, even at the deepest sites. This diel pattern of stratification was attributable to diel wind speed patterns and the shallow nature of most of Upper Klamath Lake. Timing of the daily extreme values of dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, and water temperature was less distinct with increased water column depth. Chlorophyll a concentrations varied spatially and temporally throughout Upper Klamath Lake. Location greatly affected algal concentrations, in turn affecting nutrient and dissolved oxygen concentrations - some of the highest chlorophyll a concentrations were associated with the lowest dissolved oxygen concentrations and the highest un-ionized ammonia concentrations. The occurrence of the low dissolved oxygen and high un-ionized ammonia concentrations coincided with a decline in algae resulting from cell death, as measured by concentrations of chlorophyll a. Dissolved oxygen production rates in experiments were as high as 1.47 milligrams of oxygen per liter per hour, and consumption rates were as much as -0.73 milligrams of oxygen per liter per hour. Dissolved oxygen consumption rates measured in this study were comparable to those measured in a 2002 Upper Klamath Lake study, and a higher rate of dissolved oxygen consumption was recorded in dark bottles positioned higher in the water column. Data, though inconclusive, indicated that a decreasing trend of dissolved oxygen productivity through July could have contributed to the decreasing dissolved oxygen concentrations and percent saturation recorded in Upper Klamath Lake during this time. Phytoplankton self-shading was evident from a general inverse relation between depth of photic zone and chlorophyll a concentrations. This shading caused net dissolved oxygen consumption during daylight hours in lower parts of the water column that would otherwise have been in the photic zone. Meteorological data collected in and around Upper Klamath Lake showed that winds were likely to come from a broad range of westerly directions in the northern one-third of the lake, but tended to come from a narrow range of northwesterly directions
Geographic variation in migratory behavior of greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons)
Ely, Craig R.; Takekawa, John Y.
1996-01-01
We studied the migration and winter distribution of adult Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) radio-marked on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) and Bristol Bay Lowlands (BBL) of Alaska from 1987 to 1992. The major autumn staging site for geese from both breeding areas was the Klamath Basin on the California/Oregon border. However, temporal use of this area differed markedly between populations. Geese from the BBL arrived at the Klamath Basin nearly 30 days before geese from the YKD and departed before most YKD geese had arrived. Ninety percent of BBL geese used the Klamath Basin in autumn, whereas 30% of YKD geese bypassed the Klamath Basin during autumn and instead flew directly to the Central Valley of California. Nearly all BBL geese migrated directly from the Klamath Basin to wintering areas in Mexico, bypassing the Central Valley. Ninety percent of the BBL geese wintered in Mexico, as opposed to <20% of the YKD geese. Wetlands of the Interior Highlands in the state of Chihuahua, particularly Laguna Babicora, were used by >90% of the radio-marked geese in Mexico. Marshes along the West Coast comprised the other important wintering habitat in Mexico. The Sacramento Valley of California was the predominant wintering area for YKD geese. BBL geese migrated north from Mexico into the San Joaquin Valley or Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California by the last week of January. Fifty-five percent of the BBL population used the Klamath Basin in spring, but many birds staged in eastern Oregon and western Idaho. In contrast, geese from the YKD staged almost exclusively in the Klamath Basin during spring before flying to staging areas in Alaska. Breeding allopatry and temporal partitioning on staging and wintering areas likely has contributed to the evolution of previously described phenotypic differences between these populations. These two populations, along with the Tule Greater White-fronted Goose (A. a. gambeli), may constitute a portion of a Rassenkreis, a group of subspecies connected by clines, each ecotype of which has independent conservation needs.
Bruce G. Marcot; Barbara C. Wales; Rick Demmer
2003-01-01
Current range distribution maps are presented for 14 invertebrate, 26 amphibian, 26 reptile, 339 bird, and 125 mammal species and selected subspecies (530 total taxa) of the interior Columbia River basin and northern portions of the Klamath and Great Basins in the United States. Also presented are maps of historical ranges of 3 bird and 10 mammal species, and 6 maps of...
Burdick, Summer M.; Elliott, Diane G.; Ostberg, Carl O.; Conway, Carla M.; Dolan-Caret, Amari; Hoy, Marshal S.; Feltz, Kevin P.; Echols, Kathy R.
2015-11-25
Differences in sucker health and condition between lakes were considered the most promising clues to the causes of differential juvenile sucker morality between lakes. A low prevalence of petechial hemorrhaging of the skin (16 percent) and deformed opercula (8 percent) in Upper Klamath Lake suckers may indicate exposure to a toxin other than microcystin. Suckers grew slower in their first year of life, but had similar or greater triglyceride and glycogen levels in Upper Klamath Lake compared to Clear Lake Reservoir. These findings do not suggest a lack of prey quantity but may indicate lower prey quality in Upper Klamath Lake.
Proceedings of the Klamath Basin Science Conference, Medford, Oregon, February 1-5, 2010
Thorsteinson, Lyman; VanderKooi, Scott; Duffy, Walter
2011-01-01
This report presents the proceedings of the Klamath Basin Science Conference (February 2010). A primary purpose of the meeting was to inform and update Klamath Basin stakeholders about areas of scientific progress and accomplishment during the last 5 years. Secondary conference objectives focused on the identification of outstanding information needs and science priorities as they relate to whole watershed management, restoration ecology, and possible reintroduction of Pacific salmon associated with the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA). Information presented in plenary, technical, breakout, and poster sessions has been assembled into chapters that reflect the organization, major themes, and content of the conference. Chapter 1 reviews the major environmental issues and resource management and other stakeholder needs of the basin. Importantly, this assessment of information needs included the possibility of large-scale restoration projects in the future and lessons learned from a case study in South Florida. Other chapters (2-6) summarize information about key components of the Klamath Basin, support conceptual modeling of the aquatic ecosystem (Chapter 7), and synthesize our impressions of the most pressing science priorities for management and restoration. A wealth of information was presented at the conference and this has been captured in chapters addressing environmental setting and human development of the basin, hydrology, watershed processes, fishery resources, and potential effects from climate change. The final chapter (8) culminates in a discussion of many specific research priorities that relate to and bookend the broader management needs and restoration goals identified in Chapter 1. In many instances, the conferees emphasized long-term and process-oriented approaches to watershed science in the basin as planning moves forward.
Bruce E. Rieman; Danny C. Lee; Russell F. Thurow
1997-01-01
We summarized existing knowledge regarding the distribution and status of bull trout Salvelinus confluentus across 4,462 subwatersheds of the interior Columbia River basin in Oregon, Washington. Idaho, Montana, and Nevada and of the Klamath River basin in Oregon, a region that represents about 20% of the species' global range. We used classification trees and the...
Hanna, R. Blair; Campbell, Sharon G.
2000-01-01
This report describes the water quality model developed for the Klamath River System Impact Assessment Model (SIAM). The Klamath River SIAM is a decision support system developed by the authors and other US Geological Survey (USGS), Midcontinent Ecological Science Center staff to study the effects of basin-wide water management decisions on anadromous fish in the Klamath River. The Army Corps of Engineersa?? HEC5Q water quality modeling software was used to simulate water temperature, dissolved oxygen and conductivity in 100 miles of the Klamath River Basin in Oregon and California. The water quality model simulated three reservoirs and the mainstem Klamath River influenced by the Shasta and Scott River tributaries. Model development, calibration and two validation exercises are described as well as the integration of the water quality model into the SIAM decision support system software. Within SIAM, data are exchanged between the water quantity model (MODSIM), the water quality model (HEC5Q), the salmon population model (SALMOD) and methods for evaluating ecosystem health. The overall predictive ability of the water quality model is described in the context of calibration and validation error statistics. Applications of SIAM and the water quality model are described.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
1981-07-01
The findings of a feasibility study performed for Basin View Heating District in Klamath Falls, Oregon are reported. The physical, economic, and political feasibility of establishing a geothermal heating district to provide space heat to housing units in the Basin View Development of Klamath Falls are determined. Of the several systems considered, all are physically feasible. The project is politically feasible if the owner complies with governmental requirements. Economic feasibility is based on considerations of money value rates, tax rates and expected rates of return, which are dependent on government and money markets. For analysis a money value rate of 21% and an owner's marginal tax rate of 35% were adopted.
Lynch, Dennis D.; Risley, John C.
2003-05-27
This report characterizes streamflow and water temperature conditions during the period leading up to the die-off and compares them to historical conditions in the Klamath River. This report is not an exploration of the causative mechanism of the die-off; rather, it is intended to provide detailed documentation of these conditions to be used by those examining the cause(s) of the die-off and to provide information that can contribute to decisions about future water management in the Klamath Basin.
Risley, John C.; Gannett, Marshall W.
2006-01-01
The Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges, located in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California, encompass approximately 46,700 and 39,100 acres, respectively. Demand for water in the semiarid upper Klamath Basin has increased in recent years, resulting in the need to better quantify water availability and use in the refuges. This report presents an evaluation of water-use estimates for both refuges derived on the basis of two approaches. One approach used evaporation and evapotranspiration estimates and the other used measured inflow and outflow data. The quality of the inflow and outflow data also was assessed. Annual water use in the refuges, using evapotranspiration estimates, was computed with the use of different rates for each of four land-use categories. Annual water-use rates for grain fields, seasonal wetlands, permanently flooded wetlands with emergent vegetation, and open-water bodies were 2.5, 2.9, 2.63, and 4.07 feet per year, respectively. Total water use was estimated as the sum of the products of each rate and the number of acres in its associated land-use category. Mean annual (2003-2005) water use for the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges was approximately 124,000 and 95,900 acre-feet, respectively. To estimate water deliveries needed for each refuge, first, annual precipitation for 2003-2005 was subtracted from the annual water use for those years. Then, an adjusted total was obtained by adding 20 percent to the difference to account for salinity flushing. Resulting estimated mean annual adjusted needed water deliveries in 2003-2005 for the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges were 107,000 and 82,800 acre-feet, respectively. Mean annual net inflow to the refuges for 2003-2005 was computed by subtracting estimated and measured surface-water outflows from inflows. Mean annual net inflow during the 3-year period for the Lower Klamath refuge, calculated for a subsection of the refuge, was approximately 73,700 acre-feet. The adjusted needed water delivery for this section of the refuge, calculated from evapotranspiration estimates, was approximately 77,600 acre-feet. For the Tule Lake refuge, mean annual net inflow during the 3-year period was approximately 76,100 acre-feet, which is comparable to the estimated annual needed water delivery for the refuge of 82,800 acre-feet. For 1962-2005, mean annual net inflow to the Lower Klamath refuge was approximately 49,800 acre-feet, about 23,900 acre-feet less than for 2003-2005. Although mean April-September net inflows for 1962-2005 and 2003-2005 have remained fairly constant, annual net inflow has increased for October-March, which accounts for the difference. Consistently higher autumn and winter flow deliveries since the mid-1980s reflect a significant change in refuge management. More sections of the refuge are currently managed as seasonal wetlands than were in the 1960s and 1970s. Flow records for the Ady Canal at State Line Road, Klamath Straits Drain at State Line Road, and D Pumping Plant were evaluated for their data quality. On the basis of USGS flow-record criteria, all three flow records were rated as 'poor.' By definition, 95 percent of the daily flows in a record having this rating could be in error by more than 15 percent.
Burdick, Summer M.; VanderKooi, Scott P.
2010-01-01
Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were listed as endangered in 1988 for a variety of reasons including apparent recruitment failure. Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and its tributaries are considered the most critical remaining habitat for these two species. Age-0 suckers are often abundant in Upper Klamath Lake throughout the summer months, but catches decline dramatically between late August and early September each year and age-1 and older sub-adult suckers are rare. These rapid declines in catch rates and a lack of substantial recruitment into adult sucker populations in recent years suggests sucker populations experience high mortality between their first summer and first spawn. A lack of access to, or abundance of, optimal rearing habitat may exacerbate juvenile sucker mortality or restrict juvenile growth or development. Summer age-0 sucker habitat use and distribution has been studied extensively, but many uncertainties remain about age-1 and older juvenile habitat use, distribution, and movement patterns within Upper Klamath Lake. We designed a study to examine seasonal changes in distribution of age-1 suckers in Upper Klamath Lake as they relate to depth and water quality. In this document, which meets our annual data summary and reporting obligations, we discuss the results of our second annual spring and summer sampling effort. Catch data collected in 2007 and 2008 indicate seasonal changes in age-1 and older juvenile sucker habitat use coincident with changes in water quality, which were previously undocumented. In both years during April and May, age-1 and older juvenile suckers were found in shallow water environments. Then, as water temperatures began to warm throughout Upper Klamath Lake in June, age-1 and older juvenile suckers primarily were captured along the western shore in some of the deepest available environments. Following a dramatic decrease in dissolved oxygen concentrations in Eagle Ridge Trench, juvenile suckers were no longer found along the western shore but were captured throughout the rest of Upper Klamath Lake. When dissolved oxygen concentrations were 4 milligrams per liter or greater along the western shore, juvenile sucker captures were again concentrated in that area. Although this pattern indicates that low dissolved oxygen concentration or another related water-quality limitation may force juvenile suckers to leave the western shore, it is unclear as to why age-1 and older juveniles might be attracted to the area in the first place. Understanding this apparent behavior could be important to managing habitat for these species. In this data summary, we also describe the distribution of catches of age-0 suckers and other fishes in Upper Klamath Lake. These data corroborate previous studies that describe age-0 sucker habitat as shallow relative to depths available in Upper Klamath Lake. In this study, we did not seek, nor find additional clarification on age-0 sucker habitat use and distribution in Upper Klamath Lake. Our brief description of the distribution and abundance of all other fish species caught provides a context in which to assess the rarity of juvenile suckers within the fish community of Upper Klamath Lake.
Application of a computer simulation model to migrating white-fronted geese in the Klamath Basin
Frederick, R.B.; Clark, William R.; Takekawa, John Y.; McCullough, Dale R.; Barrett, R.H.
1992-01-01
The Pacific greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) population has declined precipitously over the past 20 years. Loss of wetland habitat in California wintering areas has had a significant effect on the population, so recovery of the population may depend on innovative management of the few remaining wetlands. A computer simulation model, REFMOD, was applied to greater white-fronted geese in the Klamath Basin, northern California, to investigate the importance of food availability and hunting disturbance to migrating and wintering populations. Time spent flying and feeding was simulated during fall and early winter, and the resulting energy expenditure was compared with energy consumed to calculate an overall energy balance. This energy balance and the ease with which waterfowl acquired needed food affected emigration rate, and thus, the waterfowl population level was directly tied to availability and distribution of food. The model validly described distances moved by geese from their Tule Lake Refuge roosting site (core) to feeding sites within the surrounding Klamath Basin arena, and exhibited a capability to simulate observed time spent feeding. Based on 25 stochastic simulations, greater white-fronted goose population dynamics were validly simulated over the fall and early-winter (P>0.8). When food was removed from the Tule Lake Refuge, simulated geese had to fly farther (P<0.0001) to find food, hastening emigration and resulting in a decline (P<0.05) in use of the Klamath Basin by geese. Although barley is normally abundant in the basin and is extensively used by geese, simulated elimination of barley in the arena did not cause a reduction in goose numbers (P>0.05). The elimination did cause an increase in the distance traveled to feed (P<0.05), but the availability of other foods in the basin (e.g., potatoes) was evidently sufficient to support the population. The elimination of hunting in the Klamath Basin, and the related decrease in disturbance of feeding birds, had little effect (P>0.05) on the distance traveled to feed or on goose numbers. A 10-fold increase in disturbance hastened emigration and reduced population levels (P<0.0001) during the season by about 30%; a 100-fold increase in disturbance reduced population levels (P<0.0001) by 85%. When goose immigration was increased to simulate an average peak population of approximately 500 000 geese, population levels remained high throughout the fall, indicating the Klamath Basin can sustain a population much larger than currently exists. This suggests food availability and disturbance levels in the Klamath Basin are not responsible for observed population declines during the last 2 decades. REFMOD can easily be used to evaluate the effects of other scenarios related to hunting regimes and food distribution and availability.
Obsidian hydration rate for the klamath basin of california and Oregon.
Johnson, L
1969-09-26
A hydration rate for obsidian of 3.5(4) microns squared per 1000 radio-carbon years has been established at the Nightfire Island archeological site in northern California and provides a means to date other prehistoric Klamath Basin sites. The new rate follows the form of the hydration equation formulated by Friedman and helps to refute claims made for other hydration equations.
Wood, Tamara M.
2009-01-01
A hydrodynamic model of Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, was used to explore the effects of the operation of proposed offstream storage at Long Lake Valley on transport of larval suckers through the Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes system during May and June, when larval fish leave spawning sites in the Williamson River and springs along the eastern shoreline and become entrained in lake currents. A range in hydrologic conditions was considered, including historically high and low outflows and inflows, lake elevations, and the operation of pumps between Upper Klamath Lake and storage in Long Lake Valley. Two wind-forcing scenarios were considered: one dominated by moderate prevailing winds and another dominated by a strong reversal of winds from the prevailing direction. On the basis of 24 model simulations that used all combinations of hydrology and wind forcing, as well as With Project and No Action scenarios, it was determined that the biggest effect of project operations on larval transport was the result of alterations in project management of the elevation in Upper Klamath Lake and the outflow at the Link River and A Canal, rather than the result of pumping operations. This was because, during the spring time period of interest, the amount of water pumped between Upper Klamath Lake and Long Lake Valley was generally small. The dominant effect was that an increase in lake elevation would result in more larvae in the Williamson River delta and in Agency Lake, an effect that was enhanced under conditions of wind reversal. A decrease in lake elevation accompanied by an increase in the outflow at the Link River had the opposite effect on larval concentration and residence time.
Modeling and management of water in the Klamath River Basin: overcoming politics and conflicts
Flug, Marshall; Scott, John F.; Abt, Steven R.; Young-Pezeshk, Jayne; Watson, Chester C.
1998-01-01
The network flow model MODSIM, which was designed as a water quantity mass balance model for evaluating and selecting water management alternatives, has been applied to the Klamath River basin. A background of conflicting issues in the basin is presented. The complexity of water quantity model development, while satisfying the many stakeholders and involved special interest groups is discussed, as well as the efforts taken to have the technical model accepted and used, and overcome stakeholder criticism, skepticism, and mistrust of the government.
Bottcher, Jared L.; Burdick, Summer M.
2010-01-01
Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were listed as endangered in 1988 for a variety of reasons including apparent recruitment failure. Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and its tributaries are considered the most critical remaining habitat for these two species. Age-0 suckers are often abundant in Upper Klamath Lake throughout the summer months, but catches decline dramatically between late August and early September each year. Similar declines of age-1 suckers between spring and late summer also occur annually. These rapid declines in catch rates and a lack of substantial recruitment into adult sucker populations in recent years suggests sucker populations experience high mortality between their first summer and first spawn. Summer age-0 sucker habitat use and distribution have been studied extensively, but many uncertainties remain about age-1 and older juvenile habitat use, distribution, and movement patterns within Upper Klamath Lake. This study was designed to examine seasonal changes in distribution of age-1 suckers in Upper Klamath Lake as they relate to depth and water quality. The results of our third annual spring and summer sampling effort are presented in this report. Catch data collected in 2009 indicate seasonal changes in age-1 and older juvenile sucker habitat use coincident with changes in water quality. Although age-1 sucker catch rates were again concentrated along the western shore in June and early July, as they were in 2007 and 2008, very few age-1 suckers were captured in Eagle Ridge Trench in 2009 - a deepwater area along the western shore extending from Howard Bay to Eagle Ridge Point. Instead, suckers in 2009 were concentrated in the relatively shallow bays along the western shore. Nevertheless, as dissolved-oxygen concentrations decreased in mid-July below sublethal thresholds around the Eagle Ridge Trench, age-1 suckers apparently moved away from the western shore, and subsequently were captured in main lake areas and the eastern shore. Age-1 suckers were noticeably absent from the tributaries of Upper Klamath Lake during periods of chronically low dissolved-oxygen concentrations in the lake, refuting a previously untested hypothesis that tributaries were important age-1 sucker refuge habitats. In addition, declines in overall catch rates for age-1 suckers in August and September, despite intensive sampling, indicates that the apparent declines in abundance may be due to increased mortality and not due to sampling the wrong environments or poor detection probability. The remote detection of an age-1 juvenile sucker tagged in Short Creek and subsequently recaptured in the Link River array, more than 30 kilometers away, indicates the capacity of juvenile suckers to migrate relatively long distances. This knowledge, coupled with other remotely detected suckers in the Williamson River, indicates that juvenile sucker movement in Upper Klamath Lake may be common. In order to better quantify movement and potentially survival, future research should focus on tagging more juvenile suckers and taking advantage of the significant passive integrated transponder tag infrastructure throughout Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries. In this data summary, we also describe the distribution of age-0 suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries. These data corroborate findings from 2007 and 2008, which describe age-0 sucker habitat as shallow relative to depths available in Upper Klamath Lake. Similar to age-1 suckers, age-0 sucker abundances also appeared to decline in late summer, despite continued sampling throughout Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries. In addition to low dissolved-oxygen concentrations, increased opercle deformity and anchor worm (Lernaea spp.) infection rates, as well as increased abundances of fathead minnows and other piscivorous non-native fish, may provide potential insight into the causes of juvenile sucker rarity. Opercle deformity r
Sullivan, Annett B.; Rounds, Stewart A.; Deas, Michael L.; Sogutlugil, I. Ertugrul
2012-01-01
Efforts are underway to identify actions that would improve water quality in the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the Upper Klamath River in south-central Oregon. To provide further insight into water-quality improvement options, three scenarios were developed, run, and analyzed using previously calibrated CE-QUAL-W2 hydrodynamic and water-quality models. Additional scenarios are under development as part of this ongoing study. Most of these scenarios evaluate changes relative to a "current conditions" model, but in some cases a "natural conditions" model was used that simulated the reach without the effect of point and nonpoint sources and set Upper Klamath Lake at its Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) targets. These scenarios were simulated using a model developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Watercourse Engineering, Inc. for the years 2006–09, referred to here as the "USGS model." Another model of the reach was developed by Tetra Tech, Inc. for years 2000 and 2002 to support the Klamath River TMDL process; that model is referred to here as the "TMDL model." The three scenarios described in this report included (1) an analysis of whether this reach of the Upper Klamath River would be in compliance with dissolved oxygen standards if sources met TMDL allocations, (2) an application of more recent datasets to the TMDL model with comparison to results from the USGS model, and (3) an examination of the effect on dissolved oxygen in the Klamath River if particulate material were stopped from entering Klamath Project diversion canals. Updates and modifications to the USGS model are in progress, so in the future these scenarios will be reanalyzed with the updated model and the interim results presented here will be superseded. Significant findings from this phase of the investigation include: * The TMDL analysis used depth-averaged dissolved oxygen concentrations from model output for comparison with dissolved oxygen standards. The Oregon dissolved oxygen standards do not specify whether the numeric criteria are based on depth-averaged dissolved oxygen concentration; this was an interpretation of the standards rule by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). In this study, both depth-averaged and volume-averaged dissolved oxygen concentrations were calculated from model output. Results showed that modeled depth-averaged concentrations typically were lower than volume-averaged dissolved oxygen concentrations because depth-averaging gives a higher weight to small volume areas near the channel bottom that often have lower dissolved oxygen concentrations. Results from model scenarios in this study are reported using volume-averaged dissolved oxygen concentrations. * Under all scenarios analyzed, violations of the dissolved oxygen standard occurred most often in summer. Of the three dissolved oxygen criteria that must be met, the 30-day standard was violated most frequently. Under the base case (current conditions), fewer violations occurred in the upstream part of the reach. More violations occurred in the down-stream direction, due in part to oxygen demand from the decay of algae and organic matter from Link River and other inflows. * A condition in which Upper Klamath Lake and its Link River outflow achieved Upper Klamath Lake TMDL water-quality targets was most effective in reducing the number of violations of the dissolved oxygen standard in the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the Klamath River. The condition in which point and nonpoint sources within the Link River to Keno Dam reach met Klamath River TMDL allocations had no effect on dissolved oxygen compliance in some locations and a small effect in others under current conditions. On the other hand, meeting TMDL allocations for nonpoint and point sources was predicted to be important in meeting dissolved oxygen criteria when Upper Klamath Lake and Link River also met Upper Klamath TMDL water-quality targets. * The location of greatest dissolved oxygen improvement from nutrient and organic matter reductions was downstream from point and nonpoint source inflows because time and distance are required for decay to occur and for oxygen demand to be exerted. * After assessing compliance with dissolved oxygen standards at all 102 model segments in the Link River to Keno Dam reach, it was determined that the seven locations used by ODEQ appear to be a representative subset of the reach for dissolved oxygen analysis. * The USGS and TMDL models were qualitatively compared by running both models for the 2006–09 period but preserving the essential characteristics of each, such as organic matter partitioning, bathymetric representation, and parameter rates. The analysis revealed that some constituents were not greatly affected by the differing algorithms, rates, and assumptions in the two models. Conversely, other constituents, especially organic matter, were simulated differently by the two models. Organic matter in this river system is best represented by a mixture of relatively labile particulate material and a substantial concentration of refractory dissolved material. In addition, the use of a first-order sediment oxygen demand, as in the USGS model, helps to capture the seasonal and dynamic effect of settled organic and algal material. * Simulation of shunting (diverting) particulate material away from the intake of four Klamath Project diversion canals, so that the material stayed in the river and out of the Project area, caused higher concentrations of particulate material to occur in the river. In all cases modeled, the increase in in-river particulate material also produced decreased dissolved oxygen concentrations and an increase in the number of days when dissolved oxygen standards were violated. * If particulate material were shunted back into the river at the Klamath Project diversion canals, less organic matter and nutrients would be taken into the Klamath Project area and the Lost River basin, resulting in return flows to the Klamath River via Lost River Diversion Channel that may have reduced nutrient concentrations. Model scenarios bracketing potential end-member nutrient concentrations showed that the composition of the return flows had little to no effect on dissolved oxygen compliance under simulated conditions.
Hay, L.E.; McCabe, G.J.; Clark, M.P.; Risley, J.C.
2009-01-01
The accuracy of streamflow forecasts depends on the uncertainty associated with future weather and the accuracy of the hydrologic model that is used to produce the forecasts. We present a method for streamflow forecasting where hydrologic model parameters are selected based on the climate state. Parameter sets for a hydrologic model are conditioned on an atmospheric pressure index defined using mean November through February (NDJF) 700-hectoPascal geopotential heights over northwestern North America [Pressure Index from Geopotential heights (PIG)]. The hydrologic model is applied in the Sprague River basin (SRB), a snowmelt-dominated basin located in the Upper Klamath basin in Oregon. In the SRB, the majority of streamflow occurs during March through May (MAM). Water years (WYs) 1980-2004 were divided into three groups based on their respective PIG values (high, medium, and low PIG). Low (high) PIG years tend to have higher (lower) than average MAM streamflow. Four parameter sets were calibrated for the SRB, each using a different set of WYs. The initial set used WYs 1995-2004 and the remaining three used WYs defined as high-, medium-, and low-PIG years. Two sets of March, April, and May streamflow volume forecasts were made using Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP). The first set of ESP simulations used the initial parameter set. Because the PIG is defined using NDJF pressure heights, forecasts starting in March can be made using the PIG parameter set that corresponds with the year being forecasted. The second set of ESP simulations used the parameter set associated with the given PIG year. Comparison of the ESP sets indicates that more accuracy and less variability in volume forecasts may be possible when the ESP is conditioned using the PIG. This is especially true during the high-PIG years (low-flow years). ?? 2009 American Water Resources Association.
Ellsworth, Craig M.; Martin, Barbara A.
2012-01-01
Data presented in this report is a continuation of a research project that began in 2004. Larval drift parameters measured in 2009 and 2010 were similar to those measured from 2004 to 2008. Most larvae and eggs were collected at the two drift sites downstream of the former Chiloquin Dam (river kilometer 0.7 on the Sprague River and river kilometer 7.4 on the Williamson River). Mean and peak sample densities increased with proximity to Upper Klamath Lake. Peak larval densities continued to be collected between 1 and 3 hours after sunset at Chiloquin, which is the drift site nearest a known spawning area. Catch distribution of larvae and eggs in the lower Sprague and Williamson Rivers suggests that most SNS and LRS spawning continues to occur downstream of the site of the former Chiloquin Dam. The sizes and growth stages indicate that larval emigration from spawning areas resulting from drift occurs within a few days after swim-up. Larval suckers appear to move downstream quickly until they reach suitable rearing habitat.
Lindenberg, Mary K.; Wood, Tamara M.
2009-01-01
The unexpected inundation of Caledonia Marsh, a previously drained wetland adjacent to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, provided an opportunity to observe nutrient release from sediments into the water column of the flooded area and the resulting algal growth. Three sites, with differing proximity to the levee breach that reconnected the area to Upper Klamath Lake, were selected for water sample collection in the marsh. Chlorophyll a concentrations (an indicator of algal biomass) were lowest and dissolved nutrient concentrations were highest at the site farthest from the breach. At the site where chlorophyll a concentrations were lowest, dissolved organic carbon concentrations were highest, and the presence of tannic compounds was indicated by the dark brown color of the water. Both DOC and specific conductance was higher at the site farthest from the breach, which indicated less mixing with Upper Klamath Lake water at that site. Dissolved oxygen concentrations and pH were lowest at the beginning of the sampling period at the site farthest from the levee breach, coincident with the lowest algal growth. Phosphorus concentrations measured in the flooded Caledonia Marsh were greater than median concentrations in Upper Klamath Lake, indicating that phosphorus likely was released from the previously drained wetland soils of the marsh when they were flooded. However, a proportional increase in algal biomass was not measured either in the marsh or in the adjacent bay of the lake. Nitrogen to phosphorus ratios indicated that phosphorus was not limiting to algal growth at the marsh sites, and possibly was not limiting in the adjacent bay either. In terms of nutrient dynamics, wetlands normally function as nutrient sinks. In contrast, the drained wetlands around Upper Klamath Lake cannot be expected to provide that function in the short term after being flooded and may, in fact, be a source of nutrients to the lake instead. The consequences for algal growth in the lake, however, seem to be small.
Modeling water quality, temperature, and flow in Link River, south-central Oregon
Sullivan, Annett B.; Rounds, Stewart A.
2016-09-09
The 2.1-km (1.3-mi) Link River connects Upper Klamath Lake to the Klamath River in south-central Oregon. A CE-QUAL-W2 flow and water-quality model of Link River was developed to provide a connection between an existing model of the upper Klamath River and any existing or future models of Upper Klamath Lake. Water-quality sampling at six locations in Link River was done during 2013–15 to support model development and to provide a better understanding of instream biogeochemical processes. The short reach and high velocities in Link River resulted in fast travel times and limited water-quality transformations, except for dissolved oxygen. Reaeration through the reach, especially at the falls in Link River, was particularly important in moderating dissolved oxygen concentrations that at times entered the reach at Link River Dam with marked supersaturation or subsaturation. This reaeration resulted in concentrations closer to saturation downstream at the mouth of Link River.
8. Historic photo taken during construction of the Lost River ...
8. Historic photo taken during construction of the Lost River Diversion Dam and House. Labeled as follows, 'View showing walk construction North side. Group in foreground, left to right: - J.M. McLean, I.S. Voorhees, Asst Eng'r, A.B. Clevland, engineer... W.W. Patch, Project Engineer.' Negative # 95. Facing east. - Klamath Basin Project, Lost River Diversion Dam House, Lost River near intersection of State Highway 140 & Hill Road, Klamath Falls, Klamath County, OR
Pearl, Christopher A.; Adams, Michael J.; Haggerty, Patricia K.; Urban, Leslie
2015-01-01
Beavers (Castor canadensis) influence habitat for many species and pose challenges in developed landscapes. They are increasingly viewed as a cost-efficient means of riparian habitat restoration and water storage. Still, information on their status is rare, particularly in western North America. We used aerial photography to evaluate changes in beaver occupancy between 1942–1968 and 2009 in upper portions of 2 large watersheds in Oregon, USA. We used multiple observers and occupancy modeling to account for bias related to photo quality, observers, and imperfect detection of beaver impoundments. Our analysis suggested a slightly higher rate of beaver occupancy in the upper Deschutes than the upper Klamath basin. We found weak evidence for beaver increases in the west and declines in eastern parts of the study area. Our study presents a method for dealing with observer variation in photo interpretation and provides the first assessment of the extent of beaver influence in 2 basins with major water-use challenges. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Ground water in selected areas in the Klamath Basin, Oregon
Leonard, A.R.; Harris, A.B.
1973-01-01
GROUNDWATER FEATURES OF SIX LOWLAND AREAS IN THE KLAMATH BASIN OF OREGON--KLAMATH MARSH AREA, AND SPRAGUE RIVER, SWAN LAKE, YONNA, POE, AND LANGELL VALLEYS--ARE DESCRIBED. RUGGED MOUNTAINS AND RIDGES SURROUND AND SEPARATE THESE LOWLANDS WHERE FLOORS RANGE IN ALTITUDE FROM 4,100 FEET IN POE VALLEY TO 4,600 FEET NORTH OF KLAMATH MARSH. THE SIX AREAS EXTEND OVER A NORTH-SOUTH DISTANCE OF 70 MILES, AN EAST-WEST DISTANCE OF 40 MILES, AND INCLUDE AN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 600 SQUARE MILES. THE AREA IS SEMIARID AND RECEIVED ABOUT 14 TO 18 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION A YEAR. EXTINCT VOLCANOES AND THEIR EXTRUSIONS CHARACTERIZE THE AREA. MOST WELLS TAP PERMEABLE BASALT OR CINDERY RUBBLE BENEATH THE LACUSTRINE BEDS. THE DEPTHS OF WELLS RANGE FROM LESS THAN 50 TO NEARLY 2,000 FEET--MOST ARE BETWEEN 100 AND 1,000 FEET DEEP. FLOWING WELLS OCCUR IN ALL AREAS EXCEPT SWAN LAKE VALLEY. THE MOST EXTENSIVE AREA OF FLOWING WELLS IS IN THE SPRAGUE RIVER VALLEY, WHERE ABOUT 25 WELLS, SOME FLOWING MORE THAN 2,000 GPM, SUPPLY WATER FOR IRRIGATION. WATER LEVELS IN WELLS FLUCTUATE SEASONALLY FROM 1 TO 4 FEET. GROUNDWATER IN THE BASIN IS OF EXCELLENT QUALITY FOR DRINKING, IRRIGATION, AND MOST INDUSTRIAL USES.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Broman, D.; Gangopadhyay, S.; McGuire, M.; Wood, A.; Leady, Z.; Tansey, M. K.; Nelson, K.; Dahm, K.
2017-12-01
The Upper Klamath River Basin in south central Oregon and north central California is home to the Klamath Irrigation Project, which is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and provides water to around 200,000 acres of agricultural lands. The project is managed in consideration of not only water deliveries to irrigators, but also wildlife refuge water demands, biological opinion requirements for Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed fish, and Tribal Trust responsibilities. Climate change has the potential to impact water management in terms of volume and timing of water and the ability to meet multiple objectives. Current operations use a spreadsheet-based decision support tool, with water supply forecasts from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and California-Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC). This tool is currently limited in its ability to incorporate in ensemble forecasts, which offer the potential for improved operations by quantifying forecast uncertainty. To address these limitations, this study has worked to develop a RiverWare based water resource systems model, flexible enough to use across multiple decision time-scales, from short-term operations out to long-range planning. Systems model development has been accompanied by operational system development to handle data management and multiple modeling components. Using a set of ensemble hindcasts, this study seeks to answer several questions: A) Do a new set of ensemble streamflow forecasts have additional skill beyond what?, and allow for improved decision making under changing conditions? B) Do net irrigation water requirement forecasts developed in this project to quantify agricultural demands and reservoir evaporation forecasts provide additional benefits to decision making beyond water supply forecasts? C) What benefit do ensemble forecasts have in the context of water management decisions?
Hamilton,; Rondorf, Dennis W.; Hampton,; Quinones,; Simondet,; Smith,
2011-01-01
For decades the long-standing conflict in the Klamath River Basin over water and fish resources has persisted. In an effort to resolve these disputes, PacifiCorp and interested parties negotiated, wrote, and signed the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) in 2010, calling for the potential removal of the four lower dams on the Klamath River mainstem. The KHSA established a process known as the Secretarial Determination, which includes 1) conducting new scientific studies and a re-evaluation of existing studies found in the FERC record and from other sources, and 2) evaluating the potential environmental and human effects of such an action pursuant to National Environmental Policy Act, California Environmental Quality Act, and other applicable laws. In March 2012, the Secretary of the Interior will decide whether removal of these dams on the Klamath River: 1) will advance salmonid fisheries, and 2) is in the public interest. In this report, we summarize anticipated effects to fish resources under two management scenarios: 1) current conditions with dams in place and without the programs and actions in the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), and 2) removal of the lower four dams plus programs and actions called for in the KBRA and KHSA. This information will aid the Secretary of the Interior in determining whether dam removal and implementation of KBRA will advance restoration of salmonid (salmon and trout) fisheries.
Bortleson, Gilbert C.; Fretwell, Marvin O.
1993-01-01
Ten possible causes for this excessive enrichment in nutrients are described. Three of these hypotheses are suggested for immediate testing because of large-scale changes in nutrient loading that may have occurred as a result of man’s activities. These three hypotheses relate nutrient enrichment to (1) conversion of marshland to agricultural land, (2) agricultural drainage from the basin, and (3) reservoir regulation. Eleven possible hypothetical causes for the decline in sucker populations also are described. The decline in sucker population may be related to excessive nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) of the lake.
Mankinen, E.A.; Lindsley-Griffin, N.; Griffin, J.R.
2002-01-01
New paleomagnetic results from the eastern Klamath Mountains of northern California show that Neoproterozoic rocks of the Trinity ophiolitic complex and overlying Middle Devonian volcanic rocks are latitudinally concordant with cratonal North America. Combining paleomagnetic data with regional geologic and faunal evidence suggests that the Trinity Complex and related terranes of the eastern Klamath plate were linked in some fashion to the North American craton throughout that time, but that distance between them may have varied considerably. A possible model that is consistent with our paleomagnetic results and the geologic evidence is that the Trinity Complex formed and migrated parallel to paleolatitude in the basin between Laurasia and Australia-East Antarctica as the Rodinian supercontinent began to break up. It then continued to move parallel to paleolatitude at least through Middle Devonian time. Although the eastern Klamath plate served as a nucleus against which more western components of the Klamath Mountains province amalgamated, the Klamath superterrane was not accreted to North America until Early Cretaceous time.
Ellsworth, Craig M.; Tyler, Torrey J.; VanderKooi, Scott P.; Markle, Douglas F.
2009-01-01
In 2006, we collected larval Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus (LRS), shortnose sucker Chasmistes brevirostris (SNS), and Klamath largescale sucker Catostomus snyderi (KLS) emigrating from spawning areas in the Williamson and Sprague Rivers. This work is part of a multi-year effort to characterize the relative abundance, drift timing, and length frequencies of larval suckers in this watershed prior to the removal of Chiloquin Dam on the lower Sprague River. Additional larval drift samples were collected from the Fremont Bridge on Lakeshore Drive on the south end of Upper Klamath Lake near its outlet to the Link River. Because of difficulties in distinguishing KLS larvae from SNS larvae, individuals identified as either of these two species were grouped together and reported as KLS-SNS in this report. We found that larval densities varied by site with the highest densities being collected at the most upstream site on the Sprague River at river kilometer (rkm) 108.0 near Beatty, Oregon (Beatty), and the most downstream sites near Chiloquin, Oregon; one site on the Sprague River at rkm 0.7 (Chiloquin) and the other site on the Williamson River at rkm 7.4 (Williamson). Larval catches were relatively small and sporadic at two other sites on the Sprague River located between Chiloquin and Beatty (Power Station at rkm 9.5 and Lone Pine at rkm 52.7) and one site on the Sycan River at rkm 4.7. Most larvae (79 percent) collected in 2006 were identified as LRS. More larvae and eggs were collected at Chiloquin than at any other site. The seasonal timing of larval drift varied by location; larvae generally were captured earlier at upstream sites than at downstream sites. Cumulative catch percentages of drifting larvae suggest that larval LRS emigrated earlier than KLS-SNS larvae at every site. Drift of LRS larvae at Beatty began 3 to 4 weeks earlier than at Chiloquin or Williamson. At Chiloquin, peak larval catches occurred 3 and 5 weeks after peak egg catches. The daily peak in larval drift at Chiloquin occurred approximately 1.5 to 2.0 hours after sunset. Nightly peak larval drift varied by location; larvae were captured earlier in the evening at sites closer to known spawning locations than sites farther away from these areas. The highest numerical catches of sucker-sized eggs were at Chiloquin indicating that this site is in close proximity to a spawning area. Numerical catches of older, more developed larval and juvenile suckers also were highest at Chiloquin. This may be due to the turbulent nature of this site, which could have swept larger fish into the drift. Proportional catches of older, more developed larval and juvenile suckers were highest at Sycan, Lone Pine, Power Station, and Fremont Bridge. This indicates these sites are located nearer to sucker nursery areas rather than spawning areas. Very few larval LRS were collected at Fremont Bridge at the south end of Upper Klamath Lake. Larval KLS-SNS densities at Fremont Bridge were the third highest of the seven sampling sites. Peak drift of larval KLS-SNS at Fremont Bridge occurred the week after peak drift of larval KLS-SNS at Williamson. Although inter-annual variation continues to appear in the larval drift data, our results continue to show consistent patterns of larval emigration in the drainage basin. In combination with data collected from the spawning movements and destinations of radio-tagged and PIT-tagged adult suckers, this larval drift data will provide a baseline standard by which to determine the effects of dam removal on the spawning distribution of endangered Klamath Basin suckers in the Sprague River.
The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project: scientific assessment.
1999-01-01
This CD-ROM contains digital versions (PDF) of the major scientific documents prepared for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP). "A Framework for Ecosystem Management in the Interior Columbia Basin and Portions of the Klamath and Great Basins" describes a general planning model for ecosystem management. The "Highlighted...
Benjamin, Joseph R.; Heltzel, Jeannie; Dunham, Jason B.; Heck, Michael; Banish, Nolan P.
2016-01-01
The occurrence of fish species may be strongly influenced by a stream’s thermal regime (magnitude, frequency, variation, and timing). For instance, magnitude and frequency provide information about sublethal temperatures, variability in temperature can affect behavioral thermoregulation and bioenergetics, and timing of thermal events may cue life history events, such as spawning and migration. We explored the relationship between thermal regimes and the occurrences of native Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus and nonnative Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis and Brown Trout Salmo trutta across 87 sites in the upper Klamath River basin, Oregon. Our objectives were to associate descriptors of the thermal regime with trout occurrence, predict the probability of Bull Trout occurrence, and estimate upper thermal tolerances of the trout species. We found that each species was associated with a different suite of thermal regime descriptors. Bull Trout were present at sites that were cooler, had fewer high-temperature events, had less variability, and took longer to warm. Brook Trout were also observed at cooler sites with fewer high-temperature events, but the sites were more variable and Brook Trout occurrence was not associated with a timing descriptor. In contrast, Brown Trout were present at sites that were warmer and reached higher temperatures faster, but they were not associated with frequency or variability descriptors. Among the descriptors considered, magnitude (specifically June degree-days) was the most important in predicting the probability of Bull Trout occurrence, and model predictions were strengthened by including Brook Trout occurrence. Last, all three trout species exhibited contrasting patterns of tolerating longer exposures to lower temperatures. Tolerance limits for Bull Trout were lower than those for Brook Trout and Brown Trout, with contrasts especially evident for thermal maxima. Our results confirm the value of exploring a suite of thermal regime descriptors for understanding the distribution and occurrence of fishes. Moreover, these descriptors and their relationships to fish should be considered with future changes in land use, water use, or climate.
Goldman, Jami H.; Sullivan, Annett B.
2017-12-11
Concentrations of particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which together comprise total organic carbon, were measured in this reconnaissance study at sampling sites in the Upper Klamath River, Lost River, and Klamath Straits Drain in 2013–16. Optical absorbance and fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which contains DOC, also were analyzed. Parallel factor analysis was used to decompose the optical fluorescence data into five key components for all samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate differences in DOM source and processing among sites.At all sites in this study, average DOC concentrations were higher than average POC concentrations. The highest DOC concentrations were at sites in the Klamath Straits Drain and at Pump Plant D. Evaluation of optical properties indicated that Klamath Straits Drain DOM had a refractory, terrestrial source, likely extracted from the interaction of this water with wetland peats and irrigated soils. Pump Plant D DOM exhibited more labile characteristics, which could, for instance, indicate contributions from algal or microbial exudates. The samples from Klamath River also had more microbial or algal derived material, as indicated by PCA analysis of the optical properties. Most sites, except Pump Plant D, showed a linear relation between fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) and DOC concentration, indicating these measurements are highly correlated (R2=0.84), and thus a continuous fDOM probe could be used to estimate DOC loads from these sites.
Burdick, Summer M.; Ostberg, Carl O.; Hoy, Marshal S.
2018-04-20
Executive SummaryThe largest populations of federally endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) exist in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California. Upper Klamath Lake populations are decreasing because adult mortality, which is relatively low, is not being balanced by recruitment of young adult suckers into known spawning aggregations. Most Upper Klamath Lake juvenile sucker mortality appears to occur within the first year of life. Annual production of juvenile suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir appears to be highly variable and may not occur at all in very dry years. However, juvenile sucker survival is much higher in Clear Lake, with non-trivial numbers of suckers surviving to join spawning aggregations. Long-term monitoring of juvenile sucker populations is needed to (1) determine if there are annual and species-specific differences in production, survival, and growth, (2) to identify the season (summer or winter) in which most mortality occurs, and (3) to help identify potential causes of high juvenile sucker mortality, particularly in Upper Klamath Lake.We initiated an annual juvenile sucker monitoring program in 2015 to track cohorts in 3 months (June, August, and September) annually in Upper Klamath Lake and Clear Lake Reservoir. We tracked annual variability in age-0 sucker apparent production, juvenile sucker apparent survival, and apparent growth. Using genetic markers, we were able to classify suckers as one of three taxa: shortnose or Klamath largescale suckers, Lost River, or suckers with genetic markers of both species (Intermediate Prob[LRS]). Using catch data, we generated taxa-specific indices of year class strength, August–September apparent survival, and overwinter apparent survival. We also examined prevalence and severity of afflictions such as parasites, wounds, and deformities.Indices of year class strength in Upper Klamath Lake were similar for shortnose suckers in 2015 and 2016, but about twice as high for Lost River suckers and suckers having intermediate Prob[LRS] in 2016 than in 2015. Indices of apparent August–September survival were lower in 2016 (0.41) than in 2015 (1.07) for shortnose suckers and suckers identified as having intermediate Prob [LRS] (0.14 in 2016 and 1.69 in 2015). Indices of apparent August—September survival were similar in 2016 (0.16) and 2015 (0.07) for Lost River suckers. Indices of apparent survival were lower for age-0 Lost River suckers than age-0 shortnose suckers in both years. Although samples sizes are small, a declining trend in the ratio of Lost River to shortnose suckers from 28/23 (1.22) as age-0 fish in September of 2015 to 1/9 (0.11) as age-1 fish in June of 2016 is consistent with higher over winter apparent mortality for Lost River suckers than shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake.Shortnose sucker year class strength was greater in years with high Willow Creek inflows and Clear Lake surface elevation during the spawning season, indicating that access to spawning habitat was an important contributing factor. In previous sampling, age-0 sucker catch per unit effort (CPUE) was relatively high in 2011 and 2012, moderately high in 2013, and zero in 2014 and 2015. The 2011 and 2012 year classes continued to be detected, but the 2013 year class went undetected for the first time in 2016. The 2014 year class continued to be undetected in 2016. Three suckers with one annulus each on fin rays were captured in Clear Lake in 2016. Although these fish are potential representatives of the 2015 year class, they were small for their age, indicating they may have hatched in 2016. Age-0 shortnose and Lost River suckers were captured in Clear Lake in 2016, indicating new cohorts of both taxa were produced. Moderate to abundant year classes were produced in 2011, 2012, and 2016 when lake surface elevation greater than 1,378.9 m (4,524 ft) during the February–June spawning season. Also in 2011 and 2016, rapid increases in lake-surface elevation indicated potentially high Willow Creek inflows. A somewhat less abundant year class produced in 2012 than in 2011 and 2016 was associated with lower spawning season inflows. The apparently smaller 2013 year class was formed when Willow Creek inflows were apparently low and lake surface never exceeded 1,379.2 m (4,524.9 ft). In 2014 and 2015, when year-classes were small or not detected, the Clear Lake surface elevations were at or below 1,378.2 m (4,522 ft), and there was very little spring time Willow Creek inflow.Age-0 shortnose sucker CPUE in Clear Lake was correlated with seasonal decreases in water volumes in 2016 and could not be used to create indices of August–September survival. Age-0 shortnose sucker catch rates in Clear Lake Reservoir were about seven times less in August than in September. Meanwhile, the water volume in Clear Lake Reservoir declined by about 36 percent between these two sampling periods. Higher September catch rates may have resulted from additional age-0 suckers entering the lake from the river, a concentrating effect of declining water volumes, or both.Differences in August standard length, apparent growth rates, and the prevalence of abnormalities were consistent with healthier age-0 suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir than in Upper Klamath Lake. Age-0 suckers were larger in August in Clear Lake Reservoir than in Upper Klamath Lake, which may be due to an earlier hatch date, faster growth, or both in Clear Lake Reservoir. Sample sizes were only large enough to compare growth rates of age-0 shortnose suckers from Upper Klamath Lake in 2015 to Clear Lake Reservoir in 2016. Age-0 shortnose suckers grew more between August and September in Clear Lake Reservoir in 2016 than in Upper Klamath Lake in 2015. Petechial hemorrhages of the skin on age-0 suckers were more prevalent in Upper Klamath Lake than in Clear Lake Reservoir in 2016. Deformed opercula, black-spot forming parasites, and infections presumed to be Columnaris sp. were observed on less than 12 percent of suckers from Upper Klamath Lake but were not observed on suckers from Clear Lake Reservoir in 2016.
Mankinen, Edward A.; Irwin, William P.; Gromme, C. Sherman
1989-01-01
Paleomagnetic study of Permian through Jurassic volcanic and sedimentary strata of the Eastern Klamath terrane has shown the remanent magnetization of many of these rocks to be prefolding and most likely primary. Similarities in magnetic declinations recorded by coeval strata over a broad area are consistent with the hypothesis that the terrane, in general, has behaved as a single rigid block. Paleomagnetic data indicate that the volcanic island arc represented by this terrane, the nucleus of the province, was facing toward the present southwest during late Paleozoic time, although its orientation during earlier periods is unknown. Whether the arc was separated from the North American craton by a small marginal basin or originated far offshore cannot be determined from paleomagnetic data. The declination anomalies for both Permian and Triassic strata are similar (average = 106° ± 12°), so we infer that clockwise rotation of the late Paleozoic arc did not begin until latest Triassic or earliest Jurassic time. The arc may have completed its initial rotation with respect to stable North America by Middle Jurassic time. After some retrograde motion, the arc was again facing west by the Late Jurassic, by which time some of the more westerly terranes of the province had become attached to the Eastern Klamath terrane. The composite Klamath Mountains terranes continued to rotate until the final 60° of clockwise rotation was nearly complete by the Early Cretaceous. Coincidence of the waning stages of rotation, at about 136 Ma, with the beginning of deposition of the basal Great Valley sequence onto the Klamath basement probably represents the completion of accretion of the Klamath Mountains terranes to the North American continent. Nearly all the rotation occurred while the Klamath Mountains terranes were part of a converging oceanic plate, with only about 20° of rotation in mid‐Tertiary time during Basin and Range extension. No data currently available show evidence for any significant latitudinal displacement of any Klamath Mountains terranes relative to cratonic North America.
Limnological and climatic environments at Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon during the past 45 000 years
Bradbury, J.P.; Colman, Steven M.; Dean, W.E.
2004-01-01
Upper Klamath Lake, in south-central Oregon, contains long sediment records with well-preserved diatoms and lithological variations that reflect climate-induced limnological changes. These sediment archives complement and extend high resolution terrestrial records along a north-south transect that includes areas influenced by the Aleutian Low and Subtropical High, which control both marine and continental climates in the western United States. The longest and oldest core collected in this study came from the southwest margin of the lake at Caledonia Marsh, and was dated by radiocarbon and tephrochronology to an age of about 45 ka. Paleolimnological interpretations of this core, based upon geochemical and diatom analyses, have been augmented by data from a short core collected from open water environments at nearby Howards Bay and from a 9-m core extending to 15 ka raised from the center of the northwestern part of Upper Klamath Lake. Pre- and full-glacial intervals of the Caledonia Marsh core are characterized and dominated by lithic detrital material. Planktic diatom taxa characteristic of cold-water habitats (Aulacoseira subarctica and A. islandica) alternate with warm-water planktic diatoms (A. ambigua) between 45 and 23 ka, documenting climate changes at millennial scales during oxygen isotope stage (OIS) 3. The full-glacial interval contains mostly cold-water planktic, benthic, and reworked Pliocene lacustrine diatoms (from the surrounding Yonna Formation) that document shallow water conditions in a cold, windy environment. After 15 ka, diatom productivity increased. Organic carbon and biogenic silica became significant sediment components and diatoms that live in the lake today, indicative of warm, eutrophic water, became prominent. Lake levels fell during the mid-Holocene and marsh environments extended over the core site. This interval is characterized by high levels of organic carbon from emergent aquatic vegetation (Scirpus) and by the Mazama ash (7.55 ka), generated by the eruption that created nearby Crater Lake. For a brief time the ash increased the salinity of Upper Klamath Lake. High concentrations of molybdenum, arsenic, and vanadium indicate that Caledonia Marsh was anoxic from about 7 to 5 ka. After the mid-Holocene, shallow, but open-water environments returned to the core site. The sediments became dominated (>80%) by biogenic silica. The open-water cores show analogous but less extreme limnological and climatic changes more typical of mid-lake environments. Millennial-scale lake and climate changes during OIS 3 at Upper Klamath Lake contrast with a similar record of variation at Owens Lake, about 750 km south. When Upper Klamath Lake experienced cold-climate episodes during OIS 3, Owens Lake had warm but wet episodes; the reverse occurred during warmer intervals at Upper Klamath Lake. Such climatic alternations apparently reflect the variable position and strength of the Aleutian Low during the mid-Wisconsin.
Haluska, Tana L.; Snyder, Daniel T.
2007-01-01
This report presents the parcel and inundation area geographic information system (GIS) layers for various surface-water stages. It also presents data tables containing the water stage, inundation area, and water volume relations developed from analysis of detailed land surface elevation derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data recently collected for the Wood River Valley at the northern margin of Agency Lake in Klamath County, Oregon. Former shoreline wetlands that have been cut off from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes by dikes might in the future be reconnected to Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes by breaching the dikes. Issues of interest associated with restoring wetlands in this way include the area that will be inundated, the volume of water that may be stored, the change in wetland habitat, and the variation in these characteristics as surface-water stage is changed. Products from this analysis can assist water managers in assessing the effect of breaching dikes and changing surface-water stage. The study area is in the approximate former northern margins of Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes in the Wood River Valley.
Campbell, Sharon G.
2001-01-01
Implementing management strategies for reservoir operations to improve water quality and reduce nutrient concentration or loading in the Klamath River study area to benefit anadromous fisheries may be difficult and expensive. However, improving the thermal regime in spring to benefit YOY salmonids may be possible as is short-term relief in late summer for oversummering species. Decreases in nutrient concentration or loading accomplished through best management practices in the water shed may allow general protection of water resources in the Klamath Basin for future needs.
Transition from slab to slabless: Results from the 1993 Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment
Beaudoin, B.C.; Godfrey, N.J.; Klemperer, S.L.; Lendl, C.; Trehu, A.M.; Henstock, T.J.; Levander, A.; Holl, J.E.; Meltzer, A.S.; Luetgert, J.H.; Mooney, W.D.
1996-01-01
Three seismic refraction-reflection profiles, part of the Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment, allow us to compare and contrast crust and upper mantle of the North American margin before and after it is modified by passage of the Mendocino triple junction. Upper crustal velocity models reveal an asymmetric Great Valley basin overlying Sierran or ophiolitic rocks at the latitude of Fort Bragg, California, and overlying Sierran or Klamath rocks near Redding, California. In addition, the upper crustal velocity structure indicates that Franciscan rocks underlie the Klamath terrane east of Eureka, California. The Franciscan complex is, on average, laterally homogeneous and is thickest in the triple junction region. North of the triple junction, the Gorda slab can be traced 150 km inboard from the Cascadia subduction zone. South of the triple junction, strong precritical reflections indicate partial melt and/or metamorphic fluids at the base of the crust or in the upper mantle. Breaks in these reflections are correlated with the Maacama and Bartlett Springs faults, suggesting that these faults extend at least to the mantle. We interpret our data to indicate tectonic thickening of the Franciscan complex in response to passage of the Mendocino triple junction and an associated thinning of these rocks south of the triple junction due to assimilation into melt triggered by upwelling asthenosphere. The region of thickened Franciscan complex overlies a zone of increased scattering, intrinsic attenuation, or both, resulting from mechanical mixing of lithologies and/or partial melt beneath the onshore projection of the Mendocino fracture zone. Our data reveal that we have crossed the southern edge of the Gorda slab and that this edge and/or the overlying North American crust may have fragmented because of the change in stress presented by the edge.
Estimation of stream conditions in tributaries of the Klamath River, northern California
Manhard, Christopher V.; Som, Nicholas A.; Jones, Edward C.; Perry, Russell W.
2018-01-01
Because of their critical ecological role, stream temperature and discharge are requisite inputs for models of salmonid population dynamics. Coho Salmon inhabiting the Klamath Basin spend much of their freshwater life cycle inhabiting tributaries, but environmental data are often absent or only seasonally available at these locations. To address this information gap, we constructed daily averaged water temperature models that used simulated meteorological data to estimate daily tributary temperatures, and we used flow differentials recorded on the mainstem Klamath River to estimate daily tributary discharge. Observed temperature data were available for fourteen of the major salmon bearing tributaries, which enabled estimation of tributary-specific model parameters at those locations. Water temperature data from six mid-Klamath Basin tributaries were used to estimate a global set of parameters for predicting water temperatures in the remaining tributaries. The resulting parameter sets were used to simulate water temperatures for each of 75 tributaries from 1980-2015. Goodness-of-fit statistics computed from a cross-validation analysis demonstrated a high precision of the tributary-specific models in predicting temperature in unobserved years and of the global model in predicting temperatures in unobserved streams. Klamath River discharge has been monitored by four gages that broadly intersperse the 292 kilometers from the Iron Gate Dam to the Klamath River mouth. These gages defined the upstream and downstream margins of three reaches. Daily discharge of tributaries within a reach was estimated from 1980-2015 based on drainage-area proportionate allocations of the discharge differential between the upstream and downstream margin. Comparisons with measured discharge on Indian Creek, a moderate-sized tributary with naturally regulated flows, revealed that the estimates effectively approximated both the variability and magnitude of discharge.
Groundwater quality in the Klamath Mountains, California
Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.
2014-01-01
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Klamath Mountains constitute one of the study units being evaluated.
The Pliocene-Pleistocene sedimentary tectonic history of NW California
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Stone, L.; Moley, K.; Aalto, K.R.
1993-04-01
A thick sequence of Late Miocene to Pleistocene sediments thought to represent deposition in a Neogene forearc basin are preserved in the structural basin referred to as the Eel River basin' located offshore of NW California and SE Oregon. The southern portion of this structural basin comes on land in the vicinity of Eureka where the marine and fluvial Wildcat Group is exposed. Basal Wildcat Group sediments are fluvial and littorial. Marine sandstones of the Wildcat Group contain K-spar concentrations of 5.5% and are believed to represent a fresh source. [sup 40]Ar/[sup 39]Ar laser probe analyses of Wildcat Group micasmore » yield dates of 52--57, 66--75, 128.5 and 299--303 Ma. The presence of Idaho detritus throughout the Neogene Wildcat Group indicates that the Klamath Mountains remained low during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Younger fluvial sediments in this region contain primarily locally derived detritus indicating local uplift of the Klamath Mountains. To the north, at Crescent City, thin remnants of the near-shore Saint George Formation and the eastern estuarine and fluvial Wimer Formation are lowermost Pliocene in age (5 ma). The presence of the highly erodible Wilmer Formation on uplifted plateaus in an area of extreme rainfall suggest that these sediments represent only the lowermost portion of an originally much thicker sequence. Consequently, the sediments confined to the present day Eel River basin do not represent the lateral extent of the original forearc basin. Sandstones and conglomerates of the Saint George and Wimer Formation indicate a local Klamath provenance derivation.« less
Sullivan, Annett B.; Rounds, Stewart A.; Deas, Michael L.; Asbill, Jessica R.; Wellman, Roy E.; Stewart, Marc A.; Johnston, Matthew W.; Sogutlugil, I. Ertugrul
2011-01-01
A hydrodynamic, water temperature, and water-quality model was constructed for a 20-mile reach of the Klamath River downstream of Upper Klamath Lake, from Link River to Keno Dam, for calendar years 2006-09. The two-dimensional, laterally averaged model CE-QUAL-W2 was used to simulate water velocity, ice cover, water temperature, specific conductance, dissolved and suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate, total phosphorus, orthophosphate, dissolved and particulate organic matter, and three algal groups. The Link-Keno model successfully simulated the most important spatial and temporal patterns in the measured data for this 4-year time period. The model calibration process provided critical insights into water-quality processes and the nature of those inputs and processes that drive water quality in this reach. The model was used not only to reproduce and better understand water-quality conditions that occurred in 2006-09, but also to test several load-reduction scenarios that have implications for future water-resources management in the river basin. The model construction and calibration process provided results concerning water quality and transport in the Link-Keno reach of the Klamath River, ranging from interesting circulation patterns in the Lake Ewauna area to the nature and importance of organic matter and algae. These insights and results include: * Modeled segment-average water velocities ranged from near 0.0 to 3.0 ft/s in 2006 through 2009. Travel time through the model reach was about 4 days at 2,000 ft3/s and 12 days at 700 ft3/s flow. Flow direction was aligned with the upstream-downstream channel axis for most of the Link-Keno reach, except for Lake Ewauna. Wind effects were pronounced at Lake Ewauna during low-flow conditions, often with circulation in the form of a gyre that rotated in a clockwise direction when winds were towards the southeast and in a counterclockwise direction when winds were towards the northwest. * Water temperatures ranged from near freezing in winter to near 30 degrees C at some locations and periods in summer; seasonal water temperature patterns were similar at the inflow and outflow. Although vertical temperature stratification was not present at most times and locations, weak stratification could persist for periods up to 1-2 weeks, especially in the downstream parts of the reach. Thermal stratification was important in controlling vertical variations in water quality. * The specific conductance, and thus density, of tributaries within the reach usually was higher than that of the river itself, so that inflows tended to sink below the river surface. This was especially notable for inflows from the Klamath Straits Drain, which tended to sink to the bottom of the Klamath River at its confluence and not mix vertically for several miles downstream. * The model was able to capture most of the seasonal changes in the algal population by modeling that population with three algal groups: blue-green algae, diatoms, and other algae. The blooms of blue-green algae, consisting mostly of Aphanizomenon flos aquae that entered from Upper Klamath Lake, were dominant, dwarfing the populations of the other two algae groups in summer. A large part of the blue-green algae population that entered this reach from upstream tended to settle out, die, and decompose, especially in the upper part of the Link-Keno reach. Diatoms reached a maximum in spring and other algae in midsummer. * Organic matter, occurring in both dissolved and particulate forms, was critical to the water quality of this reach of the Klamath River, and was strongly tied to nutrient and dissolved-oxygen dynamics. Dissolved and particulate organic matter were subdivided into labile (quickly decaying) and refractory (slowing decaying) groups for modeling purposes. The particulate matter in summer, consisting largely of dead blue-green algae, decayed quickly. Consequently, this particulate matt
Sprague River geomorphology studies, Klamath Basin, Oregon
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McDowell, P. F.; O'Connor, J. E.; Lind, P.
2005-12-01
The Sprague River drains 4050 square kilometers with a mean annual discharge of 16.3 m3/s before emptying into the Williamson River and then upper Klamath Lake in southcentral Oregon. The alternating wide alluvial segments and narrow canyon reaches of this 135-km-long westward flowing river provide for a variety of valued ecologic conditions and human uses along the river corridor, notably fisheries (including two endangered species of suckers, and formerly salmon), timber harvest, agriculture, and livestock grazing. The complex history of land ownership and landuse, water control and diversion structures, and fishery alterations, provides several targets for attributing historic changes to channel and floodplain conditions. Recently, evolving societal values (as well as much outside money) are inspiring efforts by many entities to 'restore' the Sprague River watershed. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Klamath Tribes, and many local landowners, we are launching an analysis of Sprague River channel and floodplain processes. The overall objective is to guide restoration activities by providing sound understanding of local geomorphic processes and conditions. To do this we are identifying key floodplain and channel processes, and investigating how they have been affected by historic floodplain activites and changes to the watershed. This is being accomplished by analysis of historic aerial photographs and maps, stratigraphic analysis of floodplain soils and geologic units, mapping of riparian vegetation conditions and changes, and quantitative analysis of high resolution LiDAR topography acquired for the entire river course in December 2004. Preliminary results indicate (1) much of the coarser (and more erodible) floodplain soils are largely composed of pumice deposited in the basin by the 7700 year BP eruption of Mount Mazama; and (2) the LiDAR digital elevation models provide a ready means of subdividing the river into segments with quantifiably different characteristics of channel width, sinuosity, slope, and incision (relative to adjacent floodplain elevations).
Rosenbaum, J.G.; Reynolds, R.L.
2004-01-01
Studies of magnetic properties enable reconstruction of environmental conditions that affected magnetic minerals incorporated in sediments from Upper Klamath Lake. Analyses of stream sediment samples from throughout the catchment of Upper Klamath Lake show that alteration of Fe-oxide minerals during subaerial chemical weathering of basic volcanic rocks has significantly changed magnetic properties of surficial deposits. Titanomagnetite, which is abundant both as phenocrysts and as microcrystals in fresh volcanic rocks, is progressively destroyed during weathering. Because fine-grained magnetite is readily altered due to large surface-to-volume ratios, weathering causes an increase in average magnetic grain size as well as reduction in the quantity of titanomagnetite both absolutely and relative to hematite. Hydrodynamic mineralogical sorting also produces differences in magnetic properties among rock and mineral grains of differing sizes. Importantly, removal of coarse silicate and Fe-oxide grains by sorting concentrated extremely fine-grained magnetite in the resulting sediment. The effects of weathering and sorting of minerals cannot be completely separated. These processes combine to produce the magnetic properties of a non-glacial lithic component of Upper Klamath Lake sediments, which is characterized by relatively low magnetite content and coarse magnetic grain size. Hydrodynamic sorting alone causes significant differences between the magnetic properties of glacial flour in lake sediments and of fresh volcanic rocks in the catchment. In comparison to source volcanic rocks, glacial flour in the lake sediment is highly enriched in extremely fine-grained magnetite.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-04-29
.... In addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs... ensure the best possible approach to wildlife, plant, and habitat conservation, while providing for... hardstem-cattail marsh and open water, along with 30 acres of forested uplands. These habitats serve as...
Hamilton, John B; Rondorf, Dennis W.; Tinniswood, William; Leary, Ryan J; Mayer, Tim; Gavette, Charleen; Casal, Lynne A.
2016-01-01
In this research article, John Hamilton and his co-authors present extensive new research and information gathered since a 2005 publication on the historical evidence of anadromomous fish distribution in the Upper Klamath River watershed. Using historical accounts from early explorers and ethnographers to early-twentieth-century photographs, newspaper accounts, and government reports, the authors provide a more complete record of past salmon migrations. The updated record “substantiate[s] the historical persistence of salmon, their migration characteristics, and the broad population baseline that will be key to future commercial, recreational, and Tribal fisheries in the Klamath River and beyond.” During a time when salmon restoration plans are being considered in the region, the historical record can serve as guidance to once again establish diverse and thriving populations.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rosenbaum, J. G.; Reynolds, R. L.
2010-12-01
Sediments in Bear Lake (UT/ID) and Upper Klamath Lake (OR) contain glacial flour derived during the last glacial interval from the Uinta Mountains and the southern Cascade Range, respectively. Magnetic properties provide measures of glacial-flour content and, in concert with elemental and grain-size analyses, yield high-resolution records of glacial growth and decay. Creation and preservation of such records requires that (1) properties of glacial flour contrast with those of other sedimentary components and (2) magnetic minerals are neither formed nor destroyed after deposition. In the Bear Lake watershed, glaciers were confined to a small headwater area of the Bear River underlain by hematite-rich rocks of the Uinta Mountain Group (UMG), which are not exposed elsewhere in the catchment. Because UMG detritus is abundant only in Bear Lake sediments of glacial age, hard isothermal remanent magnetization (a measure of hematite content) provides a proxy for glacial flour. In contrast, the entire Upper Klamath Lake catchment, which lies to the east of the Cascade Range in southern Oregon, is underlain largely by basalt and basaltic andesite. Magnetic properties of fresh titanomagnetite-rich rock flour from glaciers on a composite volcano contrast sharply with those of detritus from unglaciated areas in which weathering destroyed some of the titanomagnetite. Ideally, well-dated records of the flux of glacial flour can be compared to ages of glacial features (e.g., moraines). For Upper Klamath Lake, quantitative measures of rock-flour content (from magnetic properties) and excellent chronology allow accurate calculation of flux. However, ages of glacial features are lacking and mafic volcanic rocks, which weather rapidly in this environment, are not well suited for cosmogenic exposure dating. At Bear Lake, estimates of glacial-flour content are less quantitative and chronology within the glacial interval must be interpolated from radiocarbon ages above and below the glacial-age sediments, but cosmogenic dating (by Laabs et al.) of highly resistant quartzite boulders provide ages from terminal moraines in the Bear River drainage. Glacial flour appears abruptly at ~26 cal ka in Bear Lake, whereas it is present at the base of the Upper Klamath Lake core (~37 cal ka). Both glacial flour records (1) contain millennial-scale variations (uncertainties in chronology prevent precise correlation of these features), (2) attain maxima circa 19 cal ka, and (3) rapidly decline beginning prior to 18 cal ka. At Bear Lake the age of the decline in glacial flour coincides with cosmogenic exposure ages (18.1 - 18.7 ka) of terminal moraines in the upper Bear River valley. This concurrence supports the interpretation that the maximum amount and subsequent decrease in glacial flour are indicative of maximum glacial extent and glacial retreat, respectively, and more generally that increases and decreases in rock flour in these lake sediments represent waxing and waning of glaciers. Laabs, B,J.C., et al., 2007, Chronology of the last glacial maximum in the upper Bear River basin, Utah, Arctic and Alpine Research, v. 39, p. 537 - 548.
Drought allocations using the Systems Impact Assessment Model: Klamath River
Flug, M.; Campbell, S.G.
2005-01-01
Water supply and allocation scenarios for the Klamath River, Ore. and Calif., were evaluated using the Systems Impact Assessment Model (SIAM), a decision support system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. SIAM is a set of models with a graphical user interface that simulates water supply and delivery in a managed river system, water quality, and fish production. Simulation results are presented for drought conditions, one aspect of Klamath River water operations. The Klamath River Basin has experienced critically dry conditions in 1992, 1994, and 2001. Drought simulations are useful to estimate the impacts of specific legal or institutional flow constraints. In addition, simulations help to identify potential adverse water quality consequences including evaluating the potential for reducing adverse temperature impacts on anadromous fish. In all drought simulations, water supply was insufficient to fully meet upstream and downstream targets for endangered species.
Vegetation of natural and artificial shorelines in Upper Klamath Basin’s fringe wetlands
Ray, Andrew M.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Hamilton, Andy S.
2013-01-01
The Upper Klamath Basin (UKB) in northern California and southern Oregon supports large hypereutrophic lakes surrounded by natural and artificial shorelines. Lake shorelines contain fringe wetlands that provide key ecological services to the people of this region. These wetlands also provide a context for drawing inferences about how differing wetland types and wave exposure contribute to the vegetative assemblages in lake-fringe wetlands. Here, we summarize how elevation profiles and vegetation richness vary as a function of wave exposure and wetland type. Our results show that levee wetland shorelines are 4X steeper and support fewer species than other wetland types. We also summarize the occurrence probability of the five common wetland plant species that represent the overwhelming majority of the diversity of these wetlands. In brief, the occurrence probability of the culturally significant Nuphar lutea spp. polysepala and the invasive Phalaris arundinacea in wave exposed and sheltered sites varies based on wetland type. The occurrence probability for P. arundinacea was greatest in exposed portions of deltaic shorelines, but these trends were reversed on levees where the occurrence probability was greater in sheltered sites. The widespread Schoenoplectus acutus var. acutus occurred throughout all wetland and exposure type combinations but had a higher probability of occurrence in wave exposed sites. Results from this work will add to our current understanding of how wetland shoreline profiles interact with wave exposure to influence the occurrence probability of the dominant vegetative species in UKB’s shoreline wetlands.
Water Quality Conditions in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2006
Lindenberg, Mary K.; Hoilman, Gene; Wood, Tamara M.
2008-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey Upper Klamath Lake water quality monitoring program gathered information from multiparameter continuous water quality monitors, physical water samples, dissolved oxygen production and consumption experiments, and meteorological stations during the June-October 2006 field season. The 2006 study area included Agency Lake and all of Upper Klamath Lake. Seasonal patterns in water quality were similar to those observed in 2005, the first year of the monitoring program, and were closely related to bloom dynamics of the cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) in the two lakes. High dissolved oxygen and pH conditions in both lakes before the bloom declined in July, which coincided with seasonal high temperatures and resulted in seasonal lows in dissolved oxygen and decreased pH. Dissolved oxygen and pH in Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes increased again after the bloom recovered. Seasonal low dissolved oxygen and decreased pH coincided with seasonal highs in ammonia and orthophosphate concentrations. Seasonal maximum daily average temperatures were higher and minimum dissolved oxygen concentrations were lower in 2006 than in 2005. Conditions potentially harmful to fish were influenced by seasonal patterns in bloom dynamics and bathymetry. Potentially harmful low dissolved oxygen and high un-ionized ammonia concentrations occurred mostly at the deepest sites in the Upper Klamath Lake during late July, coincident with a bloom decline. Potentially harmful pH conditions occurred mostly at sites outside the deepest parts of the lake in July and September, coincident with a heavy bloom. Instances of possible gas bubble formation, inferred from dissolved oxygen data, were estimated to occur frequently in shallow areas of Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes simultaneously with potentially harmful pH conditions. Comparison of the data from monitors in nearshore areas and monitors near the surface of the water column in the open waters of Upper Klamath Lake revealed few differences in water quality dynamics. Median daily temperatures were higher in nearshore areas, and dissolved oxygen concentrations were periodically higher as well during periods of high AFA bloom. Differences between the two areas in water quality conditions potentially harmful to fish were not statistically significant (p < 0.05). Chlorophyll a concentrations varied temporally and spatially throughout Upper Klamath Lake. Chlorophyll a concentrations indicated an algal bloom in late June and early July that was followed by an algae bloom decline in late July and early August and a subsequent recovery in mid-August. Sites in the deepest part of the lake, where some of the highest chlorophyll a concentrations were observed, were the same sites where the lowest dissolved oxygen concentrations and the highest un-ionized ammonia concentrations were recorded during the bloom decline, indicating cell senescence. Total phosphorus concentrations limited the initial algal bloom in late June and early July. The rate of net dissolved oxygen production (that is, production in excess of community respiration) and consumption (due to community respiration) in the lake water column as measured in light and dark bottles, respectively, ranged from 2.79 to -2.14 milligrams of oxygen per liter per hour. Net production rate generally correlated positively with chlorophyll a concentration, except episodically at a few sites where high chlorophyll a concentrations resulted in self-shading that inhibited photosynthesis. The depth of photic zone was inversely correlated with chlorophyll a concentration. Calculations of a 24-hour change in dissolved oxygen concentration indicated that oxygen-consuming processes predominated at the deep trench sites and oxygen-producing processes predominated at the shallow sites. In addition, calculations of the 24-hour change in dissolved oxygen indicate that oxygen-consuming processes in the water column di
Bruce G. Marcot
1997-01-01
Research information needs on selected invertebrates and all vertebrates of the interior Columbia River basin and adjacent areas in the United States were collected into a research, development, and application database as part of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. The database includes 482 potential research study topics on 232 individual...
Thomas M. Quigley; Richard W Haynes; Russell T. Graham
1996-01-01
The Integrated Scientific Assessment for Ecosystem Management for the Interior Columbia Basin links landscape, aquatic, terrestrial, social, and economic characterizations to describe biophysical and social systems. Integration was achieved through a framework built around six goals for ecosystem management and three different views of the future. These goals are:...
David C. Powell; Charles G. Johnson; Elizabeth A. Crowe; Aaron Wells; David K. Swanson
2007-01-01
The work described in this report was initiated during the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP). The ICBEMP produced a broad-scale scientific assessment of ecological, biophysical, social, and economic conditions for the interior Columbia River basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins. The broad-scale assessment made extensive use of...
Bruce G. Marcot; L.K. Croft; J.F. Lehmkuhl; R.H. Naney; C.G. Niwa; W.R. Owen; R.E. Sandquist
1998-01-01
This report present information on biogeography and broad-scale ecology (macroecology) of selected fungi, lichens, bryophytes, vascular plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates of the interior Columbia River basin and adjacent areas. Rareplants include many endemics associated with local conditions. Potential plant and invertebrate bioindicators are identified. Species...
Evaluation of EIS alternatives by the science integration team, volume I.
Thomas M. Quigley; Kristine M. Lee; Sylvia J. Arbelbide
1997-01-01
The Evaluation of EIS Alternatives by the Science Integration Team describes the outcomes, interactions, effects, and consequences likely to result from implementing seven different management strategies on Forest Service (FS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered lands within the Interior Columbia Basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins. Two...
Burdick, Summer M.
2012-01-01
A passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging study was initiated in 2009 for age-1 endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, for the purpose of examining causes of mortality, validating estimated age to maturity, and examining movement patterns. This study, which was done opportunistically in 2009 and 2010, received funding in 2011 for a directed tagging effort. Tags were redetected using an existing infrastructure of remote PIT tag readers and tag scanning surveys at American white pelican and double-crested cormorant breeding and loafing areas. Individual fish histories are used to describe the distance, direction, and timing of age-1 sucker movement. Sucker PIT tag detections in the Sprague and Williamson rivers in mid-summer and in autumn indicate age-1 suckers use these tributaries outside of the known spring spawning season. PIT tags detected in bird habitats indicate predation by birds may have been a cause of mortality in 2009. Field conditions prevented scanning bird breeding and loafing areas in Upper Klamath Wildlife National Refuge for tags in 2011, however, limiting our ability to make inferences about bird predation in those years.
Paul F. Hessburg; Bradley G. Smith; Craig A. Miller; Scott D. Kreiter; R. Brion Salter
1999-01-01
In the interior Columbia River basin midscale ecological assessment, including portions of the Klamath and Great Basins, we mapped and characterized historical and current vegetation composition and structure of 337 randomly sampled subwatersheds (9500 ha average size) in 43 subbasins (404 000 ha average size). We compared landscape patterns, vegetation structure and...
Declining sediment loads from Redwood Creek and the Klamath River, north coastal California
Randy D. Klein; Jeffrey K. Anderson
2012-01-01
River basin sediment loads are affected by several factors, with flood magnitude and watershed erosional stability playing dominant and dynamic roles. Long-term average sediment loads for northern California river basins have been computed by several researchers by several methods. However, characterizing the dynamic nature of climate and watershed stability requires...
Manhard, Christopher V.; Som, Nicholas A.; Perry, Russell W.; Faukner, Jimmy; Soto, Toz
2018-01-01
An area of great importance to resource management and conservation biology in the Klamath Basin is balancing water usage against the life history requirements of threatened Coho Salmon. One tool for addressing this topic is a freshwater dynamics model to forecast Coho Salmon productivity based on environmental inputs. Constructing such a forecasting tool requires local data to quantify the unique life history processes of Coho Salmon inhabiting this region. Here, we describe analytical methods for estimating a series of sub-models, each capturing a different life history process, which will eventually be synchronized as part of a freshwater dynamics model for Klamath River Coho Salmon. Specifically, we draw upon extensive population monitoring data collected in the basin to estimate models of freshwater productivity, overwinter survival, and migration patterns. Our models of freshwater productivity indicated that high summer temperatures and high winter flows can both adversely affect smolt production and that such relationships are more likely in tributaries with naturally regulated flows due to substantial intraannual environmental variation. Our models of overwinter survival demonstrated extensive variability in survival among years, but not among rearing locations, and demonstrated that a substantial proportion (~ 20%) of age-0+ fish emigrate from some rearing sites in the winter. Our models of migration patterns indicated that many age-0+ fish redistribute in the basin during the summer and winter. Further, we observed that these redistributions can entail long migrations in the mainstem where environmental stressors likely play a role in cueing refuge entry. Finally, our models of migration patterns indicated that changes in discharge are important in cueing the seaward migration of smolts, but that the nature of this behavioral response can differ dramatically between tributaries with naturally and artificially regulated flows. Collectively, these analyses demonstrate that environmental variation interacts with most phases of the freshwater life history of Klamath River Coho Salmon and that anthropogenic environmental variation can have a particularly large bearing on productivity.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
O'Connor, J. E.; Wise, D. R.; Mangano, J.; Jones, K.
2015-12-01
Empirical analyses of suspended sediment and bedload transport gives estimates of sediment flux for western Oregon and northwestern California. The estimates of both bedload and suspended load are from regression models relating measured annual sediment yield to geologic, physiographic, and climatic properties of contributing basins. The best models include generalized geology and either slope or precipitation. The best-fit suspended-sediment model is based on basin geology, precipitation, and area of recent wildfire. It explains 65% of the variance for 68 suspended sediment measurement sites within the model area. Predicted suspended sediment yields range from no yield from the High Cascades geologic province to 200 tonnes/ km2-yr in the northern Oregon Coast Range and 1000 tonnes/km2-yr in recently burned areas of the northern Klamath terrain. Bed-material yield is similarly estimated from a regression model based on 22 sites of measured bed-material transport, mostly from reservoir accumulation analyses but also from several bedload measurement programs. The resulting best-fit regression is based on basin slope and the presence/absence of the Klamath geologic terrane. For the Klamath terrane, bed-material yield is twice that of the other geologic provinces. This model explains more than 80% of the variance of the better-quality measurements. Predicted bed-material yields range up to 350 tonnes/ km2-yr in steep areas of the Klamath terrane. Applying these regressions to small individual watersheds (mean size; 66 km2 for bed-material; 3 km2 for suspended sediment) and cumulating totals down the hydrologic network (but also decreasing the bed-material flux by experimentally determined attrition rates) gives spatially explicit estimates of both bed-material and suspended sediment flux. This enables assessment of several management issues, including the effects of dams on bedload transport, instream gravel mining, habitat formation processes, and water-quality. The combined fluxes can also be compared to long-term rock uplift and cosmogenically determined landscape erosion rates.
Wagner, Brian J.; Gannett, Marshall W.
2014-01-01
The water resources of the upper Klamath Basin, in southern Oregon and northern California, are managed to achieve various complex and interconnected purposes. Since 2001, irrigators in the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Irrigation Project (Project) have been required to limit surface-water diversions to protect habitat for endangered freshwater and anadromous fishes. The reductions in irrigation diversions have led to an increased demand for groundwater by Project irrigators, particularly in drought years. The potential effects of sustained pumping on groundwater and surface-water resources have caused concern among Federal and state agencies, Indian tribes, wildlife groups, and groundwater users. To aid in the development of a viable groundwater-management strategy for the Project, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Klamath Water and Power Agency and the Oregon Water Resources Department, developed a groundwater-management model that links groundwater simulation with techniques of constrained optimization. The overall goal of the groundwater-management model is to determine the patterns of groundwater pumping that, to the extent possible, meet the supplemental groundwater demands of the Project. To ensure that groundwater development does not adversely affect groundwater and surface-water resources, the groundwater-management model includes constraints to (1) limit the effects of groundwater withdrawal on groundwater discharge to streams and lakes that support critical habitat for fish listed under the Endangered Species Act, (2) ensure that drawdowns do not exceed limits allowed by Oregon water law, and (3) ensure that groundwater withdrawal does not adversely affect agricultural drain flows that supply a substantial portion of water for irrigators and wildlife refuges in downslope areas of the Project. Groundwater-management alternatives were tested and designed within the framework of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (currently [2013] awaiting authorizing Federal legislation), which would establish a permanent limit on the amount of surface water that can be diverted annually to the Project. Groundwater-management scenarios were evaluated for the period 1970•2004; supplemental groundwater demand by the Project was estimated as the part of irrigation demand that would not have been satisfied by the surface-water diversion allowed under the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. Over the 35-year management period, 22 years have supplemental groundwater demand, which ranges from a few thousand acre-feet (acre-ft) to about 100,000 acre-ft in the driest years. The results of the groundwater-management model indicate that supplemental groundwater pumping by the Project can be managed to avoid adverse effects to groundwater discharge that supports critical aquatic habitat. The existing configuration of wells in the Project would be able to meet groundwater-pumping goals in 14 of the 22 years with supplemental groundwater demand; however, substantial irrigation shortages can be expected during drought periods when the demand for supplemental groundwater is highest. The maximum irrigation-season withdrawal calculated by the groundwater-management model is about 60,000 acre-ft, the average withdrawal in drought years is about 54,000 acre-ft, and the amount of unmet groundwater demand reaches a maximum of about 45,000 acre-ft. A comparison of optimized groundwater withdrawals by geographic region shows that the highest annual withdrawals are associated with wells in the Tule Lake and Klamath Valley regions of the Project. The patterns of groundwater withdrawal also show that a substantial amount of the available pumping capacity is unused due to the restrictions imposed by drawdown constraints. Subsequent model applications were used to evaluate the sensitivity of optimization results to various factors. A sensitivity analysis quantified the changes in optimized groundwater withdrawals that result from changes in drawdown-constraint limits. The analysis showed the potential for substantial increases in withdrawals of groundwater with less restrictive drawdown limits at drawdown-control sites in the California part of the model. Systematic variation of the drains-constraint limit yielded a trade-off curve between optimized groundwater withdrawals and the allowable reduction in groundwater discharge to the Project drain system. Additional model applications were used to assess the value of increasing the pumping capacity of the network of wells serving the Project, and the relation between reduced off-Project groundwater pumping and increased pumping by Project irrigators.
Burdick, Summer M.; Brown, Daniel T.
2010-01-01
Federally endangered Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were once abundant throughout their range but populations have declined. They were extirpated from several lakes in the 1920s and may no longer reproduce in others. Poor recruitment to the adult spawning populations is one of several reasons cited for the decline and lack of recovery of these species and may be the consequence of high mortality during juvenile life stages. High larval and juvenile sucker mortality may be exacerbated by an insufficient quantity of suitable or high quality rearing habitat. In addition, larval suckers may be swept downstream from suitable rearing areas in Upper Klamath Lake into Keno Reservoir, which is seasonally anoxic. The Nature Conservancy flooded about 3,600 acres (1,456 hectares) to the north of the Williamson River mouth (Tulana Unit) in October 2007 and about 1,400 acres (567 hectares) to the south and east of the Williamson River mouth (Goose Bay Unit) a year later to retain larval suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, create nursery habitat, and improve water quality. The U.S. Geological Survey joined a long-term research and monitoring program in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the Bureau of Reclamation, and Oregon State University in 2008 to assess the effects of the Williamson River Delta restoration on the early life-history stages of Lost River and shortnose suckers. The primary objectives of the research were to describe habitat colonization and use by larval and juvenile suckers and non-sucker fishes and to evaluate the effects of the restored habitat on the health and condition of juvenile suckers. This report summarizes data collected in 2009 by the U.S. Geological Survey as a part of this monitoring effort. The Williamson River Delta appeared to provide suitable rearing habitat for endangered larval Lost River and shortnose suckers in 2008 and 2009. Larval suckers captured in this delta typically were larger than those captured in the adjacent lake habitat in 2008, but the opposite was true for larval shortnose suckers in 2009. Mean sample density was greater for both species in the Williamson River Delta than adjacent lake habitats in both years. Larval suckers captured in the restoration area, however, had less food in their guts compared to those captured in Upper Klamath or Agency Lakes. Differential distribution among sucker species within the Williamson River Delta and between the delta and adjacent lakes indicated that shortnose suckers likely benefited more from the restored Williamson River Delta than Lost River or Klamath largescale suckers (Catostomus snyderi). Catch rates in shallow-water habitats with vegetation within the delta were higher for shortnose and Klamath largescale suckers than for larval Lost River suckers in 2008 and 2009.However, catch rates at the mouth of the Williamson River in 2008 and in Upper Klamath Lake in 2009 were higher for larval Lost River suckers than for larvae identified as either shortnose or Klamath largescale suckers. Shortnose suckers also comprised the greatest portion of age-0 suckers captured in the Williamson River Delta in 2008 and 2009. The relative abundance of age-1 shortnose suckers was high in our catches compared to age-1 Lost River suckers in 2009 in the delta and adjacent lakes, which may or may not indicate shortnose suckers experienced better survival than Lost River suckers in 2008. Age-0 and age-1 suckers were similarly distributed throughout the Williamson River Delta in 2008 and 2009. Age-0 suckers used shallow vegetated and unvegetated habitats primarily in mid- to late July in both years. A comparison of catch rates between our study and a concurrent study in Upper Klamath Lake indicated that Goose Bay was the most used habitat in 2009 and the Tulana Unit was the one of the least used habitats in 2008 and 2009 by age-0 suckers. Catch rates for age-1 suckers, however, indicated that bo
Klamath Basin Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of 2014
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR
2014-05-21
Senate - 12/10/2014 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 639. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:
Russell F. Thurow; Danny C. Lee; Bruce E. Rieman
1997-01-01
We summarized presence, absence, current status, and potential historical distribution of seven native salmonid taxa - bull trout Salvelinus confluentus, Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri, westslope cutthroat trout O. c. lewisi, redband trout and steelhead O. mykiss gairdneri, stream type (age-1 migrant) chinook salmon O. tshawytscha. and ocean...
Water-Quality Data from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2007-08
Kannarr, Kristofor E.; Tanner, Dwight Q.; Lindenberg, Mary K.; Wood, Tamara M.
2010-01-01
Significant Findings The U.S. Geological Survey Upper Klamath Lake water-quality monitoring program collected data from multiparameter continuous water-quality monitors, weekly water-quality samples, and meteorological stations during May-November 2007 and 2008. The results of these measurements and sample analyses are presented in this report for 29 stations on Upper Klamath Lake and 2 stations on Agency Lake, as well as quality-assurance data for the water-quality samples. Some of the significant findings from 2007 and 2008 are listed below. In 2007-08, ammonia concentrations were at or near the detection limit at all stations during the second week in June, after which they began to increase, with peak concentrations occurring from July through November. The concentration of un-ionized ammonia, which can be toxic to aquatic life, first began to increase in mid-June and peaked in July or August at most sites. Concentrations of un-ionized ammonia measured in the Upper Klamath Lake in 2007-08 did not reach concentrations that would have been potentially lethal to suckers. Samples collected for the analysis of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) late in the 2007 season showed no evidence of an increase in DOC subsequent to the breaching of the Williamson River Delta levees on October 30. In 2007-08, the lakewide daily median of dissolved oxygen concentration began to increase in early June, and peaked in mid- to late June. The lakewide daily median pH began to increase from early June and peaked in late June (2007) or early July (2008). Lakewide daily median pH slowly decreased during the rest of both seasons. The 2007 lakewide daily median specific conductance values first peaked on July 1, coincident with a peak in dissolved oxygen concentration and pH, followed by a decrease through mid-July. Specific conductance then remained relatively stable until mid-October when a sharp increase began that continued until the end of the season. Lakewide specific conductance values for 2008 steadily increased through the season to a maximum in late September. Lakewide daily median temperatures in both years began to increase during the beginning of June and peaked in July. These temperatures persisted until late August to early September when a gradual decrease occurred. In 2007-08, water-quality conditions monitored at the Agency Lake northern and southern stations were similar to those in Klamath Lake.
Hewitt, David A.; Janney, Eric C.; Hayes, Brian S.; Harris, Alta C.
2015-10-02
Despite relatively high survival in most years, we conclude that both species have experienced substantial decreases in the abundance of spawning adults because losses from mortality have not been balanced by recruitment of new individuals. Although capture-recapture data indicate substantial recruitment of new individuals into the spawning populations for SNS and river spawning LRS in some years, size data do not corroborate these estimates. As a result, the status of the endangered sucker populations in Upper Klamath Lake remains worrisome, especially for shortnose suckers. Our monitoring program provides a robust platform for estimating vital population parameters, evaluating the status of the populations, and assessing the effectiveness of conservation and recovery efforts.
Richard W. Haynes; Russell T. Graham; Thomas M. Quigley
1996-01-01
A framework for ecosystem management is proposed. This framework assumes the purpose of ecosystem management is to maintain the integrity of ecosystems over time and space. It is based on four ecosystem principles: ecosystems are dynamic, can be viewed as hierarchies with temporal and spatial dimensions, have limits, and are relatively unpredictable. This approach...
Paul F. Hessburg; Bradley G. Smith; Scott D. Kreiter; Craig A. Miller; R. Brion Salter; Cecilia H. McNicoll; Wendel J. Hann
1999-01-01
Management activities of the 20th century, especially fire exclusion, timber harvest, and domestic livestock grazing, have significantly modified vegetation spatial patterns of forests and ranges in the interior Columbia basin. Compositional patterns as well as patterns of living and dead structure have changed. Dramatic change in vital ecosystem processes such as fire...
1981-09-01
respectively; the Klamath Mountains of Oregon and California; the Basin and Ranges of Nevada, the Teton Range of Wyoming; the Uinta Mountains of Utah...approximately 292,000 square miles, includes all of the Columbia River system in the United States and all other river basins in Idaho, Oregon, and...Central Valley and the Los Angeles Basin of California. The western valleys of the Pacific Northwest, the Denver-Cheyenne area along the Rockies’ eastern
Jones, Edward C.; Perry, Russell W.; Risley, John C.; Som, Nicholas A.; Hetrick, Nicholas J.
2016-03-31
Augmentation scenarios were based on historical hydrological and meteorological data, combined with prescribed flow and temperature releases from Lewiston Dam provided by the Bureau of Reclamation. Water releases were scheduled to achieve targeted flows of 2,500, 2,800, and 3,200 cubic feet per second in the lower Klamath River from mid-August through late September, coinciding with the upstream migration of adult fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Water temperatures simulated at river mile 5.7 on the Klamath River showed a 5 °C decrease from the No Action historical baseline, which was near or greater than 23 °C when augmentation began in mid-August. Thereafter, an approximate 1 °C difference among augmentation scenarios emerged, with the decrease in water temperature commensurate to the level of augmentation. All augmentation scenarios simulated water temperatures equal to or less than 21 °C from mid-August through late September. Water temperatures equal to or greater than 23 °C are of particular interest because of a thermal threshold known to inhibit upstream migration of salmon. When temperatures exceed this approximate 23 °C threshold, Chinook salmon are known to congregate in high densities in thermal refugias and show extended residence times, which can potentially trigger epizootic outbreaks such as of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (“Ich”) and Flavobacterium columnare (“Columnaris”) that were the causative factors of the Klamath River fish kill in 2002. A model with the ability to simulate water temperatures in response to management actions at the basin scale is a valuable asset for water managers who must make decisions about how best to use limited water resources, which directly affect the state of fisheries in the Klamath Basin.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-04-02
...We, NMFS, announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin (UKTR) as threatened or endangered and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have reviewed the status of the UKTR Chinook salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) and considered the best scientific and commercial data available, and conclude that the petitioned action is not warranted. In reaching this conclusion, we conclude that spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon in the UKTR Basin constitute a single ESU. Based on a comprehensive review of the best scientific and commercial data currently available, and consistent with the 1998 status review and listing determination for the UKTR Chinook salmon ESU, the overall extinction risk of the ESU is considered to be low over the next 100 years. Based on these considerations and others described in this notice, we conclude this ESU is not in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, nor is it likely to become so in the foreseeable future.
Quantifying the Benthic Source of Nutrients to the Water Column of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Kuwabara, James S.; Lynch, Dennis D.; Topping, Brent R.; Murphy, Fred; Carter, James L.; Simon, Nancy S.; Parcheso, Francis; Wood, Tamara M.; Lindenberg, Mary K.; Wiese, Katryn; Avanzino, Ronald J.
2007-01-01
Executive Summary Five sampling trips were coordinated in April, May and August 2006, and May and July 2007 to sample the water column and benthos of Upper Klamath Lake, OR (Fig. 1; Table 1), before, during and after the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). A pore-water profiler was designed and fabricated to obtain the first high-resolution (centimeter-scale) estimates of the vertical concentration gradients for diffusive-flux determinations. Estimates based on molecular diffusion may underestimate benthic flux because solute transport across the sediment-water interface can be enhanced by processes including bioturbation, bioirrigation and ground-water advection. Water-column and benthic samples were also collected to help interpret spatial and temporal trends in diffusive-flux estimates. Data from these samples complement geochemical analyses of bottom-sediments taken from Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) in 2005. This ongoing study provides information necessary for developing process-interdependent solute-transport models for the watershed (that is, models integrating physical, geochemical and biological processes), and supports efforts to evaluate remediation or load-allocation strategies. To augment studies funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the Department of Interior supported an additional full deployment of pore-water profilers in July 2007, during the summer AFA bloom. Results from this recent field trip are not fully completed. Data not presented herein will be included in a subsequent publication, scheduled for March 2009.
Burdick, Summer M.
2013-01-01
Survival of juvenile endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers is thought to limit recruitment into the adult populations and ultimately limit the recovery of these species in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Although many hypotheses exist about the sources of mortality, the contribution of each speculated source of mortality has not been examined. To examine causes of mortality, validate estimated age to maturity, and examine movement patterns for juvenile suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and remote tag detection systems were used. Age-1 suckers were opportunistically tagged in 2009 and 2010 during another study on juvenile sucker distribution. After the distribution study concluded in 2010, USGS redirected sampling efforts to target age-1 suckers for tagging. Tags were redetected using an existing infrastructure of remote PIT tag readers and tag scanning surveys at American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), and Forster’s tern (Sterna forsteri) breeding and loafing areas. Individual fish histories are used to describe the distance, direction, and timing of juvenile sucker movement. Sucker PIT tag detections in the Sprague and Williamson Rivers in mid-summer and in autumn indicate tagged juvenile suckers use these tributaries outside of the known spring spawning season. PIT tags detected in bird habitats indicate predation by birds was a cause of mortality.
Poulson, S.R.; Sullivan, A.B.
2009-01-01
The upper Klamath River experiences a cyanobacterial algal bloom and poor water quality during the summer. Diel chemical and isotopic techniques have been employed in order to investigate the rates of biogeochemical processes. Four diel measurements of field parameters (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and alkalinity) and stable isotope compositions (dissolved oxygen-??18O and dissolved inorganic carbon-??13C) have been performed between June 2007 and August 2008. Significant diel variations of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, and DO-??18O were observed, due to varying rates of primary productivity vs. respiration vs. gas exchange with air. Diel cycles are generally similar to those previously observed in river systems, although there are also differences compared to previous studies. In large part, these different diel signatures are the result of the low turbulence of the upper Klamath River. Observed changes in the diel signatures vs. sampling date reflect the evolution of the status of the algal bloom over the course of the summer. Results indicate the potential utility of applying diel chemical and stable isotope techniques to investigate the rates of biogeochemical cycles in slow-moving rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, but also illustrate the increased complexity of stable isotope dynamics in these low-turbulence systems compared to well-mixed aquatic systems. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.
Institutional networks and adaptive water governance in the Klamath River Basin, USA.
Polycentric networks of formal organizations and informal stakeholder groups, as opposed to centralized institutional hierarchies, can be critically important for strengthening the capacity of governance systems to adapt to unexpected social and biophysical change. Adaptive gover...
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lapierre, H.; Brouxel, M.; Albarede, F.; Coulin, C.; Lecuyer, C.; Martin, P.; Mascle, G.; Rouer, O.
1987-09-01
The Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic geology of the eastern Klamath Mountains (N California) is characterized by three major magmatic events of Ordovician, Late Ordovician to Early Devonian, and Permo-Triassic ages. The Ordovician event is represented by a calc-alkalic island-arc sequence (Lovers Leap Butte sequence) developed in the vicinity of a continental margin. The Late Ordovician to Early Devonian event consists of the 430-480 Ma old Trinity ophiolite formed during the early development of a marginal basin, and a series of low-K tholeiitic volcanic suites (Lovers Leap Basalt—Keratophyre unit, Copley and Balaklala Formations) belonging to intraoceanic island-arcs. Finally, the Permo-Triassic event gave rise to three successives phases of volcanic activity (Nosoni, Dekkas and Bully Hill) represented by the highly differentiated basalt-to-rhyolite low-K tholeiitic series of mature island-arcs. The Permo-Triassic sediments are indicative of shallow to moderate depth in an open, warm sea. The geodynamic evolution of the eastern Klamath Mountains during Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic times is therefore constrained by the geological, petrological and geochemical features of its island-arcs and related marginal basin. A consistent plate-tectonic model is proposed for the area, consisting of six main stages: (1) development during Ordovician times of a calc-alkalic island-arc in the vicinity of a continental margin; (2) extrusion during Late Ordovician to Silurian times of a primitive basalt-andesite intraoceanic island-arc suite, which terminated with boninites, the latter suggest rifting in the fore-arc, followed by the breakup of the arc; (3) opening and development of the Trinity back-arc basin around 430-480 Ma ago; (4) eruption of the Balaklala Rhyolite either in the arc or in the fore-arc, ending in Early Devonian time with intrusion of the 400 Ma Mule Mountain stock; (5) break in volcanic activity from the Early Devonian to the Early Permian; and (6) development of a mature island-arc from the Early Permian to the Late Triassic. The eastern Klamath Mountains island-arc formations and ophiolitic suite are part of the "Cordilleran suspect terranes", considered to be Gondwana margin fragments, that have undergone large northward translations before final collision with the North American craton during Late Mesozoic or Cenozoic times. These eastern Klamath Mountains island-arcs could be associated with the paleo-Pacific oceanic plate that led to accretion of these allochthonous terranes to the American margin.
Predicting the thermal effects of dam removal on the Klamath River
Bartholow, J.M.; Campbell, S.G.; Flug, M.
2004-01-01
The Klamath River once supported large runs of anadromous salmonids. Water temperature associated with multiple mainstem hydropower facilities might be one of many factors responsible for depressing Klamath salmon stocks. We combined a water quantity model and a water quality model to predict how removing the series of dams below Upper Klamath Lake might affect water temperatures, and ultimately fish survival, in the spawning and rearing portions of the mainstem Klamath. We calibrated the water quantity and quality models and applied them for the hydrometeorological conditions during a 40-year postdam period. Then, we hypothetically removed the dams and their impoundments from the models and reestimated the river’s water temperatures. The principal thermal effect of dam and reservoir removal would be to restore the timing (phase) of the river’s seasonal thermal signature by shifting it approximately 18 days earlier in the year, resulting in river temperatures that more rapidly track ambient air temperatures. Such a shift would likely cool thermal habitat conditions for adult fall chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) during upstream migration and benefit mainstem spawning. By contrast, spring and early summer temperatures could be warmer without dams, potentially harming chinook rearing and outmigration in the mainstem. Dam removal might affect the river’s thermal regime during certain conditions for over 200 km of the mainstem.
Campbell, Sharon G.; Bartholow, John M.; Heasley, John
2010-01-01
At the request of two offices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) located in Yreka and Arcata, Calif., we applied the Systems Impact Assessment Model (SIAM) to analyze a variety of water management concerns associated with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing of the Klamath hydropower projects or with ongoing management of anadromous fish stocks in the mainstem Klamath River, Oregon and California. Requested SIAM analyses include predicted effects of reservoir withdrawal elevations, use of full active storage in Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs to augment spring flows, and predicted spawning and juvenile outmigration timing of fall Chinook salmon. In an effort to further refine the analysis of spring flow effects on predicted fall Chinook production, additional SIAM analyses were performed for predicted response to spring flow release variability from Iron Gate Dam, high and low pulse flow releases, the predicted effects of operational constraints for both Upper Klamath Lake water surface elevations, and projected flow releases specified in the Klamath Project 2006 Operations Plan (April 10, 2006). Results of SIAM simulations to determine flow and water temperature relationships indicate that up to 4 degrees C of thermal variability can be attributed to flow variations, but the effect is seasonal. Much more of thermal variability can be attributed to air temperature variations, up to 6 degrees C. Reservoirs affect the annual thermal signature by delaying spring warming by about 3 weeks and fall cooling by about 2 weeks. Multi-level release outlets on Iron Gate Dam would have limited utility; however, if releases are small (700 cfs) and a near-surface and bottom-level outlet could be blended, then water temperature may be reduced by 2-4 degrees C for a 4-week period during September. Using the full active storage in Copco and Iron Gate Reservoir, although feasible, had undesirable ramifications such as earlier spring warming, loss of hydropower production, and inability to re-fill the reservoirs without causing shortages elsewhere in the system. Altering spawning and outmigration timing may be important management objectives for the salmon fishery, but difficult to implement. SIAM predicted benefits that might occur if water temperature was cooler in fall and spring emergence was advanced; however, model simulations were based on purely arbitrary thermal reductions. Spring flow variability did indicate that juvenile fall Chinook rearing habitat was the major biological 'bottleneck' for year class success. Rearing habitat is maximal in a range between 4,500 and 5,500 cfs below Iron Gate Dam. These flow levels are not typically provided by Klamath River system operations, except in very wet years. The incremental spring flow analysis provided insight into when and how long a pulse flow should occur to provide predicted fall Chinook salmon production increases. In general, March 15th - April 30th of any year was the period for pulse flows and 4000 cfs was the target flow release that provided near-optimal juvenile rearing habitat. Again, competition for water resources in the Klamath River Basin may make implementation of pulsed flows difficult.
Caldwell Eldridge, Sara L.; Driscoll, Conner; Dreher, Theo W.
2017-06-05
Monitoring the community structure and metabolic activities of cyanobacterial blooms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, is critical to lake management because these blooms degrade water quality and produce toxic microcystins that are harmful to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Genetic tools, such as DNA fingerprinting by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, high-throughput DNA sequencing (HTS), and real-time, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), provide more sensitive and rapid assessments of bloom ecology than traditional techniques. The objectives of this study were (1) to characterize the microbial community at one site in Upper Klamath Lake and determine changes in the cyanobacterial community through time using T-RFLP and HTS in comparison with traditional light microscopy; (2) to determine relative abundances and changes in abundance over time of toxigenic Microcystis using qPCR; and (3) to determine relative abundances and changes in abundance over time of Aphanizomenon, Microcystis, and total cyanobacteria using qPCR. T-RFLP analysis of total cyanobacteria showed a dominance of only one or two distinct genotypes in samples from 2013, but results of HTS in 2013 and 2014 showed more variations in the bloom cycle that fit with the previous understanding of bloom dynamics in Upper Klamath Lake and indicated that potentially toxigenic Microcystis was more prevalent in 2014 than in years prior. The qPCR-estimated copy numbers of all target genes were higher in 2014 than in 2013, when microcystin concentrations also were higher. Total Microcystis density was shown with qPCR to be a better predictor of late-season increases in microcystin concentrations than the relative proportions of potentially toxigenic cells. In addition, qPCR targeting Aphanizomenon at one site in Upper Klamath Lake indicated a moderate bloom of this species (corresponding to chlorophyll a concentrations between approximately 75 and 200 micrograms per liter) from mid-June to mid-August, 2014. After August 18, the Aphanizomenon bloom was overtaken by Microcystis late in the season as microcystin concentrations peaked. Overall, results of this study showed how DNA-based, genetic methods may provide rapid and sensitive diagnoses for the presence of toxigenic cyanobacteria and that they are useful for general monitoring or ecological studies and identification of cyanobacterial community members in complex aquatic habitats. These same methods can also be used to simultaneously address spatial (horizontal and vertical) and temporal variation and under different conditions. Additionally, with some modifications, the same techniques can be applied to different sample types, including water, sediment, and tissue.
7 CFR 614.3 - Decisions subject to informal appeal procedures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... Innovation Grants, (E) Ground and Surface Water Conservation Program, (F) Klamath Basin Program, and (G... CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS NRCS APPEAL PROCEDURES § 614.3... technical determinations made with respect to: (1) Conservation programs and regulatory requirements...
7 CFR 614.3 - Decisions subject to informal appeal procedures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... Innovation Grants, (E) Ground and Surface Water Conservation Program, (F) Klamath Basin Program, and (G... CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS NRCS APPEAL PROCEDURES § 614.3... technical determinations made with respect to: (1) Conservation programs and regulatory requirements...
Effect of water-column pH on sediment-phosphorus release rates in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2001
Fisher, Lawrence H.; Wood, Tamara M.
2004-01-01
Sediment-phosphorus release rates as a function of pH were determined in laboratory experiments for sediment and water samples collected from Shoalwater Bay in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, in 2001. Aerial release rates for a stable sediment/water interface that is representative of the sediment surface area to water column volume ratio (1:3) observed in the lake and volumetric release rates for resuspended sediment events were determined at three different pH values (8.1, 9.2, 10.2). Ambient water column pH (8.1) was maintained by sparging study columns with atmospheric air. Elevation of the water column pH to 9.2 was achieved through the removal of dissolved carbon dioxide by sparging with carbon dioxide-reduced air, partially simulating water chemistry changes that occur during algal photosynthesis. Further elevation of the pH to 10.2 was achieved by the addition of sodium hydroxide, which doubled average alkalinities in the study columns from about 1 to 2 milliequivalents per liter. Upper Klamath Lake sediments collected from the lake bottom and then placed in contact with lake water, either at a stable sediment/water interface or by resuspension, exhibited an initial capacity to take up soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) from the water column rather than release phosphorus to the water column. At a higher pH this initial uptake of phosphorus is slowed, but not stopped. This initial phase was followed by a reversal in which the sediments began to release SRP back into the water column. The release rate of phosphorus 30 to 40 days after suspension of sediments in the columns was 0.5 mg/L/day (micrograms per liter per day) at pH 8, and 0.9 mg/L/day at pH 10, indicating that the higher pH increased the rate of phosphorus release by a factor of about two. The highest determined rate of release was approximately 10% (percent) of the rate required to explain the annual internal loading to Upper Klamath Lake from the sediments as calculated from a lake-wide mass balance and observed in total phosphorus data collected at individual locations.
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the geothermal area near Klamath Falls, Oregon
Sammel, E.A.; Peterson, D.L.
1976-01-01
Geothermal phenomena observed in the vicinity of Klamath Falls include hot springs with temperatures that approach 204°F (96 o C) (the approximate boiling temperature for the altitude), steam and water wells with temperatures that exceed 212°F (100°C), and hundreds of warm-water wells with temperatures mostly ranging from 68° to 95°F (20° to 35°C). Although warm waters are encountered by wells throughout much of the 350 square miles (900 square kilometers) of the area studied, waters with temperatures exceeding 140°F (60°C) are confined to three relatively restricted areas, the northeast part of the City of Klamath Falls, Olene Gap, and the southwest flank of the Klamath Hills.The hot waters are located near, and are presumably related to, major fault and fracture zones of the Basin and Range type. The displaced crustal blocks are composed of basaltic flow rocks and pyroclastics of Miocene to Pleistocene age, and of sediments and basalt flows of the Yonna Formation of Pliocene age. Dip-slip movement along the high-angle faults may be as much as 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) at places.Shallow ground water of local meteoric origin moves through the upper 1,000 to 1,500 feet (300 to 450 meters) of sediments and volcanic rocks at relatively slow rates. A small amount of ground water, perhaps 100,000 acre feet (1.2 x 108 cubic meters) per year, leaves the area in flow toward the southwest, but much of the ground water is discharged as evapotranspiration within the basin. Average annual precipitation on 7,317 square miles (18,951 square kilometers) of land surface near Klamath Falls is estimated to be 18.16 inches (461 millimeters), of which between 12 and 14 inches (305 and 356 millimeters) is estimated to be lost through evapotranspiration.Within the older basaltic rocks of the area, hydraulic conductivities are greater than in the shallow sediments, and ground water may move relatively freely parallel to the northwest-southeast structural trend. Recharge to the geothermal systems probably occurs as water, in the deeper basalt rocks, penetrating downward along the extensive fracture zones that transect the area.Shallow meteoric water that is assumed to be the source of the thermal waters has low dissolved-solids concentrations generally dominated by calcium and bicarbonate. During its passage through the geothermal reservoir, the water gains dissolved solids in amounts up to about 900 milligrams per liter. Sodium and sulfate become the dominant ions. Chloride concentrations remain relatively low, and silica concentrations increase from an average of about 35 milligrams per liter to about 100 milligrams per liter.Both cation ratios and silica concentrations in the hot waters indicate that reservoir temperatures are relatively low. The estimate arrived at in this study for the minimum reservoir temperature is 130°C. Silica concentrations are probably more reliable than cation ratios for estimates of reservoir temperatures for these waters. Other chemical indicators, including oxygen and deuterium isotopes, are consistent in indicating that reservoir temperatures are probably not much greater than the minimum estimate.Temperature distributions and heat flows in the shallow rocks of the area are strongly influenced by convective flow of water. Most observed temperature gradients and estimated heat flows are believed to be unreliable as indicators of conditions in or directly above the thermal reservoir. Some evidence from temperature profiles suggests, however, that heat flow in the Lower Klamath Lake basin is about 1.4 microcalories per square centimeter per second (1.4 HFU), a value that is near the minimum expected for the Basin and Range province.The net thermal flux discharged from springs and wells in the area is estimated to be on the order of 2 x 106 calories per second. Discharge by thermal waters into the shallow ground-water system beneath land surface may be many times this amount. Reportedly, at present only about 1,300 calories per second of geothermal heat is being put to beneficial use in the area.A conceptual model of the geothermal system at Klamath Falls suggests that most of the observed phenomena result from transport of heat in a convective hot-water system closely related to the regional fault system. Temperatures at shallow depths are elevated above normal both by convective transport and by blockage of heat flow in sediments of low thermal conductivities. Circulation of meteoric water to depths of 10,000 to 14,000 feet (3,000 to 4,300 meters) could account for the temperatures that probably exist in the thermal reservoir, assuming temperature gradients of 30° to 40°C per kilometer in a crustal zone of normal conductive heat flow. Circulation to shallower depths may be sufficient to warm the water to the required temperatures assuming the more likely conditions of convective transport of heat and the insulating effect of overlying sediments.Heat contents in the shallow hot-water system (<3 kilometers depth) are probably in the range 12 x 1018 calories to 36 x 1018 calories. The geothermal resource at Klamath Falls may, therefore, be one of the largest in the United States.
Co-management as a Catalyst: Pathways to Post-colonial Forestry in the Klamath Basin, California.
Diver, Sibyl
2016-01-01
Co-management frameworks are intended to facilitate sustainable resource management and more equitable power sharing between state agencies and Indigenous communities. However, there is significant debate about who benefits from co-management in practice. This article addresses two competing perspectives in the literature, which alternately portrays co-management as an instrument for co-optation or for transformation. Through a case study of co-management negotiations involving the Karuk Tribe and the U.S. Forest Service in the Klamath Basin of Northern California, this study examines how Indigenous communities use co-management to build greater equity in environmental decision-making, despite its limitations. The concept of pivot points is developed to describe how Indigenous communities like the Karuk Tribe are simultaneously following existing state policies and subverting them to shift federal forest management. The pivot point analytic demonstrates one mechanism by which communities are addressing Indigenous self-determination goals and colonial legacies through environmental policy and management.
The effects of habitat restoration on endangered fishes in the Upper Klamath Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vanderkooi, S.; Burdick, S.; Ellsworth, C.
2009-12-01
The Klamath Basin has been prominent in the debate over the use of water in the arid west for nearly a decade. Principle competing demands include threatened and endangered species, agriculture, recreation, and Tribal rights. In an effort to recover two endangered fish species, the Lost River sucker and the shortnose sucker, several large-scale restoration projects have recently been undertaken in the basin. These include restoration of 7000 acres of drained wetlands in the Williamson River Delta in 2007 and 2008 and the removal of Chiloquin Dam on the Sprague River in 2008. The objectives of these projects include increasing amounts of usable aquatic habitats, restoring watershed function, improving water quality, and improving access to and connectivity among habitats. The U.S. Geological Survey is involved in a series of collaborative, interdisciplinary research efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of these restoration projects. Effectiveness is being evaluated by physical, biological and ecological metrics. Our focus is on the biology and ecology of endangered suckers. In the Williamson River Delta, we’re collecting data on the distribution, habitat use, relative abundance, and health and condition of early life-history stages of endangered suckers. Results to date indicate larval as well as age-0 and age-1 juvenile suckers are using newly created habitats in the delta. Preliminary results from comparisons of age-0 suckers captured within and outside of the delta suggest those using the restored habitats are in better condition. In the Sprague River, we’re studying the behavior, run timing, and distribution of adult suckers during spawning migrations as well as the relative abundance, species composition, and timing of emigrating larval suckers. Preliminary results indicate adult suckers migrated into the reach previously impounded by Chiloquin Dam in greater numbers than in the past. While these results indicate a positive response to dam removal, population-level effects of such restoration projects on suckers will not be fully evident for years to come because of the long life span and slow maturation rates of these fish. Continued monitoring of physical and biological changes due to restoration is essential to determining the effectiveness of these actions and informing future efforts.
Age and condition of juvenile catostomids in Clear Lake Reservoir, California
Burdick, Summer M.; Rasmussen, Josh
2013-01-01
Although infrequent recruitment of new individuals into the adult spawning populations of Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) limits recovery of these species in Upper Klamath Lake, it is not clear that populations are recruitment limited in Clear Lake Reservoir (hereafter Clear Lake). Specifically, some evidence indicates that shortnose suckers may regularly recruit to the adult spawning population in Clear Lake. Therefore, a study of early life history patterns and recruitment dynamics in Clear Lake may lead to a better understanding of what is limiting recovery of suckers in both lakes. Adult suckers in Clear Lake migrate up Willow Creek and its tributaries to spawn in some years, but low flow in Willow Creek may inhibit spawning migrations in other years. It is unclear whether spawning is successful, larvae survive, or how frequently juveniles persist to adulthood. Environmental variables associated with successful spawning or young-of-year survival have not been identified, and early life history for these populations is poorly understood. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initiated a study in 2011 to better understand juvenile sucker life history in Clear Lake, and to identify constraints in the early life history that may limit recruitment to the adult spawning populations. The relative weights of shortnose suckers from Clear Lake and Upper Klamath Lake were compared to examine differences in condition. However, it is unclear whether the disparity in relative weights between the populations reflects differences in condition, phenotype, or both. Approximately 80 percent of juvenile suckers in Clear Lake are shortnose suckers with some morphologic features similar to Klamath largescale suckers (Catostomus snyderi), whereas juvenile suckers in Upper Klamath Lake can be clearly classified as either shortnose or Lost River suckers. The presence of juvenile suckers age-3 and older indicate that production, larval survival, and juvenile survival are at least periodically sufficient to lead to recruitment into the adult population of shortnose suckers in Clear Lake.
Irwin, William P.
2003-01-01
This bibliography of Klamath Mountains geology was begun, although not in a systematic or comprehensive way, when, in 1953, I was assigned the task of preparing a report on the geology and mineral resources of the drainage basins of the Trinity, Klamath, and Eel Rivers in northwestern California. During the following 40 or more years, I maintained an active interest in the Klamath Mountains region and continued to collect bibliographic references to the various reports and maps of Klamath geology that came to my attention. When I retired in 1989 and became a Geologist Emeritus with the Geological Survey, I had a large amount of bibliographic material in my files. Believing that a comprehensive bibliography of a region is a valuable research tool, I have expended substantial effort to make this bibliography of the Klamath Mountains as complete as is reasonably feasible. My aim was to include all published reports and maps that pertain primarily to the Klamath Mountains, as well as all pertinent doctoral and master's theses. In addition, I included reports in which the Klamath Mountains are of significance but not the primary focus; these latter kinds are mostly reports that correlate the Klamath terranes with those of other provinces, that compare the genesis of Klamath rocks with those elsewhere, or that include the Klamath Mountains in a continental framework. Reports describing the geology of the overlap sequences such as the Great Valley sequence, Hornbrook Formation, and Tertiary sediments and volcanics are included where those rocks lie within the limits of the Klamath Mountains province, but are only selectively included where the overlap sequences are mainly peripheral to the province. The alphabetical part of the bibliography consists of approximately 1700 entries. The list of primary references probably is virtually complete through 1994 and includes some 1995 references. The earliest reference is to James Dwight Dana in 1849. In order to restrict the size of the topical part of the bibliography to reasonable limits, each reference is listed under only one subject although many references may be applicable to two or more subjects. Titles in the topical section are abbreviated to conserve space and still retain identity. The bibliography was compiled from a variety of sources. Some of the references have not been checked against the original publications for accuracy. Caveat emptor! I would appreciate being informed of any errors or ommissions in order that a corrected and updated version of the bibliography may be prepared. I thank Nancy Blair for assistance in verifying some of the references, and thank Mary Donato and Robert Brown for helpful suggestions regarding the topical part of the bibliography. Since the first version of this bibliography was released in 1995, the total number of entries has increased from approximately 1700 to 1937, which indicates a continued high interest in the geology of the Klamath Mountains province. The total number of entries includes 73 Ph.D. theses and 123 Masters theses representing 26 universities.
Dispersal of larval suckers at the Williamson River Delta, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2006-09
Wood, Tamara M.; Hendrixson, Heather A.; Markle, Douglas F.; Erdman, Charles S.; Burdick, Summer M.; Ellsworth, Craig M.; Buccola, Norman L.
2012-01-01
An advection/diffusion modeling approach was used to simulate the transport of larval suckers from spawning areas in the Williamson River, through the newly restored Williamson River Delta, to Upper Klamath Lake. The density simulations spanned the years of phased restoration, from 2006/2007 prior to any levee breaching, to 2008 when the northern part of the delta was reconnected to the lake, and 2009 when levees on both sides of the delta had been breached. Model simulation results from all four years were compared to field data using rank correlation. Spearman ρ correlation coefficients were usually significant and in the range 0.30 to 0.60, providing moderately strong validation of the model. The correlation coefficients varied with fish size class in a way that suggested that the model best described the distribution of smaller fish near the Williamson River channel, and larger fish away from the channel. When Lost River and shortnose/Klamath largescale suckers were simulated independently, the correlation results suggested that the model better described the transport and dispersal of the latter species. The incorporation of night-time-only drift behavior in the Williamson River channel neither improved nor degraded correlations with field data. The model showed that advection by currents is an important factor in larval dispersal.
Burdick, Summer M.; VanderKooi, Scott P.; Anderson, Greer O.
2009-01-01
Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus and shortnose sucker Chasmistes brevirostris were listed as endangered in 1988 for a variety of reasons including apparent recruitment failure. Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and its tributaries are considered the most critical remaining habitat for these two species. Age-0 suckers are often abundant in Upper Klamath Lake throughout the summer months, but catches decline dramatically between late August and early September each year, and age-1 and older subadult suckers are rare. These rapid declines in catch rates and a lack of substantial recruitment into adult sucker populations in recent years suggests sucker populations experience high mortality between their first summer and first spawn. A lack of optimal rearing habitat may exacerbate juvenile sucker mortality or restrict juvenile growth or development. In 2007, we continued research on juvenile sucker habitat use begun by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2001. Age-0 catch rates in 2006 were more than an order of magnitude greater than in previous years, which prompted us to refocus our research from age-0 suckers to age-1 sucker distributions and habitat use. We took a two-phased approach to our research in 2007 that included preliminary spring sampling and intense summer sampling components. Spring sampling was a pilot study designed to gather baseline data on the distribution of age-1 suckers as they emerge from winter in shoreline environments throughout Upper Klamath Lake (Chapter 1). Whereas, summer sampling was designed to quantitatively estimate the influence of environmental variables on age-0 and age-1 sucker distribution throughout Upper Klamath Lake, while accounting for imperfect detection (Chapter 2). In addition to these two components, we began a project to evaluate passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag loss and the effects of PIT tags on mortality of age-1 Lost River suckers (Chapter 3). The spring pilot study built the foundation for future research on post-wintering juvenile sucker distribution and habitat use studies. Only 34 percent of nets set during spring sampling (April 2 to May 29) caught juvenile suckers and catch rates were low (0.038 to 0.405 suckers/hour) and widely distributed throughout shoreline areas. Of 13 suckers sacrificed for identification, only one was determined to be a Lost River sucker. All others were either shortnose suckers or Klamath largescale Catostomus snyderi suckers, but were not identified to species. Suckers caught during the spring averaged 93 +- 2 millimeter (mm) standard length (SL; mean +- SE) and were all estimated to be a year old. Spring catches did not vary in respect to nearness to tributary streams or rivers, substrate type, area of the lake, or distance from shore. On the other hand, a higher percentage of nets caught at least one sucker when they were set within 50 meters (m) of a wetland edge (60 percent) compared to nets set 200 m from a wetland (30 percent) or in other shoreline areas (29 percent). Our results also suggest that in the spring age-1 suckers use habitats less than 2 m deep at a greater frequency than deeper environments, a trend that was reversed in the summer. Temporal trends in summer catch rates of age-0 suckers generally were similar to those in previous years, with a peak during the week of August 5. In contrast, age-1 sucker catches were relatively high until the week of July 16, but rapidly declined each week for the rest of the sampling season. Age-0 suckers were caught at higher rates than age-1 suckers though the summer, but both age groups were captured at a similar percentage of sites (age-0, 26.5 percent and age-1, 27.4 percent). Age-0 catches were composed of slightly more Lost River suckers (53.2 percent) than shortnose suckers (42.1 percent). In contrast, most age-1 suckers were shortnose suckers (72.7 percent). Our summer sampling indicates age-0 suckers within Upper Klamath Lake primarily are habitat generalists, whe
Understanding restoration of Oregon's Wood River through multi-modal hydrogeomorphic monitoring
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dearman, T.; Hughes, M. L.
2017-12-01
Channelized reaches of the lower Wood River in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon have undergone extensive restoration since the late 1990's, when the Bureau of Land Management began managing for the benefit of redband trout and other native-endemic species. Restoration included reconstruction of a floodplain and channel meanders, narrowing and deepening of channel, and excavation and reoccupation of fluvio-deltaic channels connecting the river to the Upper Klamath-Agency Lake system. The goals of this study were to extend the restoration monitoring record and evaluate post-restoration performance in light of this record. Monitoring included channel-bathymetry mapping, measurements of sediment transport (bedload), and measurement of discharge at points throughout the project reach under differing stage conditions. Results indicate two distinct domains of channel response to restoration: (1) an upstream domain marked by aggradation in the early and incision in the late post-restoration periods, and (2) a downstream domain marked by the inverse responses of degradation in the early and aggradation in the late post-restoration periods. These domains are separated by the confluence of an artificial channel maintained for boating access. Flow and sediment-transport continuity are interrupted at this confluence. At high stage (winter/spring) impoundment from the lake stalls flow, inducing sediment deposition. Stage falls as lake level recedes in the summer and stream power is restored, thereby releasing the sediment trapped at high stage. Aggradation in the downstream domain coupled with excavation of a birdfoot distributary in 2010 combined to initiate an avulsion from one distributary to another during the 2015 flow recession. With the exception of this recent avulsion, monitoring data suggest the channel system is approaching a dynamic equilibrium and behaving consistently with the rate law in geomorphology. This study provides the first known synthesis of long-term geomorphic monitoring of a freshwater fluvio-deltaic channel restoration in the Pacific Northwest.
Geology as destiny: cold waters run deep in western Oregon.
Sally Duncan
2002-01-01
The summer of 2001 brought the second-worst drought on record in Oregon, resulting in historically low streamflows and reservoir levels, stressed aquatic ecosystems, and even dramatic confrontations between irrigators and federal resource agencies in the Klamath basin. These events underscore the critical and growing importance of water availability and allocation in...
Carl N. Skinner; Alan H. Taylor
2006-01-01
The Cascade Range extends from British Columbia, Canada, south to northern California where it meets the Sierra Nevada. The Southern Cascades bioregion in California is bounded on the west by the Sacramento Valley and the Klamath Mountains, and on the east by the Modoc Plateau and Great Basin. The bioregion encompasses the Southern Cascades section of Miles and Goudey...
Landslides caused by the Klamath Falls, Oregon, earthquakes of September 20, 1993
Keefer, D.K.; Schuster, R.L.
1993-01-01
In the Klamath Falls area, the most numerous earthquake-induced rock falls were along the east-to southeast-facing flank of a ridge immediately south and west of Howard Bay (locality 1 on the accompanying map), 18 km east-southeast of the epicenter of the magntiude 6.0 shock at 10:45 p.m. This ridge is more than 240 m high and has slopes steeper than 45° in places. The upper part of the ridge is composed of material from basaltic lava flows, an the lower slopes are covered with colluvium and talus deposits containing abundant boulders.
Sullivan, Annett B.; Rounds, Stewart A.; Asbill-Case, Jessica R.; Deas, Michael L.
2013-01-01
A hydrodynamic, water temperature, and water-quality model of the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the upper Klamath River was updated to account for macrophytes and enhanced pH buffering from dissolved organic matter, ammonia, and orthophosphorus. Macrophytes had been observed in this reach by field personnel, so macrophyte field data were collected in summer and fall (June-October) 2011 to provide a dataset to guide the inclusion of macrophytes in the model. Three types of macrophytes were most common: pondweed (Potamogeton species), coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum), and common waterweed (Elodea canadensis). Pondweed was found throughout the Link River to Keno Dam reach in early summer with densities declining by mid-summer and fall. Coontail and common waterweed were more common in the lower reach near Keno Dam and were at highest density in summer. All species were most dense in shallow water (less than 2 meters deep) near shore. The highest estimated dry weight biomass for any sample during the study was 202 grams per square meter for coontail in August. Guided by field results, three macrophyte groups were incorporated into the CE-QUAL-W2 model for calendar years 2006-09. The CE-QUAL-W2 model code was adjusted to allow the user to initialize macrophyte populations spatially across the model grid. The default CE-QUAL-W2 model includes pH buffering by carbonates, but does not include pH buffering by organic matter, ammonia, or orthophosphorus. These three constituents, especially dissolved organic matter, are present in the upper Klamath River at concentrations that provide substantial pH buffering capacity. In this study, CE-QUAL-W2 was updated to include this enhanced buffering capacity in the simulation of pH. Acid dissociation constants for ammonium and phosphoric acid were taken from the literature. For dissolved organic matter, the number of organic acid groups and each group's acid dissociation constant (Ka) and site density (moles of sites per mole of carbon) were derived by fitting a theoretical buffering response to measured upper Klamath River alkalinity titration curves. The organic matter buffering in the Klamath River was modeled with two monoprotic organic acids: carboxylic acids with a mean pKa of 5.584 and site density of 0.1925, and phenolic organic acids with a mean pKa of 9.594 and site density of 0.6466. Total inorganic carbon concentrations in the model boundary inputs were recalculated based on the new buffering equations. CE-QUAL-W2 was also adjusted to allow the simulation of nonconservative alkalinity caused by nitrification, denitrification, photosynthesis, and respiration. The Klamath River model was recalibrated after the macrophyte and pH buffering updates producing improved predictions for pH, dissolved oxygen, and particulate carbon.
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2011-12-29
... currently the best available science. The MSA requires that management decisions be based on the best available science. The FMP as amended by Amendment 16 provides a process for changing estimates of MSY if..., the Council manages Klamath Basin on an aggregate basis using the best available science. The...
75 FR 52964 - Revision of Information Collection; Non-Use Valuation Survey, Klamath Basin
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Effects of lake surface elevation on shoreline-spawning Lost River Suckers
Burdick, Summer M.; Hewitt, David A.; Rasmussen, J.E.; Hayes, Brian; Janney, Eric; Harris, Alta C.
2015-01-01
We analyzed remote detection data from PIT-tagged Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus at four shoreline spawning areas in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, to determine whether spawning of this endangered species was affected by low water levels. Our investigation was motivated by the observation that the surface elevation of the lake during the 2010 spawning season was the lowest in 38 years. Irrigation withdrawals in 2009 that were not replenished by subsequent winter-spring inflows caused a reduction in available shoreline spawning habitat in 2010. We compared metrics of skipped spawning, movement among spawning areas, and spawning duration across 8 years (2006-2013) that had contrasting spring water levels. Some aspects of sucker spawning were similar in all years, including few individuals straying from the shoreline areas to spawning locations in lake tributaries and consistent effects of increasing water temperatures on the accumulation of fish at the spawning areas. During the extreme low water year of 2010, 14% fewer female and 8% fewer male suckers joined the shoreline spawning aggregation than in the other years. Both males and females visited fewer spawning areas within Upper Klamath Lake in 2010 than in other years, and the median duration at spawning areas in 2010 was at least 36% shorter for females and 20% shorter for males relative to other years. Given the imperiled status of the species and the declining abundance of the population in Upper Klamath Lake, any reduction in spawning success and egg production could negatively impact recovery efforts. Our results indicate that lake surface elevations above 1,262.3-1,262.5 m would be unlikely to limit the number of spawning fish and overall egg production.
Burdick, Summer M.; Martin, Barbara A.
2017-06-15
Executive SummaryPopulations of the once abundant Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) of the Upper Klamath Basin, decreased so substantially throughout the 20th century that they were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1988. Major landscape alterations, deterioration of water quality, and competition with and predation by exotic species are listed as primary causes of the decreases in populations. Upper Klamath Lake populations are decreasing because fish lost due to adult mortality, which is relatively low for adult Lost River suckers and variable for adult shortnose suckers, are not replaced by new young adult suckers recruiting into known adult spawning aggregations. Catch-at-age and size data indicate that most adult suckers presently in Upper Klamath Lake spawning populations were hatched around 1991. While, a lack of egg production and emigration of young fish (especially larvae) may contribute, catch-at-length and age data indicate high mortality during the first summer or winter of life may be the primary limitation to the recruitment of young adults. The causes of juvenile sucker mortality are unknown.We compiled and analyzed catch, length, age, and species data on juvenile suckers from Upper Klamath Lake from eight prior studies conducted from 2001 to 2015 to examine annual variation in apparent production, survival, and growth of young suckers. We used a combination of qualitative assessments, general linear models, and linear regression to make inferences about annual differences in juvenile sucker dynamics. The intent of this exercise is to provide information that can be compared to annual variability in environmental conditions with the hopes of understanding what drives juvenile sucker population dynamics.Age-0 Lost River suckers generally grew faster than age-0 shortnose suckers, but the difference in growth rates between the two species varied among years. This unsynchronized annual variation in daily growth may be an indication that environmental conditions are affecting growth rates of these species in different ways.The combined evidence outlined in this report and in Simon and others (2012) indicates that years of relatively high age-0 sucker production occurred in the late 1990s through at least 2000, in 2006, and in 2011. Our analysis of annual age-0 sucker catch per unit effort (CPUE), which accounted for zero inflated data and annual variation in sampling gears and locations, indicated that 2006 had the greatest apparent relative production of age-0 suckers ≥ 45 mm standard length (SL) during the time period examined. Midsummer trap net effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was too sparse to examine age-0 sucker CPUE from 2011 to 2013. Relatively frequent catches of age-1 suckers in 2001, 2007, and 2012 corroborated relatively high CPUE for age-0 suckers during 1999–2000, 2006, and 2011, as reported by USGS or Simon and others (2012).There were several indications in the data that juvenile sucker survival is low from at least midsummer of the first year of life through mid-September of the second year of life. Our estimated index of relative apparent age-0 sucker late-summer survival, which accounted for zero inflated data and variations in sampling gears and locations, was higher in 2009 than in 2004. Our index of apparent age-0 sucker mortality for all other years from 2001 to 2015 was similar among years. Seventy-five percent of age-1 suckers were captured prior to July 17 each year. In 2007, the one year with substantial age-1 sucker summertime catches, the proportion of nets to capture age-1 suckers decreased from July to mid-September. Maximum annual age-2+ sucker CPUE was 0.02 fish per net, 10,000 times less than the maximum annual age-0 sucker CPUE.Analysis of species data indicated that juvenile Lost River suckers may have greater apparent mortality than shortnose suckers. Lost River suckers made up a smaller proportion of age-0 suckers captured in July each year than would be expected, based on the abundance of adult Lost River suckers relative to shortnose suckers, and higher Lost River than shortnose sucker fecundity. The proportion of age-0 suckers captured that were Lost River suckers decreased from July to September in several years. Only 14 percent of age-1 or older juvenile suckers identified to species over the 15-year time period were Lost River suckers.
Hewitt, David A.; Janney, Eric C.; Hayes, Brian S.; Harris, Alta C.
2012-01-01
Despite relatively high survival in most years, both species have experienced substantial declines in the abundance of spawning fish because losses from mortality have not been balanced by recruitment of new individuals. Although capture-recapture data indicate substantial recruitment of new individuals into the adult spawning populations for SNS and river spawning LRS in some years, size data do not corroborate these estimates. In fact, fork length data indicate that all populations are largely comprised of fish that were present in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As a result, the status of the endangered sucker populations in Upper Klamath Lake remains worrisome, and the situation is most dire for shortnose suckers. Future investigations should explore the connections between sucker recruitment and survival and various environmental factors, such as water quality and disease. Our monitoring program provides a robust platform for estimating vital population parameters, evaluating the status of the populations, and assessing the effectiveness of conservation and recovery efforts.
Blome, C.D.; Reed, K.M.
1995-01-01
The Quinn River Formation, Black Rock terrane, Quinn River Crossing, is one of the few Nevadan sections of Permian and Triassic strata that are unaffected by Sonoman deformation. The formation consists of: 1) a basal tuff overlain by limestone and ferruginous dolomite, 2) interbedded radiolarian-bearing chert and argillite, 3) siltstone and carbonaceous shale, and 4) partly volcaniclastic rocks. All but the uppermost (barren) chert samples contain Late Permian radiolarian taxa. These radiolarians suggest that early Wordian conodonts reported from near the top of the chert and argillite unit are reworked. Poorly preserved Early(?) or Middle triassic radiolarians and Middle Triassic ammonites and pectenacid bivalves from the middle part of the volcaniclastic unit indicate the Early Triassic deposition cannot be documented at Quinn River. The ages of the Quinn River brachiopod, conodont, and radiolarian faunas resemble those of the Dekkas and Pit Formations, eastern Klamath terrane, northern California. The analogous Quinn River and eastern Klamath rock types and faunal ages, as well as similar hiatuses in their stratigraphic records, suggest that they may be lateral equivalents that formed in the same island-arc sedimentary basin. -from Authors
Structural implications of an offset Early Cretaceous shoreline in northern California
Jones, D.L.; Irwin, W.P.
1971-01-01
Recognition of a nonmarine to marine transition in sedimentary rocks at Glade Creek and Big Bar in the southern Klamath Mountains permits reconstruction of the approximate position of a north-trending Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) shoreline. At the southern end of the Klamath Mountains, the shoreline is displaced 60 mi or more to the east by a west-northwest-trending fault zone. South of this fault zone the shoreline is buried at a much lower level beneath late Cenozoic rocks in the Great Valley. This large displacement probably is the result of differential movement along a system of left-lateral tear faults in the upper plate of the Coast Range thrust. The westward bulge of the Klamath arc also may have resulted from this faulting, as the amount and direction of the bulge is comparable with the displacement of the Valanginian shoreline.Basal clastic strata at both Glade Creek and Big Bar contain abundant fresh-water or brackish-water clams, many of which consist of unabraded paired valves. These are conformably overlain by Valanginian marine strata containing Buchia crassicollis solida.The position of the Valanginian shoreline beneath the Great Valley cannot be directly observed because it is buried by thick late Cenozoic deposits. However, its approximate westernmost limit must lie between the outcrop belt of marine strata on the west side of the valley and drill holes to basement on the east side, in which equivalent strata are absent.Franciscan rocks containing Valanginian fossils occur 10 mi southwest of Glade Creek, but these are deep-water marine eugeosynclinal rocks that were deposited far to the west of the shoreline. The deformation responsible for the displacement of the Valanginian shoreline and juxtaposition of the Franciscan rocks and Klamath Mountain basement rocks involved eastward under-thrusting of the Franciscan beneath the Coast Range thrust contemporaneous with differential movement along tear faults within the upper plate.
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2011-02-16
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Grove, Robert A.; Buhler, D.R.; Henny, Charles J.; Drew, A.D.
2001-01-01
Cover condition and its influence on nesting success, survival, and body condition of ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) were evaluated at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge (TLNWR) and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (LKNWR). Inadequate nesting cover was responsible for extremely low nest success early in the nesting season at TLNWR. Later in the season at TLNWR, spring-planted crops provided cover to conceal nesting and renesting hens; however, only 0.07 young were produced (to 1 August) per hen during the study. The extremely low reproductive rates were well below those required to maintain a stable population. At TLNWR, most adult mortality during spring and early summer (before crops provided adequate cover) apparently resulted from predation by golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). This mortality occurred weeks before insecticide applications. Hard winters (cold temperatures and heavy snowfall) periodically reduce the pheasant population in the Klamath Basin and again greatly reduced numbers during the last year of this study. Unfortunately, pheasant populations declined under the conditions found during this study and were unable to recover from the hard winter of 1992 to 1993. Mean body mass and tarsal length of adult hen pheasants at TLNWR, which is intensively farmed, were less than those for hens at LKNWR, which is not intensively farmed. Results of our study suggest that TLNWR hens may have been nutritionally stressed, and that the amount and distribution of vegetative cover needs to be improved at TLNWR. Habitat management of edge cover along agricultural crops should feature perennial grasses and legumes with small tracts of land interspersed throughout the agricultural fields to provide alternative cover for wildlife in general including pheasants.
Quiñones, Rebecca M.; Holyoak, Marcel; Johnson, Michael L.; Moyle, Peter B.
2014-01-01
Understanding factors influencing survival of Pacific salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) is essential to species conservation, because drivers of mortality can vary over multiple spatial and temporal scales. Although recent studies have evaluated the effects of climate, habitat quality, or resource management (e.g., hatchery operations) on salmonid recruitment and survival, a failure to look at multiple factors simultaneously leaves open questions about the relative importance of different factors. We analyzed the relationship between ten factors and survival (1980–2007) of four populations of salmonids with distinct life histories from two adjacent watersheds (Salmon and Scott rivers) in the Klamath River basin, California. The factors were ocean abundance, ocean harvest, hatchery releases, hatchery returns, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, North Pacific Gyre Oscillation, El Niño Southern Oscillation, snow depth, flow, and watershed disturbance. Permutation tests and linear mixed-effects models tested effects of factors on survival of each taxon. Potential factors affecting survival differed among taxa and between locations. Fall Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha survival trends appeared to be driven partially or entirely by hatchery practices. Trends in three taxa (Salmon River spring Chinook salmon, Scott River fall Chinook salmon; Salmon River summer steelhead trout O. mykiss) were also likely driven by factors subject to climatic forcing (ocean abundance, summer flow). Our findings underscore the importance of multiple factors in simultaneously driving population trends in widespread species such as anadromous salmonids. They also show that the suite of factors may differ among different taxa in the same location as well as among populations of the same taxa in different watersheds. In the Klamath basin, hatchery practices need to be reevaluated to protect wild salmonids. PMID:24866173
Dileanis, Peter D.; Schwarzbach, S.E.; Bennett, Jewel
1996-01-01
The effect of irrigation drainage on the water quality and wildlife of the Klamath Basin in California and Oregon was evaluated during 1990-92 as part of the National Irrigation Water Quality Program of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The study focused on land serviced by the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Project, which supplies irrigation water to agricultural land in the Klamath Basin and the Lost River Basin. The Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are in the study area. These refuges provide critical resting and breeding habitat for waterfowl on the Pacific flyway and are dependent on irrigation drainwater from upstream agriculture for most of their water supply. Water-quality characteristics throughout the study area were typical of highly eutrophic systems during the summer months of 1991 and 1992. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations and pH tended to fluctuate each day in response to diurnal patterns of photosynthesis, and frequently exceeded criteria for protection of aquatic organisms. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were generally at or above threshold levels characteristic of eutrophic lakes and streams. At most sites the bulk of dissolved nitrogen was organically bound. Elevated ammonia concentrations were common in the study area, especially down- stream of drain inputs. High pH of water increased the toxicity of ammonia, and concentrations exceeded criteria at sites upstream and downstream of irrigated land. Concentrations of ammonia in samples from small drains on the Tule Lake refuge leaseland were higher than those measured in the larger, integrating drains at primary monitoring sites. The mean ammonia concentration in leaseland drains [1.21 milligrams per liter (mg/L)] was significantly higher than the mean concentration in canals delivering water to the leaseland fields (0.065 mg/L) and higher than concentrations reported to be lethal to Daphnia magna (median lethal concentration of 0.66 mg/L). Dissolved- oxygen concentrations also were lower, and Daphnia survivability measured during in situ bioassays was correspondingly lower in the leaseland drains than in water delivery canals. In static laboratory bioassays, water samples collected at the primary monitoring sites caused toxicity in up to 78 percent of Lemna minor tests, in up to 49 percent of Xenopus laevis tests, in 17 percent and 8 percent of Hyalella azteca and Pimephales promelas tests, respectively, and 0 percent in Daphnia magna tests. In situ exposure at the sites caused mortality in more than 83 percent of Pimephales tests and in more than 41 percent of Daphnia and Hyalella tests. Much of the observed toxicity appears to have been caused by low dissolved oxygen, high pH, and ammonia. Although water in the study area was toxic to a variety of organisms, no statistically significant differences in the degree of toxicity between sites were observed above or below irrigated agricultural land in any of the bioassays. Pesticides were frequently detected in water samples collected at the monitoring sites during the 1991 and 1992 irrigation seasons. Among the most frequently detected compounds were the herbicides simazine, metribuzin, EPTC, and metolachlor and the insecticide terbufos. All the insecticides detected were at concentrations substantially below acute toxicity values reported for aquatic organisms. The herbicide acrolein has been used extensively in the basin to manage aquatic plant growth in irrigation canals and drains. The concentration of acrolein was monitored in a canal near Tule Lake after an application in order to evaluate the potential for the pesticide to be transported to refuge waters. Although acrolein concentrations were toxic to fish in the channels adjacent to Tule Lake, very little of the canal water entered the refuge during the monitoring period. Organochlorine pesticide concentrations in 25 surficial sediment samples collected in 1990 were below bas
Burdick, Summer M.; Conway, Carla M.; Elliott, Diane G.; Hoy, Marshal S.; Dolan-Caret, Amari; Ostberg, Carl O.
2017-10-19
Most mortality of endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, occurs within the first year of life. Juvenile suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, survive longer and may even recruit to the spawning populations. In a previous (2013–2014) study, the health and condition of juvenile suckers and the dynamics of water quality between Upper Klamath Lake and Clear Lake Reservoir were compared. That study found that apparent signs of stress or exposure to irritants, such as peribiliary cuffing in liver tissue and mild inflammation and necrosis in gill tissues, were present in suckers from both lakes and were unlikely to be clues to the cause of differential mortality between lakes. Seasonal trends in energy storage as glycogen and triglycerides were also similar between lakes, indicating prey limitation was not a likely factor in differential mortality. To better understand the relationship between juvenile sucker health and water quality, we examined suckers collected in 2014–2015 from Upper Klamath Lake, where water quality can be dynamic and, at times, extreme.While there were notable differences in water quality and fish health between years, we were not able to identify any specific water-quality-related causes for differential fish condition. Water quality was generally better in 2014 than in 2015. When considered together afflictions and abnormalities generally indicated healthier suckers in 2014 than 2015. Low dissolved-oxygen events (< 4 milligrams per liter) were less frequent and occurred earlier; high pH events (≥ 9.5) were less frequent and shorter in duration; large diel fluctuations in pH (≥ 1.4) were less frequent; water temperatures were warmer, particularly in July and September; and concentrations of microcystin in both large and small fractions of samples were lower in 2014 than in 2015. Total and therefore also un-ionized ammonia were low in 2014–2015 relative to concentrations known to affect suckers. Petechial hemorrhages of the skin, attached Lernaea spp. and eosinophilic hyaline droplets in the kidney tubules were less prevalent in 2014 than in 2015; however, hyperplastic and hypertrophic gill tissue and trichodinids on the gills were observed more frequently in 2014. There were more suckers with normal liver color and texture in 2014 than in 2015. The prevalence of suckers with liver inflammation was greater in 2014 and only observed in suckers collected after August 5, whereas liver inflammation occurred intermittently in 2015. Liver glycogen among suckers decreased in late-August 2014 and increased from early August to mid-September 2015. Lost River suckers had greater whole-body triglyceride content but a larger proportion with an absence of visceral fat observed in 2014 than in 2015. In contrast, shortnose suckers were similar between years in regard to both whole-body triglyceride and visceral fat. Black-spot-forming parasites (trematode metacercariae) were observed in a higher prevalence on shortnose suckers but not Lost River suckers in 2014 than in 2015. Opercular deformities were less prevalent in both species in 2014 than in 2015.Neither gross nor histological examination revealed a high prevalence of abnormalities in suckers that clearly indicate a primary mechanism for juvenile mortality in Upper Klamath Lake. Histological abnormalities were almost always focal and minimal or mild except where associated with parasites. Mild to severe focal abnormalities associated with Lernaea sp. attachment sites and encysted digenean (trematode) metacercariae are unlikely to be associated with mortality. Severe and diffuse inflammation and hyperplasia of the gills associated with Ichthyobodo sp. on one Lost River sucker, may indicate a potential cause of mortality. High mortality may have primarily occurred outside our study period (for example, in spring or over winter), or was caused by a factor that could not be detected with our methods (for example, predation). Alternatively, abnormalities in a small percentage of passively captured suckers in Upper Klamath Lake may indicate health-related issues that were more prevalent in populations than in our samples. Temporary decreases in liver glycogen stores may also indicate periods of stress, which may eventually lead to mortality of young suckers.
Long-term streamflow trends on California’s north coast
J. Eli Asarian; Jeffrey D. Walker
2017-01-01
Using streamflow data from the U.S. Geological Survey, we assessed long-term (1953-2012) trends in streamflow on Californiaâs North Coast including many sites in the redwood region. The study area spans from the Smith River to the Mattole River and includes the Eel and Klamath-Trinity basins. Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) is a time-weighted summary of...
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paglin, Catherine
2002-01-01
An alternative school in southern Oregon that allows students to make up missing credits offers project-based thematic classes that take students outside the school. One course studied the Klamath Basin's water crisis and involved exploring the area and the perspectives of farmers, biologists, park rangers, and Native Americans. Courses culminate…
Seasonal variation in nutritional characteristics of the diet of greater white-fronted geese
Ely, Craig R.; Raveling, Dennis G.
2011-01-01
We studied diet and habitat use of greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) from autumn through spring on their primary staging and wintering areas in the Pacific Flyway, 1979–1982. There have been few previous studies of resource use and forage quality of wintering greater white-fronted geese in North America, and as a consequence there has been little empirical support for management practices pertaining to habitat conservation of this broadly distributed species. Observations of >2,500 flocks of geese and collections of foraging birds revealed seasonal and geographic variation in resource use reflective of changes in habitat availability, selection, and fluctuating physiological demands. Autumn migrants from Alaska arrived first in the Klamath Basin of California and southern Oregon, where they fed on barley, oats, wheat, and potatoes. Geese migrated from the Klamath Basin into the Central Valley of California in late autumn where they exploited agricultural crops rich in soluble carbohydrates, with geese in the Sacramento Valley feeding almost exclusively on rice and birds on the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta primarily utilizing corn. White-fronted geese began their northward migration in late winter, and by early spring most had returned to the Klamath Basin where 37% of flocks were found in fields of new growth cultivated and wild grasses. Cereal grains and potatoes ingested by geese were low in protein (7–14%) and high in soluble nutrients (17–47% neutral detergent fiber [NDF]), whereas grasses were low in available energy (47–49% NDF) but high in protein (26–42%). Greater white-fronted geese are generalist herbivores and can exploit a variety of carbohydrate-rich cultivated crops, likely making these geese less susceptible to winter food shortages than prior to the agriculturalization of the North American landscape. However, agricultural landscapes can be extremely dynamic and may be less predictable in the long-term than the historic environments to which geese are adapted. Thus far greater white-fronted geese have proved resilient to changes in land cover in the Pacific Flyway and by altering their migration regime have even been able to adapt to changes in the availability of suitable forage crops.
Simon, N.S.; Lynch, D.; Gallaher, T.N.
2009-01-01
We tested the hypothesis that there would be measurable losses of phosphorus (P) from surficial sediments of Upper Klamath Lake (UKL), Oregon, if sediments were a source of P during an algal bloom. We compared concentrations of total and forms of P at various depths in cores collected before and after the onset of a large Aphanizomenon flos-aquae bloom. Concentrations of inorganic P were determined in extraction solutions of MgCl2 (1 M, pH 8), citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate, and 1 M HCl. Sediments below 2 cm were dominated by residual P which is defined as total P minus inorganic P. During the study period, data from the top 2-cm of sediment indicated (a) significant decrease in total P concentration, primarily associated with iron oxyhydroxides at one site, and (b) significant increase in total P concentration associated with residual P at a second site. Data from two other sites indicated no net changes in concentrations of total P. ?? 2009 US Government.
A spatially explicit suspended-sediment load model for western Oregon
Wise, Daniel R.; O'Connor, Jim
2016-06-27
Knowledge of the regionally important patterns and factors in suspended-sediment sources and transport could support broad-scale, water-quality management objectives and priorities. Because of biases and limitations of this model, however, these results are most applicable for general comparisons and for broad areas such as large watersheds. For example, despite having similar area, precipitation, and land-use, the Umpqua River Basin generates 68 percent more suspended sediment than the Rogue River Basin, chiefly because of the large area of Coast Range sedimentary province in the Umpqua River Basin. By contrast, the Rogue River Basin contains a much larger area of Klamath terrane rocks, which produce significantly less suspended load, although recent fire disturbance (in 2002) has apparently elevated suspended sediment yields in the tributary Illinois River watershed. Fine-scaled analysis, however, will require more intensive, locally focused measurements.
Burdick, Summer M.; Ottinger, Christopher; Brown, Daniel T.; VanderKooi, Scott P.; Robertson, Laura; Iwanowicz, Deborah
2009-01-01
Federally endangered Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus and shortnose sucker Chasmistes brevirostris were once abundant throughout their range but populations have declined; they have been extirpated from several lakes, and may no longer reproduce in others. Poor recruitment into the adult spawning populations is one of several reasons cited for the decline and lack of recovery of these species, and may be the consequence of high mortality during juvenile life stages. High larval and juvenile sucker mortality may be exacerbated by an insufficient quantity of suitable rearing habitat. Within Upper Klamath Lake, a lack of marshes also may allow larval suckers to be swept from suitable rearing areas downstream into the seasonally anoxic waters of the Keno Reservoir. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) flooded about 3,600 acres to the north of the Williamson River mouth (Tulana Unit) in October 2007, and about 1,400 acres to the south and east of the Williamson River mouth (Goose Bay Unit) a year later, to retain larval suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, create nursery habitat for suckers, and improve water quality. In collaboration with TNC, the Bureau of Reclamation, and Oregon State University, we began a long-term collaborative research and monitoring program in 2008 to assess the effects of the Williamson River Delta restoration on the early life-history stages of Lost River and shortnose suckers. Our approach includes two equally important aspects. One component is to describe habitat use and colonization processes by larval and juvenile suckers and non-sucker fish species. The second is to evaluate the effects of the restored habitat on the health and condition of juvenile suckers. This report contains a summary of the first year of data collected as a part of this monitoring effort.
Eldridge, Sara L. Caldwell; Wood, Tamara M.; Echols, Kathy R.
2012-01-01
Phytoplankton blooms dominated by cyanobacteria that occur annually in hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, produce microcystins at concentrations that may contribute to the decline in populations of endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers. During 2007–09, water samples were collected from Upper Klamath Lake to determine the presence and concentrations of microcystins and cylindrospermopsins and to relate the spatial and temporal occurrences of microcystins to water quality and other environmental variables. Samples were analyzed for intracellular (particulate) and extracellular (dissolved) microcystins and cylindrospermopsins using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Samples contained the highest and most variable concentrations of microcystins in 2009, the year in which an earlier and heavier Aphanizomenon flos-aquae-dominated phytoplankton bloom occurred. Concentrations were lowest in 2008 when the bloom was lighter, overall, and delayed by nearly 1 month. Microcystins occurred primarily in dissolved and large (> 63 μm) particulate forms in all years of the study, and overall, concentrations were highest at MDT (the deepest site in the study) and HDB, although HDB was sampled only in 2007 and MDT was not sampled in 2008. Comparisons among daily median total microcystin concentrations; chlorophyll a concentrations; total, dissolved, and particulate nutrient concentrations; and nutrient ratios measured in 2009 and between 2007 and 2009 indicate that microcystin concentrations generally increase following the decline of the first A. flos-aquae-dominated bloom of each season in response to an increase in bioavailable nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen fixation by A. flos-aquae early in the sample season appears to provide new nitrogen for growth of toxigenic Microcystis aeruginosa, whereas, later in the season, these species appear to co-exist. Understanding the ecological interactions between these species may be important for predicting periods of elevated cyanotoxin concentrations and has important implications for management of this lake.
Wood, Tamara M.; Fuhrer, Gregory J.; Morace, Jennifer L.
1996-01-01
Based on the analysis of data that they have been collecting for several years, the Klamath Tribes recently recommended that the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) modify the operating plan for the dam to make the minimum lake levels for the June-August period more closely resemble pre-dam conditions (Jacob Kann, written commun., 1995). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was asked to analyze the available data for the lake and to assess whether the evidence exists to conclude that year-to-year differences in certain lake water-quality variables are related to year-to-year differences in lake level. The results of the analysis will be used as scientific input in the process of developing an operating plan for the Link River Dam.
Margaret A. Wilzbach; Bret C. Harvey; Jason L. White; Rodney J. Nakamoto
2005-01-01
We studied the concurrent effects of riparian canopy opening and salmon carcass addition on salmonid biomass, density and growth rates in small streams over 2 years. In each of six streams in the Smith and Klamath River basins in northern California, red alder (Alnus rubra) and other hardwoods were removed along both banks of a 100-m reach to...
Paleomagnetic constraints on the interpretation of early Cenozoic Pacific Northwest paleogeography
Wells, Ray E.
1984-01-01
Widespread Cenozoic clockwise tectonic rotation in the Pacific Northwest is an established fact; however, the geologic reconstructions based on these rotations are the subject of continuing debate. Three basic mechanisms have been proposed to explain the rotations: (1) simple shear rotation of marginal terranes caught in the dextral shear couple between oceanic plates and North America; (2) rotation during oblique microplate collision and accretion to the continental margin; and (3) rotation of continental margin areas during episodes of intracontinental extension. In areas where detailed structure and stratigraphy are available, distributed shear rotations are amplv demonstrated paleomagnetically. However, rotation due to asymmetric interarc extension must be significant, especially for the Oregon Coast Range, in light of recent estimates of large Tertiary extension across the northern Basin and Range. The relative importance of shear versus extension is difficult to determine, but shear could account for nearly onehalf of the observed rotations. Oblique microplate collision has not contributed significantly to the observed Cenozoic rotations because most of the rotation post-dates collision-related deformation in the Oregon and Washington. Coast Range. The resultant continental reconstructions suggest that about 300 km of extension has occurred at 42°N. latitude (southern Oregon border) since early Eocene time. This reconstruction suggests that Cretaceous sedimentary basins east of the Klamath Mountains have undergone significant Tertiary extension (about f<0%) , but little rotation. Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in the Blue Mountains of Oregon near Mitchell are probably rotated at least 15° and perhaps as much as 60°, which allows considerable latitude in the restoration of that part of the basin.
Flint, L.E.; Flint, A.L.
2008-01-01
Stream temperature is an important component of salmonid habitat and is often above levels suitable for fish survival in the Lower Klamath River in northern California. The objective of this study was to provide boundary conditions for models that are assessing stream temperature on the main stem for the purpose of developing strategies to manage stream conditions using Total Maximum Daily Loads. For model input, hourly stream temperatures for 36 tributaries were estimated for 1 Jan. 2001 through 31 Oct. 2004. A basin-scale approach incorporating spatially distributed energy balance data was used to estimate the stream temperatures with measured air temperature and relative humidity data and simulated solar radiation, including topographic shading and corrections for cloudiness. Regression models were developed on the basis of available stream temperature data to predict temperatures for unmeasured periods of time and for unmeasured streams. The most significant factor in matching measured minimum and maximum stream temperatures was the seasonality of the estimate. Adding minimum and maximum air temperature to the regression model improved the estimate, and air temperature data over the region are available and easily distributed spatially. The addition of simulated solar radiation and vapor saturation deficit to the regression model significantly improved predictions of maximum stream temperature but was not required to predict minimum stream temperature. The average SE in estimated maximum daily stream temperature for the individual basins was 0.9 ?? 0.6??C at the 95% confidence interval. Copyright ?? 2008 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.
Risley, John C.; Brewer, Scott J.; Perry, Russell W.
2012-01-01
Computer model simulations were run to determine the effects of dam removal on water temperatures along the Klamath River, located in south-central Oregon and northern California, using flow requirements defined in the 2010 Biological Opinion of the National Marine Fisheries Service. A one-dimensional, daily averaged water temperature model (River Basin Model-10) developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, Seattle, Washington, was used in the analysis. This model had earlier been configured and calibrated for the Klamath River by the U.S. Geological Survey for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Klamath Secretarial Determination to simulate the effects of dam removal on water temperatures for current (2011) and future climate change scenarios. The analysis for this report was performed outside of the scope of the Klamath Secretarial Determination process at the request of the Bureau of Reclamation Technical Services Office, Denver, Colorado.For this analysis, two dam scenarios were simulated: “dams in” and “dams out.” In the “dams in” scenario, existing dams in the Klamath River were kept in place. In the “dams out” scenario, the river was modeled as a natural stream, without the J.C. Boyle, Copco1, Copco2, and Iron Gate Dams, for the entire simulation period. Output from the two dam scenario simulations included daily water temperatures simulated at 29 locations for a 50-year period along the Klamath River between river mile 253 (downstream of Link River Dam) and the Pacific Ocean. Both simulations used identical flow requirements, formulated in the 2010 Biological Opinion, and identical climate conditions based on the period 1961–2009.Simulated water temperatures from January through June at almost all locations between J.C. Boyle Reservoir and the Pacific Ocean were higher for the “dams out” scenario than for the “dams in” scenario. The simulated mean monthly water temperature increase was highest [1.7–2.2 degrees Celsius (°C)] in May downstream of Iron Gate Dam. However, from August to December, dam removal generally cooled water temperatures. During these months, water temperatures decreased 1°C or more between Copco Lake and locations 50 miles or more downstream. The greatest mean monthly temperature decrease was 4°C in October just downstream of Iron Gate Dam. Near the ocean, the effects of dam removal were small (less than 0.2°C) for most months. However, the mean November temperature near the ocean was almost 0.5°C cooler with dam removal.
Heterotrophic Potential for Amino Acid Uptake in a Naturally Eutrophic Lake1
Burnison, B. Kent; Morita, Richard Y.
1974-01-01
The uptake of sixteen 14C-labeled amino acids by the indigenous heterotrophic microflora of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, was measured using the kinetic approach. The year-long study showed a seasonal variation in the maximum uptake velocity, Vmax, of all the amino acids which was proportional to temperature. The maximum total flux of amino acids by the heterotrophic microflora ranged from 1.2 to 11.9 μmol of C per liter per day (spring to summer). Glutamate, asparagine, aspartate, and serine had the highest Vmax values and were respired to the greatest extent. The percentages of the gross (net + respired) uptake of the amino acids which were respired to CO2 ranged from 2% for leucine to 63% for glutamate. Serine, lysine, and glycine were the most abundant amino acids found in Upper Klamath Lake surface water; at intermediate concentrations were alanine, aspartate, and threonine; and the remaining amino acids were always below 7.5 × 10-8 M (10 μg/liter). The amino acid concentrations determined chemically appear to be the sum of free and adsorbed amino acids, since the values obtained were usually greater than the (Kt + Sn) values obtained by the heterotrophic uptake experiments. PMID:4207581
Wood, Tamara M.; Hendrixson, Heather A.; Markle, Douglas F.; Erdman, Charles S.; Burdick, Summer M.; Ellsworth, Craig M.
2014-01-01
A hydrodynamic model with particle tracking was used to create individual-based simulations to describe larval fish dispersal through the restored Williamson River Delta and into Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. The model was verified by converting particle ages to larval lengths and comparing these lengths to lengths of larvae in net catches. Correlations of simulated lengths with field data were moderate and suggested a species-specific difference in model performance. Particle trajectories through the delta were affected by wind speed and direction, lake elevation, and shoreline configuration. Once particles entered the lake, transport was a function of current speed and whether behavior enhanced transport (swimming aligned with currents) or countered transport through greater dispersal (faster random swimming). We tested sensitivity to swim speed (higher speeds led to greater dispersal and more retention), shoreline configuration (restoration increased retention relative to pre-restoration conditions), and lake elevation (retention was maximized at an intermediate elevation). The simulations also highlight additional biological questions, such as the extent to which spatially heterogeneous mortality or fish behavior and environmental cues could interact with wind-driven currents and contribute to patterns of dispersal.
Burdick, S.M.; Hendrixson, H.A.; VanderKooi, S.P.
2008-01-01
We examined habitat use by age-0 Lost River suckers Deltistes luxatus and shortnose suckers Chasmistes brevirostris over six substrate classes and in vegetated and nonvegetated areas of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. We used a patch occupancy approach to model the effect of physical habitat and water quality conditions on habitat use. Our models accounted for potential inconsistencies in detection probability among sites and sampling occasions as a result of differences in fishing gear types and techniques, habitat characteristics, and age-0 fish size and abundance. Detection probability was greatest during mid- to late summer, when water temperatures were highest and age-0 suckers were the largest. The proportion of sites used by age-0 suckers was inversely related to depth (range = 0.4-3.0 m), particularly during late summer. Age-0 suckers were more likely to use habitats containing small substrate (64 mm) and habitats with vegetation than those without vegetation. Relatively narrow ranges in dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH prevented us from detecting effects of these water quality features on age-0 sucker nearshore habitat use.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-01-28
... Operations of PacifiCorp's Klamath Hydroelectric Project on the Klamath River, Klamath County, OR, and... Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the interim operations of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project in [[Page 5831... habitats upon which they depend, resulting from the interim operations of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project...
Anderson, Greer O.; Wilkens, Alexander X.; Burdick, Summer M.; VanderKooi, Scott P.
2009-01-01
In the summer of 2007, we undertook an assessment of larval and juvenile sucker use of Hanks Marsh in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. This 1,200-acre marsh on the southeastern shoreline of the lake represents part of the last remaining natural emergent wetland habitat in the lake. Because of the suspected importance of this type of habitat to larval and juvenile endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, it was thought that sucker abundance in the marsh might be comparatively greater than in other non-vegetated areas of the lake. It also was hoped that Hanks Marsh would serve as a reference site for wetland restoration projects occurring in other areas of the lake. Our study had four objectives: to (1) examine seasonal distribution and relative abundance of larval suckers in and adjacent to Hanks Marsh in relation to habitat features such as depth, vegetation, water quality, and relative abundance of non-sucker species; (2) determine the presence or absence and describe the distribution of juvenile suckers [35 to 80 mm standard length (SL)] along the periphery of Hanks Marsh; (3) assess spatial and temporal overlap between larval suckers and their potential predators; and (4) assess suitability of water quality throughout the summer for young-of-the-year suckers. Due to the low number of suckers found in the marsh and our inability to thoroughly sample all marsh habitats due to declining lake levels during the summer, we were unable to completely address these objectives in this pilot study. The results, however, do give some indication of the relative use of Hanks Marsh by sucker and non-sucker species. Through sampling of larval and juvenile suckers in various habitat types within the marsh, we determined that sucker use of Hanks Marsh may be very low in comparison with other areas of the lake. We caught only 42 larval and 19 juvenile suckers during 12 weeks of sampling throughout the marsh. Sucker catches were rare in Hanks Marsh, and were lower than catch rates in other marshes of Upper Klamath Lake and in other nearshore and offshore areas of the lake. Based on the few suckers we did capture in Hanks Marsh, larvae tended to be found more often in vegetated habitats. A modified sampling design and approach may be necessary to address the objectives in this study, given that declining lake-surface elevation prevented us from adequately sampling all portions of the marsh throughout the sampling season. Common non-sucker species in Hanks Marsh included juvenile and adult brown bullhead, larval blue chub, tui chub, fathead minnow, and yellow perch. This species composition was similar to that of other marshes in Upper Klamath Lake but most species were found in lower numbers in Hanks Marsh than other marshes. It may be that use of Hanks Marsh is limited by poor water quality, which we found to exist at many sites after June. It also may be that access to or habitat in the marsh is limited at certain times of the year by low water. Although the results from this initial study of Hanks Marsh indicate that the area may have little direct benefit for sucker species, indirect benefits for these species possibly may come from its positive influence on some aspects of water quality in the lake, such as regulation of pH. It also may be the case that use of Hanks Marsh may vary by year and conditions; however, under the current scope of the study, we were unable to investigate inter-annual variability.
Snyder, Daniel T.; Risley, John C.; Haynes, Jonathan V.
2012-01-01
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) was developed by a diverse group of stakeholders, Federal and State resource management agencies, Tribal representatives, and interest groups to provide a comprehensive solution to ecological and water-supply issues in the Klamath Basin. The Off-Project Water Program (OPWP), one component of the KBRA, has as one of its purposes to permanently provide an additional 30,000 acre-feet of water per year on an average annual basis to Upper Klamath Lake through "voluntary retirement of water rights or water uses or other means as agreed to by the Klamath Tribes, to improve fisheries habitat and also provide for stability of irrigation water deliveries." The geographic area where the water rights could be retired encompasses approximately 1,900 square miles. The OPWP area is defined as including the Sprague River drainage, the Sycan River drainage downstream of Sycan Marsh, the Wood River drainage, and the Williamson River drainage from Kirk Reef at the southern end of Klamath Marsh downstream to the confluence with the Sprague River. Extensive, broad, flat, poorly drained uplands, valleys, and wetlands characterize much of the study area. Irrigation is almost entirely used for pasture. To assist parties involved with decisionmaking and implementation of the OPWP, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Klamath Tribes and other stakeholders, created five hydrological information products. These products include GIS digital maps and datasets containing spatial information on evapotranspiration, subirrigation indicators, water rights, subbasin streamflow statistics, and return-flow indicators. The evapotranspiration (ET) datasets were created under contract for this study by Evapotranspiration, Plus, LLC, of Twin Falls, Idaho. A high-resolution remote sensing technique known as Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution and Internalized Calibration (METRIC) was used to create estimates of the spatial distribution of ET. The METRIC technique uses thermal infrared Landsat imagery to quantify actual evapotranspiration at a 30-meter resolution that can be related to individual irrigated fields. Because evaporation uses heat energy, ground surfaces with large ET rates are left cooler as a result of ET than ground surfaces that have less ET. As a consequence, irrigated fields appear in the Landsat images as cooler than nonirrigated fields. Products produced from this study include total seasonal and total monthly (April-October) actual evapotranspiration maps for 2004 (a dry year) and 2006 (a wet year). Maps showing indicators of natural subirrigation were also provided by this study. "Subirrigation" as used here is the evapotranspiration of shallow groundwater by plants with roots that penetrate to or near the water table. Subirrigation often occurs at locations where the water table is at or above the plant rooting depth. Natural consumptive use by plants diminishes the benefit of retiring water rights in subirrigated areas. Some agricultural production may be possible, however, on subirrigated lands for which water rights are retired. Because of the difficulty in precisely mapping and quantifying subirrigation, this study presents several sources of spatially mapped data that can be used as indicators of higher subirrigation probability. These include the floodplain boundaries defined by stream geomorphology, water-table depth defined in Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) soil surveys, and soil rooting depth defined in NRCS soil surveys. The two water-rights mapping products created in the study were "points of diversion" (POD) and "place of use" (POU) for surface-water irrigation rights. To create these maps, all surface-water rights data, decrees, certificates, permits, and unadjudicated claims within the entire 1,900 square mile study area were aggregated into a common GIS geodatabase. Surface-water irrigation rights within a 5-mile buffer of the study area were then selected and identified. The POU area was then totaled by water right for primary and supplemental water rights. The maximum annual volume (acre-feet) allowed under each water right also was calculated using the POU area and duty (allowable annual irrigation application in feet). In cases where a water right has more than one designated POD, the total volume for the water right was equally distributed to each POD listed for the water right. Because of this, mapped distribution of diversion rates for some rights may differ from actual practice. Water-right information in the map products was from digital datasets obtained from the Oregon Water Resources Department and was, at the time acquired, the best available compilation of water-right information available. Because the completeness and accuracy of the water-right data could not be verified, users are encouraged to check directly with the Oregon Water Resources Department where specific information on individual rights or locations is essential. A dataset containing streamflow statistics for 72 subbasins in the study area was created for the study area. The statistics include annual flow durations (5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 95-percent exceedances) and 7-day, 10-year (7Q10) and 7-day, 2-year (7Q2) low flows, and were computed using regional regression equations based on measured streamflow records in the region. Daily streamflow records used were adjusted as needed for crop consumptive use; therefore the statistics represent streamflow under more natural conditions as though irrigation diversions did not exist. Statistics are provided for flow rates resulting from streamflow originating from within the entire drainage area upstream of the subbasin pour point (referring to the outlet of the contributing drainage basin). The statistics were computed for the purpose of providing decision makers with the ability to estimate streamflow that would be expected after water conservation techniques have been implemented or a water right has been retired. A final product from the study are datasets of indicators of the potential for subsurface return flow of irrigation water from agricultural areas to nearby streams. The datasets contain information on factors such as proximity to surface-water features, geomorphic floodplain characteristics, and depth to water. The digital data, metadata, and example illustrations for the datasets described in this report are available on-line from the USGS Water Resources National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Node Website http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getgislist or from the U.S. Government website DATA.gov at http://www.data.gov with links provided in a Microsoft® Excel® workbook in appendix A.
Geochemical recognition of a captured back-arc basin metabasaltic complex, southwestern Oregon
Donato, M.M.
1991-01-01
An extensive fault-bounded amphibolite terrane of Late Jurassic (145 ?? 2 Ma) metamorphic age occurring in the northeastern Klamath Mountains of southern Oregon has been recognized as the remnants of an ancient back-arc basin. In spite of thorough metamorphic recrystallization under amphibolite-facies conditions, the amphibolite locally displays relict igneous textures which suggest that the protoliths included basaltic dikes or sills, shallow diabase intrusions, and gabbros. The geochemical data, together with the present-day geologic context, indicate that the tectonic setting of eruption/intrusion was probably within a back-arc basin that existed inboard (east) of a pre-Nevadan volcanic arc. The basalt (now amphibolite) and the overlying sediments (now the May Creek Schist) were metamorphosed and deformed during accretion to North America during the Late Jurassic Nevadan orogeny. -from Author
Janney, Eric C.; Hayes, Brian S.; Hewitt, David A.; Barry, Patrick M.; Scott, Alta; Koller, Justin; Johnson, Mark; Blackwood, Greta
2009-01-01
We used capture-recapture data to assess population dynamics of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. The Cormack-Jolly-Seber method was used to estimate apparent survival probabilities, and a temporal symmetry model was used to estimate annual seniority probabilities. Information theoretic modeling was used to assess variation in parameter estimates due to time, gender, and species. In addition, length data were used to detect multiple year-class failures and events of high recruitment into adult spawning populations. Survival of adult Lost River and shortnose suckers varied substantially across years. Relatively high annual mortality was observed for the lakeshore-spawning Lost River sucker subpopulation in 2002 and for the river spawning subpopulation in 2001. Shortnose suckers experienced high mortality in 2001 and 2004. This indicates that high mortality events are not only species specific, but also are specific to subpopulations for Lost River suckers. Seniority probability estimates and length composition data indicate that recruitment of new individuals into adult sucker populations has been sparse. The overall fitness of Upper Klamath Lake sucker populations are of concern given the low observed survival in some years and the paucity of recent recruitment. During most years, estimates of survival probabilities were lower than seniority probabilities, indicating net losses in adult sucker population abundances. The evidence for decline was more marked for shortnose suckers than for Lost River suckers. Our data indicated that sucker survival for both species, but especially shortnose suckers, was sometimes low in years without any observed fish kills. This indicates that high mortality can occur over a protracted period, resulting in poor annual survival, but will not necessarily be observed in association with a fish kill. A better understanding of the factors influencing adult survival and recruitment into spawning populations is needed. Monitoring these vital parameters will provide a quantitative means to evaluate population status and assess the effectiveness of conservation and recovery efforts.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Priest, George R.; Hladky, Frank R.; Mertzman, Stanley A.; Murray, Robert B.; Wiley, Thomas J.
2013-08-01
geologic mapping of the Klamath Falls-Keno area revealed the complex relationship between subduction, crustal extension, and magmatic composition of the southern Oregon Cascade volcanic arc. Volcanism in the study area at 7-4 Ma consisted of calc-alkaline basaltic andesite and andesite lava flowing over a relatively flat landscape. Local angular unconformities are evidence that Basin and Range extension began at by at least 4 Ma and continues today with fault blocks tilting at a long-term rate of 2°/Ma to 3°/Ma. Minimum NW-SE extension is 1.5 km over 28 km ( 5%). High-alumina olivine tholeiite (HAOT) or low-K, low-Ti transitional high-alumina olivine tholeiite (LKLT) erupted within and adjacent to the back edge of the calc-alkaline arc as the edge receded westward at a rate of 10 km/Ma at 2.7-0.45 Ma. The volcanic front migrated east much slower than the back arc migrated west: 0 km/Ma for 6-0.4 Ma calc-alkaline rocks; 0.7 km/Ma, if 6 Ma HAOT-LKLT is included; and 1 km/Ma, if highly differentiated 17-30 Ma volcanic rocks of the early Western Cascades are included. Declining convergence probably decreased asthenospheric corner flow, decreasing width of calc-alkaline and HAOT-LKLT volcanism and the associated heat flow anomaly, the margins of which focused on Basin and Range extension and leakage of HAOT-LKLT magma to the surface. This declining corner flow combined with steepening slab dip shifted the back arc west. Compensation of extension by volcanic intrusion and extrusion allowed growth of imposing range-front fault scarps only behind the trailing edge of the shrinking arc.
Burdick, Summer M.
2012-01-01
Federally endangered Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were once abundant throughout their range but populations have declined. They were extirpated from several lakes in the 1920s and may no longer reproduce in other lakes. Poor recruitment to the adult spawning populations is one of several reasons cited for the decline and lack of recovery of these species and may be the consequence of high mortality during juvenile life stages. High larval and juvenile sucker mortality may be exacerbated by an insufficient quantity of suitable or high-quality rearing habitat. In addition, larval suckers may be swept downstream from suitable rearing areas in Upper Klamath Lake into Keno Reservoir, where they are assumed lost to Upper Klamath Lake populations. The Nature Conservancy flooded about 3,600 acres (1,456 hectares) to the north of the Williamson River mouth (Tulana) in October 2007, and about 1,400 acres (567 hectares) to the south and east of the Williamson River mouth (Goose Bay Farms) in October 2008, in order to retain larval suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, create nursery habitat, and improve water quality. The U.S. Geological Survey joined a long-term research and monitoring program in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the Bureau of Reclamation, and Oregon State University in 2008 to assess the effects of the Williamson River Delta restoration on the early life-history stages of Lost River and shortnose suckers. The primary objectives of the research were to describe habitat colonization and use by larval and juvenile suckers and non-sucker fishes and to evaluate the effects of the restored habitat on the health and condition of juvenile suckers. This report summarizes data collected in 2010 by the U.S. Geological Survey as a part of this monitoring effort and follows two annual reports on data collected in 2008 and 2009. Restoration modifications made to the Williamson River Delta appeared to provide additional suitable rearing habitat for endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers from 2008 to 2010 based on sucker catches. Mean larval sample density was greater for both species in the Williamson River Delta than adjacent lake habitats in all 3 years. In addition to larval suckers, at least three age classes of juvenile suckers were captured in the delta. The shallow Goose Bay Farms and Tulana Emergent were among the most used habitats by age-0 suckers in 2009. Both of these environments became inaccessible due to low water in 2010, however, and were not sampled after July 19, 2010. In contrast, age-1 sucker catches shifted from the shallow water (about 0.5-1.5 m deep) on the eastern side of the Williamson River Delta in May, to deeper water environments (greater than 2 m) by the end of June or early July in all 3 years. Differential distribution among sucker species within the Williamson River Delta and between the delta and adjacent lakes indicated that shortnose suckers likely benefited more from the restored Williamson River Delta than Lost River or Klamath largescale suckers (Catostomus snyderi). Catch rates in shallow-water habitats within the delta were higher for shortnose and Klamath largescale sucker larvae than for larval Lost River suckers in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Shortnose suckers also comprised the greatest portion of age-0 suckers captured in the Williamson River Delta in all 3 years of the study. The relative abundance of age-1 shortnose suckers was high in our catches compared to age-1 Lost River suckers in 2009 and 2010. The restored delta also created habitat for several piscivorous fishes, but only two appeared to pose a meaningful threat of predation to suckers - fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Fathead minnows that prey on larval but not juvenile suckers dominated catches in all sampling areas. Yellow perch also were abundant throughout the study area, but based on their gape size and co-occurrence with suckers, most were only capable of preying on larvae. Low May lake-surface elevation, below average snow pack, and anticipated irrigation demands indicated late summer water levels in Upper Klamath Lake would be unusually low in 2010. In response to concerns by the Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy that low-water conditions might strand fish on the delta, low water seine surveys were implemented. Eleven fishes, including both endangered suckers, were captured in seine surveys, including both species of suckers, which continued to use shallow water less than 0.4 m deep through September 21. Lake elevation declined to 1,261.54 m (4,138.9 feet) in mid-September 2010, but did not appear to strand fish or cause large-scale fish mortality.
California salmon and steelhead: Beyond the crossroads
Mills, Terry J.; McEwan, Dennis R.; Jennings, Mark R.; Stouder, Deanna J.; Bisson, Peter A.; Naiman, Robert J.
1997-01-01
Virtually all California salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and steelhead (O. mykiss) stocks have declined to record or near-record low levels during 1980-95. Escapement of naturally spawning Klamath and Sacramento basin fall-run chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) stocks has fallen consistently below the goals of 35,000 adults (Klamath) and 120,000 adults (Sacramento) established by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. These two stocks constitute the primary management units for ocean harvest regulations in California and southern Oregon. This decline triggered a mandatory review of ocean harvest and inland production conditions in each basin. The Sacramento winter-run chinook salmon, once numbering >100,000 adult spawners, was listed as threatened in 1990 and endangered in 1994 under the Endangered Species Act. The listing occurred as a result of a precipitous decline in abundance (to <200 adult spawners) and significant threats to this stock’s continued existence.Spring-run chinook salmon, historically an abundant component of California’s inland fish fauna with >500,000 adult spawners, has been extirpated from the San Joaquin River basin. However, remnant populations of this naturally spawning stock remain within the Klamath, Smith, and Sacramento river basins. Unfortunately, annual counts of 3,000-25,000 spawners in the Sacramento River basin during the past 25 years are largely of hatchery origin. Recent steelhead data from the same region indicate that many stocks are close to extinction, and nearly all steel-head in the Sacramento River are also of hatchery origin. Both spring-run chinook salmon and summer steelhead are considered to be species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Game because of their limited distributions and sensitivities to degraded habitat conditions. The southern race of winter steelhead south of Point Conception is nearly extinct and remnant populations have been recently recorded in only 9 streams.Coastal cutthroat trout (O. clarki), which are restricted to lowland drainages from the Eel River northward, are greatly depleted. Coho salmon (O. kisutch),which once probably numbered close to 1,000,000 fish per year in coastal California streams, have dwindled to —5,000 natural spawners per year. Chum salmon (O. keta), never a significant part of the state’s native fish fauna, are currently restricted to <10 spawners in three different streams in the Sacramento River basin and occasionally in the South Fork of the Trinity River. The historically small runs of pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) in the Sacramento and Russian rivers are probably now extirpated. Anadromous sockeye salmon (O. nerka) are only recorded as strays.In response to serious declines in salmon and steelhead stocks, numerous legislative and congressional actions have been undertaken and California has embarked on an ambitious planto restore riparian habitats, improve fish passage, and increase natural production. Additionally, many currently unlisted California salmon and steelhead stocks are potential candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act. These include coho, chum, spring-run chinook, and San Joaquin fall-run chinook salmon, as well as summer steelhead and the southern race of winter steelhead.
75 FR 75694 - Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance Correction
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-12-06
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance... Control Ordinance of the Klamath Tribes. This correction removes incorrect references to an amended... follows: SUMMARY: This notice publishes the Secretary's certification of the Klamath Tribes Liquor Control...
Reconnaissance geologic map of the Dixonville 7.5' quadrangle, Oregon
Jayko, Angela S.; Wells, Ray E.; Digital Database by Givler, R. W.; Fenton, J.S.; Sinor, M.
2001-01-01
The Dixonville 7.5 minute quadrangle is situated near the edge of two major geologic and tectonic provinces the northernmost Klamath Mountains and the southeastern part of the Oregon Coast Ranges (Figure 1). Rocks of the Klamath Mountains province that lie within the study area include ultramafic, mafic, intermediate and siliceous igneous types (Diller, 1898, Ramp, 1972, Ryberg, 1984). Similar rock associations that lie to the southwest yield Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous radiometric ages (Dott, 1965, Saleeby, et al., 1982, Hotz, 1971, Harper and Wright, 1984). These rocks, which are part of the Western Klamath terrane (Western Jurassic belt of (Irwin, 1964), are considered to have formed within an extensive volcanic arc and rifted arc complex (Harper and Wright, 1984) that lay along western North America during the Late Jurassic (Garcia, 1979, Garcia, 1982, Saleeby, et al., 1982, Ryberg, 1984). Imbricate thrust faulting and collapse of the arc during the Nevadan orogeny, which ranged in age between about 150 to 145 Ma in the Klamath region (Coleman, 1972, Saleeby, et al., 1982, Harper and Wright, 1984) was syntectonic with, or closely followed by deposition of the volcano-lithic clastic rocks of the Myrtle Group. The Myrtle Group consists of Upper Jurassic and Lower to middle Cretaceous turbidity and mass flow deposits considered to be either arc basin and/or post-orogenic flysh basins that were syntectonic with the waning phases of arc collapse (Imlay et al., 1959, Ryberg, 1984, Garcia, 1982, Roure.and Blanchet, 1983). The intermediate and mafic igneous rocks of the Rogue arc and the pre-Nevadan sedimentary cover (the Galice Formation, (Garcia, 1979) are intruded by siliceous and intermediate plutonic rocks principally of quartz diorite and granodiorite composition (Dott, 1965, Saleeby, et al., 1982, Garcia, 1982, Harper and Wright, 1984). The plutonic rocks are locally tectonized into amphibolite, gneiss, banded gneiss and augen gneiss. Similar metamorphic rocks have yielded metamorphic ages of 165 to 150 Ma (Coleman, 1972, Hotz, 1971, Saleeby, et al., 1982, Coleman and Lanphere, 1991). The Jurassic arc rocks and sedimentary cover occur as a tectonic outlier in this region (Figure 2) as they are bound to the northwest and southeast by melange, broken formation and semi-schists of the Dothan Formation and Dothan Formation(?) that are considered part of a late Mesozoic accretion complex (Ramp, 1972, Blake, et al., 1985). The plutonism that accompanied arc formation and tectonic collapse of the arc does not intrude the structurally underlying Dothan Formation, indicating major fault displacements since the Early Cretaceous. Semischistose and schistose rocks of the accretion complex have yielded metamorphic ages of around 125-140 Ma where they have been studied to the southwest (Coleman and Lanphere, 1971, Dott, 1965, Coleman, 1972). These rocks were unroofed and unconformably overlain by marine deposits by late early Eocene time (Baldwin, 1974). The early Tertiary history of this region is controversial. The most recent interpretation is that during the Paleocene and early Eocene the convergent margin was undergoing transtension or forearc extension as suggested by the voluminous extrusion of pillow basalt and related dike complexes (Wells, et al., 1984, Snavely, 1987). This episode was followed shortly by thrust and strike-slip faulting in the late early Eocene (Ryberg, 1984). During the Eocene, the Mesozoic convergent margin association of arc, clastic basin, and accretion complex was partly unroofed and faulted against early Cenozoic rocks of the Oregon Coast Ranges (Ramp, 1972, Baldwin, 1974, Champ, 1969, Ryberg, 1984). Faults that are typical of this period of deformation include high-angle reverse faults with a very strong component of strike-slip displacement characterized by a low-angle rake of striae. Thrust and oblique-slip faults are ubiquitous in early Tertiary rocks to the northwest (Ryberg, 1984, Niem and Niem, 1990). The late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic arc and forearc rocks are unconformably overlain to the east by the late Eocene and younger, mainly continental fluvial deposits and pyroclastic flows of the Cascade arc (Peck, et al., 1964, Baldwin, 1974, Walker and MacLeod, 1991). Minor fossiliferous shallow marine sandstone is locally present. The volcanic sequence consists of a homoclinal section of about 1 to 2 kilometers of andesitic to rhyolitic flows and ash flow tuff. The section is gently east-tilted and is slightly disrupted by NE trending faults with apparent normal separation.
Recharge of an Unconfined Pumice Aquifer: Winter Rainfall Versus Snow Pack, South-central Oregon
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cummings, M. L.; Weatherford, J. M.; Eibert, D.
2015-12-01
Walker Rim study area, an uplifted fault block east of the Cascade Range, south-central Oregon, exceeds 1580 m elevation and includes Round Meadow-Sellers Marsh closed basin, and headwaters of Upper Klamath Basin, Deschutes Basin, and Christmas Lake Valley in the Great Basin. The water-bearing unit is 2.8 to 3.0 m thick Plinian pumice fall from the Holocene eruption of Mount Mazama, Cascade Range. The perched pumice aquifer is underlain by low permeability regolith and bedrock. Disruption of the internal continuity of the Plinian pumice fall by fluvial and lacustrine processes resulted in hydrogeologic environments that include fens, wet meadows, and areas of shallow water table. Slopes are low and surface and groundwater pathways follow patterns inherited from the pre-eruption landscape. Discharge for streams and springs and depth to water table measured in open-ended piezometers slotted in the pumice aquifer have been measured between March and October, WY 2011 through WY2015. Yearly occupation on same date has been conducted for middle April, June 1st, and end of October. WY2011 and WY2012 received more precipitation than the 30 year average while WY2014 was the third driest year in 30 years of record. WY2014 and WY2015 provide an interesting contrast. Drought conditions dominated WY2014 while WY2015 was distinct in that the normal cold-season snow pack was replaced by rainfall. Cumulative precipitation exceeded the 30-year average between October and March. The pumice aquifer of wet meadows and areas of shallow water table experienced little recharge in WY2015. Persistence of widespread diffuse discharge from fens declined by middle summer as potentiometric surfaces lowered into confining peat layers or in some settings into the pumice aquifer. Recharge of the perched pumice aquifer in rain-dominated WY2015 was similar to or less than in the snow-dominated drought of WY2014. Rain falling on frozen ground drove runoff rather than aquifer recharge.
Burdick, Summer M.; Hewitt, David A.
2012-01-01
We were unable to compare health and condition of juvenile suckers among habitats, due to their movement among habitats. However, documentation of length-weight relationships, afflictions and deformities, and histology indicated juvenile suckers captured in all habitats maintained a similar level of health among the 3 years of our study.
Wherry, Susan A.; Wood, Tamara M.; Anderson, Chauncey W.
2015-01-01
Using the extended 1991–2010 external phosphorus loading dataset, the lake TMDL model was recalibrated following the same procedures outlined in the Phase 1 review. The version of the model selected for further development incorporated an updated sediment initial condition, a numerical solution method for the chlorophyll a model, changes to light and phosphorus factors limiting algal growth, and a new pH-model regression, which removed Julian day dependence in order to avoid discontinuities in pH at year boundaries. This updated lake TMDL model was recalibrated using the extended dataset in order to compare calibration parameters to those obtained from a calibration with the original 7.5-year dataset. The resulting algal settling velocity calibrated from the extended dataset was more than twice the value calibrated with the original dataset, and, because the calibrated values of algal settling velocity and recycle rate are related (more rapid settling required more rapid recycling), the recycling rate also was larger than that determined with the original dataset. These changes in calibration parameters highlight the uncertainty in critical rates in the Upper Klamath Lake TMDL model and argue for their direct measurement in future data collection to increase confidence in the model predictions.
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements of female mallards molting in Klamath Basin
Fleskes, Joseph P.; Mauser, David M.; Yee, Julie L.; Blehert, David S.; Yarris, Gregory S.
2010-01-01
Flightless and post-molt survival and movements were studied during August-May, 2001-2002, 2002- 2003 and 2006-2007 for 181 adult female Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Birds were radiotagged just before or early in their flightless period on four wetlands that differed in size on Klamath Basin (KB) National Wildlife Refuge complex. Flightless survival varied among years but was higher on two larger than two smaller wetlands; 30-day survival ranged from 11% (SE = 6.5%) on a small wetland in 2006 to 93% (SE = 6.5%) on a large wetland in 2001, and averaged 76.8% (SE = 6.1%). Most flightless mortality was from avian botulism (64%) and predation (26%). Of the 81 radiotagged Mallards that did not die in KB, 80% moved to the Central Valley of California (CVCA) before 31 January, 16% wintered in unknown areas, and 4% remained in KB through 31 January. Mallards departed KB 21 August-13 January (average: 11 Nov 2001, 25 Oct 2002, 19 Nov 2006). Post-molt survival during August-March in KB (20.7%, SE = 6.3%) was lower than in CVCA during this (62.9%, SE = 10.1%) and an earlier study. Survival in KB was consistently high only for females that molted in large permanent marshes, and although the impact of poor survival of molting females on Mallard population dynamics is unknown, KB water management plans should be developed that maintain these habitats.
75 FR 49866 - Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Klamath Falls, OR
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-08-16
...-0651; Airspace Docket No. 10-ANM-7] Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Klamath Falls...). SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class D and Class E airspace at Klamath Falls, OR. Decommissioning of the Merrill Non-Directional Radio Beacon (NDB) at Klamath Falls Airport has made this action...
Testing the control of mineral supply rates on chemical erosion in the Klamath Mountains
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
West, N.; Ferrier, K.
2017-12-01
The relationship between rates of chemical erosion and mineral supply is central to many problems in Earth science, including the role of tectonics in the global carbon cycle, nutrient supply to soils and streams via soil production, and lithologic controls on landscape evolution. We aim to test the relationship between mineral supply rates and chemical erosion in the forested uplands of the Klamath mountains, along a latitudinal transect of granodioritic plutons that spans an expected gradient in mineral supply rates associated with the geodynamic response to the migration of the Mendocino Triple Junction. We present 10Be-derived erosion rates and Zr-derived chemical depletion factors, as well as bulk soil and rock geochemistry on 10 ridgetops along the transect to test hypotheses about supply-limited and kinetically-limited chemical erosion. Previous studies in this area, comparing basin-averaged erosion rates and modeled uplift rates, suggest this region may be adjusted to an approximate steady state. Our preliminary results suggest that chemical erosion at these sites is influenced by both mineral supply rates and dissolution kinetics.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Argus, D. F.; Fu, Y.; Landerer, F. W.; Farr, T.; Watkins, M. M.; Famiglietti, J. S.
2014-12-01
Changes in total water thickness in most of California are being estimated using GPS measurements of vertical ground displacement. The Sierra Nevada each year subsides about 12 mm in the fall and winter due to the load of rain and snow, then rises about the same amount in the spring and summer when the snow melts, water runs off, and soil moisture evaporates. Earth's elastic response to a surface load is well known (except at thick sedimentary basins). Changes in equivalent water thickness can thus be inferred [Argus Fu Landerer 2014]. The average seasonal change in total water thickness is found to be 0.5 meters in the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Mountains and 0.1 meters in the Great Basin. The average seasonal change in the Sierra Nevada Mountains estimated with GPS is 35 Gigatons. GPS vertical ground displacements are furthermore being used to estimate changes in water in consecutive years of either drought or heavy precipitation. Changes in the sum of snow and soil moisture during California's drought from June 2011 to June 2014 are estimated from GPS in this study. Changes in water in California's massive reservoirs are well known and removed, yielding an estimate of change in the thickness of snow plus soil moisture. Water loss is found to be largest near the center of the southern Sierra Nevada (0.8 m equivalent water thickness) and smaller in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Klamath Mountains (0.3 m). The GPS estimates of changes in the sum of snow and soil moisture complement GRACE observations of water change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River basin. Whereas GPS provides estimates of water change at high spatial resolution in California's mountains, GRACE observes changes in groundwater in the Central Valley. We will further compare and contrast the GPS and GRACE measurements, and also evaluate the finding of Amos et al. [2014] that groundwater loss in the southern Central Valley (Tulare Basin) is causing the mountains on either side to rise at 1 to 3 mm/yr.
Wood, Tamara M.
2012-01-01
The hydrodynamic model of Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, was used to run 384 realizations of a numerical tracer experiment in order to understand the relative effects of wind, lake elevation, and Williamson River inflow on flow and transport (the movement of water and passively transported constituents) through the Williamson River Delta. Significant findings from this study include: * The replacement rate of water increased in Tulana and Goose Bay with increasing lake elevation, Williamson River inflow, and wind speed. * The fraction of Williamson River inflow passing through either side of the Delta increased with lake elevation and Williamson River inflow. * The partial replacement rate of water in Goose Bay with water from the Williamson River increased with wind speed. * The partial replacement rate of water in Tulana with water from the Williamson River decreased with wind speed. * Strong wind forcing at the water surface caused more of the Williamson River inflow to pass through Goose Bay than through Tulana. * Westerly to northwesterly winds result in more of the Williamson River inflow passing through the Goose Bay side of the Delta than through the Tulana side. * Regression models developed from the tracer experiments can be used to quantify the dependencies between transport and the independent variables to obtain rough estimates of useful quantities such as residence time and steady-state solute concentrations.
Technical evaluation of a total maximum daily load model for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon
Wood, Tamara M.; Wherry, Susan A.; Carter, James L.; Kuwabara, James S.; Simon, Nancy S.; Rounds, Stewart A.
2013-01-01
We reviewed a mass balance model developed in 2001 that guided establishment of the phosphorus total maximum daily load (TMDL) for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the model and to determine whether improvements could be made using information derived from studies since the model was first developed. The new data have contributed to the understanding of processes in the lakes, particularly internal loading of phosphorus from sediment, and include measurements of diffusive fluxes of phosphorus from the bottom sediments, groundwater advection, desorption from iron oxides at high pH in a laboratory setting, and estimates of fluxes of phosphorus bound to iron and aluminum oxides. None of these processes in isolation, however, is large enough to account for the episodically high values of whole-lake internal loading calculated from a mass balance, which can range from 10 to 20 milligrams per square meter per day for short periods. The possible role of benthic invertebrates in lake sediments in the internal loading of phosphorus in the lake has become apparent since the development of the TMDL model. Benthic invertebrates can increase diffusive fluxes several-fold through bioturbation and biodiffusion, and, if the invertebrates are bottom feeders, they can recycle phosphorus to the water column through metabolic excretion. These organisms have high densities (1,822–62,178 individuals per square meter) in Upper Klamath Lake. Conversion of the mean density of tubificid worms (Oligochaeta) and chironomid midges (Diptera), two of the dominant taxa, to an areal flux rate based on laboratory measurements of metabolic excretion of two abundant species suggested that excretion by benthic invertebrates is at least as important as any of the other identified processes for internal loading to the water column. Data from sediment cores collected around Upper Klamath Lake since the development of the TMDL model also contributed to this review. Cores were sequentially extracted to determine the distribution of phosphorus associated with several matrices in the sediment (freely exchangeable, metal-oxides, acid-soluble minerals, and residual). The concentrations of phosphorus in these fractions varied around the lake in patterns that reflect transport processes in the lake and the ultimate deposition of organic and inorganic forms of phosphorus from the water column. Both organic and inorganic phosphorus had higher concentrations in the northern part of the lake, in and just west of Goose Bay. At the time that these cores were collected, prior to restoration of the Williamson River Delta, this area was close to the shoreline of the lake and east of the Williamson River mouth. This contrasts with erosional inputs, which, in addition to being high to the east of the pre-restoration Williamson River mouth, were higher in the middle of the lake than at the northern end. Organic forms of phosphorus had particularly high concentrations in the northern bays. When these cores were used to calculate a new estimate of the whole-lake-averaged concentration of total phosphorus in the top 10 centimeters of the lake sediments, the estimate was about one-third of the best estimate available when the TMDL model was developed.
The Western Pond Turtle; Habitat and History, 1993-1994 Final Report.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Holland, Dan C.
1994-08-01
The western pond turtle is known from many areas of Oregon. The majority of sightings and other records occur in the major drainages of the Klamath, Rogue, Umpqua, Willamette and Columbia River systems. A brief overview is presented of the evolution of the Willamette-Puget Sound hydrographic basin. A synopsis is also presented of the natural history of the western pond turtle, as well as, the status of this turtle in the Willamette drainage basin. The reproductive ecology and molecular genetics of the western pond turtle are discussed. Aquatic movements and overwintering of the western pond turtle are evaluated. The effectmore » of introduced turtle species on the status of the western pond turtle was investigated in a central California Pond. Experiments were performed to determine if this turtle could be translocated as a mitigation strategy.« less
Phosphorus and nitrogen legacy in a restoration wetland, upper Klamath lake, Oregon
Duff, J.H.; Carpenter, K.D.; Snyder, D.T.; Lee, Karl K.; Avanzino, R.J.; Triska, F.J.
2009-01-01
The effects of sediment, ground-water, and surface-water processes on the timing, quantity, and mechanisms of N and P fluxes were investigated in the Wood River Wetland 57 years after agricultural practices ceased and seasonal and permanent wetland hydrologies were restored. Nutrient concentrations in standing water largely reflected ground water in winter, the largest annual water source in the closed-basin wetland. High concentrations of total P (22 mg L -1) and total N (30 mg L-1) accumulated in summer when water temperature, air temperature, and evapotranspiration were highest. High positive benthic fluxes of soluble reactive P and ammonium (NH4-N) were measured in two sections of the study area in June and August, averaging 46 and 24 mg m-2 d-1, respectively. Nonetheless, a wetland mass balance simultaneously indicated a net loss of P and N by assimilation, denitrification (1.110.1 mg N m-2 h-1), or solute repartitioning. High nutrient concentrations pose a risk for water quality management. Shifts in the timing and magnitude of water inflows and outflows may improve biogeochemical function and water quality by optimizing seed germination and aquatic plant distribution, which would be especially important if the Wood River Wetland was reconnected with hyper-eutrophic Agency Lake. ?? 2009, The Society of Wetland Scientists.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-07-02
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, Including Secretarial Determination on Whether To Remove Four Dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon AGENCY: Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice; correction. SUMMARY: The Department of the...
75 FR 65373 - Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-10-22
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance AGENCY... certification of the amendment to the Klamath Tribes Liquor Control Ordinance. The first Ordinance was published... and controls the sale, possession and distribution of liquor within the tribal lands. The tribal lands...
75 FR 65371 - Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Klamath County, OR
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-10-22
... impact. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Klamath Marsh... rails, Oregon spotted frogs, red-naped sapsuckers, pygmy nuthatches, bald eagles, beaver, and red band...
Ordovician "sphinctozoan" sponges from Prince of Wales Island, southeastern Alaska
Rigby, J.K.; Karl, Susan M.; Blodgett, R.B.; Baichtal, J.F.
2005-01-01
A faunule of silicified hypercalcified "sphinctozoan" sponges has been recovered from a clast of Upper Ordovician limestone out of the Early Devonian Karheen Formation on Prince of Wales Island in southeastern Alaska. Included in the faunule are abundant examples of the new genus Girtyocoeliana, represented by Girtyocoeliana epiporata (Rigby and Potter), and Corymbospongia adnata Rigby and Potter, along with rare Corymbospongia amplia n. sp., and Girtyocoelia(?) sp., plus common Amblysiphonella sp. 1 and rare Amblysiphonella(?) sp. 2. The assemblage is similar to that from Ordovician clasts from the eastern Klamath Mountains of northern California. This indicates that the Alexander terrane of southeastern Alaska is related paleogeographically to the lithologically and paleontologically similar terrane of the eastern Klamath Mountains. This lithology and fossil assemblage of the clast cannot be tied to any currently known local rock units on Prince of Wales Island. Other clasts in the conglomerate appear to have been locally derived, so it is inferred that the limestone clasts were also locally derived, indicating the presence of a previously undocumented Ordovician limestone unit on northern Prince of Wales Island.
Correlation of the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada
Irwin, William P.
2003-01-01
This report graphically portrays the broadly parallel tectonic development of the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada from early Paleozoic to Early Cretaceous time. It is dedicated to J.S. Diller of the U.S. Geological Survey who, during his pioneer field studies a century ago, recognized significant similarities between these two important provinces. The report is based mainly on the numerous published reports of the field and laboratory studies by various geologists and students during the last century, and to a lesser extent on my own field work which has been substantial in the Klamath Mountains but minimal in the Sierra Nevada. For brevity, required by the format of this report, little of the extensive literature pertaining to these two provinces is referenced. This report is preliminary in nature and was prepared as an aid to further study of the tectonic relations between the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada. This report consists of two sheets: Sheet 1, Map showing accreted terranes and plutons of the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada, and Sheet 2, Successive accretionary episodes of the Klamath mountains and northern part of Sierra Nevada, showing related plutonic, volcanic, and metamorphic events. The map on Sheet 1 was compiled and modified from two Open-File maps (Irwin and Wooden, 1999 and 2001) which had been compiled and modified mainly from Jennings (1977), Harwood (1992), Irwin (1994), Jayko (1988), Graymer and Jones (1994), Edelman and Sharp (1989), Schweickert and others (1999), Saucedo and Wagner(1992), Saleeby and Sharp (1980), Wagner and others (1981), and various other sources. For detailed lists of the sources for the isotopic age data used in Sheets 1 and 2, see Irwin and Wooden (1999 and 2001). On Sheet 2, the accretionary episodes are shown sequentially from left to right in two tiers of figures. Episodes for the Klamath Mountains are in the upper tier; correlative episodes of the Sierra Nevada are directly below in the lower tier. The sequence shown for the Klamath Mountains is modified from Irwin and Mankinen (1998) and Irwin and Wooden (1999). The episodes are named for the accreting terranes of the Klamath Mountains, but those names may not be suitable for reference to the correlative episodes of the Sierra Nevada. In the figure for each episode, a heavy black line represents the active suture that separated oceanic crustal rocks on the left from the earlier accreted terranes on the right. Plutons are particularly useful for timing the accretionary episodes. The preaccretionary plutons, which commonly represent the roots of oceanic volcanic arcs, are shown in the accreting oceanic crustal rocks to the left of the heavy black line. The accretionary plutons consist of rock that has been subducted and remobilized as magma during the accretionary process and injected into an overlying earlier accreted terrane on the right of the heavy black line. Thus, isotopic dating of the accretionary plutons (preferably U/Pb dates measured on zircon extracted from the plutonic rock) provides a useful basis for assigning ages to the accretionary episodes. Many plutons are rootless at depth, as they tend to be truncated by the subduction zone sutures of younger accreting terranes. Volcanic deposits resulting from accretionary episodes apparently are uncommon except for those deposited on the backstop terranes. In the Klamath Mountains, the Eastern Klamath terrane, which consists of the Yreka, Trinity and Redding subterranes, was the backstop for the Central Metamorphic and younger accretionary episodes, and displays a remarkable record of sedimentation, volcanism and plutonism from Silurian-Devonian to Jurassic time. In the Sierra Nevada, the correlative backstop was the Northern Sierra terrane which shows a similar long record of volcanism in the Taylorsville, Permian, and Jurassic volcanic arc sequences. During some accretionary episodes the subducting oceanic rocks were dynamically metamorphosed to schist along the suture zone beneath the overriding accreted terranes. Examples of this in the Klamath Mountains are the Devonian Salmon and Abrams Schists of the Central Metamorphic terrane, the Triassic(?) schist of the Fort Jones terrane , and the Early Cretaceous South Fork Mountain Schist that structurally underlies Klamath Mountains terranes along much of the western edge of the province. The Fort Jones terrane and South Fork Mountains Schist were metamorphosed under blueschist-facies conditions. In the Sierra Nevada, schist that is correlative with the Central Metamorphic terrane is present in patches along the Feather River terrane (see Hacker and Peacock, 1990); the Triassic(?) Red Ant Schist is correlative with the Fort Jones terrane; but a correlative of the South Fork Mountain Schist is not present. In addition to the similarities in the sequences of accretion, plutonism, volcanism, and metamorphism, strong ties between the two provinces are also provided by paleontologic data. The Permian McCloud fusulinid fauna of the Redding subterrane also is present in the Northern Sierra terrane. Rare Tethyan fusulinids are found in Permian limestone of the Eastern Hayfork terrane of the Klamath Mountains and also in limestone blocks in the Central Belt of the Sierra Nevada. Ichthyosaur fossils have been collected from the Triassic of both the Redding subterrane and Northern Sierra terrane. Jurassic ammonites and the pelecypod Buchia concentrica occur in both the Galice Formation of the western Klamath Mountains and the Mariposa Formation of the western Sierra Nevada. Events that preceded the Central Metamorphic episode prior to Silurian-Devonian time are not clearly understood and are not shown in the succession of diagrams on Sheet 2. The oldest rocks of the Klamath Mountains are Neoproterozic and they predate the Central Metamorphic episode by possibly a hundred million years or more. They include ophiolitic rocks of the Trinity subterrane and the Antelope Mountain Quartzite of the Yreka subterrane (see Mankinen and others, 2002). In the Sierra Nevada, correlatives of the ancient ophiolitic rocks may be part of the Feather River terrane. Although Neoproterozoic fossils have not yet been found in the Sierra Nevada, petrologic study shows the quartzite of the Lang sequence is closely similar to the Antelope Mountain Quartzite (see Bond and Devay, 1980). Correlation of the two quartzite formations is also suggested by the similarity of their positions in the accretionary sequence.
Hereford, Danielle M.; Ostberg, Carl O.; Burdick, Summer M.
2016-06-13
Predation of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) during larval egress to Upper Klamath Lake from the Williamson River is poorly understood but may be an important factor limiting recruitment into adult spawning populations. Native and non-native piscivores are abundant in nursery wetland habitat, but larval predation has not been directly studied for all species. Larvae lack hard body structures and digest rapidly in predator digestive systems. Therefore, traditional visual methods for diet analysis may fail to identify the extent of predation on larvae. The goals of this study were to (1) use quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays developed for Lost River and shortnose suckers to assay predator stomach contents for sucker DNA, and (2) to assess our ability to use this technique to study predation. Predators were captured opportunistically during larval sucker egress. Concurrent feeding trials indicate that most predators—yellow perch (Perca flaverscens), fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), blue chub (Gila coerulea), Klamath tui chub (Siphatales bicolor bicolor), Klamath Lake sculpin (Cottus princeps), slender sculpin (Cottus tenuis)—preyed on sucker larvae in the laboratory. However, sucker DNA was not detected in fathead minnow stomachs. Of the stomachs screened from fish captured in the Williamson River Delta, 15.6 percent of yellow perch contained sucker DNA. This study has demonstrated that the application of qPCR and SNP assays is effective for studying predation on larval suckers. We suggest that techniques associated with dissection or detection of sucker DNA from fathead minnow stomachs need improvement.
Martins, Maurício L; Tavares-Dias, Marcos; Janik, Andrew J; Kent, Michael L; Jerônimo, Gabriela T
2017-11-21
This study evaluated the hematological profile and condition factor (Kn) of tui chub Siphateles bicolor and fathead minnow Pimephales promelas and their associations with larvae of Contracaecum sp. infection of the heart. A total of 30 tui chub and 17 fathead minnow were collected from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA, measured, and weighed and blood was drawn for hematological analysis. Nematode larvae parasitized tui chub with a prevalence of 50% and mean intensity of 1.40, while 11.8% of fathead minnow were parasitized at a mean intensity of 1.0. Non-parasitized tui chub were significantly larger than the parasitized fish, indicating that small fish could be easily predated by the definitive host, a piscivorous bird. Although the relatively large worm occupied a large portion of the atrium, the presence of the larvae did not affect tui chub Kn, possibly associated with low parasite intensity and a harmonic co-evolution. Only parasitized fathead minnow showed significant differences in red blood cell measurements (greater cell width and larger nuclei) compared to non-parasitized fish. Lymphocytes were the most common white blood cells found in tui chub, followed by neutrophils, monocytes, and periodic acid-Schiff positive granular leukocytes; in fathead minnow lymphocytes were followed by heterophils, monocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils. This study is the first report of Kn and description of blood cells and hematological parameters in these fish species.
Spatial and temporal variability in benthic invertebrate assemblages in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Stauffer-Olsen, Natalie J.; Carter, James L.; Fend, Steven V.
2017-01-01
Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) in southern Oregon has experienced declines in water quality due to excessive nutrient loading. This has led to annual cyanobacterial blooms, primarily of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). Benthic invertebrates are important food resources for benthic feeding fishes; however, they can increase autochthonous nutrient cycling in lakes and as a result might be contributing to poor water quality in UKL. This study determined the density and taxonomic richness of benthic invertebrate assemblages in three geographic regions (north, central, and south) and three habitats (littoral, open-water and trench) across UKL. Sediment composition and water quality were also characterized at each of the 21 benthic invertebrate collection sites. Three sampling trips were made from May–July 2013. Mean lake-wide invertebrate density was 12 617 ± 7506 individuals m-2 (n = 63, based on 189 Ekman grabs) with oligochaetes, chironomids, and leeches representing 97% of all individuals. Mean invertebrate richness per sample was 16 ± 4 (n = 63). Two and three-way repeated measures ANOVAs identified differences in invertebrate densities and richness among regions, habitats, and sampling periods. There were no differences in total density among sampling periods. Total density was higher in littoral compared to open-water habitats, and in the northern region, proximal to all riverine inputs to the lake, compared to the central or southern regions. Although variances were heterogeneous, the number of taxa appeared to differ between habitats and regions.
Irwin, William P.; Mankinen, Edward A.
1998-01-01
The purpose of this report is to show graphically how the Klamath Mountains grew from a relatively small nucleus in Early Devonian time to its present size while rotating clockwise approximately 110°. This growth occurred by the addition of large tectonic slices of oceanic lithosphere, volcanic arcs, and melange during a sequence of accretionary episodes. The Klamath Mountains province consists of eight lithotectonoic units called terranes, some of which are divided into subterranes. The Eastern Klamath terrane, which was the early Paleozoic nucleus of the province, is divided into the Yreka, Trinity, and Redding subterranes. Through tectonic plate motion, usually involving subduction, the other terranes joined the early Paleozoic nucleus during seven accretionary episodes ranging in age from Early Devonian to Late Jurassic. The active terrane suture is shown for each episode by a bold black line. Much of the western boundary of the Klamath Mountains is marked by the South Fork and correlative faults along which the Klamath terranes overrode the Coast Range rocks during an eighth accretionary episode, forming the South Fork Mountain Schist in Early Cretaceous time.
Western water and climate change
Dettinger, Michael; Udall, Bradley; Georgakakos, Aris P.
2015-01-01
In this context, four iconic river basins offer glimpses into specific challenges that climate change may bring to the West. The Colorado River is a system in which overuse and growing demands are projected to be even more challenging than climate-change-induced flow reductions. The Rio Grande offers the best example of how climate-change-induced flow declines might sink a major system into permanent drought. The Klamath is currently projected to face the more benign precipitation future, but fisheries and irrigation management may face dire straits due to warming air temperatures, rising irrigation demands, and warming waters in a basin already hobbled by tensions between endangered fisheries and agricultural demands. Finally, California's Bay-Delta system is a remarkably localized and severe weakness at the heart of the region's trillion-dollar economy. It is threatened by the full range of potential climate-change impacts expected across the West, along with major vulnerabilities to increased flooding and rising sea levels.
60. C.J.T., photographer December 23, 1955 KLAMATH RIVER BRIDGE, DEL ...
60. C.J.T., photographer December 23, 1955 KLAMATH RIVER BRIDGE, DEL NORTE COUNTY, SECTION A, HIGHWAY 1. DN-1-A #538, KLAMATH RIVER BR. FROM SO. END, 12/23/55, C.J.T. - Redwood National & State Parks Roads, California coast from Crescent City to Trinidad, Crescent City, Del Norte County, CA
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-05-04
... incidental take of one ESA-listed species as a result of operation and maintenance of the Klamath..., pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct... maintenance of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project (Project) and implementation of the Plan for a 10-year period...
Johnson, Kenneth H.; Schwartz, J.J.; Žák, Jiří; Verner, Krystof; Barnes, Calvin G.; Walton, Clay; Wooden, Joseph L.; Wright, James E.; Kistler, Ronald W.
2015-01-01
The composite Sunrise Butte pluton, in the central part of the Blue Mountains Province, northeastern Oregon, preserves a record of subduction-related magmatism, arc-arc collision, crustal thickening, and deep-crustal anatexis. The earliest phase of the pluton (Desolation Creek unit) was generated in a subduction zone environment, as the oceanic lithosphere between the Wallowa and Olds Ferry island arcs was consumed. Zircons from this unit yielded a 206Pb/238U age of 160.2 ± 2.1 Ma. A magmatic lull ensued during arc-arc collision, after which partial melting at the base of the thickened Wallowa arc crust produced siliceous magma that was emplaced into metasedimentary rocks and serpentinite of the overthrust forearc complex. This magma crystallized to form the bulk of the Sunrise Butte composite pluton (the Sunrise Butte unit; 145.8 ± 2.2 Ma). The heat necessary for crustal anatexis was supplied by coeval mantle-derived magma (the Onion Gulch unit; 147.9 ± 1.8 Ma).The lull in magmatic activity between 160 and 148 Ma encompasses the timing of arc-arc collision (159–154 Ma), and it is similar to those lulls observed in adjacent areas of the Blue Mountains Province related to the same shortening event. Previous researchers have proposed a tectonic link between the Blue Mountains Province and the Klamath Mountains and northern Sierra Nevada Provinces farther to the south; however, timing of Late Jurassic deformation in the Blue Mountains Province predates the timing of the so-called Nevadan orogeny in the Klamath Mountains. In both the Blue Mountains Province and Klamath Mountains, the onset of deep-crustal partial melting initiated at ca. 148 Ma, suggesting a possible geodynamic link. One possibility is that the Late Jurassic shortening event recorded in the Blue Mountains Province may be a northerly extension of the Nevadan orogeny. Differences in the timing of these events in the Blue Mountains Province and the Klamath–Sierra Nevada Provinces suggest that shortening and deformation were diachronous, progressing from north to south. We envision that Late Jurassic deformation may have collapsed a Gulf of California–style oceanic extensional basin that extended from the Klamath Mountains (e.g., Josephine ophiolite) to the central Blue Mountains Province, and possibly as far north as the North Cascades (i.e., the coeval Ingalls ophiolite).
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mangano, J.; O'Connor, J. E.; Jones, K. L.; Wallick, R.
2011-12-01
Many topographic, hydrologic, and land use variables affect the supply and transport of bed-material in rivers, but the underlying geology is a key factor controlling both the volume of introduced material and the attrition of bed-material as it moves downstream. Recent and ongoing USGS river studies in Western Oregon document strong links between geologic province and bed-material transport. Rivers originating in the Mesozoic metamorphic and intrusive igneous rocks of the Klamath terranes of southwestern Oregon have the greatest gravel transport rates (and channel and valley-bottom morphologies reflecting high bed-material fluxes), whereas the generally lesser amounts of gravel in streams that drain Oregon's Coast Range and western Cascade Range owes in large part to Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic units underlying most of these basins. Aspects of these differences are controlled by supply as well as clast attrition. Here we aim to quantify bed-material attrition rates associated with the five main geologic provinces of Western Oregon: the Klamath terranes, Western Cascades, High Cascades, Coast Range sedimentary rocks, and Coast Range volcanic rocks. Bed-material samples were collected throughout the region from streams that drain a single geologic province and tumbled with a lapidary tumbler to determine relative attrition rates. Two kilograms of each sample were sorted into an initial distribution of clast sizes (from 16 to 64mm) and tumbled, with periodic breaks to reweigh and sieve the sample. Results show marked differences in attrition rates, with the sedimentary rocks of the Coast Range having weight loss coefficients between 1.206 and 0.211/km, orders of magnitude greater than all of the other sampled provinces. For comparison, bed material from the Klamath terranes have weight loss coefficients ranging from 0.013 to 0.005/km, and a control sample of quartzite clasts (from the Klamath terranes) has a weight loss coefficient of 0.001/km. These results confirm that bed-material attrition is an important process affecting bed-material supply and transport, and will allow for more complete development of regional bed-material sediment budgets in ongoing efforts to understand patterns of gravel abundance and channel morphology in rivers of Western Oregon.
Geologic map and database of the Roseburg 30' x 60' quadrangle, Douglas and Coos counties, Oregon
Wells, Ray E.; Jayko, A.S.; Niem, A.R.; Black, G.; Wiley, T.; Baldwin, E.; Molenaar, K.M.; Wheeler, K.L.; DuRoss, C.B.; Givler, R.W.
2001-01-01
The Roseburg 30' x 60' Quadrangle covers the southeastern margin of the Oregon Coast Range and its tectonic boundary with Mesozoic terranes of the Klamath Mountains (see figures 1 and 2 in pamphlet, also shown on map sheet). The geologic framework of the Roseburg area was established by the pioneering work of Diller (1898), Wells and Peck, (1961) and Ewart Baldwin (1974) and his students (see figure 3 in pamphlet, also shown on map sheet). Baldwin and his students focussed on the history of the Eocene Tyee basin, where the sediments lap across the tectonic boundary with the Mesozoic terranes and record the accretion of the Coast Range basement to the continent. Others have examined the sedimentary fill of the Tyee basin in detail, recognizing the deep marine turbidite facies of the Tyee Formation (Snavely and others, 1964) and proposing several models for the Eocene evolution of the forearc basin (Heller and Ryberg, 1983; Chan and Dott, 1983; Heller and Dickinson, 1985; Molenaar, 1985; see Ryu and others, 1992 for a comprehensive summary). Along the eastern margin of the quadrangle, both the Tyee basin and the Klamath terranes are overlain by Eocene volcanic rocks of the Western Cascade arc (Walker and MacLeod, 1991). The thick Eocene sedimentary sequence of the Tyee basin has significant oil and gas potential (Armentrout and Suek, 1985; Gautier and others, 1993; Ryu and others, 1996). Although 13 deep test wells have been drilled in the Roseburg quadrangle (see figure 2 and table 1 in pamphlet, also shown on map sheet), exploration to date has been hampered by an incomplete understanding of the basin�s tectonic setting and evolution. In response, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) initiated a five year assessment of the oil and gas potential of the Tyee basin. This map is a product of a cooperative effort by the U. S. Geological Survey, Oregon State University, and DOGAMI to systematically map the sedimentary facies and structure of the Tyee basin. New geologic mapping of twenty-eight 7.5' quadrangles is summarized on the map (see figure 3, also shown on map sheet), and the digital database contains geologic information suitable for both 1:100K and 1:24K scale analysis. DOGAMI has published a compilation and synthesis of previous mapping (Niem and Niem, 1990), a basin-wide sequence stratigraphic model and correlations (Ryu and others, 1992), and a report on the oil and gas potential (Ryu and others, 1996). Readers interested in the oil and gas potential of the Roseburg quadrangle should use the map in combination with Ryu and others (1996) to address specific stratigraphic units and structural plays. Stratigraphic terminology for the Tyee basin adopts the type sections, formation names, and framework of Ryu and others (1992, 1996), which were developed concurrently with the mapping and are recognized throughout the basin. For detailed discussion of nomenclature, type sections, lithology, thickness and distribution, age, contact relationships, and depositional environment of stratigraphic units, the reader is referred to Ryu and others (1992). In this report we focus on the spatial, temporal, and structural relationships between units revealed by geologic mapping. Map unit ages (see figure 4 in pamphlet, also shown on map sheeet) are adjusted slightly from Ryu and others (1992, 1996) to fit new coccolith age determinations (D. Bukry, cited in pamphlet), paleomagnetic polarity data (Simpson, 1977 and new data cited in pamphlet), and the time scale of Berggren and others (1995).
Susan Charnley; Candace Dillingham; Claudia Stuart; Cassandra Moseley; Ellen. Donoghue
2008-01-01
This report examines socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2003 on and around lands managed by the Klamath National Forest in California to assess the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities there. Three case communities were studied: Scott Valley, Butte Valley, and Mid-Klamath. The report characterizes the...
Benson, S.M.; Janik, C.J.; Long, D.C.; Solbau, R.D.; Lienau, P.J.
1984-01-01
A seven-week pumping and injection tests in the geothermal aquifer at Klamath Falls, Oregon, in 1983 provided new information on hydraulic properties of the aquifer. The Open-File Data Report on the tests includes graphs of water levels measured in 50 wells, temperature measurement in 17 wells , daily air-temperatures in relation to discharge of thermal water from more than 70 pumped and artesian wells, tables of monthly mean air temperatures and estimates of discharges of thermal water during a normal year, and tables of chemical and isotopic analyses on samples from 12 wells. The water-level measurements reflect the effects of pumping, injection, and recovery over about 1.7 square miles of the hot-well area of Klamath Falls. The pumped well, City Well No 1, and the injection well at the Klamath County Museum are components of a proposed District Heating Plan. The study was funded principally under contracts from the U.S. Department of Energy to the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Stanford University, and the Oregon Institute of Technology, with coordination and chemical sampling provided under the Geothermal Research Program, U.S. Geological Survey. Support was received from the City of Klamath Falls, Klamath County Chamber of Commerce, Citizens for Responsible Geothermal Development, and many citizen volunteers. (USGS)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sondossi, H. A.; Bienz, C.
2013-12-01
We present a case study of the Upper Williamson River, a major tributary to Upper Klamath Lake (UKL), to demonstrate illustrate the importance of biophysical interactions. The Klamath River is called 'the upside-down river' by some, due to its peculiar longitudinal profile--low-gradient at the headwaters east of the Cascade Range and steeper close to the mouth as it crosses the Cascades. The Upper Williamson River, as with other tributaries of UKL, flows through highly erodible volcanic ash (pumice) deposits of the Mazama eruption ~7,000 years ago, which created Crater Lake. There is little or no gravel in the broad, shallow alluvial valley of the River. We make the case that in this particular setting, the role of biological agents (e.g., riparian vegetation) is even more prominent than in settings with normal silica-derived sediment. Therefore, typical agricultural practices (removal of woody riparian vegetation, livestock grazing and trampling, etc.) cause rapid and severe channel response and therefore habitat degradation. However, when appropriately restored the recovery is also rapid and drastic. This spring-fed stream with few tributaries in the study area conveys relatively stable discharge, and has good water quality particularly in the upper reaches. It historically supported a population of native redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdnerii), and the candidate species (for listing under the Endangered Species Act) Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) and countless other avian species. In the late 20th Century, after decades of heavy grazing and active removal of willows from the floodplain, the River banks were nearly bare and unstable. The channel was wide, shallow, and smooth. Consequently, poor water quality, particularly high temperature rendered the stream extremely poor habitat. With controlled grazing, re-establishment of willow galleries, and addition of large woody debris (LWD) the channel has recovered to a narrower, deeper cross-section, with ample depth variability. Water quality has improved to the point that it supports a healthy and expanding population of redband trout alongside introduced eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). There have been no sightings of Oregon spotted frog yet, but the habitat is deemed suitable.
Kuwabara, James S.; Topping, Brent R.; Carter, James L.; Parcheso, Francis; Cameron, Jason M.; Asbill, Jessica R.; Fend, Steven V.; Duff, John H.; Engelstad, Anita C.
2010-01-01
Four sampling trips were coordinated after planned levee breaches that hydrologically reconnected both Upper Klamath Lake and Agency Lake, Oregon, to adjacent wetlands. Sets of nonmetallic pore-water profilers were deployed during these trips in November 2007, June 2008, May 2009, and July 2009. Deployments temporally spanned the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) and spatially involved three lake and four wetland sites. Profilers, typically deployed in triplicate at each lake or wetland site, provided high-resolution (centimeter-scale) estimates of the vertical concentration gradients for diffusive-flux determinations. Estimates based on molecular diffusion may underestimate benthic flux because solute transport across the sediment-water interface can be enhanced by processes including bioturbation, bioirrigation and groundwater advection. Water-column and benthic samples were also collected to help interpret spatial and temporal trends in diffusive-flux estimates. Data from these samples complement taxonomic and geochemical analyses of bottom-sediments taken from Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) in prior studies. This ongoing study provides information necessary for developing process-interdependent solute-transport models for the watershed (that is, models integrating physical, geochemical, and biological processes) and supports efforts to evaluate remediation or load-allocation strategies. To augment studies funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the Department of the Interior supported an additional full deployment of pore-water profilers in November 2007 and July 2009, immediately following the levee breaches and after the crash of the annual summer AFA bloom. As observed consistently since 2006, benthic flux of 0.2-micron filtered, soluble reactive phosphorus (that is, biologically available phosphorus, primarily as orthophosphate; SRP) was consistently positive (that is, out of the sediment into the overlying water column) and ranged from a negligible value (-0.19?0.91 milligrams per square meter per day; mg m-2 d-1) within wetlands of the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge to 74?48 mg m-2 d-1 at the newly restored wetland site removed from the levee breach (TNC1); both observed in May 2009 before the annual AFA bloom. When areally averaged (13 km2 for the newly restored wetlands), an SRP flux to the overlying water column is determined of approximately 87,000 kilograms (kg) over the 3-month AFA bloom season that exceeds the magnitude of riverine inputs (42,000 kg for the season). Elevated SRP benthic flux at TNC1 relative to all other lake and wetland sites (including TNC2 near the breached levee) in 2009 suggests that the restored wetlands, at least chemically, remain in a transition period after engineered blasts on October 30, 2007, restored hydrologic connectivity between lake and wetland environments. As reported in previous lake studies, ammonium fluxes to the water column were consistently positive, with the exception of two measurements at the restored wetland sites (TNC1 and TNC2) immediately following the levee breaches in November 2007. The flux of ammonia, particularly at elevated pH in the overlying water column, has toxicological implications for endangered fish populations in both lake and wetland environments. For dissolved nitrate, with the exception of a single positive flux measurement at TNC1 in June 2008 (0.16?0.02 mg m-2 d-1), consistently negative (consumed by the sediment) or undetectable nitrate-flux values were observed (-21?12 mg m-2 d-1 to undetectable fluxes due to concentrations for dissolved nitrate <0.03 milligrams per liter (mg L-1) in both porewaters and overlying waters near the sediment-water interface). Such negative fluxes for dissolved nitrate are typical of microbial transformations, such as dinitrification (dissimilatory nitrate reduction), that benthically consume nitrate from the water column. The diffusive-flux measurements reported herei
Saiki, M.K.; Monda, D.P.; Bellerud, B.L.
1999-01-01
Resource managers hypothesize that occasional fish kills during summer-early fall in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, may be linked to unfavorable water quality conditions created by massive algal blooms. In a preliminary effort to address this concern, short-term (96-h-long) laboratory tests were conducted with larval and juvenile Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers to determine the upper median lethal concentrations (LC50s; also referred to as median tolerance limits) for pH, un-ionized ammonia, and water temperature, and the lower LC50s for dissolved oxygen. The mean LC50s varied among species and life stages as follows: for pH, 10.30-10.39; for un-ionized ammonia, 0.48-1.06 mg litre-1; for temperature, 30.35-31.82??C; and for dissolved oxygen, 1.34-2.10 mg litre-1. Comparisons of 95% confidence limits indicated that, on average, the 96-h LC50s were not significantly different from those computed for shorter exposure times (i.e., 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h). According to two-way analysis of variance, LC50s for the four water quality variables did not vary significantly (p > 0.05) between fish species. However, LC50s for pH (exposure times of 24 h and 48 h) and dissolved oxygen (exposure times of 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h) differed significantly (p ??? 0.05) between life stages, whereas LC50s for un-ionized ammonia and water temperature did not exhibit significant differences. In general, larvae were more sensitive than juveniles to high pH and low dissolved oxygen concentrations. When compared to ambient water quality conditions in Upper Klamath Lake, our results strongly suggest that near-anoxic conditions associated with the senescence phase of algal blooms are most likely to cause high mortalities of larval and juvenile suckers.
Pumice deposits of the Klamath Indian Reservation, Klamath County, Oregon
Walker, George Walton
1951-01-01
A large volume of pumice is widely distributed over the Klamath Indian Reservation in 'flow' and 'fall' deposits. The flow material on the Reservation is restricted to the area west of Klamath Marsh, and the fall material is thickest immediately southeast of the Marsh. Tests of the chemical and physical properties of the pumice indicate that the pumice is suitable, with some limitations, for use as an aggregate and as a low-grade abrasive. Preliminary examination also indicates that with proper processing it may have a potential use as pozzuolana. The pumice is similar to material now being marketed for lightweight aggregate in Oregon, but processing of the pumice is necessary to obtain a suitable size distribution of the particles.
Geothermal greenhouse-heating facilities for the Klamath County Nursing Home, Klamath Falls, Oregon
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
The Klamath County Nursing Home, located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, was constructed in 1976. The building of 55,654 square feet currently houses care facilities for approximately 120 persons. During the initial planning for the Nursing Home, the present site was selected primarily on the basis of its geothermal resource. This resource (approx. 190/sup 0/F) currently provides space and domestic hot water heating for the Nursing Home, Merle West Medical Center and the Oregon Institute of Technology. The feasibility of installing a geothermal heating system in a planned greenhouse for the Nursing Home is explored. The greenhouse system would be tiedmore » directly to the existing hot water heating system for the Nursing Home.« less
Evapotranspiration from marsh and open-water sites at Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2008--2010
Stannard, David I.; Gannett, Marshall W.; Polette, Danial J.; Cameron, Jason M.; Waibel, M. Scott; Spears, J. Mark
2013-01-01
Water allocation in the Upper Klamath Basin has become difficult in recent years due to the increase in occurrence of drought coupled with continued high water demand. Upper Klamath Lake is a central component of water distribution, supplying water downstream to the Klamath River, supplying water for irrigation diversions, and providing habitat for various species within the lake and surrounding wetlands. Evapotranspiration (ET) is a major component of the hydrologic budget of the lake and wetlands, and yet estimates of ET have been elusive—quantified only as part of a lumped term including other substantial water-budget components. To improve understanding of ET losses from the lake and wetlands, measurements of ET were made from May 2008 through September 2010. The eddy-covariance method was used to monitor ET at two wetland sites continuously during this study period and the Bowen-ratio energy-balance method was used to monitor open-water lake evaporation at two sites during the warmer months of the 3 study years. Vegetation at one wetland site (the bulrush site) consists of a virtual monoculture of hardstem bulrush (formerly Scirpus acutus, now Schoenoplectus acutus), and at the other site (the mixed site) consists of a mix of about 70 percent bulrush, 15 percent cattail (Typha latifolia), and 15 percent wocus (Nuphar polysepalum). Measured ET at these two sites was very similar (means were ±2.5 percent) and mean wetland ET is computed as a 70 to 30 percent weighted average of the bulrush and mixed sites, respectively, based on community-type distribution estimated from satellite imagery. Biweekly means of wetland ET typically vary from maximum values of around 6 to 7 millimeters per day during midsummer, to minimum values of less than 1 mm/d during midwinter. This strong annual signal primarily reflects life-cycle changes in the wetland vegetation, and the annual variation of radiative input to the surface and resulting temperature. The perennial vegetation begins each growing season submerged, emerges from the dead litter mat around late May or early June, reaches a maximum height of about 2.2 meters (m) during summer, senesces in October, and subsequently lodges over, contributing to the dead litter mat from previous years. Hydroperiods last about 5 to 6 months, typically beginning in January or February and ending in July or August, and have a minor influence on the annual ET cycle. These hydroperiods result from lake levels that typically vary about 1.3 m, from around 0.6 to 0.9 m above the wetland surface, to around 0.4 to 0.7 m below the wetland surface. An estimate of 3-year annual wetland ET, made by substituting early- and late-season data measured during 2009 for the missing periods in early 2008 and late 2010, is 0.938 meter per year (m/yr). Daily values of alfalfa-based reference ET (ETr) were retrieved from the Bureau of Reclamation AgriMet Web site (http://www.usbr.gov/pn/agrimet/index.html) and are aggregated into biweekly, annual, and 3-year values (for consistency, the 3-year values are also computed using substitute data from 2009 for early 2008 and late 2010). These ETr values are computed from weather data measured at the nearby Agency Lake weather station (AGKO), and are based on the assumption that the alfalfa crop is green and vigorous year-round. The 3-year value of ETr is 1.145 m/yr, about 22 percent greater than wetland ET. A comparison of 2008–2010 alfalfa and pasture growing season actual ET with wetland ET is made using data from the more distant Klamath Falls AgriMet weather station (KFLO) because actual alfalfa and pasture ET are not computed for the AGKO site. During the 190-day average alfalfa growing season, wetland ET (0.779 m) is about 7 percent less than alfalfa ET (0.838 m). During the 195-day average pasture growing season, wetland ET (0.789 m) is about 18 percent greater than pasture ET (0.671 m). Assuming alfalfa and pasture ET are equal to wetland ET during the non-growing season, annual estimates become 0.997 m, 0.938 m, and 0.820 m from alfalfa, wetland, and pasture, respectively. Wetland crop coefficients (Kc=ET/ETr) are computed at daily, biweekly, and annual time steps. Approximate formulas are given to estimate daily values of growing season Kc, thereby allowing computation of daily growing season ET using ETr from the AGKO weather station. Biweekly values of growing season Kc are computed from ensemble average values of ET and ETr during the 3 study period growing seasons, and a single, mean Kc is computed for the non-growing season. Together, these provide relatively accurate estimates of biweekly ET during the study (RMSE=0.396 and 0.347 mm/d, r2 = 62 and 0.971 at the bulrush and mixed sites, respectively). A fourth-order polynomial fit of the biweekly growing season values to day of year provides a more automated form of ET computation. Measured ET at the bulrush wetland site during the current study compares very closely with growing-season ET estimated during a study in 1997 at nearly the same location. During the earlier study, ET was measured four times, using eddy covariance for 1- to 2-day periods, and was estimated between measurement periods using a Penman-Monteith model, calibrated to the measurements. Differences between time series of ET from the two studies are similar to interannual differences within the current study. Compared to the 1997 study, the current study measured larger ET rates in early summer and smaller rates in late summer, resulting in very similar growing-season totals. A study conducted in 2000 estimated ET from nearby fallowed cropland, using the Bowen-ratio energy balance method supplemented with Priestley-Taylor and crop-coefficient ET modeling. Seasonal timing of ET from three different crop types varied considerably, but growing-season totals were remarkably similar, at 0.435 ± 0.009 m. Wetland ET measured during the current study, evaluated over the same growing season was 0.718 m, or about 65 percent greater than the fallowed cropland ET. Open-water evaporation from Upper Klamath Lake was measured at two locations during the warmer months of 2008–2010 using the Bowen-ratio energy balance method. Measured rates were in general agreement with those measured in 2003 using the same method. Open-water evaporation and wetland ET were nearly equal during late June through early August, when wetland vegetation was green and abundant. As expected, open-water evaporation consistently exceeded wetland ET during late summer, as wetland ET responded to vegetation senescence while open water evaporation responded to extra available energy in the form of heat previously stored in the lake. Overall, open-water evaporation was 20 percent greater than wetland ET during the same period.
Beeman, John W.; Hansel, Hal; Juhnke, Steve; Stutzer, Greg
2009-01-01
The survival of hatchery-origin juvenile coho salmon from the Trinity River Hatchery was estimated as they migrated seaward through the Trinity and Klamath Rivers. The purpose of the study was to collect data for comparison to a similar study in the Klamath River and provide data to the Trinity River Restoration Program. A total of 200 fish fitted with radio transmitters were released into the Trinity River near the hatchery (river kilometer 252 from the mouth of the Klamath River) biweekly from March 19 to May 28, 2008. Fish from the earliest release groups took longer to pass the first detection site 10 kilometers downstream of the hatchery than fish from the later release groups, but travel times between subsequent sites were often similar among the release groups. The travel times of individuals through the 239 kilometer study area ranged from 15.5 to 84.6 days with a median of 43.3 days. The data and models did not support differences in survival among release groups, but did support differences among river reaches. The probability of survival in the first 53 kilometers was lower than in the reaches farther downstream, which is similar to trends in juvenile coho salmon in the Klamath River. The lowest estimated survival in this study was in the first 10 kilometers from release in the Trinity River (0.676 SE 0.036) and the highest estimated survival was in the final 20 kilometer reach in the Klamath River (0.987 SE 0.013). Estimated survivals of radio-tagged juvenile coho salmon from release to Klamath River kilometer 33 were 0.639 per 100 kilometers for Trinity River fish and 0.721 per 100 kilometers for Klamath River fish.
O'Connor, James E.; McDowell, Patricia F.; Lind, Pollyanna; Rasmussen, Christine G.; Keith, Mackenzie K.
2015-01-01
Despite these effects of human disturbances, many of the fundamental physical processes forming the Sprague River fluvial systems over the last several thousand years still function. In particular, flows are unregulated, sediment transport processes are active, and overbank flooding allows for floodplain deposition and erosion. Therefore, restoration of many of the native physical conditions and processes is possible without substantial physical manipulation of current conditions for much of the Sprague River study area. An exception is the South Fork Sprague River, where historical trends are not likely to reverse until it attains a more natural channel and flood-plain geometry and the channel aggrades to the extent that overbank flow becomes common.
Sedimentation in Rio La Venta Canyon in Netzahualcoyotl Reservoir, Chiapas, Mexico
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
de La Fuente, J. A.; Lisle, T.; Velasquez, J.; Allison, B. L.; Miller, A.
2002-12-01
Sedimentation of Rio La Venta as it enters the Netzahualcoyotl Reservoir in Chiapas, Mexico, threatens a unique part of the aquatic ecosystem. Rio La Venta enters the reservoir via a narrow canyon about 16 km long with spectacular, near-vertical limestone bluffs up to 320 m high and inhabited by the flora and fauna of a pristine tropical forest. Karst terrain underlies most of the Rio La Venta basin in the vicinity of the reservoir, while deeply weathered granitic terrain underlies the Rio Negro basin, and the headwaters of the Rio La Venta to the south. The Rio Negro joins Rio La Venta 3 km downstream of the upper limit of the reservoir and delivers the bulk of the total clastic sediment (mostly sand and finer material). The canyon and much of the contributing basin lie within the Reserva de la Biosfera, Selva El Ocote, administered by the Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas, part of the Secretaria de Medioambiente y Recursos Naturales. The Klamath National Forest Forest has cooperated with its Mexican counterparts since 1993 in natural resource management, neo-tropical bird inventories, wildfire management, and more recently in watershed analyses. Rates of sedimentation are estimated from bathymetric surveys conducted in March, 2002. A longitudinal profile down the inundated canyon during a high reservoir level shows an inflection from a slope of 0.0017 to one of 0.0075 at 7.2 km downstream of the mouth of Rio Negro. The bed elevation at this point corresponds to the lowest reservoir level, suggesting that the gentler sloping bed upstream is formed by fluvial processes during drawdown and that downstream by pluvial processes. Using accounts that boats could access Rio Negro during low water levels in 1984, we estimate an annual sedimentation rate of roughly 3 million cubic meters per year. This suggests that boats might no longer be able to access the most spectacular section of canyon upstream of Rio Negro within a decade, depending on how the depositional profile develops. Additionally, canyon filling will change the aquatic ecology of the river and the reservoir, and result in loss of fish habitat. A monitoring program is in place to answer this critical question.
Channel Maintenance and Flushing Flows for the Klamath River Below Iron Gate Dam, California
Holmquist-Johnson, Cristopher L.; Milhous, Robert T.
2010-01-01
The Klamath River is a major river in northern California and southern Oregon. Iron Gate Dam divides the river into the two subunits where there is a significant change in utilization of the river. Downstream of Iron Gate Dam, the river is very important for the propagation of salmon. To address concerns relating to substrate conditions in the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, the Arcata, California, office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contracted with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to determine flushing flows required to improve and maintain quality spawning and rearing habitats for salmon, and to reduce the abundance of preferred habitats of the polychaete worm suspected of being the intermediate host for Ceratomyxa shasta, a species of bacteria that infects fish. Historically, the river has had the capacity to move sediment just below Iron Gate Reservoir, but there have been periods when the capacity was very low. The results indicate that if the future is more like the pre-1961 period (low transport capacity) than the more recent period, there will be significant sediment issues in the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam. It seems that during normal or wet years, winter months, and periods of high flow, sediments are flushed either downstream or deposited on higher surfaces. The recent drought conditions during 2000-2005 probably resulted in extensive fine-grained sedimentation along the river, which in turn may have caused increased establishment of aquatic vegetation and increased concentrations of C. shasta. It appears that releases from Iron Gate Dam as far downstream as Seiad Valley are important in maintaining flow conditions to flush the fines and clean the gravels in the river during summer months, or during drought years. Sediment transport studies indicate that supplemental flows during dry or drought conditions may provide some flushing flows in reaches downstream of the dam. For purposes of flushing fine sediments during drought years or dry summer months, flows in the range of 2,500-5,000 cubic feet per second during a period of days may be necessary. Providing these types of flows in a manner similar to a storm pulse would provide the best opportunity to flush the fines and clean some of the gravels given the upper ranges of flows are achieved.
Testing the Control of Mineral Supply Rates on Chemical Erosion Rates in the Klamath Mountains
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
West, N.; Ferrier, K.
2016-12-01
The relationship between rates of chemical erosion and mineral supply is central to many problems in Earth science, including how tightly Earth's climate should be coupled to tectonics, how strongly nutrient supply to soils and streams depends on soil production, and how much lithology affects landscape evolution. Despite widespread interest in this relationship, there remains no consensus on how closely coupled chemical erosion rates should be to mineral supply rates. To address this, we have established a network of field sites in the Klamath Mountains along a latitudinal transect that spans an expected gradient in mineral supply rates associated with the geodynamic response to the migration of the Mendocino Triple Junction. Here, we present new measurements of regolith geochemistry and topographic analyses that will be compared with cosmogenic 10Be measurements to test hypotheses about supply-limited and kinetically-limited chemical erosion on granodioritic ridgetops. Previous studies in this area suggest a balance between rock uplift rates and basin wide erosion rates, implying the study ridgetops may have adjusted to an approximate steady state. Preliminary data are consistent with a decrease in chemical depletion fraction (CDF) with increasing ridgetop curvature. To the extent that ridgetop curvature reflects ridgetop erosion rates, this implies that chemical erosion rates at these sites are influenced by both mineral supply rates and dissolution kinetics.
Heating facilities: Klamath Lutheran Church, Klamath Falls, Oregon
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
1980-08-01
The Klamath Lutheran Church is a masonry structure with cathedral ceiling containing approximately 5800 sq ft of floor area. This building is currently heated by two duct furnaces and a unit heater all of which are gas fired. An Educational Wing of approximately 6300 sq ft was added in 1958. This building, containing 2 assembly rooms and a number of classrooms is of uninsulated frame construction, with extensive glass area. A gas-fired boiler supplying finned tube radiators currently heats this wing. Four specific options for displacing all or part of the heating duty with geothermal were examined. These options are:more » case 1 - drilling a production and injection well on the property and using the resultant hot water (180/sup 0/F) to heat the entire facility; case 3 - using effluent from the Klamath Union High School to heat the entire facility; no well drilling required; case 2 - using effluent from the Klamath Union High School to heat only the church building; the present gas boiler would heat the Educational Wing; and case 4 - drilling a production and injection well on the property and using the resulting water (70/sup 0/F) to supply a water-to-water heat pump. Of the four cases examined, case 3 (heating of both the church building and educational wing with effluent from the Klamath Union High School) seems to offer the greatest potential and earliest simple payback period. (MHR)« less
Ottinger, Christopher A; Densmore, Christine L; Robertson, Laura S; Iwanowicz, Deborah D; VanderKooi, Scott P
2016-02-01
During July-September of 2008, 2009, and 2010 endangered age-0 juvenile shortnose suckers were sampled from Upper Klamath Lake, OR in a health evaluation that included the measurement of transforming growth factor - beta (TGF-β) expression in spleen in combination with a histopathology assessment. This analysis was performed to determine if the expression of this immuno-regulator could be used as a component of a larger health evaluation intended to identify potential risk-factors that may help to explain why very few of these fish survive to age-1. Potential associations between TGF-β1 expression, histopathological findings, meristic data as well as temporal and spatial data were evaluated using analysis-of-variance. In this analysis, the absence or presence of opercula deformity and hepatic cell necrosis were identified as significant factors in accounting for the variance in TGF-β1 expression observed in age-0 shortnose suckers (n = 122, squared multiple R = 0.989). Location of sample collection and the absence or presence of anchor worms (Lernaea spp.) were identified as significant cofactors. The actual mechanisms involved with these relationships have yet to be determined. The strength, however, of our findings support the concept of using TGF-β1 expression as part of a broader fish health assessment and suggests the potential for using additional immunologic measures in future studies. Specifically, our results indicate that the measure of TGF-β1 expression in age-0 shortnose sucker health assessments can facilitate the process of identifying disease risks that are associated with the documented lack of recruitment into the adult population. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Saleh, D.; Domagalski, J. L.; Smith, R. A.
2016-12-01
The SPARROW (SPAtially-Referenced Regression On Watershed Attributes) model, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, has been used to identify and quantify the sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in watersheds and to predict their fluxes and concentration at specified locations downstream. Existing SPARROW models use a hybrid statistical approach to describe an annual average ("steady-state") relationship between sources and stream conditions based on long-term water quality monitoring data and spatially-referenced explanatory information. Although these annual models are useful for some management purposes, many water quality issues stem from intra- and inter-annual changes in constituent sources, hydrologic forcing, or other environmental conditions, which cause a lag between watershed inputs and stream water quality. We are developing a seasonal dynamic SPARROW model of sources, fluxes, and yields of phosphorus for the watershed (approximately 9,700 square kilometers) draining to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. The lake is hyper-eutrophic and various options are being considered for water quality improvement. The model was calibrated with 11 years of water quality data (2000 to 2010) and simulates seasonal loads and yields for a total of 44 seasons. Phosphorus sources to the watershed include animal manure, farm fertilizer, discharges of treated wastewater, and natural sources (soil and streambed sediment). The model predicts that phosphorus delivery to the lake is strongly affected by intra- and inter-annual changes in precipitation and by temporary seasonal storage of phosphorus in the watershed. The model can be used to predict how different management actions for mitigating phosphorus sources might affect phosphorus loading to the lake as well as the time required for any changes in loading to occur following implementation of the action.
Janney, E.C.; Shively, R.S.; Hayes, B.S.; Barry, P.M.; Perkins, D.
2008-01-01
We used 13 years (1995-2007) of capture-mark-recapture data to assess population dynamics of endangered Lost River suckers Deltistes luxatus and shortnose suckers Chasmistes brevirostris in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. The Cormack-Jolly-Seber method was used to estimate survival, and information theoretic modeling was used to assess variation due to time, gender, species, and spawning subpopulations. Length data were used to detect multiple year-class failures and events of high recruitment into adult spawning populations. Average annual survival probability was 0.88 for Lost River suckers and 0.76 for shortnose suckers. Mean life span estimates based on these survival rates indicated that Lost River suckers survived long enough on average to attempt reproduction eight times, whereas shortnose suckers only survived to spawn three to four times. Shortnose sucker survival was not only poor in years of fish kills (1995-1997) but also was low in years without fish kills (i.e., 2002 and 2004). This suggests that high mortality occurs in some years but is not necessarily associated with fish kills. Annual survival probabilities were not only different between the two species but also differed between two spawning subpopulations of Lost River suckers. Length composition data indicated that recruitment into spawning populations only occurred intermittently. Populations of both species transitioned from primarily old individuals with little size diversity and consistently poor recruitment in the late 1980s and early 1990s to mostly small, recruit-sized fish by the late 1990s. A better understanding of the factors influencing adult survival and recruitment into spawning populations is needed. Monitoring these vital parameters will provide a quantitative means to evaluate population status and assess the effectiveness of conservation and recovery efforts.
Benthic nutrient sources to hypereutrophic upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA.
Kuwabara, James S; Topping, Brent R; Lynch, Dennis D; Carter, James L; Essaid, Hedeff I
2009-03-01
Three collecting trips were coordinated in April, May, and August 2006 to sample the water column and benthos of hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake (OR, USA) through the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. A pore-water profiler was designed and fabricated to obtain the first high-resolution (centimeter-scale) estimates of the vertical concentration gradients of macro- and micronutrients for diffusive-flux determinations. A consistently positive benthic flux for soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was observed with solute release from the sediment, ranging between 0.4 and 6.1 mg/m(2)/d. The mass flux over an approximate 200-km(2) lake area was comparable in magnitude to riverine inputs. An additional concern related to fish toxicity was identified when dissolved ammonium also displayed consistently positive benthic fluxes of 4 to 134 mg/m(2)/d, again comparable to riverine inputs. Although phosphorus was a logical initial choice by water quality managers for the limiting nutrient when nitrogen-fixing cyanophytes dominate, initial trace-element results from the lake and major inflowing tributaries suggested that the role of iron limitation on primary productivity should be investigated. Dissolved iron became depleted in the lake water column during the course of the algal bloom, while dissolved ammonium and SRP increased. Elevated macroinvertebrate densities, at least of the order of 10(4) individuals/m(2), suggested that the diffusive-flux estimates may be significantly enhanced by bioturbation. In addition, heat-flux modeling indicated that groundwater advection of nutrients could also significantly contribute to internal nutrient loading. Accurate environmental assessments of lentic systems and reasonable expectations for point-source management require quantitative consideration of internal solute sources.
Ottinger, Christopher A.; Densmore, Christine L.; Robertson, Laura S.; Iwanowicz, Deborah; Vanderkooi, Scott P.
2016-01-01
During July – September of 2008, 2009, and 2010 endangered age-0 juvenile shortnose suckers were sampled from Upper Klamath Lake, OR in a health evaluation that included the measurement of transforming growth factor – beta (TGF-β) expression in spleen in combination with a histopathology assessment. This analysis was performed to determine if the expression of this immuno-regulator could be used as a component of a larger health evaluation intended to identify potential risk-factors that may help to explain why very few of these fish survive to age-1. Potential associations between TGF-β1 expression, histopathological findings, meristic data as well as temporal and spatial data were evaluated using analysis-of-variance. In this analysis, the absence or presence of opercula deformity and hepatic cell necrosis were identified as significant factors in accounting for the variance in TGF-β1 expression observed in age-0 shortnose suckers (n = 122, squared multiple R = 0.989). Location of sample collection and the absence or presence of anchor worms (Lernaea spp.) were identified as significant cofactors. The actual mechanisms involved with these relationships have yet to be determined. The strength, however, of our findings support the concept of using TGF-β1 expression as part of a broader fish health assessment and suggests the potential for using additional immunologic measures in future studies. Specifically, our results indicate that the measure of TGF-β1 expression in age-0 shortnose sucker health assessments can facilitate the process of identifying disease risks that are associated with the documented lack of recruitment into the adult population.
Benthic nutrient sources to hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA
Kuwabara, J.S.; Topping, B.R.; Lynch, D.D.; Carter, J.L.; Essaid, H.I.
2009-01-01
Three collecting trips were coordinated in April, May, and August 2006 to sample the water column and benthos of hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake (OR, USA) through the annual cyanophyte bloom of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. A porewater profiler was designed and fabricated to obtain the first high-resolution (centimeter-scale) estimates of the vertical, concentration gradients of macro- and micronutrients for diffusive-flux determinations. A consistently positive benthic flux for soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was observed with solute release from the sediment, ranging between 0.4 and 6.1 mg/m2/d. The mass flux over an approximate 200-km2 lake area was comparable in magnitude to riverine inputs. An additional concern, related to fish toxicity was identified when dissolved ammonium also displayed consistently positive benthic fluxes of 4 to 134 mg/m2/d, again, comparable to riverine inputs. Although phosphorus was a logical initial choice by water quality managers for the limiting nutrient when nitrogen-fixing cyanophytes dominate, initial trace-element results from the lake and major inflowing tributaries suggested that the role of iron limitation on primary productivity should be investigated. Dissolved iron became depleted in the lake water column during the course of the algal bloom, while dissolved ammonium and SRP increased. Elevated macroinvertebrate densities, at least of the order of 104 individuals/m2, suggested, that the diffusive-flux estimates may be significantly enhanced, by bioturbation. In addition, heat-flux modeling indicated that groundwater advection of nutrients could also significantly contribute to internal nutrient loading. Accurate environmental assessments of lentic systems and reasonable expectations for point-source management require quantitative consideration of internal solute sources ?? 2009 SETAC.
Rainfall forecast in the Upper Mahaweli basin in Sri Lanka using RegCM model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Muhammadh, K. M.; Mafas, M. M. M.; Weerakoon, S. B.
2017-04-01
The Upper Mahaweli basin is the upper most sub basin of 788 km2 in size above Polgolla barrage in the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka which starts from the central hills of the island and drains to the sea at the North-east coast. Rainfall forecast in the Upper Mahaweli basin is important for issuing flood warning in the river downstream of the reservoirs, landslide warning in the settlements in hilly areas. Anticipatory water management in the basin including reservoir operations, barrage gate operation for releasing water for irrigation and flood control also require reliable rainfall and runoff prediction in the sub basin. In this study, the Regional Climate Model (RegCM V4.4.5.11) is calibrated for the basin to dynamically downscale reanalysis weather data of Global Climate Model (GCM) to forecast the rainfall in the basin. Observed rainfalls at gauging stations within the basin were used for model calibration and validation. The observed rainfall data was analysed using ARC GIS and the output of RegCM was analysed using GrADS tool. The output of the model and the observed precipitation were obtained on grids of size 0.1 degrees and the accuracy of the predictions were analysed using RMSE and Mean Model Absolute Error percentage (MAME %). The predictions by the calibrated RegCM model for the basin is shown to be satisfactory. The model is a useful tool for rainfall forecast in the Upper Mahaweli River basin.
Stevens, C.H.; Stone, P.; Ritter, S.M.
2001-01-01
The Pennsylvanian-Lower Permian Keeler Canyon Formation and lower part of the Lower Permian Lone Pine Formation in east-central California were deposited in a deep-water basin that originated in the Morrowan (Early Pennsylvanian), was fully established by the Desmoinesian (Middle Pennsylvanian), and lasted into the Sakmarian (Early Permian). Stratigraphic studies indicate that the Keeler Canyon Formation can be divided into members recognizable throughout the area of our detailed mapping. From older to younger they are the Tinemaha Reservoir, Tihvipah Limestone, Cerro Gordo Spring, and Salt Tram Members. Rocks in this basin, here referred to as the Keeler basin, contain numerous fusulinid and conodont faunas most of which were deposited by sediment-gravity flows probably originating at the margin of the Bird Spring carbonate platform to the northeast. Sixty-one species of Atokan to Sakmarian fusulinids and 38 species of Desmoinesian to Sakmarian conodonts are recognized. These, in addition to four species of Morrowan conodonts previously reported, show that every stage from the Morrowan to Sakmarian is represented in the basin. The fusulinid faunas are composed largely of taxa of the North American craton, especially the south-central USA, with important endemic constituents and some McCloud Limestone forms, representing the Eastern Klamath terrane. Conodonts are closely similar to species in the Ural Mountains region of Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as the American midcontinent. The co-occurrence of fusulinids and conodonts in the Keeler basin results in a better correlation of zones based on these two groups of fossils than generally is possible.
Milgrom, Peter; Sutherland, Marilynn; Shirtcliff, R Mike; Ludwig, Sharity; Smolen, Darlene
2010-02-18
A community-based public health program to provide a dental home for women covered by the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) in Klamath County, Oregon USA was instituted with the long-term goal to promote preventive oral care for both mothers and their new infants provided by dental managed care companies. As part of the evaluation of the program, children in Klamath and comparable non-program counties were examined in their 2nd year of life to begin to determine if benefits accrued to the offspring of the mothers in Klamath County. Eighty-five and 58.9% of the children were caries free in the Klamath and comparison county samples, respectively (RR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.13, 1.93). The mean (SD) number of teeth with any decay was .75 (2.5) in the test population and 1.6 (2.5) in the comparison population (t = 2.08, p = .04). The assessment showed that children of mothers in the Klamath County program were about one and a half times more likely to be caries free than children in the comparison counties. Additional controlled studies are being undertaken.
Far-travelled permian chert of the North Fork terrane, Klamath mountains, California
Mankinen, E.A.; Irwin, W.P.; Blome, C.D.
1996-01-01
Permian chert in the North Fork terrane and correlative rocks of the Klamath Mountains province has a remanent magnetization that is prefolding and presumably primary. Paleomagnetic results indicate that the chert formed at a paleolatitude of 8.6?? ?? 2.5?? but in which hemisphere remains uncertain. This finding requires that these rocks have undergone at least 8.6?? ?? 4.4?? of northward transport relative to Permian North America since their deposition. Paleontological evidence suggests that the Permian limestone of the Eastern Klamath terrane originated thousands of kilometers distant from North America. The limestone of the North Fork terrane may have formed at a similar or even greater distance as suggested by its faunal affinity to the Eastern Klamath terrane and more westerly position. Available evidence indicates that convergence of the North Fork and composite Central Metamorphic-Eastern Klamath terranes occurred during Triassic or Early Jurassic time and that their joining together was a Middle Jurassic event. Primary and secondary magnetizations indicate that the new composite terrane containing these and other rocks of the Western Paleozoic and Triassic belt behaved as a single rigid block that has been latitudinally concordant with the North American craton since Middle Jurassic time.
76 FR 21857 - Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-04-19
... Klamath River and estuary, and at the confluence of Independence Creek and the Klamath River. USGS... the estuary and will consist of capture (beach seine), handle (identify, measure, weigh), and release...
69. September 1913 "No. 110. Placing no. 2 rock on ...
69. September 1913 "No. 110. Placing no. 2 rock on top of foundation course which has been previously rolled. Experimental road section." - Crater Lake National Park Roads, Klamath Falls, Klamath County, OR
Herrera, Nora B.; Ely, Kate; Mehta, Smita; Stonewall, Adam J.; Risley, John C.; Hinkle, Stephen R.; Conlon, Terrence D.
2017-05-31
Executive SummaryThis report presents a summary of the hydrogeology of the upper Umatilla River Basin, Oregon, based on characterization of the hydrogeologic framework, horizontal and vertical directions of groundwater flow, trends in groundwater levels, and components of the groundwater budget. The conceptual model of the groundwater flow system integrates available data and information on the groundwater resources of the upper Umatilla River Basin and provides insights regarding key hydrologic processes, such as the interaction between the groundwater and surface water systems and the hydrologic budget.The conceptual groundwater model developed for the study area divides the groundwater flow system into five hydrogeologic units: a sedimentary unit, three Columbia River basalt units, and a basement rock unit. The sedimentary unit, which is not widely used as a source of groundwater in the upper basin, is present primarily in the lowlands and consists of conglomerate, loess, silt and sand deposits, and recent alluvium. The Columbia River Basalt Group is a series of Miocene flood basalts that are present throughout the study area. The basalt is uplifted in the southeastern half of the study area, and either underlies the sedimentary unit, or is exposed at the surface. The interflow zones of the flood basalts are the primary aquifers in the study area. Beneath the flood basalts are basement rocks composed of Paleogene to Pre-Tertiary sedimentary, volcanic, igneous, and metamorphic rocks that are not used as a source of groundwater in the upper Umatilla River Basin.The major components of the groundwater budget in the upper Umatilla River Basin are (1) groundwater recharge, (2) groundwater discharge to surface water and wells, (3) subsurface flow into and out of the basin, and (4) changes in groundwater storage.Recharge from precipitation occurs primarily in the upland areas of the Blue Mountains. Mean annual recharge from infiltration of precipitation for the upper Umatilla River Basin during 1951–2010 is about 9.6 inches per year (in/yr). Annual recharge from precipitation for water year 2010 ranged from 3 in. in the lowland area to about 30 in. in the Blue Mountains. Using Kahle and others (2011) data and methods from the Columbia Plateau regional model, average annual recharge from irrigation is estimated to be about 2.2 in/yr for the 13 square miles of irrigated land in the upper Umatilla River Basin.Groundwater discharges to streams throughout the year and is a large component of annual streamflow in the upper Umatilla River Basin. Upward vertical hydraulic gradients near the Umatilla River indicate the potential for groundwater discharge. Groundwater discharge to the Umatilla River generally occurs in the upper part of the basin, upstream from the main stem.Groundwater development in the upper Umatilla River Basin began sometime after 1950 (Davies-Smith and others, 1988; Gonthier and Bolke, 1991). By water year 2010, groundwater use in the upper Umatilla River Basin was approximately 11,214 acre-feet (acre-ft). Total groundwater withdrawals for the study area were estimated at 7,575 acre-ft for irrigation, 3,173 acre-ft for municipal use, and 466 acre-ft for domestic use.Total groundwater flow into or from the study area depends locally on geology and hydraulic head distribution. Estimates of subsurface flow were calculated using the U.S. Geological Survey Columbia Plateau regional groundwater flow model. Net flux values range from 25,000 to 27,700 acre-ft per year and indicate that groundwater is moving out of the upper Umatilla River Basin into the lower Umatilla River Basin.Water level changes depend on storage changes within an aquifer, and storage changes depend on the storage properties of the aquifer, as well as recharge to or discharge from the aquifer. Groundwater level data in the upper Umatilla River Basin are mostly available from wells in Columbia River basalt units, which indicate areas of long-term water level declines in the Grande Ronde basalt unit near Pendleton and Athena, Oregon. Groundwater levels in the Wanapum basalt unit do not show long-term declines in the upper Umatilla River Basin. Because of pumping, some areas in the upper Umatilla River Basin have shown a decrease, or reversal, in the upward vertical head gradient.Key data needs are improvement of the spatial and temporal distribution of water-level data collection and continued monitoring of streamflow gaging sites. Additionally, refinement of recharge estimates would enhance understanding of the processes that provide the groundwater resources in the upper Umatilla River Basin.
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-14
... 700 miles of the West Coast to protect weak Klamath River stocks. --In 2010, due to drought conditions... Plan, Water Diversion Limitation and Pumping Plan, Water Rights Purchase Plan, Drought Plan...
Hydroclimatology of the Missouri River basin
Wise, Erika K.; Woodhouse, Connie A.; McCabe, Gregory; Pederson, Gregory T.; St. Jacques, Jeannine-Marie
2018-01-01
Despite the importance of the Missouri River for navigation, recreation, habitat, hydroelectric power, and agriculture, relatively little is known about the basic hydroclimatology of the Missouri River basin (MRB). This is of particular concern given the droughts and floods that have occurred over the past several decades and the potential future exacerbation of these extremes by climate change. Here, observed and modeled hydroclimatic data and estimated natural flow records in the MRB are used to 1) assess the major source regions of MRB flow, 2) describe the climatic controls on streamflow in the upper and lower basins , and 3) investigate trends over the instrumental period. Analyses indicate that 72% of MRB runoff is generated by the headwaters in the upper basin and by the lowest portion of the basin near the mouth. Spring precipitation and temperature and winter precipitation impacted by changes in zonal versus meridional flow from the Pacific Ocean play key roles in surface water supply variability in the upper basin. Lower basin flow is significantly correlated with precipitation in late spring and early summer, indicative of Atlantic-influenced circulation variability affecting the flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Although increases in precipitation in the lower basin are currently overriding the effects of warming temperatures on total MRB flow, the upper basin’s long-term trend toward decreasing flows, reduction in snow versus rain fraction, and warming spring temperatures suggest that the upper basin may less often provide important flow supplements to the lower basin in the future.
Water Demand Management Strategies and Challenges in the Upper Colorado River Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuhn, R. E.
2016-12-01
Under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, the Upper Basin (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) has flow obligations at Lee Ferry to downstream states and Mexico. The Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSPA) of 1956 led to the construction of four large storage reservoirs. These provide river regulation to allow the Upper Basin to meet its obligations. Lake Powell, the largest and most important, and Lake Mead are now operated in a coordinated manner under the 2007 Interim Guidelines. Studies show that at current demand levels and if the hydrologic conditions the Basin has experienced since the mid-1980s continue or get drier, reservoir operations, alone, may not provide the necessary water to meet the Upper Basin's obligations. Therefore, the Upper Basin states are now studying demand management strategies that will reduce consumptive uses when total system reservoir storage reaches critically low levels. Demand management has its own economic, political and technical challenges and limitations and will provide new opportunities for applied research. This presentation will discuss some of those strategies, their challenges, and the kinds of information that research could provide to inform demand management.
Tillman, Fred D.
2015-01-01
The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water to more than 35 million people in the United States and 3 million people in Mexico, irrigating more than 4.5 million acres of farmland, and generating about 12 billion kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power annually. The Upper Colorado River Basin, encompassing more than 110,000 square miles (mi2), contains the headwaters of the Colorado River (also known as the River) and is an important source of snowmelt runoff to the River. Groundwater discharge also is an important source of water in the River and its tributaries, with estimates ranging from 21 to 58 percent of streamflow in the upper basin. Planning for the sustainable management of the Colorado River in future climates requires an understanding of the Upper Colorado River Basin groundwater system. This report documents input datasets for a Soil-Water Balance groundwater recharge model that was developed for the Upper Colorado River Basin.
65. September 1913 "No. 100. Sprinkling dirt over oil surface ...
65. September 1913 "No. 100. Sprinkling dirt over oil surface of dirt roads preparatory to rolling. This was necessary in order to keep roller from picking up asphaltic oils." - Crater Lake National Park Roads, Klamath Falls, Klamath County, OR
Geothermal heat for Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital and Klamath County Nursing Home
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Howard, R.L.; Hubbard, K.; Rosecrans, D.
The geology and hydrology of the Klamath Falls area is discussed briefly. The geothermal heating system which serves the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital and the Klamath County Nursing Home is shown in photographs and schematic drawing. The system consists basically of a well, settling tank, various heat exchangers, pumps, piping, and controls to move the water. From the heat exchangers system water is pumped to the terminal units, where it is used for space heating, domestic hot water, and a glycol snow melting system. The operation of the various parts of the system is described. (MHR)
Foott, Scott; Stutzer, Greg; Fogerty, R.; Hansel, Hal; Juhnke, Steven; Beeman, John W.
2009-01-01
Apparent survival and migration rate of radio-tagged hatchery subyearling Chinook salmon released at Iron Gate Hatchery was monitored in the Klamath River to see if the timing of mortality coincided with observations of ceratomyxosis in re-captured coded wire tag cohorts. Despite rapid emigration, these relatively large (mean fork length 92 mm) smolts had a cumulative apparent survival to the estuary of 0.074 (SE 0.024) and standardized rates of survival per 100 km tended to decrease linearly with distance from the hatchery. The last fish detection occurred 26 days after release but median travel time between Iron Gate Hatchery (rkm 309) and the last receiver near the Klamath estuary (Blake’s Riffle rkm 13) was about 10 days. The majority of apparent mortality (8-10 d post-release) occurred before disease from Ceratomyxa shasta infection is expected after exposure to infectious waters. Despite numerous observations of ceratomyxosis in the Klamath R. during June, an obvious link between disease and apparent survival was not present in this study. Future studies should examine the acute (e.g., predator types and densities) and chronic (e.g., swimming performance impairment due to disease) mortality factors for juvenile Chinook salmon smolts in the Klamath River.
Water-quality data from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2009-10
Eldridge, D. Blake; Caldwell Eldridge, Sara L.; Schenk, Liam N.; Tanner, Dwight Q.; Wood, Tamara M.
2012-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey Upper Klamath Lake water-quality monitoring program collected data from multiparameter continuous water-quality monitors, weekly water-quality samples, and meteorological stations during 2009 and 2010 from May through November each year. The results of these measurements and sample analyses, as well as quality-control data for the water-quality samples, are presented in this report for 14 sites on Upper Klamath Lake and 2 sites on Agency Lake. These 2 years of data demonstrate a contrast in the seasonal bloom of the dominant cyanobacterium, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, that can be related to differences in the measured water quality and meteorological variables. Some of the significant findings from 2009 and 2010 are listed below. * Both 2009 and 2010 were characterized by two cyanobacteria blooms, but the blooms differed in timing and intensity. The first bloom in 2009 peaked in late June and at higher chlorophyll a concentrations at most sites than the first bloom in 2010, which peaked in mid-July. A major decline in the first 2009 bloom occurred in late July and was followed by a second bloom that peaked at most sites in mid-August and persisted through September. The decline of the weaker first bloom in 2010 occurred in early August and was followed by a more substantial second bloom that peaked between late August and early September at most sites. * Dissolved oxygen minima associated with bloom declines occurred approximately 2 weeks earlier in 2009 (mid-July) than in 2010 (early August). pH maxima associated with rapid bloom growth occurred in late June and again in mid-August in 2009 and in mid-July and late August in 2010. * In both years, the maxima for total phosphorus and total nitrogen concentrations coincided with the chlorophyll a maximum. The maxima for dissolved nutrient concentrations (orthophosphate, ammonia, and nitrite plus nitrate) coincided with the declines of the first blooms. * Total particulate carbon, total particulate nitrogen, and total particulate phosphorus concentrations were measured in 2009 only. The ratios of carbon to phosphorus and nitrogen to phosphorus in particulates were the highest of the entire season during the rapid growth phase of the first bloom and were the lowest of the season during the decline of the first bloom. These ratios increased with the onset of the second bloom in that year, but to a lesser degree. * Meteorological data show that 2009 was warmer (particularly in June and July), less windy, and more humid early in the season than 2010. The difference in water temperatures reflected the difference in air temperatures in that the lakes were warmer in 2009 than in 2010 starting in early May, when the sensors were deployed, through most of June. Water temperature peaked at a higher value in 2009, and there were more clear days in June 2009 than in June 2010.
Conservation status of American martens and fishers in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion
K. M. Slauson; W. J. Zielinski
2004-01-01
The American marten (Martes americana) was historically distributed within coastal and high elevation fir fore sts of the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion (KSB) and was represented by three recognized subspecies (M. a. caurina, M. a. sierrae, and M. a. humboldtensis...
Mankinen, Edward A.; Irwin, William P.
1990-01-01
Paleomagnetic studies of the Klamath Mountains, Blue Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and northwestern Nevada pertain mostly to Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks, but some data also are available for Permian and Triassic rocks of the region. Large vertical-axis rotations are indicated for rocks in many of the terranes, but few studies show statistically significant latitudinal displacements. The most complete paleomagnetic record is from the Eastern Klamath terrane, which shows large post-Triassic clockwise rotations and virtual cessation of rotation by Early Cretaceous time, when accretion to the continent was completed. Data from Permian strata of the Eastern Klamath terrane indicate no paleolatitude anomaly, in contrast to preliminary results from coeval strata of Hells Canyon in the Blue Mountains region, which are suggestive of some southward movement. If these Hells Canyon results are confirmed, some of the terranes in these two regions must have been traveling on separate plates during late Paleozoic time. Data from Triassic and younger strata in the Blue Mountains region indicate paleolatitudes that are concordant with North America. Results from Triassic rocks of the Koipato Formation in west-central Nevada also indicate southward transport, but when this movement ceased is unknown. The Nevadan orogeny may have occurred in the Sierra Nevada during Jurassic accretion of the ophiolitic and volcanic-arc terranes of that province to the continent, whereas what has been considered to be the same orogeny in the Klamath Mountains may have occurred before accretion. Using the concordance of observed and expected paleomagnetic directions as a guide, the allochthonous Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains, and Blue Mountains composite terranes seem to have accreted to the continent sequentially from south to north.
Merewether, E.A.; Cobban, W.A.; Tillman, R.W.
2010-01-01
In the Bighorn Basin of north-central Wyoming and south-central Montana, the Frontier Formation of early Late Cretaceous age consists of siliciclastic, bentonitic, and carbonaceous beds that were deposited in marine, brackish-water, and continental environments. Most lithologic units are laterally discontinuous. The Frontier Formation conformably overlies the Mowry Shale and is conformably overlain by the Cody Shale. Molluscan fossils collected from outcrops of these formations and listed in this report are mainly of marine origin and of Cenomanian, Turonian, and Coniacian ages. The lower and thicker part of the Frontier in the Bighorn Basin is of Cenomanian age and laterally equivalent to the Belle Fourche Member of the Frontier in central Wyoming. Near the west edge of the basin, these basal strata are disconformably overlain by middle Turonian beds that are the age equivalent of the Emigrant Gap Member of the Frontier in central Wyoming. The middle Turonian beds are disconformably overlain by lower Coniacian strata. Cenomanian strata along the south and east margins of the basin are disconformably overlain by upper Turonian beds in the upper part of the Frontier, as well as in the lower part of the Cody; these are, in turn, conformably overlain by lower Coniacian strata. Thicknesses and ages of Cenomanian strata in the Bighorn Basin and adjoining regions are evidence of regional differential erosion and the presence of an uplift during the early Turonian centered in northwestern Wyoming, west of the basin, probably associated with a eustatic event. The truncated Cenomanian strata were buried by lower middle Turonian beds during a marine transgression and possibly during regional subsidence and a eustatic rise. An uplift in the late middle Turonian, centered in north-central Wyoming and possibly associated with a eustatic fall, caused the erosion of lower middle Turonian beds in southern and eastern areas of the basin as well as in an adjoining region of north-central Wyoming. Similarly, in east-central Wyoming and an adjacent area to the south, Cenomanian strata are disconformably overlain by upper middle and lower upper Turonian strata that probably reflect uplift and erosion in that region during the interim period of middle Turonian time. During later subsidence and a marine transgression, upper Turonian deposits buried Cenomanian beds in areas along the south and east margins of the Bighorn Basin and buried lower middle Turonian beds in much of northern Wyoming. Upper Turonian and lower Coniacian strata are apparently conformable in eastern and southern areas of the basin as well as near Riverton, Kaycee, and Casper in central Wyoming. Upper Turonian strata are absent on the west flank of the Bighorn Basin and in outcrops west of the basin, where middle Turonian beds are disconformably overlain by lower Coniacian beds . The conformable upper Turonian and lower Coniacian beds apparently transgressed an eroded middle Turonian surface in the region, but only Coniacian strata overlie middle Turonian beds on the west side of the basin and areas farther west. Coniacian strata onlap the truncated lower middle Turonian surface west of the basin, indicating a region that had higher elevation possibly resulting from tectonic uplift. In east-central Wyoming and an adjoining region to the south, upper middle Turonian and lower upper Turonian strata are disconformably overlain by lower and middle Coniacian beds. That region apparently was uplifted and eroded during the latest Turonian.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1997-08-01
An experimental construction method was evaluated at the Lost River Bridge in Klamath County to reduce the discontinuity between the bridge and the roadway. The method included combining soil in six 300-mm lifts interlaced with geotextile reinforceme...
76 FR 1425 - Combined Notice of Filings #1
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-01-10
...: Puget Sound Energy, Inc. Description: Puget Sound Energy, Inc. submits tariff filing per 35: OATT..., Colorado Green Holdings LLC, Klamath Energy LLC, Klamath Generation LLC, Klondike Wind Power LLC, Twin... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings 1 December 29...
Alternative Futures for Landscapes in the Upper San Pedro River Basin of Arizona and Sonora
Carl Steinitz; Robert Anderson; Hector Arias; Scott Bassett; Michael Flaxman; Tomas Goode; Thomas Maddock III; David Mouat; Robert Peiser; Allan Shearer
2005-01-01
The Upper San Pedro River Basin in southeastern Arizona is well known for its avian diversity; however, water use by Sierra Vista, Fort Huachuca, and agriculture in the basin threatens to lower its water table. This, in turn, could alter vegetation in the basin in a way that would negatively impact habitat currently supporting nesting of the endangered Southwestern...
Declining ring-necked pheasants in the Klamath Basin, California: I. Insecticide exposure
Grove, Robert A.; Buhler, D.R.; Henny, Charles J.; Drew, A.D.
1998-01-01
A study of organophosphorus (OP) insecticide exposure was conducted on a declining population of ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) associated with agricultural lands at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge (TLNWR) during the summers of 1990a??92. Findings at TLNWR were compared with a nearby pheasant population at Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (LKNWR) not subjected to intensive farming or OP insecticide applications. Direct toxicity of anticholinesterase (antiChE) compounds (in this case methamidophos) killed 2 young pheasants (91 and 92% brain acetylcholinesterase [AChE] inhibition), but no deaths of adult radio-equipped hens were ascribed to direct insecticide intoxication. However, within 20 days postspray of OP insecticides, 68% (28 of 41) of the adult pheasants collected at TLNWR were exposed to antiChE insecticides, and exhibited brain AChE inhibition of 19a??62%, with 15% (6 of 41) showing >55% brain AChE inhibition. The lack of radio-equipped hens dying was unexpected because >50% brain AChE inhibition has been frequently used as a diagnostic tool for evaluating cause of death from antiChE insecticides. No young were radio-equipped, so the extent of the effects of insecticide exposure on the survivorship of young was unknown. It is concluded that insecticide exposure was not the major factor impacting the pheasant population (see Grove et al., in press), although some young were acutely intoxicated. However, the loss of insects killed by insecticide use may have contributed to food shortages of young pheasants, indirectly influencing survival.
Timescales of orogeny: Jurassic construction of the Klamath Mountains
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hacker, Bradley R.; Donato, Mary M.; Barnes, Calvin G.; McWilliams, M. O.; Ernst, W. G.
1995-06-01
An electronic supplement of this material may be obtained on a diskette or Anonymous FTP from KOSMOS.AGU.ORG (LOGIN to AGU's FTP account using ANONYMOUS as the username and GUEST as the password. Go to the right directory by typing CD APEND. Type LS to see what files are available. Type GET and the name of the file to get it. Finally, type EXIT to leave the system.) (Paper 94YCJ2454, Timescales of orogeny: Jurassic construction of the Klamath Mountains, B.R. Hacker, M.M. Donato, C.G. Barnes, M.O. McWilliams, and W.G. Ernst). Diskette may be ordered from American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009; $15.00. Payment must accompany order. Classical interpretations of orogeny were based on relatively imprecise biostratigraphic and isotopic age determinations that necessitated grouping apparently related features that may in reality have been greatly diachronous. Isotopic age techniques now have the precision required to resolve the timing of orogenic events on a scale much smaller than that of entire mountain belts. Forty-five new 40Ar/39Ar ages from the Klamath Mountains illuminate the deformation, metamorphism, magmatism, and sedimentation involved in the Jurassic construction of that orogen, leading to a new level of understanding regarding how preserved orogenic features relate to ancient plate tectonic processes. The new geochronologic relationships show that many Jurassic units of the Klamath Mountains had 200 Ma or older volcanoplutonic basement. Subsequent formation of a large ˜170 Ma arc was followed by contractional collapse of the arc. Collision with a spreading ridge may have led to large-scale NW-SE extension in the central and northern Klamaths from 167 to ˜155 Ma, coincident with the crystallization of voluminous plutonic and volcanic suites. Marked cooling of a large region of the central Klamath Mountains to below ˜350°C at ˜150 Ma may have occurred as the igneous belt was extinguished by subduction of colder material at deeper structural levels. These data demonstrate that the Klamath Mountains—and perhaps other similar orogens—were constructed during areally and temporally variant episodes of contraction, extension, and magmatism that do not fit classical definitions of orogeny.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Trotter, Patrick C.; McMillan, Bill; Gayeski, Nick
1999-10-01
The objective of this project is to photo-document upper Columbia Basin native resident trout populations in Washington, and to ascertain their species or subspecies identity and relative genetic purity using a nonlethal DNA technique.
Sherson, Lauren R.; Rice, Steven E.
2015-07-16
Changes in climate and increased groundwater and surface-water use are likely to affect the availability of water in the upper Rio Hondo Basin. Increased drought probably will increase the potential for wildfires, which can affect downstream water quality and increase flood potential. Climate-research predicted decreases in winter precipitation may have an adverse effect on the amount of groundwater recharge that occurs in the upper Rio Hondo Basin, given the predominance of winter precipitation recharge as indicated by the stable isotope results. Decreases in surface-water supplies because of persistent drought conditions and reductions in the quality of water because of the effects of wildfire may lead to a larger reliance on groundwater reserves in the upper Rio Hondo Basin. Decreasing water levels because of increasing groundwater withdrawal could reduce base flows in the Rio Bonito and Rio Ruidoso. Well organized and scientifically supported regional water-resources management will be necessary for dealing with the likely scenario of increases in demand coupled with decreases in supply in the upper Rio Hondo Basin.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pereira, M. F.; Ribeiro, C.; Gama, C.; Drost, K.; Chichorro, M.; Vilallonga, F.; Hofmann, M.; Linnemann, U.
2017-01-01
Laser ablation ICP-MS U-Pb analyses have been conducted on detrital zircon of Upper Triassic sandstone from the Alentejo and Algarve basins in southwest Iberia. The predominance of Neoproterozoic, Devonian, Paleoproterozoic and Carboniferous detrital zircon ages confirms previous studies that indicate the locus of the sediment source of the late Triassic Alentejo Basin in the pre-Mesozoic basement of the South Portuguese and Ossa-Morena zones. Suitable sources for the Upper Triassic Algarve sandstone are the Upper Devonian-Lower Carboniferous of the South Portuguese Zone (Phyllite-Quartzite and Tercenas formations) and the Meguma Terrane (present-day in Nova Scotia). Spatial variations of the sediment sources of both Upper Triassic basins suggest a more complex history of drainage than previously documented involving other source rocks located outside present-day Iberia. The two Triassic basins were isolated from each other with the detrital transport being controlled by two independent drainage systems. This study is important for the reconstruction of the late Triassic paleogeography in a place where, later, the opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean took place separating Europe from North America.
A Place-Based Learning Community: Klamath Connection at Humboldt State University
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Matt; Sprowles, Amy; Overeem, Katlin; Rich, Angela
2013-01-01
A place-based learning community called "Klamath Connection" was designed to improve the academic performance of freshman in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors at Humboldt State University, a midsize public institution in a location geographically and culturally unfamiliar to the majority of its students. The…
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-04-26
...; Klamath County, Oregon; Marsh Project Environmental Impact Statement AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a project called Marsh, in the southwestern portion of...
Carl N. Skinner; Alan H. Taylor; James K. Agee
2006-01-01
The Klamath Mountains bioregion makes up a major portion of northwestern California continuing into southwestern Oregon to near Roseburg. In California, the bioregion lies primarily between the Northern California Coast bioregion on the west and the southern Cascade Range to the east. The southern boundary is made up of the Northern California Coast Ranges and Northern...
76 FR 76397 - Combined Notice of Filings #1
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-12-07
..., Dry Lake Wind Power, LLC, Dry Lake Wind Power II LLC, Elk River Windfarm, LLC, Elm Creek Wind, LLC..., Flying Cloud Power Partners, LLC, Hardscrabble Wind Power LLC, Hay Canyon Wind LLC, Juniper Canyon Wind Power LLC, Klamath Energy LLC, Klamath Generation LLC, Klondike Wind Power LLC, Klondike Wind Power II...
50 CFR 660.131 - Pacific whiting fishery management measures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (CONTINUED) FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES... trawl gear in the following portions of the fishery management area: (1) Klamath river salmon conservation zone. The ocean area surrounding the Klamath River mouth bounded on the north by 41°38.80′ N. lat...
50 CFR 660.131 - Pacific whiting fishery management measures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (CONTINUED) FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES... trawl gear in the following portions of the fishery management area: (1) Klamath river salmon conservation zone. The ocean area surrounding the Klamath River mouth bounded on the north by 41°38.80′ N. lat...
50 CFR 660.131 - Pacific whiting fishery management measures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (CONTINUED) FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES... trawl gear in the following portions of the fishery management area: (1) Klamath river salmon conservation zone. The ocean area surrounding the Klamath River mouth bounded on the north by 41°38.80′ N. lat...
76 FR 46284 - Combined Notice of Filings #1
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-08-02
... Holdings LLC, Dillon Wind LLC, Dry Lake Wind Power, LLC, Dry Lake Wind Power II LLC, Elk River Windfarm... Rock Windpower II LLC, Flying Cloud Power Partners, LLC, Hardscrabble Wind Power LLC, Hay Canyon Wind LLC, Juniper Canyon Wind Power LLC, Klamath Energy LLC, Klamath Generation LLC, Klondike Wind Power...
VanderKooi, S.P.; Thorsteinson, L.
2007-01-01
Water allocation among human and natural resource uses in the American West is challenging. Western rivers have been largely managed for hydropower, irrigation, drinking water, and navigation. Today land and water use practices have gained importance, particularly as aging dams are faced with re-licensing requirements and provisions of the Endangered Species and Clean Water Acts. Rising demand for scarce water heightens the need for scientific research to predict consequences of management actions on habitats, human resource use, and fish and wildlife. Climate change, introduction of invasive species, or restoration of fish passage can have large, landscape-scaled consequences - research must expand to encompass the appropriate scale and by applying multiple scientific disciplines to complex ecosystem challenges improve the adaptive management framework for decision-making.
Burdick, Summer M.; Wilkens, Alexander X.; VanderKooi, Scott P.
2008-01-01
We continued sampling juvenile suckers in 2006 as part of an effort to develop bioenergetics models for juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers. This study required us to collect fish to determine growth rates and energy content of juvenile suckers. We followed the sampling protocols and methods described by Hendrixson et al. (2007b) to maintain continuity and facilitate comparisons with data collected in recent years, but sampled at a reduced level of effort compared to previous years (approximately one-third) due to limited funding. Here we present a summary of catch data collected in 2006. Bioenergetics models will be reported separately
Analysis of Evaporative Flux Over Irrigated and Unirrigated Pasture in the Wood River Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cuenca, R. H.; Mahrt, L.; Hagimoto, Y.; Peterson, S.
2005-12-01
The reduction in evaporative fluxes due to withholding irrigation water for pasture in the Wood River subbasin of the Upper Klamath Basin was evaluated to estimate the potential benefit in subsequent streamflow. Two Campbell Scientific (CSI) Bowen ratio - energy balance systems were installed, one over a fully irrigated site and one over a non-irrigated site separated by approximately 11 km. The systems were comprised of an infrared gas analyzer for water vapor gradients, fine-wire thermocouples for temperature gradients, net radiometer and soil heat flux sensors. Additional micrometeorological sensors for precipitation, solar radiation, air temperature and relative humidity, wind speed and direction enabled calculation of a Penman-Monteith reference evapotranspiration. Both sites had uniform fetch conditions in excess of 1 km in the predominant upwind direction. Bowen ratio data were quality controlled using the Ohmura algorithm and energy balance components and fluxes computed every 20-min. Soil temperature and soil moisture profile sensors in six depth layers down to 80 cm were installed at the same sites and monitored every 15-min. High frequency (10-min) recording piezometers for water table monitoring were also installed. Both irrigated and unirrigated sites started the 2004 growing season with virtually the same soil moisture conditions due to over winter precipitation and melting of the snowpack. The evaporative flux rates from the two sites were nearly identical early in the season, and the repeatability of the diurnal fluxes at the two sites during this period is excellent. Towards the middle of the growing season, the evaporative flux rate at the irrigated site increased relative to the unirrigated site until at the end of the season there was approximately a 40 percent unbiased (dividing by the mean) difference between the two sites. The micrometeorological data indicate nearly uniform atmospheric conditions at the two sites due to turbulent mixing of the air mass within the valley. The persistence of the evaporative flux rate at the unirrigated site was probably due to contributions from the water table, as exhibited in the diurnal piezometer data. The difference in soil heat flux rates between the two sites after dry-down of the unirrigated site was relatively high and affected the difference in available energy (net radiation - soil heat flux). Initial application of LANDSAT data to integrate regional effects of unirrigated project lands over the basin is presented.
Wood, Tamara M.; Wherry, Susan A.; Simon, David C.; Markle, Douglas F.
2014-01-01
This study had two objectives: (1) to use the results of an individual-based particle-tracking model of larval sucker dispersal through the Williamson River delta and Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, to interpret field data collected throughout Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, and (2) to use the model to investigate the retention of sucker larvae in the system as a function of Williamson River flow, wind, and lake elevation. This is a follow-up study to work reported in Wood and others (2014) in which the hydrodynamic model of Upper Klamath Lake was combined with an individual-based, particle-tracking model of larval fish entering the lake from spawning areas in the Williamson River. In the previous study, the performance of the model was evaluated through comparison with field data comprising larval sucker distribution collected in 2009 by The Nature Conservancy, Oregon State University (OSU), and the U.S. Geological Survey, primarily from the (at that time) recently reconnected Williamson River Delta and along the eastern shoreline of Upper Klamath Lake, surrounding the old river mouth. The previous study demonstrated that the validation of the model with field data was moderately successful and that the model was useful for describing the broad patterns of larval dispersal from the river, at least in the areas surrounding the river channel immediately downstream of the spawning areas and along the shoreline where larvae enter the lake. In this study, field data collected by OSU throughout the main body of Upper Klamath Lake, and not just around the Williamson River Delta, were compared to model simulation results. Because the field data were collected throughout the lake, it was necessary to include in the simulations larvae spawned at eastern shoreline springs that were not included in the earlier studies. A complicating factor was that the OSU collected data throughout the main body of the lake in 2011 and 2012, after the end of several years of larval drift collection in the Williamson River by the U.S. Geological Survey. Those larval drift data provided necessary boundary-condition information for the earlier studies, but there were no measured boundary conditions for larval input into model simulations during the years of this study (2011−12). Therefore, we developed a method to estimate a time series of larval drift in the Williamson River, and of the emergence of larvae from the gravel at the eastern shoreline springs, that captured the approximate timing of the larval pulse of the Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) and the relative magnitude of the pulses by species and spawning location. The method is not able to predict larval drift on any given day, but it can reasonably predict the approximate temporal progression of the larval drift through the season, based on counts of adult suckers returning to spawn. The accuracy in the timing of the larval pulses is not better than about plus or minus 5 days. Model results and field data were consistent in the basic progression of both catch per unit effort (CPUE) and larval length through time. The model simulation results also duplicated some of the characteristics of the spatial patterns of density in the field data, notably the tendency for high larval densities closer to the eastern and western shorelines. However, the model simulations could not explain high densities in the northern part of the lake or far into Ball Bay, locations that are far from the source of larvae in the Williamson River or eastern shoreline springs (as measured along the predominant transport pathways simulated in the model). This suggests the possibility of unaccounted-for spawning areas in the northern part of the lake and also that the period during which larvae are transported passively by the currents is shorter than the 46 days simulated in the model. Similarly, the progression of larval lengths in the field data is not a simple progression from smaller to larger fish away from sources in the river and springs, as simulated by the particle-tracking model; the smallest fish were caught at different times near the Williamson River, in the northwestern part of the lake, and in the southernmost part of the lake. This again suggests that fish may be spawning at places other than the river and eastern springs, that our understanding of larval transport is incomplete, or both. The model was used to run 96 numerical “experiments” in which lake elevation, river discharge, and wind forcing were varied systematically in order to investigate the sensitivity of particle retention to each variable, and with particular emphasis on the idea of managing lake elevation to control emigration. The estimates of particle retention cannot be equated directly to retention of fish larvae, primarily because there was no mortality included in the simulations, but the relative comparison of retention and emigration around the matrix of experimental conditions provided several “big picture” results: - Variables that cannot be controlled—winds and discharge—had the largest effect on retention. For example, at the lowest river discharge (20 cubic meters per second), simulated retention was high regardless of wind or lake elevation, whereas at the highest river discharge (100 cubic meters per second), retention was low regardless of wind or lake elevation. - When river discharge and wind were held constant, a higher elevation delayed the onset of the most rapid exit of particles by 1 (from the springs) to 4 (from the river) days, but did not determine overall retention. Only under the combination of conditions consisting of low discharge (50 cubic meters per second or less) and strong wind reversals for several days was there a consistent effect of lake elevation on overall retention several weeks into the simulation, and, under those conditions, retention was at the high end of the possible range regardless of lake elevation. - Under most combinations of conditions tested, after particles had been in the system for several days, the complex interaction between wind, elevation, and river discharge resulted in particle pathways, and therefore retention, being highly variable and unpredictable, at which point controlling lake elevation could not produce a predictable result. Therefore, on the basis of the model predictions, managing lake elevation probably is not a way to reliably provide any particular level of retention.
Plume, Russell W.
2009-01-01
The upper Humboldt River basin encompasses 4,364 square miles in northeastern Nevada, and it comprises the headwaters area of the Humboldt River. Nearly all flow of the river originates in this area. The upper Humboldt River basin consists of several structural basins, in places greater than 5,000 feet deep, in which basin-fill deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age and volcanic rocks of Tertiary age have accumulated. The bedrock of each structural basin and adjacent mountains is composed of carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age and crystalline rocks of Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic age. The permeability of bedrock generally is very low except for carbonate rocks, which can be very permeable where circulating ground water has widened fractures through geologic time. The principal aquifers in the upper Humboldt River basin occur within the water-bearing strata of the extensive older basin-fill deposits and the thinner, younger basin-fill deposits that underlie stream flood plains. Ground water in these aquifers moves from recharge areas along mountain fronts to discharge areas along stream flood plains, the largest of which is the Humboldt River flood plain. The river gains flow from ground-water seepage to its channel from a few miles west of Wells, Nevada, to the west boundary of the study area. Water levels in the upper Humboldt River basin fluctuate annually in response to the spring snowmelt and to the distribution of streamflow diverted for irrigation of crops and meadows. Water levels also have responded to extended periods (several years) of above or below average precipitation. As a result of infiltration from the South Fork Reservoir during the past 20 years, ground-water levels in basin-fill deposits have risen over an area as much as one mile beyond the reservoir and possibly even farther away in Paleozoic bedrock.
Damages from the 20 September earthquakes near Klamath Falls, Oregon
Dewey, J.W.
1993-01-01
Most of the damage resulting from the earthquakes was reported from Klamath Falls, approximately 20 km from the source region of earthquakes. As has commonly been the case with earthquakes in other parts of the United States, the degree of damage was highly uneven in Klamath Falls. Most of the town escaped with little damage to buildings or building contents. Losses were concentrated in the downtown area, but even there most of the buildings were not damaged. The unevenness of damage in earthquakes results primarily from large differences in the seismic resistance of individual buildings and differences in the seismic response due to different soil conditions and geology beneath buildings.
Sedimentology of the upper Karoo fluvial strata in the Tuli Basin, South Africa
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bordy, Emese M.; Catuneanu, Octavian
2001-08-01
The sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup in the Tuli Basin (South Africa) may be grouped in four stratigraphic units: the basal, middle and upper units, and the Clarens Formation. This paper presents the findings of the sedimentological investigation of the fluvial terrigenous clastic and chemical deposits of the upper unit. Evidence provided by primary sedimentary structures, palaeontological record, borehole data, palaeo-flow measurements and stratigraphic relations resulted in the palaeo-environmental reconstruction of the upper unit. The dominant facies assemblages are represented by sandstones and finer-grained sediments, which both can be interbedded with subordinate intraformational coarser facies. The facies assemblages of the upper unit are interpreted as deposits of a low-sinuosity, ephemeral stream system with calcretes and silcretes in the dinosaur-inhabited overbank area. During the deposition of the upper unit, the climate was semi-arid with sparse precipitation resulting in high-magnitude, low-frequency devastating flash floods. The current indicators of the palaeo-drainage system suggest flow direction from northwest to southeast, in a dominantly extensional tectonic setting. Based on sedimentologic and biostratigraphic evidence, the upper unit of the Tuli Basin correlates to the Elliot Formation in the main Karoo Basin to the south.
Craig, Jack M; Correa-roldÁn, Vanessa; Ortega, HernÁn; Crampton, William G R; Albert, James S
2018-04-20
Banded Knifefishes (Gymnotus, Gymnotidae) comprise the most species-rich genus of Neotropical electric fishes, with 41 species currently described from throughout the humid Neotropics, from Mexico to Argentina. Despite substantial alpha-taxonomic work in recent years, the diversity of Gymnotus in some regions remains poorly understood. Here we describe the Gymnotus fauna of the Upper Madeira basin of Bolivia and Peru from examination of more than 240 adult specimens. Species are delimited and described using body proportions (traditional morphometrics), fin-ray, squamation and laterosensory-pore counts (meristics), quantitative shape differences (geometric morphometrics), osteological traits, and color patterns. Comparisons of standardized linear measures as well as multivariate statistical methods validate the presence in the Upper Madeira basin of three previously described species, two with wide-spread geographic distributions throughout Greater Amazonia (G. carapo and G. coropinae), and one (G. chaviro) endemic to southwestern Amazonia. We also diagnose and describe two new species that are endemic to the Upper Madeira basin: G. eyra n. sp., morphologically most similar to G. mamiraua from lowland Amazonia, and G. riberalta n. sp., morphologically most similar to G. pantanal from the Paraguay-Paraná basin. The five Gymnotus species from the Upper Madeira basin are not monophyletic, each species being more closely related to a different species from another region; i.e. the Gymnotus species from the Upper Madeira represents a polyphyletic assemblage. These descriptions to 43 the number of valid Gymnotus species.
Louise S. Mead; David R. Clayton; Richard S. Nauman; Deanna H. Olson; Michael E. Pfrender
2005-01-01
Plethodon stormi and Plethodon elongatus are two closely related species of plethodontid salamanders that are restricted to the Klamath Province of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Discovery of three localities south of the Klamath River, in the Scott River drainage, not assignable to either P....
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-03-13
... (Oncorhynchus kisutch) as a result of operation and maintenance of its Klamath Hydroelectric Project (Project... term ``take'' as: ``harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to... the East Side and West Side canals, penstocks, turbines, and powerhouse facilities, (3) Operate and...
Zackary J. Mondry; Susan J. Hilton
2000-01-01
Large landslides and debris flows in January 1997 produced contrasting downstream debris flood effects in two adjacent Northern California Klamath Mountain streams. Valley morphology and riparian forests were examined on post-flood 1:3000 air photos along two approximately 8 km survey reaches.
71. September 1913 "No. 113. Some of the finished bitulithic ...
71. September 1913 "No. 113. Some of the finished bitulithic or bituminous macadam road after being sanded and rolled, in the foreground. In the middle distance men are applying oil to incomplete section. In the far distance, roller is working on foundation course." - Crater Lake National Park Roads, Klamath Falls, Klamath County, OR
Bird communities and environmental correlates in southern Oregon and northern California, USA
Jaime L. Stephens; Eric C. Dinger; John D. Alexander; Sean R. Mohren; C. John Ralph; Daniel A. Sarr
2016-01-01
We examined avian community ecology in the Klamath Ecoregion and determined that individual bird species co-exist spatially to form 29 statistically distinguishable bird groups. We identified climate, geography, and vegetation metrics that are correlated with these 29 bird groups at three scales: Klamath Ecoregion, vegetation formation (agriculture, conifer, mixed...
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-02-08
... Acquisition and Easements, Hydraulics and Hydrology, Water Rights, Project Features and Design, Power... Federal water resource projects, Reclamation will consider proposals for non-Federal development of... part of the Klamath Project, the United States constructed A, B, and C-Canals, which carry water south...
77 FR 5007 - Combined Notice of Filings #2
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-02-01
...; ER11-2488-002; ER10-3032-002; ER11-2475-002. Applicants: Klondike Wind Power III LLC, Northern Iowa... Windpower LLC, Flying Cloud Power Partners, LLC, Klamath Energy LLC, Klamath Generation LLC, Moraine Wind LLC, Mountain View Power Partners III, LLC, Shiloh I Wind Project, LLC, Trimont Wind I LLC, Locust...
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krysanova, Valentina; Vetter, Tobias; Eisner, Stephanie; Huang, Shaochun; Pechlivanidis, Ilias; Strauch, Michael; Gelfan, Alexander; Kumar, Rohini; Aich, Valentin; Arheimer, Berit; Chamorro, Alejandro; van Griensven, Ann; Kundu, Dipangkar; Lobanova, Anastasia; Mishra, Vimal; Plötner, Stefan; Reinhardt, Julia; Seidou, Ousmane; Wang, Xiaoyan; Wortmann, Michel; Zeng, Xiaofan; Hattermann, Fred F.
2017-10-01
An intercomparison of climate change impacts projected by nine regional-scale hydrological models for 12 large river basins on all continents was performed, and sources of uncertainty were quantified in the framework of the ISIMIP project. The models ECOMAG, HBV, HYMOD, HYPE, mHM, SWAT, SWIM, VIC and WaterGAP3 were applied in the following basins: Rhine and Tagus in Europe, Niger and Blue Nile in Africa, Ganges, Lena, Upper Yellow and Upper Yangtze in Asia, Upper Mississippi, MacKenzie and Upper Amazon in America, and Darling in Australia. The model calibration and validation was done using WATCH climate data for the period 1971-2000. The results, evaluated with 14 criteria, are mostly satisfactory, except for the low flow. Climate change impacts were analyzed using projections from five global climate models under four representative concentration pathways. Trends in the period 2070-2099 in relation to the reference period 1975-2004 were evaluated for three variables: the long-term mean annual flow and high and low flow percentiles Q 10 and Q 90, as well as for flows in three months high- and low-flow periods denoted as HF and LF. For three river basins: the Lena, MacKenzie and Tagus strong trends in all five variables were found (except for Q 10 in the MacKenzie); trends with moderate certainty for three to five variables were confirmed for the Rhine, Ganges and Upper Mississippi; and increases in HF and LF were found for the Upper Amazon, Upper Yangtze and Upper Yellow. The analysis of projected streamflow seasonality demonstrated increasing streamflow volumes during the high-flow period in four basins influenced by monsoonal precipitation (Ganges, Upper Amazon, Upper Yangtze and Upper Yellow), an amplification of the snowmelt flood peaks in the Lena and MacKenzie, and a substantial decrease of discharge in the Tagus (all months). The overall average fractions of uncertainty for the annual mean flow projections in the multi-model ensemble applied for all basins were 57% for GCMs, 27% for RCPs, and 16% for hydrological models.
Benjamin, Joseph R.; McDonnell, Kevin; Dunham, Jason B.; Brignon, William R.; Peterson, James T.
2017-06-21
With the decline of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), managers face multiple, and sometimes contradictory, management alternatives for species recovery. Moreover, effective decision-making involves all stakeholders influenced by the decisions (such as Tribal, State, Federal, private, and non-governmental organizations) because they represent diverse objectives, jurisdictions, policy mandates, and opinions of the best management strategy. The process of structured decision making is explicitly designed to address these elements of the decision making process. Here we report on an application of structured decision making to a population of bull trout believed threatened by high densities of nonnative brook trout (S. fontinalis) and habitat fragmentation in Long Creek, a tributary to the Sycan River in the Klamath River Basin, south-central Oregon. This involved engaging stakeholders to identify (1) their fundamental objectives for the conservation of bull trout, (2) feasible management alternatives to achieve their objectives, and (3) biological information and assumptions to incorporate in a decision model. Model simulations suggested an overarching theme among the top decision alternatives, which was a need to simultaneously control brook trout and ensure that the migratory tactic of bull trout can be expressed. More specifically, the optimal management decision, based on the estimated adult abundance at year 10, was to combine the eradication of brook trout from Long Creek with improvement of downstream conditions (for example, connectivity or habitat conditions). Other top decisions included these actions independently, as well as electrofishing removal of brook trout. In contrast, translocating bull trout to a different stream or installing a barrier to prevent upstream spread of brook trout had minimal or negative effects on the bull trout population. Moreover, sensitivity analyses suggested that these actions were consistently identified as optimal across a large range of parameter values. Taken together, these results support the conclusion that management actions focused on controlling brook trout and enhancing migrant bull trout are more likely to yield more adult bull trout within the 10-year time frame specified by stakeholders.
Graham, S.A.; Craft, C.B.; McCormick, P.V.; Aldous, A.
2005-01-01
Forms, amounts, and accumulation of soil phosphorus (P) were measured in natural and recently restored marshes surrounding Upper Klamath Lake located in south-central Oregon, USA to determine rates of P accumulation in natural marshes and to assess changes in P pools caused by long-term drainage in recently restored marshes. Soil cores were collected from three natural marshes and radiometrically dated to determine recent (l37Cs-based) and long-term (210Pb-based) rates of peat accretion and P accumulation. A second set of soil cores collected from the three natural marshes and from three recently restored marshes was analyzed using a modification of the Hedley procedure to determine the forms and amounts of soil P. Total P in the recently restored marshes (222 to 311 ??g cm-3) was 2-3 times greater than in the natural marshes (103 to 117 ??g cm-3), primarily due to greater bulk density caused by soil subsidence, a consequence of long-term marsh drainage. Occluded Fe- and Al-bound Pi, calcium-bound Pi and residual P were 4 times, 22 times, and 5 times greater, respectively, in the recently restored marshes. More than 67% of the P pool in both the natural and recently restored marshes was present in recalcitrant forms (humic-acid P o and residual P) that provide long-term P storage in peat. Phosphorus accumulation in the natural marshes averaged 0.45 g m-2 yr-1 (137Cs) and 0.40 g m-2 yr-1 (210Pb), providing a benchmark for optimizing P sequestration in the recently restored marshes. Effective P sequestration in the recently restored marshes, however, will depend on re-establishing equilibrium between the P-enriched soils and the P concentration of floodwaters and a hydrologie regime similar to the natural marshes. ?? 2005, The Society of Wetland Scientists.
Hereford, Danielle M.; Burdick, Summer M.; Elliott, Diane G.; Dolan-Caret, Amari; Conway, Carla M.; Harris, Alta C.
2016-01-28
The recovery of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) in Upper Klamath Lake is limited by poor juvenile survival and failure to recruit into the adult population. Poor water quality, degradation of rearing habitat, and toxic levels of microcystin are hypothesized to contribute to low juvenile survival. Studies of wild juvenile suckers are limited in that capture rates are low and compromised individuals are rarely captured in passive nets. The goal of this study was to assess the use of a mesocosm for learning about juvenile survival, movement, and health. Hatchery-raised juvenile Lost River suckers were PIT (passive integrated transponder) tagged and monitored by three vertically stratified antennas. Fish locations within the mesocosm were recorded at least every 30 minutes and were assessed in relation to vertically stratified water-quality conditions. Vertical movement patterns were analyzed to identify the timing of mortality for each fish. Most mortality occurred from July 28 to August 16, 2014. Juvenile suckers spent daylight hours near the benthos and moved throughout the entire water column during dark hours. Diel movements were not in response to dissolved-oxygen concentrations, temperature, or pH. Furthermore, low dissolved-oxygen concentrations, high temperatures, high pH, high un-ionized ammonia, or high microcystin levels did not directly cause mortality, although indirect effects may have occurred. However, water-quality conditions known to be lethal to juvenile Lost River suckers did not occur during the study period. Histological assessment revealed severe gill hyperplasia and Ichthyobodo sp. infestations in most moribund fish. For these fish, Ichthyobodo sp. was likely the cause of mortality, although it is unclear if this parasite originated in the rearing facility because fish were not screened for this parasite prior to introduction. This study has demonstrated that we can effectively use a mesocosm equipped with antennas to learn about the timing of mortality, movement, and health of PIT-tagged hatchery-raised juvenile Lost River suckers.
Reynolds, R.L.; Rosenbaum, J.G.; Rapp, J.; Kerwin, M.W.; Bradbury, J.P.; Colman, S.; Adam, D.
2004-01-01
Petrological and textural properties of lacustrine sediments from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, reflect changing input volumes of glacial flour and thus reveal a detailed glacial history for the southern Cascade Range between about 37 and 15 ka. Magnetic properties vary as a result of mixing different amounts of the highly magnetic, glacially generated detritus with less magnetic, more weathered detritus derived from unglaciated parts of the large catchment. Evidence that the magnetic properties record glacial flour input is based mainly on the strong correlation between bulk sediment particle size and parameters that measure the magnetite content and magnetic mineral freshness. High magnetization corresponds to relatively fine particle size and lower magnetization to coarser particle size. This relation is not found in the Buck Lake core in a nearby, unglaciated catchment. Angular silt-sized volcanic rock fragments containing unaltered magnetite dominate the magnetic fraction in the late Pleistocene sediments but are absent in younger, low magnetization sediments. The finer grained, highly magnetic sediments contain high proportions of planktic diatoms indicative of cold, oligotrophic limnic conditions. Sediment with lower magnetite content contains populations of diatoms indicative of warmer, eutrophic limnic conditions. During the latter part of oxygen isotope stage 3 (about 37-25 ka), the magnetic properties record millennial-scale variations in glacial-flour content. The input of glacial flour was uniformly high during the Last Glacial Maximum, between about 21 and 16 ka. At about 16 ka, magnetite input, both absolute and relative to hematite, decreased abruptly, reflecting a rapid decline in glacially derived detritus. The decrease in magnetite transport into the lake preceded declines in pollen from both grass and sagebrush. A more gradual decrease in heavy mineral content over this interval records sediment starvation with the growth of marshes at the margins of the lake and dilution of detrital material by biogenic silica and other organic matter.
Status and risk of extinction for westslope cutthroat trout in the Upper River Basin, Montana
Bradley B. Shepard; Brian Sanborn; Linda Ulmer; Danny C. Lee
1997-01-01
Westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi now occupy less than 5% of the subspecies' historical range within the upper Missouri River drainage in Montana. We assessed the risk of extinction for 144 known populations inhabiting streams within federally managed lands in the upper Missouri River basin using a Bayesian...
Formation and tectonic evolution of the Pattani Basin, Gulf of Thailand
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Bustin, R.M.; Chonchawalit, A.
The stratigraphic and structural evolution of the Pattani Basin, the most prolific petroleum basin in Thailand, reflects the extensional tectonic regime of continental Southeast Asia. E-W extension resulting from the northward collision of India with Eurasia since the Early Tertiary resulted in the formation of a series of N-S-trending sedimentary basins, which include the Pattani Basin. The sedimentary succession in the Pattani Basin is divisible into synrift and postrift sequences. Deposition of the synrift sequence accompanied rifting and extension, with episodic block faulting and rapid subsidence. The synrift sequence comprises three stratigraphic units: (1) Upper Eocene to Lower Olikgocene alluvial-fan,more » braided-river, and floodplain deposits; (2) Upper oligocene to Lowe Miocene floodplain and channel deposits; and (3) a Lower Miocene regressive package consisting of marine to nonmarine sediments. Post-rift succession comprises: (1) a Lower to Middle Miocene regressive package of shallow marine sediments through floodplain and channel deposits; (2) an upper Lower Miocene transgressive sequence; and (3) and Upper Miocene to Pleistocene transgressive succession. The post-rift phase is characterized by slower subsidence and decreased sediment influx. The present-day shallow-marine condition in the Gulf of Thailand is the continuation of this latest transgressive phase. The subsidence and thermal history of the Pattani Basin is consistent with a nonuniform lithospheric-stretching model. The amount of extension as well as surface heat flow generally increases from the margin to the basin center. The crustal stretching factor ({beta}) varies form 1.3 at the basin margin to 2.8 in the center. The subcrustal stretching factor ({delta}) ranges from 1.3 at the basin margin to more than 3.0 in the basin center. 31 refs., 13 figs., 4 tabs.« less
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yusufoğlu, H.
2013-04-01
The Elbistan Basin in the east-Central Anatolia is an intramontane structural depression in the interior part of the Anatolide-Tauride Platform. The Neogene fill in and around Elbistan Basin develops above the Upper Devonian to lower Tertiary basement and comprises two units separated by an angular unconformity: (1) intensely folded and faulted Miocene shallow marine to terrestrial and lacustrine sediments and (2) nearly flat-lying lignite-bearing lacustrine (lower unit) and fluvial (upper unit) deposits of Plio-Quaternary Ahmetçik Formation. The former is composed of Lower-Middle Miocene Salyan, Middle-upper Middle Miocene Gövdelidağ and Upper Miocene Karamağara formations whereas the latter one is the infill of the basin itself in the present configuration of the Elbistan Basin. The basin is bound by normal faults with a minor strike-slip component. It commenced as an intramontane pull-apart basin and developed as a natural response to Early Pliocene tectonic escape-related strike-slip faulting subsequent to post-collisional intracontinental compressional tectonics during which Miocene sediments were intensely deformed. The Early Pliocene time therefore marks a dramatic changeover in tectonic regime and is interpreted as the beginning of the ongoing last tectonic evolution and deformation style in the region unlike to previous views that it commenced before that time. Consequently, the Elbistan Basin is a unique structural depression that equates the extensional strike-slip regime in east-Central Anatolia throughout the context of the neotectonical framework of Turkey across progressive collision of Arabia with Eurasia. Its Pliocene and younger history differs from and contrasts with that of the surrounding pre-Pliocene basins such as Karamağara Basin, on which it has been structurally superimposed.
Decay losses associated with wounds in commercially thinned true fir stands in northern California.
Paul E. Aho; Gary Fiddler; Gregory M. Filip
1989-01-01
A total of 562 white firs (Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. ex Hildebr.) and red firs (A. magnifica A. Murr.) with logging wounds were felled, dissected, and analyzed for infection and decay in 28 commercially thinned stands on the Klamath and Tahoe National Forests in California. On the Klamath National Forest, decay...
Jonah Piovia-Scott; Karen L. Pope; Sharon P. Lawler; Esther M. Cole; Janet E. Foley
2011-01-01
The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which causes the disease chytridiomycosis, has been associated with declines and extinctions of montane amphibians worldwide. To gain insight into factors affecting its distribution and prevalence we focus on the amphibian community of the Klamath Mountains in northwest...
Woodcock Bog Research Natural Area: guidebook supplement 40
Reid Schuller; Susan J. Fritts; Mark Mousseaux
2010-01-01
This guidebook describes Woodcock Bog Research Natural Area (RNA), a 114-ha (281-ac) area located within the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion in southwestern Oregon. The RNA includes a hanging fen and stream segment on ultramafic rock and derived soils. Numerous plant species occur within the fens that are endemic to the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and...
Mankinen, Edward A.; Gromme, C. Sherman; Irwin, W. Porter
2013-01-01
We obtained paleomagnetic samples from six sites within the Middle Jurassic Ironside Mountain batholith (~170 Ma), which constitutes the structurally lowest part of the Western Hayfork terrane, in the Klamath Mountains province of northern California and southern Oregon. Structural attitudes measured in the coeval Hayfork Bally Meta-andesite were used to correct paleomagnetic data from the batholith. Comparing the corrected paleomagnetic pole with a 170-Ma reference pole for North America indicates 73.5° ± 10.6° of clockwise rotation relative to the craton. Nearly one-half of this rotation may have occurred before the terrane accreted to the composite Klamath province at ~168 Ma. No latitudinal displacement of the batholith was detected.
Tillman, Fred D.; Anning, David W.
2014-01-01
The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water to more than 35 million people in the United States and 3 million people in Mexico, irrigating over 4.5 million acres of farmland, and annually generating about 12 billion kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power. The Upper Colorado River Basin, part of the Colorado River Basin, encompasses more than 110,000 mi2 and is the source of much of more than 9 million tons of dissolved solids that annually flows past the Hoover Dam. High dissolved-solids concentrations in the river are the cause of substantial economic damages to users, primarily in reduced agricultural crop yields and corrosion, with damages estimated to be greater than 300 million dollars annually. In 1974, the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act created the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program to investigate and implement a broad range of salinity control measures. A 2009 study by the U.S. Geological Survey, supported by the Salinity Control Program, used the Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes surface-water quality model to examine dissolved-solids supply and transport within the Upper Colorado River Basin. Dissolved-solids loads developed for 218 monitoring sites were used to calibrate the 2009 Upper Colorado River Basin Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes dissolved-solids model. This study updates and develops new dissolved-solids loading estimates for 323 Upper Colorado River Basin monitoring sites using streamflow and dissolved-solids concentration data through 2012, to support a planned Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes modeling effort that will investigate the contributions to dissolved-solids loads from irrigation and rangeland practices.
Hydrology of Jumper Creek Canal basin, Sumter County, Florida
Anderson, Warren
1980-01-01
Jumper Creek Canal basin in Sumter County, Florida, was investigated to evaluate the overall hydrology and effects of proposed flood-control works on the hydrologic regiment of the canal. Average annual rainfall in the 83-square mile basin is about 53 inches of which about 10 inches runs off in the canal. Average annual evapotranspiration is estimated at about 37 inches. Pumping from limestone mines has lowered the potentiometeric surface in the upper part of the basin, but it has not significantly altered the basin yield. Channel excavation to reduce flooding is proposed with seven control structures located to prevent overdrainage. The investigation indicates that implementation of the proposed plan will result in a rise in the potentiometric surface n the upper basin, a reduction is surface outflow, an increase in subsurface outflow, an increase in the gradient of the potentiometeric surface of the Floridan aquifer, an increase in leakage from the canal to the aquifer in the upper basin, and an increase in the magnitude of flood flows from the basin. Ground water in Jumper Creek basin is a bicarbonate type. Very high concentrations of dissolved iron were found in shallow wells and in some deep wells. Sulfate and strontium were relatively high in wells in the lower basin. (Kosco-USGS)
Potential fitness benefits of the half-pounder life history in Klamath River steelhead
Hodge, Brian W.; Wilzbach, Peggy; Duffy, Walter G.
2014-01-01
Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from several of the world's rivers display the half-pounder life history, a variant characterized by an amphidromous (and, less often, anadromous) return to freshwater in the year of initial ocean entry. We evaluated factors related to expression of the half-pounder life history in wild steelhead from the lower Klamath River basin, California. We also evaluated fitness consequences of the half-pounder phenotype using a simple life history model that was parameterized with our empirical data and outputs from a regional survival equation. The incidence of the half-pounder life history differed among subbasins of origin and smolt ages. Precocious maturation occurred in approximately 8% of half-pounders and was best predicted by individual length in freshwater preceding ocean entry. Adult steelhead of the half-pounder phenotype were smaller and less fecund at age than adult steelhead of the alternative (ocean contingent) phenotype. However, our data suggest that fish of the half-pounder phenotype are more likely to spawn repeatedly than are fish of the ocean contingent phenotype. Models predicted that if lifetime survivorship were equal between phenotypes, the fitness of the half-pounder phenotype would be 17–28% lower than that of the ocean contingent phenotype. To meet the condition of equal fitness between phenotypes would require that first-year ocean survival be 21–40% higher among half-pounders in freshwater than among their cohorts at sea. We concluded that continued expression of the half-pounder phenotype is favored by precocious maturation and increased survival relative to that of the ocean contingent phenotype.
Middle to Late Jurassic Tectonic Evolution of the Klamath Mountains, California-Oregon
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Harper, Gregory D.; Wright, James E.
1984-12-01
The geochronology, stratigraphy, and spatial relationships of Middle and Late Jurassic terranes of the Klamath Mountains strongly suggest that they were formed in a single west-facing magmatic arc built upon older accreted terranes. A Middle Jurassic arc complex is represented by the volcanic rocks of the western Hayfork terrane and consanguineous dioritic to peridotitic plutons. New U/Pb zircon dates indicate that the Middle Jurassic plutonic belt was active from 159 to 174 Ma and is much more extensive than previously thought. This plutonic belt became inactive just as the 157 Ma Josephine ophiolite, which lies west and structurally below the Middle Jurassic arc, was generated. Late Jurassic volcanic and plutonic arc rocks (Rogue Formation and Chetco intrusive complex) lie outboard and structurally beneath the Josephine ophiolite; U/Pb and K/Ar age data indicate that this arc complex is coeval with the Josephine ophiolite. Both the Late Jurassic arc complex and the Josephine ophiolite are overlain by the "Galice Formation," a Late Jurassic flysch sequence, and are intruded by 150 Ma dikes and sills. The following tectonic model is presented that accounts for the age and distribution of these terranes: a Middle Jurassic arc built on older accreted terranes undergoes rifting at 160 Ma, resulting in formation of a remnant arc/back-arc basin/island arc triad. This system collapsed during the Late Jurassic Nevadan Orogeny (150 Ma) and was strongly deformed and stacked into a series of east-dipping thrust sheets. Arc magmatism was active both before and after the Nevadan Orogeny, but virtually ceased at 140 Ma.
Upper South Platte Watershed Protection and Restoration Project
Steve Culver; Cindy Dean; Fred Patten; Jim Thinnes
2001-01-01
The Upper South Platte Basin is a critical watershed in Colorado. Nearly 80 percent of the water used by the 1.5 million Denver metropolitan residents comes from or is transmitted through this river drainage. The Colorado Unified Watershed Assessment identified the Upper South Platte River as a Category 1 watershed in need of restoration. Most of the river basin is...
Controls on biochemical oxygen demand in the upper Klamath River, Oregon
Sullivan, Annett B.; Snyder, Dean M.; Rounds, Stewart A.
2010-01-01
A series of 30-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) experiments were conducted on water column samples from a reach of the upper Klamath River that experiences hypoxia and anoxia in summer. Samples were incubated with added nitrification inhibitor to measure carbonaceous BOD (CBOD), untreated to measure total BOD, which included demand from nitrogenous BOD (NBOD), and coarse-filtered to examine the effect of removing large particulate matter. All BOD data were fit well with a two-group model, so named because it considered contributions from both labile and refractory pools of carbon: BODt = a1(1 − e− a0t) + a2t. Site-average labile first-order decay rates a0 ranged from 0.15 to 0.22/day for CBOD and 0.11 to 0.29/day for BOD. Site-average values of refractory zero-order decay rates a2 ranged from 0.13 to 0.25 mg/L/day for CBOD and 0.01 to 0.45 mg/L/day for BOD; the zero-order CBOD decay rate increased from early- to mid-summer. Values of ultimate CBOD for the labile component a1 ranged from 5.5 to 28.8 mg/L for CBOD, and 7.6 to 30.8 mg/L for BOD. Two upstream sites had higher CBOD compared to those downstream. Maximum measured total BOD5 and BOD30 during the study were 26.5 and 55.4 mg/L; minimums were 4.2 and 13.6 mg/L. For most samples, the oxygen demand from the three components considered here were: labile CBOD > NBOD > refractory CBOD, though the relative importance of refractory CBOD to oxygen demand increased over time. Coarse-filtering reduced CBOD for samples with high particulate carbon and high biovolumes of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. There was a strong positive correlation between BOD, CBOD, and the labile component of CBOD to particulate C and N, with weaker positive correlation to field pH, field dissolved oxygen, and total N. The refractory component of CBOD was not correlated to particulate matter, instead showing weak but statistically significant correlation to dissolved organic carbon, UV absorbance at 254 nm, and total N. Particulate organic matter, especially the alga A.flos-aquae, is an important component of oxygen demand in this reach of the Klamath River, though refractory dissolved organic matter would continue to exert an oxygen demand over longer time periods and as water travels downstream.
1973-09-20
S73-34295 (June 1973) --- A vertical view of a portion of northern California reproduced from data taken from the Skylab Multispectral Scanner, experiment S192, in the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. This view is the most westerly one-third of Frame No. 001, Roll No. 518, S192, Skylab 2. Frame No. 001 extends from the Pacific coast at the Eureka area southeasterly 175 nautical miles to the Feather River drainage basin. Included in this view are Eureka, Trinidad, Klamath & Trinity Rivers and the Coastal Range mountains. This non-photographic image is a color composite of channels 2 (visible), 7, and 12 (infrared) from the Earth Resources Experiments Package (EREP) S192 scanner. The scanner techniques assist with spectral signature identification and mapping of ground truth targets in agriculture, forestry, geology, hydrology and oceanography. Photo credit: NASA
Mallory, Michael J.; Swain, Lindsay A.; Tyley, Stephen J.
1980-01-01
This report presents a preliminary evaluation of the geohydrologic factors affecting storage of water by artificial recharge in the upper Coachella Valley, Calif. The ground-water basin of the upper Coachella Valley seems to be geologically suitable for large-scale artificial recharge. A minimum of 900 ,000 acre-feet of water could probably be stored in the basin without raising basinwide water levels above those that existed in 1945. Preliminary tests indicate that a long-term artificial recharge rate of 5 feet per day may be feasible for spreading grounds in the basin if such factors as sediment and bacterial clogging can be controlled. The California Department of Water Resources, through the Future Water Supply Program, is investigating the use of ground-water basins for storage of State Water Project water in order to help meet maximum annual entitlements to water project contractors. (USGS)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Lu; Stephenson, Randell; Clift, Peter D.
2016-11-01
Both the Canada Basin (a sub-basin within the Amerasia Basin) and southwest (SW) South China Sea preserve oceanic spreading centres and adjacent passive continental margins characterized by broad COT zones with hyper-extended continental crust. We have investigated strain accommodation in the regions immediately adjacent to the oceanic spreading centres in these two basins using 2-D backstripping subsidence reconstructions, coupled with forward modelling constrained by estimates of upper crustal extensional faulting. Modelling is better constrained in the SW South China Sea but our results for the Canada Basin are analogous. Depth-dependent extension is required to explain the great depth of both basins because only modest upper crustal faulting is observed. A weak lower crust in the presence of high heat flow and, accordingly, a lower crust that extends far more the upper crust are suggested for both basins. Extension in the COT may have continued even after seafloor spreading has ceased. The analogous results for the two basins considered are discussed in terms of (1) constraining the timing and distribution of crustal thinning along the respective continental margins, (2) defining the processes leading to hyper-extension of continental crust in the respective tectonic settings and (3) illuminating the processes that control hyper-extension in these basins and more generally.
Ryan M. Caesar; Nancy Gillette; Anthony I. Cognato
2005-01-01
The Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion of northern California is one of the most diverse temperate coniferous forests. A network of "late successional reserves" (LSRs) has been established to maintain characteristics of late successional forest and to promote late successional characteristics in younger stands. Also, an important goal of conservation management is...
Christy E. Briles; Cathy Whitlock; Carl N. Skinner; Jerry Mohr
2011-01-01
The influence of substrate on long-term vegetation dynamics has received little attention, and yet nutrient-limited ecosystems have some of the highest levels of endemism in the world. The diverse geology of the Klamath Mountains of northern California (USA) allows examination of the long-term influence of edaphic constraints in subalpine forests through a comparison...
67. September 1913 "No. 103. Oil being applied and raked ...
67. September 1913 "No. 103. Oil being applied and raked in, oil treated earth surface, experimental section. The frame in foreground was 1 x 5 yards, each square yard being indicated thereon, by which it was possible to determine the amount of oil placed in each square yard." - Crater Lake National Park Roads, Klamath Falls, Klamath County, OR
Becky L. Estes; Eric E. Knapp; Carl N. Skinner; Jay D. Miller; Haiganoush K. Preisler
2017-01-01
Topography, weather, and fuels are known factors driving fire behavior, but the degree to which each contributes to the spatial pattern of fire severity under different conditions remains poorly understood. The variability in severity within the boundaries of the 2006 wildfires that burned in the Klamath Mountains, northern California, along with data on burn...
Apodaca, Lori E.; Driver, Nancy E.; Stephens, Verlin C.; Spahr, Norman E.
1995-01-01
The Upper Colorado River Basin in Colorado and Utah is 1 of 60 study units selected for water-quality assessment as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment program, which began full implementation in 1991. Understanding the environmental setting of the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit is important in evaluating water-quality issues in the basin. Natural and human factors that affect water quality in the basin are presented, including an overview of the physiography, climatic conditions, general geology and soils, ecoregions, population, land use, water management and use, hydrologic characteristics, and to the extent possible aquatic biology. These factors have substantial implications on water-quality conditions in the basin. For example, high concentrations of dissolved solids and selenium are present in the natural background water conditions of surface and ground water in parts ofthe basin. In addition, mining, urban, and agricultural land and water uses result in the presence of certain constituents in the surface and ground water of the basin that can detrimentally affect water quality. The environmental setting of the study unit provides a framework of the basin characteristics, which is important in the design of integrated studies of surface water, ground water, and biology.
Summary of Survival Data from Juvenile Coho Salmon in the Klamath River, Northern California, 2006
Beeman, John W.
2007-01-01
Little is known about the survival of ESA-listed juvenile coho salmon during their seaward migration in the lower Klamath River. In 2006, the Bureau of Reclamation funded a study to estimate the survival of radio-tagged juvenile coho salmon in the Klamath River downstream of Iron Gate Dam. A series of models were evaluated to determine if survival varied between hatchery and wild fish and among several river reaches between the dam river kilometer 33, a total distance of 276 kilometers. The results from 2006, the first year of study, indicated little support for differences in survival between hatchery and wild fish and lower survival in the most upstream reach than in those farther downstream. This document is a brief summary of survival results to date.
Charles C. Harris; William McLaughlin; Greg Brown; Dennis R. Becker
2000-01-01
An assessment of small rural communities in the interior and upper Columbia River basin was conducted for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP). The characteristics and conditions of the rural communities in this region, which are complex and constantly changing, were examined. The research also assessed the resilience of the regionâs...
Laursen, J.; Normark, W.R.
2003-01-01
The Valparaiso Basin constitutes a unique and prominent deep-water forearc basin underlying a 40-km by 60-km mid-slope terrace at 2.5-km water depth on the central Chile margin. Seismic-reflection data, collected as part of the CONDOR investigation, image a 3-3.5-km thick sediment succession that fills a smoothly sagged, margin-parallel, elongated trough at the base of the upper slope. In response to underthrusting of the Juan Ferna??ndez Ridge on the Nazca plate, the basin fill is increasingly deformed in the seaward direction above seaward-vergent outer forearc compressional highs. Syn-depositional growth of a large, margin-parallel monoclinal high in conjunction with sagging of the inner trough of the basin created stratal geometries similar to those observed in forearc basins bordered by large accretionary prisms. Margin-parallel compressional ridges diverted turbidity currents along the basin axis and exerted a direct control on sediment depositional processes. As structural depressions became buried, transverse input from point sources on the adjacent upper slope formed complex fan systems with sediment waves characterising the overbank environment, common on many Pleistocene turbidite systems. Mass failure as a result of local topographic inversion formed a prominent mass-flow deposit, and ultimately resulted in canyon formation and hence a new focused point source feeding the basin. The Valparaiso Basin is presently filled to the spill point of the outer forearc highs, causing headward erosion of incipient canyons into the basin fill and allowing bypass of sediment to the Chile Trench. Age estimates that are constrained by subduction-related syn-depositional deformation of the upper 700-800m of the basin fill suggest that glacio-eustatic sea-level lowstands, in conjunction with accelerated denudation rates, within the past 350 ka may have contributed to the increase in simultaneously active point sources along the upper slope as well as an increased complexity of proximal depositional facies.
Galloway, Joel M.; Vecchia, Aldo V.
2014-01-01
Modeled sulfate concentrations generally were highest (greater than 750 milligrams per liter) in basins in western North Dakota and lowest (less than 250 milligrams per liter) in basins in the upper Sheyenne River and upper James River. Area-weighted means for the basin characteristics also were computed for 10-digit and 8-digit hydrologic units for streams in North Dakota and modeled sulfate concentrations were computed from the characteristics. The resulting distribution of modeled sulfate concentrations was similar to the distribution of estimates for the 12-digit hydrologic units, but less variable because the basin characteristics were averaged over larger areas.
Lee, T.M.; Sacks, L.A.; Hughes, J.D.
2010-01-01
The Charlie Creek basin was studied from April 2004 to December 2005 to better understand how groundwater levels in the underlying aquifers and storage and overflow of water from headwater wetlands preserve the streamflows exiting this least-developed tributary basin of the Peace River watershed. The hydrogeologic framework, physical characteristics, and streamflow were described and quantified for five subbasins of the 330-square mile Charlie Creek basin, allowing the contribution of its headwaters area and tributary subbasins to be separately quantified. A MIKE SHE model simulation of the integrated surface-water and groundwater flow processes in the basin was used to simulate daily streamflow observed over 21 months in 2004 and 2005 at five streamflow stations, and to quantify the monthly and annual water budgets for the five subbasins including the changing amount of water stored in wetlands. Groundwater heads were mapped in Zone 2 of the intermediate aquifer system and in the Upper Floridan aquifer, and were used to interpret the location of artesian head conditions in the Charlie Creek basin and its relation to streamflow. Artesian conditions in the intermediate aquifer system induce upward groundwater flow into the surficial aquifer and help sustain base flow which supplies about two-thirds of the streamflow from the Charlie Creek basin. Seepage measurements confirmed seepage inflow to Charlie Creek during the study period. The upper half of the basin, comprised largely of the Upper Charlie Creek subbasin, has lower runoff potential than the lower basin, more storage of runoff in wetlands, and periodically generates no streamflow. Artesian head conditions in the intermediate aquifer system were widespread in the upper half of the Charlie Creek basin, preventing downward leakage from expansive areas of wetlands and enabling them to act as headwaters to Charlie Creek once their storage requirements were met. Currently, the dynamic balance between wetland storage, rainfall-runoff processes, and groundwater-level differences in the upper basin allow it to generate approximately half of the streamflow from the Charlie Creek basin. Therefore, future development in the upper basin that would alter the hydraulic connectivity of wetlands during high flow conditions or expand recharging groundwater conditions could substantially affect streamflow in Charlie Creek. LIDAR (Light detection and ranging) based topographic maps and integrated modeling results were used to quantify the water stored in wetlands and other topographic depressions, and to describe the network of shallow stream channels connecting wetlands to Charlie Creek and its tributaries over distances of several thousand feet. Peak flows at all but one streamflow station were underpredicted in MIKE SHE simulations, possibly because the hydraulics of surface channels connecting wetlands to stream channels were not explicitly simulated in the model. Explicitly simulating the smaller channels connecting wetlands and stream channels should improve the ability of future watershed models to simulate peak flows in streams with headwater wetlands. The runoff potential was greater in the lower half of the Charlie Creek basin than in the upper half, and the streambed of Charlie Creek had greater potential to both directly gain streamflow from groundwater and lose streamflow to groundwater. Charlie Creek is more incised into the surficial aquifer in the lower basin than in the upper basin, and the streambed intersects the top of the intermediate aquifer system at two known locations. Groundwater levels in the intermediate aquifer system varied widely in the lower half of the basin from artesian conditions inducing upward flow toward the surficial aquifer and streams, to recharging conditions allowing downward flow and stream leakage. Recharge areas were greatest in May 2004 when rainfall was at a seasonal low and irrigation pumping was at a seasonal high. Recharge conditions
Enomoto, Catherine B.; Trippi, Michael H.; Higley, Debra K.; Rouse, William A.; Dulong, Frank T.; Klett, Timothy R.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Finn, Thomas M.; Marra, Kristen R.; Le, Phuong A.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Schenk, Christopher J.
2018-04-19
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of 10.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in Upper Devonian shales of the Appalachian Basin Province.
FISH ASSEMBLAGE GROUPS IN THE UPPER TENNESSEE RIVER BASIN
A hierarchical clustering technique was used to classify sites in the upper Tennessee River basin based on relative abundance of fish species. Five site groups were identified. These groups differed mainly by the occurrence of minnow and darter species. Drainage area and ecore...
Subwatersheds of the Upper San Pedro basin with percent difference between results from two SWAT simulations run through AGWA: one using the 1973 NALC landcover for model parameterization, and the other using the 1997 NALC landcover.
Danny Heavilan
1977-01-01
Regeneration was studied on a mixed conifer stand on granitic soils on the Klamath National Forest. Six years after logging and hand planting with Douglas-fir, stocking and growth on cutblocks where slash had been broadcast burned was compared with that on similar unburned cutblocks. Conifers were seven times more plentiful on the unburned areas, the average height of...
Precisely locating the Klamath Falls, Oregon, earthquakes
Qamar, A.; Meagher, K.L.
1993-01-01
In this article we present preliminary results of a close-in, instrumental study of the Klamath Falls earthquake sequence, carried as a cooperative effort by scientists from the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) and universities in Washington, Orgeon, and California. In addition to obtaining much mroe accurate earthquake locations, this study has improved our understanding of the relationship between seismicity and mapped faults in the region.
This report documents the activities performed during and the results obtained from the arsenic removal treatment technology demonstration project at Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) at Klamath Falls, OR. The objectives of the project were to evaluate: (1) the effectiveness...
John D. Alexander; C. John Ralph; Bill Hogoboom; Nathaniel E. Seavy; Stewart Janes
2004-01-01
Although fire management is increasingly recognized as an important component of conservation in Klamath-Siskiyou ecosystems, empirical evidence on the ecological effects of fire in this region is limited. Here we describe a conceptual model as a framework for understanding the effects of fire and fire management on bird abundance. This model identifies three major...
Extensional faulting in the southern Klamath Mountains, California
Schweickert, R.A.; Irwin, W.P.
1989-01-01
Large northeast striking normal faults in the southern Klamath Mountains may indicate that substantial crustal extension occurred during Tertiary time. Some of these faults form grabens in the Jurassic and older bedrock of the province. The grabens contain continental Oligocene or Miocene deposits (Weaverville Formation), and in two of them the Oligocene or Miocene is underlain by Lower Cretaceous marine formations (Great Valley sequence). At the La Grange gold placer mine the Oligocene or Miocene strata dip northwest into the gently southeast dipping mylonitic footwall surface of the La Grange fault. The large normal displacement required by the relations at the La Grange mine is also suggested by omission of several kilometers of structural thickness of bedrock units across the northeast continuation of the La Grange fault, as well as by significant changes in bedrock across some northeast striking faults elsewhere in the Central Metamorphic and Eastern Klamath belts. The Trinity ultramafic sheet crops out in the Eastern Klamath terrane as part of a broad northeast trending arch that may be structurally analogous to the domed lower plate of metamorphic core complexes found in eastern parts of the Cordillera. The northeast continuation of the La Grange fault bounds the southeastern side of the Trinity arch in the Eastern Klamath terrane and locally cuts out substantial lower parts of adjacent Paleozoic strata of the Redding section. Faults bounding the northwestem side of the Trinity arch generally trend northeast and juxtapose stacked thrust sheets of lower Paleozoic strata of the Yreka terrane against the Trinity ultramafic sheet. Geometric relations suggest that the Tertiary extension of the southern Klamath Mountains was in NW-SE directions and that the Redding section and the southern part of the Central Metamorphic terrane may be a large Tertiary allochthon detached from the Trinity ultramafic sheet. Paleomagnetic data indicate a lack of rotation about a vertical axis during the extension. We propose that the Trinity ultramafic sheet is structurally analogous to a metamorphic core complex; if so, it is the first core complex to be described that involves ultramafic rocks. We infer that Mesozoic terrane accretion produced a large gravitational instability in the crust that spread laterally during Tertiary extension
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sari, A.; Geze, Y.
The studied area is a lake basin located in Bolu basin in Turkey. In the basin, from Upper Cretaceous to Upper Miocene 3,000-m thickness sediments were deposited. Upper Miocene Himmetoglu formation consisted of sandstone, claystone, and marl. To the middle level of the formation are located coal, bituminous limestone, and bituminous shales. In the basin, there are two coal beds whose thicknesses range from 1 to 13 m. The coals are easily breakable and black in color. In the coal beds exists some bituminous limestone and bituminous shales, and their thicknesses are between 5 and 45 cm. The amount ofmore » organic matter of the bituminous rocks from the Upper Miocene Himmetoglu formation are between 6.83 and 56.34 wt%, and the amount of organic matter of the bituminous limestone from the formation are between 13.58 and 57.16 wt%. These values indicate that these rocks have very good source potential. According to hydrogen index (HI), S2/S3, HI-T{sub max}, and HI-OI (oxygen index) parameters, kerogen types of the bituminous rocks and coals belonging to Upper Miocene Himmetoglu formation are Type I, Type II, and Type III. In accordance with HI, S2/S3, HI-T{sub max}, and HI-OI parameters, the bituminous rocks and coals from the Upper Miocene Himmetoglu formation are mostly immature.« less
Evolution of a Miocene sag basin in the Alboran Sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Do Couto, D.; Gorini, C.; Jolivet, L.; Letouzey, J.; Smit, J.; d'Acremont, E.; Auxietre, J. L.; Le Pourhiet, L.; Estrada, F.; Elabassi, M.; Ammar, A.; Jabour, H.; Vendeville, B.
2012-04-01
The Alboran domain represents the westernmost termination of the peri-Mediterranean Alpine orogen. Its arcuate shape, delimited to the North by the Betic range and to the South by the Rif range, is the result of subduction, collision and slab migration processes. During the Neogene, several sedimentary basins formed on the Betics metamorphic basement, mainly due to the extensional collapse of the previously thickened crust of the Betic-Rif belt. The major sedimentary depocentre, the Western Alboran Basin (WAB), is surrounded by the Gibraltar arc, the volcanic Djibouti mounts and the Alboran ridge, and is partly affected by shale tectonics and associated mud volcanism. High-quality 2-D seismic profiles acquired along the Moroccan margin during the last decade reveal a complete history of the basin. Our study deals with the analysis of seismic profiles oriented parallel and orthogonal to the Mediterranean Moroccan margin. The stratigraphy was calibrated using well data from offshore Spain and Morocco. Our study focuses particularly on the tectono-stratigraphic reconstruction of the basin. The formation of the WAB began in the Early Miocene (Aquitanian - Burdigalian). A massive unit of Early Miocene to Lower Langhian shales and olistostromes forms a thick mobile décollement layer that controls and accommodates deformation of the basin fill. From the Upper Langhian to the Upper Tortonian, the basin is filled by a thick sequence of siliciclastic deposits. Stratigraphic geometries identified on seismic data clearly indicate that deformation of the basin fill started during deposition of Upper Langhian to the Upper Tortonian clastics. Shale tectonic deformation was re-activated recently, during the Messinian desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea (and the following catastrophic Pliocene reflooding) or during the Quaternary contourite deposition The sedimentary layers gently dip towards the basin centre and "onlaps" onto the basin margin, especially onto the basement high that bounds the basin toward the East. The contacts observed between the sediment and the basement reflectors are purely stratigraphic. These observations confirm that the geometry is essentially that of a sag basin. We discuss all these stratigraphic observations in the scope of the geodynamic evolution of the eastern and western Alboran basin and the extension recorded onshore during the basin development time interval.
Midplate seismicity exterior to former rift-basins
Dewey, J.W.
1988-01-01
Midplate seismicity associated with some former rift-zones is distributed diffusely near, but exterior to, the rift basins. This "basin-exterior' seismicity cannot be attributed to reactivation of major basin-border faults on which uppercrustal extension was concentrated at the time of rifting, because the border faults dip beneath the basins. The seismicity may nonetheless represent reactivation of minor faults that were active at the time of rifting but that were located outside of the principal zones of upper-crustal extension; the occurrence of basin-exterior seismicity in some present-day rift-zones supports the existence of such minor basin-exterior faults. Other hypotheses for seismicity exterior to former rift-basins are that the seismicity reflects lobes of high stress due to lithospheric-bending that is centered on the axis of the rift, that the seismicity is localized on the exteriors of rift-basins by basin-interiors that are less deformable in the current epoch than the basin exteriors, and that seismicity is localized on the basin-exteriors by the concentration of tectonic stress in the highly elastic basin-exterior upper-crust. -from Author
Digital atlas of the upper Washita River basin, southwestern Oklahoma
Becker, Carol J.; Masoner, Jason R.; Scott, Jonathon C.
2008-01-01
Numerous types of environmental data have been collected in the upper Washita River basin in southwestern Oklahoma. However, to date these data have not been compiled into a format that can be comprehensively queried for the purpose of evaluating the effects of various conservation practices implemented to reduce agricultural runoff and erosion in parts of the upper Washita River basin. This U.S. Geological Survey publication, 'Digital atlas of the upper Washita River basin, southwestern Oklahoma' was created to assist with environmental analysis. This atlas contains 30 spatial data sets that can be used in environmental assessment and decision making for the upper Washita River basin. This digital atlas includes U.S. Geological Survey sampling sites and associated water-quality, biological, water-level, and streamflow data collected from 1903 to 2005. The data were retrieved from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database on September 29, 2005. Data sets are from the Geology, Geography, and Water disciplines of the U.S. Geological Survey and cover parts of Beckham, Caddo, Canadian, Comanche, Custer, Dewey, Grady, Kiowa, and Washita Counties in southwestern Oklahoma. A bibliography of past reports from the U.S. Geological Survey and other State and Federal agencies from 1949 to 2004 is included in the atlas. Additionally, reports by Becker (2001), Martin (2002), Fairchild and others (2004), and Miller and Stanley (2005) are provided in electronic format.
Modeled streamflow metrics on small, ungaged stream reaches in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Reynolds, Lindsay V.; Shafroth, Patrick B.
2016-01-20
Modeling streamflow is an important approach for understanding landscape-scale drivers of flow and estimating flows where there are no streamgage records. In this study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with Colorado State University, the objectives were to model streamflow metrics on small, ungaged streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin and identify streams that are potentially threatened with becoming intermittent under drier climate conditions. The Upper Colorado River Basin is a region that is critical for water resources and also projected to experience large future climate shifts toward a drying climate. A random forest modeling approach was used to model the relationship between streamflow metrics and environmental variables. Flow metrics were then projected to ungaged reaches in the Upper Colorado River Basin using environmental variables for each stream, represented as raster cells, in the basin. Last, the projected random forest models of minimum flow coefficient of variation and specific mean daily flow were used to highlight streams that had greater than 61.84 percent minimum flow coefficient of variation and less than 0.096 specific mean daily flow and suggested that these streams will be most threatened to shift to intermittent flow regimes under drier climate conditions. Map projection products can help scientists, land managers, and policymakers understand current hydrology in the Upper Colorado River Basin and make informed decisions regarding water resources. With knowledge of which streams are likely to undergo significant drying in the future, managers and scientists can plan for stream-dependent ecosystems and human water users.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sato, Takeshi; No, Tetsuo; Miura, Seiichi; Kodaira, Shuichi
2018-02-01
The crustal structure of the Yamato Bank, the central Yamato Basin, and the continental shelf in the southern Japan Sea back-arc basin is obtained based on a seismic survey using ocean bottom seismographs and seismic shot to elucidate the back-arc basin formation processes. The central Yamato Basin can be divided into three domains based on the crustal structure: the deep basin, the seamount, and the transition domains. In the deep basin domain, the crust without the sedimentary layer is about 12-13 km thick. Very few units have P-wave velocity of 5.4-6.0 km/s, which corresponds to the continental upper crust. In the seamount and transition domains, the crust without the sedimentary layer is about 12-16 km thick. The P-wave velocities of the upper and lower crusts differs among the deep basin, the seamount, and the transition domains. These results indicate that the central Yamato Basin displays crustal variability in different domains. The crust of the deep basin domain is oceanic in nature and suggests advanced back-arc basin development. The seamount domain might have been affected by volcanic activity after basin opening. In the transition domain, the crust comprises mixed characters of continental and oceanic crust. This crustal variation might represent the influence of different processes in the central Yamato Basin, suggesting that crustal development was influenced not only by back-arc opening processes but also by later volcanic activity. In the Yamato Bank and continental shelf, the upper crust has thickness of about 17-18 km and P-wave velocities of 3.3-4.1 to 6.6 km/s. The Yamato Bank and the continental shelf suggest a continental crustal character.
Structure of the Tucson Basin, Arizona from gravity and aeromagnetic data
Rystrom, Victoria Louise
2003-01-01
Interpretation of gravity and high-resolution aeromagnetic data reveal the three-dimensional geometry of the Tuscson Basin, Arizona and the lithology of its basement. Limited drill hole and seismic data indicate that the maximum depth to the crystalline basement is approximately 3600 meters and that the sedimentary sequences in the upper ~2000 m of the basin were deposited during the most recent extensional episode that commenced about 13 Ma. The negative density contrasts between these upper Neogene and Quaternary sedimentary sequences and the adjacent country rock produce a Bouguer residual gravity low, whose steep gradients clearly define the lateral extent of the upper ~2000m of the basin. The aeromagnetic maps show large positive anomalies associated with deeply buried, late Cretaceous-early Tertiary and mid-Tertiary igneous rocks at and below the surface of the basin. These magnetic anomalies provide insight into the older (>13 Ma) and deeper structures of the basin. Simultaneous 2.5-dimensional modeling of both gravity and magnetic anomalies constrained by geologic and seismic data delineates the thickness of the basin and the dips of the buried faults that bound the basin. This geologic-based forward modeling approach to using geophysical data is shown to result in more information about the geologic and tectonic history of the basin as well as more accurate depth to basement determinations than using generalized geophysical inversion techniques.
Fish assemblages at 16 sites in the upper French Broad River basin, North Carolina were related to environmental variables using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and linear regression. This study was conducted at the landscape scale because regional variables are controlle...
Schenk, Christopher J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Le, Phuong A.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Finn, Thomas M.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.
2017-09-22
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of 0.45 billion barrels of oil and 1.0 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Middle and Upper Magdalena Basins, Colombia.
Database for the geologic map of Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Abendini, Atosa A.; Robinson, Joel E.; Muffler, L. J. Patrick; White, D. E.; Beeson, Melvin H.; Truesdell, A. H.
2015-01-01
This dataset contains contacts, geologic units, and map boundaries from Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-1371, "The Geologic map of upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone, National Park, Wyoming". This dataset was constructed to produce a digital geologic map as a basis for ongoing studies of hydrothermal processes.
Harmonic analyses of stream temperatures in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Steele, T.D.
1985-01-01
Harmonic analyses were made for available daily water-temperature records for 36 measurement sites on major streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin and for 14 measurement sites on streams in the Piceance structural basin. Generally (88 percent of the station years analyzed), more than 80 percent of the annual variability of temperatures of streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin was explained by the simple-harmonic function. Significant trends were determined for 6 of the 26 site records having 8 years or more record. In most cases, these trends resulted from construction and operation of upstream surface-water impoundments occurring during the period of record. Regional analysis of water-temperature characteristics at the 14 streamflow sites in the Piceance structural basin indicated similarities in water-temperature characteristics for a small range of measurement-site elevations. Evaluation of information content of the daily records indicated that less-than-daily measurement intervals should be considered, resulting in substantial savings in measurement and data-processing costs. (USGS)
Upper-Ocean Variability in the Arctic’s Amundsen and Nansen Basins
2017-05-01
collect vertical profiles of ocean temperature, salinity and horizontal velocity at few- hour interval as well as sample for specified time periods...deployed for the MIZ program - specifically, vertical temperature, salinity and velocity profiles were collected every 3 hours in the upper 250m of the...the system), this ITP-V returned 5+ months of upper ocean temperature, salinity , velocity and turbulence data from the Makarov Basin, a region of
Hartwell H. Welsh Jr; Karen L. Pope; Daniel Boiano
2006-01-01
The goal of this study was to examine how introduced trout influence the distributions and abundances of a sub-alpine amphibian assemblage whose members display a variety of different life-history and defence strategies. Our study was conducted in the sub-alpine lentic habitats of three wilderness areas that form the core of the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion of northern...
Comparison of the petroleum systems of East Venezuela in their tectonostratigraphic context
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Stronach, N.J.; Kerr, H.M.; Scotchmer, J.
1996-08-01
The Maturin and Guarico subbasins of East Venezuela record the transition from Cretaceous passive margin to Tertiary foreland basin with local post-orogenic transtensional basins. Petroleum is reservoired in several units ranging from Albian (El Cantil Formation) to Pliocene (Las Piedras Formation) age. Source rocks are principally in the Upper Cretaceous (Querecual Formation), and Miocene (Carapita Formation) in the Maturin subbasin and in the Upper Cretaceous (Tigre Formation) and Oligocene (Roblecito and La Pascua Formations) in the Guarico subbasin. An extensive well database has been used to address the distribution and provenance of hydrocarbons in the context of a tectonostratigraphic modelmore » for the evolution of the East Venezuela basin. Nine major plays have been described, comprising thirteen petroleum systems. The principal factors influencing the components of individual petroleum systems are as follows: (1) structural controls on Upper Cretaceous source rock distribution, relating to block faulting on the proto-Caribbean passive margin; (2) paleoenvironmental controls on source rock development within the Oligocene-Miocene foreland basin; and (3) timing of subsidence and maturation within the Oligocene-Upper Miocene foreland basin and the configuration of the associated fold and thrust belt, influencing long range and local migration routes (4) local development of Pliocene post-orogenic transtensional basins, influencing hydrocarbon generation, migration and remigration north of the Pirital High.« less
Mössbauer spectroscopic study of the test well (DND) located in Jaisalmer Basin of Rajasthan, India
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ganwani, Girish; Meena, Samay Singh; Ram, Sahi; Bhatia, Beena; Tripathi, R. P.
2018-05-01
The Jaisalmer basin represents mainly the westerly dipping flank of Indus shelf. The palynological and geochemical studies have predicted good quality of hydrocarbons in this basin. The cretaceous and Jurassic sediments are believed to contain source rock in this basin. In present preliminary study, Mössbauer spectroscopic investigation has been done on sedimentary samples collected from different depths of upper cretaceous sedimentary sequence of well DND-1 drilled in Jaisalmer basin. The iron is found mainly in carbonate and clay. The relatively small presence of Fe2+ in comparison to Fe3+ in clay is an indication of poor reducing environment in sediments, which can be attributed to poor maturity of source rocks in upper cretaceous sediments of this basin.
Survey of Rural Areas in the Western United States with the Potential to form Winter Ozone
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hall, C. F.; Mansfield, M. L.
2012-12-01
Both the Uinta Basin of Eastern Utah and the Upper Green River Basin of Western Wyoming are prone to winter ozone events. Ozone in both basins is believed to require a specific set of meteorological phenomena, namely, snow cover and persistent thermal inversions. It is also believed that the primary source of ozone precursors in both basins is the production of oil and/or natural gas. We have conducted a survey of many basins and valleys in the West United States in order to identify regions having meteorology similar to either the Uinta or the Upper Green River Basins, but also having dissimilar industrial activity. Ozone monitoring in such regions may help us better understand the role of oil and gas emissions in the winter ozone phenomenon.
Adams, Michael J.; Pearl, Christopher A.; Mccreary, Brome; Galvan, Stephanie
2014-01-01
The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) occupies only a fraction of its original range and is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We surveyed 93 sites in a rotating frame design (2010–13) in the Klamath and Deschutes Basins, Oregon, which encompass most of the species’ core extant range. Oregon spotted frogs are declining in abundance and probability of site occupancy. We did not find an association between the probability that Oregon spotted frogs disappear from a site (local extinction) and any of the variables hypothesized to affect Oregon spotted frog occupancy. This 4-year study provides baseline data, but the 4-year period was too short to draw firm conclusions. Further study is essential to understand how habitat changes and management practices relate to the status and trends of this species.
Host Status of Selected Crops to Meloidogyne chitwoodi.
Ferris, H; Carlson, H L; Viglierchio, D R; Westerdahl, B B; Wu, F W; Anderson, C E; Juurma, A; Kirby, D W
1993-12-01
Various crops were tested in greenhouse and field trials for their potential utility in the rotation sequence in the potato cropping system in Meloidogyne chitwoodi-infested soils of the Klamath Basin in northeastern California and southern Oregon. Two Solarium accessions from the International Potato Center in Peru were potential sources of resistance to M. chitwoodi. Cultivars of barley, oat, rye, wheat, and white lupine were maintenance hosts, supporting the nematode population at its current level without substantial increase or decline. Poor to nonhosts to race 1 of the nematode included cultivars of alfalfa, amaranth, oilseed radish, oilseed rape, and safflower. These crops have potential for inclusion in the cropping system but are subject to various constraints, including frost sensitivity and availability of markets. Sugarbeet, a new crop in the area, is a maintenance or better host of M. chitwoodi. Potato, tomato, and sunflower are excellent hosts.
Torak, Lynn J.; Painter, Jaime A.; Peck, Michael F.
2010-01-01
Major streams and tributaries located in the Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee (ASO) River Basin of south-central Georgia and adjacent parts of Florida drain about 8,000 square miles of a layered sequence of clastic and carbonate sediments and carbonate Coastal Plain sediments consisting of the surficial aquifer system, upper semiconfining unit, Upper Floridan aquifer, and lower confining unit. Streams either flow directly on late-middle Eocene to Oligocene karst limestone or carve a dendritic drainage pattern into overlying Miocene to Holocene sand, silt, and clay, facilitating water exchange and hydraulic connection with geohydrologic units. Geologic structures operating in the ASO River Basin through time control sedimentation and influence geohydrology and water exchange between geohydrologic units and surface water. More than 300 feet (ft) of clastic sediments overlie the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Gulf Trough-Apalachicola Embayment, a broad area extending from the southwest to the northeast through the center of the basin. These clastic sediments limit hydraulic connection and water exchange between the Upper Floridan aquifer, the surficial aquifer system, and surface water. Accumulation of more than 350 ft of low-permeability sediments in the Southeast Georgia Embayment and Suwannee Strait hydraulically isolates the Upper Floridan aquifer from land-surface hydrologic processes in the Okefenokee Basin physiographic district. Burial of limestone beneath thick clastic overburden in these areas virtually eliminates karst processes, resulting in low aquifer hydraulic conductivity and storage coefficient despite an aquifer thickness of more than 900 ft. Conversely, uplift and faulting associated with regional tectonics and the northern extension of the Peninsular Arch caused thinning and erosion of clastic sediments overlying the Upper Floridan aquifer southeast of the Gulf Trough-Apalachicola Embayment near the Florida-Georgia State line. Limestone dissolution in Brooks and Lowndes Counties, Ga., create karst features that enhance water-transmitting and storage properties of the Upper Floridan aquifer, promoting groundwater recharge and water exchange between the aquifer, land surface, and surface water. Structural control of groundwater flow and hydraulic properties combine with climatic effects and increased hydrologic stress from agricultural pumpage to yield unprecedented groundwater-level decline in the northwestern and central parts of the ASO River Basin. Hydrographs from continuous-record observation wells in these regions document declining groundwater levels, indicating diminished water-resource potential of the Upper Floridan aquifer through time. More than 24 ft of groundwater-level decline occurred along the basin's northwestern boundary with the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, lowering hydraulic gradients that provide the potential for groundwater flow into the ASO River Basin and southeastward across the Gulf Trough-Apalachicola Embayment region. Slow-moving groundwater across the trough-embayment region coupled with downward-vertical flow from upper to lower limestone units composing the Upper Floridan aquifer resulted in 40-50 ft of groundwater-level decline since 1969 in southeastern Colquitt County. Multi-year episodes of dry climatic conditions during the 1980s through the early 2000s contributed to seasonal and long-term groundwater-level decline by reducing recharge to the Upper Floridan aquifer and increasing hydrologic stress by agricultural pumpage. Unprecedented and continued groundwater-level decline since 1969 caused 40-50 ft of aquifer dewatering in southeastern Colquitt County that reduced aquifer transmissivity and the ability to supply groundwater to wells, resulting in depletion of the groundwater resource.
Repetski, John E.; Ryder, Robert T.; Weary, David J.; Harris, Anita G.; Trippi, Michael H.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Ryder, Robert T.
2014-01-01
The conodont color alteration index (CAI) introduced by Epstein and others (1977) and Harris and others (1978) is an important criterion for estimating the thermal maturity of Ordovician to Mississippian rocks in the Appalachian basin. Consequently, the CAI isograd maps of Harris and others (1978) are commonly used by geologists to characterize the thermal and burial history of the Appalachian basin and to better understand the origin and distribution of oil and gas resources in the basin. The main objectives of this report are to present revised CAI isograd maps for Ordovician and Devonian rocks in the Appalachian basin and to interpret the geologic and petroleum resource implications of these maps. The CAI isograd maps presented herein complement, and in some areas replace, the CAI-based isograd maps of Harris and others (1978) for the Appalachian basin. The CAI data presented in this report were derived almost entirely from subsurface samples, whereas the CAI data used by Harris and others (1978) were derived almost entirely from outcrop samples. Because of the different sampling methods, there is little geographic overlap of the two data sets. The new data set is mostly from the Allegheny Plateau structural province and most of the data set of Harris and others (1978) is from the Valley and Ridge structural province, east of the Allegheny structural front (fig. 1). Vitrinite reflectance, based on dispersed vitrinite in Devonian black shale, is another important parameter for estimating the thermal maturity in pre-Pennsylvanian-age rocks of the Appalachian basin (Streib, 1981; Cole and others, 1987; Gerlach and Cercone, 1993; Rimmer and others, 1993; Curtis and Faure, 1997). This chapter also presents a revised percent vitrinite reflectance (%R0) isograd map based on dispersed vitrinite recovered from selected Devonian black shales. The Devonian black shales used for the vitrinite studies reported herein also were analyzed by RockEval pyrolysis and total organic carbon (TOC) content in weight percent. Although the RockEval and TOC data are included in this chapter (table 1), they are not shown on the maps. The revised CAI isograd and percent vitrinite reflectance isograd maps cover all or parts of Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia (fig. 1), and the following three stratigraphic intervals: Upper Ordovician carbonate rocks, Lower and Middle Devonian carbonate rocks, and Middle and Upper Devonian black shales. These stratigraphic intervals were chosen for the following reasons: (1) they represent target reservoirs for much of the oil and gas exploration in the Appalachian basin; (2) they are stratigraphically near probable source rocks for most of the oil and gas; (3) they include geologic formations that are nearly continuous across the basin; (4) they contain abundant carbonate grainstone-packstone intervals, which give a reasonable to good probability of recovery of conodont elements from small samples of drill cuttings; and (5) the Middle and Upper Devonian black shale contains large amounts of organic matter for RockEval, TOC, and dispersed vitrinite analyses. Thermal maturity patterns of the Upper Ordovician Trenton Limestone are of particular interest here, because they closely approximate the thermal maturity patterns in the overlying Upper Ordovician Utica Shale, which is the probable source rock for oil and gas in the Upper Cambrian Rose Run Sandstone (sandstone), Upper Cambrian and Lower Ordovician Knox Group (Dolomite), Lower and Middle Ordovician Beekmantown Group (dolomite or Dolomite), Upper Ordovician Trenton and Black River Limestones, and Lower Silurian Clinton/Medina sandstone (Cole and others, 1987; Jenden and others, 1993; Laughrey and Baldassare, 1998; Ryder and others, 1998; Ryder and Zagorski, 2003). The thermal maturity patterns of the Lower Devonian Helderberg Limestone (Group), Middle Devonian Onondaga Limestone, and Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale-Upper Devonian Rhine street Shale Member-Upper Devonian Ohio Shale are of interest, because they closely approximate the thermal maturity patterns in the Marcellus Shale, Upper Devonian Rhinestreet Shale Member, and Upper Devonian Huron Member of the Ohio Shale, which are the most important source rocks for oil and gas in the Appalachian basin (de Witt and Milici, 1989; Klemme and Ulmishek, 1991). The Marcellus, Rhinestreet, and Huron units are black-shale source rocks for oil and (or) gas in the Lower Devonian Oriskany Sandstone, the Upper Devonian sandstones, the Middle and Upper Devonian black shales, and the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian(?) Berea Sandstone (Patchen and others, 1992; Roen and Kepferle, 1993; Laughrey and Baldassare, 1998).
Zabala, M E; Manzano, M; Vives, L
2015-06-15
The Pampean plain is the most productive region in Argentina. The Pampeano Aquifer beneath the Pampean plain is used mostly for drinking water. The study area is the sector of the Pampeano Aquifer underlying the Del Azul Creek basin, in Buenos Aires province. The main objective is to characterize the chemical and isotopic compositions of groundwater and their origin on a regional scale. The methodology used involved the identification and characterization of potential sources of solutes, the study of rain water and groundwater chemical and isotopic characteristics to deduce processes, the development of a hydrogeochemical conceptual model, and its validation by hydrogeochemical modelling with PHREEQC. Groundwater samples come mostly from a two-depth monitoring network of the "Dr. Eduardo J. Usunoff" Large Plains Hydrology Institute (IHLLA). Groundwater salinity increases from SW to NE, where groundwater is saline. In the upper basin groundwater is of the HCO3-Ca type, in the middle basin it is HCO3-Na, and in the lower basin it is ClSO4-NaCa and Cl-Na. The main processes incorporating solutes to groundwater during recharge in the upper basin are rain water evaporation, dissolution of CO2, calcite, dolomite, silica, and anorthite; cationic exchange with Na release and Ca and Mg uptake, and clay precipitation. The main processes modifying groundwater chemistry along horizontal flow at 30 m depth from the upper to the lower basin are cationic exchange, dissolution of silica and anorthite, and clay precipitation. The origin of salinity in the middle and lower basin is secular evaporation in a naturally endorheic area. In the upper and middle basins there is agricultural pollution. In the lower basin the main pollution source is human liquid and solid wastes. Vertical infiltration through the boreholes annular space during the yearly flooding stages is probably the pollution mechanism of the samples at 30 m depth. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Population dynamics modeling of introduced smallmouth bass in the upper Colorado River basin
Breton, André R.; Winkelman, Dana L.; Bestgen, Kevin R.; Hawkins, John A.
2014-01-01
The purpose of these analyses was to identify an effective control strategy to further reduce smallmouth bass in the upper Colorado River basin from the current level. Our simulation results showed that “the surge”, an early to mid-summer increase in electrofishing effort targeting nest-guarding male smallmouth bass, should be made a core component of any future smallmouth bass management strategy in the upper basin. Immigration from off channel reservoirs is supporting smallmouth bass popualtions in the Yampa River and our modeling analyses suggest that smallmouth bass in Little Yampa Canyon might go extinct in a few years under the present level of exploitation.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Ernest A. Mancini; Paul Aharon; Donald A. Goddard
2006-05-26
The principal research effort for Phase 1 (Concept Development) of the project has been data compilation; determination of the tectonic, depositional, burial, and thermal maturation histories of the North Louisiana Salt Basin; basin modeling (geohistory, thermal maturation, hydrocarbon expulsion); petroleum system identification; comparative basin evaluation; and resource assessment. Existing information on the North Louisiana Salt Basin has been evaluated, an electronic database has been developed, and regional cross sections have been prepared. Structure, isopach and formation lithology maps have been constructed, and burial history, thermal maturation history, and hydrocarbon expulsion profiles have been prepared. Seismic data, cross sections, subsurface mapsmore » and burial history, thermal maturation history, and hydrocarbon expulsion profiles have been used in evaluating the tectonic, depositional, burial and thermal maturation histories of the basin. Oil and gas reservoirs have been found to be associated with salt-supported anticlinal and domal features (salt pillows, turtle structures and piercement domes); with normal faulting associated with the northern basin margin and listric down-to-the-basin faults (state-line fault complex) and faulted salt features; and with combination structural and stratigraphic features (Sabine and Monroe Uplifts) and monoclinal features with lithologic variations. Petroleum reservoirs include Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous fluvial-deltaic sandstone facies; shoreline, marine bar and shallow shelf sandstone facies; and carbonate shoal, shelf and reef facies. Cretaceous unconformities significantly contribute to the hydrocarbon trapping mechanism capacity in the North Louisiana Salt Basin. The chief petroleum source rock in this basin is Upper Jurassic Smackover lime mudstone beds. The generation of hydrocarbons from Smackover lime mudstone was initiated during the Early Cretaceous and continued into the Tertiary. Hydrocarbon expulsion commenced during the Early Cretaceous and continued into the Tertiary with peak expulsion occurring during the Early to Late Cretaceous. The geohistory of the North Louisiana Salt Basin is comparable to the Mississippi Interior Salt Basin with the major difference being the elevated heat flow the strata in the North Louisiana Salt Basin experienced in the Cretaceous due primarily to reactivation of upward movement, igneous activity, and erosion associated with the Monroe and Sabine Uplifts. Potential undiscovered reservoirs in the North Louisiana Salt Basin are Triassic Eagle Mills sandstone and deeply buried Upper Jurassic sandstone and limestone. Potential underdeveloped reservoirs include Lower Cretaceous sandstone and limestone and Upper Cretaceous sandstone.« less
Hewitt, David A.; Janney, Eric C.; Hayes, Brian S.; Harris, Alta C.
2017-07-21
Executive SummaryData from a long-term capture-recapture program were used to assess the status and dynamics of populations of two long-lived, federally endangered catostomids in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Lost River suckers (LRS; Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (SNS; Chasmistes brevirostris) have been captured and tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags during their spawning migrations in each year since 1995. In addition, beginning in 2005, individuals that had been previously PIT-tagged were re-encountered on remote underwater antennas deployed throughout sucker spawning areas. Captures and remote encounters during the spawning season in spring 2015 were incorporated into capture-recapture analyses of population dynamics. Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) open population capture-recapture models were used to estimate annual survival probabilities, and a reverse-time analog of the CJS model was used to estimate recruitment of new individuals into the spawning populations. In addition, data on the size composition of captured fish were examined to provide corroborating evidence of recruitment. Separate analyses were done for each species and also for each subpopulation of LRS. Shortnose suckers and one subpopulation of LRS migrate into tributary rivers to spawn, whereas the other LRS subpopulation spawns at groundwater upwelling areas along the eastern shoreline of the lake. Characteristics of the spawning migrations in 2015, such as the effects of temperature on the timing of the migrations, were similar to past years.Capture-recapture analyses for the LRS subpopulation that spawns at the shoreline areas included encounter histories for 13,617 individuals, and analyses for the subpopulation that spawns in the rivers included 39,321 encounter histories. With a few exceptions, the survival of males and females in both subpopulations was high (greater than or equal to 0.86) between 1999 and 2013. Survival was notably lower for males from the rivers in 2000, 2006, and 2012. Survival probabilities were lower for males from the shoreline areas in 2002. Between 2001 and 2014, the abundance of males in the lakeshore spawning subpopulation decreased by at least 59 percent and the abundance of females decreased by at least 53 percent. By combining information from capture-recapture models and size composition data, we concluded that the abundance of both sexes in the river spawning subpopulation of LRS likely has decreased at rates similar to the rates for the lakeshore spawning subpopulation between 2002 and 2014. Capture-recapture analyses for SNS included encounter histories for 20,981 individuals. Most annual survival estimates between 2005 and 2009 were high (greater than 0.88), but both sexes of SNS experienced lower and more variable survival in 2001–04 and 2010–13. The best-case scenario for SNS, based on capture-recapture recruitment modeling, indicates that the abundance of males in the spawning population decreased by 77 percent and the abundance of females decreased by 74 percent between 2001 and 2014. Decreases in abundance for both sexes likely are greater than these estimates indicate. Despite relatively high survival in most years, we conclude that both species have experienced substantial decreases in the abundance of spawning adults because losses from mortality have not been balanced by recruitment of new individuals. The status of the endangered sucker populations in Upper Klamath Lake remains worrisome, especially for SNS.
Flood of June 8-9, 2008, Upper Iowa River, Northeast Iowa
Fischer, Edward E.; Eash, David A.
2010-01-01
Major flooding occurred June 8-9, 2008, in the Upper Iowa River Basin in northeast Iowa following severe thunderstorm activity over the region. About 7 inches of rain were recorded for the 48-hour period ending 4 p.m., June 8, at Decorah, Iowa; more than 7 inches of rain were recorded for the 48-hour period ending 7 a.m., June 8, at Dorchester, Iowa, about 17 miles northeast of Decorah. The maximum peak discharge measured in the Upper Iowa River was 34,100 cubic feet per second at streamgage 05387500 Upper Iowa River at Decorah, Iowa. This discharge is the largest discharge recorded in the Upper Iowa River Basin since streamgaging operations began in the basin in 1914. The flood-probability range of the peak discharge is 0.2 to 1 percent. High-water marks were measured at 15 locations along the Upper Iowa River between State Highway 26 near the mouth at the Mississippi River and U.S. Highway 63 at Chester, Iowa, a distance of 124 river miles. The high-water marks were used to develop a flood profile.
Houser, Brenda B.; Peters, Lisa; Esser, Richard P.; Gettings, Mark E.
2004-01-01
The Tucson Basin is a relatively large late Cenozoic extensional basin developed in the upper plate of the Catalina detachment fault in the southern Basin and Range Province, southeastern Arizona. In 1972, Exxon Company, U.S.A., drilled an exploration well (Exxon State (32)-1) near the center of the Tucson Basin that penetrated 3,658 m (12,001 ft) of sedimentary and volcanic rocks above granitoid basement. Detailed study of cuttings and geophysical logs of the Exxon State well has led to revision of the previously reported subsurface stratigraphy for the basin and provided new insight into its depositional and tectonic history. There is evidence that detachment faulting and uplift of the adjacent Catalina core complex on the north have affected the subsurface geometry of the basin. The gravity anomaly map of the Tucson Basin indicates that the locations of subbasins along the north-trending axis of the main basin coincide with the intersection of this axis with west-southwest projections of synforms in the adjacent core complex. In other words, the subbasins overlie synforms and the ridges between subbasins overlie antiforms. The Exxon State well was drilled near the center of one of the subbasins. The Exxon well was drilled to a total depth of 3,827 m (12,556 ft), and penetrated the following stratigraphic section: Pleistocene(?) to middle(?) Miocene upper basin-fill sedimentary rocks (0-908 m [0-2,980 ft]) lower basin-fill sedimentary rocks (908-1,880 m [2,980-6,170 ft]) lower Miocene and upper Oligocene Pantano Formation (1,880-2,516 m [6,170-8,256 ft]) upper Oligocene to Paleocene(?) volcanic and sedimentary rocks (2,516-3,056 m [8,256-10,026 ft]) Lower Cretaceous to Upper Jurassic Bisbee Group (3,056-3,658 m [10,026-12,001 ft]) pre-Late Jurassic granitoid plutonic rock (3,658-3,827 m [12,001- 12,556 ft]). Stratigraphy and Tectonic History of the Tucson Basin, Pima County, Arizona, Based on the Exxon State (32)-1 Well The 1,880 m (6,170 ft) of basin-fill sedimentary rocks consist of alluvial-fan, alluvial-plain, and playa facies. The uppermost unit, a 341-m-thick (1,120-ft) lower Pleistocene and upper Pliocene alluvial-fan deposit (named the Cienega Creek fan in this study), is an important aquifer in the Tucson basin. The facies change at the base of the alluvial fan may prove to be recognizable in well data throughout much of the basin. The well data show that a sharp boundary at 908 m (2,980 ft) separates relatively unconsolidated and undeformed upper basin fill from denser, significantly faulted lower basin fill, indicating that there were two stages of basin filling in the Tucson basin as in other basins of the region. The two stages apparently occurred during times of differing tectonic style in the region. In the Tucson area the Pantano Formation, which contains an andesite flow dated at about 25 Ma, fills a syntectonic basin in the hanging wall of the Catalina detachment fault, reflecting middle Tertiary extension on the fault. The formation in the well is 636 m thick (2,086 ft) and consists of alluvial-fan, playa, and lacustrine sedimentary facies, a lava flow, and rock- avalanche deposits. Analysis of the geophysical logs indicates that a K-Ar date of 23.4 Ma reported previously for the Pantano interval of the well was obtained on selected cuttings collected from a rock-avalanche deposit near the base of the unit and, thus, does not date the Pantano Formation. The middle Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks have an aggregate thickness of 540 m (1,770 ft). We obtained a new 40Ar/ 39Ar age of 26.91+0.18 Ma on biotite sampled at a depth of 2,584-2,609 m (8,478-8,560 ft) from a 169-m-thick (554-ft) silicic tuff in this interval. The volcanic rocks probably correlate with other middle Tertiary volcanic rocks of the area, and the sedimentary rocks may correlate with the Cloudburst and Mineta Formations exposed on the flanks of the San Pedro Basin to the northeast. The Bisbee Group in the Exxon well is 602 m (1,975 f
We combined stream chemistry and hydrology data from surveys of 467 tributary stream sites and 447 great river sites in the Upper Mississippi River basin to provide a regional snapshot of baseflow total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations, and to investigate th...
Language: Talking or Trading Blows in the Upper Silesian Industrial Basin?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kamusella, Tomasz
2011-01-01
In the 19th century, in the eastern half of Prussia's region of Upper Silesia, continental Europe's second largest industrial basin emerged. In the course of the accelerated urbanization that followed, an increasing number of German- and Germanic-speakers arrived in this overwhelmingly Slavophone area that historically skirted the Germanic dialect…
Fish assemblages at 16 sites in the upper French Broad river basin in North Carolina were related to environmental characteristics at the landscape scale, the scale at which management activities and decisions are most likely to occur. Indirect gradient analysis and subsequent re...
Dennen, Kristin O.; Hackley, Paul C.
2012-01-01
An assessment unit (AU) for undiscovered continuous “shale” gas in Lower Cretaceous (Aptian and Albian) and basal Upper Cretaceous (lower Cenomanian) rocks in the USA onshore Gulf of Mexico coastal plain recently was defined by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The AU is part of the Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. Definition of the AU was conducted as part of the 2010 USGS assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in Gulf Coast Mesozoic stratigraphic intervals. The purpose of defining the Greater Gulf Basin Lower Cretaceous Shale Gas AU was to propose a hypothetical AU in the Cretaceous part of the Gulf Coast TPS in which there might be continuous “shale” gas, but the AU was not quantitatively assessed by the USGS in 2010.
Transient electromagnetic study of basin fill sediments in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Mexico
Bultman, M.W.; Gray, F.
2011-01-01
The Upper San Pedro River Basin in Mexico and the United States is an important riparian corridor that is coming under increasing pressure from growing populations and the associated increase in groundwater withdrawal. Several studies have produced three-dimensional maps of the basin fill sediments in the US portion of the basin but little work has been done in the Mexican portion of the basin. Here, the results of a ground-based transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Mexico are presented. These basin fill sediments are characterized by a 10-40 m deep unsaturated surficial zone which is composed primarily of sands and gravels. In the central portion of the basin this unsaturated zone is usually underlain by a shallow clay layer 20-50 m thick. Beneath this may be more clay, as is usually the case near the San Pedro River, or interbedded sand, silt, and clay to a depth of 200-250 m. As you move away from the river, the upper clay layer disappears and the amount of sand in the sediments increases. At 1-2 km away from the river, sands can occupy up to 50% of the upper 200-250 m of the sediment fill. Below this, clays are always present except where bedrock highs are observed. This lower clay layer begins at a depth of about 200 m in the central portion of the basin (250 m or more at distances greater than 1-2 km from the river) and extends to the bottom of most profiles to depths of 400 m. While the depth of the top of this lower clay layer is probably accurate, its thickness observed in the models may be overestimated due to the relatively low magnetic moment of the TEM system used in this study. The inversion routine used for interpretation is based on a one-dimensional geologic model. This is a layer based model that is isotropic in both the x and y directions. Several survey soundings did not meet this requirement which invalidates the inversion process and the resulting interpretation at these locations. The results from these locations were rejected. ?? 2011 Springer-Verlag (outside the USA).
Hydrocarbon source rock potential of the Karoo in Zimbabwe
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hiller, K.; Shoko, U.
1996-07-01
The hydrocarbon potential of Zimbabwe is tied to the Karoo rifts which fringe the Zimbabwe Craton, i.e. the Mid-Zambezi basin/rift and the Mana Pools basin in the northwest, the Cabora Bassa basin in the north and the Tuli-Bubye and Sabi-Runde basins in the south. Based on the geochemical investigation of almost one thousand samples of fine clastic Karoo sediments, a concise source rock inventory has been established showing the following features. No marine source rocks have been identified. In the Mid-Zambezi area and Cabora Bassa basin, the source rocks are gas-prone, carbonaceous to coaly mudstones and coal of Lower Karoo age. In the Cabora Bassa basin, similar gas-prone source rocks occur in the Upper Karoo (Angwa Alternations Member). These kerogen type III source rocks are widespread and predominantly immature to moderately mature. In the southern basins, the Lower Karoo source rocks are gas-prone; in addition some have a small condensate potential. Most of the samples are, however, overmature due to numerous dolerite intrusions. Samples with a mixed gas, condensate and oil potential (mainly kerogen types II and III) were identified in the Lower Karoo (Coal Measure and Lower Madumabisa Mudstone Formations) of the Mid-Zambezi basin, and in the Louver Karoo (Mkanga Formation) and Upper Karoo (Upper Angwa Alternations Member Formation) of the Cabora Bassa basin. The source rocks, with a liquid potential, are also immature to moderately mature and were deposited in swamp, paludal and lacustrine environments of limited extent.
Petroleum geology and resources of northeastern Mexico
Peterson, James A.
1985-01-01
Petroleum deposits (primarily gas) in northeastern Mexico occur in two main basins, the Tertiary Burgos basin and the Mesozoic Sabinas basin. About 90 gas fields are present in the Burgos basin, which has undergone active exploration for the past 30-40 years. Production in this basin is from Oligocene and Eocene nearshore marine and deltaic sandstone reservoirs. Most of the fields are small to medium in size on faulted anticlinal or domal structures, some of which may be related to deep-seated salt intrusion. Cumulative production from these fields is about 4 trillion cubic feet gas and 100 million barrels condensate and oil. Since 1975, about 10 gas fields, some with large production rates, have been discovered in Cretaceous carbonate and Jurassic sandstone reservoirs in the Sabinas basin and adjacent Burro-Picachos platform areas. The Sabinas basin, which is in the early stages of exploration and development, may have potential for very large gas reserves. The Sabinas basin is oriented northwesterly with a large number of elongate northwest- or west-trending asymmetric and overturned Laramide anticlines, most of which-are faulted. Some of the structures may be related to movement of Jurassic salt or gypsum. Lower Cretaceous and in some cases Jurassic rocks are exposed in the centers of the larger anticlines, and Upper Cretaceous rocks are exposed in much of the remainder of the basin. A thick section of Upper Cretaceous clastic rocks is partly exposed in tightly folded and thrust-faulted structures of the west-east oriented, deeply subsided Parras basin, which lies south of the Sabinas basin and north of the Sierra Madre Oriental fold and thrust belt south and west of Monterrey. The sedimentary cover of Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks in the Sabinas and Parras basins ranges from about 1,550 m (5,000 ft) to 9,000 m (30,000 ft) in thickness. Upper Jurassic rocks are composed of carbonate and dark organic shaly or sandy beds underlain by an unknown thickness of Late Jurassic and older redbed clastics and evaporites, including halite. Lower Cretaceous rocks are mainly platform carbonate and fine clastic beds with some evaporites (gypsum or anhydrite) deposited in two main rudist reef-bearing carbonate cycles. Upper Cretaceous rocks are mainly continental and marine clastic beds related to early development of the Laramide orogeny. This Upper Cretaceous sequence contains a marine shale and deltaic clastic complex as much as 6,000 m (20,000 ft) or more thick in the Parras basin, which grades northward and eastward to open marine, fine clastic beds. The Burgos basin, which is an extension of the Rio Grande embayment of the western Gulf of Mexico basin province, contains an eastward-thickening wedge of Tertiary continental and marine clastics. These beds are about 1,550 to 3,000 m (5,000-10,000 ft) thick in the outcrop belt on the west side of the basin and thicken to more than 16,000 m (50,000 ft) near the Gulf Coast.
Maps showing thermal maturity of Upper Cretaceous marine shales in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming
Finn, Thomas M.; Pawlewicz, Mark J.
2013-01-01
The Wind River Basin is a large Laramide (Late Cretaceous through Eocene) structural and sedimentary basin that encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming. The basin is bounded by the Washakie Range, Owl Creek, and southern Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east and northeast, the Granite Mountains on the south, and the Wind River Range on the west. Important conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources have been discovered and produced from reservoirs ranging in age from Mississippian through Tertiary. It has been suggested that various Upper Cretaceous marine shales are the principal hydrocarbon source rocks for many of these accumulations. Numerous source rock studies of various Upper Cretaceous marine shales throughout the Rocky Mountain region have led to the conclusion that these rocks have generated, or are capable of generating, oil and (or) gas. With recent advances and success in horizontal drilling and multistage fracture stimulation there has been an increase in exploration and completion of wells in these marine shales in other Rocky Mountain Laramide basins that were traditionally thought of only as hydrocarbon source rocks. Important parameters that control hydrocarbon production from shales include: reservoir thickness, amount and type of organic matter, and thermal maturity. The purpose of this report is to present maps and a structural cross section showing levels of thermal maturity, based on vitrinite reflectance (Ro), for Upper Cretaceous marine shales in the Wind River Basin.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Erwin, S. O.; Jacobson, R. B.; Fischenich, C. J.; Bulliner, E. A., IV; McDonald, R.; DeLonay, A. J.; Braaten, P.; Elliott, C. M.; Chojnacki, K.
2017-12-01
Management of the Missouri River—the longest river in the USA, with a drainage basin covering one sixth of the conterminous USA—is increasingly driven by the need to understand biophysical processes governing the dispersal of 8-mm long larval pallid sturgeon. In both the upper and lower basin, survival of larval sturgeon is thought to be a bottleneck limiting populations, but because of different physical processes at play, different modeling frameworks and resolutions are required to link management actions with population-level responses. In the upper basin, a series of impoundments reduce the length of river for the drifting larval sturgeon to complete their development. Downstream from the mainstem dams, recruitment is most likely diminished by channelization and reduced floodplain connectivity that limit the benthic habitat available for larval sturgeon to settle and initiate feeding. We present a synthesis of complementary field studies, laboratory observations, and numerical simulations that evaluate the physical processes related to larval dispersal of sturgeon in the Missouri River basin. In the upper basin, we use one-dimensional advection-dispersion models, calibrated with field experiments conducted in 2016-2017 using surrogate particles and tracers, to evaluate reservoir management alternatives. Results of field experimentation and numerical modeling show that proposed management alternatives in the upper basin may be limited by insufficient lengths of flowing river for drifting larvae to fully develop into their juvenile lifestage. In the intensively engineered lower basin, we employ higher resolution measurements and models to evaluate potential for channel reconfiguration and flow alteration to promote successful interception of drifting larvae into supportive benthic habitats for the initiation of feeding and transition to the juvenile life stage. We illustrate how refined understanding of small-scale biophysical process has been incorporated into the basin-scale management framework, thereby prompting a shift in restoration actions and design.
K. J. Carim; J. C. S. Dysthe; Michael Young; Kevin McKelvey; Michael Schwartz
2016-01-01
The upper Missouri River basin in the northwestern US contains disjunct Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) populations of conservation concern. To assist efforts aimed at understanding Artic grayling distribution, we developed a quantitative PCR assay to detect the presence of Arctic grayling DNA in environmental samples. The assay amplified low...
Modeling water-quality loads to the reservoirs of the Upper Trinity River Basin, Texas, USA
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Water quality modeling efforts have been conducted for 12 reservoirs in ten watersheds in Upper Trinity River Basin located in north Texas. The reservoirs are being used for water supply to the populated area around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro and the water quality of some of these reservoirs has b...
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Study Region- Upper Rio Grande, Colorado and New Mexico, USA: Climate change is predicted to further limit the water availability of the arid southwestern U.S. In this study, the Snowmelt Runoff Model is used to evaluate impacts of increased temperature and altered precipitation on snow covered are...
Maret, Terry R.
1997-01-01
limited designation for the middle reach of the Snake River between Milner Dam and King Hill and provide a framework for developing indices of biotic integrity by using fish assemblages to evaluate water quality of streams in the upper Snake River Basin.
Water Planning in the States of the Upper Basin of the Colorado River.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mann, Dean E.
1978-01-01
Discussion of issues involved in water planning of the upper basin of the Colorado River: attitudes toward water planning, agricultural leisure and environmental issues, pollution, and energy issues. Various sections are devoted to Indian interests and the interests of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Final section discusses the future of…
Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Calzia, James P.
2012-01-01
The Klamath Mountains Ecoregion covers approximately 47,791 km2 (18,452 mi2) of the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains of northern California and southern Oregon (fig. 1) (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997). The ecoregion is flanked by the Coast Range Ecoregion to the west, the Southern and Central California Chaparral and Oak Woodlands Ecoregion to the south, the Cascades and the Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills Ecoregions to the east, and the Willamette Valley Ecoregion to the north. The mild Mediterranean climate of the ecoregion is characterized by hot, dry summers and wet winters; the amount of winter moisture varies within the ecoregion, decreasing from west to east. The Klamath–Siskiyou Mountains region is widely recognized as an important biodiversity hotspot (Whittaker, 1960; Kruckeberg, 1984; Wagner, 1997; DellaSala and others, 1999), containing more than 3,500 plant species, more than 200 of which are endemic (Sawyer, 2007). A biological assessment by DellaSala and others (1999) ranked the Klamath–Siskiyou Mountains region as the fifth richest coniferous forest in terms of species diversity. In addition, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers the region an area of notable botanical importance (Wagner, 1997). Twenty-nine different species of conifers can be found in the Klamath Mountains Ecoregion (Sawyer, 1996).
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Potter, Christopher S.
2015-01-01
The Sierra Nevada of California is a region where large wildfires have been suppressed for over a century. A detailed geographic record of recent changes in vegetation cover across the Sierra Nevada remains a gap that can be filled with satellite remote sensing data. Results from Landsat image analysis over the past 25 years in the Upper Kings River basin showed that consistent, significant increases in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) have not extended above 2000 m elevation, where cold temperatures presumably limit the growing season. Moreover, mean increases in NDVI since 1986 at elevations below 2000 m (which cover about half of the total basin area) have not exceeded 9%, even in the most extreme precipitation yearly comparisons. NDVI has decreased significantly at elevations above 2000 m throughout the basin in relatively wet year comparisons since the mid-1980s. These findings conflict with any assumptions that ET fluxes and river flows downstream could have been markedly altered by vegetation change over most of the Upper Kings River basin in recent decades.
Petroleum geology of Carter sandstone (upper Mississippian), Black Warrior Basin, Alabama
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Bearden, B.L.; Mancini, E.A.
1985-03-01
The presence of combination petroleum traps makes the Black Warrior basin of northwestern Alabama an attractive area for continued hydrocarbon exploration. More than 1,500 wells have been drilled, and more than 90 separate petroleum pools have been discovered. The primary hydrocarbon reservoirs are Upper Mississippian sandstones. The Carter sandstone is the most productive petroleum reservoir in the basin. Productivity of the Carter sandstone is directly related to its environment of deposition. The Carter accumulated within a high constructive elongate to lobate delta, which prograded into the basin from the northwest to the southeast. Carter bar-finger and distal-bar lithofacies constitute themore » primary hydrocarbon reservoirs. Primary porosity in the Carter sandstone has been reduced by quartz overgrowths and calcite cementation. Petroleum traps in the Carter sandstone in central Fayette and Lamar Counties, Alabama, are primarily stratigraphic and combination (structural-stratigraphic) traps. The potential is excellent for future development of hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Upper Mississippian Carter sandstone. Frontier regions south and east of the known productive limits of the Black Warrior basin are ideal areas for continued exploration.« less
Empirical models of wind conditions on Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Buccola, Norman L.; Wood, Tamara M.
2010-01-01
Upper Klamath Lake is a large (230 square kilometers), shallow (mean depth 2.8 meters at full pool) lake in southern Oregon. Lake circulation patterns are driven largely by wind, and the resulting currents affect the water quality and ecology of the lake. To support hydrodynamic modeling of the lake and statistical investigations of the relation between wind and lake water-quality measurements, the U.S. Geological Survey has monitored wind conditions along the lakeshore and at floating raft sites in the middle of the lake since 2005. In order to make the existing wind archive more useful, this report summarizes the development of empirical wind models that serve two purposes: (1) to fill short (on the order of hours or days) wind data gaps at raft sites in the middle of the lake, and (2) to reconstruct, on a daily basis, over periods of months to years, historical wind conditions at U.S. Geological Survey sites prior to 2005. Empirical wind models based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Multivariate-Adaptive Regressive Splines (MARS) algorithms were compared. ANNs were better suited to simulating the 10-minute wind data that are the dependent variables of the gap-filling models, but the simpler MARS algorithm may be adequate to accurately simulate the daily wind data that are the dependent variables of the historical wind models. To further test the accuracy of the gap-filling models, the resulting simulated winds were used to force the hydrodynamic model of the lake, and the resulting simulated currents were compared to measurements from an acoustic Doppler current profiler. The error statistics indicated that the simulation of currents was degraded as compared to when the model was forced with observed winds, but probably is adequate for short gaps in the data of a few days or less. Transport seems to be less affected by the use of the simulated winds in place of observed winds. The simulated tracer concentration was similar between model results when simulated winds were used to force the model, and when observed winds were used to force the model, and differences between the two results did not accumulate over time.
Catchings, R.D.
1999-01-01
Models of P- and S-wave velocity, Vp/Vs ratios, Poisson's ratios, and density for the crust and upper mantle are presented along a 400-km-long profile trending from Memphis, Tennessee, to St. Louis, Missouri. The profile crosses the New Madrid seismic zone and reveals distinct regional variations in the crustal velocity structure north and south of the latitude of New Madrid. In the south near Memphis, the upper few kilometers of the crust are dominated by upper crustal sedimentary basins or graben with P-wave velocities less than 5 km/sec and S-wave velocities of about 2 km/sec. P-wave velocities of the upper and middle crust range from 6.0 to 6.5 km/sec at depths above 25 km, and corresponding S-wave velocities range from 3.5 to 3.7 km/sec. The lower crust consists of a high-velocity layer (Vp = 7.4 km/sec; Vs ~4.2 km/sec) that is up to 20-km thick at the latitude of New Madrid but thins to about 15 km near Memphis. To the north, beneath the western-most Illinois basin, low-velocity (Vp < 5 km/sec; Vs < 2.3 km/sec) sedimentary basins are less than 1-km deep. The average velocities (Vp = 6.0 km/sec; Vs = 3.5 km/sec) of the underlying, near-surface rocks argue against large thickness of unconsolidated noncarbonate sediments within 50 km of the western edge of the Illinois basin. Most of the crust beneath the Illinois basin is modeled as one layer, with velocities up to 6.8 km/sec (Vs = 3.7 km/sec) at 37-km depth. The thick, high-velocity (Vp = 7.4 km/sec; Vs ~4.2 km/sec) lower crustal layer thins from about 20 km near New Madrid to about 6 km beneath the western Illinois basin. Refractions from the Moho and upper mantle occur as first arrivals over distances as a great as 160 km and reveal upper mantle layering to 60 km depth. Upper mantle layers with P-wave velocities of 8.2 km/sec (Vs = 4.5 km/sec) and 8.4 km/sec (Vs = 4.7 km/sec) are modeled at 43 and 60 km depth, respectively. Crustal Vp/Vs ratios range between 1.74 and 1.83, and upper mantle Vp/V s ratios range from 1.78 to 1.84. Poisson's ratios range from about 0.26 to 0.33 in the crust and from about 0.27 to 0.29 in the upper mantle. Modeled average densities range from about 2.55 in the sedimentary basins to 3.43 in the upper mantle. Geophysical characteristics of the crust and upper mantle within the New Madrid seismic zone are consistent with other continental rifts, but the crustal structure of the Illinois basin is not characteristics of most continental rift settings. Seismic and gravity data suggest a buried horst near the middle of Reelfoot rift, beneath which is a vertical zone of seismicity and velocity anomalies. The relative depth of the Reelfoot rift north and south of the Reelfoot graben suggests that the rift and its bounding faults may extend eastward beneath the city of Memphis.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Dillard, J. P.; Orwig, C. F. (Principal Investigator)
1980-01-01
The author has identified the following significant results. Satellite-derived snow cover data improves forecasts of stream flow but not at a statistically significant amount and should not be used exclusively because of persistent cloud cover. Based upon reconstruction runs, satellite data can be used to augment snow-flight data in the Upper Snake, Boise, Dworshak, and Hungry Horse basins. Satellite data does not compare well with aerial snow-flight data in the Libby basin.
Carlson, Carl S.; Desimone, Leslie A.; Weiskel, Peter K.
2008-01-01
Continued population growth and land development for commercial, industrial, and residential uses have created concerns regarding the future supply of potable water and the quantity of ground water discharging to streams in the area of Interstate 495 in eastern Massachusetts. Two ground-water models developed in 2002-2004 for the Assabet and Upper Charles River Basins were used to simulate water supply and land-use scenarios relevant for the entire Interstate-495 corridor. Future population growth, water demands, and commercial and residential growth were projected for year 2030 by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. To assess the effects of future development on subbasin streamflows, seven scenarios were simulated by using existing computer-based ground-water-flow models with the data projected for year 2030. The scenarios incorporate three categories of projected 2030 water- and land-use data: (1) 2030 water use, (2) 2030 land use, and (3) a combination of 2030 water use and 2030 land use. Hydrologic, land-use, and water-use data from 1997 through 2001 for the Assabet River Basin study and 1989 through 1998 for the Upper Charles River Basin study were used to represent current conditions - referred to as 'basecase' conditions - in each basin to which each 2030 scenario was compared. The effects of projected 2030 land- and water-use change on streamflows in the Assabet River Basin depended upon the time of year, the hydrologic position of the subbasin in the larger basin, and the relative areas of new commercial and residential development projected for a subbasin. Effects of water use and land use on streamflow were evaluated by comparing average monthly nonstorm streamflow (base flow) for March and September simulated by using the models. The greatest decreases in streamflow (up to 76 percent in one subbasin), compared to the basecase, occurred in September, when streamflows are naturally at their lowest level. By contrast, simulated March streamflows decreased less than 6.5 percent from basecase streamflows in all subbasins for all scenarios. The simulations showed similar effects in the Upper Charles River Basin, but increased water use contributed to decreased simulated streamflow in most subbasins. Simulated changes in March streamflows for 2030 in the Upper Charles River Basin were within +- 6 percent of the basecase for all scenarios and subbasins. Percentage decreases in simulated September streamflows for 2030 were greater than in March but less than the September decreases that resulted for some subbasins in the Assabet River Basin. Only two subbasins of the Upper Charles River Basin had projected decreases greater than 5 percent. In the Mill River subbasin, the decrease was 11 percent, and in the Mine Brook subbasin, 6.6 percent. Changes in water use and wastewater return flow generally were found to have the greatest effect in the summer months when streamflow and aquifer recharge rates are low and water use is high. September increases in main-stem streamflow of both basins were due mainly to increased discharge of treated effluent from wastewater-treatment facilities on the main-stem rivers. In the Assabet River Basin, wastewater-treatment-facility discharge became a smaller proportion of total streamflow with distance downstream. In contrast, wastewater-treatment facility discharge in the Upper Charles River Basin became a greater proportion of streamflow with distance downstream. The effects of sewer-line extension and low-impact development on streamflows in two different subbasins of the Assabet River Basin also were simulated. The result of extending sewer lines with a corresponding decrease in septic-system return flow caused September streamflows to decrease as much as 15 percent in the Fort Pond Brook subbasin. The effect of low-impact development was simulated in the Hop Brook subbasin in areas projected for commercial development. In this simulation, the greater the area where low-i
Geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphy of the offshore Pelotas Basin, southeast Brazil
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Abreu, V.S.
1996-01-01
The Brazilian marginal basins have been studied since the beginning of the 70s. At least nine large basins are distributed along the entire Eastern continental margin. The sedimentary infill of these basins consists of lower Cretaceous (continental/lacustrine) rift section underlying marine upper Cretaceous (carbonate platforms) and marine upper Cretaceous/Tertiary sections, corresponding to the drift phase. The sedimentary deposits are a direct result of the Jurassic to lower Cretaceous break-up of the Pangea. This study will focus on the geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Pelotas basin (offshore), located in the Southeast portion of the Brazilian continental margin betweenmore » 28[degrees] and 34[degrees] S, covering approximately 50,000 Km[sup 2]. During the early Cretaceous, when the break-up of the continent began in the south, thick basaltic layers were deposited in the Pelotas basin. These basalts form a thick and broad wedge of dipping seaward reflections interpreted as a transitional crust. During Albian to Turonian times, due to thermal subsidence, an extensive clastic/carbonate platform was developed, in an early drift stage. The sedimentation from the upper Cretaceous to Tertiary was characterized by a predominance of siliciclastics in the southeast margin, marking an accentuate deepening of the basin, showing several cycles related to eustatic fluctuations. Studies have addressed the problems of hydrocarbon exploration in deep water setting within a sequence stratigraphic framework. Thus Pelotas basin can provide a useful analogue for exploration efforts worldwide in offshore passive margins.« less
Geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphy of the offshore Pelotas Basin, southeast Brazil
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Abreu, V.S.
1996-12-31
The Brazilian marginal basins have been studied since the beginning of the 70s. At least nine large basins are distributed along the entire Eastern continental margin. The sedimentary infill of these basins consists of lower Cretaceous (continental/lacustrine) rift section underlying marine upper Cretaceous (carbonate platforms) and marine upper Cretaceous/Tertiary sections, corresponding to the drift phase. The sedimentary deposits are a direct result of the Jurassic to lower Cretaceous break-up of the Pangea. This study will focus on the geologic evolution and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Pelotas basin (offshore), located in the Southeast portion of the Brazilian continental margin betweenmore » 28{degrees} and 34{degrees} S, covering approximately 50,000 Km{sup 2}. During the early Cretaceous, when the break-up of the continent began in the south, thick basaltic layers were deposited in the Pelotas basin. These basalts form a thick and broad wedge of dipping seaward reflections interpreted as a transitional crust. During Albian to Turonian times, due to thermal subsidence, an extensive clastic/carbonate platform was developed, in an early drift stage. The sedimentation from the upper Cretaceous to Tertiary was characterized by a predominance of siliciclastics in the southeast margin, marking an accentuate deepening of the basin, showing several cycles related to eustatic fluctuations. Studies have addressed the problems of hydrocarbon exploration in deep water setting within a sequence stratigraphic framework. Thus Pelotas basin can provide a useful analogue for exploration efforts worldwide in offshore passive margins.« less
An IODP proposal to drill the Godzilla Megamullion as a step to Mohole
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ohara, Y.; Michibayashi, K.; Dick, H. J. B.; Snow, J. E.; Ono, S.
2017-12-01
The year 2017 represents the 60th anniversary of the "original" project Mohole, which was coined by Walter Munk in 1957. Although the project Mohole has not yet been realized, the hard-rock community is now striving hard to understand the upper mantle in a variety of ways. Firstly, the present-day project Mohole, M2M (Moho-to-Mantle) project, will move forward in this September, conducting multi-channel seismic profiling off Hawaii as a site survey. Oman Drilling Project has started last December, and the drilled cores are being described aboard D/V Chikyu from July, this year. Furthermore, the forearc M2M proposal to drill the Bonin Trench forearc mantle was submitted to IODP in April 2016. Being a part of these efforts, we are preparing an IODP proposal to drill the Godzilla Megamullion, the largest known oceanic core complex on the Earth, located in the Parece Vela Basin in the Philippine Sea. A significant fraction of the ocean floor is created in backarc basins, while there have been no single long core of backarc basin lower ocean crust, from which to understand the likely differences in magmatic evolution and crustal structure in this key setting. The opportunity to explore the formation of the backarc basin lower crust and upper mantle is, therefore, an important contribution to understanding the ocean basins. At the same time, a better understanding of the architecture of backarc basin lower crust and upper mantle will greatly aid in the interpretation of the results of ophiolite study, since much of our understanding of the architecture of oceanic lower crust and upper mantle comes from ophiolites, most of which are thought to have at least some arc and/or backarc component. The Godzilla Megamullion is unique in its huge size as well as its development in a backarc basin, a rare tectonic window to study backarc basin lithosphere. The Godzilla Megamullion is prepared for full drilling proposal, with complete bathymetric data, multiple bottom samplings, and multi-channel seismic profilings as well as P-wave velocity structures. We will propose substantial riserless drilling at Godzilla Megamullion that will provide an excellent opportunity to understand backarc basin lower crust and upper mantle. In this contribution, we will make use of this opportunity to share the general scheme of the proposal with the community.
Climate controls on streamflow variability in the Missouri River Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wise, E.; Woodhouse, C. A.; McCabe, G. J., Jr.; Pederson, G. T.; St-Jacques, J. M.
2017-12-01
The Missouri River's hydroclimatic variability presents a challenge for water managers, who must balance many competing demands on the system. Water resources in the Missouri River Basin (MRB) have increasingly been challenged by the droughts and floods that have occurred over the past several decades and the potential future exacerbation of these extremes by climate change. Here, we use observed and modeled hydroclimatic data and estimated natural flow records to describe the climatic controls on streamflow in the upper and lower portions of the MRB, examine atmospheric and oceanic patterns associated with high- and low-flow years, and investigate trends in climate and streamflow over the instrumental period. Results indicate that the two main source regions for total outflow, in the uppermost and lowermost parts of the basin, are under the influence of very different sets of climatic controls. Winter precipitation, impacted by changes in zonal versus meridional flow from the Pacific Ocean, as well as spring precipitation and temperature, play a key role in surface water supply variability in the upper basin. Lower basin flow is significantly correlated with precipitation in late spring and early summer, indicative of Atlantic-influenced circulation variability affecting the flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The upper basin, with decreasing snowpack and streamflow and warming spring temperatures, will be less likely to provide important flow supplements to the lower basin in the future.
Potter, Christopher J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Pitman, Janet K.; Klett, Timothy R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Finn, Thomas M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Marra, Kristen R.; Woodall, Cheryl A.
2018-05-03
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 3.3 billion barrels of oil and 887 billion cubic feet of gas in shale reservoirs of the Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou and Nenjiang Formations in the Songliao Basin of northeastern China.
Sediment Production From Small Undisturbed Forested Basins In The Upper Coastal Plain
Daniel A. Marion; Greg Malstaff; Howard G. Halverson
1996-01-01
Forest lands in the Upper Coastal Plain (UCP) of the American South are widely recognized as producing water with relatrvely low amounts of sediment. Previous research has established that sediment concentrations from forest basins lacking well-defined channel networks averages 5.3 to 6.2 kg of sediment per hectare per centimeter of runoff (kg/ha-cm) in this...
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schmid, Andrea N.; Thompson, Jan R.; Bengston, David N.
2007-01-01
Effective educational and management programs to improve water quality will require an improved understanding of public perceptions of the relationship between land use and water quality. We analyzed a large database of newspaper articles in the Upper Mississippi River Basin to assess the public discourse about water quality and land use, and…
Gatschet, Albert Samuel; Powell, John Wesley
1890-01-01
The present Dictionary, divided in two parts, contains the lexical portion of an Oregonian language never before reduced to writing. In view of the numerous obstacles and difficulties encountered in the preparation of such a work, a few hints upon its origin and tendencies will be of service in directing the studies of those who wish to acquire a more intimate knowledge of this energetic and well developed western language.
Monitoring Supraglacial Streams over Three Months in Southwest Greenland
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Muthyala, R.; Rennermalm, A.; Leidman, S. Z.; Cooper, M. G.; Cooley, S. W.; Smith, L. C.; van As, D.
2017-12-01
Supraglacial river networks are the most efficient conduits for evacuation of meltwater runoff produced on Greenland ice sheet. These rivers are prominent features on the ablation zone of southwest Greenland. However, little is known about the transport of meltwater through supraglacial stream network and most of the in-situ observations only capture a few days of streamflow. Here we report three months of observations of water level and discharge collected during summer of 2016, in two small supraglacial streams near the ice sheet margin in southwest Greenland. We also compare streamflow observations with meteorological data from a nearby automatic weather station. The two sites are very different, with the lower basin relatively steep, smooth and dark while the upper basin has rugged terrain and deeply incised stream channels. These catchment characteristics propagate to different relationships with meteorological parameters. For example, upper basin stream water levels show a strong covariance with surface temperature while the lower basin water levels do not. We also find differences in temporal variation of supraglacial stream water level, with the upper basin having two distinct peaks, in mid-June and mid-July, while the lower basin shows gradual decrease from June to August. Long-term supraglacial stream observations such as these will ultimately help assess how well surface mass balance models can simulate ice sheet runoff.
Garcia, Ana Maria.; Alexander, Richard B.; Arnold, Jeffrey G.; Norfleet, Lee; White, Michael J.; Robertson, Dale M.; Schwarz, Gregory E.
2016-01-01
Despite progress in the implementation of conservation practices, related improvements in water quality have been challenging to measure in larger river systems. In this paper we quantify these downstream effects by applying the empirical U.S. Geological Survey water-quality model SPARROW to investigate whether spatial differences in conservation intensity were statistically correlated with variations in nutrient loads. In contrast to other forms of water quality data analysis, the application of SPARROW controls for confounding factors such as hydrologic variability, multiple sources and environmental processes. A measure of conservation intensity was derived from the USDA-CEAP regional assessment of the Upper Mississippi River and used as an explanatory variable in a model of the Upper Midwest. The spatial pattern of conservation intensity was negatively correlated (p = 0.003) with the total nitrogen loads in streams in the basin. Total phosphorus loads were weakly negatively correlated with conservation (p = 0.25). Regional nitrogen reductions were estimated to range from 5 to 34% and phosphorus reductions from 1 to 10% in major river basins of the Upper Mississippi region. The statistical associations between conservation and nutrient loads are consistent with hydrological and biogeochemical processes such as denitrification. The results provide empirical evidence at the regional scale that conservation practices have had a larger statistically detectable effect on nitrogen than on phosphorus loadings in streams and rivers of the Upper Mississippi Basin.
García, Ana María; Alexander, Richard B; Arnold, Jeffrey G; Norfleet, Lee; White, Michael J; Robertson, Dale M; Schwarz, Gregory
2016-07-05
Despite progress in the implementation of conservation practices, related improvements in water quality have been challenging to measure in larger river systems. In this paper we quantify these downstream effects by applying the empirical U.S. Geological Survey water-quality model SPARROW to investigate whether spatial differences in conservation intensity were statistically correlated with variations in nutrient loads. In contrast to other forms of water quality data analysis, the application of SPARROW controls for confounding factors such as hydrologic variability, multiple sources and environmental processes. A measure of conservation intensity was derived from the USDA-CEAP regional assessment of the Upper Mississippi River and used as an explanatory variable in a model of the Upper Midwest. The spatial pattern of conservation intensity was negatively correlated (p = 0.003) with the total nitrogen loads in streams in the basin. Total phosphorus loads were weakly negatively correlated with conservation (p = 0.25). Regional nitrogen reductions were estimated to range from 5 to 34% and phosphorus reductions from 1 to 10% in major river basins of the Upper Mississippi region. The statistical associations between conservation and nutrient loads are consistent with hydrological and biogeochemical processes such as denitrification. The results provide empirical evidence at the regional scale that conservation practices have had a larger statistically detectable effect on nitrogen than on phosphorus loadings in streams and rivers of the Upper Mississippi Basin.
Righi, Valeria; Parenti, Francesca; Schenetti, Luisa; Mucci, Adele
2016-09-07
This study describes for the first time the use of high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) on Klamath (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, AFA) blue-green algae directly on powder suspension. These algae are considered to be a "superfood", due to their complete nutritional profile that has proved to have important therapeutic effects. The main advantage of NMR spectroscopy is that it permits the detection of a number of metabolites all at once. The Klamath alga metabolome was revealed to be quite complex, and the most peculiar phytochemicals that can be detected directly on algae by NMR are mycosporine-like amino acids (porphyra-334, P334; shinorine, Shi) and low molecular weight glycosides (glyceryl β-d-galactopyranoside, GalpG; glyceryl 6-amino-6-deoxy-α-d-glucopyranoside, ADG), all compounds with a high nutraceutical value. The presence of cis-3,4-DhLys was revealed for the first time. This molecule could be involved in the anticancer properties ascribed to AFA.
Summary of survival data from juvenile coho salmon in the Klamath River, northern California, 2009
Beeman, John W.; Juhnke, Steven D.
2009-01-01
A study of the effects of the discharge from Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath River on juvenile coho salmon during their seaward migration began in 2005. Estimates of fish survival through various reaches of the river downstream of the dam were completed in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. This report describes the estimates of survival during 2009, and is a complement to similar reports for 2006, 2007, and 2008. For each year, a series of numerical models were evaluated to determine apparent survival and recapture probabilities of radio-tagged fish in several river reaches between Iron Gate Hatchery at river kilometer 309 and a site at river kilometer 33. The evaluations indicate that the primary differences among years are in the survivals through reaches upstream of the confluence of the Scott River with the Klamath River. Data from 2009, one of two years when fish from both hatchery and wild origins were available for analysis, indicate that survival of wild and hatchery fish are similar.
Kalkhoff, Stephen J.
2013-01-01
Heavy snow and early spring rainfall generated substantial amounts of runoff and flooding in the upper part of the Missouri River Basin in 2011. Spring runoff in the upper and middle parts of the basin exceeded the storage capacity of the Missouri River reservoirs and unprecedented amounts of water were released into the lower parts of the basin resulting in record floods from June through September on the Missouri River in Iowa and Nebraska and extending into Kansas and Missouri. Runoff from the Missouri River Basin in April through September 2011 was 8,440,000 hectare meters (68,400,000 acre feet) and was only exceeded during flooding in 1993 when runoff was 11,200,000 hectare meters (90,700,000 acre feet). Nitrate and total phosphorus concentrations in the Missouri River and selected tributaries in April through September, 2011 generally were within the expected range of concentrations measured during the last 30 years. Substantial discharge from the upper and middle parts of the Missouri River Basin resulted in nitrate concentrations decreasing in the lower Missouri River beginning in June. Concentrations of nitrate in water entering the Mississippi River from the Missouri River were less in 2011 than in 1993, but total phosphorus concentrations entering the Mississippi River were substantially greater in 2011 than in 1993. The Missouri River transported an estimated 79,600 megagrams of nitrate and 38,000 megagrams of total phosphorus to the Mississippi River from April through September 2011. The nitrate flux in 2011 was less than 20 percent of the combined total from the Upper Mississippi and Missouri River Basins. In contrast, the total phosphorus flux of 38,000 megagrams from the Missouri River constituted about 39 percent of the combined total from the Upper Mississippi and Missouri River Basins during April through September 2011. Substantially more nitrate but less total phosphorus was transported from the Missouri River Basin during the historic 1993 than during the 2011 flood. Greater runoff from the lower part of the basin contributed to the greater nitrate transport in 1993. In addition to the differing amounts of runoff and the source of flood waters, changes in land use, and management practices are additional factors that may have contributed to the difference in nitrate and total phosphorus flux between the 1993 and 2011 floods.
Depth to bedrock in the upper San Pedro Valley, Cochise County, southeastern Arizona
Gettings, M.E.; Houser, Brenda B.
2000-01-01
The thickness, distribution, and character of alluvial sediments that were deposited in the structural subbasins of the upper San Pedro basin in southeastern Arizona during the late Cenozoic provide important constraints on ground-water availability of the area. Two sedimentary units are recognized; the Oligocene and Miocene Pantano(?) Formation and an unnamed upper Miocene through lower Pleistocene unit termed basin fill. The complete Bouguer gravity anomaly map shows that there are three major structural subbasins in the upper San Pedro basin north of the international border with Mexico. The Tombstone subbasin is north of Tombstone, and two more are located north and south of Sierra Vista, respectively. This report concentrates on the two subbasins north and south of Sierra Vista. The northern subbasin (termed the Huachuca City subbasin) extends from east of Huachuca City to northeast of Whetstone, and the southern subbasin (termed the Palominas subbasin) extends southward from a line between Nicksville and Hereford to the border. The locations and shapes of these subbasins, thickness of basin fill, and depth to bedrock were estimated using a procedure involving interpolation of (1) the density functions derived in this study, (2) stratigraphic data from water wells, and (3) a residual gravity anomaly grid obtained by subtracting the gravity effects of the bedrock ranges bordering the basin from the complete Bouguer gravity anomaly. This procedure indicates that the subbasins are shallow and contain significant thicknesses of the Pantano(?) Formation in addition to the overlying younger basin fill. The maximum depth to bedrock is about 1,700 m in the Palominas subbasin and 800m in the Huachuca City subbasin; the basin-fill unit occupies the upper 250-350 m in general with local thickenings exceeding 1,000 m in the Palominas subbasin. An east-west trending buried bedrock high beneath Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista, and Charleston separates the subbasins. The depth to bedrock over this high is 200-500 m and the basin-fill unit ranges from 100 to 200 m thick there. A number of previously unrecognized faults were identified and the lengths of some of the known faults were extended based on reconnaissance geologic mapping, study of driller's logs, interpretation of aerial photographs and thematic mapper satellite images, and inspection of contoured gravity and aeromagnetic anomaly data. Many faults that segment the main San Pedro basin and shape the boundaries of the subbasins are apparently pre-existing faults that have been reactivated by Basin and Range extension.
Bert R. Mead; Theodore S. Setzer; Gary L. Carroll
1985-01-01
A multiresource inventory of the Upper Susitna block, Susitna River basin inventory unit, was conducted in 1980. Statistics on forest area, timber volumes, and annual growth from this inventory are presented. Timberland area is estimated at 112,130 acres, and net growing stock volume, mostly hardwood, is 84.6 million cubic feet. Net annual growth of growing stock is...
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
This study aimed to statistically and hydrologically assess the performance of four latest and widely used satellite–gauge combined precipitation estimates (SGPEs), namely CRT, BLD, 3B42CDR, and 3B42 for the extreme precipitation and stream'ow scenarios over the upper Yellow river basin (UYRB) in ch...
Fraticelli, Luis A.; Albers, John P.; Irwin, William P.; Blake, Milton C. Jr.; Wentworth, Carl M.
2012-01-01
The Redding 1° x 2 quadrangle in northwestern California transects the Franciscan Complex and southern Klamath Mountains province as well as parts of the Great Valley Complex, northern Great Valley, and southernmost Cascades volcanic province. The tectonostratigraphic terranes of the Klamath province represent slices of oceanic crust, island arcs, and overlying sediment that range largely from Paleozoic to Jurassic in age. The Eastern Klamath terrane forms the nucleus to which the other terranes were added westward, primarily during Jurassic time, and that package was probably accreted to North America during earliest Cretaceous time. The younger Franciscan Complex consists of a sequence of westward younging tectonostratigraphic terranes of late Jurassic to Miocene age that were accreted to North America from mid-Cretaceous through Miocene time, with the easternmost being the most strongly metamorphosed. The marine Great Valley sequence, of late Jurassic and Cretaceous age, was deposited unconformably across the southernmost Klamath rocks, but in turn was underthrust at its western margin by Eastern belt Franciscan rocks. Pliocene and Quaternary volcanic rocks and sediment of the Cascades province extend into the southeastern part of the quadrangle, abutting the northernmost part of the great central valley of California. This map and database represent a digital rendition of Open-File Report 87-257, 1987, by L.A. Fraticelli, J.P. Albers, W.P. Irwin, and M.C. Blake, Jr., with various improvements and additions.
Steffeck, D.W.; Striegl, Robert G.
1989-01-01
Results of studies of the aquatic biology of the upper Illinois River basin provide a historical data source from which inferences can be made about changes in the quality of water in the main stem river and its tributaries. The results of biological investigations that have been conducted throughout the basin since 1900 are summarized and their relevance to stream-water-quality assessment is described, particularly their relevance to the upper Illinois River basin pilot project for the National Water Quality Assessment program. Four general categories of biological investigations were identified: Populations and community structure, chemical concentrations in tissue, organism health, and toxicity measurements. Biological investigations were identified by their location in the basin and by their relevance to each general investigation category. The most abundant literature was in the populations and community structure category. Tissue data were limited to polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, dioxin, and several metals. The most cited measure of organism health was a condition factor for fish that associates body length with weight or body depth. Toxicity measurements included bioassays and the Ames Tests. The bioassays included several testing methods and test organism. (USGS)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hassine, Mouna; Abbes, Chedly; Azaiez, Hajer; Gabtni, Hakim; Bouzid, Wajih
2016-04-01
The graben system of El Hamma, west of Gabes in Tunisia, corresponds to a pull apart basin developed in an extensive relay zone between two principal shear corridors (PSC) with a dextral sliding of N110-120 average direction. These PSC corresponds to two segments of the south-Atlasic shear corridor of NW-SE direction, which extends from Chott El Hodna in Algeria, to the NW, to the Libyan Djeferra to the SE (M.Hassine and al., 2015; M.Hassine and al., work in progress). This work aims to define the basin structuring during the Jurassic, especially from the Upper Lias during the Liassic rifting. For this, we performed seismic, gravity and well data analysis. Several wells situated in this basin and on its edges, which totally or partly crossed the Jurassic series which were described by several authors (J. Bonnefous, 1972 ; M. Soussi, 2002, 2004). These series corresponds to the Nara formation (PF Burollet, 1956) elevated to a group rank by M. Soussi (2003). It consists of two carbonate units separated by a marl-carbonate and sandstone member, dated successively of lower Lias (Hettangian- lower Pliensbachian.), Toarcian to Callovian and Upper Callovian-Tithonian. The correlation of this Jurassic formations along a North-South transect shows, from the South to the North, a significant variation in facies and thickness of the Jurassic series especially from the Upper Lias. Two resistant moles appears to the Northern and Southern edges of the pull-apart basin of El Hamma. The trend reversal of the lateral evolution of this series take place on the border NW-SE faults of the basin (PSC). The analysis of several seismic lines calibrated to well data, reveals a differentiated structuring inside the pull-apart basin itself, associated on the one hand, to the play of the N160 and N130-140 direction fault network which structure the basin in horsts and grabens of second order ( M. Hassine and al., 2015); and on the other hand, to the rise of the upper Triassic evaporates either by intrusions along major faults or as domes. They are especially observed on the northern margin of the basin where they delimit subsiding mini-basins bordered by high zones. The Middle Jurassic seismic horizons are then billeted in these mini-basins where they show an aggradational and retrogradational onlaps between the gutters zones and the salt rise zones. The Upper carbonate term of the series, attributed to the Upper Callovian- Tithonian sealed in unconformity the entire system. This early salt migration, that seems to be associated to the Liassic extension, was already mentioned in the Central Atlas (Bedir M. and al., 2000; D. Tanfous and al., 2005) and along the north-south chain (C . Gourmelen, 1984; C. Abbes, 2004). The residual gravity anomaly map shows a complex gravity field. Negative anomalies of -7.2 to -3.2 mlGal coincide with the graben structures; while positive anomalies reaching 2.2 mlGal overlap with horst structures. Moreover, Euler solutions reveal only the deep faults sealed by the upper member Callovo- Tithonian of the series, preferentially oriented in a direction close to East-West.
VanLandeghem, Matthew M.; Farooqi, Mukhtar; Farquhar, B.; Patino, Reynaldo
2013-01-01
Several reservoirs in the upper Colorado River and Brazos River basins in Texas have experienced toxic blooms of golden alga Prymnesium parvum and associated fish kills since 2001. There is a paucity of information, however, regarding the population-level effects of such kills in large reservoirs, species-specific resistance to or recovery from kills, or potential differences in the patterns of impacts among basins. We used multiple before-after, control-impact analysis to determine whether repeated golden alga blooms have led to declines in the relative abundance and size structure of fish populations. Sustained declines were noted for 9 of 12 fish species surveyed in the upper Colorado River, whereas only one of eight species was impacted by golden alga in the Brazos River. In the upper Colorado River, White Bass Morone chrysops, White Crappie Pomoxis annularis, Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, River Carpsucker Carpiodes carpio, Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens, Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus, Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris, and Blue Catfish I. furcatus exhibited sustained declines in relative abundance, size structure, or both; Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum, Longnose Gar Lepisosteus osseus, and Common Carp Cyprinus carpio did not exhibit those declines. In the Brazos River, only the relative abundance of Blue Catfish was impacted. Overall, toxic golden alga blooms can negatively impact fish populations over the long-term, but the patterns of impact can vary considerably among river basins and species. In the Brazos River, populations of most fish species appear to be healthy, suggesting a positive angling outlook for this basin. In the upper Colorado River, fish populations have been severely impacted, and angling opportunities have been reduced. Basin-specific management plans aimed at improving water quality and quantity will likely reduce bloom intensity and allow recovery of fish populations to the abundances and size structures present before golden alga. Received August 26, 2011; accepted November 25, 2012
Petroleum systems of the Southeast Tertiary basins and Marbella area, Southeast Mexico
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Fuentes, F.
1996-08-01
This study was done in an area where insufficient organic-rich rocks were available for a reliable oil-source rock correlation. However, oil-rock correlations, molecular characteristics of key horizons, paleofacies maps, maturation and potential migration pathways suggest the Tithonian as a major source rock. Moreover, there is good evidence of high quality source rocks in Oxfordian, Kimmeridgian, Middle-Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene (mainly in the Eocene). Plays were identified in Upper Jurassic oolitic sequences, Early-Middle Cretaceus carbonate platform rocks and breccias, Late Cretaceous basinal fracture carbonates, Paleogene carbonates and breccias, Early-Middle Miocene mounds and submarine fans and isolated carbonate platform sediments and Miocene-Recentmore » turbidites. Seal rocks are shaly carbonates and anhydrites from Tithonian, basinal carbonates and anhydrites from Middle-Upper Cretaceous, basinal carbonates and marls from Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene shales, and bathyal shales from Early Miocene-Recent. The first phase of oil migration from upper Jurassic-Early Cretaceous source rocks occurred in the Early-Middle Cretaceous. In the Upper Cretaceous the Chortis block collided with Chiapas, and as a result mild folding and some hydrocarbons were emplaced to the structural highs. The main phase of structuration and folding of the Sierra de Chiapas started in the Miocene, resulting in well-defined structural traps. Finally, in Plio-Pleistocene the Chortis block was separated, the major compressional period finished and the southern portion of Sierra de Chiapas was raised isostatically. As a result of major subsidence, salt withdrawal and increased burial depth, conditions were created for the generation of liquid hydrocarbons from the Paleogene shales.« less
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Shun; Guilmette, Carl; Ding, Lin; Xu, Qiang; Fu, Jia-Jun; Yue, Ya-Hui
2017-10-01
The Bangong-Nujiang suture zone, separating the Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks of the Tibetan Plateau, is marked by remnants of the Bangong-Nujiang oceanic basin. In the Gaize area of central Tibet, Mesozoic sedimentary strata recording the evolution of the basin and subsequent collision between these two blocks include the Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic turbidites of the Mugagangri Group, the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous sandstone-dominated Wuga and Shamuluo formations, and the Upper Cretaceous molasse deposits of the Jingzhushan Formation. The Shamuluo and Jingzhushan formations rest unconformably on the underlying Mugagangri Group and Wuga Formation, respectively. In this contribution, we analyze petrographic components of sandstones and U-Pb-Hf isotopic compositions of detrital zircons from the Wuga and Jingzhushan formations for the first time. Based on the youngest detrital zircon ages, the maximum depositional ages of the Wuga and Jingzhushan formations are suggested to be ∼147-150 Ma and ∼79-91 Ma, respectively. Petrographic and isotopic results indicate that sediments in the Wuga Formation were mainly sourced from the accretionary complex (preserved as the Mugagangri Group) in the north, while sediments in the Jingzhushan Formation have mixed sources from the Lhasa block, the Qiangtang block and the intervening suture zone. Provenance analysis, together with regional data, suggests that the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Wuga and Shamuluo formations were deposited in a peripheral foreland basin and a residual-sea basin, respectively, in response to the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision, whereas the Upper Cretaceous Jingzhushan Formation reflects continental molasse deposition during the post-collisional stage. The development of the peripheral foreland basin evidenced by deposition of the Wuga Formation reveals that the age of the initial Lhasa-Qiangtang collision might be the latest Jurassic (∼150 Ma).
The Itajaí foreland basin: a tectono-sedimentary record of the Ediacaran period, Southern Brazil
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Basei, M. A. S.; Drukas, C. O.; Nutman, A. P.; Wemmer, K.; Dunyi, L.; Santos, P. R.; Passarelli, C. R.; Campos Neto, M. C.; Siga, O.; Osako, L.
2011-04-01
The Itajaí Basin located in the southern border of the Luís Alves Microplate is considered as a peripheral foreland basin related to the Dom Feliciano Belt. It presents an excellent record of the Ediacaran period, and its upper parts display the best Brazilian example of Precambrian turbiditic deposits. The basal succession of Itajaí Group is represented by sandstones and conglomerates (Baú Formation) deposited in alluvial and deltaic-fan systems. The marine upper sequences correspond to the Ribeirão Carvalho (channelized and non-channelized proximal silty-argillaceous rhythmic turbidites), Ribeirão Neisse (arkosic sandstones and siltites), and Ribeirão do Bode (distal silty turbidites) formations. The Apiúna Formation felsic volcanic rocks crosscut the sedimentary succession. The Cambrian Subida leucosyenogranite represents the last felsic magmatic activity to affect the Itajaí Basin. The Brusque Group and the Florianópolis Batholith are proposed as source areas for the sediments of the upper sequence. For the lower continental units the source areas are the Santa Catarina, São Miguel and Camboriú complexes. The lack of any oceanic crust in the Itajaí Basin suggests that the marine units were deposited in a restricted, internal sea. The sedimentation started around 600 Ma and ended before 560 Ma as indicated by the emplacement of rhyolitic domes. The Itajaí Basin is temporally and tectonically correlated with the Camaquã Basin in Rio Grande do Sul and the Arroyo del Soldado/Piriápolis Basin in Uruguay. It also has several tectono-sedimentary characteristics in common with the African-equivalent Nama Basin.
Page, William R.; Gray, Floyd; Iriondo, Alexander; Miggins, Daniel P.; Blodgett, Robert B.; Maldonado, Florian; Miller, Robert J.
2010-01-01
Geologic mapping in the northern Sierra Los Ajos reveals new stratigraphic and structural data relevant to deciphering the Mesozoic–Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the range. The northern Sierra Los Ajos is cored by Proterozoic, Cambrian, Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian strata, equivalent respectively to the Pinal Schist, Bolsa Quartzite and Abrigo Limestone, Martin Formation, Escabrosa Limestone, and Horquilla Limestone. The Proterozoic–Paleozoic sequence is mantled by Upper Cretaceous rocks partly equivalent to the Fort Crittenden and Salero Formations in Arizona, and the Cabullona Group in Sonora, Mexico.Absence of the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous Bisbee Group below the Upper Cretaceous rocks and above the Proterozoic–Paleozoic rocks indicates that the Sierra Los Ajos was part of the Cananea high, a topographic highland during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Deposition of Upper Cretaceous rocks directly on Paleozoic and Proterozoic rocks indicates that the Sierra Los Ajos area had subsided as part of the Laramide Cabullona basin during Late Cretaceous time. Basal beds of the Upper Cretaceous sequence are clast-supported conglomerate composed locally of basement (Paleozoic) clasts. The conglomerate represents erosion of Paleozoic basement in the Sierra Los Ajos area coincident with development of the Cabullona basin.The present-day Sierra Los Ajos reaches elevations of greater than 2600 m, and was uplifted during Tertiary basin-and-range extension. Upper Cretaceous rocks are exposed at higher elevations in the northern Sierra Los Ajos and represent an uplifted part of the inverted Cabullona basin. Tertiary uplift of the Sierra Los Ajos was largely accommodated by vertical movement along the north-to-northwest-striking Sierra Los Ajos fault zone flanking the west side of the range. This fault zone structurally controls the configuration of the headwaters of the San Pedro River basin, an important bi-national water resource in the US-Mexico border region.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xu, Wei; Qiu, Nansheng; Wang, Ye; Chang, Jian
2018-01-01
The Meso-Cenozoic lithospheric thermal-rheological structure and lithospheric strength evolution of the Jiyang sub-basin were modeled using thermal history, crustal structure, and rheological parameter data. Results indicate that the thermal-rheological structure of the Jiyang sub-basin has exhibited obvious rheological stratification and changes over time. During the Early Mesozoic, the uppermost portion of the upper crust, middle crust, and the top part of the upper mantle had a thick brittle layer. During the early Early Cretaceous, the top of the middle crust's brittle layer thinned because of lithosphere thinning and temperature increase, and the uppermost portion of the upper mantle was almost occupied by a ductile layer. During the late Early Cretaceous, the brittle layer of the middle crust and the upper mantle changed to a ductile one. Then, the uppermost portion of the middle crust changed to a thin brittle layer in the late Cretaceous. During the early Paleogene, the thin brittle layer of the middle crust became even thinner and shallower under the condition of crustal extension. Currently, with the decrease in lithospheric temperature, the top of the upper crust, middle crust, and the uppermost portion of the upper mantle are of a brittle layer. The total lithospheric strength and the effective elastic thickness ( T e) in Meso-Cenozoic indicate that the Jiyang sub-basin experienced two weakened stages: during the late Early Cretaceous and the early Paleogene. The total lithospheric strength (approximately 4-5 × 1013 N m-1) and T e (approximately 50-60 km) during the Early Mesozoic was larger than that after the Late Jurassic (2-7 × 1012 N m-1 and 19-39 km, respectively). The results also reflect the subduction, and rollback of Pacific plate is the geodynamic mechanism of the destruction of the eastern North China Craton.
Eichelberger, Jennifer S.; Braaten, P. J.; Fuller, D. B.; Krampe, Matthew S.; Heist, Edward J.
2014-01-01
Spawning of the federally endangered Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus is known to occur in the upper Missouri River basin, but progeny from natural reproductive events have not been observed and recruitment to juvenile or adult life stages has not been documented in recent decades. Identification of Pallid Sturgeon progeny is confounded by the fact that Shovelnose Sturgeon S. platorynchus occurs throughout the entire range of Pallid Sturgeon and the two species are essentially indistinguishable (morphometrically and meristically) during early life stages. Moreover, free embryos of sympatric Paddlefish Polyodon spathula are very similar to the two sturgeon species. In this study, three single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays were employed to screen acipenseriform free embryos and larvae collected from the upper Missouri River basin in 2011, 2012, and 2013. A mitochondrial DNA SNP discriminates Paddlefish from sturgeon, and specific multilocus genotypes at two nuclear DNA SNPs occurred in 98.9% of wild adult Pallid Sturgeon but only in 3% of Shovelnose Sturgeon sampled in the upper Missouri River. Individuals identified as potential Pallid Sturgeon based on SNP genotypes were further analyzed at 19 microsatellite loci for species discrimination. Out of 1,423 free embryos collected over 3 years of sampling, 971 Paddlefish, 446 Shovelnose Sturgeon, and 6 Pallid Sturgeon were identified. Additionally, 249 Scaphirhynchus spp. benthic larvae were screened, but no Pallid Sturgeon were detected. These SNP markers provide an efficient method of screening acipenseriform early life stages for the presence of Pallid Sturgeon in the Missouri River basin. Detection of wild Pallid Sturgeon free embryos in the upper Missouri and Yellowstone rivers supports the hypothesis that the failure of wild Pallid Sturgeon to recruit to the juvenile life stage in the upper Missouri River basin is caused by early life stage mortality rather than by lack of successful spawning.
Silver concentrations and selected hydrologic data in the Upper Colorado River basin, 1991-92
Johncox, D.A.
1993-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado River Water Conservation District and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, collected water and sediment samples in May and September 1991 and 1992 from nine stream-sampling sites and three lake-sampling sites within the Upper Colorado River Basin upstream from Kremmling, Colorado. Data were collected to determine the present (1992) conditions of the Upper Colorado River Basin regarding silver concentrations in the water and sediment. Lake-water and stream-water samples were analyzed for concentrations of total recoverable silver, dissolved silver, and suspended solids. Lake- and stream-bottom material was analyzed for concentrations of total recoverable silver. Additional data collected were streamflow, specific conductance, pH, and water temperature. Transparency (Secchi-disk measurements) also was measured in the lakes.
Assessment of historical surface-water quality data in southwestern Colorado, 1990-2005
Miller, Lisa D.; Schaffrath, Keelin R.; Linard, Joshua I.
2013-01-01
The spatial and temporal distribution of selected physical and chemical surface-water-quality characteristics were analyzed at stream sites throughout the Dolores and San Juan River Basins in southwestern Colorado using historical data collected from 1990 through 2005 by various local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies. Overall, streams throughout the study area were well oxygenated. Values of pH generally were near neutral to slightly alkaline throughout most of the study area with the exception of the upper Animas River Basin near Silverton where acidic conditions existed at some sites because of hydrothermal alteration and(or) historical mining. The highest concentrations of dissolved aluminum, total recoverable iron, dissolved lead, and dissolved zinc were measured at sites located in the upper Animas River Basin. Thirty-two sites throughout the study area had at least one measured concentration of total mercury that exceeded the State chronic aquatic-life criterion of 0.01 μg/L. Concentrations of dissolved selenium at some sites exceeded the State chronic water-quality standard of 4.6 μg/L. Total ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and total phosphorus concentrations generally were low throughout the study area. Overall, results from the trend analyses indicated improvement in water-quality conditions as a result of operation of the Paradox Valley Unit in the Dolores River Basin and irrigation and water-delivery system improvements made in the McElmo Creek Basin (Lower San Juan River Basin) and Mancos River Valley (Upper San Juan River Basin).
Surficial deposits in the Bear Lake Basin
Reheis, Marith C.; Laabs, Benjamin J.C.; Forester, Richard M.; McGeehin, John P.; Kaufman, Darrell S.; Bright, Jordon
2005-01-01
Mapping and dating of surficial deposits in the Bear Lake drainage basin were undertaken to provide a geologic context for interpretation of cores taken from deposits beneath Bear Lake, which sometimes receives water and sediment from the glaciated Bear River and sometimes only from the small drainage basin of Bear Lake itself. Analyses of core sediments by others are directed at (1) constructing a high-resolution climate record for the Bear Lake area during the late Pleistocene and Holocene, and (2) investigating the sources and weathering history of sediments in the drainage basin. Surficial deposits in the upper Bear River and Bear Lake drainage basins are different in their overall compositions, although they do overlap. In the upper Bear River drainage, Quaternary deposits derived from glaciation of the Uinta Range contain abundant detritus weathered from Precambrian quartzite, whereas unglaciated tributaries downstream mainly contribute finer sediment weathered from much younger, more friable sedimentary rocks. In contrast, carbonate rocks capped by a carapace of Tertiary sediments dominate the Bear Lake drainage basin.
Evaluating water management strategies with the Systems Impact Assessment Model: SIAM version 4
Bartholow, John M.; Heasley, John; Hanna, Blair; Sandelin, Jeff; Flug, Marshall; Campbell, Sharon; Henriksen, Jim; Douglas, Aaron
2005-01-01
The apparent disparity between restoration benefits and costs for the Klamath River may suggest to some that water resources on the Klamath be reallocated to environmentally friendly nonmarket uses. The economic analysis rests in part on the information made available to the survey designers by the biological, hydrologic, and water quality data incorporated in The System Impact Assessment Model (SIAM). It is our hope that SIAM can be used to improve the river's water quality and fishery, and strengthen the important regional economy.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Ernest A. Mancini; Donald A. Goddard; Ronald K. Zimmerman
2005-05-10
The principal research effort for Year 2 of the project has been data compilation and the determination of the burial and thermal maturation histories of the North Louisiana Salt Basin and basin modeling and petroleum system identification. In the first nine (9) months of Year 2, the research focus was on the determination of the burial and thermal maturation histories, and during the remainder of the year the emphasis has basin modeling and petroleum system identification. Existing information on the North Louisiana Salt Basin has been evaluated, an electronic database has been developed, regional cross sections have been prepared, structuremore » and isopach maps have been constructed, and burial history, thermal maturation history and hydrocarbon expulsion profiles have been prepared. Seismic data, cross sections, subsurface maps and related profiles have been used in evaluating the tectonic, depositional, burial and thermal maturation histories of the basin. Oil and gas reservoirs have been found to be associated with salt-supported anticlinal and domal features (salt pillows, turtle structures and piercement domes); with normal faulting associated with the northern basin margin and listric down-to-the-basin faults (state-line fault complex) and faulted salt features; and with combination structural and stratigraphic features (Sabine and Monroe Uplifts) and monoclinal features with lithologic variations. Petroleum reservoirs are mainly Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous fluvial-deltaic sandstone facies and Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous shoreline, marine bar and shallow shelf sandstone facies. Cretaceous unconformities significantly contribute to the hydrocarbon trapping mechanism capacity in the North Louisiana Salt Basin. The chief petroleum source rock in this basin is Upper Jurassic Smackover lime mudstone beds. The generation of hydrocarbons from Smackover lime mudstone was initiated during the Early Cretaceous and continued into the Tertiary. Hydrocarbon expulsion commenced during the Early Cretaceous and continued into the Tertiary with peak expulsion occurring mainly during the Late Cretaceous.« less
Chase, Robert; Hemphill, Nina; Beeman, John; Juhnke, Steve; Hannon, John; Jenkins, Amy M.
2013-01-01
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) of the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) is federally listed as a threatened species. The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) is rehabilitating the Trinity River to restore coho salmon (coho) and other salmonid populations. In order to evaluate the program’s actions, several studies of movements and behavior of coho in the Trinity River were conducted from 2006 to 2009, including snorkel surveys and mark-recapture techniques based on Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, elastomer tags, and radio transmitters. Catch, recapture, and condition of natural sub-yearlings, along with site fidelity and emigration of hatchery-reared yearlings in rehabilitated and reference habitats, were studied. Location was important because coho were absent from the lower controlled and rehabilitated sites most of the time. However, rehabilitation did not have a significant effect on natural coho salmon at the site level. Apparent survival of radio-tagged, hatchery-reared yearling coho released downstream from Lewiston Dam was much lower in the first 10 km downstream from the release site than in other areas between Lewiston Dam and the Klamath River estuary. Estimated survival of yearling hatchery coho salmon per 100 km down to Blake’s Riffle was estimated at 64 % over the distance of the 239 km study area. Migration primarily occurred at night in the upper Trinity River; however, as yearlings moved through the lower Trinity River towards the Klamath River, estuary nocturnal migration became less. Apparent survival was generally lowest in areas upstream from the North Fork of the Trinity River.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ortega, Carole; Lasseur, Eric; Guillocheau, François; Serrano, Olivier; Malet, David
2017-04-01
The Aquitaine basin located in south western Europe, is a Pyrenean retro-foreland basin. Two main phases of compression are recorded in this retro-foreland basin during the Pyrenean orogeny. A first upper Cretaceous phase corresponding to the early stage of the orogeny, and a second one usually related to a Pyrenean paroxysmal phase during the middle Eocene. During Paleocene to lower Eocene deformations are less pronounced, interpreted as a tectonically quiet period. The aim of the study is to better constrain the sedimentary system of the Aquitaine basin during this period of Paleocene-lower Eocene, in order to discuss the evolution of the sedimentary architecture in response of the Pyrenean compression. This work is based on a compilation of a large set of subsurface data (wells logs, seismic lines and cores logs) represented by isopachs and facies map. Three main cycles were identified during this structural quiet period: (1) The Danian cycle, is recorded by the aggradation of carbonate reef-rimmed platform. This platform is characterized by proximal facies (oncoid carbonate and mudstone with thalassinoides) to the north, which leads to distal deposit facies southern (pelagic carbonate with globigerina and slump facies) and present a significant thickness variation linked to the platform-slope-basin morphology. (2) The upper Selandian-Thanetian cycle follows a non-depositional/erosional surface associated with a Selandian hiatus. The base of this cycle marked the transition between the last reef rimmed platform and a carbonate ramp. The transgressive cycle is characterized by proximal lagoon facies to the north that leads southward to distal hemipelagic facies interfingered by turbiditic Lowstand System Tracks (LST). The location of these LST is strongly controlled by inherited Danian topography. The regressive cycle ends with a major regression associated with an erosional surface. This surface is linked with a network of canyons in the north, an important terrigeneous LST and a massive erosional surface in deep basin. We correlated this upper Thanetian major regression with a flexural deformation of the basin. In this context, the importance of terrigeneous LST could be explained by the erosion of the East Pyrenean range. (3) The lower Ypresian records the installation of mixed terrigenous-carbonated system. While the East-West progradation of siliciclastic deltas is drained into foreland basin, a carbonates condensation are developed on structural ridges, attesting the structural activation of foreland basin during lower Ypresian. This study shows that Danian to middle Thanetian time represents a quiet tectonic period in the retro-foreland basin. During the upper Thanetian period, the compressive deformation is increasing, marked by the emersion of the northern platform, a massive LST in distal environment and a rise of terrigenous input in flexural basin (LST). This deformation associated with the Pyrenean compression continues during the Ypresian and highlights the paroxysm of the Pyrenean orogeny. This work is included in the Gaia project founded by TIGF, BRGM and Agence de l'Eau Adour/Garonne whose aim at constrain the nature and dynamics of deep Upper cretaceous and Tertiary aquifers of the Aquitaine basin.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ramzi, Azizi; Lassaad, Chihi
2017-09-01
New field observations carried out in northeastern Tunisia (Kechabta Neogene basin) allowed us to clarify and pinpoint the chronology of the folding phases which had been the subject of contradictions in previous studies. To better understand the folding in the study area, a set of structural, lithostratigraphic and cartographic arguments are given in order to confirm the Atlassic folding phase (upper Tortonian) affecting rheologically weak and incompetent materials of the Neogene layers. In the Kechabta Neogene basin, the upper Tortonian folding is materialized by an unconformity between the Kechabta (Tortonian) and the Oued Bel Khedim (Messinian) formations. The highlight of this event allows us to identify the current fold structure of the study area as a superposition of two major folding episodes: The first one occurred during the upper Tortonian, and the second in the Early Quaternary (post-Villafranchian). The chronological consistency of the upper Tortonian folding in the Kechabta basin with the rest of the Tunisian chains allows for a better understanding of the collision context (Miocene to the Quaternary) which dominated the western Mediterranean Sea and steered the structural evolution of Tunisia.
Breton, André R.; Winkelman, Dana L.; Hawkins, John A.; Bestgen, Kevin R.
2014-01-01
Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu were rare in the upper Colorado River basin until the early 1990’s when their abundance dramatically increased in the Yampa River sub-basin. Increased abundance was due primarily to colonization from Elkhead Reservoir, which was rapidly drawn down twice, first to make improvements to the dam (1992) and a second time for reservoir expansion (2005), and allowed escapement of resident bass to the river through an unscreened outlet. Elkhead Reservoir is located on Elkhead Creek, a tributary of the Yampa River. The rapid Elkhead Reservoir drawdown in 1992 was followed by a period of drought years with low, early runoff in the Yampa River sub-basin that benefitted smallmouth bass reproduction. This combination of factors allowed smallmouth bass to establish a self-sustaining population in the Yampa River. Subsequently, successful recruitment allowed smallmouth bass to disperse upstream and downstream in the Yampa River and eventually move into the downstream Green River. Smallmouth bass were also likely introduced, by unknown means, into the upper Colorado River and have since dispersed in this sub-basin. The rapid increase of smallmouth bass in the upper Colorado River basin overlapped with significant reductions in native fish populations in some locations. The threat to these native fishes initiated intensive mechanical removal of smallmouth bass by the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.In general, three factors explain fluctuating patterns in smallmouth bass density in the upper Colorado River basin in the last decade: reductions due to electrofishing removal, bass recovery after exploitation due to recruitment and immigration, and changes due to environmental factors not related to electrofishing and other management actions. Our analyses indicated that smallmouth bass densities were substantially reduced in most years by 7 electrofishing removal efforts. Less often, but dramatically in some cases, environmental effects were also responsible for significant declines in smallmouth bass densities in some reaches. Abundant year classes of young smallmouth bass produced in low flow and warm years such as 2007 have potential to overwhelm removal efforts, and the year class persists for one or more years. Nonetheless, it appears that increased electrofishing removal efforts from 2007 to 2011 resulted in sustained reductions in density of smallmouth bass sub-adults and adults throughout the upper basin despite environmental conditions that favored smallmouth bass reproduction in some years (e.g. 2007 and 2009), subsequent recruitment into sub-adult and adult age classes, and movement of smallmouth bass which previously (prior to increases in electrofishing removal efforts) allowed densities to recover in some reaches.We recommend that removal efforts continue in most areas of the upper basin but that the Recovery Program consider allocating effort based on population trends and suspected areas of highest smallmouth bass reproduction. For instance, reproduction, recruitment, and movement of smallmouth bass allowed densities to recover in some reaches, particularly Little Yampa Canyon. Smallmouth bass population recovery implies that areas such as Little Yampa Canyon itself or adjacent reaches (especially upstream), may provide important habitat for age-0 production. We recommend continued assessment of smallmouth bass populations in reaches where reproduction or age-1 nurseries are suspected, such as Little Yampa Canyon and the adjacent upstream reach. It may also be necessary to expand monitoring to areas surrounding suspected sources of smallmouth bass reproduction and increase electrofishing removal effort in these reaches.
Monitoring irrigated land acreage using Landsat imagery: an application example
Draeger, William C.
1976-01-01
A demonstration of the utility of Landsat imagery for quickly and cheaply estimating irrigated land area was conducted in the Klamath River basin of Oregon. Landsat color composite images, at 1:250,000 scale and acquired on two dates during the 1975 growing season, were interpreted. Irrigated lands were delineated manually, and the irrigated area was estimated, based on dot-grid sampling of the manually delineated lands. The image interpretation estimate of irrigated area was then adjusted by a comparison of interpretation results with ground data on 45 sample plots, each 1 mi2 (2.6 km2) in size.Two interpreters independently estimated the irrigated area. Their adjusted estimates were 285,000 acres (115,000 ha) and 267,000 acres (108,000 ha) respectively, with corresponding 95 percent confidence intervals of ±19,500 acres (7,880 ha) and ±34,700 acres (14,000 ha). The estimated cost of the survey, exclusive of management costs and training, was $1,500.
Rowan, E. Lanier; Goldhaber, Martin B.
1996-01-01
The Upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead district is hosted by Ordovician carbonate rocks at the northern margin of the Illinois Basin. Fluid inclusion temperature measurements on Early Permian sphalerite ore from the district are predominantly between 90?C and I50?C. These temperatures are greater than can be explained by their reconstructed burial depth, which was a maximum of approximately 1 km at the time of mineralization. In contrast to the temperatures of mineral formation derived from fluid inclusions, biomarker maturities in the Upper Mississippi Valley district give an estimate of total thermal exposure integrated over time. Temperatures from fluid inclusions trapped during ore genesis with biomarker maturities were combined to construct an estimate of the district's overall thermal history and, by inference, the late Paleozoic thermal and hydrologic history of the Illinois Basin. Circulation of groundwater through regional aquifers, given sufficient flow rates, can redistribute heat from deep in a sedimentary basin to its shallower margins. Evidence for regional-scale circulation of fluids is provided by paleomagnetic studies, regionally correlated zoned dolomite, fluid inclusions, and thermal maturity of organic matter. Evidence for igneous acti vity contemporaneous with mineralization in the vicinity of the Upper Mississippi Valley district is absent. Regional fluid and heat circulation is the most likely explanation for the elevated fluid inclusion temperatures (relative to maximum estimated burial depth) in the Upper Mississippi Valley district. One plausible driving mechanism and flow path for the ore-forming fluids is groundwater recharge in the late Paleozoic Appalachian-Ouachita mountain belt and northward flow through the Reelfoot rift and the proto- Illinois Basin to the Upper Mississippi Valley district. Warm fluid flowing laterally through Cambrian and Ordovician aquifers would then move vertically upward through the fractures that control sphalerite mineralization in the Upper Mississippi Valley district. Biomarker reactant-product measurements on rock extracts from the Upper Mississippi Valley district define a relatively low level ofthermal maturity for the district, 0.353 for sterane and 0.577 for hopane. Recently published kinetic constants permit a time-temperature relationship to be determined from these biomarker maturities. Numerical calculations were made to simulate fluid heat flow through the fracture-controlled ore zones of the Thompson-Temperly mine and heat transfer to the adjacent rocks where biomarker samples were collected. Calculations that combine the fluid inclusion temperatures and the biomarker constraints on thermal maturity indicate that the time interval during which mineralizing fluids circulated through the Upper Mississippi Valley district is on the order of 200,000 years. Fluid inclusion measurements and thermal maturities from biomarkers in the district reflect the duration of peak temperatures resulting from regional fluid circulation. On the basis of thermal considerations, the timing of fluorite mineralization in southern Illinois, and the northward-decreasing pattern of fluorine enrichment in sediments, we hypothesize that the principal flow direction was northward through the Cambrian and Ordovician aquifers of the Illinois Basin. A basin-scale flow system would result in mass transport (hydrocarbon migration, transport of metals in solution) and energy (heat) transport, which would in turn drive chemical reactions (for example, maturation of organic matter, mineralization, diagenetic reactions) within the Illinois Basin and at its margins.
Plutons and accretionary episodes of the Klamath Mountains, California and Oregon
Irwin, William P.; Wooden, Joseph L.
1999-01-01
The Klamath Mountains consist of various accreted terranes and include many plutons that range in composition from gabbro to granodiorite. Some of the plutons (preaccretionary plutons) were parts of terranes before the terranes accreted; others (accretionary plutons) intruded during or after the accretion of their host terrane(s). This report attempts to (1) graphically illustrate how the Klamath Mountains grew by the accretion of allochthonous oceanic terranes during early Paleozoic to Cretaceous times, (2) identify the plutons as either preaccretionary or accretionary, and (3) genetically relate the plutonic intrusions to specific accretionary episodes. The eight accretionary episodes portrayed in this report are similar to those shown by Irwin and Mankinen (1998) who briefly described the basis for the timing of the episodes and who illustrated the ~110 degrees of clockwise rotation of the Klamath Mountains since Early Devonian time. Each episode is named for the accreting terrane. In all episodes (Figs. 1-8), the heavy black line represents a fault that separates the accreting oceanic rocks on the left from earlier accreted terranes on the right. The preaccretionary plutons are shown within the accreting oceanic crustal rocks to the left of the heavy black line, and the accretionary plutons in most instances are shown intruding previously accreted terranes to the right. Episodes earlier than the Central Metamorphic episode (Fig. 1), and that may have been important in the formation of the early Paleozoic nucleous of the province (the Eastern Klamath terrane), are not known. The 'Present Time' distribution of the accreted terranes and plutons is shown at a large scale in Figure 9. The schematic vertical section (Fig. 10) depicts the terranes as a stack of horizontal slabs that include or are intruded by vertical plutons. Note that at their base the ~170 Ma preaccretionary plutons of the Western Hayfork subterrane are truncated by the ~164 Ma Salt Creek accretionary fault, the ~160 Ma accretionary plutons are truncated by the ~150 Ma Bear Wallow accretionary fault, and the ~150 Ma accretionary plutons (and questionably the Grants Pass ~139 Ma accretionary pluton) are truncated by the ~120 Ma South Fork fault.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Painter, Clayton S.
Three studies on Cordilleran foreland basin deposits in the western U.S.A. constitute this dissertation. These studies differ in scale, time and discipline. The first two studies include basin analysis, flexural modeling and detailed stratigraphic analysis of Upper Cretaceous depocenters and strata in the western U.S.A. The third study consists of detrital zircon U-Pb analysis (DZ U-Pb) and thermochronology, both zircon (U-Th)/He and apatite fission track (AFT), of Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous foreland-basin conglomerates and sandstones. Five electronic supplementary files are a part of this dissertation and are available online; these include 3 raw data files (Appendix_A_raw_isopach_data.txt, Appendix_C_DZ_Data.xls, Appendix_C_U-Pb_apatite.xls), 1 oversized stratigraphic cross section (Appendix_B_figure_5.pdf), and 1 figure containing apatite U-Pb concordia plots (Appendix_C_Concordia.pdf). Appendix A is a combination of detailed isopach maps of the Upper Cretaceous Western Interior, flexural modeling and a comparison to dynamic subsidence models as applied to the region. Using these new isopach maps and modeling, I place the previously recognized but poorly constrained shift from flexural to non-flexural subsidence at 81 Ma. Appendix B is a detailed stratigraphic study of the Upper Cretaceous, (Campanian, ~76 Ma) Sego Sandstone Member of the Mesaverde Group in northwestern Colorado, an area where little research has been done on this formation. Appendix C is a geo-thermochronologic study to measure the lag time of Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous conglomerates and sandstones in the Cordilleran foreland basin. The maximum depositional ages using DZ U-Pb match existing biostratigraphic age controls. AFT is an effective thermochronometer for Lower to Upper Cretaceous foreland stratigraphy and indicates that source material was exhumed from >4--5 km depth in the Cordilleran orogenic belt between 118 and 66 Ma, and zircon (U-Th)/He suggests that it was exhumed from <8--9 km depth. Apatite U-Pb analyses indicate that volcanic contamination is a significant issue, without which, one cannot exclude the possibility that the youngest detrital AFT population is contaminated with significant amounts of volcanogenic apatite and does not represent source exhumation. AFT lag times are <5 Myr with relatively steady-state to slightly increasing exhumation rates. Lag time measurements indicate exhumation rates of ~0.9->>1 km/Myr.
Ridgley, Jennie L.
1983-01-01
In the Chama Basin a wequence of conglomerate, sandstone, and red, gray-green, and pale-purple mudstone occurs stratigraphically between the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation and Upper Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone. This stratigraphic interval has been called the Burro Canyon Formation by several workers (Craig and others, 1959; Smith and others, 1961; Saucier, 1974). Although similarities in lithology and stratigraphic position exist between this unit and the Burro Canyon Formation in Colorado, no direct correlation has been made between the two. For this reason the unit in the Chama Basin is called the Burro Canyon(?) Formation.
The Scientific Assessment and Strategy Team
,
1999-01-01
The flood of 1993 in the Upper Mississippi River Basin caused widespread devastation. The human and economic costs were high. The total flood and other related damage estimates were in the $10 billion to $16 billion range, with total Federal expenditures in excess of $5.4 billion. In response to the effects of the flood of 1993, the White House established the Scientific Assessment and Strategy Team (SAST) on November 24, 1993. The SAST?s goals are to provide scientific advice and assistance to policymakers and officials responsible for flood recovery and river basin management in the Upper Mississippi River Basin and to prepare a data base to support those goals.
Baroni, Luciana; Scoglio, Stefano; Benedetti, Serena; Bonetto, Chiara; Pagliarani, Silvia; Benedetti, Yanina; Rocchi, Marco; Canestrari, Franco
2009-03-01
Vitamin B12 is a critical nutrient that is often inadequate in a plant-based (vegan) diet, thus the inclusion of a reliable vitamin B12 source in a vegan diet is recommended as essential. Unfortunately, many natural sources of vitamin B12 have been proven to contain biologically inactive vitamin B12 analogues, inadequate for human supplementation. The aim of this non-randomized open trial was to determine whether supplementation with a natural Klamath algae-based product ("AFA-B12", Aphanizomenon flos-aquae algae plus a proprietary mix of enzymes) could favorably affect the vitamin B12 status of a group of 15 vegan subjects. By assessing blood concentration of vitamin B12, folate, and more importantly homocysteine (Hcy, a reliable marker in vegans of their B12 absorption), the vitamin B12 status of the participants at the end of the 3-month intervention period, while receiving the Klamath-algae supplement (T2), was compared with their vitamin B12 status at the end of the 3-month control period (T1), when they were not receiving any supplement, having stopped taking their usual vitamin B12 supplement at the beginning of the study (T0). Compared to the control period, in the intervention period participants improved their vitamin B12 status, significantly reducing Hcy blood concentration (p=0.003). In conclusion, the Klamath algae product AFA-B12 appears to be, in a preliminary study, an adequate and reliable source of vitamin B12 in humans.
Benz, H.M.; McCarthy, J.
1994-01-01
A 370-km-long seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profile recorded during the Pacific to Arizona Crustal Experiment (PACE) detected an upper mantle P-wave low-velocity zone (LVZ) in the depth range 40 to 55 km beneath the Basin and Range in southern Arizona. Interpretation of seismic data places constraints on the sub-crustal lithosphere of the southern Basin and Range Province, which is important in light of the active tectonics of the region and the unknown role of the sub-crustal lithosphere in the development of the western United States. Forward travel time and synthetic seismogram techniques are used to model this shallow upper mantle LVZ. Modeling results show that the LVZ is defined by a 5% velocity decrease relative to a Pn velocity of 7.95 km s−1, suggesting either a ∼3–5% mafic partial melt or high-temperature, sub-solidus peridotite.
Gangopadhyay, Subhrendu; McCabe, Gregory J.; Woodhouse, Connie A.
2015-01-01
In this paper, we present a methodology to use annual tree-ring chronologies and a monthly water balance model to generate annual reconstructions of water balance variables (e.g., potential evapotrans- piration (PET), actual evapotranspiration (AET), snow water equivalent (SWE), soil moisture storage (SMS), and runoff (R)). The method involves resampling monthly temperature and precipitation from the instrumental record directed by variability indicated by the paleoclimate record. The generated time series of monthly temperature and precipitation are subsequently used as inputs to a monthly water balance model. The methodology is applied to the Upper Colorado River Basin, and results indicate that the methodology reliably simulates water-year runoff, maximum snow water equivalent, and seasonal soil moisture storage for the instrumental period. As a final application, the methodology is used to produce time series of PET, AET, SWE, SMS, and R for the 1404–1905 period for the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-04-01
... Snelling, Twin Cities, Minnesota. (c) Master Plan means the Upper Mississippi River System Comprehensive... Section 708.1 Conservation of Power and Water Resources WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN COMMISSION: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER SYSTEM MASTER PLAN § 708.1 Definitions...
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Hogle, D.G.; Jones, R.W.
1989-03-01
A detailed stratigraphic study of over 6000 m of Upper Cretaceous through lower Eocene sedimentary rocks in the Wind River basin. Wyoming, has refined and expanded previous work and conclusions. A much larger data base than previously available was assembled to include a correlation net of 325 geophysical well logs, 36 drill holes with palynological age dates, lithology logs of drill hoes, and limited surface exposures. The most significant results and conclusions from this study are summarized below. (1) The lower part of the Mesaverde Formation intertongues with marine sandstones and shales of the upper Cody Shale to the eastmore » and with marine sandstones of the lower Mesaverde Formation in the Big Horn basin to the north. (2) An unconformity between the Mesaverde and Fort Union Formations in the southwestern part of the basin can be traced into the subsurface. (3) During the latest Cretaceous and Paleocene, over 2100 m of Lance Formation and over 2700 m of Fort Union Formation were deposited in the northeastern part of the basin. Ponding during the Paleocene is demonstrated by correlation and subsurface mapping of over 900 m of shale and siltstone in the Waltman Shale Member of the Fort Union Formation. (4) The Lance and Fort Union Formations can be mapped in the subsurface throughout much of the basin. The Lance Formation pinches out in the western part of the basin. (5) Coal beds can be traced for short distances in the subsurface; coal bed occurrence is documented for the Mesaverde, lower Fort Union, and Meeteetse Formations in the southwestern, northern and central, and northwestern parts of the basin, respectively.« less
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Meijun; Hu, Xiaomeng
2017-12-01
An investigation into lake terraces and their sedimentary features in the Fen River Graben Basin shows that several paleolake regression-transgression cycles took place during the mid to late Quaternary. The horizontal distribution of the lowest loess/paleosol unit overlying each lake terrace indicates the occurrence of four rapid lake regressions when paleosols S8, S5, S2, and S1 began to develop. The horizontal distribution of the topmost loess/ paleosol unit underlying the lacustrine sediment in each transition zone between two adjacent terraces indicates that following a lake regression, a very slow lake transgression occurred. The durations of three lake transgressions correspond to those of the deposition or development of loess/paleosols L8 to L6, L5 to L3, and L2. It is thereby inferred that regional tectonic movement is likely the primary factor resulting in the cyclical process of paleolake regressions and transgressions. Taking these findings along with published geophysical research results regarding the upper mantle movements underneath the graben basin into account, this paper deduces that a cause and effect relationship may exist between the paleolake regression-transgression cycles and the tectonic activity in the upper mantle. The occurrence of a rapid lake regression implies that the upwelling of the upper mantle underneath the graben basin may be dominant and resulting in a rapid uplifting of the basin floor. The subsequent slow lake transgression implies that the thinning of the crust and cooling of the warm mantle material underneath the graben basin may become dominant causing the basin floor to subside slowly. Four rapid paleolake regressions indicate that four episodic tectonic movements took place in the graben basin during the mid to late Quaternary.
Tectonic Evolution of the Çayirhan Neogene Basin (Ankara), Central Turkey
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Behzad, Bezhan; Koral, Hayrettin; İşb&idot; l, Duygu; Karaaǧa; ç, Serdal
2016-04-01
Çayırhan (Ankara) is located at crossroads of the Western Anatolian extensional region, analogous to the Basin and Range Province, and suture zone of the Neotethys-Ocean, which is locus of the North Anatolian Transform since the Late Miocene. To the north of Çayırhan (Ankara), a Neogene sedimentary basin comprises Lower-Middle Miocene and Upper Miocene age formations, characterized by swamp, fluvial and lacustrine settings respectively. This sequence is folded and transected by neotectonic faults. The Sekli thrust fault is older than the Lower-Middle Miocene age formations. The Davutoǧlan fault is younger than the Lower-Middle Miocene formations and is contemporaneous to the Upper Miocene formation. The Çatalkaya fault is younger than the Upper Miocene formation. The sedimentary and tectonic features provide information on mode, timing and evolution of this Neogene age sedimentary basin in Central Turkey. It is concluded that the region underwent a period of uplift and erosion under the influence of contractional tectonics prior to the Early-Middle Miocene, before becoming a semi-closed basin under influence of transtensional tectonics during the Early-Middle Miocene and under influence of predominantly extensional tectonics during the post-Late Miocene times. Keywords: Tectonics, Extension, Transtension, Stratigraphy, Neotectonic features.
Hou, Sukuan
2015-01-16
The Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, China, is known for its abundant and well preserved fossils. Here a new species, Euprox grandis sp. nov., is established based on a skull and antlers collected from the upper Miocene Liushu Formation of the Linxia Basin. The new species is distinguishable from other Euprox species by its large body size, notably long pedicle and weak burr. The main beam and the brow tine are slightly curved both medially and backwards, and the apex of the main beam turns, curving slightly laterally. The upper cheek teeth are brachydont, with a clear central fold on the premolars and internal postprotocrista and metaconule fold on M1-M2. The cingulum is almost absent, only occasionally weakly developed at the anterior and lingual surface of the teeth. Cladistic analysis was carried out using the TNT software, and two most parsimonious trees were retained. As the strict consensus tree shows E. grandis appears to be an advanced muntiacine form, which may have a close relationship with the genus Muntiacus. The presence of E. grandis in the Linxia Basin adds new evidence to support a warm and humid environment during the late Miocene in the basin.
Watts, Kenneth R.
2005-01-01
The upper Arkansas River Basin between Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado, is a downfaulted basin, the Buena Vista-Salida structural basin, located between the Sawatch and Mosquito Ranges. The primary aquifers in the Buena Vista-Salida structural basin consist of poorly consolidated to unconsolidated Quaternary-age alluvial and glacial deposits and Tertiary-age basin-fill deposits. Maximum thickness of the alluvial, glacial, and basin-fill deposits is about 5,000 feet, but 95 percent of the water-supply wells in Chaffee County are no more than 300 feet deep. Hydrologic conditions in the 149-square mile study area are described on the basis of hydrologic and geologic data compiled and collected during September 2000 through September 2003. The principal aquifers described in this report are the alluvial-outwash and basin-fill aquifers. An estimated 3,443 wells pumped about 690 to 1,240 acre-feet for domestic and household use in Chaffee County during 2003. By 2030, projected increases in the population of Chaffee County, Colorado, may require use of an additional 4,000 to 5,000 wells to supply an additional 800 to 1,800 acre-feet per year of ground water for domestic and household supply. The estimated specific yield of the upper 300 feet of the alluvial-outwash and basin-fill aquifers ranged from about 0.02 to 0.2. Current (2003) and projected (2030) ground-water withdrawals by domestic and household wells are less than 1 percent of the estimated 472,000 acre-feet of drainable ground water in the upper 300 feet of the subsurface. Locally, little water is available in the upper 300 feet. In densely populated areas, well interference could result in decreased water levels and well yields, which may require deepening or replacement of wells. Infiltration of surface water diverted for irrigation and from losing streams is the primary source of ground-water recharge in the semiarid basin. Ground-water levels in the alluvial-outwash and basin-fill aquifers vary seasonally with maximum water levels occurring in the early summer after snowmelt runoff peaks. Because of the drought during 2002, relatively large declines in ground-water levels occurred in about one-half of the monitored wells. Differences in water-level altitudes in shallow and deep wells indicate the potential for downward flow in upland areas and support results of preliminary cross-sectional models of ground-water flow. The apparent mean age of ground-water recharge ranged from about 1 to more than 48 years before 2001. The older (pre-1953) water was from wells that were located in ground-water discharge areas. Ground-water flow in the Buena Vista-Salida structural basin drains eastward toward the Arkansas River and, locally, toward the South Arkansas River. Ground water in the alluvial-outwash and basin-fill aquifers generally is calcium-bicarbonate water type with less than 250 milligrams per liter dissolved solids. Nitrate concentrations generally were less than 1 to 2 milligrams per liter and do not indicate widespread contamination of ground water from surface sources.
Vital signs monitoring plan for the Klamath Network: Phase I report
Sarr, Daniel; Odion, Dennis; Truitt, Robert E.; Beever, Erik A.; Shafer, Sarah; Duff, Andrew; Smith, Sean B.; Bunn, Windy; Rocchio, Judy; Sarnat, Eli; Alexander, John; Jessup, Steve
2004-01-01
This report chronicles the Phase 1 stage of the vital signs monitoring program for the Klamath Network. It consists of two chapters and eleven appendixes. The purposes of Chapter One are to 1) describe the network administrative structure and approach to planning; 2) introduce the Klamath Network parks, their resources, and environmental settings; 3) explain the need for monitoring changes in resources and supporting environments; 4) identify key information gaps that limit understanding of how to best achieve these monitoring goals. The purpose of Chapter Two is to develop the descriptive information provided in Chapter One into a conceptual basis for vital signs monitoring and to present the Network’s initial suite of conceptual models. The Report Appendices provide in-depth information on a variety of topics researched in preparation of the report, including: detailed natural resource profiles for each park, supporting policies and guidelines, regional fire regimes, vegetation types of the parks, exotic species threats, interagency monitoring programs, air issues, water quality (Phase 1 Report), Network vital signs (Scoping Summary Report), rare species, and rare habitats of the parks.
Groundwater quality in the Upper Hudson River Basin, New York, 2012
Scott, Tia-Marie; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.
2014-01-01
Water samples were collected from 20 production and domestic wells in the Upper Hudson River Basin (north of the Federal Dam at Troy, New York) in New York in August 2012 to characterize groundwater quality in the basin. The samples were collected and processed using standard U.S. Geological Survey procedures and were analyzed for 148 physiochemical properties and constituents, including dissolved gases, major ions, nutrients, trace elements, pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), radionuclides, and indicator bacteria. The Upper Hudson River Basin covers 4,600 square miles in upstate New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts; the study area encompasses the 4,000 square miles that lie within New York. The basin is underlain by crystalline and sedimentary bedrock, including gneiss, shale, and slate; some sandstone and carbonate rocks are present locally. The bedrock in some areas is overlain by surficial deposits of saturated sand and gravel. Eleven of the wells sampled in the Upper Hudson River Basin are completed in sand and gravel deposits, and nine are completed in bedrock. Groundwater in the Upper Hudson River Basin was typically neutral or slightly basic; the water typically was moderately hard. Bicarbonate, chloride, calcium, and sodium were the major ions with the greatest median concentrations; the dominant nutrient was nitrate. Methane was detected in 7 samples. Strontium, iron, barium, boron, and manganese were the trace elements with the highest median concentrations. Two pesticides, an herbicide degradate and an insecticide degredate, were detected in two samples at trace levels; seven VOCs, including chloroform, four solvents, and the gasoline additive methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) were detected in four samples. The greatest radon-222 activity, 2,900 picocuries per liter, was measured in a sample from a bedrock well; the median radon activity was higher in samples from bedrock wells than in samples from sand and gravel wells. Coliform bacteria were detected in one sample with a maximum of 2 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. Water quality in the Upper Hudson River Basin is generally good, but concentrations of some constituents equaled or exceeded current or proposed Federal or New York State drinking-water standards. The standards exceeded are color (1 sample), pH (3 samples), sodium (3 samples), chloride (1 sample), dissolved solids (1 sample), arsenic (1 sample), iron (2 samples), manganese (2 samples), uranium (1 sample), radon-222 (12 samples), and gross beta activities (3 samples). Total coliform bacteria were each detected in one sample. Concentrations of fluoride, sulfate, nitrate, nitrite, aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, thallium, zinc, and gross alpha activities did not exceed existing drinking-water standards in any of the samples collected. Methane concentration in one sample was greater than 28 milligrams per liter, with a concentration of 35.1 milligrams per liter.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shamsudduha, Mohammad; Taylor, Richard G.; Jones, Darren; Longuevergne, Laurent; Owor, Michael; Tindimugaya, Callist
2017-09-01
GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data monitor large-scale changes in total terrestrial water storage (ΔTWS), providing an invaluable tool where in situ observations are limited. Substantial uncertainty remains, however, in the amplitude of GRACE gravity signals and the disaggregation of TWS into individual terrestrial water stores (e.g. groundwater storage). Here, we test the phase and amplitude of three GRACE ΔTWS signals from five commonly used gridded products (i.e. NASA's GRCTellus: CSR, JPL, GFZ; JPL-Mascons; GRGS GRACE) using in situ data and modelled soil moisture from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) in two sub-basins (LVB: Lake Victoria Basin; LKB: Lake Kyoga Basin) of the Upper Nile Basin. The analysis extends from January 2003 to December 2012, but focuses on a large and accurately observed reduction in ΔTWS of 83 km3 from 2003 to 2006 in the Lake Victoria Basin. We reveal substantial variability in current GRACE products to quantify the reduction of ΔTWS in Lake Victoria that ranges from 80 km3 (JPL-Mascons) to 69 and 31 km3 for GRGS and GRCTellus respectively. Representation of the phase in TWS in the Upper Nile Basin by GRACE products varies but is generally robust with GRGS, JPL-Mascons, and GRCTellus (ensemble mean of CSR, JPL, and GFZ time-series data), explaining 90, 84, and 75 % of the variance respectively in "in situ" or "bottom-up" ΔTWS in the LVB. Resolution of changes in groundwater storage (ΔGWS) from GRACE ΔTWS is greatly constrained by both uncertainty in changes in soil-moisture storage (ΔSMS) modelled by GLDAS LSMs (CLM, NOAH, VIC) and the low annual amplitudes in ΔGWS (e.g. 1.8-4.9 cm) observed in deeply weathered crystalline rocks underlying the Upper Nile Basin. Our study highlights the substantial uncertainty in the amplitude of ΔTWS that can result from different data-processing strategies in commonly used, gridded GRACE products; this uncertainty is disregarded in analyses of ΔTWS and individual stores applying a single GRACE product.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Anfinson, Owen Anthony
More than 2300 detrital zircon uranium-lead (U-Pb) ages, 32 176Hf/177Hf (eHf) isotopic values, 37 apatite helium (AHe) ages, and 72 zircon helium (ZHe) ages represent the first in-depth geochronologic and thermochronologic study of Franklinian Basin strata in the Canadian Arctic and provide new insight on >500 M.y. of geologic history along the northern Laurentian margin (modern orientation). Detrital zircon U-Pb age data demonstrate that the Franklinian Basin succession is composed of strata with three distinctly different provenance signatures. Neoproterozoic and Lower Cambrian formations contain detrital zircon populations consistent with derivation from Archean to Paleoproterozoic gneisses and granites of the west Greenland--northeast Canadian Shield. Lower Silurian to Middle Devonian strata are primarily derived from foreland basin strata of the East Greenland Caledonides (Caledonian orogen). Middle Devonian to Upper Devonian strata also contain detrital zircon populations interpreted as being primarily northerly derived from the continental landmass responsible for the Ellesmerian Orogen (often referred to as Crockerland). U-Pb age data from basal turbidites of the Middle to Upper Devonian clastic succession suggest Crockerland contributed sediment to the northern Laurentian margin by early-Middle Devonian time and that prior to the Ellesmerian Orogeny Crockerland had a comparable geologic history to the northern Baltica Craton. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages in Upper Devonian strata suggest Crockerland became the dominant source by the end of Franklinian Basin sedimentation. Mean eHf values from Paleozoic detrital zircon derived from Crockerland suggest the zircons were primarily formed in either an island arc or continental arc built on accreted oceanic crust setting. ZHe cooling ages from Middle and Upper Devonian strata were not buried deeper than 7 km since deposition and suggest Crockerland was partially exhumed during the Caledonian Orogen. AHe cooling ages are partially reset since deposition and experienced varying burial histories depending on stratigraphic and geographic location within the basin. AHe ages from Middle Devonian strata from the western margin of the basin indicate episodes of exhumation associated with clastic influxes of sediment into the Sverdrup Basin during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous.
Mancini, E.A.; Li, P.; Goddard, D.A.; Ramirez, V.O.; Talukdar, S.C.
2008-01-01
The Mesozoic (Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) deeply buried gas reservoir play in the central and eastern Gulf coastal plain of the United States has high potential for significant gas resources. Sequence-stratigraphic study, petroleum system analysis, and resource assessment were used to characterize this developing play and to identify areas in the North Louisiana and Mississippi Interior salt basins with potential for deeply buried gas reservoirs. These reservoir facies accumulated in Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Norphlet, Haynesville, Cotton Valley, and Hosston continental, coastal, and marine siliciclastic environments and Smackover and Sligo nearshore marine shelf, ramp, and reef carbonate environments. These Mesozoic strata are associated with transgressive and regressive systems tracts. In the North Louisiana salt basin, the estimate of secondary, nonassociated thermogenic gas generated from thermal cracking of oil to gas in the Upper Jurassic Smackover source rocks from depths below 3658 m (12,000 ft) is 4800 tcf of gas as determined using software applications. Assuming a gas expulsion, migration, and trapping efficiency of 2-3%, 96-144 tcf of gas is potentially available in this basin. With some 29 tcf of gas being produced from the North Louisiana salt basin, 67-115 tcf of in-place gas remains. Assuming a gas recovery factor of 65%, 44-75 tcf of gas is potentially recoverable. The expelled thermogenic gas migrated laterally and vertically from the southern part of this basin to the updip northern part into shallower reservoirs to depths of up to 610 m (2000 ft). Copyright ?? 2008. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.
Nutrient transport and transformation beneath an infiltration basin
Sumner, D.M.; Rolston, D.E.; Bradner, L.A.
1998-01-01
Field experiments were conducted to examine nutrient transport and transformation beneath an infiltration basin used for the disposal of treated wastewater. Removal of nitrogen from infiltrating water by denitrification was negligible beneath the basin, probably because of subsurface aeration as a result of daily interruptions in basin loading. Retention of organic nitrogen in the upper 4.6 m of the unsaturated zone (water table depth of approximately 11 m) during basin loading resulted in concentrations of nitrate as much as 10 times that of the applied treated wastewater, following basin 'rest' periods of several weeks, which allowed time for mineralization and nitrification. Approximately 90% of the phosphorus in treated wastewater was removed within the upper 4.6 m of the subsurface, primarily by adsorption reactions, with abundant iron and aluminum oxyhydroxides occurring as soil coatings. A reduction in the flow rate of infiltrating water arriving at the water table may explain the accumulation of relatively coarse (>0.45 ??m), organic forms of nitrogen and phosphorus slightly below the water table. Mineralization and nitrification reactions at this second location of organic nitrogen accumulation contributed to concentrations of nitrate as much as three times that of the applied treated wastewater. Phosphorus, which accumulated below the water table, was immobilized by adsorption or precipitation reactions during basin rest periods.Field experiments were conducted to examine nutrient transport and transformation beneath an infiltration basin used for the disposal of treated wastewater. Removal of nitrogen from infiltrating water by denitrification was negligible beneath the basin, probably because of subsurface aeration as a result of daily interruptions in basin loading. Retention of organic nitrogen in the upper 4.6 m of the unsaturated zone (water table depth of approximately 11 m) during basin loading resulted in concentrations of nitrate as much as 10 times that of the applied treated wastewater, following basin 'rest' periods of several weeks, which allowed time for mineralization and nitrification. Approximately 90% of the phosphorus in treated wastewater was removed within the upper 4.6 m of the subsurface, primarily by adsorption reactions, with abundant iron and aluminum oxyhydroxides occurring as soil coatings. A reduction in the flow rate of infiltrating water arriving at the water table may explain the accumulation of relatively coarse (>0.45 ??m), organic forms of nitrogen and phosphorus slightly below the water table. Mineralization and nitrification reactions at this second location of organic nitrogen accumulation contributed to concentrations of nitrate as much as three times that of the applied treated wastewater. Phosphorus, which accumulated below the water table, was immobilized by adsorption or precipitation reactions during basin rest periods.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Greene, Todd Jeremy
The Turpan-Hami basin is a major physiographic and geologic feature of northwest China, yet considerable uncertainty exists as to the timing of its inception, its late Paleozoic and Mesozoic tectonic history, and the relationship of its petroleum systems to those of the nearby Junggar basin. Mesozoic sedimentary fades, regional unconformities, sediment dispersal patterns, and sediment compositions within the Turpan-Hami and southern Junggar basins suggest that these basins were initially separated between Early Triassic and Early Jurassic time. Prior to separation, Upper Permian profundal lacustrine and fan-delta fades and Triassic coarse-grained braided-fluvial/alluvial fades were deposited across a contiguous Junggar-Turpan-Hami basin. Permian through Triassic fades were derived mainly from the Tian Shan to the south as indicated by northward-directed paleocurrent directions and geochemical provenance of granitoid cobbles. Lower through Middle Jurassic strata begin to reflect ponded coal-forming, lake-plain environments within the Turpan-Hami basin. A sharp change in sedimentary-lithic-rich Lower Jurassic sandstone followed by a return to lithic volcanic-rich Middle Jurassic sandstone points to the initial uplift and unroofing of the largely andesitic Bogda Shan range, which first shed its sedimentary cover as it emerged to become the partition between the Turpan-Hami and southern Junggar basins. In Turpan-Hami, source rock age is one of three major statistically significant discriminators of effective source rocks in the basin. A newly developed biomarker parameter appears to track conifer evolution and can distinguish Permian rocks and their correlative oils from Jurassic coals and mudrocks, and their derivative oils. Source fades is a second key control on petroleum occurrence and character. By erecting rock-to-oil correlation models, the biomarker parameters separate oil families into end-member groups: Group 1 oils---Lower/Middle Jurassic peatland/swamp fades, Group 2 oils---Lower/Middle Jurassic marginal lacustrine fades, and Group 3 oils---Upper Permian lacusbine fades. Burial history exercises a third major control on petroleum in the Turpan-Hami basin. While relatively uninterrupted deep burial in the Tabei Depression exhausted Upper Permian source rocks and brought Lower/Middle Jurassic rocks well into the oil generative window, Late Jurassic uplift in the Tainan Depression eroded much of the Lower/Middle Jurassic section and preserved Upper Permian sourced oils as biodegraded, relict, heavy oils.* *This dissertation includes a CD that is multimedia (contains text and other applications that are not available in a printed format). The CD requires the following applications: Adobe Acrobat, UNIX.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cover, M. R.; May, C. L.; Dietrich, W. E.; Resh, V. H.
2005-12-01
The availability of flow refugia and cover is an important factor affecting habitat suitability for fish and invertebrates, especially in steep, turbulent streams. In some channels, crevices beneath and between large rocks may be the only available flow refugia that allow rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to conserve energy and escape from high velocity flow during large storm events. Many aquatic invertebrates, especially large or crawling taxa, require cover that is provided by unembedded crevice space underneath large stones. To investigate the influence of channel type on habitat availability, we performed intensive surveys of crevice habitat for salmonids and benthic invertebrates in 12 reaches in Walker Creek, a 25 square km basin in the Klamath Mountains of Northern California. We identified four reaches in each of three channel types: plane bed (3.1% - 3.7% slope), step-pool (5.4% - 6.5% slope), and cascade (6.3% - 8.5% slope). We used 4 realistic fish models (5, 10, 15, and 20 cm length) to assess the size of crevices and presence of flow refugia associated with all cobble (64 - 256 mm) and boulder (> 256 mm) grains within five 0.5 m-wide diagonal transects. The total abundance of crevices was similar among plane bed (6.3 +/- 1.1 m-2) (Mean +/- SD), step-pool (6.2 +/- 0.25 m-2), and cascade (6.7 +/- 1.2 m-2) reaches. Small (5 cm) crevices made up the majority of crevices in all three reach types. While the presence of 5 cm and 10 cm crevices was not significantly different between the three channel types, there were significantly more large (20 cm) crevices in cascade (0.73 +/- 0.33 m-2) and step-pool (0.68 +/- 0.1 m-2) reaches than in plane bed (0.26 +/- 0.14 m-2) reaches (AVOVA, p < 0.05). Moderately sized (15 cm) crevices were more common in step-pool reaches (0.91 +/- 0.13 m-2) than either cascade (0.54 +/- 0.15 m-2) or plane bed (0.42 +/- 0.13 m-2) reaches. Based on these results we conclude that step-pool reaches provide the most favorable habitat for larger (15 to 20 cm) fish, probably due to the channel-spawning clusters of large cobbles and boulders that define this channel type. Understanding the processes that develop and maintain these open-framework clusters is important for basin-scale assessment of potential aquatic habitat.
Assessment of Anthropogenic Impacts in La Plata River Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Garcia, N. O.; Venencio, M.
2006-12-01
An assessment of the variability of the streamflows in La Plata Basin (LPB), particularly in its major tributaries Paraná and Uruguay, is presented in this work. The La Plata Basin, the fifth largest basin in the world and second only to the Amazon in South America, is 3.6 million km2 and covers portions of 5 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Sub-basins include the Bermejo, Paraná, Paraguay, Pilcomayo, and Uruguay. Major rivers of the basin are the Paraguay, the Uruguay and the Paraná. Streamflows in the LPB have been above normal in the last decades, e.g. the mean flow in the Paraná river during the 1971-1994 period was 34% higher than the mean flow during the 1931-1970 period. A similar analysis carried out on the precipitation records for the La Plata basin showed only a 14% increase during the same periods for the Upper Paraná basin and a 20% increase for the Uruguay basin. In this paper it is postulated that the increase in the streamflows, not explained by precipitation increases, is due to the changes in cultivation patterns in the upper basins of the Paraná and Uruguay. Particularly, the substitution of coffee plantations for annual crops, mainly soybeans, has produced a change in the infiltration patterns that influenced the discharges.
Kahle, Sue C.; Taylor, William A.; Lin, Sonja; Sumioka, Steven S.; Olsen, Theresa D.
2010-01-01
A study of the water resources of the unconsolidated groundwater system of the Chamokane Creek basin was conducted to determine the hydrogeologic framework, interactions of shallow and deep parts of the groundwater system with each other and the surface-water system, changes in land use and land cover, and water-use estimates. Chamokane Creek basin is a 179 mi2 area that borders and partially overlaps the Spokane Indian Reservation in southern Stevens County in northeastern Washington State. Aquifers within the Chamokane Creek basin are part of a sequence of glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediment that may reach total thicknesses of about 600 ft. In 1979, most of the water rights in the Chamokane Creek basin were adjudicated by the United States District Court requiring regulation in favor of the Spokane Tribe of Indians' senior water right. The Spokane Tribe, the State of Washington, and the United States are concerned about the effects of additional groundwater development within the basin on Chamokane Creek. Information provided by this study will be used to evaluate the effects of potential increases in groundwater withdrawals on groundwater and surface-water resources within the basin. The hydrogeologic framework consists of six hydrogeologic units: The Upper outwash aquifer, the Landslide Unit, the Valley Confining Unit, the Lower Aquifer, the Basalt Unit, and the Bedrock Unit. The Upper outwash aquifer occurs along the valley floors of the study area and consists of sand, gravel, cobbles, boulders, with minor silt and (or) clay interbeds in places. The Lower aquifer is a confined aquifer consisting of sand and gravel that occurs at depth below the Valley confining unit. Median horizontal hydraulic conductivity values for the Upper outwash aquifer, Valley confining unit, Lower aquifer, and Basalt unit were estimated to be 540, 10, 19, and 3.7 ft/d, respectively. Many low-flow stream discharge measurements at sites on Chamokane Creek and its tributaries were at or near zero flow. The most notable exception is where Chamokane Creek is supported by discharge of large springs from the Upper outwash aquifer in the southern part of the basin. Most high-flow measurements indicated gains in streamflow (groundwater discharging to the stream). Large streamflow losses, however, were recorded near the north end of Walkers Prairie where streamflow directly recharges the Upper outwash aquifer. The similarity in seasonal water-level fluctuations in the Upper outwash aquifer and the Lower aquifer indicate that these systems may be fairly well connected. Land use and land cover change analysis indicates that Chamokane Creek basin has been dominated by forests with some pasture and agricultural lands with sparse residential development from the 1980s to present. Loss in forest cover represents the largest change in land cover in the basin between 1987 and 2009. This appears to be mostly due to forestry activities, especially in the northern part of the basin. Since 1987, more than 18,000 acres of evergreen forest have been logged and are at various stages of regrowth. Estimated average annual total groundwater pumpage in the basin increased from 224 million gallons per year (Mgal/yr) in 1980 to 1,330 Mgal/yr in 2007. The largest withdrawals during 2007 were to supply two fish hatcheries, with a combined total annual pumpage of about 1,150 Mgal. Annual groundwater pumpage values from 1980 through 2007 for the study area ranged from 21.1 to 28.9 Mgal/yr for domestic wells and 0.38 to 23.7 Mgal/yr for public supply. An approximate water budget for a typical year in the Chamokane Creek basin indicates that 19.6 in. of precipitation are balanced by 4.7 in. of streamflow discharge from the basin, and 14.9 in. of evapotranspiration.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bennett, K. E.; Schnorbus, M.; Werner, A. T.; Berland, A. J.
2010-12-01
The British Columbia Hydro Electric Corporation (BC Hydro) has a mandate to provide clean, renewable and reliable sources of hydro-electric power into the future, hence managing those resources in the context of climate change will be an important component of reservoir operational planning in British Columbia. The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (www.PacificClimate.org) has implemented the Variable Infiltration Capacity hydrologic model parameterized at 1/16th degree (~32 km2) to provide BC Hydro with future projections of changes to streamflow and snowpack to the 2050s. The headwaters of the Peace, Columbia, and Campbell River basins were selected for study; the Upper Peace River basin (101,000 km2) is a snowmelt-dominated watershed, and the Upper Columbia River Basin (104,000 km2) has a mixed snowmelt-glacier melt runoff regime, with glacier runoff contributing up to 15 to 20% of late summer discharge. The Upper Campbell River watershed (1,200 km2) has a mixed rainfall and snowmelt (hybrid) hydrologic regime. The model has been calibrated using historical streamflow observations and validated against these observations, as well as automated snow pillow measurements. Future streamflow changes are estimated based on eight Global Climate Models (GCMs) from the CMIP3 suite, downscaled using the Bias Correction Spatial Downscaling (BCSD) technique, run under three emissions scenarios (A2, A1B and B1; A1B is specifically reported on herein). Climate impacts by the 2050s in the three watersheds illustrate an increase in annual average temperature and precipitation ranging between +2.2°C to +2.8°C and +2% to +10% depending on basin, and an annual change in streamflow of -1% to +12% for the three watersheds. Changes are more profound on the seasonal time-scale and differ across basins. Summer streamflow in the Upper Campbell River watershed is projected to decline by -60%, where as the Upper Peace and Columbia systems are projected to decline by -25% and -22%, respectively. Streamflow is projected to increase during winter months for all basins, ranging from increases of +54% (Upper Campbell), +77% (Upper Peace) to +94% (Upper Columbia). These changes in streamflow illustrate a shift towards more rainfall dominated systems with lower snowpacks during the winter months, particularly in the Campbell system (shifting from 23% to 13% snow dominated by the 2050s), which is located at a relatively low elevation and proximal to the Pacific Ocean. Shifts in the distribution of water resources, and in particular snowpack reserves, may require BC Hydro to reconsider their operational planning framework for impacted systems.
Ground-water and water-chemistry data for the upper Deschutes Basin, Oregon
Caldwell, Rodney R.; Truini, Margot
1997-01-01
This report presents ground-water data collected and compiled as part of a study of the ground-water resources of the upper Deschutes Basin, Oregon. Data in this report include tabulated information and a location map for more than 1,500 field-located water wells, hydrographs showing water-level fluctuations over various time periods for 102 of the wells, and water-chemistry analyses from 26 wells, 7 springs, and 5 surface-water sites.
Effects of Debris Flows on Stream Ecosystems of the Klamath Mountains, Northern California
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cover, M. R.; Delafuente, J. A.; Resh, V. H.
2006-12-01
We examined the long-term effects of debris flows on channel characteristics and aquatic food webs in steep (0.04-0.06 slope), small (4-6 m wide) streams. A large rain-on-snow storm event in January 1997 resulted in numerous landslides and debris flows throughout many basins in the Klamath Mountains of northern California. Debris floods resulted in extensive impacts throughout entire drainage networks, including mobilization of valley floor deposits and removal of vegetation. Comparing 5 streams scoured by debris flows in 1997 and 5 streams that had not been scoured as recently, we determined that debris-flows decreased channel complexity by reducing alluvial step frequency and large woody debris volumes. Unscoured streams had more diverse riparian vegetation, whereas scoured streams were dominated by dense, even-aged stands of white alder (Alnus rhombiflia). Benthic invertebrate shredders, especially nemourid and peltoperlid stoneflies, were more abundant and diverse in unscoured streams, reflecting the more diverse allochthonous resources. Debris flows resulted in increased variability in canopy cover, depending on degree of alder recolonization. Periphyton biomass was higher in unscoured streams, but primary production was greater in the recently scoured streams, suggesting that invertebrate grazers kept algal assemblages in an early successional state. Glossosomatid caddisflies were predominant scrapers in scoured streams; heptageniid mayflies were abundant in unscoured streams. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were of similar abundance in scoured and unscoured streams, but scoured streams were dominated by young-of-the-year fish while older juveniles were more abundant in unscoured streams. Differences in the presence of cold-water (Doroneuria) versus warm-water (Calineuria) perlid stoneflies suggest that debris flows have altered stream temperatures. Debris flows have long-lasting impacts on stream communities, primarily through the cascading effects of removal of riparian vegetation. Because debris flow frequency increases following road construction and timber harvest, the long-term biological effects of debris flows on stream ecosystems, including anadromous fish populations, needs to be considered in forest management decisions.
1991-06-14
STS040-614-061 (5-14 June 1991) --- Albuquerque, New Mexico is perched on the edge of the Rio Grande floodplain, which crosses the photograph from upper left to center lower right. The reddish-brown surface of the Albuquerque Basin, a fault-bounded structural basin filled by alluvial fan and lake-bed sediments, is broken by an irregular light-toned rim River along both the Rio Grande and Rio Puerco (lower left). The rim marks the erosional edge of an ancient caliche soil that formed more than a half-million years ago, before the Rio Grande integrated its drainage from basin to basin. The upper right portion of the photograph is dominated by dark tones, representing pinyon/juniper and other timber growing on very old rocks of the Sandia Mountains. Interstate 40 can be seen passing through Sandia Pass which cuts the mountain mass.
Chada Filho, Luiz Goncalves; Dias Pessoa, Mario; Sinclair, William C.
1966-01-01
The upper Capibaribe basin is the western three-fourths, approximately, of the valley of the river that empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Recife, the capital of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. It is the part of the drainage basin that is within the Drought Polygon of northeast Brazil, and it totals about 5,400 square kilometers. It receives relatively abundant precipitation in terms of the annual average, yet is regarded as hot subhumid to semiarid because the precipitation is uneven from year to year and place to place. The dependable water supply, therefore, is small. The basin has water, which could be put to better use than at present, but the opportunities for augmenting the usable supply are not great. The streams are intermittent and therefore cannot be expected to fill surface reservoirs and to keep them filled. The ground-water reservoirs have small capacity--quickly filled and quickly drained. A rough estimate based on the records for 1964 suggests that, of 4,700 million cubic meters of precipitation in the upper Capibaribe basin, 2,700 million cubic meters (57 percent) left the basin as runoff and 2,000 million cubic meters {43 percent) went into underground storage or was evaporated or transpired. The bedrock of the upper Capibaribe basin is composed of granite, gneiss, schist, and other varieties of crystalline rocks, which have only insignificant primary permeability. They are permeable mainly where fractured. The principal fracture zones, fortunately, are in the valleys, where water accumulates and can feed into them, but the volume of fractured rock is small in relation to the basin as a whole. A well in a large water-filled fracture zone may yield up to 20,000 liters per hour, but the average well yields less than one-fourth this amount, and some wells yield none. The saprolite, or weathered rock, is many meters thick at some places especially in the eastern half of the upper Capibaribe basin. It contains water locally, but ordinarily will yield only small quantities to wells. The alluvium probably is the most productive aquifer in the basin, but is limited to narrow bands along the rivers that generally are no more than a few hundred meters wide and 5 meters thick. The alluvium contains variable amounts of silty sand capable of yielding small to moderate quantities of water to wells. Wells driven or dug into the alluvium could solve many small water problems. The chemical quality of the water in the upper Capibaribe basin ranges from good to bad and generally presents a major problem that cannot be solved solely by applying geological criteria. Mineralized water is widespread in the area, both in streams and underground, and .the choice of aquifers is small. All known aquifers contain, at one place or another, water that is mineralized, leaving no alternative for a natural supply of good-quality water. Although much of the available water is unsatisfactory for human consumption, it is generally acceptable for animals and therefore meets one of the principal water needs. Some of the ground water could be made potable by diluting it with rainwater, which could be collected during rainy seasons and temporarily stored in cisterns or reservoirs.
Ketner, Keith B.
2008-01-01
An area between the towns of Winnemucca and Battle Mountain in northwestern Nevada, termed the arkosic triangle, includes the type areas of the middle to upper Paleozoic Inskip Formation and Havallah sequence, the Upper Devonian to Mississippian Harmony Formation, the Sonoma orogeny, and the Golconda thrust. According to an extensive body of scientific literature, the Havallah sequence, a diverse assemblage of oceanic rocks, was obducted onto the continent during the latest Permian or earliest Triassic Sonoma orogeny by way of the Golconda thrust. This has been the most commonly accepted theory for half a century, often cited but rarely challenged. The tectonic roles of the Inskip and Harmony Formations have remained uncertain, and they have never been fully integrated into the accepted theory. New, and newly interpreted, data are incompatible with the accepted theory and force comprehensive stratigraphic and tectonic concepts that include the Inskip and Harmony Formations as follows: middle to upper Paleozoic strata, including the Inskip, Harmony, and Havallah, form an interrelated assemblage that was deposited in a single basin on an autochthonous sequence of Cambrian, Ordovician, and lowest Silurian strata of the outer miogeocline. Sediments composing the Upper Devonian to Permian sequence entered the basin from both sides, arkosic sands, gravel, limestone olistoliths, and other detrital components entered from the west, and quartz, quartzite, chert, and other clasts from the east. Tectonic activity was expressed as: (1) Devonian uplift and erosion of part of the outer miogeocline; (2) Late Devonian depression of the same area, forming a trough, probably fault-bounded, in which the Inskip, Harmony, and Havallah were deposited; (3) production of intraformational and extrabasinal conglomerates derived from the basinal rocks; and (4) folding or tilting of the east side of the depositional basin in the Pennsylvanian. These middle to upper Paleozoic deposits were compressed in the Jurassic, causing east-verging thrusts in the eastern part of the depositional basin (Golconda thrust) and west-verging thrusts and folds in the western part. Hypotheses involving a far-traveled allochthon that was obducted from an ocean or back-arc basin are incompatible with modern observations and concepts.
Johnson, Ronald C.
2007-01-01
Detailed measured sections and regional stratigraphic cross sections are used to reconstruct facies maps and interpret paleogeographic settings for the interval from the base of Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Formation to top of lower member of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming. The Mesaverde Formation spans the time during which the Upper Cretaceous seaway retreated eastward out of central Wyoming in Campanian time and the initial stages of the Lewis transgression in earliest Maastrichtian time. This retreat stalled for a considerable period of time during deposition of the lower part of the Mesaverde, creating a thick buildup of marginal marine sandstones and coaly coastal plain deposits across the western part of the basin. The Lewis sea transgressed into the northeast part of Wind River Basin, beginning in early Maastrichtian time during deposition of the Teapot Sandstone Member of the Mesaverde Formation. The Meeteetse Formation, which overlies the Teapot, was deposited in a poorly-drained coastal plain setting southwest of the Lewis seaway. The Lewis seaway, at maximum transgression, covered much of the northeast half of the Wind River Basin area but was clearly deflected around the present site of the Wind River Range, southwest of the basin, providing the first direct evidence of Laramide uplift on that range. Uplift of the Wind River Range continued during deposition of the overlying Maastrichtian Lance Formation. The Granite Mountains south of the basin also became a positive feature during this time. A rapidly subsiding trough during the Maastrichtian time formed near the presentday trough of the Wind River Basin in which more than 6,000 feet of Lance was deposited. The development of this trough appears to have begun before the adjacent Owl Creek Mountains to the north started to rise; however, a muddy facies in the upper part of Lance in the deep subsurface, just to the south, might be interpreted to indicate that the Cretaceous Cody Shale was being eroded off a rising Owl Creek Mountains in latest Cretaceous time. The Paleocene Fort Union Formation unconformably overlies older units but with only slight angular discordance around much of the margins of the Wind River Basin. Pre-Fort Union erosion was most pronounced toward the Wind River Range to the southwest, where the Fort Union ultimately overlies strata as old as the upper part of the Cretaceous Cody Shale. The unconformity appears to die out toward the basin center. Coal-forming mires developed throughout the western part of the basin near the beginning of the Paleocene. River systems entering the basin from the Wind River Range to the southwest and the Granite Mountains to the south produced areas of sandy fluvial deposition along mountain fronts. A major river system appears to have entered the basin from about the same spot along the Wind River Range throughout much of the Paleocene, probably because it became incised and could not migrate laterally. The muddy floodplain facies that developed along the deep basin trough during latest Cretaceous time, expanded during the early part of the Paleocene. Coal-forming mires that characterize part of the lower Fort Union Formation reached maximum extent near the beginning of the late Paleocene and just prior to the initial transgression of Lake Waltman. From the time of initial flooding, Lake Waltman expanded rapidly, drowning the coal-forming mires in the central part of the basin and spreading to near basin margins. Outcrop studies along the south margin of the basin document that once maximum transgression was reached, the lake was rapidly pushed basinward and replaced by fluvial environments.
Dry spell, onset and cessation of the wet season rainfall in the Upper Baro-Akobo Basin, Ethiopia
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kebede, Asfaw; Diekkrüger, Bernd; Edossa, Desalegn C.
2017-08-01
In this study, maximum dry spell length and number of dry spell periods of rainy seasons in the upper Baro-Akobo River basin which is a part of the Nile basin, Western Ethiopia, were investigated to analyse the drought trend. Daily rainfall records of the period 1972-2000 from eight rain gauge stations were used in the analysis, and Mann-Kendall test was used to test trends for significance. Furthermore, the beginning and end of the trend development in the dry spell were also tested using the sequential version of Mann-Kendall test. Results have shown that there is neither clear monotonic trend found in dry spell for the basin nor significant fluctuation in the onset, cession and duration of rainfall in the Baro-Akobo river basin. This sufficiently explains why rain-fed agriculture has suffered little in the western part of Ethiopia. The predictable nature of dry spell pattern may have allowed farmers to adjust to rainfall variability in the basin. Unlike many parts of Ethiopia, the Baro-Akobo basin climate variability is not a limiting factor for rain-fed agriculture productivity which may contribute significantly to national food security.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Saber, H.; El-Wartiti, M.; Broutin, J.
2001-05-01
The intra-mountainous Ida Ou Zal Basin developed as a graben during the Stephanian (Carboniferous) and Lower Permian. Along its borders from east to west are the remnants of basal conglomerates. Passing laterally towards the centre of the basin are fine-grained fluvial-lacustrine sediments or flood-plain deposits. The important accumulation (1800 m) of sediments, associated with climatic and tectonic changes, caused substantial subsidence in a late orogenic setting. The remnants of sporadic volcanic products (shards) found in the Ida Ou Zal and the Ida Ou Zika Basins suggest nearby simultaneous magmatic activity. A comparison between the basins of Ida Ou Zal and Ida Ou Ziki suggest that the two basins formed a single unit, called the Souss Basin, ultimately terminated between the Lower Permian and Upper Permian times by a sinistral movement of the N70-80° Agadir Ou Anzizen Fault (west branch of the Tizi N'Test Fault) at the very end of the Hercynian Orogeny in Morocco.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuwabara, J. S.; Topping, B. R.; Lynch, D. D.; Murphy, F.; Carter, J. L.; Lindenberg, M.
2007-12-01
Hypoxic, environmentally stressful conditions for endangered fish populations have been generated over the past century by an annual phytoplankton bloom in Upper Klamath Lake, OR. The bloom is consistently dominated by the nitrogen-fixing cyanophyte Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), thus a quantitative understanding of processes affecting the transport of biologically available phosphorus (P), presumably the limiting nutrient, is critical for resource management in the lake. This work was undertaken to help develop sound remediation or restoration strategies, and to set realistic expectations for water-quality improvements. Particle-reactive phosphate can adsorb or complex onto particles that settle and accumulate in the lake bed. Biogeochemical processes near the sediment-water interface can remobilize particle-bound P and generate a benthic flux of bioavailable P. This study provides estimates of the benthic flux of dissolved macronutrients (i.e., phosphorus and nitrogen species) before, during and after the period of: (1) increased water-column nutrient concentrations that cannot be accounted for by riverine inputs, and (2) the annual bloom of AFA. Benthic flux of dissolved orthophosphate was consistently positive (i.e., out of the sediment into the overlying water column) and ranged between 0.5 and 6.1 mg m-2 d-1. Assuming a lake area of 200 km2, this converts to a mass flux to the entire lake of 8,000 to 100,000 kg over a 3-month AFA bloom season which is comparable in magnitude to riverine inputs. An additional concern related to fish toxicity was that dissolved ammonium also displayed consistently positive benthic fluxes of 4 to 100 mg m-2 d-1; also comparable to riverine inputs. In contrast, dissolved nitrate exhibited a consistently negative flux (consumed by the sediment) with values ranging between -20 to -0.1 mg m-2 d-1. Macroinvertebrate densities of the order of 105 individuals-m-2 suggest that the diffusive-flux estimates may be significantly lower than actual values due to bioturbation. Although phosphorus is a logical choice for the limiting nutrient when nitrogen-fixing cyanophytes dominate, initial trace-metal results in the form of coordinated benthic flux, water-column and tributary-inlet data suggest that iron availability to primary producers in the lake is possibly a limiting factor.
Magnetic Signature of Glacial Flour in Sediments From Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rosenbaum, J. G.; Dean, W. E.; Colman, S. M.; Reynolds, R. L.
2002-12-01
Variations in magnetic properties within an interval of Bear Lake sediments correlative with oxygen isotope stage 2 (OIS 2) and OIS 3 provide a record of glacial flour production for the Uinta Mountains. Like sediments of the same age from Upper Klamath Lake (OR), these Bear Lake sediments have high magnetic susceptibilities (MS) relative to non-glacial-age sediments and contain well-defined millennial-scale variations in magnetic properties. In contrast to glacial flour derived from volcanic rocks surrounding Upper Klamath Lake, glacial flour derived from the Uinta Mountains and deposited in Bear Lake by the Bear River has low magnetite content but high hematite content. The relatively low MS values of younger and older non-glacial-age sediments are due entirely to dilution by non-magnetic endogenic carbonate and to the effects of sulfidic alteration of detrital Fe-oxides. Analysis of samples from streams entering Bear Lake and from along the course of the Bear River demonstrates that, in comparison to other areas of the catchment, sediment derived from the Uinta Mountains is rich in hematite (high HIRM) and aluminum, and poor in magnetite (low MS) and titanium. Within the glacial-age lake sediments, there are strong positive correlations among HIRM, Al/Ti, and fine sediment grain size. MS varies inversely with theses three variables. These relations indicate that the observed millennial-scale variations in magnetic and chemical properties arise from varying proportions of two detrital components: (1) very fine-grained glacial flour derived from Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks in the Uinta Mountains and characterized by high HIRM and low MS, and (2) somewhat coarser material, characterized by higher MS and lower HIRM, derived from widespread sedimentary rocks along the course of the Bear River and around Bear Lake. Measurement of glacial flour incorporated in lake sediments can provide a continuous history of alpine glaciation, because the rate of accumulation of glacial flour probably varies closely with the areal extent of glaciation. In the absence of post-depositional alteration of magnetic minerals, magnetic measurements can provide a highly sensitive tool for assessing variations in glacial flour content if glacial and non-glacial materials have contrasting magnetic properties. For Bear Lake, the required contrast is produced by differences in bedrock underlying glaciated and unglaciated areas.
Ridgley, Jennie L.
1983-01-01
In the Chama Basin a wequence of conglomerate, sandstone, and red, gray-green, and pale-purple mudstone occurs stratigraphically between the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation and Upper Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone. This stratigraphic interval has been called the Burro Canyon Formation by several workers (Craig and others, 1959; Smith and others, 1961; Saucier, 1974). Although similarities in lithology and stratigraphic position exist between this unit and the Burro Canyon Formation in Colorado, no direct correlation has been made between the two. For this reason the unit in the Chama Basin is called the Burro Canyon(?) Formation.
Upper mantle heterogeneity: Comparisons of regions south of Australia with Philippine Basin
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1982-01-01
The nature of mass anomalies that occur beneath the regions of negative residual depth anomalies were identified. Residual geoid anomalies with negative residual depth anomalies are identified in the Philippine Basin (negative) and in the region south of Australia (positive and negative). In the latter region the geoid anomalies are eastward and the depth anomaly is northeast. It is suggested that the negative depth anomaly and the compensating mass excess in the uppermost mantle developed in the Eocene as the lithosphere of the west Philippine basin formed. Heating of the deeper upper mantle which causes slow surface wave velocities and negative gravity and geoid anomalies may be a younger phenomenon which is still in progress.
Finn, Thomas M.; Pawlewicz, Mark J.
2014-01-01
The Bighorn Basin is one of many structural and sedimentary basins that formed in the Rocky Mountain foreland during the Laramide orogeny, a period of crustal instability and compressional tectonics that began in latest Cretaceous time and ended in the Eocene. The basin is nearly 180 mi long, 100 mi wide, and encompasses about 10,400 mi2 in north-central Wyoming and south-central Montana. The basin is bounded on the northeast by the Pryor Mountains, on the east by the Bighorn Mountains, and on the south by the Owl Creek Mountains). The north boundary includes a zone of faulting and folding referred to as the Nye-Bowler lineament. The northwest and west margins are formed by the Beartooth Mountains and Absaroka Range, respectively. Important conventional oil and gas resources have been discovered and produced from reservoirs ranging in age from Cambrian through Tertiary. In addition, a potential unconventional basin-centered gas accumulation may be present in Cretaceous reservoirs in the deeper parts of the basin. It has been suggested by numerous authors that various Cretaceous marine shales are the principal source rock for these accumulations. Numerous studies of various Upper Cretaceous marine shales in the Rocky Mountain region have led to the general conclusion that these rocks have generated or are capable of generating oil and (or) gas. In recent years, advances in horizontal drilling and multistage fracture stimulation have resulted in increased exploration and completion of wells in Cretaceous marine shales in other Rocky Mountain Laramide basins that were previously thought of only as hydrocarbon source rocks. Important parameters controlling hydrocarbon production from these shale reservoirs include: reservoir thickness, amount and type of organic matter, and thermal maturity. The purpose of this report is to present maps and a cross section showing levels of thermal maturity, based on vitrinite reflectance (Ro), for selected Upper Cretaceous marine shales in the Bighorn Basin.
Petroleum geology of Cretaceous-Tertiary rift basins in Niger, Chad, and Central African Republic
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Genik, G.J.
1993-08-01
This overview of the petroleum geology of rift basins in Niger, Chad, and Central African Republic (CAR) is based on exploration work by Exxon and partners in the years 1969-1991. The work included 50,000 km of modern reflection seismic, 53 exploration wells, 1,000,000 km[sup 2] of aeromagnetic coverage, and about 10,500 km of gravity profiles. The results outline ten Cretaceous and Tertiary rift basins, which constitute a major part of the West and Central African rift system (WCARS). The rift basins derive from a multiphased geologic history dating from the Pan-African (approximately 750-550 Ma) to the Holocene. WCARS in themore » study area is divided into the West African rift subsystem (WAS) and the Central African rift subsystem (WAS) and the Central African rift subsystem (CAS). WAS basins in Niger and Chad are chiefly extensional, and are filled by up to 13,000 m of Lower Cretaceous to Holocene continental and marine clastics. The basins contain five oil (19-43[degrees]API) and two oil and gas accumulations in Upper Cretaceous and Eocene sandstone reservoirs. The hydrocarbons are sourced and sealed by Upper Cretaceous and Eocene marine and lacustrine shales. The most common structural styles and hydrocarbon traps usually are associated with normal fault blocks. CAS rift basins in Chad and CAR are extensional and transtensional, and are filled by up to 7500 m of chiefly Lower Cretaceous continental clastics. The basins contain eight oil (15-39[degrees]API) and one oil and gas discovery in Lower and Upper Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs. The hydrocarbons are sourced by Lower Cretaceous shales and sealed by interbedded lacustrine and flood-plain shales. Structural styles range from simple fault blocks through complex flower structures. The main hydrocarbon traps are in contractional anticlines. Geological conditions favor the discovery of potentially commercial volumes of oil in WCARS basins, of Niger, Chad and CAR. 108 refs., 24 figs., 4 tabs.« less
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, L.
2015-12-01
Both the South China Sea and Canada Basin preserve oceanic spreading centres and adjacent passive continental margins characterized by broad COT zones with hyper-extended continental crust. We have investigated the nature of strain accommodation in the regions immediately adjacent to the oceanic spreading centres in these two basins using 2-D backstripping subsidence reconstructions, coupled with forward modelling constrained by estimates of upper crustal extensional faulting. Modelling is better constrained in the South China Sea but our results for the Beaufort Sea are analogous. Depth-dependent extension is required to explain the great depth of both basins because only modest upper crustal faulting is observed. A weak lower crust in the presence of high heat flow is suggested for both basins. Extension in the COT may continue even after sea-floor spreading has ceased. The analogous results for the two basins considered are discussed in terms of (1) constraining the timing and distribution of crustal thinning along the respective continental margins, (2) defining the processes leading to hyper-extension of continental crust in the respective tectonic settings and (3) illuminating the processes that control hyper-extension in these basins and more generally.
Carbonate platform, slope, and basinal deposits of Upper Oligocene, Kalimantan, Indonesia
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Armin, R.A.; Cutler, W.G.; Mahadi, S.
1987-05-01
Upper Oligocene platform carbonates (Berai Formation) occur extensively on the Barito shelf in southeastern Kalimantan (Borneo) and are flanked northward by coeval slope and basinal deposits (Bongan Formation) which accumulated in the southwestern part of the Kutei basin. Isolated carbonate buildups equivalent to the Berai Formation also occur within the Kutei basin and were probably deposited on basement highs. The distribution of these facies is fairly well constrained by the study of outcrops, wells, and seismic profiles. The Berai Formation consists of diverse limestone types with a wide range of textures and with dominant skeletal components of large foraminifera, redmore » algae, and corals. Deposition of the Berai Formation occurred in moderate- and high-energy shallow-marine conditions. Slope and basin facies occur in extensional basins adjacent to the shelfal carbonates and peripheral to isolated carbonate buildups. Slope deposits consist of hemipelagic claystone, debris-flow conglomerate, calciturbidite, and volcaniclastic intervals. syndepositional downslope transport of slope deposits was an important process, as indicated by intervals containing redeposited debris flows, intraformational truncation surfaces, slide blocks, and associated shear planes. Recurrent movement on basin-margin faults and local volcanism probably perpetuated instability of slope deposits. Basinal deposits consist of calcareous claystone with intercalated thin, distal calciturbidite and volcaniclastic beds.« less
Spahr, Norman E.; Hartle, David M.; Diaz, Paul
2008-01-01
Population growth and changes in land use have the potential to affect water quality and quantity in the upper Gunnison River Basin. In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, City of Gunnison, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Crested Butte South Metropolitan District, Gunnison County, Hinsdale County, Mount Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, National Park Service, Town of Crested Butte, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, and Western State College, established a water-quality monitoring program in the upper Gunnison River Basin to characterize current water-quality conditions and to assess the effects of increased urban development and other land-use changes on water quality. The monitoring network has evolved into two groups of stations - stations that are considered long term and stations that are considered rotational. The long-term stations are monitored to assist in defining temporal changes in water quality (how conditions may change over time). The rotational stations are monitored to assist in the spatial definition of water-quality conditions (how conditions differ throughout the basin) and to address local and short-term concerns. Some stations in the rotational group were changed beginning in water year 2007. Annual summaries of the water-quality data from the monitoring network provide a point of reference for discussions regarding water-quality monitoring in the upper Gunnison River Basin. This summary includes data collected during water years 2004 and 2005. The introduction provides a map of the sampling sites, definitions of terms, and a one-page summary of selected water-quality conditions at the network stations. The remainder of the summary is organized around the data collected at individual stations. Data collected during water years 2004 and 2005 are compared to historical data, State water-quality standards, and Federal water-quality guidelines. Data were collected following USGS protocols.
Spahr, N.E.
2003-01-01
Introduction: Population growth and changes in land-use practices have the potential to affect water quality and quantity in the upper Gunnison River basin. In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local sponsors, City of Gunnison, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Crested Butte South Metropolitan District, Gunnison County, Mount Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, National Park Service, Town of Crested Butte, and Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, established a water-quality monitoring program in the upper Gunnison River basin to characterize current water-quality conditions and to assess the effects of increased urban development and other land-use changes on water quality. The monitoring network has evolved into two groups of stations, stations that are considered as long term and stations that are rotational. The long-term stations are monitored to assist in defining temporal changes in water quality (how conditions have changed over time). The rotational stations are monitored to assist in the spatial definition of water-quality conditions (how conditions differ throughout the basin) and to address local and short term concerns. Another group of stations (rotational group 2) will be chosen and sampled beginning in water year 2004. Annual summaries of the water-quality data from the monitoring network provide a point of reference for discussions regarding water-quality sampling in the upper Gunnison River basin. This summary includes data collected during water year 2002. The introduction provides a map of the sampling locations, definitions of terms, and a one-page summary of selected water-quality conditions at the network stations. The remainder of the summary is organized around the data collected at individual stations. Data collected during water year 2002 are compared to historical data (data collected for this network since 1995), state water-quality standards, and federal water-quality guidelines. Data were collected during water year 2002 following USGS protocols (U.S. Geological Survey, variously dated).
Solberg, P.A.; Moore, Bryan; Smits, Dennis
2009-01-01
Population growth and changes in land use have the potential to affect water quality and quantity in the upper Gunnison River basin. In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, City of Gunnison, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Crested Butte South Metropolitan District, Gunnison County, Hinsdale County, Mount Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, National Park Service, Town of Crested Butte, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, and Western State College established a water-quality monitoring program in the upper Gunnison River basin to characterize current water-quality conditions and to assess the effects of increased urban development and other land-use changes on water quality. The monitoring network has evolved into two groups of stations - stations that are considered long term and stations that are considered rotational. The long-term stations are monitored to assist in defining temporal changes in water quality (how conditions may change over time). The rotational stations are monitored to assist in the spatial definition of water-quality conditions (how conditions differ throughout the basin) and to address local and short-term concerns. Some stations in the rotational group were changed beginning in water year 2007. Annual summaries of the water-quality data from the monitoring network provide a point of reference for discussions regarding water-quality monitoring in the upper Gunnison River basin. This summary includes data collected during water years 2006 and 2007. The introduction provides a map of the sampling sites, definitions of terms, and a one-page summary of selected water-quality conditions at the network stations. The remainder of the summary is organized around the data collected at individual stations. Data collected during water years 2006 and 2007 are compared to historical data, State water-quality standards, and Federal water-quality guidelines. Data were collected following USGS protocols (U.S. Geological Survey, variously dated).
The Upper Rio Grande Basin as a Long-Term Hydrologic Observatory - Challenges and Opportunities
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Springer, E.; Duffy, C.; Phillips, F.; Hogan, J.; Winter, C. L.
2001-12-01
Long-term hydrologic observatories (LTHO) have been identified as a key element to advance hydrologic science. Issues to be addressed are the size and locations of LTHOs to meet research needs and address water resources management concerns. To date, considerable small watershed research has been performed, and these have provided valuable insights into processes governing hydrologic response on local scales. For hydrology to advance as a science, more complete and coherent data sets at larger scales are needed to tie together local studies and examine lower frequency long wavelength processes that may govern the water cycle at the scale of river basins and continents. The objective of this poster is to describe the potential opportunities and challenges for the upper Rio Grande as a LTHO. The presence of existing research programs and facilities can be leveraged by a LTHO to develop the required scientific measurements. Within the upper Rio Grande Basin, there are two Long-Term Ecological Research sites, Jornada and Sevilleta; Los Alamos National Laboratory, which monitors the atmosphere, surface water and groundwater; a groundwater study is being performed by the USGS in the Albuquerque Basin to examine recharge and water quality issues. Additionally, the upper Rio Grande basin served as an USGS-NAWQA study site starting in the early 1990's and is currently being studied by SAHRA (NSF-STC) to understand sources of salinity of the river system; such studies provide an existing framework on which to base long-term monitoring of water quality. The upper Rio Grande Basin has a wealth of existing long-term climate, hydrologic and geochemical records on which to base an LTHO. Within the basin there are currently 122 discharge gages operated by the USGS; and many of these gages have long-term records of discharge. Other organizations operate additional surface water gages in the lower part of the basin. Long-term records of river chemistry have been kept by the USGS, U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, IBWC and EBID. Significantly, these records extend through periods of climate extremes, notably the 1950's drought. One challenge that the Rio Grande faces as a LTHO is combining datasets maintained by different agencies in order to address research questions at this spatial and temporal scale. Challenges facing the development of a LTHO on the Rio Grande include instrumentation over steep topographic and biological gradients that exist. Political issues surrounding any basin can create problems for making long-term measurements. Current water resources management requires a greater scientific understanding of coupled processes, serious improvements in predictive capability and available computational resources, both of which require a comprehensive hydrologic monitoring system beyond any which exist today.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Khalaf, E. A.; Obeid, M. A.
2013-09-01
This paper presents a stratigraphic and sedimentary study of Neoproterozoic successions of the South Sinai, at the northernmost segment of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS), including the Kid complex. This complex is composed predominantly of thick volcano-sedimentary successions representing different depositional and tectonic environments, followed by four deformational phases including folding and brittle faults (D1-D4). The whole Kid area is divisible from north to south into the lower, middle, and upper rock sequences. The higher metamorphic grade and extensive deformational styles of the lower sequence distinguishes them from the middle and upper sequences. Principal lithofacies in the lower sequence include thrust-imbricated tectonic slice of metasediments and metavolcanics, whereas the middle and upper sequences are made up of clastic sediments, intermediate-felsic lavas, volcaniclastics, and dike swarms. Two distinct Paleo- depositional environments are observed: deep-marine and alluvial fan regime. The former occurred mainly during the lower sequence, whereas the latter developed during the other two sequences. These alternations of depositional conditions in the volcano-sedimentary deposits suggest that the Kid area may have formed under a transitional climate regime fluctuating gradually from warm and dry to warm and humid conditions. Geochemical and petrographical data, in conjunction with field relationships, suggest that the investigated volcano-sedimentary rocks were built from detritus derived from a wide range of sources, ranging from Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic continental crust. Deposition within the ancient Kid basin reflects a complete basin cycle from rifting and passive margin development, to intra-arc and foreland basin development and, finally, basin closure. The early phase of basin evolution is similar to various basins in the Taupo volcanics, whereas the later phases are similar to the Cordilleran-type foreland basin. The progressive change in lithofacies from marine intra-arc basin to continental molasses foreland basin and from compression to extension setting respectively, imply that the source area became peneplained, where the Kid basin became stabilized as sedimentation progressed following uplift. The scenario proposed of the study area supports the role of volcanic and tectonic events in architecting the facies and stratigraphic development.
Global sensitivity analysis of water age and temperature for informing salmonid disease management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Javaheri, Amir; Babbar-Sebens, Meghna; Alexander, Julie; Bartholomew, Jerri; Hallett, Sascha
2018-06-01
Many rivers in the Pacific Northwest region of North America are anthropogenically manipulated via dam operations, leading to system-wide impacts on hydrodynamic conditions and aquatic communities. Understanding how dam operations alter abiotic and biotic variables is important for designing management actions. For example, in the Klamath River, dam outflows could be manipulated to alter water age and temperature to reduce risk of parasite infections in salmon by diluting or altering viability of parasite spores. However, sensitivity of water age and temperature to the riverine conditions such as bathymetry can affect outcomes from dam operations. To examine this issue in detail, we conducted a global sensitivity analysis of water age and temperature to a comprehensive set of hydraulics and meteorological parameters in the Klamath River, California, where management of salmonid disease is a high priority. We applied an analysis technique, which combined Latin-hypercube and one-at-a-time sampling methods, and included simulation runs with the hydrodynamic numerical model of the Lower Klamath. We found that flow rate and bottom roughness were the two most important parameters that influence water age. Water temperature was more sensitive to inflow temperature, air temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, flow rate, and wet bulb temperature respectively. Our results are relevant for managers because they provide a framework for predicting how water within 'high infection risk' sections of the river will respond to dam water (low infection risk) input. Moreover, these data will be useful for prioritizing the use of water age (dilution) versus temperature (spore viability) under certain contexts when considering flow manipulation as a method to reduce risk of infection and disease in Klamath River salmon.
Hydrogeologic framework of the middle San Pedro watershed, southeastern Arizona
Dickinson, Jesse; Kennedy, Jeffrey R.; Pool, D.R.; Cordova, Jeffrey T.; Parker, John T.; Macy, J.P.; Thomas, Blakemore
2010-01-01
Water managers in rural Arizona are under increasing pressure to provide sustainable supplies of water despite rapid population growth and demands for environmental protection. This report describes the results of a study of the hydrogeologic framework of the middle San Pedro watershed. The components of this report include: (1) a description of the geologic setting and depositional history of basin fill sediments that form the primary aquifer system, (2) updated bedrock altitudes underlying basin fill sediments calculated using a subsurface density model of gravity data, (3) delineation of hydrogeologic units in the basin fill using lithologic descriptions in driller's logs and models of airborne electrical resistivity data, (4) a digital three-dimensional (3D) hydrogeologic framework model (HFM) that represents spatial extents and thicknesses of the hydrogeologic units (HGUs), and (5) description of the hydrologic properties of the HGUs. The lithologic interpretations based on geophysical data and unit thickness and extent of the HGUs included in the HFM define potential configurations of hydraulic zones and parameters that can be incorporated in groundwater-flow models. The hydrogeologic framework comprises permeable and impermeable stratigraphic units: (1) bedrock, (2) sedimentary rocks predating basin-and-range deformation, (3) lower basin fill, (4) upper basin fill, and (5) stream alluvium. The bedrock unit includes Proterozoic to Cretaceous crystalline rocks, sedimentary rocks, and limestone that are relatively impermeable and poor aquifers, except for saturated portions of limestone. The pre-basin-and-range sediments underlie the lower basin fill but are relatively impermeable owing to cementation. However, they may be an important water-bearing unit where fractured. Alluvium of the lower basin fill, the main water-bearing unit, was deposited in the structural trough between the uplifted ridges of bedrock and (or) pre-basin-and-range sediments. Alluvium of the upper basin fill may be more permeable than the lower basin fill, but it is generally unsaturated in the study area. The lower basin fill stratigraphic unit was delineated into three HGUs on the basis of lithologic descriptions in driller?s logs and one-dimensional (1D) electrical models of airborne transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys. The interbedded lower basin fill (ILBF) HGU represents an upper sequence having resistivity values between 5 and 40 ohm-m identified as interbedded sand, gravel, and clay in driller?s logs. Below this upper sequence, fine-grained lower basin fill (FLBF) HGU represents a thick silt and clay sequence having resistivity values between 5 and 20 ohm-m. Within the coarse-grained lower basin fill (CLBF) HGU, which underlies the silt and clay of the FLBF, the resistivity values on logs and 1D models increase to several hundred ohm-m and are highly variable within sand and gravel layers. These sequences match distinct resistivity and lithologic layers identified by geophysical logs in the adjacent Sierra Vista subwatershed, suggesting that these sequences are laterally continuous within both the Benson and Sierra Vista subwatersheds in the Upper San Pedro Basin. A subsurface density model based on gravity data was constructed to identify the top of bedrock and structures that may affect regional groundwater flow. The subsurface density model contains six layers having uniform density values, which are assigned on the basis of geophysical logs. The density values for the layers range between 1.65 g/cm3 for unsaturated sediments near the land surface and 2.67 g/cm3 for bedrock. Major features include three subbasins within the study area, the Huachuca City subbasin, the Tombstone subbasin, and the Benson subbasin, which have no expression in surface topography or lithology. Bedrock altitudes from the subsurface density model defined top altitudes of the bedrock HGU. The HFM includes the following HGUs in ascending stratigr
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gurcay, S.; Cifci, G.; Dondurur, D.; Sozbilir, H.
2012-12-01
Gulfes of Sigacik and Kusadasi (Western Anatolia) are located south of the Middle Eastern Aegean depression which formed by vertical displacements along the NB- to N-trending structural planes. This study consists of the results of the multi-channel seismic reflection and chirp data acquisition by K. Piri Reis, research vessel of Dokuz Eylül University (Izmir-TURKEY), in Sigacik Gulf and Kusadasi Gulf (West Anatolia) in August-2005 and in March-2008. Data were acquired approximately along the 1300km seismic lines. Two main seismic units, lower unit (Pre-Neogene) and upper unit (Neogene), can easily be determined on multi channel seismic sections. It is also observed on seismic sections that there are many active faults deform these units. Two main submarine basins can be determined from multi-channel seismic sections, Sigacik Basin and Kusadasi Basin. The upper unit in Sigacik Basin is deformed generally by strike slip faults. But there are some faults that have sharp vertical movements on lower unit. Some of these vertical movements are followed by strike-slip active faults along the upper unit indicating that these normal movements have changed to lateral movements, recently.
Philip J. Howell
2017-01-01
Many bull trout populations have declined from non-native brook trout introductions, habitat changes (e.g. water temperature) and other factors. We systematically sampled the distribution of bull trout and brook trout in the upper Powder River basin in Oregon in the 1990s and resampled it in 2013â2015, examined temperature differences in the habitats of the two species...
Hybridization threatens shoal bass populations in the Upper Chattahoochee River Basin: Chapter 37
Dakin, Elizabeth E; Porter, Brady A.; Freeman, Byron J.; Long, James M.; Tringali, Michael D.; Long, James M.; Birdsong, Timothy W.; Allen, Micheal S.
2015-01-01
Shoal bass are native only to the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, and are vulnerable to extinction as a result of population fragmentation and introduction of non-native species. We assessed the genetic integrity of isolated populations of shoal bass in the upper Chattahoochee River basin (above Lake Lanier, Big Creek, and below Morgan Falls Dam) and sought to identify rates of hybridization with non-native, illegally stocked smallmouth bass and spotted bass.
Dunagan, S.P.; Turner, C.E.
2004-01-01
During deposition of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, water that originated as precipitation in uplands to the west of the Western Interior depositional basin infiltrated regional aquifers that underlay the basin. This regional groundwater system delivered water into the otherwise dry continental interior basin where it discharged to form two major wetland/lacustrine successions. A freshwater carbonate wetland/lacustrine succession formed in the distal reaches of the basin, where regional groundwater discharged into the Denver-Julesburg Basin, which was a smaller structural basin within the more extensive Western Interior depositional basin. An alkaline-saline wetland/lacustrine complex (Lake T'oo'dichi') formed farther upstream, where shallower aquifers discharged into the San Juan/Paradox Basin, which was another small structural basin in the Western Interior depositional basin. These were both wetlands in the sense that groundwater was the major source of water. Input from surface and meteoric water was limited. In both basins, lacustrine conditions developed during episodes of increased input of surface water. Inclusion of wetlands in our interpretation of what had previously been considered largely lacustrine systems has important implications for paleohydrology and paleoclimatology. The distal carbonate wetland/lacustrine deposits are well developed in the Morrison Formation of east-central Colorado, occupying a stratigraphic interval that is equivalent to the "lower" Morrison but extends into the "upper" Morrison Formation. Sedimentologic, paleontologic, and isotopic evidence indicate that regional groundwater discharge maintained shallow, hydrologically open, well oxygenated, perennial carbonate wetlands and lakes despite the semi-arid climate. Wetland deposits include charophyte-rich wackestone and green mudstone. Lacustrine episodes, in which surface water input was significant, were times of carbonate and siliciclastic deposition in scarce deltaic and shoreline deposits. Marginal lacustrine deposits include ooid and skeletal packstone-grainstone, siltstone, and sandstone. Distal lacustrine units are skeletal mudstone-wackestone, microbialites, and laminated (siliciclastic) mudstone. Differentiation between wetlands and distal lacustrine units is not always possible. Palustrine features, Magadi-type chert (MTC), and evaporites record episodes of increased aridity and exposure. Farther upstream, during deposition of the upper part of the Brushy Basin Member, the ancestral Uncompahgre Uplift imposed a barrier to shallow, eastward-flowing groundwater that discharged into the San Juan/Paradox Basin on the upstream side of the uplift. This created the closed hydrologic setting necessary for development of an alkaline-saline wetland/lacustrine complex ("Lake" T'oo'dichi'). Silicic volcanic ash, delivered by prevailing winds from calderas west and southwest of the basin, contributed to the pore-water evolution in the sediments. A distinctive lateral hydrogeochemical gradient, reflecting increasing salinity and alkalinity in the pore waters, altered the ash to a variety of authigenic minerals that define concentric zones within the basin. The basinward progression of diagenetic mineral zones is smectite???clinoptilolite???analcime ??potassium feldspar???albite. The groundwater-fed wetlands were shallow and frequently evaporated to dryness. Scarce laminated gray mudstone beds record distinct episodes of freshwater lacustrine deposition that resulted from intermittent streams that carried detritus well out into the basin. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Deformation Mechanism of the Northern Tibetan Plateau as Revealed by Magnetotelluric Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, Letian; Wei, Wenbo; Jin, Sheng; Ye, Gaofeng; Xie, Chengliang
2017-04-01
As a unique geologic unit on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, the Qaidam Basin plays a significant role in constraining the vertical uplift and horizontal expansion of the northern and northeastern Tibetan Plateau. However, due to its complex evolution history and difficult logistic condition, deformation mechanism of the lithosphere beneath the Qaidam Basin is still highly debated. To better understand the lithospheric electrical structure and deformation mechanism of the Qaidam Basin, A 250 km long, NE-SW directed Magnetotelluric (MT) profile was finished in the northern portion of the Basin, which is roughly perpendicular to the thrust fault systems on the western and eastern margins of the Basin, as well as anticlinorium systems within the Basin. The profile consists of 20 broad-band MT stations and 5 long-period MT stations. Original time series data is processed with regular robust routines. Dimensionality and regional strike direction are determined for the dataset through data analysis. Based on the analysis results, 2D inversions were performed to produce a preferred model of the lithospheric electrical structure beneath the northern Qaidam Basin. Uncertainty analysis of the 2D inversion model was also conducted based on a data resampling approach. The outcome 2D electrical model was further used to estimate the distribution of temperature and melt fraction in the upper mantle based on laboratory-determined relationships between the electrical conductivity and temperature of nominally anhydrous minerals and basaltic melt by using the mixing law of Hashin-Shtrikman's bounds. All these results suggest that: (1) the crust-mantle boundary is imaged as a conductive layer beneath the western Qaidam Basin, with its temperature estimated to be 1200-1300 °C and melt fraction 5-8%, indicating decoupling deformation of the crust and upper mantle. (2) A large-scale east-dipping conductor is imaged beneath the eastern Qaidam Basin. This conductor extends from the upper crust to the upper mantle, implying vertical coherent deformation of the lithosphere. Melt fraction of this conductive region is estimated to be as high as 10%, which might accommodates a major portion of the thrust deformation on the boundary between the Qaidam Basin and the Qilian Block. (3) Two different end-member deformation mechanisms, namely the decoupling deformation and vertical coherent deformation are both active on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, and both play a significant role in controlling the uplift and expansion of the northern Tibetan Plateau. *This work was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41404060, 41404059).
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Hendrix, E.D.
1993-04-01
The Soledad Basin (central Transverse Ranges, CA) contains the first recognized example of mid-Tertiary detachment-faulting west of the San Andreas fault. Displacements along the Pelona detachment fault and syn-extensional upper-plate sedimentation occurred between [approximately] 26--18 Ma, resulting in deposition of at least 4 separate lithogenetic sequences (LS) which record distinct phases of crustal response to extension. The 1st LS (lower Vasquez Fm.) predates syn-extensional volcanism and records initial basin subsidence along small, discontinuous faults. The 2nd LS (middle Vasquez Fm.) consists of both volcanic and sedimentary strata and signals simultaneous onset of magmatism and initial development of a well-defined networkmore » of high-angle, upper-plate normal faults, creating 2 separate sub-basins. Resulting alluvial fans were non-entrenched, implying that subsidence rates, and thus vertical displacement rates on high-angle faults, equaled or exceeded an estimated average sedimentation rate of 1.4 mm/yr. The 3rd LS (upper Vasquez Fm.) reflects transition to a single, well-integrated depositional basin characterized by streamflood sedimentation. This suggests an enlarged drainage basin and a decrease in subsidence rate relative to sedimentation rate, triggered possibly by uplift of the detachment lower-plate. The 4th LS (Tick Canyon Fm.) lies with angular unconformity above the 3rd LS and contains the 1st clasts eroded from the detachment lower plate. Detachment faulting in the Soledad basin appears to involve, in part, reactivation of structural zones of weakness along the Vincent thrust. Preliminary reconstructions of Soledad extension imply 25--30 km of displacement along the Pelona detachment fault system at an averaged slip rate of 3.6--4.3 mm/yr.« less
Maret, T.R.; Robinson, C.T.; Minshall, G.W.
1997-01-01
Fish assemblages and environmental variables were evaluated from 37 least-disturbed, 1st- through 6th-order streams and springs in the upper Snake River basin, western USA. Data were collected as part of the efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program and the Idaho State University Stream Ecology Center to characterize aquatic biota and associated habitats in least-disturbed coldwater streams. Geographically, the basin comprises four ecoregions. Environmental variables constituting various spatial scales, from watershed characteristics to in stream habitat measures, were used to examine distribution patterns in fish assemblages. Nineteen fish species in the families Salmonidae, Cottidae, Cyprinidae, and Catostemidae were collected. Multivariate analyses showed high overlap in stream fish assemblages among the ecoregions. Major environmental factors determining species distributions in the basin were stream gradient, watershed size, conductivity, and percentage of the watershed covered by forest. Lowland streams (below 1,600 m in elevation), located mostly in the Snake River Basin/High Desert ecoregion, displayed different fish assemblages than upland streams (above 2,000 m elevation) in the Northern Rockies, Middle Rockies, and Northern Basin and Range ecoregions. For example, cotrids were not found in streams above 2,000 m in elevation. In addition, distinct fish assemblages were found in tributaries upstream and downstream from the large waterfall, Shoshone Falls, on the Snake River. Fish metrics explaining most of the variation among sites included the total number of species, number of native species, number of salmonid species, percent introduced species, percent cottids, and percent salmonids. Springs also exhibited different habitat conditions and fish assemblages than streams. The data suggest that the evolutionary consequences of geographic features and fish species introductions transcend the importance of ecoregion boundaries on fish distributions in the upper Snake River basin.
Singh, Shatrughan; D'Sa, Eurico J; Swenson, Erick M
2010-07-15
Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) variability in Barataria Basin, Louisiana, USA,was examined by excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). CDOM optical properties of absorption and fluorescence at 355nm along an axial transect (36 stations) during March, April, and May 2008 showed an increasing trend from the marine end member to the upper basin with mean CDOM absorption of 11.06 + or - 5.01, 10.05 + or - 4.23, 11.67 + or - 6.03 (m(-)(1)) and fluorescence 0.80 + or - 0.37, 0.78 + or - 0.39, 0.75 + or - 0.51 (RU), respectively. PARAFAC analysis identified two terrestrial humic-like (component 1 and 2), one non-humic like (component 3), and one soil derived humic acid like (component 4) components. The spatial variation of the components showed an increasing trend from station 1 (near the mouth of basin) to station 36 (end member of bay; upper basin). Deviations from this increasing trend were observed at a bayou channel with very high chlorophyll-a concentrations especially for component 3 in May 2008 that suggested autochthonous production of CDOM. The variability of components with salinity indicated conservative mixing along the middle part of the transect. Component 1 and 4 were found to be relatively constant, while components 2 and 3 revealed an inverse relationship for the sampling period. Total organic carbon showed increasing trend for each of the components. An increase in humification and a decrease in fluorescence indices along the transect indicated an increase in terrestrial derived organic matter and reduced microbial activity from lower to upper basin. The use of these indices along with PARAFAC results improved dissolved organic matter characterization in the Barataria Basin. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Assessment of unconvential (tight) gas resources in Upper Cook Inlet Basin, South-central Alaska
Schenk, Christopher J.; Nelson, Philip H.; Klett, Timothy R.; Le, Phuong A.; Anderson, Christopher P.; Schenk, Christopher J.
2015-01-01
A geologic model was developed for the assessment of potential Mesozoic tight-gas resources in the deep, central part of upper Cook Inlet Basin, south-central Alaska. The basic premise of the geologic model is that organic-bearing marine shales of the Middle Jurassic Tuxedni Group achieved adequate thermal maturity for oil and gas generation in the central part of the basin largely due to several kilometers of Paleogene and Neogene burial. In this model, hydrocarbons generated in Tuxedni source rocks resulted in overpressure, causing fracturing and local migration of oil and possibly gas into low-permeability sandstone and siltstone reservoirs in the Jurassic Tuxedni Group and Chinitna and Naknek Formations. Oil that was generated either remained in the source rock and subsequently was cracked to gas which then migrated into low-permeability reservoirs, or oil initially migrated into adjacent low-permeability reservoirs, where it subsequently cracked to gas as adequate thermal maturation was reached in the central part of the basin. Geologic uncertainty exists on the (1) presence of adequate marine source rocks, (2) degree and timing of thermal maturation, generation, and expulsion, (3) migration of hydrocarbons into low-permeability reservoirs, and (4) preservation of this petroleum system. Given these uncertainties and using known U.S. tight gas reservoirs as geologic and production analogs, a mean volume of 0.64 trillion cubic feet of gas was assessed in the basin-center tight-gas system that is postulated to exist in Mesozoic rocks of the upper Cook Inlet Basin. This assessment of Mesozoic basin-center tight gas does not include potential gas accumulations in Cenozoic low-permeability reservoirs.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hook, Stephen C.; Cobban, William A.
2016-12-01
Lopha staufferi (Bergquist, 1944) is a medium-sized, ribbed, Late Cretaceous oyster with a slightly curved axis and a zigzag commissure; it appears suddenly and conspicuously in upper Cenomanian rocks in the Western Interior Basin of the United States. At maturity, the ribs on both valves thicken into steep flanks that allow the oyster to increase interior volume without increasing its exterior footprint on the seafloor. Lopha staufferi is the first (earliest) ribbed oyster in the Late Cretaceous of the Western Interior, but has no ancestor in the basin. It disappears from the rock record as suddenly as it appeared, leaving no direct descendent in the basin. In the southern part of the basin where it is well constrained, L. staufferi is restricted stratigraphically to the upper Cenomanian Metoicoceras mosbyense Zone (= Dunveganoceras conditum Zone in the north). Lopha staufferi has an unusual paleogeographic distribution, occurring in only two, widely scattered areas in the basin. It has been found at several localities near the western shoreline of the Late Cretaceous Seaway in west-central New Mexico and adjacent Arizona, and in localities 1,900 km (1,200 mi) to the northeast near the eastern shoreline in northeastern Minnesota, but nowhere in between. In west-central New Mexico and adjacent Arizona, L. staufferi is a guide fossil to the Twowells Tongue of the Dakota Sandstone.
Agro-hydrologic landscapes in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River basins.
Schilling, Keith E; Wolter, Calvin F; McLellan, Eileen
2015-03-01
A critical part of increasing conservation effectiveness is targeting the "right practice" to the "right place" where it can intercept pollutant flowpaths. Conceptually, these flowpaths can be inferred from soil and slope characteristics, and in this study, we developed an agro-hydrologic classification to identify N and P loss pathways and priority conservation practices in small watersheds in the U.S. Midwest. We developed a GIS framework to classify 11,010 small watersheds in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River basins based on soil permeability and slope characteristics of agricultural cropland areas in each watershed. The amount of cropland in any given watershed varied from <10 to >60 %. Cropland areas were classified into five main categories, with slope classes of <2, 2-5, and >5 %, and soil drainage classes of poorly and well drained. Watersheds in the Upper Mississippi River basin (UMRB) were dominated by cropland areas in low slopes and poorly drained soils, whereas less-intensively cropped watersheds in Wisconsin and Minnesota (in the UMRB) and throughout the Ohio River basin were overwhelmingly well drained. Hydrologic differences in cropped systems indicate that a one-size-fits-all approach to conservation selection will not work. Consulting the classification scheme proposed herein may be an appropriate first-step in identifying those conservation practices that might be most appropriate for small watersheds in the basin.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Colombi, Carina E.; Limarino, Carlos O.; Alcober, Oscar A.
2017-12-01
The Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation in NW Argentina was deposited in a fluvial system during the synrift filling of the extensional Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin. The expansive exposures of the fluvial architecture and paleosols provide a framework to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental evolution of this basin during the Upper Triassic using continental sequence stratigraphy. The Ischigualasto Formation deposition can be divided into seven sequential sedimentary stages: the 1) Bypass stage; 2) Confined low-accommodation stage; 3) Confined high accommodation stage; 4) Unstable-accommodation stage; 5) Unconfined high-accommodation stage; 6) Unconfined low-accommodation stage; and finally, 7) Unconfined high-accommodation stage. The sedimentary evolution of the Ischigualasto Formation was driven by different allogenic controls such as rises and falls in lake levels, local tectonism, subsidence, volcanism, and climate, which also produced modifications of the equilibrium profile of the fluvial systems. All of these factors result in different accommodations in central and flank areas of the basin, which led to different architectural configurations of channels and floodplains. Allogenic processes affected not only the sequence stratigraphy of the basin but also the vertebrate and plant taphocenosis. Therefore, the sequence stratigraphy can be used not only as a predictive tool related to fossil occurrence but also to understand the taphonomic history of the basin at each temporal interval.
Petroleum Systems of the Nigerian Sector of Chad Basin: Insights from Field and Subsurface Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Suleiman, A. A.; Nwaobi, G. O.; Bomai, A.; Dauda, R.; Bako, M. D.; Ali, M. S.; Moses, S. D.
2017-12-01
A.A. Suleiman, A. Bomai, R. Dauda, O.G. NwaobiNigerian National Petroleum CorporationAbstract:Formation of the West and Central African Rift systems (WCARS) reflects intra-plate deformation linked to the Early to Late Cretaceous opening of South Atlantic Ocean. From an economic point of view, the USGS (2010) estimated Chad Basin, which is part of WCARS rift system to contain, up to 2.32 BBO and 14.62 TCF. However, there has been no exploration success in the Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin principally because of a poor understanding of the basin tectono-stratigraphic evolution and petroleum system development. In this study, we use 3D seismic, geochemical and field data to construct a tectono-stratigraphic framework of the Nigerian sector of Chad Basin; within this framework we then investigate the basins petroleum system development. Our analysis suggests two key plays exist in the basin, Lower and Upper Cretaceous plays. Pre-Bima lacustrine shale and the Gongila Formation constitute the prospective source rocks for the Lower Cretaceous play, whereas the Fika Shale may provide the source, for the Upper Cretaceous play. Source rock hydrocarbon modeling indicates possible oil and gas generation and expulsion from the lacustrine shales and Fika Shale in Cretaceous and Tertiary times respectively. Bima Sandstone and weathered basement represent prospective reservoirs for the Lower Cretaceous play and intra-Fika sandstone beds for the Upper Cretaceous play. We identify a range of trapping mechanisms such as inversion-related anticlines. Shales of the Gongila Formation provide the top sealing for the Lower Cretaceous play. Our field observations have proved presence of the key elements of the petroleum system in the Nigerian Sector of the Chad Basin. It has also demonstrated presence of igneous intrusions in the stratigraphy of the basin that we found to influence the hydrocarbon potential of the basin through source rock thermal maturity and degradation. Our study indicates that Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin is affected by igneous activity and basin inversion both of which impact its petroleum system development. Therefore, a detailed study of the tectono-stratigraphic framework of a rift basin is crucial to investigate the development of its petroleum system and hydrocarbon prospectivity.
Climate Change Impacts on the Upper Indus Hydrology: Sources, Shifts and Extremes.
Lutz, A F; Immerzeel, W W; Kraaijenbrink, P D A; Shrestha, A B; Bierkens, M F P
2016-01-01
The Indus basin heavily depends on its upstream mountainous part for the downstream supply of water while downstream demands are high. Since downstream demands will likely continue to increase, accurate hydrological projections for the future supply are important. We use an ensemble of statistically downscaled CMIP5 General Circulation Model outputs for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 to force a cryospheric-hydrological model and generate transient hydrological projections for the entire 21st century for the upper Indus basin. Three methodological advances are introduced: (i) A new precipitation dataset that corrects for the underestimation of high-altitude precipitation is used. (ii) The model is calibrated using data on river runoff, snow cover and geodetic glacier mass balance. (iii) An advanced statistical downscaling technique is used that accounts for changes in precipitation extremes. The analysis of the results focuses on changes in sources of runoff, seasonality and hydrological extremes. We conclude that the future of the upper Indus basin's water availability is highly uncertain in the long run, mainly due to the large spread in the future precipitation projections. Despite large uncertainties in the future climate and long-term water availability, basin-wide patterns and trends of seasonal shifts in water availability are consistent across climate change scenarios. Most prominent is the attenuation of the annual hydrograph and shift from summer peak flow towards the other seasons for most ensemble members. In addition there are distinct spatial patterns in the response that relate to monsoon influence and the importance of meltwater. Analysis of future hydrological extremes reveals that increases in intensity and frequency of extreme discharges are very likely for most of the upper Indus basin and most ensemble members.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Diaz De Gamero, M.L.; Giffuni, G.; Castro Mora, M.
1993-02-01
The eastern region of the Falcon Basin in northwestern Venezuela comprises a thick sedimentary sequence deposited from a deep marine bathyal to neritic environment, ranging in age from the Middle Eocene to the Pliocene. A detailed biostratigraphic study (foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton) was carried out in two sedimentary sequences outcropping in Cumarebo and Piritu, adjacent areas of eastern Falcon, representing: platform, slope and basinal settings. The Cumarebo section is continuous in the studied interval, from the Middle Miocene to the Pliocene. The Piritu section is continuous from the Lower to the lower Upper Miocene, terminating unconformably beneath a thin intervalmore » of middle Pliocene platform sediments, indicating tectonism during the latest Miocene. The sequence stratigraphical interpretation was based on the biostratigraphic analysis of the benthic and planktonic fossils, facies distribution and sedimentological data. Systems tracts, sequence boundaries and maximum flooding surfaces from cycles TB2.4 to TB3.5 of the cycle chart were identified. In the Cumarebo section, the upper Middle and Upper Miocene is mostly composed of shales, with some turbiditic sands belonging to a LSW system tract. The upper most Miocene contains a thick carbonate buildup (HST), and it is overlain by a Pliocene section that shallows upward from upper slope to outer shelf depositional environments. In the basinal (Piritu) section, most of the sediments are deep-water shales belonging to a LSW system tract, with some turbiditic sands in the upper Lower Miocene. TST and HST sediments, with scattered carbonate buildups in the upper Middle Miocene were also identified.« less
VanOsdol, John G.
2013-06-25
The disclosure provides a pulse jet mixing vessel for mixing a plurality of solid particles. The pulse jet mixing vessel is comprised of a sludge basin, a flow surface surrounding the sludge basin, and a downcoming flow annulus between the flow surface and an inner shroud. The pulse jet mixing vessel is additionally comprised of an upper vessel pressurization volume in fluid communication with the downcoming flow annulus, and an inner shroud surge volume separated from the downcoming flow annulus by the inner shroud. When the solid particles are resting on the sludge basin and a fluid such as water is atop the particles and extending into the downcoming flow annulus and the inner shroud surge volume, mixing occurs by pressurization of the upper vessel pressurization volume, generating an inward radial flow over the flow surface and an upwash jet at the center of the sludge basin.
Englund, K.J.; Thomas, R.E.
1997-01-01
Two contrasting concepts specifying the age and duration of the hiatus resulting from a mid-Carboniferous eustatic event in the eastern United States are based on different evidence. The original model indicated that the hiatus is at an unconformity in cratonic areas that was assumed to coincide with the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary at the contact between the Mississippian Bluestone Formation and the Pennsylvanian Pocahontas Formation in the Appalachian foreland basin. This concept was adhered to exclusively until 1969 and continues to reappear in reports dealing with global correlations and division of the Carboniferous into the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Systems. This division is at a major eustatic event that supposedly occurred at about 330 Ma in scattered parts of the world, including the Appalachian basin. An alternative concept, fully supported by geologic mapping and biostratigraphic studies, indicates that the unconformity and associated hiatus are much younger because they originate in the Appalachian foreland basin in the lower part (upper Namurian) of the Lower Pennsylvanian New River Formation, about 260 m above the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary. The duration of this hiatus increases in a northwesterly direction onto the cratonic shelf because the unconformity progressively truncated the underlying Lower Pennsylvanian and Upper Mississippian successions. The westward onlap of Pennsylvanian strata onto the eroded surface resulted in a hiatus from the Early Mississippian (Tournaisian) to the Middle Pennsylvanian (Westphalian B). The systemic boundary, which is in a depositional continuous sequence of strata in the Appalachian foreland basin, was correlated biostratigraphically by Pfefferkorn and Gillespie in 1982 with Gothan's "Florensprung" (floral break) described in 1913 at the Namurian A-B boundary in the Upper Silesian basin. An intra-Namurian erosive event was noted also in the Upper Silesian basin by Havlena, who reported in 1982 that an intra-Namurian erosive contact occurs well above the Florensprung. The origin of the Florensprung in depositional continuous strata has been attributed to tectonism, environment, or climate. However, spherules found in depositional continuous strata near the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary in the Appalachian basin indicate that the effect of an asteroid impact may be the underlying cause for the biodiversity noted at the systemic boundary.
Bush, John H; Garwood, Dean L; Dunlap, Pamela
2016-01-01
The Moscow-Pullman basin, located on the eastern margin of the Columbia River flood basalt province, consists of a subsurface mosaic of interlayered Miocene sediments and lava flows of the Imnaha, Grande Ronde, Wanapum, and Saddle Mountains Basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group. This sequence is ~1800 ft (550 m) thick in the east around Moscow, Idaho, and exceeds 2300 ft (700 m) in the west at Pullman, Washington. Most flows entered from the west into a topographic low, partially surrounded by steep mountainous terrain. These flows caused a rapid rise in base level and deposition of immature sediments. This field guide focuses on the upper Grande Ronde Basalt, Wanapum Basalt, and sediments of the Latah Formation.Late Grande Ronde flows terminated midway into the basin to begin the formation of a topographic high that now separates a thick sediment wedge of the Vantage Member to the east of the high from a thin layer to the west. Disrupted by lava flows, streams were pushed from a west-flowing direction to a north-northwest orientation and drained the basin through a gap between steptoes toward Palouse, Washington. Emplacement of the Roza flow of the Wanapum Basalt against the western side of the topographic high was instrumental in this process, plugging west-flowing drainages and increasing deposition of Vantage sediments east of the high. The overlying basalt of Lolo covered both the Roza flow and Vantage sediments, blocking all drainages, and was in turn covered by sediments interlayered with local Saddle Mountains Basalt flows. Reestablishment of west-flowing drainages has been slow.The uppermost Grande Ronde, the Vantage, and the Wanapum contain what is known as the upper aquifer. The water supply is controlled, in part, by thickness, composition, and distribution of the Vantage sediments. A buried channel of the Vantage likely connects the upper aquifer to Palouse, Washington, outside the basin. This field guide locates outcrops; relates them to stratigraphic well data; outlines paleogeographic basin evolution from late Grande Ronde to the present time; and notes structures, basin margin differences, and features that influence upper aquifer water supply.
Variability of Mercury Content in Coal Matter From Coal Seams of The Upper Silesia Coal Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wierzchowski, Krzysztof; Chećko, Jarosław; Pyka, Ireneusz
2017-12-01
The process of identifying and documenting the quality parameters of coal, as well as the conditions of coal deposition in the seam, is multi-stage and extremely expensive. The taking and analyzing of seam samples is the method of assessment of the quality and quantity parameters of coals in deep mines. Depending on the method of sampling, it offers quite precise assessment of the quality parameters of potential commercial coals. The main kind of seam samples under consideration are so-called "documentary seam samples", which exclude dirt bands and other seam contaminants. Mercury content in coal matter from the currently accessible and exploited coal seams of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) was assessed. It was noted that the mercury content in coal seams decreases with the age of the seam and, to a lesser extent, seam deposition depth. Maps of the variation of mercury content in selected lithostratigraphic units (layers) of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin have been created.
Anatomy of Old Faithful From Subsurface Seismic Imaging of the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wu, Sin-Mei; Ward, Kevin M.; Farrell, Jamie; Lin, Fan-Chi; Karplus, Marianne; Smith, Robert B.
2017-10-01
The Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park contains one of the highest concentrations of hydrothermal features on Earth including the iconic Old Faithful geyser. Although this system has been the focus of many geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies for decades, the shallow (<200 m) subsurface structure remains poorly characterized. To investigate the detailed subsurface geologic structure including the hydrothermal plumbing of the Upper Geyser Basin, we deployed an array of densely spaced three-component nodal seismographs in November of 2015. In this study, we extract Rayleigh wave seismic signals between 1 and 10 Hz utilizing nondiffusive seismic waves excited by nearby active hydrothermal features with the following results: (1) imaging the shallow subsurface structure by utilizing stationary hydrothermal activity as a seismic source, (2) characterizing how local geologic conditions control the formation and location of the Old Faithful hydrothermal system, and (3) resolving a relatively shallow (10-60 m) and large reservoir located 100 m southwest of Old Faithful geyser.
Algal Data from Selected Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, Water Years 1996-97
Mize, Scott V.; Deacon, Jeffrey R.
2001-01-01
Algal community samples were collected at 15 sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Colorado as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program during water years 1996-97. Sites sampled were located in two physiographic provinces, the Southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateaus, and represented agricultural, mining, urban, and mixed land uses and background conditions. Algal samples were collected once per year during low-flow conditions. Quantitative algal samples were collected within two targeted instream habitat types including a taxonomically richest-targeted habitat and a depositional-targeted habitat. This report presents the algal community data collected at the fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit. Algal data include densities (abundance of cells per square centimeter of substrate) and biovolumes (cubic micrometers of cells per square centimeter of substrate) for the two habitat types. Quality-assurance and quality-control results for algal samples indicate that the largest sampling variability tends to occur in samples from small streams.
The Klamath Falls, Oregon, earthquakes on September 20, 1993
Brantley, S.R.
1993-01-01
The mainshocks caused light moderate damage at Klamath Falls, a town of about 18,000 residents located only about 20 km east of the epicentral area. Damage included toppled chimneys, cracked masonry, and fallen parapets. Power outages occurred after the strongest shocks. In addition, strong shaking broke water mains, and landslides temporarily blocked highways. the earthquakes also caused two fatalities. A rockfall crushed an automobile, killing a motorist, and an elderly lady had a heart attack. the low population density in the epicentral area- less than five people per sq km- kept the toatl dollar loss to about 7.5 million dollars.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Senay, G. B.; Schauer, M.; Singh, R. K.; Friedrichs, M.
2017-12-01
Field-scale water use maps derived from evapotranspiration (ET) can characterize water use patterns and the impacts of water management decisions. This project generated historical (1984-2015) Landsat-based ET maps for the entire Upper Rio Grande basin which makes this one of the largest regions in the United States with remotely sensed historical ET at Landsat resolution. More than 10,000 Landsat images spanning 32 years were processed using the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model which integrates weather data and remotely sensed images to estimate monthly and annual ET. Time-series analysis focused on three water-intensive study areas within the basin: the San Luis Valley in Colorado, irrigated fields along the Rio Grande River near Albuquerque, NM, and irrigated fields near Las Cruces, NM. Preliminary analysis suggests land use changes result in declining water use in irrigated areas of the basin which corresponds with increases in land surface temperatures. Time-series analysis of water use patterns at multiple temporal and spatial scales demonstrates the impact of water management decisions on the availability of water in the basin. Comparisons with cropland data from the USDA (NASS CDL) demonstrate how water use for particular crop types changes over time in response to land use changes and shifts in water management. This study illustrates a useful application of "Big Data" earth observation science for quantifying impacts of climate and land use changes on water availability within the United States as well as applications in planning water resource allocation, managing water rights, and sustaining agricultural production in the Upper Rio Grande basin.
McCloy, C.; Ingle, J.C.; Barron, J.A.
1988-01-01
Foraminifera and diatoms have been analyzed from an upper Miocene through Pleistocene(?) sequence of marine sediments exposed on Maria Madre Island, largest of the Tre??s Marias Islands off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The Neogene stratigraphic sequence exposed on Maria Madre Island includes a mid-Miocene(?) non-marine and/or shallow marine sandstone unconformably overlain by a lower upper Miocene to uppermost Miocene upper to middle bathyal laminated and massive diatomite, mudstone, and siltstone unit. This unit is unconformably overlain by lower Pliocene middle to lower bathyal sandstones and siltstones which, in turn, are unconformably overlain by upper Pliocene through Pleistocene(?) upper bathyal to upper middle bathyal foraminiferal limestones and siltstones. These beds are unconformably capped by Pleistocene terrace deposits. Basement rocks on the island include Cretaceous granite and granodiorite, and Tertiary(?) andesites and rhyolites. The upper Miocene diatomaceous unit contains a low diversity foraminiferal fauna dominated by species of Bolivina indicating low oxygen conditions in the proto-Gulf Maria Madre basin. The diatomaceous unit grades into a mudstone that contains a latest Miocene upper to middle bathyal biofacies characterized by Baggina californica and Uvigerina hootsi along with displaced neritic taxa. An angular unconformity separates the upper Miocene middle bathyal sediments from overlying lower Pliocene siltstones and mudstones that contain a middle to lower bathyal biofacies and abundant planktonic species including Neogloboquadrina acostaensis and Pulleniatina primalis indicating an early Pliocene age. Significantly, this Pliocene unit contains common occurrences of benthic species restricted to Miocene sediments in California including Bulimina uvigerinaformis. Pliocene to Pleistocene(?) foraminiferal limestones and siltstones characterize submarine bank accumulations formed during uplift of the Tre??s Marias Island area, and include abundant planktonic foraminifera such as Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Neogloboquadrina duterteri. Common benthic foraminifera in this unit are indicative of upper bathyal water depths. The Neogene depositional history recorded on Maria Madre Island involves an early late Miocene subsidence event marking formation of the Tre??s Marias Basin with relatively undiluted diatomaceous sediment deposited in a low oxygen setting. Subsidence and deepening of the basin continued into the early Pliocene along with rapid deposition of terrigenous clastics. Uplift of the basinal sequence began in late Pliocene time accompanied by deposition of upper Pliocene-Pleistocene foraminiferal limestones on a rising submarine bank. Continued episodic uplift of the Neogene deposits brought the island above sea level by late Pleistocene time. ?? 1988.
Chondrites isp. Indicating Late Paleozoic Atmospheric Anoxia in Eastern Peninsular India
Bhattacharya, Biplab; Banerjee, Sudipto
2014-01-01
Rhythmic sandstone-mudstone-coal succession of the Barakar Formation (early Permian) manifests a transition from lower braided-fluvial to upper tide-wave influenced, estuarine setting. Monospecific assemblage of marine trace fossil Chondrites isp. in contemporaneous claystone beds in the upper Barakar succession from two Gondwana basins (namely, the Raniganj Basin and the Talchir Basin) in eastern peninsular India signifies predominant marine incursion during end early Permian. Monospecific Chondrites ichnoassemblage in different sedimentary horizons in geographically wide apart (~400 km) areas demarcates multiple short-spanned phases of anoxia in eastern India. Such anoxia is interpreted as intermittent falls in oxygen level in an overall decreasing atmospheric oxygenation within the late Paleozoic global oxygen-carbon dioxide fluctuations. PMID:24616628
Changes in groundwater recharge under projected climate in the upper Colorado River basin
Tillman, Fred; Gangopadhyay, Subhrendu; Pruitt, Tom
2016-01-01
Understanding groundwater-budget components, particularly groundwater recharge, is important to sustainably manage both groundwater and surface water supplies in the Colorado River basin now and in the future. This study quantifies projected changes in upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) groundwater recharge from recent historical (1950–2015) through future (2016–2099) time periods, using a distributed-parameter groundwater recharge model with downscaled climate data from 97 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 climate projections. Simulated future groundwater recharge in the UCRB is generally expected to be greater than the historical average in most decades. Increases in groundwater recharge in the UCRB are a consequence of projected increases in precipitation, offsetting reductions in recharge that would result from projected increased temperatures.
Thermal maturity map of the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group, Uintah Basin, Utah
Nuccio, Vito F.; Johnson, Ronald C.
1986-01-01
The ability of rock to generate oil and gas is directly related to the type and quantity of kerogen and to its thermal maturity; therefore, thermal maturity is a commonly used tool for oil and gas exploration. The purpose of this study ws to provide a thermal-maturity map for the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous Mesaverde Group in the eastern part of the Uinta Basin. Prior to this study, thermal-maturity data were not available for the Uinta Basin. This study uses coal rank to show the thermal maturity of the associated rocks. The map was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy under its western gas sands project.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhang, L.; Jin, S.; Wei, W.; Ye, G.; Xie, C.
2017-12-01
As a unique geologic unit on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, the Qaidam Basin plays a significant role in constraining the vertical uplift and horizontal expansion of the plateau. However, deformation mechanism of the lithosphere beneath the Qaidam Basin is still highly debated. To better understand the lithospheric electrical structure and deformation mechanism of the Qaidam Basin, A 250 km long, NE-SW directed Magnetotelluric (MT) profile was finished in the northern portion of the Basin, which is roughly perpendicular to the thrust fault systems on the western and eastern margins of the Basin. The profile consists of 20 broad-band MT stations and 5 long-period MT stations. Original time series data is processed with regular robust routines. Dimensionality and regional strike direction are determined for the dataset through data analysis. 2D inversions were performed to produce a preferred model of the lithospheric electrical structure. Uncertainty analysis of the 2D inversion model was also conducted based on a data resampling approach. The outcome 2D electrical model was further used to estimate the distribution of temperature and melt fraction in the upper mantle based on laboratory-determined relationships between the electrical conductivity and temperature of nominally anhydrous minerals and basaltic melt by using the mixing law of Hashin-Shtrikman's bounds. These results suggest that: (1) the crust-mantle boundary is imaged as a conductive layer beneath the western Qaidam Basin, with its temperature estimated to be 1200-1300 ° and melt fraction 5-8%, indicating decoupling deformation of the crust and upper mantle. (2) A large-scale east-dipping conductor is imaged beneath the eastern Qaidam Basin extending from the upper crust to upper mantle, implying vertical coherent deformation of the lithosphere. Melt fraction of this conductive region is estimated to be as high as 10%, which might accommodates a major portion of the thrust deformation on the basin boundary. (3) Decoupling deformation and vertical coherent deformation are both active on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, and both play significant roles in controlling the uplift and expansion of the northern Tibetan Plateau. *This work is funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41404060, 41404059).
Rounds, Stewart A.; Sullivan, Annett B.
2013-01-01
Flow and water-quality models are being used to support the development of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans for the Klamath River downstream of Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) in south-central Oregon. For riverine reaches, the RMA-2 and RMA-11 models were used, whereas the CE-QUAL-W2 model was used to simulate pooled reaches. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was asked to review the most upstream of these models, from Link River Dam at the outlet of UKL downstream through the first pooled reach of the Klamath River from Lake Ewauna to Keno Dam. Previous versions of these models were reviewed in 2009 by USGS. Since that time, important revisions were made to correct several problems and address other issues. This review documents an assessment of the revised models, with emphasis on the model revisions and any remaining issues. The primary focus of this review is the 19.7-mile Lake Ewauna to Keno Dam reach of the Klamath River that was simulated with the CE-QUAL-W2 model. Water spends far more time in the Lake Ewauna to Keno Dam reach than in the 1-mile Link River reach that connects UKL to the Klamath River, and most of the critical reactions affecting water quality upstream of Keno Dam occur in that pooled reach. This model review includes assessments of years 2000 and 2002 current conditions scenarios, which were used to calibrate the model, as well as a natural conditions scenario that was used as the reference condition for the TMDL and was based on the 2000 flow conditions. The natural conditions scenario included the removal of Keno Dam, restoration of the Keno reef (a shallow spot that was removed when the dam was built), removal of all point-source inputs, and derivation of upstream boundary water-quality inputs from a previously developed UKL TMDL model. This review examined the details of the models, including model algorithms, parameter values, and boundary conditions; the review did not assess the draft Klamath River TMDL or the TMDL allocations. Attention to the details of a model is one of the best ways to identify potential problems, correct them if possible, and begin to assess the magnitude of potential model errors and uncertainty. Model users need to determine the level of acceptable uncertainty associated with their objectives, identify all sources of potential uncertainty (model uncertainty, data uncertainty, etc.), and assess their approach and results accordingly. In the draft Klamath River TMDL, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality identified the upstream boundary conditions as the largest source of uncertainty for both the current and natural conditions scenarios, not the model algorithms or choice of model parameters. We agree that the upstream boundary conditions are one of the largest, if not the largest, source of model uncertainty; therefore, the derivation of upstream boundary conditions may be more important to the TMDL than some other model-related issues identified in this review. The revised models contain a number of changes, some of which were done to solve small problems and are largely inconsequential to model results, but others of which are important and affect model predictions of instream concentrations. A consistent version of the model is now applied to all scenarios, and an error in the source code was corrected that had inadvertently discarded 20 percent of the incoming solar radiation in the original model. The baseline light-extinction coefficient for water was decreased and set to a consistent and defensible value across all models of reservoir reaches. Inconsistencies among the values of certain parameters in the original models, such as the ammonia nitrification rate and the decomposition rates of organic matter, have been eliminated, although the reasoning behind the final selections was not documented. The dependence of the rate of sediment oxygen demand (SOD) on temperature was modified such that the SOD rate was substantially decreased at temperatures less than 20°C, causing the model to predict higher dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in spring, autumn, and winter. Although that change to the temperature dependence function was done to make the function more similar to the model’s default, this change was not accompanied by any documentation of recalibration or sensitivity exercises. The maximum SOD rate for the 2002 current conditions scenario was decreased from 3.0 grams per square meter per day (g/m2/d) in the original model to 2.0 g/m2/d in the revised model, a considerable adjustment that appears to have been needed to offset effects of a change to another variable (O2LIM) that would have resulted in a substantial increase in the effective SOD rate for 2002. A 50-percent decrease in the SOD rate over a 2-year period, however, is not likely to be mirrored by field measurements, so this change may be compensating for some process that is not represented correctly in the DO budget for the current conditions scenarios. Several important changes were made to the natural conditions scenario. First, the elevation of the Keno reef was corrected; the elevation specified in the original model was 1 foot too high, which affected the volume of the pooled reach and the travel time through it. The most important changes to this scenario were to the upstream boundary inputs of organic matter and algae, which affect incoming fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus. Algal biomass inputs were increased by approximately 60 percent during summer because of a change in the way those inputs were derived from results of the UKL TMDL model. Non-algal organic matter inputs were decreased, particularly in summer to correct a problem attributed to double-counting of phosphorus in the original inputs. The distribution of non-algal organic matter was changed from 20 percent dissolved in the original model to 90 percent dissolved in the revised model in response to review comments and published data. The overall sum of algal biomass and non-living organic matter was decreased, which resulted in lower inputs of total phosphorus and nitrogen. Total phosphorus inputs were less than 0.03 mg/L, and although the inputs were derived from selected results of the UKL TMDL model, these concentrations seem too low to be representative of a historically eutrophic system surrounded by extensive wetlands, peat soils, and a groundwater system high in phosphorus. The draft TMDL states that the upstream boundary conditions are the greatest source of uncertainty, greater than any uncertainty associated with the models. Efforts to improve existing models of algal growth and nutrient cycling in UKL, therefore, would provide a substantial benefit to downstream modeling efforts on the Klamath River. Although many improvements were made in revising the Klamath River TMDL models, some issues and uncertainties remain. Several errors in the model source code remain, but do not affect model results for this application as long as certain options and rates are not changed; future users of these models should be aware of these issues. Although the distribution of dissolved and particulate organic matter was modified for the natural conditions scenario, that distribution was not changed for the current conditions scenarios. Recent data on that distribution and the likely rates of organic matter decomposition could be used to improve these models in the future. Nitrate predictions at Keno (Highway 66) still are too high for the current conditions scenarios; future efforts should re-evaluate the model’s denitrification rates and the release rate of ammonia from anoxic sediments. Possibly the most important of the remaining issues are tied to the two-state (healthy/unhealthy) hypothesis for the algae population that was coded into the model. Some of the rates and conversion functions could be refined to make them more acceptable; currently, the published literature does not support the concept of moderately low dissolved-oxygen concentrations as a stressor of algae in the ranges used by the model. More research is needed before these algorithms can be truly tested. The algorithms currently appear to help the model fit the patterns in the available data, and that is useful and perhaps sufficient for some purposes, but those algorithms are not truly predictive or reliable for certain purposes until they can be tested through well-designed experiments and research. In summary, the TMDL models used to simulate Link and Klamath Rivers from Link River Dam to Keno Dam were revised to fix several problems and address various issues. The resulting models are an improvement over those that were reviewed by USGS in 2009, and represent a useful advance in the simulation of a complex system that is difficult to model. However, several issues remain that cause increased uncertainty in the model results. Depending on the objectives of the modeling, now or in the future, these remaining issues could be more or less important. For the Klamath River TMDL, the upstream boundary conditions may be a larger source of uncertainty than the concerns with model algorithms and model parameters identified in this review. Efforts to re-evaluate the available models of algal growth and nutrient cycling in UKL would be highly beneficial to downstream modeling efforts in the Klamath River.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cavinato, Gian Paolo; Carusi, Claudio; Dall'Asta, Massimo; Miccadei, Enrico; Piacentini, Tommaso
2002-04-01
The Fucino Basin was the greatest lake of the central Italy, which was completely drained at the end of 19th century. The basin is an intramontane half-graben filled by Plio-Quaternary alluvial and lacustrine deposits located in the central part of the Apennines chain, which was formed in Upper Pliocene and in Quaternary time by the extensional tectonic activity. The analysis of the geological surface data allows the definition of several stratigraphic units grouped in Lower Units and Upper Units. The Lower Units (Upper Pliocene) are exposed along the northern and north-eastern basin margins. They consist of open to marginal lacustrine deposits, breccia deposits and fluvial deposits. The Upper Units (Lower Pliocene-Holocene) consist of interbedded marginal lacustrine deposits and fluvial deposits; thick coarse-grained fan-delta deposits are interfingered at the foot of the main relief with fluvial-lacustrine deposits. Most of the thickness of the lacustrine sequences (more than 1000-m thick) is buried below the central part of the Fucino Plain. The basin is bounded by E-W, WSW-ENE and NW-SE fault systems: Velino-Magnola Fault (E-W) and Tremonti-Celano-Aielli Fault (WSW-ENE) and S. Potito-Celano Fault (NW-SE) in the north; the Trasacco Fault, the Pescina-Celano Fault and the Serrone Fault (NW-SE) in the south-east. The geometry and kinematic indicators of these faults indicate normal or oblique movements. The study of industrial seismic profiles across the Fucino Basin gives a clear picture of the subsurface basin geometry; the basin shows triangular-shaped basin-fill geometry, with the maximum deposits thickness toward the main east boundary fault zones that dip south-westward (Serrone Fault, Trasacco Fault, Pescina-Celano Fault). On the basis of geological surface data, borehole stratigraphy and seismic data analysis, it is possible to recognize and to correlate sedimentary and seismic facies. The bottom of the basin is well recognized in the seismic lines available from the good and continuous signals of the top of Meso-Cenozoic carbonate rocks. The shape of sedimentary bodies indicates that the filling of the basin was mainly controlled by normal slip along the NW-SE boundary faults. In fact, the continental deposits are frequently in on-lap contact over the carbonate substratum; several disconformable contacts occurred during the sedimentary evolution of the basin. The main faults (with antithetic and synthetic fault planes) displace the whole sedimentary sequence up to the surface indicating a recent faults' activity (1915 Avezzano earthquake, Ms=7.0). The stratigraphic and tectonic setting of the Fucino Basin and neighboring areas indicates that the extensional tectonic events have had an important role in driving the structural-sedimentary evolution of the Plio-Quaternary deposits. The geometry of the depositional bodies, of the fault planes and their relationships indicate that the Fucino Basin was formed as a half-graben type structure during Plio-Quaternary extensional events. Some internal complexities are probably related to the fold-and-thrust structures of the Apenninic orogeny formed in Messinian time, in this area, and to a different activity timing of the E-W and WSW-ENE fault systems and the NW-SE fault systems. We believe, based on the similarity of the surface characteristics, that the structural setting of the Fucino Basin can be extrapolated to the other great intramontane basins in Central Italy (e.g. Rieti, L'Aquila, Sulmona, Sora, Isernia basins).
Geologic and climatic controls on streamflow generation processes in a complex eogenetic karst basin
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vibhava, F.; Graham, W. D.; Maxwell, R. M.
2012-12-01
Streamflow at any given location and time is representative of surface and subsurface contributions from various sources. The ability to fully identify the factors controlling these contributions is key to successfully understanding the transport of contaminants through the system. In this study we developed a fully integrated 3D surface water-groundwater-land surface model, PARFLOW, to evaluate geologic and climatic controls on streamflow generation processes in a complex eogenetic karst basin in North Central Florida. In addition to traditional model evaluation criterion, such as comparing field observations to model simulated streamflow and groundwater elevations, we quantitatively evaluated the model's predictions of surface-groundwater interactions over space and time using a suite of binary end-member mixing models that were developed using observed specific conductivity differences among surface and groundwater sources throughout the domain. Analysis of model predictions showed that geologic heterogeneity exerts a strong control on both streamflow generation processes and land atmospheric fluxes in this watershed. In the upper basin, where the karst aquifer is overlain by a thick confining layer, approximately 92% of streamflow is "young" event flow, produced by near stream rainfall. Throughout the upper basin the confining layer produces a persistent high surficial water table which results in high evapotranspiration, low groundwater recharge and thus negligible "inter-event" streamflow. In the lower basin, where the karst aquifer is unconfined, deeper water tables result in less evapotranspiration. Thus, over 80% of the streamflow is "old" subsurface flow produced by diffuse infiltration through the epikarst throughout the lower basin, and all surface contributions to streamflow originate in the upper confined basin. Climatic variability provides a secondary control on surface-subsurface and land-atmosphere fluxes, producing significant seasonal and interannual variability in these processes. Spatial and temporal patterns of evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge and streamflow generation processes reveal potential hot spots and hot moments for surface and groundwater contamination in this basin.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kong, D.
2017-12-01
Runoff in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) has changed constantly during the past six decades. This study investigates the features of variations in runoff increment in the YRB and evaluates the impact of climate change and human activities on the mean annual net runoff. Residual analysis based on double mass curves (RA-DMC) was performed to quantitatively assess the separate contributions of climate change and human activities to the changes in net runoff. There was a significant downward trend in annual net runoff for each of the Yellow River sub-basins. For the basin as a whole, net runoff decreased at a rate of 0.721 × 109 m3 yr-1, with the upper, middle, and lower sub-basins separately accounting for 28.4%, 40.5% and 31.1% of the decrease. Human activities were responsible for more than 90% of the change in runoff in each separate sub-basin between 1960 and 2012. For the entire YRB, 91.7% of the change in net runoff from baseline was attributed to human activities. This indicates that human activities have become the dominant factor in net runoff changes in the Yellow River Basin. Among the upper, middle, and lower reaches, the effect of human activities was greatest in the lower reaches.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Worku, Gebrekidan; Teferi, Ermias; Bantider, Amare; Dile, Yihun T.
2018-02-01
Climate variability has been a threat to the socio-economic development of Ethiopia. This paper examined the changes in rainfall, minimum, and maximum temperature extremes of Jemma Sub-Basin of the Upper Blue Nile Basin for the period of 1981 to 2014. The nonparametric Mann-Kendall, seasonal Mann-Kendall, and Sen's slope estimator were used to estimate annual trends. Ten rainfall and 12 temperature indices were used to study changes in rainfall and temperature extremes. The results showed an increasing trend of annual and summer rainfall in more than 78% of the stations and a decreasing trend of spring rainfall in most of the stations. An increase in rainfall extreme events was detected in the majority of the stations. Several rainfall extreme indices showed wetting trends in the sub-basin, whereas limited indices indicated dryness in most of the stations. Annual maximum and minimum temperature and extreme temperature indices showed warming trend in the sub-basin. Presence of extreme rainfall and a warming trend of extreme temperature indices may suggest signs of climate change in the Jemma Sub-Basin. This study, therefore, recommended the need for exploring climate induced risks and implementing appropriate climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Kelsey, Harvey M.; Sherrod, Brian L.; Blakely, Richard J.; Haugerud, Ralph A.
2013-01-01
The northern Cascadia forearc takes up most of the strain transmitted northward via the Oregon Coast block from the northward-migrating Sierra Nevada block. The north-south contractional strain in the forearc manifests in upper-plate faults active during the Holocene, the northern-most components of which are faults within the Bellingham Basin. The Bellingham Basin is the northern of four basins of the actively deforming northern Cascadia forearc. A set of Holocene faults, Drayton Harbor, Birch Bay, and Sandy Point faults, occur within the Bellingham Basin and can be traced from onshore to offshore using a combination of aeromagnetic lineaments, paleoseismic investigations and scarps identified using LiDAR imagery. With the recognition of such Holocene faults, the northernmost margin of the actively deforming Cascadia forearc extends 60 km north of the previously recognized limit of Holocene forearc deformation. Although to date no Holocene faults are recognized at the northern boundary of the Bellingham Basin, which is 15 km north of the international border, there is no compelling tectonic reason to expect that Holocene faults are limited to south of the international border.