Simulation of Ground-Water Flow in the Cedar River Alluvial Aquifer Flow System, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Scientific

The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area. Since 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Cedar Rapids, has investigated the hydrogeology and water quality of the Cedar River alluvial aquifer. This report describes a detailed analysis of the ground-water flow system in the alluvial aquifer, particularly near well field areas. The ground-water flow system in the Cedar Rapids area consists of two main components, the unconsolidated Quaternary deposits and the underlying carbonate bedrock that has a variable fracture density. Quaternary deposits consist of eolian sand, loess, alluvium, and glacial till. Devonian and Silurian bedrock aquifers overlie the Maquoketa Shale (Formation) of Ordovician age, a regional confining unit. Ground-water and surface-water data were collected during the study to better define the hydrogeology of the Cedar River alluvial aquifer and Devonian and Silurian aquifers. Stream stage and discharge, ground-water levels, and estimates of aquifer hydraulic properties were used to develop a conceptual ground-water flow model and to construct and calibrate a model of the flow system. This model was used to quantify the movement of water between the various components of the alluvial aquifer flow system and provide an improved understanding of the hydrology of the alluvial aquifer.

Hydrogeology, Chemical Characteristics, and Transport Processes in the Zone of Contribution of a Public-Supply Well in York, Nebraska

In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey, as part of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, initiated a topical study of Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants (TANC) to PSW (public-supply wells). Local-scale and regional-scale TANC study areas were delineated within selected NAWQA study units for intensive study of processes effecting transport of contaminants to PSWs. This report describes results from a local-scale TANC study area at York, Nebraska, within the High Plains aquifer, including the hydrogeology and geochemistry of a 108-square-kilometer study area that contains the zone of contribution to a PSW selected for study (study PSW), and describes factors controlling the transport of selected anthropogenic and natural contaminants to PSWs.

Temporal Differences in the Hydrologic Regime of the Lower Platte River, Nebraska, 1895–2006

In cooperation with the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District for a collaborative study of the cumulative effects of water and channel management practices on stream and riparian ecology, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) compiled, analyzed, and summarized hydrologic information from long-term gaging stations on the lower Platte River to determine any significant temporal differences among six discrete periods during 1895-2006 and to interpret any significant changes in relation to changes in climatic conditions or other factors. A subset of 171 examined hydrologic indices (HIs) were selected for use as indices that (1) included most of the variance in the larger set of indices, (2) retained utility as indicators of the streamflow regime, and (3) provided information at spatial and temporal scale(s) that were most indicative of streamflow regime(s). The study included the most downstream station within the central Platte River segment that flowed to the confluence with the Loup River and all four active streamflow-gaging stations (2006) on the lower Platte River main stem extending from the confluence of the Loup River and Platte River to the confluence of the Platte River and Missouri River south of Omaha. The drainage areas of the five streamflow-gaging stations covered four (of eight) climate divisions in Nebraska—division 2 (north central), 3 (northeast), 5 (central), and 6 (east central).

An Analysis of Anchitherine Equids Across the Eocene–Oligocene Boundary in the White River Group of the Western Great Plains

Anchitherine horses are a subfamily of equids that are abundantly represented in the late Eocene and early Oligocene of North America. This group has been heavily studied in the past, but important questions still remain. Some studies have focused on the Eocene-Oligocene boundary and have used these equids along with other taxa to study mammalian diet and climate change through this interval. I reexamine two anchitherine genera, Mesohippus and Miohippus, from stratigraphic sequences of the White River Group in western Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota. These sequences span the Chadronian (late Eocene), Orellan (early Oligocene), and Whitneyan (early Oligocene) North American land-mammal ages. The most recent revision of these genera was done by Prothero and Shubin (1989). I review the characters used for taxonomic identification. This includes characters such as the hypostyle, the articular facet on the third metatarsal, and dental dimensions. To avoid possible biases caused by combining specimens from different stratigraphic levels, specimens were separated by location and stratigraphic level. The length and width of cheek teeth, and tooth rows were measured on 488 specimens. First molar area serves as a proxy for body mass in horses and other mammals, and can be useful for distinguishing among species. Results indicate that the characters used by Prothero and Shubin were highly variable in anchitherine horses and are not useful for distinguishing between these genera. The development of the articular facet on the third metatarsal may be a function of body size and therefore may be of no more utility than first molar area. Variability in first molar area suggests the presence of three species in the medial and late Chadronian, two species in the Orellan, and at least two species in the Whitneyan. Due to a lack of objective criteria separating Mesohippus from Miohippus, I recommend synonymy of these genera, making Mesohippus a junior subjective synonym.

Relatin Dissolved Oxygen Concentration to Fish Distribution in Jarecki Lake

Abstract Water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) profiles were measured once every month from mid July to mid February in a relatively deep sand-pit lake in southeast Nebraska. These profiles showed depleted DO concentrations below the thermocline during summer stratification indicating areas fish will likely avoid in summer months. Colder temperatures in fall caused complete mixing of the water column allowing fish to inhabit all depths of the lake. An inverse temperature stratification occurred directly below the ice during winter months as ice cover cooled the surface water to below 4 degrees Celsius. Ice cover also blocked air – water oxygen transfer and reduced light for photosynthesizing algae. Associated with winter ice cover, DO concentrations in the hypolimnion decreased significantly, once again reducing available fish habitat. It is likely anglers will have a higher success rate catching fishing in water above 6 meters (m) (~20 feet) in a eutrophic sandpit lake during hot summer months and below ice cover in winter. Fish can utilize all depths of the lake during fall turnover and could theoretically be caught by anglers anywhere in the lake.

Temporal and Spatial Variations of Ions, Isotopes and Agricultural Contaminants in Surface Waters and Groundwater of Nebraska's Rainwater Basin Wetland Region

The wetlands of south-central Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin region are considered of international importance as a habitat for millions of migratory birds, but are being endangered by agricultural practices. The Rainwater Basin extends across 17 counties and covers 4,000 square miles. The purpose of this study was to assemble baseline chemical data for several representative wetlands across the Rainwater Basin region, and determine the use of these chemical data for investigating groundwater recharge. Eight representative wetlands were chosen across the Rainwater Basin to monitor surface and groundwater chemistry. At each site, a shallow well and deep well were installed and sampled once in the summer of 2009 and again in the spring of 2010. Wetland surface water was sampled monthly from April, 2009 to May, 2010. Waters were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, pesticides and oxygen-18 and deuterium isotopes at the University of Nebraska Water Sciences Laboratory. Geochemical analysis of surface waters presents a range of temporal and spatial variations. Wetlands had variable water volumes, isotopic compositions, ion chemistries and agricultural contaminant levels throughout the year and, except for a few trends, theses variations cannot be predicted with certainty year-to-year or wetland-to-wetland. Isotopic compositions showed evaporation was a contributor to water loss, and thus, did impact water chemistry. Surface water nitrate concentrations ranged from <0.10 to 4.04 mg/L. The nitrate levels are much higher in the groundwater, ranging from <0.10 to 18.4 mg/L, and are of concern because they are found above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L. Atrazine concentrations in surface waters ranged from <0.05 to 10.3 ppb. Groundwater atrazine concentrations ranged from <0.05 to 0.28 ppb. The high atrazine concentrations in surface waters are of concern as they are above the MCL of 3 ppb, and the highest levels occur during the spring bird migration. Most sampled groundwaters had detectable tritium indicating a mix of modern (<5 to 10 years old) and submodern (older than 1950s) recharge. The groundwater also had differences in chemical and isotope composition, and in some cases, increased nitrate concentrations, between the two sampling periods. Modern groundwater tritium ages and changes in groundwater chemical and isotopic compositions may indicate connections with surface waters in the Rainwater Basin.

Consequences of Early Late-Pleistocene Megadroughts in Tropical Africa

Extremely arid conditions in tropical Africa occurred in several discrete episodes between 135 and 90 ka, as demonstrated by lake core and seismic records from multiple basins [Scholz CA, Johnson TC, Cohen AS, King JW, Peck J, Overpeck JT, Talbot MR, Brown ET, Kalindekafe L,Amoako PYO, et al. (2007) Proc Natl Acad SciUSA104:16416–16421]. This resulted in extraordinarily low lake levels, even in Africa’s deepest lakes.On the basis of well dated paleoecological records from Lake Malawi, which reflect both local and regional conditions, we show that this aridity had severe consequences for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. During the most arid phase, there was extremely low pollen production and limited charred-particle deposition, indicating insufficient vegetation to maintain substantial fires, and the Lake Malawi watershed experienced cool, semidesert conditions (<400 mm>/yr precipitation). Fossil and sedimentological data show that Lake Malawi itself, currently 706mdeep, was reduced to an ~125 m deep saline, alkaline, well mixed lake. This episode of aridity was far more extreme than any experienced in the Afrotropics during the Last Glacial Maximum (~35–15 ka). Aridity diminished after 95 ka, lake levels rose erratically, and salinity/alkalinity declined, reaching near-modern conditions after 60 ka. This record of lake levels and changing limnological conditions provides a framework for interpreting the evolution of the Lake Malawi fish and invertebrate species flocks. Moreover, this record, coupled with other regional records of early Late Pleistocene aridity, places new constraints on models of Afrotropical biogeographic refugia and early modern human population expansion into and out of tropical Africa.

Multidecadal Drought and Holocene Climate Instability in the Rocky Mountains

Time series analysis of a diatom-inferred drought record suggests that Holocene hydroclimate of the northern Rocky Mountains has been characterized by oscillation between two mean climate states. The dominant climate state was initiated at the onset of the Holocene (ca. 11 ka); under this climate state, drought was strongly cyclic, recurring at frequencies that are similar to twentieth century multidecadal phase changes of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. This pattern remained consistent throughout much of the mid- Holocene, continuing until ca. 4.5 ka. After this time the mean climate state changed, and drought recurrence became unstable; periods of cyclic drought alternated with periods of less predictable drought. The timing of this shift in climate was coincident with widespread severe drought in the mid-continent of North America. Overall, the strongest periodicity in severe drought occurred during the mid-Holocene, when temperatures in the northern Rocky Mountains were warmer than today.

Holocene lake-level trends in the Rocky Mountains, USA

The availability of water shapes life in the western United States, and much of the water in the region originates in the Rocky Mountains. Few studies, however, have explicitly examined the history of water levels in the Rocky Mountains during the Holocene. Here, we examine the past levels of three lakes near the Continental Divide in Montana and Colorado to reconstruct Holocene moisture trends. Using transects of sediment cores and sub-surface geophysical profiles from each lake, we find that mid-Holocene shorelines in the small lakes (4–110 ha) were as much as ~10 m below the modern lake surfaces. Our results are consistent with existing evidence from other lakes and show that a wide range of settings in the region were much drier than today before 3000–2000 years ago. We also discuss evidence for millennial-scale moisture variation, including an abruptly-initiated and -terminated wet period in Colorado from 4400 to 3700 cal yr BP, and find only limited evidence for low-lake stands during the past millennium. The extent of low-water levels during the mid-Holocene, which were most severe and widespread ca. 7000–4500 cal yr BP, is consistent with the extent of insolation-induced aridity in previously published regional climate model simulations. Like the simulations, the lake data provide no evidence for enhanced zonal flow during the mid-Holocene, which has been invoked to explain enhanced mid-continent aridity at the time. The data, including widespread evidence for large changes on orbital time scales and for more limited changes during the last millennium, confirm the ability of large boundary-condition changes to push western water supplies beyond the range of recent natural variability.

A diatom record of late Holocene climate variation in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park, USA

The changes in diatom species composition in a sediment core from Crevice Lake, Yellowstone National Park, spanning the past 2550 yr, were used to reconstruct long-term limnological and ecological conditions that may be related to late Holocene climate variability. Planktic forms dominate the fossil diatom assemblages throughout this record, but changes in species dominance indicate varying nutrient levels over time, particularly phosphorus. The changes in the nutrient concentrations in the lake were probably driven by changes in temperature and wind strength that affected the duration of watercolumn mixing and thus the extent of nutrient recycling from deep waters. Prior to 2100 cal before present (BP), Stephanodiscus minutulus and Synedra tenera dominated, suggesting long cool springs with extensive regeneration of phosphorus from the hypolimnion that resulted from isothermal mixing. From 2100 to 800 cal BP, these species were replaced by Cyclotella michiganiana and Cyclotella bodanica. These species are characteristic of lower nutrient concentrations and are interpreted here to reflect warm summers with long periods of thermal stratification. From 800 to 50 cal BP, S. minutulus dominated the diatom assemblage, suggesting a return to lengthy mixing during spring. The most dramatic late Holocene changes in the fossil diatom assemblages occurred during the transition from the Medieval Period to the Little Ice Age, approximately 800 cal BP.

Radiocarbon Dating, Chronologic Framework, and Changes in Accumulation Rates of Holocene Estuarine Sediments from Chesapeake Bay

Rapidly accumulating Holocene sediments in estuaries commonly are difficult to sample and date. In Chesapeake Bay, we obtained sediment cores as much as 20min length and used numerous radiocarbon ages measured by accelerator mass spectrometry methods to provide the first detailed chronologies of Holocene sediment accumulation in the bay. Carbon in these sediments is a complex mixture of materials from a variety of sources. Analyses of different components of the sediments show that total organic carbon ages are largely unreliable, because much of the carbon (including coal) has been transported to the bay from upstream sources and is older than sediments in which it was deposited. Mollusk shells (clams, oysters) and foraminifera appear to give reliable results, although reworking and burrowing are potential problems. Analyses of museum specimens collected alive before atmospheric nuclear testing suggest that the standard reservoir correction for marine samples is appropriate for middle to lower Chesapeake Bay. The biogenic carbonate radiocarbon ages are compatible with 210Pb and 137Cs data and pollen stratigraphy from the same sites. Post-settlement changes in sediment transport and accumulation is an important environmental issue in many estuaries, including the Chesapeake. Our data show that large variations in sediment mass accumulation rates occur among sites. At shallow water sites, local factors seem to control changes in accumulation rates with time. Our two relatively deep-water sites in the axial channel of the bay have different long-term average accumulation rates, but the history of sediment accumulation at these sites appears to reflect overall conditions in the bay. Mass accumulation rates at the two deep-water sites rapidly increased by about fourfold coincident with widespread land clearance for agriculture in the Chesapeake watershed.

Millennial-Scale Climate Variability during the Last Glacial Period in the Tropical Andes

Millennial-scale climate variation during the Last Glacial period is evident in many locations worldwide, but it is unclear if such variation occurred in the interior of tropical South America, and, if so, how the low-latitude variation was related to its high-latitude counterpart. A high-resolution record, derived from the deep drilling of sediments on the floor of Lake Titicaca in the southern tropical Andes, is presented that shows clear evidence of millennial-scale climate variation between ~60 and 20 ka BP. This variation is manifested by alternations of two interbedded sedimentary units. The two units have distinctive sedimentary, geochemical, and paleobiotic properties that are controlled by the relative abundance of terrigenous or nearshore components versus pelagic components. The sediments of more terrigenous or nearshore nature likely were deposited during regionally wetter climates when river transport of water and sediment was higher, whereas the sediments of more pelagic character were deposited during somewhat drier climates regionally. The majority of the wet periods inferred from the Lake Titicaca sediment record are correlated with the cold events in the Greenland ice cores and North Atlantic sediment cores, indicating that increased intensity of the South American summer monsoon was part of near-global scale climate excursions.

Diatoms and Tonsteins as Paleoenvironrnental and Paleodepositional Indicators in a Miocene Coal Bed, Costa Rica

Fresh-water diatoms are present in coal, and tonsteins (altered volcanic ash) are interbedded with the coal, in the Miocene Venado Formation on the southwest margin of the Limon Basin, in Provincia Alajuela, northern Costa Rica. The Venado Formation is composed of more than 300 m of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, limestone, volcaniclastics, and coal beds. The coal beds are of unknown lateral extent and mainly occur in the middle part of the formation. The Pataste coal bed occurs near the middle of the formation and is divided into three parts by two tonstein layers. The abundance of biogenic opaline material (diatoms) in the coal is believed to be a direct response to an influx of silica from volcanic tuffs that Later altered to the tonsteins. Diatoms are a useful microscopic tool for identifying the depositional environments of the Pataste coal deposit. The diatoms identified include Aulacosira ambigua, Pinnularia sp., Eunotia spp., and Achnanthes exigua, among others. The abundance of Aulacosira arnbigua suggests that an open-water lacustrine environment was present locally. Achnanthes exigua and the remaining diatom species are benthic forms that lived in shallow fresh-water to slightly acidic swamp environments. The different types of diatoms found in the coal indicate that swamp environments were intermixed with lacustrine environments during the formation of the peat deposit or that the coal records environmental changes through time.

Paleoclimates in Southwestern Tasmania during the Last 13,000 Years

Plant-sociological and climatic classification of the Australian Nothofagus cunninghamii rain forest provides the basis for a new, semiquantitative approach to interpretations of late-Quaternary paleoclimates from four pollen sequences in southwestern Tasmania. Varying proportions of rain-forest pollen types in the records were related to different modern rain-forest alliances and their specifc climatic regimes, such as Eastern Rain Forest, Leatherwood Rain Forest, and sclerophyllous, Subalpine Rain Forest. According to this interpretation, early Holocene climates were characterized by 1,600 mm annual precipitation and 10°C annual temperature, conditions substantially warmer and drier than previously thought. Maximum precipitation levels of 2,500 mm annually were not reached until 8,000 years B.P. A short-term cooling episode between 6,000 and 5,000 years B.P. led to the establishment of modern rain-forest distribution in western Tasmania, characterized either by a precipitation gradient steeper than before, or by greater climatic variability. To interpret paleoclimates from before 12,000 years B. P., when non-arboreal environments dominated in western Tasmanian bollen records, various modern treeless environments were studied in search for analogs. Contrary to earlier interpretations, late-glacial environments were not alpine tundra with a treeline at modern sea level, but steppe, with marshes or shallow lakes instead of the modern lakes. Climate was characterized by 50% less precipitation than today, resulting in substantial summer droughts. To explain such drastic precipitation decrease, the westerlies that dominate Tasmanian climate today must have been shifted polewards. This suggestion is supported by climate models that take Milankovitch-type insolation differences into account as well as sea-surface temperatures. Paleolimnological information based on diatom analyses support the general paleoclimatic reassessment.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene Paleolimnology of Two Mountain Lakes in Western Tasmania

The analysis of diatoms from two lake-sediment cores from southwestern Tasmania that span the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary provides insight about paleolimnological and paleoclimatic change in this region. Both Lake Vera (550 m elevation), in west-central Tasmania, and Eagle Tarn (1,033 m elevation), in south-central Tasmania, have lacustrine records that begin about 12,000 years ago. Despite significant differences in location, elevation, and geologic terrane, both lakes have, had similar, as well as synchronous, limnological histories. Each appears to have been larger and more alkaline 12,000 years ago than at present, and both became shallower through time. Fossil diatom assemblages about 11,500 years old indicate shallow-water environments that fluctuated in pH between acidic and alkaline, and between dilute and possibly slightly saline hydrochemical conditions ( The synchroneity and similar character of the paleolimnological changes at these separate and distinctive sites suggests a regional paleoclimatic cause rather than local environmental effects. Latest Pleistocene climates were apparently more continental and drier than Holocene climates in southwestern Tasmania.