Geology News
Rivers Current Events

“The U.S. Geological Survey released an analysis of the Watts Branch of the Anacostia River in Prince Georges County, Maryland that documents how restoration work on this urban tributary has had a substantial impact on the local economy, directly or indirectly accounting for 45 jobs, $2.6 million in local labor income and $3.4 million in value added to the area in 2011.” Quoted from the USGS announcement.

USGS has a new article titled: “Measuring the Flow: Uses of Streamflow Information“. It is a great article to accompany their real time stream flow data system.

USGS has an interesting article on why streamgages are important. “The uses of streamflow information touch every citizen’s life every day in countless ways.”

“For the first time, anyone can find out the current conditions on thousands of rivers and streams across the country, right from their phone, using USGS’ latest system WaterNow. WaterNow makes the water conditions monitored by more than 16,000 streamgages and other sites across the country available via text or email.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“As a result of last year’s drought, stretches of the Upper Mississippi River have approached record lows. These low water levels have jeopardized commercial barge traffic shipping agricultural and energy commodities on the river.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration website.

Water levels on the Great Lakes were at December record lows last month, causing problems at some ports and requiring some cargo ships to lighten their loads.

The United States Geological Survey has published: “Century-scale perspective on water quality in selected river basins of the conterminous United States”.

Nutrient pollution in the form of excess nitrogen and phosphorus inputs is a well-known cause of water-quality degradation that has affected water bodies across the Nation throughout the 20th century.

NASA’s Earth Observatory has a great satellite image of fog in the valleys of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Unfortunately this dense fog occurred on the day before Thanksgiving when many people were doing holiday travel.

On November 19th the U.S. Department of the Interior releases Colorado River water from Lake Powell reservoir under its new science-based protocol for adaptive management of Glen Canyon Dam.

Since the dam was constructed in 1963 the river has not experienced its natural high flows. These controlled high flow experiments give the river an opportunity to redistribute sediments and scientists an opportunity to observe the change.

USGS has published: Science to Support the Understanding of Ohio’s Water Resources. It is a factsheet that summarizes many sources of data for water studies in Ohio.

USGS has a new fact sheet titled: “Stream Ecosystems Change With Urban Development”. It provides basic information on how hydrology, habitat and chemistry influence biological communities.

Impact of the Toba Eruption

Spectacular Stream Potholes

The Granites of Yosemite National Park

Ancient Tsunami in Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Glacial Change on Mount Baker, Washington

Wisconsin’s Volcanic Past

Rio Grand River near El Paso, TX

“One of the primary concerns related to the development of groundwater resources is the effect of groundwater pumping on streamflow. Groundwater and surface-water systems are connected, and groundwater discharge is often a substantial component of the total flow of a stream.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

The USGS real-time streamflow monitoring system is reporting record high water levels for this date for many streams in eastern New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware. Visit the USGS WaterWatch website for an updated map and access to their thousands of stream gages.

“Researchers use dramatic changes in sediment storage rates in the Danube River delta to determine that human impact upon the Black Sea began long before the Industrial Era.” Quoted from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution press release.

The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources has published their fall issue of Lite Geology. A feature article is “The Evolution of the Rio Grande”.

Last week there were reports of China’s Yangtze River flowing red. The Landslide Blog reports on some of the speculations.

Will Fuji Erupt?

What Happens to Pumice Rafts?

The Next Natural Gas Game Changer

Map: Earthquakes and Faults in Southern California

Earthquakes Within the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Red Water in the Yangtze River?

No one seems to know why the Yangtze River is flowing red for the past few days.

Salton Sea Earthquake Swarm

Isaac Causes the Mississippi River to Flow Backwards

Water Wells Going Dry in the Central United States

Hurricanes Since 1851

Aerial Views of New Orleans Flood Protection

“Reservoirs near the mouth of the Susquehanna River just above Chesapeake Bay are nearly at capacity in their ability to trap sediment. As a result, large storms are already delivering increasingly more suspended sediment and nutrients to the Bay, which may negatively impact restoration efforts.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

“Strong winds and storm surge from Hurricane Isaac’s landfall forced the Mississippi River to flow backwards for nearly 24 hours on Tuesday, August 28.” Quoted from the USGS press release.

You can see the negative velocities on the hydrograph below from the Mississippi River at Belle Chasse stream gage.

Water levels on the Mississippi River are at very low levels. This satellite image shows an area near Memphis, Tennessee on August 17, 2012 when water levels were from 2.4 to 8.3 feet below normal stage. Low water levels have narrowed the channel, made turns tighter and exposed numerous sand bars.

Ancient pollen and charcoal preserved in deeply buried sediments in Egypt’s Nile Delta document the region’s ancient droughts and fires, including a huge drought 4,200 years ago associated with the demise of Egypt’s Old Kingdom, the era known as the pyramid-building time.

“Around 600 CE the Hohokam people began to construct irrigation canals. They excavated trenches up to 12 feet deep by hand, using a digging stick. The trenches drew off Salt River water and fanned into a network of smaller canals that brought a steady supply of water to fields. Between 1100 CE and 1450 CE, 500 miles of canals irrigated 110,000 acres. The food produced by this advanced irrigation system is believed to have supported up to 80,000 people—the highest population density in the prehistoric Southwest.” Quoted from an article on the Arizona Experience website.

“From 1900-2010, freshwater fish species in North America went extinct at a rate 877 times faster than the rate found in the fossil record, while estimates indicate the rate may double between now and 2050.”

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe estimates that the Reservation is losing approximately 8 feet of shoreline per year in some locations along the Missouri River in South Dakota. USGS will monitor the erosion using unmanned flights.

Kirby Corporation has been shipping crude oil produced from the Bakken Formation of North Dakota and Montana down the Mississippi River by barge.

Melting across the Greenland ice sheet has some rivers flowing at flood levels. Earth Observatory has a satellite image of flooding along the Watson River near Kangerlussuaq. The meltwater is a gray color from being laden with rock flour.

Over six inches of rain fell on parts of Beijing China. The resulting floods killed at least 37 people and forced thousands to evacuate.