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Jonathan A. Warrick

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We have investigated the sources, dispersal, and fate of fine sediment supplied to California coastal waters in a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Sediment Management Workgroup (CSMW). The purpose of this study was to document the rates and characteristics of these processes so that the State can better manage its coastal resources, including sediment. In this study, we made the following observations: - Rivers dominate the supply of fine sediment to the California coastal waters, with an average annual flux of 34 megatonnes (Mt). - Cliff and bluff erosion in central and southern California is a source of fine sediment, with a delivery rate of approximately 10 percent of...
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Dam removal in the United States is increasing as a result of structural concerns, sedimentation of reservoirs, and declining riverine ecosystem conditions. The removal of the 32 m Elwha and 64 m Glines Canyon dams from the Elwha River in Washington, U.S.A., was the largest dam removal project in North American history. During the 3 yr of dam removal—from September 2011 to August 2014—more than ten million cubic meters of sediment was eroded from the former reservoirs, transported downstream, and deposited throughout the lower river, river delta, and nearshore waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Water quality data collected in the estuary complex at the mouth of the Elwha River document how conditions in the estuary...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: Limnology and Oceanography
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Hyperpycnal gravity currents rapidly transport sediment across shore from rivers to the continental shelf and deep sea. Although these geophysical processes are important sediment dispersal mechanisms, few distinct geomorphic features on the continental shelf can be attributed to hyperpycnal flows. Here we provide evidence of large depositional features derived from hyperpycnal plumes on the continental shelf of the northern Santa Barbara Channel, California, from the combination of new sonar, lidar, and seismic reflection data. These data reveal lobate fans directly offshore of the mouths of several watersheds known to produce hyperpycnal concentrations of suspended sediment. The fans occur on an upwardly concave...
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This portion of the USGS data release presents topography data collected during surveys performed on the Elwha River delta, Washington, in May 2011 (USGS Field Activity Number W-04-11-PS). Topography data were collected on foot with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) equipment mounted on backpacks operating in Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) mode. A total of 3 GNSS backpacks, each equipped with a dual-frequency GNSS receiver and handheld data collector, were used during the survey. Differential corrections were transmitted at 1-Hz intervals by a VHF radio to the backpack GNSS receivers from a GNSS base station placed on a benchmark with known horizontal and vertical coordinates relative to the North American Datum...
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This portion of the USGS data release presents bathymetry data collected during surveys performed on the Elwha River delta, Washington in September 2010 (USGS Field Activity Number W-03-10-PS). Bathymetry data were collected using a small boat and a personal watercraft (PWC), each equipped with single-beam sonar systems and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers. The sonar systems on the survey vessels consisted of an Odom Echotrac CV-100 single-beam echosounder and 200 kHz transducer with a 9° beam angle. Raw acoustic backscatter returns were digitized by the echosounder with a vertical resolution of 1.25 cm. Depths from the echosounders were computed using sound velocity profiles measured using a...
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