Flooding in the United States Midwest, 2008

Abstract

Front cover. Left center: USGS personnel launching boat in Janesville, Iowa park. Boat was used to access the streamgage on the Cedar River at Janesville, Iowa (USGS streamgage 05458500). Photograph by Scott Strader, USGS. Upper right: USGS hydrographer analyzing stream velocity data collected in the road overflow caused by West Fork Cedar Creek in Finchford, Iowa (USGS streamgage 05458900). Photograph by Don Becker, USGS. Center right: USGS hydrographer retrieving streamflow measurement instrument temporarily lodged in overbank trees on Long Branch Creek at Atlanta, Missouri (USGS streamgage 06906150). Photograph by C. Shane Barks, USGS. Lower right: USGS hydrographers making a measurement of streamflow on the Gasconade River at Jerome, Missouri (USGS streamgage 06933500). Photograph by Richard Huizinga, USGS.

Phytoestrogens and Mycotoxins in Iowa Streams: An Examination of Underinvestigated Compounds in Agricultural Basins

“…4a; Table 3). This temporal pattern of higher concentrations occurred during the early growing season (June) despite potential dilution from extreme flooding conditions that persisted across Iowa (Buchmiller and Eash 2010; Holmes et al, 2010). The ratio of DEA to ATZ (deethylatrazine to atrazine ratio [DAR]) provides a general indication of ATZ residence time (Adams and Thurman, 1991).…”

“…3 In particular, the March sampling captured runoff conditions (Fig. 3) associated with the melting of an above normal snowpack (Buchmiller and Eash, 2010; Holmes et al, 2010). In addition, the June sampling captured record flooding conditions (Fig.…”

“…In addition, the June sampling captured record flooding conditions (Fig. 2 and 3) that persisted across much of Iowa (Buchmiller and Eash, 2010; Holmes et al, 2010), with many of the sampling sites approaching or exceeding the 0.2% flood probability.…”

“…Substantially lower isoflavone concentrations were observed in the June collection. This was likely due to a combination of the flushing of chemical residues from the system during the previous period of snowmelt conditions and subsequent spring rainfall runoff, the early plant stage occurring at this time of the growing season, and the extreme flooding conditions (Buchmiller and Eash, 2010; Holmes et al, 2010) that persisted across Iowa at this time. The median streamflow of sampled sites increased by over an order of magnitude during June from the previous sampling period in March (Table 1).…”

Recent Acceleration of the Terrestrial Hydrologic Cycle in the U.S. Midwest

“…Global Change Research Program, 2009) consistent with anthropogenic climate change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2013). Climate change may have contributed to the record-breaking floods in 1993 and 2008 and the severe droughts in 1988Holmes et al, 2010;Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 2013;Kunkel et al, 2006) as well as the reduction in the Great Lake level (Assel et al, 2004). Therefore, one escalating concern for this region is the potential change in the hydrologic cycle and the associated uncertainty in response to ongoing and future climate change.…”