Bulk samples of streambed sediment were collected from two reaches of the lower Merced River in California's Central Valley to support research intended to evaluate the extent to which large-scale restoration projects provided improved salmon spawning habitat. A related goal of this study was to improve our understanding of the geomorphic factors influencing spawning site selection by salmon. The bulk samples were acquired during the summer of 2016 at the Merced River Ranch and Robinson Reach field sites using a McNeil sampler [McNeil and Ahnell, 1964]. Before collecting each sample, the surface layer was removed to avoid including surface grains as part of the sample. Surface material was scraped off to a depth equal to the diameter of the largest particle found on the surface. The subsurface material was collected to a depth of 0.3 m and grain size distribution data were obtained by running the bulk sample through a series of sieves with screens ranging from 0.063 - 128 mm [Bunte and Abt, 2001]. We used existing bulk sample data of the initial sediment stockpile of the Robinson Reach, which was collected by California Department of Water Resources in 2002 [CADWR, 2005]. Additional bulk sample data were collected during the summer of 2016 at the Merced River Ranch and Robinson Reach field sites. References Bunte, K., and S. R. Abt (2001), Sampling surface and subsurface particle-size distributions in wadable gravel- and cobble-bed streams for analyses in sediment transport, hydraulics, and streambed monitoring, Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-74,113, Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 428 p. CADWR (2005), The Merced River Salmon Habitat Enhancement Project: Robinson Reach Phase III, 159 pp., California Department of Water Resources, San Joaquin District, Fresno, CA. McNeil, W. J., and W. H. Ahnell (1964), Success of pink salmon spawning relative to size of spawning bed materials, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scientific Report – Fisheries 469, Washington, D.C.

Surveys of channel and floodplain topography were used to characterize the morphology of two reaches of the lower Merced River in California's Central Valley and to parameterize a hydraulic model. These data were collected to support research intended to evaluate the extent to which large-scale restoration projects provided improved salmon spawning habitat. A related goal of this study was to improve our understanding of the geomorphic factors influencing spawning site selection by salmon. At the Merced River Ranch field site, river channel and floodplain topography was measured using a combination of real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS for wadable parts of the channel, an echo sounder for deep pools, and photogrammetry on dry land [CFS, 2013]. The raw point data were used to generate a triangular irregular network (TIN) and the TIN was converted to a 1 m raster using natural neighbor interpolation. For the 2.5 km long Robinson Reach field site, bed topography was surveyed during the summer of 2012 using real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS, with a mean cross-section spacing of 7 m. The original survey points were interpolated to form a continuous surface using kriging methods developed for curved river channels [Legleiter and Kyriakidis, 2008]. The result of the kriging was a digital elevation model (DEM) of the river channel and 10 m of the floodplain adjacent to each bank, with a spatial resolution of 1 m.

This portion of the data release presents sediment grain-size data from cores and surface samples collected from the Salmon River estuary in 2017 and 2018. In total, 60 samples were collected from 18 sites containing sandy sediment from the circa 1700 CE tsunami deposit, two sites with post-1700 CE silt, and eight modern surface sample sites. The grain-size distributions of samples were determined using standard techniques developed by the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center sediment lab. The grain-size data are provided in a comma-separated values (.csv) text file.

Salmon spawning locations (redds) were mapped to characterize habitat use along two reaches of the lower Merced River in California's Central Valley and thus support research intended to evaluate the extent to which large-scale restoration projects provided improved salmon spawning habitat. A related goal of this study was to improve our understanding of the geomorphic factors influencing spawning site selection by salmon. Salmon redds were mapped during the fall of 2016 at the Merced River Ranch and Robinson Reach field sites using real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS. The location of the center of each redd was surveyed in the UTM Zone 10/NAD83 coordinate system, with easting and northing coordinates recorded in units of meters.

Salmon spawning locations (redds) were mapped to characterize habitat use along two reaches of the lower Merced River in California's Central Valley and thus support research intended to evaluate the extent to which large-scale restoration projects provided improved salmon spawning habitat. A related goal of this study was to improve our understanding of the geomorphic factors influencing spawning site selection by salmon. Salmon redds were mapped during the fall of 2016 at the Merced River Ranch and Robinson Reach field sites using real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS. The location of the center of each redd was surveyed in the UTM Zone 10/NAD83 coordinate system, with easting and northing coordinates recorded in units of meters.

The objective of this study is to quantify population, community, and ecosystem level changes as a result of salmon recolonization of the Cedar River, WA above Landsburg Dam. The dam was installed in 1901, blocking the upstream migration of adult salmon and steelhead from about 43 km of river habitat. A fish ladder was installed in 2003 to allow adult salmon passage. We collected baseline data on water chemistry, habitat, and fish populations including resident trout and sculpin populations in 2000-2002. These field surveys have been ongoing since 2000. A mark-recapture study in Rock Creek, the largest tributary available to salmon, was started in 2004 and ended in 2010 to quantify growth, movement, and survival of juvenile coho and resident trout. Two experimental stream studies conducted to quantify salmon carcass effects on resident organisms. Data on nutrients and insects to salmon carcass additions.

Fluvial sediment samples were collected from the lowermost reaches of 21 coastal watersheds in California, in order to characterize surficial grain size of river sediment from deposits that appeared to be recent based on field context. Samples were collected using a trowel to sample the uppermost 10 cm of sediment. Sampled locations included river-deposited sediment, upstream of tidal influence. Samples excluded coarse gravel and cobble grain sizes, if present. The watersheds selected for sampling have relatively little urban land use and no other recent data available on their fluvial sediment grain size. Sediment samples were analyzed for grain size at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) laboratory in Santa Cruz, California. The USGS gratefully acknowledges sampling permission granted by California State Parks.

Deltaic sand deposits at the head of Lewis and Clark Lake, Nebraska-South Dakota were investigated for suitability for use as a proppant feedstock resource in unconventional oil or gas production. The physical characteristics of the deposits are described in four supplemental data sets in varied file formats. First, for the direct-push cores collected at four sandbar complexes in the Missouri River delta, detailed descriptions of core lithology and texture are provided in Comma Separated Values (CSV) file format. Second, apparent resistivity results from capacitively coupled (CC) resistivity profiles collected along surface-geophysical reconnaissance lines are displayed using standardized color ramps and vertically exaggerated scales. The data are provided in PNG file format. Third, laboratory reports of sediment particle size and shape statistics are provided as PDF-formatted sheets, typically with three sheets per sample corresponding to optical particle-size analyzer (OPSA) results for (1) the washed sample, (2) the subsample sieved to retain only the dominant proppant size class (for example, API 40/70 size or 70/140 size), and (3) the same subsample after undergoing a crush-resistance test at a single stress level of 34.5 MPa (5,000 lbf/in2). These laboratory reports also include graphs showing the particle-size distributions measured by the OPSA. Fourth, photomicrographs of each sample, often but not always provided for each of the three OPSA-analyzed subsamples of each sample. For scale, each photomicrograph includes a 0.5-mm (500 micron)-diameter pencil lead within the field of view. The images are provided in JPEG file format. Images are located with the laboratory results for each sample.

Deltaic sand deposits at the head of Lewis and Clark Lake, Nebraska-South Dakota were investigated for suitability for use as a proppant feedstock resource in unconventional oil or gas production. The physical characteristics of the deposits are described in four supplemental data sets in varied file formats. First, for the direct-push cores collected at four sandbar complexes in the Missouri River delta, detailed descriptions of core lithology and texture are provided in Comma Separated Values (CSV) file format. Second, apparent resistivity results from capacitively coupled (CC) resistivity profiles collected along surface-geophysical reconnaissance lines are displayed using standardized color ramps and vertically exaggerated scales. The data are provided in PNG file format. Third, laboratory reports of sediment particle size and shape statistics are provided as PDF-formatted sheets, typically with three sheets per sample corresponding to optical particle-size analyzer (OPSA) results for (1) the washed sample, (2) the subsample sieved to retain only the dominant proppant size class (for example, API 40/70 size or 70/140 size), and (3) the same subsample after undergoing a crush-resistance test at a single stress level of 34.5 MPa (5,000 lbf/in2). These laboratory reports also include graphs showing the particle-size distributions measured by the OPSA. Fourth, photomicrographs of each sample, often but not always provided for each of the three OPSA-analyzed subsamples of each sample. For scale, each photomicrograph includes a 0.5-mm (500 micron)-diameter pencil lead within the field of view. The images are provided in JPEG file format. Images are located with the laboratory results for each sample.

Pebble counts were used to characterize the sediment grain size distribution of the bed surface for two reaches of the lower Merced River in California's Central Valley to support research intended to evaluate the extent to which large-scale restoration projects provided improved salmon spawning habitat. A related goal of this study was to improve our understanding of the geomorphic factors influencing spawning site selection by salmon. The pebble counts were performed at the Merced River Ranch and Robinson Reach field sites using the method of Wolman [1954]. Grain diameters (n>100) were measured using a gravelometer by recording the largest opening on the gravelometer that an individual particle did NOT pass through, which is similar to recording the percent retained in a standard sieve-based analysis of a sediment sample. We used pre-restoration pebble count data collected on the Merced River Ranch in 2004 [Stillwater, 2004] and on the Robinson Reach in 2001 [CADWR, 2001]. Additional pebble count data were collected during the winter of 2014 at the Merced River Ranch and summer of 2016 on the Robinson Reach. Reference: Wolman, M. G. (1954), A method of sampling coarse river‐bed material, Eos Trans. AGU, 35(6), 951–956, doi: 10.1029/TR035i006p00951.