Geophysics 104/Earth Systems 104: The Water Course

Branner Library Research Resources

Stanford University Libraries:

Two of the SUL/AIR Libraries will probably meet most of the information needs for this class:

• Branner Earth Sciences Library contains the U.S. Geological Survey publications: bulletins, professional papers, water supply papers which will probably be the most useful of the many series available. Other holdings include journals, books, series, technical reports, and maps in hydrogeology.
• Engineering Library will hold many of the journals, books, and reports of interest.

Maps of Library Locations, Lists of Library Hours and Reserve Lists for most Stanford Libraries are available.

Library Catalogs:

Use Socrates, Stanford's Web-based Catalog, to find the location of books, journals, maps, data files, and technical reports.

Try searching these “subject” terms in Socrates:
• Groundwater flow
• Hydrogeology
• Watersheds
• Water supply
• Water use
Also search for the specific name of your watershed or aquifer.

Alternatively, you might like to browse the library shelves in person. Water-related information can be found in the following call number ranges:

• TD201-500 (Water supply, Water pollution)
• GB980-1200 (Watersheds, Groundwater, Hydrogeology)
• QE1-350 (General, Regional Geology)
• 550.6 .U58W (USGS Water Supply papers)

Encyclopedias and Print Resources:

The following titles provide general information about water resources and offer references to more specific items.

Encyclopedia of Water Science: (BranRef, GB655 E53 2003)
Encyclopedia of Hydrology and Water Resources (BranRef, QE501 .E56 V.22)
Ground-water Resources of the United States (Branner Stacks, GB1015 .G76 1983)
(A little outdated, but good for basic information about groundwater and aquifers throughout the U.S.).
Survey of Potentially High Yield Aquifers Within the Contiguous United States (Branner Stacks, GB1015 .F85 1975)
(Also, a little outdated, but contains basic information about aquifer thickness).
Water Encyclopedia: (BranRef, TD345 .L393 2005) A five volume set with the following titles:

• Vol. 1 Domestic, Municipal, and Industrial Water Supply and Waste Disposal
• Vol. 2 Water Quality and Resource Development
• Vol. 3 Surface and Agricultural Water
• Vol. 4 Oceanography; Meteorology; Physics and Chemistry; Water Law
• Vol. 5 Ground Water
The Water Encyclopedia (BranRef, TD351 .V36 1990) (Good for porosity estimates).

Indexes:

Indexes will lead you to journal articles, papers in conference proceedings, and technical reports. Access through library’s “Databases A-Z” page. Important indexes water information include:

• GeoRef Database
• Water Resources Abstracts (WRA)
• WRSIC Research Abstracts 1967-1993, a collection of international water research in the life, physical and social sciences, as well as engineering and legal issues.

Information about indexes: From 1967 through 1993 Selected Water Resources (SWRA) was produced by USGS; it includes water-related U.S. government documents, as well as the majority of state water documents. In 1994, USGS cancelled production of SWRA, and it is now available on the internet as WRSIC. The SWRA was reborn at Cambridge Scientfic as Water Resources Abstracts (WRA), but with a changed coverage, but with the old file intact. GeoRef includes all USGS publications, as well as the state survey publications no longer covered in WRA.

Other indexes:

• IES Water Data Base Middle East Water Bibliography compiled at University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Environmental Studies. Open to all
• USGS Publications: Use the advanced search feature on the USGS publications website to search for water-related series such as Water Data Reports, Water Supply Papers, Water-Resources Investigation Reports.

Websites:

• Association of Groundwater Agencies
• EPA WATERS (Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental ResultS)
• Groundwater Atlas of the United States
• HIPLAIN: High Plains Aquifer Information Network
• UC Berkeley's Water Resource Center Archives: Internet Resources for Groundwater and Hydrogeology
• USGS Water Resources of the United States

Back to Branner's homepage.

Compiled by Sam Teplitzky.