Digital Data Set of Orchards Where Arsenical Pesticides Were Likely Used in Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia

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What does this data set describe?

Title:
Digital Data Set of Orchards Where Arsenical Pesticides Were Likely Used in Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia
Abstract:
This data set shows orchard locations in Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia where arsenical pesticides were likely used. The orchard locations are based on air photos and topographic maps prepared using information from the time period of extensive use of arsenical pesticides between the 1920s and 1960s. An orchard's presence in this data set does not necessarily indicate the use of arsenical pesticides on the site or that elevated arsenic and metal concentrations are present. Arsenical pesticides may have been used on part, or none, of the land and, under current land use, the land may have been remediated and no longer contain elevated arsenic and metal concentrations in soil.
The data set was created to be used in an assessment of soil contamination related to past use of arsenical pesticides in orchards in the northern part of the Great Valley region, Virginia and West Virginia. Previous studies have documented that elevated concentrations of arsenic, lead, and sometimes copper occur in the soils of former apple orchards (Veneman et al., 1983; Jones and Hatch, 1937).
Arsenical pesticide use was most extensive and widespread in agricultural applications from the 1920s to the late 1950s, and largely ceased agricultural use by the early 1960s in the nation. During this time period, lead arsenate was the most extensively used arsenical pesticide (Peryea, 1998), particularly in apple orchards. Other metal-bearing pesticides, such as copper acetoarsenite (Paris Green), Bordeaux Blue (a mixture of copper sulfate and calcium hydroxide), and organic mercury fumigants were used to a lesser degree in orchards (Peryea, 1998; Shepard, 1939; Veneman et al., 1983).
During the time arsenical pesticides were extensively used, federal and state pesticide laws did not require farmers to keep accurate records of the quantity, location, and type of arsenical pesticides used on their property, thus the quantity and distribution of this past arsenical pesticide use is not known in the region. Based on estimates from other areas (D'Angelo et al., 1996), cumulate application over the period of arsenical pesticide use may have been as much as 22.4 g/m2 of arsenic and 100 g/m2 of lead in orchard areas. In minimally disturbed orchard soils, arsenic and lead are largely retained in the top few centimeters of the soil horizon; intra-soil redistribution of these metals occurs but appears to be limited (Veneman et al. 1983; Peryea, 1998). Surface concentrations of arsenic and lead in undisturbed orchard soils where arsenical pesticides were used commonly exceed 20 mg/kg As and 100 mg/kg Pb (Veneman et al., 1983; Jones and Hatch, 1937).
The digital data set of orchard locations was used to aid assessment of the likely occurrence and distribution of arsenical pesticide residues in surface soils. Most areas of orchard cultivation were sited in areas overlying carbonate bedrock in the Valley and Ridge province.
This data set needed to be created since there was no reliable and complete land cover data set identifying areas under orchard cultivation during the time period of extensive use of arsenical pesticides in the study area as of the time of the study.
The spatial database of orchard areas was compiled using twenty-seven USGS 7.5 minute series topographical maps covering the study area of Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia, and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia. These maps were published between 1943 and 1972 at 1:24,000 scale, with the oldest topographic map available from the US Geological Survey map archive for each area being chosen, going back only as far as the 1920s when use of arsenical pesticides started. Orchard areas on the topographic maps were traced in order to aid in the digitization of the sites. The topographic maps were then scanned and geographically referenced using ERDAS Imagine version 8.7, a raster editing program, turning them into rectified images using the 1983 North American Datum. Orchard areas were then digitized from these rectified images using ArcGIS version 9.1 to create the spatial database of orchards, which was then projected into the Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 18 North projection. The orchard data set includes several descriptive attributes that identify each orchard's polygon. The values for area were calculated using the XTools Pro version 3 extension for ArcGIS desktop.
References Cited
D'Angelo, D., S.A.Norton, M.C.Loiselle. 1996. Historical Uses and Fate of Arsenic in Maine. Water Research Institute Completion Report 1986. University of Maine, Orono, Maine.
Jones, J.S., M.B. Hatch. 1937. The significance of inorganic spray residue accumulations in orchard soils. Soil Sci. 44:37-61.
Peryea, F.J. 1998. Historical use of lead arsenate insecticides, resulting soil contamination and implications for soil remediation [Online]. Proc. 16th World Congress of Soil Science, 25th, Montpellier, France. 24-25 Aug. 1998. Available at <http://natres.psu.ac.th/Link/SoilCongress/en/symt25.htm> (Verified 11 Sept. 2006).
Shepard, H.H. 1939. The chemistry and toxicology of insecticides. Burgess, Minneapolis, MN.
Veneman, P.L.M., Jr., J.R. Murray, J.H. Baker. 1983. Spatial distribution of pesticide residues in a former apple orchard. J. Environ. Qual. 12:101-104.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Larkins, Peter, Reed, Bradley, and Gilpin R. Robinson, Jr., 20061008, Digital Data Set of Orchards Where Arsenical Pesticides Were Likely Used in Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1330.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -78.508468
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -77.735064
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.614227
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.010346

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning_Date: 1943
    Ending_Date: 1972
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • G-polygon (1277)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 18
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -75.000000
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000
      False_Easting: 500000.000000
      False_Northing: 0.000000

      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000128
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.000128
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Orchards
    (Source: Polygonal area designated on maps as orchards)

    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

    Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

    Coordinates defining the features.

    USGS_Quad
    The quad in which the orchard area is located and from which it was digitized (Source: Bradley Reed)

    State
    The state in which the orchard site is located

    County
    The county in which the orchard site is located

    Area
    The area of the orchard site in meters squared

    Quad_Year
    The publication year of the USGS quadrangle in which the orchard site is located

    ValueDefinition
    19432 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920
    19532 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920
    19554 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920
    19582 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920
    19657 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920
    19666 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920
    19681 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920
    19721 quadrangles had this pulication year closest to 1920

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    Gilpin R Robinson
    USGS ER GD
    12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
    Reston, VA 20192-0002
    USA

    703-648-6113 (voice)
    703-648-6383 (FAX)
    grobinso@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

To develop a spatial database of orchards so that the orchard locations could be viewed and manipulated in a Geographic Information System for purposes of determining the geochemical, hydrological, and wildlife ecosystem effects that the use of arsenical pesticies may or may not have had in the study area of Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    USGS topographic maps (source 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, 1943 to 1972, 7.5' Topographical Maps.

    Type_of_Source_Media: paper
    Source_Scale_Denominator: 24000
    Source_Contribution:
    Orchard polygons digitized from various topographic maps published during this time period

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    (process 1 of 2)
    Tracing of orchard areas on 7.5', 1:24,000 scale USGS topographic maps ranging in publication date from 1943 to 1972. For each topo map, the oldest available was chosen, going back only as far as the 1920s when use of arsenical pesticides began.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • USGS map archive

    (process 2 of 2)
    Digitization of polygon features. Orchard features based upon the oldest available USGS 7.5' topographic map were digitized into polygons. Polygons were drawn by topographic map and by county, meaning that orchard areas that cross over either the topographic map or the county boundaries are split based upon their location.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • USGS map archive

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    The spatial accuracy of the orchard polygons is limited to the scale of the 7.5' topographical maps used to digitize them. All of the topographical maps used for this study have a scale of 1:24,000. The topographic maps used meet National Map Accuracy Standards with a spatial accuracy of ±40 feet. Since the orchards were digitized from these maps after they were scanned and georeferenced, a second level of error was introduced. For this reason, spatial accuracy may be considered to be +/-60 feet, as calculated by taking the root mean square error of two standards errors of +/-40 feet.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
The spatial accuracy of the orchard polygons is limited to the scale of the 7.5' topographical maps used to digitize them. All of the topographical maps used for this study have a scale of 1:24,000. The topographic maps used meet National Map Accuracy Standards with a spatial accuracy of ±40 feet. Since the orchards were digitized from these maps after they were scanned and georeferenced, a second level of error was introduced. For this reason, spatial accuracy may be considered to be ±60 feet, as calculated by taking the root mean square error of two standards errors of ±40 feet.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    U.S. Geological Survey Information Services
    PO Box 25286, Denver Federal Center
    Denver, CO 80225
    USA

    1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) (voice)
    ask@usgs.gov

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey as to the accuracy of the data and related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of this data, software, or related materials.
    Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 15-Dec-2006
Metadata author:
Peter N Schweitzer
USGS ER GD
Geologist
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20192-0002
USA

703-648-6533 (voice)
703-648-6252 (FAX)
pschweitzer@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Generated by mp version 2.9.2a on Fri Dec 15 10:38:02 2006