Earthquakes in Hawai‘i—an underappreciated but serious hazard
Paul G. Okubo, Jennifer S. Nakata
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3013
The State of Hawaii has a history of damaging earthquakes. Earthquakes in the State are primarily the result of active volcanism and related geologic processes. It is not a question of "if" a devastating quake will strike Hawai‘i but rather "when." Tsunamis generated by both distant and local quakes are...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Santa Clara River Valley, 2007-California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Carmen A. Burton, Joseph Montrella, Matthew K. Landon, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5052
Groundwater quality in the approximately 460-square-mile Santa Clara River Valley study unit was investigated from April through June 2007 as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration...
Geologic map of Big Bend National Park, Texas
Kenzie J. Turner, Margaret E. Berry, William R. Page, Thomas M. Lehman, Robert G. Bohannon, Robert B. Scott, Daniel P. Miggins, James R. Budahn, Roger W. Cooper, Benjamin J. Drenth, Eric D. Anderson, Van S. Williams
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3142
The purpose of this map is to provide the National Park Service and the public with an updated digital geologic map of Big Bend National Park (BBNP). The geologic map report of Maxwell and others (1967) provides a fully comprehensive account of the important volcanic, structural, geomorphological, and paleontological features...
Sampling large landscapes with small-scale stratification-User's Manual
Jonathan Bart
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1247
This manual explains procedures for partitioning a large landscape into plots, assigning the plots to strata, and selecting plots in each stratum to be surveyed. These steps are referred to as the "sampling large landscapes (SLL) process." We assume that users of the manual have a moderate knowledge of ArcGIS...
Groundwater quality in the Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley groundwater basins, California
Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3089
The Monterey-Salinas study unit is nearly 1,000 square miles and consists of the Santa Cruz Purisima Formation Highlands, Felton Area, Scotts Valley, Soquel Valley, West Santa Cruz Terrace, Salinas Valley, Pajaro Valley, and Carmel Valley groundwater basins (California Department of Water Resources, 2003; Kulongski and Belitz, 2011). These basins were...
Technique for estimation of streamflow statistics in mineral areas of interest in Afghanistan
Scott A. Olson, Thomas J. Mack
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1176
A technique for estimating streamflow statistics at ungaged stream sites in areas of mineral interest in Afghanistan using drainage-area-ratio relations of historical streamflow data was developed and is documented in this report. The technique can be used to estimate the following streamflow statistics at ungaged sites: (1) 7-day low flow...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins, 2005-California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5058
Groundwater quality in the approximately 1,000 square mile (2,590 km2) Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins (MS) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in central California in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and...
Groundwater quality in the Santa Clara River Valley, California
Carmen A. Burton, Matthew K. Landon, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3055
The Santa Clara River Valley (SCRV) study unit is located in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, California, and is bounded by the Santa Monica, San Gabriel, Topatopa, and Santa Ynez Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean. The 460-square-mile study unit includes eight groundwater basins: Ojai Valley, Upper Ojai Valley, Ventura River...
Proceedings of the Fourth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds—Observing, Studying, and Managing for Change
C. Nicholas Medley, Glenn Patterson, Melanie J. Parker, editor(s)
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5169
These proceedings contain the abstracts, manuscripts, and posters of presentations given at the Fourth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds—Observing, Studying, and Managing for Change, held at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska, September 26–30, 2011. The conference was jointly hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and the...
Substitutability of bats in agricultural systems: why ecosystem valuation is not likely to sway agricultural interests
Wayne E. Thogmartin
2011, Bat Research News (52) 41-44
No abstract available....
Occurrence and concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in groundwater used for public drinking-water supply in California
Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Science of the Total Environment (409) 3409-3417
Pharmaceutical compounds were detected at low concentrations in 2.3% of 1231 samples of groundwater (median depth to top of screened interval in wells = 61 m) used for public drinking-water supply in California. Samples were collected statewide for the California State Water Resources Control Board's Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program....
On the brink of change: Plant responses to climate on the Colorado Plateau
Seth M. Munson, Jayne Belnap, Charles D. Schelz, Mary Moran, Tara W. Carolin
2011, Ecosphere (2)
The intensification of aridity due to anthropogenic climate change in the southwestern U.S. is likely to have a large impact on the growth and survival of plant species that may already be vulnerable to water stress. To make accurate predictions of plant responses to climate change, it is essential to...
Occupancy and abundance of wintering birds in a dynamic agricultural landscape
Mark W. Miller, Elise V. Pearlstine, Robert M. Dorazio, Frank J. Mazzotti
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 836-847
Assessing wildlife management action requires monitoring populations, and abundance often is the parameter monitored. Recent methodological advances have enabled estimation of mean abundance within a habitat using presence–absence or count data obtained via repeated visits to a sample of sites. These methods assume populations are closed and intuitively assume habitats...
Optimal timing for managed relocation of species faced with climate change
Eve McDonald Madden, Michael C. Runge, Hugh P. Possingham, Tara G. Martin
2011, Nature Climate Change (1) 261-265
Managed relocation is a controversial climate-adaptation strategy to combat negative climate change impacts on biodiversity. While the scientific community debates the merits of managed relocation1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, species are already being moved to new areas predicted to be more suitable under climate change13,14. To inform these moves, we construct a quantitative decision...
A geographic information system tool for aquatic resource conservation in the Red and Sabine River Watersheds of the southeast United States
J. A. Jenkins, S. B. Hartley, J. Carter, D. J. Johnson, J. B. Alford
2011, Article
Our goal was to build a geographic information system (GIS) tool to enhance modeling and hypothesis testing relevant to watersheds and fish fauna of the Red and Sabine Rivers in the southeastern United States. Species of concern were identified from wildlife action plans and Web sites. Spatial distributions of fish...
Hydrogeologic framework and groundwater/surface-water interactions of the Chehalis River basin, Washington
Andrew S. Gendaszek
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5160
The Chehalis River has the largest drainage basin of any river entirely contained within the State of Washington with a watershed of approximately 2,700 mi2 and has correspondingly diverse geology and land use. Demands for water resources have prompted the local citizens and governments of the Chehalis River basin to...
Simulated changes in salinity in the York and Chickahominy Rivers from projected sea-level rise in Chesapeake Bay
Karen C. Rice, Mark Bennett, Jian Shen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1191
As a result of climate change and variability, sea level is rising throughout the world, but the rate along the east coast of the United States is higher than the global mean rate. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Newport News, Virginia, conducted a study to...
Developing an institutional framework to incorporate ecosystem services into decision making-Proceedings of a workshop
Dianna Hogan, Greg Arthaud, David Brookshire, Tom Gunther, Stephanie Pincetl, Carl Shapiro, Bea Van Horne
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1221
The routine and effective incorporation of ecosystem services information into resource management decisions requires a careful consideration of the value of goods and services provided by natural systems. A multidisciplinary workshop was held in October 2008 on "Developing an Institutional Framework to Incorporate Ecosystem Services into Decision Making." This report...
Simulating daily water temperatures of the Klamath River under dam removal and climate change scenarios
Russell W. Perry, John C. Risley, Scott J. Brewer, Edward C. Jones, Dennis W. Rondorf
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1243
A one-dimensional daily averaged water temperature model was used to simulate Klamath River temperatures for two management alternatives under historical climate conditions and six future climate scenarios. The analysis was conducted for the Secretarial Determination on removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. In 2012, the Secretary of...
Survival and harvest-related mortality of white-tailed deer in Massachusetts
John E. Mcdonald Jr., Stephen DeStefano, Christopher Gaughan, Michael Mayer, William A. Woytek, Sonja Christensen, Todd K. Fuller
2011, Wildlife Society Bulletin (35) 209-219
We monitored 142 radiocollared adult (≥1.0 yr old) white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in 3 study areas of Massachusetts, USA, to estimate annual survival and mortality due to legal hunting. We then applied these rates to deer harvest information to estimate deer population trends over time, and compared these to trends...
Vegetation assessment of forests of Pagan Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Linda W. Pratt
2011, Technical Report HCSU-023
As part of the Marianas Expedition Wildlife Surveys-2010, the forest vegetation of the island of Pagan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), was sampled with a series of systematic plots along 13 transects established for monitoring forest bird populations. Shrubland and grassland were also sampled in the northern half...
CRevolution 2—Origin and evolution of the Colorado River system, workshop abstracts
L. Sue Beard, Karl E. Karlstrom, Richard A. Young, George H. Billingsley, editor(s)
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1210
A 2010 Colorado River symposium, held in Flagstaff, Arizona, involved 70 participants who engaged in intense debate about the origin and evolution of the Colorado River system. This symposium, built upon two previous decadal scientific meetings, focused on forging scientific consensus, where possible, while articulating continued controversies regarding the Cenozoic...
Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow at the Green Valley reclaimed coal refuse site near Terre Haute, Indiana
E. Randall Bayless, Leslie D. Arihood, Kathleen K. Fowler
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5116
The Green Valley reclaimed coal refuse site, near Terre Haute, Ind., was mined for coal from 1948 to 1963. Subsurface coal was cleaned and sorted at land surface, and waste material was deposited over the native glacial till. Approximately 2.7 million cubic yards of waste was deposited over 159 acres...
Aqueous geochemical data from the analysis of stream-water samples collected in June and August 2008—Taylor Mountains 1:250,000- and Dillingham D-4 1:63,360-scale quadrangles, Alaska
Bronwen Wang, Victoria Owens, Elizabeth Bailey, Greg Lee
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1100
We report on the chemical analysis of water samples collected from the Taylor Mountains 1:250,000- and Dillingham D-4 1:63,360-scale quadrangles, Alaska. Reported parameters include pH, conductivity, water temperature, major cation and anion concentrations, and trace-element concentrations. We collected the samples as part of a multiyear U.S. Geological Survey project entitled...
Water-level altitudes 2011 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2010 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
Michaela R. Johnson, Jason K. Ramage, Mark C. Kasmarek
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3174
Most of the subsidence in the Houston–Galveston region has occurred as a direct result of groundwater withdrawals for municipal supply, industrial use, and irrigation that depressured and dewatered the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers causing compaction of the clay layers of the aquifer sediments. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological...
