A landscape-based reconnaissance survey of estrogenic activity in streams of the upper Potomac, upper James,and Shenandoah Rivers, USA
John A. Young, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Adam J. Sperry, Vicki Blazer
2014, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (186) 5531-5545
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are becoming of increasing concern in waterways of the USA and worldwide. What remains poorly understood, however, is how prevalent these emerging contaminants are in the environment and what methods are best able to determine landscape sources of EDCs. We describe the development of a spatially structured...
World-Wide Standardized Seismograph Network: a data users guide
Jon R. Peterson, Charles R. Hutt
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1218
The purpose of this report, which is based on an unpublished draft prepared in the 1970s, is to provide seismologists with the information they may need to use the WWSSN data set as it becomes available in a more easily accessible and convenient format on the Internet. The report includes...
Surveying the South Pole-Aitken basin magnetic anomaly for remnant impactor metallic iron
Joshua T.S. Cahill, Justin Hagerty, David M. Lawrence, Rachel L. Klima, David T. Blewett
2014, Icarus (243) 27-30
The Moon has areas of magnetized crust ("magnetic anomalies"), the origins of which are poorly constrained. A magnetic anomaly near the northern rim of South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin was recently postulated to originate from remnant metallic iron emplaced by the SPA basin-forming impactor. Here, we remotely examine the regolith of...
Measurement of unsaturated hydraulic properties and evaluation of property-transfer models for deep sedimentary interbeds, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Kimberlie Perkins, Brittany D. Johnson, Benjamin B. Mirus
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5206
Operations at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have the potential to contaminate the underlying Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer. Methods to quantitatively characterize unsaturated flow and recharge to the ESRP aquifer are needed to inform water-resources management decisions at INL. In particular, hydraulic properties are needed to parameterize distributed...
Assessing inundation hazards to nuclear powerplant sites using geologically extended histories of riverine floods, tsunamis, and storm surges
Jim O’Connor, Brian F. Atwater, Timothy A. Cohn, Thomas M. Cronin, Mackenzie K. Keith, Christopher G. Smith, Mason Jr.
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5207
Most nuclear powerplants in the United States are near rivers, large lakes, or oceans. As evident from the Fukushima Daiichi, Japan, disaster of 2011, these water bodies pose inundation threats. Geologic records can extend knowledge of rare hazards from flooding, storm surges, and tsunamis. This knowledge can aid in assessing...
A ground-based magnetic survey of Frenchman Flat, Nevada National Security Site and Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada: data release and preliminary interpretation
Jeffrey D. Phillips, Bethany L. Burton, Erika Curry-Elrod, Sigmund Drellack
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1187
The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS, formerly the Nevada Test Site) is located in southern Nevada approximately 105 kilometers (km) (65 miles) northwest of Las Vegas. Frenchman Flat is a sedimentary basin located on the eastern edge of NNSS and extending eastward into the adjacent Nevada Test and Training Range...
Landsat 8 operational land imager on-orbit geometric calibration and performance
James C. Storey, Mike Choate, Kenton Lee
2014, Remote Sensing (6) 11127-11152
The Landsat 8 spacecraft was launched on 11 February 2013 carrying the Operational Land Imager (OLI) payload for moderate resolution imaging in the visible, near infrared (NIR), and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral bands. During the 90-day commissioning period following launch, several on-orbit geometric calibration activities were performed to refine the...
Water and nutrient budgets for Vancouver Lake, Vancouver, Washington, October 2010-October 2012
Rich W. Sheibley, James R. Foreman, Cameron A. Marshall, Wendy B. Welch
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5201
Vancouver Lake, a large shallow lake in Clark County, near Vancouver, Washington, has been undergoing water-quality problems for decades. Recently, the biggest concern for the lake are the almost annual harmful cyanobacteria blooms that cause the lake to close for recreation for several weeks each summer. Despite decades of interest...
Science to support the understanding of Ohio's water resources, 2014-15
Kimberly Shaffer, Stephanie P. Kula
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3097
Ohio’s water resources support a complex web of human activities and nature—clean and abundant water is needed for drinking, recreation, farming, and industry, as well as for fish and wildlife needs. Although rainfall in normal years can support these activities and needs, occasional floods and droughts can disrupt streamflow, groundwater,...
Stream-water and groundwater quality in and near the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, 2012-13
Carol Becker
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5178
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation needs to characterize their existing surface-water and groundwater resources in and near their tribal jurisdictional area to complete a water-resource management plan. Water resources in this area include surface water from the North Canadian and Little Rivers and groundwater from the terrace and alluvial aquifers and...
Coseismic landslides reveal near-surface rock strength in a high-relief tectonically active setting
Sean F. Gallen, Marin K. Clark, Jonathan W. Godt
2014, Geology (43) 11-14
We present quantitative estimates of near-surface rock strength relevant to landscape evolution and landslide hazard assessment for 15 geologic map units of the Longmen Shan, China. Strength estimates are derived from a novel method that inverts earthquake peak ground acceleration models and coseismic landslide inventories to obtain material proper- ties...
Water quality and algal conditions in the North Umpqua River, Oregon, 1995-2007, and their response to Diamond Lake restoration
Kurt D. Carpenter, Chauncey W. Anderson, Mikeal E. Jones
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1098
The Wild and Scenic North Umpqua River is one of the highest-quality waters in the State of Oregon, supporting runs of wild salmon, steelhead, and trout. For many years, blooms of potentially toxic blue-green algae in Diamond and Lemolo Lakes have threatened water quality, fisheries, and public health. The blooms...
Flood-inundation maps and updated components for a flood-warning system or the City of Marietta, Ohio and selected communities along the Lower Muskingum River and Ohio River
Matthew T. Whitehead, Chad J. Ostheimer
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5195
Digital flood-inundation maps for lower reaches of the Muskingum River and a reach of the Ohio River in southeast Ohio were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and the City of Marietta, Ohio. To complete the inundation maps, Ohio River and...
Multisensor earth observations to characterize wetlands and malaria epidemiology in Ethiopia
Alemayehu Midekisa, Gabriel B. Senay, Michael C. Wimberly
2014, Water Resources Research (50) 8791-8806
Malaria is a major global public health problem, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The spatial heterogeneity of malaria can be affected by factors such as hydrological processes, physiography, and land cover patterns. Tropical wetlands, for example, are important hydrological features that can serve as mosquito breeding habitats. Mapping and monitoring of...
Roads influence movement and home ranges of a fragmentation-sensitive carnivore, the bobcat, in an urban landscape
Sharon A Poessel, Erin E. Boydston, Lisa M. Lyren, Robert N. Fisher, Christopher L. Burdett, Robert S. Alonso, Kevin R. Crooks
2014, Biological Conservation (180) 224-232
Roads in urbanized areas can impact carnivore populations by constraining their movements and increasing mortality. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are felids capable of living in urban environments, but are sensitive to habitat fragmentation and, thus, useful indicators of landscape connectivity; in particular, bobcat habitat selection, movement, and mortality may be affected...
Mapping current and potential distribution of non-native Prosopis juliflora in the Afar region of Ethiopia
Tewodros Wakie, Paul H. Evangelista, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Melinda Laituri
2014, PLoS ONE (9) 1-9
We used correlative models with species occurrence points, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) vegetation indices, and topo-climatic predictors to map the current distribution and potential habitat of invasive Prosopis juliflora in Afar, Ethiopia. Time-series of MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Indices (EVI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI) with 250 m2 spatial...
A simple control for sediment-toxicity exposures using the amphipod, Hyalella azteca
Peter J. Lasier, Matthew L. Urich
2014, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (93) 263-267
Sediment-toxicity exposures comparing survival and growth of the freshwater amphipod, Hyalella azteca, are often components of aquatic-habitat assessments. Standardized exposure methods have been established and require evaluations for quality assurance. Test acceptability using performance-based criteria can be determined from exposures to control sediments, which are collected from the environment or...
Baseline well inventory and groundwater-quality data from a potential shale gas resource area in parts of Lee and Chatham Counties, North Carolina, October 2011-August 2012
Melinda J. Chapman, Laura N. Gurley, Sharon A. Fitzgerald
2014, Data Series 861
Records were obtained for 305 wells and 1 spring in northwestern Lee and southeastern Chatham counties, North Carolina. Well depths ranged from 26 to 720 feet and yields ranged from 0.25 to 100 gallons per minute. A subset of 56 wells and 1 spring were sampled for baseline groundwaterquality constituents...
A modified procedure for mixture-model clustering of regional geochemical data
Karl J. Ellefsen, David B. Smith, John D. Horton
2014, Applied Geochemistry (51) 315-326
A modified procedure is proposed for mixture-model clustering of regional-scale geochemical data. The key modification is the robust principal component transformation of the isometric log-ratio transforms of the element concentrations. This principal component transformation and the associated dimension reduction are applied before the data are clustered. The principal advantage of...
Vulnerability of breeding waterbirds to climate change in the Prairie Pothole Region, U.S.A.
Valerie Steen, Susan K. Skagen, Barry R. Noon
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the north-central U.S. and south-central Canada contains millions of small prairie wetlands that provide critical habitat to many migrating and breeding waterbirds. Due to their small size and the relatively dry climate of the region, these wetlands are considered at high risk for negative...
Simulation of the Lower Walker River Basin hydrologic system, west-central Nevada, using PRMS and MODFLOW models
Kip K. Allander, Richard G. Niswonger, Anne E. Jeton
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5190
Walker Lake is a terminal lake in west-central Nevada with almost all outflow occurring through evaporation. Diversions from Walker River since the early 1900s have contributed to a substantial reduction in flow entering Walker Lake. As a result, the lake is receding, and salt concentrations have increased to a level...
Deformation from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake near the southwest margin of the Santa Clara Valley, California
Kevin M. Schmidt, Stephen D. Ellen, David M. Peterson
2014, Geosphere (10) 1177-1202
Damage to pavement and near-surface utility pipes, caused by the 17 October 1989, Loma Prieta earthquake, provides evidence for ground deformation in a 663 km2 area near the southwest margin of the Santa Clara Valley, California (USA). A total of 1427 damage sites, collected from more than 30 sources, are...
The relative impacts of climate and land-use change on conterminous United States bird species from 2001 to 2075
Terry L. Sohl
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
Species distribution models often use climate data to assess contemporary and/or future ranges for animal or plant species. Land use and land cover (LULC) data are important predictor variables for determining species range, yet are rarely used when modeling future distributions. In this study, maximum entropy modeling was used to...
Abandoned floodplain plant communities along a regulated dryland river
L. V. Reynolds, Patrick B. Shafroth, P. K. House
2014, River Research and Applications (30) 1084-1098
Rivers and their floodplains worldwide have changed dramatically over the last century because of regulation by dams, flow diversions and channel stabilization. Floodplains no longer inundated by river flows following dam-induced flood reduction comprise large areas of bottomland habitat, but the effects of abandonment on plant communities are not well...
A high-elevation, multi-proxy biotic and environmental record of MIS 6-4 from the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site, Snowmass Village, Colorado, USA
Ian M. Miller, Jeffrey S. Pigati, R. Scott Anderson, Kirk R. Johnson, Shannon Mahan, Thomas A. Ager, Richard G. Baker, Maarten Blaauw, Jordon Bright, Peter M. Brown, Bruce Bryant, Zachary T. Calamari, Paul E. Carrara, Cherney Michael D., John R. Demboski, Scott A. Elias, Daniel C. Fisher, Harrison J. Gray, Danielle R. Haskett, Jeffrey S. Honke, Stephen T. Jackson, Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno, Douglas Kline, Eric M. Leonard, Nathaniel A. Lifton, Carol Lucking, H. Gregory McDonald, Dane M. Miller, Daniel R. Muhs, Stephen E. Nash, Cody Newton, James B. Paces, Lesley Petrie, Mitchell A. Plummer, David F. Porinchu, Adam N. Rountrey, Eric Scott, Joseph J. W. Sertich, Saxon E. Sharpe, Gary L. Skipp, Laura E. Strickland, Richard K. Stucky, Robert S. Thompson, Jim Wilson
2014, Quaternary Research (82) 618-634
In North America, terrestrial records of biodiversity and climate change that span Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 are rare. Where found, they provide insight into how the coupling of the ocean–atmosphere system is manifested in biotic and environmental records and how the biosphere responds to climate change. In 2010–2011,...
