Black-footed ferret digging activity in summer
David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Dustin Marsh, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Travis M. Livieri
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 140-147
Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) excavate soil from prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) burrows, thereby creating characteristic soil deposits at burrow openings. These soil deposits have been observed only rarely in summer. We monitored adult ferrets during June–October of the years 2007 and 2008 on a 452-ha colony of black-tailed prairie dogs...
Parking lot runoff quality and treatment efficiencies of a hydrodynamic-settling device in Madison, Wisconsin, 2005-6
Judy A. Horwatich, Roger T. Bannerman
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5145
A hydrodynamic-settling device was installed in 2004 to treat stormwater runoff from a roof and parking lot located at the Water Utility Administration Building in Madison, Wis. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the City of Madison, cities in the Waukesha Permit Group,...
Digital database architecture and delineation methodology for deriving drainage basins, and a comparison of digitally and non-digitally derived numeric drainage areas
Jean A. Dupree, Richard M. Crowfoot
2012, Techniques and Methods 11-C6
The drainage basin is a fundamental hydrologic entity used for studies of surface-water resources and during planning of water-related projects. Numeric drainage areas published by the U.S. Geological Survey water science centers in Annual Water Data Reports and on the National Water Information Systems (NWIS) Web site are still primarily...
Evolution of 3-D geologic framework modeling and its application to groundwater flow studies
Charles D. Blome, David V. Smith
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3106
In this Fact Sheet, the authors discuss the evolution of project 3-D subsurface framework modeling, research in hydrostratigraphy and airborne geophysics, and methodologies used to link geologic and groundwater flow models....
Biotic, water-quality, and hydrologic metrics calculated for the analysis of temporal trends in National Water Quality Assessment Program Data in the Western United States
Stephen M. Wiele, Anne M.D. Brasher, Matthew P. Miller, Jason T. May, Kurt D. Carpenter
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1203
The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program was established by Congress in 1991 to collect long-term, nationally consistent information on the quality of the Nation's streams and groundwater. The NAWQA Program utilizes interdisciplinary and dynamic studies that link the chemical and physical conditions of streams (such as flow...
Effects of mining-derived metals on riffle-dwelling crayfish in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas, USA
Ann L. Allert, Robert J. DiStefano, Christopher J. Schmitt, James F. Fairchild, William G. Brumbaugh
2012, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (63) 563-573
Riffle-dwelling crayfish populations were sampled at 16 sites in 4 tributaries of the Spring River located within the Tri-State Mining District in southwest Missouri. Crayfish density, physical habitat quality, and water quality were examined at each site to assess the ecological effects of mining-derived metals on crayfish. Metals (lead, zinc,...
Shifting foundations and metrics for golden-cheeked warbler recovery
Jeff S. Hatfield, Floyd W. Weckerly, Adam Duarte
2012, Wildlife Society Bulletin (36) 415-422
Using the golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) as a case study, this paper discusses what lessons can be learned from the process of the emergency listing and subsequent development of the recovery plan. Are the metrics for recovery in the current warbler plan appropriate, including population size and distribution (recovery units),...
Tracking climate impacts on the migratory monarch butterfly
Elise F. Zipkin, Leslie Ries, Rick Reeves, James Regetz, Karen S. Oberhauser
2012, Global Change Biology (18) 3039-3049
Understanding the impacts of climate on migratory species is complicated by the fact that these species travel through several climates that may be changing in diverse ways throughout their complete migratory cycle. Most studies are not designed to tease out the direct and indirect effects of climate at various stages...
Geodatabase of sites, basin boundaries, and topology rules used to store drainage basin boundaries for the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center
Jean A. Dupree, Richard M. Crowfoot
2012, Data Series 650
This geodatabase and its component datasets are part of U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series 650 and were generated to store basin boundaries for U.S. Geological Survey streamgages and other sites in Colorado. The geodatabase and its components were created by the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, and...
Analysis of the herbicide diuron, three diuron degradates, and six neonicotinoid insecticides in water-Method details and application to two Georgia streams
Michelle Hladik, Daniel L. Calhoun
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5206
A method for the determination of the widely used herbicide diuron, three degradates of diuron, and six neonicotinoid insecticides in environmental water samples is described. Filtered water samples were extracted by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) with no additional cleanup steps. Quantification of the pesticides from the extracted water samples was...
Simulation of groundwater and surface-water resources and evaluation of water-management alternatives for the Chamokane Creek basin, Stevens County, Washington
D. Matthew Ely, Sue C. Kahle
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5224
A three-dimensional, transient numerical model of groundwater and surface-water flow was constructed for Chamokane Creek basin to better understand the groundwater-flow system and its relation to surface-water resources. The model described in this report can be used as a tool by water-management agencies and other stakeholders to quantitatively evaluate the...
Suspended-sediment characteristics for the Johnson Creek basin, Oregon, water years 2007-10
Adam J. Stonewall, Heather M. Bragg
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5200
Significant Findings An analysis of suspended-sediment transport in the Johnson Creek basin, Oregon, during water years 2007–10 indicated that: Streamflow characteristics for the 4 years of study were not extremely dry or wet, and represented near-average conditions. Computed average annual suspended-sediment loads were 1,890 and 4,640 tons at the Gresham...
Development and application of downscaled hydroclimatic predictor variables for use in climate vulnerability and assessment studies
James Thorne, Ryan Boynton, Lorraine Flint, Alan Flint, Thuy N’goc Le
2012, Report
This paper outlines the production of 270-meter grid-scale maps for 14 climate and derivative hydrologic variables for a region that encompasses the State of California and all the streams that flow into it. The paper describes the Basin Characterization Model (BCM), a map-based, mechanistic model used to process the hydrological...
Aquifer test at well SMW-1 near Moenkopi, Arizona
Rob Carruth, Donald J. Bills
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5201
The Hopi villages of Lower Moencopi and Upper Moenkopi are on the Hopi Indian Reservation south of Tuba City in northern Arizona. These adjacent Hopi villages, located west and north of the confluence of Pasture Canyon Wash and Moenkopi Wash, are dependent on groundwater withdrawals from three wells that penetrate...
Geology of the Devonian Marcellus Shale--Valley and Ridge province, Virginia and West Virginia--a field trip guidebook for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Eastern Section Meeting, September 28-29, 2011
Catherine B. Enomoto, James L. Coleman Jr., John T. Haynes, Steven J. Whitmeyer, Ronald R. McDowell, J. Eric Lewis, Tyler P. Spear, Christopher S. Swezey
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1194
Detailed and reconnaissance field mapping and the results of geochemical and mineralogical analyses of outcrop samples indicate that the Devonian shales of the Broadtop Synclinorium from central Virginia to southern Pennsylvania have an organic content sufficiently high and a thermal maturity sufficiently moderate to be considered for a shale gas...
Streamflow record extension for selected streams in the Susitna River Basin, Alaska
Janet H. Curran
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5210
Daily streamflow records for water years 1950–2010 in the Susitna River Basin range in length from 4 to 57 years, and many are distributed within that period in a way that might not adequately represent long-term streamflow conditions. Streamflow in the basin is affected by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO),...
Lahar hazard zones for eruption-generated lahars in the Lassen Volcanic Center, California
Joel E. Robinson, Michael A. Clynne
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5176-C
Lahar deposits are found in drainages that head on or near Lassen Peak in northern California, demonstrating that these valleys are susceptible to future lahars. In general, lahars are uncommon in the Lassen region. Lassen Peak's lack of large perennial snowfields and glaciers limits its potential for lahar development, with...
Hydrogeology of the Mammoth Spring groundwater basin and vicinity, Markagunt Plateau, Garfield, Iron, and Kane Counties, Utah
Lawrence E. Spangler
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5199
The Markagunt Plateau, in southwestern Utah, lies at an altitude of about 9,500 feet, largely within Dixie National Forest. The plateau is capped primarily by Tertiary- and Quaternary-age volcanic rocks that overlie Paleocene- to Eocene-age limestone of the Claron Formation, which forms escarpments on the west and south sides of...
Eleven-year trend in acetanilide pesticide degradates in the Iowa River, Iowa
Stephen J. Kalkhoff, Aldo V. Vecchia, Paul D. Capel, Michael T. Meyer
2012, Journal of Environmental Quality (41) 1566-1579
Trends in concentration and loads of acetochlor, alachlor, and metolachlor and their ethanasulfonic (ESA) and oxanilic (OXA) acid degradates were studied from 1996 through 2006 in the main stem of the Iowa River, Iowa and in the South Fork Iowa River, a small tributary near the headwaters of the Iowa...
Eruption probabilities for the Lassen Volcanic Center and regional volcanism, northern California, and probabilities for large explosive eruptions in the Cascade Range
Manuel Nathenson, Michael A. Clynne, L.J. Patrick Muffler
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5176-B
Chronologies for eruptive activity of the Lassen Volcanic Center and for eruptions from the regional mafic vents in the surrounding area of the Lassen segment of the Cascade Range are here used to estimate probabilities of future eruptions. For the regional mafic volcanism, the ages of many vents are known...
Geogenic sources of benzene in aquifers used for public supply, California
Matthew K. Landon, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 8689-8697
Statistical evaluation of two large statewide data sets from the California State Water Board's Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program (1973 wells) and the California Department of Public Health (12417 wells) reveals that benzene occurs infrequently (1.7%) and at generally low concentrations (median detected concentration of 0.024 μg/L) in groundwater...
Volcano hazards assessment for the Lassen region, northern California
Michael A. Clynne, Joel E. Robinson, Manuel Nathenson, L.J. Patrick Muffler
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5176-A
The Lassen region of the southernmost Cascade Range is an active volcanic area. At least 70 eruptions have occurred in the past 100,000 years, including 3 in the past 1,000 years, most recently in 1915. The record of past eruptions and the present state of the underlying magmatic and hydrothermal...
Disputes over science and dispute resolution approaches - A survey of Bureau of Reclamation employees
Nina Burkardt, Emily W. Ruell
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1186
Water resources in parts of the Western United States are over-allocated, which intensifies the pressure to support water management decisions with strong scientific evidence. Because scientific studies sometimes provide uncertain or competing results or recommendations, science can become a source of disputes during decision-making processes. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)...
Conceptualization of the predevelopment groundwater flow system and transient water-level responses in Yucca Flat, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada
Joseph M. Fenelon, Donald S. Sweetkind, Peggy E. Elliott, Randell J. Laczniak
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5196
Contaminants introduced into the subsurface of Yucca Flat, Nevada National Security Site, by underground nuclear testing are of concern to the U.S. Department of Energy and regulators responsible for protecting human health and safety. The potential for contaminant movement away from the underground test areas and into the accessible environment...
Assessment of the Coal-Bed Gas Total Petroleum System in the Cook Inlet-Susitna region, south-central Alaska
William A. Rouse, David W. Houseknecht
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5145
The Cook Inlet-Susitna region of south-central Alaska contains large quantities of gas-bearing coal of Tertiary age. The U.S. Geological Survey in 2011 completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable coal-bed gas resources underlying the Cook Inlet-Susitna region based on the total petroleum system (TPS) concept. The Cook Inlet Coal-Bed Gas...
