The application of induced polarization techniques to detect metal-bearing offshore anthropogenic waste and unexploded ordnance
Jeff Wynn, William Roberts
2009, Conference Paper, Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2009
Raw sewage and industrial waste have been dumped into sensitive estuaries, bays, and sounds for centuries. The full extents of the resulting sludge deposits are largely unknown, because they move in response to tidal and long‐shore currents, and because they are often buried by younger inert sediments. USGS field and...
Postcatastrophe population dynamics and density dependence of an endemic island duck
N.E. Seavy, M.H. Reynolds, W.A. Link, Jeff S. Hatfield
2009, Journal of Wildlife Management (73) 414-418
Laysan ducks (Anas laysanensis) are restricted to approximately 9 km2 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, USA. To evaluate the importance of density dependence for Laysan ducks, we conducted a Bayesian analysis to estimate the parameters of a Gompertz model and the magnitude of process variation and observation error based on...
Distribution and abundance of host-seeking Culex species at three proximate locations with different levels of West Nile virus activity
Ilia Rochlin, Howard S. Ginsberg, Scott R. Campbell
2009, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (80) 661-668
Culex species were monitored at three proximate sites with historically different West Nile virus (WNV) activities. The site with human WNV transmission (epidemic) had the lowest abundance of the putative bridge vectors, Culex pipiens and Cx. salinarius. The site with horse cases but not human cases (epizootic) had the highest percent composition of Cx. salinarius,...
Water security - Nation state and international security implications
James A. Tindall, Andrew A. Campbell
2009, Disaster Advances (2) 16-25
A terrorist attack such as poisoning and sabotage of the national water supply and water-quality infrastructure of the continental United States or any country, could disrupt the delivery of vital human services, threaten both public health and the environment, potentially cause mass casualties and pose grave public concern for homeland...
A spatial model to assess the effects of hydropower operations on Columbia River fall Chinook Salmon spawning habitat
James R. Hatten, Kenneth F. Tiffan, Donald R. Anglin, Steven L. Haeseker, Joseph J. Skalicky, Howard Schaller
2009, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (29) 1379-1405
Priest Rapids Dam on the Columbia River produces large daily and hourly streamflow fluctuations throughout the Hanford Reach during the period when fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha are selecting spawning habitat, constructing redds, and actively engaged in spawning. Concern over the detrimental effects of these fluctuations prompted us to quantify...
Dust deposition effects on growth and physiology of the endangered Astragalus jaegerianus (Fabaceae)
Upekala C. Wijayratne, Sara J. Scoles-Sciulla, Lesley A. Defalco
2009, Madroño (56) 81-88
Human expansion into the Mojave Desert is a significant threat to rare desert plants. While immediate habitat loss is often the greatest concern, rare plants situated near areas where soil surfaces experience frequent disturbance may be indirectly impacted when fine particulate dust accumulates on leaf surfaces. Remaining populations of the...
Fire in the Earth system
David M. J. S. Bowman, Jennifer Balch, Paulo Artaxo, William J. Bond, Jean M. Carlson, Mark A. Cochrane, Carla M. D'Antonio, Ruth S. DeFries, John C. Doyle, Sandy P. Harrison, Fay H. Johnston, Jon E. Keeley, Meg A. Krawchuk, Christian A. Kull, J. Brad Marston, Max A. Moritz, I. Colin Prentice, Christopher I. Roos, Andrew C. Scott, Thomas W. Swetnam, Guido R. van der Werf, Stephen Pyne
2009, Science (324) 481-484
Fire is a worldwide phenomenon that appears in the geological record soon after the appearance of terrestrial plants. Fire influences global ecosystem patterns and processes, including vegetation distribution and structure, the carbon cycle, and climate. Although humans and fire have always coexisted, our capacity to manage fire remains imperfect and...
Fungal endophytes: diversity and functional roles
R. J. Rodriguez, J.F. White Jr. , A.E. Arnold, R. S. Redman
2009, New Phytologist (182) 314-330
All plants in natural ecosystems appear to be symbiotic with fungal endophytes. This highly diverse group of fungi can have profound impacts on plant communities through increasing fitness by conferring abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, increasing biomass and decreasing water consumption, or decreasing fitness by altering resource allocation. Despite more...
Surface-dwelling and subterranean invertebrate fauna associated with giant reed (Arundo donax Poaceae) in Southern California
Robert E. Lovich, Edward L. Ervin, Robert N. Fisher
2009, Bulletin, Southern California Academy of Sciences (108) 29-35
In the southwestern United States giant reed, Arundo donax, is a non-native invasive plant that has become widely established in moist places and forms its largest stands along riparian corridors. The most widely reported negative effects include competition with native species, increased rate of transpiration, increased potential for wildfires, and...
Hydroecological factors governing surface water flow on a low-gradient floodplain
Judson W. Harvey, Raymond W. Schaffranek, Gregory B. Noe, Laurel G. Larsen, Daniel Nowacki, Benjamin L O'Connor
2009, Water Resources Research (45) W03421
"Interrelationships between hydrology and aquatic ecosystems are better understood in streams and rivers compared to their surrounding floodplains. Our goal was to characterize the hydrology of the Everglades ridge and slough floodplain ecosystem, which is valued for the comparatively high biodiversity and connectivity of its parallel-drainage features but which has...
New quantitative evidence of extreme warmth in the Pliocene Arctic
Marci M. Robinson
2009, Stratigraphy (6) 265-276
The most recent geologic interval characterized by warm temperatures similar to those projected for the end of this century occurred about 3.3 to 3.0 Ma, during the mid-Piacenzian Age of the Pliocene Epoch. Climate reconstructions of this warm period are integral to both understanding past warm climate equilibria and to...
National assessment of historical shoreline change: a pilot study of historical coastal bluff retreat in the Great Lakes, Erie, Pennsylvania
Cheryl J. Hapke, Shamus Malone, Meredith G. Kratzmann
2009, Open-File Report 2009-1042
Coastal bluff retreat is a chronic problem along many high-relief coastlines in the United States. As coastal populations continue to grow and community infrastructures are threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regard-ing trends and rates of bluff retreat. There is also a need for a comprehensive...
Continuous Tidal Streamflow and Gage-Height Data for Bass and Cinder Creeks on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, September 2007
Paul Conrads, John W. Erbland
2009, Open-File Report 2009-1037
A three-dimensional model of Bass and Cinder Creeks on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, was developed to evaluate methodologies for determining fecal coliform total maximum daily loads for shellfish waters. To calibrate the model, two index-velocity sites on the creeks were instrumented with continuous acoustic velocity meters and water-level sensors to...
Foreword: Hurricanes and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
Beth A Middleton, Gregory J. Smith
2009, Wetlands (29)
No abstract available. ...
Application of the SHOALS survey system to fisheries investigations in the Columbia River
Kenneth F. Tiffan, Paul G. Wagner, Keith S. Wolf, Paul A. Hoffarth
2009, Book, Remote sensing applications for aquatic resource monitoring
We used a Scanning Hydrographic Operational Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Survey (SHOALS) system to collect high-resolution bathymetry for 33 km of the Hanford Reach. Data were used in conjunction with hydrodynamic and predictive habitat models within a GIS (Geographical Information System) framework to evaluate the effects of a...
Research Implementation and Quality Assurance Project Plan: An Evaluation of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Technologies for the Detection of Fugitive Contamination at Selected Superfund Hazardous Waste Sites
E. Terrence Slonecker, Gary B. Fisher
2009, Open-File Report 2009-1048
This project is a research collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eastern Geographic Science Center (EGSC), for the purpose of evaluating the utility of hyperspectral remote sensing technology for post-closure monitoring of residual contamination at delisted and...
Magnitude and frequency of rural floods in the southeastern United States, 2006: Volume 1, Georgia
Anthony J. Gotvald, Toby D. Feaster, J. Curtis Weaver
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5043
A multistate approach was used to update methods for estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods in rural, ungaged basins in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina that are not substantially affected by regulation, tidal fluctuations, or urban development. Annual peak-flow data through September 2006 were analyzed for 943 streamgaging...
The National Map - geographic names
Lou Yost, William J. Carswell Jr.
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3016
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN), contains information about the official names for places, features, and areas in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the territories and outlying areas of the United...
Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits of the World - Database and Grade and Tonnage Models
Dan L. Mosier, Vladimir I. Berger, Donald A. Singer
2009, Open-File Report 2009-1034
Grade and tonnage models are useful in quantitative mineral-resource assessments. The models and database presented in this report are an update of earlier publications about volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. These VMS deposits include what were formerly classified as kuroko, Cyprus, and Besshi deposits. The update was necessary because of...
Validation of a Ground-Water Flow Model of the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer Using Water-Level and Water-Use Data for 1998-2005 and Evaluation of Water-Use Scenarios
Jonathan A. Gillip, John B. Czarnecki
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5040
A ground-water flow model of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in eastern Arkansas, developed in 2003 to simulate the period of 1918-98, was validated with the addition of water-level and water-use data that extended the observation period to 2005. The original model (2003) was calibrated using water-level observations from...
Effect of agricultural practices on hydrology and water chemistry in a small irrigated catchment, Yakima River Basin, Washington
K. A. McCarthy, Henry M. Johnson
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5030
The role of irrigation and artificial drainage in the hydrologic cycle and the transport of solutes in a small agricultural catchment in central Washington's Yakima Valley were explored using hydrologic, chemical, isotopic, age-dating, and mineralogical data from several environmental compartments, including stream water, ground water, overland flow, and streambed pore...
Summary of Suspended-Sediment Concentration Data, San Francisco Bay, California, Water Year 2006
Paul A. Buchanan, Megan A. Lionberger
2009, Data Series 362
Suspended-sediment concentration data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in San Francisco Bay during water-year 2006 (October 1, 2005-September 30, 2006). Optical sensors and water samples were used to monitor suspended-sediment concentration at two sites in Suisun Bay, one site in San Pablo Bay, two sites in Central San...
Hydrogeology of the Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada
Russell W. Plume, Mary L. Tumbusch, Toby L. Welborn
2009, Scientific Investigations Map 3063
Ground water in the Lake Tahoe basin is the primary source of domestic and municipal water supply and an important source of inflow to Lake Tahoe. Over the past 30-40 years, Federal, State, and local agencies, and research institutions have collected hydrologic data to quantify the ground-water resources in the...
Occurrence of emerging contaminants in water and bed material in the Missouri River, North Dakota, 2007
William C. Damschen, Robert F. Lundgren
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3007
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, conducted a reconnaissance study to determine the occurrence of emerging contaminants in water and bed sediment within the Missouri River upstream and downstream from the cities of Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota, and upstream from the city...
Meteorological Data near Rabbit Ears Pass, Colorado, U.S.A., 1984-2008
Douglas R. Halm, Larry D. Beaver, George H. Leavesley, Michael M. Reddy
2009, Data Series 415
In 1983, a snowmelt energy budget study was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey on a small watershed near Rabbit Ears Pass, Colorado, to better understand snowmelt processes. The study included data collection from hydrological and meteorological instrumentation. Interest in long term, high-altitude meteorological sites has increased recently due to...
