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)...
Measurement of near-surface seismic compressional wave velocities using refraction tomography at a proposed construction site on the Presidio of Monterey, California
Michael H. Powers, Bethany L. Burton
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1191
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is determining the feasibility of constructing a new barracks building on the U.S. Army Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, California. Due to the presence of an endangered orchid in the proposed area, invasive techniques such as exploratory drill holes are prohibited. To aid in...
Presence of selected chemicals of emerging concern in water and bottom sediment from the St. Louis River, St. Louis Bay, and Superior Bay, Minnesota and Wisconsin, 2010
Victoria G. Christensen, Kathy Lee, Kristen A. Kieta, Sarah M. Elliott
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5184
The St. Louis Bay of Lake Superior receives substantial urban runoff, wastewater treatment plant effluent, and industrial effluent. In 1987, the International Joint Commission designated the St. Louis Bay portion of the lower St. Louis River as one of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Concerns exist about the potential...
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...
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...
Water quality, hydrology, and simulated response to changes in phosphorus loading of Mercer Lake, Iron County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of wastewater discharges
Dale M. Robertson, Herbert S. Garn, William J. Rose, Paul F. Juckem, Paul C. Reneau
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5134
Mercer Lake is a relatively shallow drainage lake in north-central Wisconsin. The area near the lake has gone through many changes over the past century, including urbanization and industrial development. To try to improve the water quality of the lake, actions have been taken, such as removal of the lumber...
Improving scientific communication through the use of U.S. Geological Survey Video Podcasts
Michelle C. Moorman, Douglas A. Harned, Gerard McMahon, Kara Capelli
2012, Conference Paper, Rethinking Protected Areas in a Changing World
It is crucial that scientist find innovative ways of effectively communicating research to resource managers, public officials, and the general public. New technologies, such as video podcasts, are being used as an outreach tool to communicate results from the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. The purpose...
Fault geometry and cumulative offsets in the central Coast Ranges, California: Evidence for northward increasing slip along the San Gregorio-San Simeon-Hosgri fault
V.E. Langenheim, R.C. Jachens, R. W. Graymer, J.P. Colgan, C. M. Wentworth, R. G. Stanley
2012, Lithosphere (5) 29-48
Estimates of the dip, depth extent, and amount of cumulative displacement along the major faults in the central California Coast Ranges are controversial. We use detailed aeromagnetic data to estimate these parameters for the San Gregorio–San Simeon–Hosgri and other faults. The recently acquired aeromagnetic data provide an areally consistent data...
Understanding beach health throughout the Great Lakes -- continuing research
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3113
The overall mission of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Beach Health Initiative is to provide science-based information and methods that will allow beach managers to more accurately make beach closure and advisory decisions, understand the sources and physical processes affecting beach contaminants, and understand how science-based information can be used to...
Sources of fecal indicator bacteria to groundwater, Malibu Lagoon and the near-shore ocean, Malibu, California, USA
John A. Izbicki, Peter W. Swarzenski, Carmen A. Burton, Laurie Van De Werfhorst, Patricia A. Holden, Eric A. Dubinsky
2012, Annals of Environmental Science (6)
Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) used to treat residential and commercial sewage near Malibu, California have been implicated as a possible source of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) to Malibu Lagoon and the near-shore ocean. For this to occur, treated wastewater must first move through groundwater before discharging to the Lagoon...
Preliminary assessment of water chemistry related to groundwater flooding in Wawarsing, New York, 2009-11
Craig J. Brown, David A. Eckhardt, Frederick Stumm, Anthony Chu
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5144
Water-quality samples collected in an area prone to groundwater flooding in Wawarsing, New York, were analyzed and assessed to better understand the hydrologic system and to aid in the assessment of contributing water sources. Above average rainfall over the past decade, and the presence of a pressurized water tunnel that...
Spatial and temporal trends in runoff at long-term streamgages within and near the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Karen C. Rice, Robert M. Hirsch
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5151
Long-term streamflow data within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and surrounding area were analyzed in an attempt to identify trends in streamflow. Data from 30 streamgages near and within the Chesapeake Bay watershed were selected from 1930 through 2010 for analysis. Streamflow data were converted to runoff and trend slopes in...
An assessment of radon in groundwater in New York State
Stephen B. Shaw, David A.V. Eckhardt
2012, Health Physics - The Safety Radiation Journal (103) 311-316
Abstract: A set of 317 samples collected from wells throughout New York State (excluding Long Island) from 2003 through 2008 was used to assess the distribution of radon gas in drinking water. Previous studies have documented high concentrations of radon in groundwater from granitic and metamorphic bedrock, but there have...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Arabian Peninsula and Zagros Fold Belt, 2012
Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3115
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 86 billion barrels of oil and 336 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas resources in the Arabian Peninsula and Zagros Fold Belt. The USGS assessed the potential for undiscovered conventional oil and gas accumulations within the Arabian...
Estimated probabilities and volumes of postwildfire debris flows—A prewildfire evaluation for the Pikes Peak area, El Paso and Teller Counties, Colorado
John G. Elliott, Barbara C. Ruddy, Kristine L. Verdin, Keelin R. Schaffrath
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5104
Debris flows are fast-moving, high-density slurries of water, sediment, and debris that can have enormous destructive power. Although debris flows, triggered by intense rainfall or rapid snowmelt on steep hillsides covered with erodible material, are a common geomorphic process in some unburned areas, a wildfire can transform conditions in a...
Modelling ecological flow regime: an example from the Tennessee and Cumberland River basins
Rodney R. Knight, W. Scott Gain, William J. Wolfe
2012, Ecohydrology (5) 613-627
Predictive equations were developed for 19 ecologically relevant streamflow characteristics within five major groups of flow variables (magnitude, ratio, frequency, variability, and date) for use in the Tennessee and Cumberland River basins using stepbackward regression. Basin characteristics explain 50% or more of the variation for 12 of the 19 equations....
Seeing the light: the effects of particles, dissolved materials, and temperature on in situ measurements of DOM fluorescence in rivers and streams
Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Pellerin, Brian A. Bergamaschi, John Franco Saraceno, Tamara E.C. Kraus
2012, Limnology and Oceanography: Methods (10) 767-775
Field-deployable sensors designed to continuously measure the fluorescence of colored dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in situ are of growing interest. However, the ability to make FDOM measurements that are comparable across sites and over time requires a clear understanding of how instrument characteristics and environmental conditions affect the measurements. In...
Movement patterns, habitat use, and survival of Lahontan cutthroat trout in the Truckee River
Alexander V. Alexiades, Mary M. Peacock, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 974-983
Habitat fragmentation, hybridization, and competition with nonnative salmonids are viewed as major threats to Lahontan cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi. Understanding Lahontan cutthroat trout behavior and survival is a necessary step in the reintroduction and establishment of naturally reproducing populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout. We used weekly radiotelemetry monitoring to...
Rapid acceleration leads to rapid weakening in earthquake-like laboratory experiments
Jefferson C. Chang, David A. Lockner, Z. Reches
2012, Science (338) 101-105
After nucleation, a large earthquake propagates as an expanding rupture front along a fault. This front activates countless fault patches that slip by consuming energy stored in Earth’s crust. We simulated the slip of a fault patch by rapidly loading an experimental fault with energy stored in a spinning flywheel....
Gauging state-level and user group views of oyster reef restoration activities in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Megan K. LaPeyre, Ashby Nix, Luke Laborde, Bryan P. Piazza
2012, Ocean and Coastal Management (67) 1-8
Successful oyster reef restoration, like many conservation challenges, requires not only biological understanding of the resource, but also stakeholder cooperation and political support. To measure perceptions of oyster reef restoration activities and priorities for future restoration along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, a survey of 1500 individuals representing 4...
David L. Parkhurst as the recipient of the 2012 O.E. Meinzer Award of the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America
Pierre D. Glynn
2012, GSA Hydrogeology Newsletter
Describes the impact of USGS scientist David Parkhurst's influential contributions to the fields of aqueous geochemistry and hydrogeology. Parkhurst is the recipient of the 2012 O.E. Meinzer award of the Geological Society of America's Hydrogeology Division....
Direct geoelectrical evidence of mass transfer at the laboratory scale
Ryan D. Swanson, Kamini Singha, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Andrew Binley, Kristina Keating, Roy Haggerty
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Previous field-scale experimental data and numerical modeling suggest that the dual-domain mass transfer (DDMT) of electrolytic tracers has an observable geoelectrical signature. Here we present controlled laboratory experiments confirming the electrical signature of DDMT and demonstrate the use of time-lapse electrical measurements in conjunction with concentration measurements to estimate the...
Plant toxins and trophic cascades alter fire regime and succession on a boral forest landscape
Zhilan Feng, Jorge A. Alfaro-Murillo, Donald L. DeAngelis, Jennifer Schmidt, Matthew Barga, Yiqiang Zheng, Muhammad Hanis B. Ahmad Tamrin, Mark Olson, Tim Glaser, Knut Kielland, F. Stuart Chapin III, John Bryant
2012, Ecological Modelling (244) 79-92
Two models were integrated in order to study the effect of plant toxicity and a trophic cascade on forest succession and fire patterns across a boreal landscape in central Alaska. One of the models, ALFRESCO, is a cellular automata model that stochastically simulates transitions from spruce dominated 1 km2 spatial...
A test for the relative strength of maternal and stock effects in spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from two different hatcheries (Study site: Warm Springs Hatchery; Stocks: Warm Springs Hatchery and Carson Hatchery; Year class: 1993)
Lisa A. Wetzel, Stephen P. Rubin, Reginald R. Reisenbichler, Karl D. Stenberg
Stephen P. Rubin, Reginald R. Reisenbichler, Lisa A. Wetzel, Michael C. Hayes, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Genetic differences in growth, migration, and survival between hatchery and wild steelhead and Chinook salmon: Final report. Performance period: June 1991 to December 2005
An experiment was undertaken to determine the relative strength of maternal and stock effects in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) reared in a common environment, as a companion study to our investigation of hatchery and wild Chinook salmon. Pure-strain and reciprocal crosses were made between two hatchery stocks (Carson and Warm...
