Bank erosion of navigation canals in the western and central Gulf of Mexico
Cindy A. Thatcher, Stephen B. Hartley, Scott A. Wilson
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1017
Erosion of navigation canal banks is a direct cause of land loss, but there has been little quantitative analysis to determine why certain major canals exhibit faster widening rates (indicative of erosion) than others in the coastal zones of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. We hypothesize that navigation canals exhibit...
Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2009
Manuel Nathenson
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1047
The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of...
cloudPEST - A python module for cloud-computing deployment of PEST, a program for parameter estimation
Michael N. Fienen, Thomas C. Kunicki, Daniel E. Kester
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1062
This report documents cloudPEST-a Python module with functions to facilitate deployment of the model-independent parameter estimation code PEST on a cloud-computing environment. cloudPEST makes use of low-level, freely available command-line tools that interface with the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2(TradeMark)) that are unlikely to change dramatically. This report describes the...
More than 100 Years of Background-Level Sedimentary Metals, Nisqually River Delta, South Puget Sound, Washington
Renee K. Takesue, Peter W. Swarzenski
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1329
The Nisqually River Delta is located about 25 km south of the Tacoma Narrows in the southern reach of Puget Sound. Delta evolution is controlled by sedimentation from the Nisqually River and erosion by strong tidal currents that may reach 0.95 m/s in the Nisqually Reach. The Nisqually River flows...
The 1996-2009 borehole dilatometer installations, operation, and maintenance at sites in Long Valley Caldera, CA
Glenn Myren, Malcolm Johnston, Robert Mueller
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1319
High seismicity levels with accelerating uplift (under the resurgent dome) in Long Valley caldera in the eastern Sierra Nevada from 1989 to 1997, triggered upgrades to dilational strainmeters and other instrumentation installed in the early 1980's following a series of magnitude 6 earthquakes. This included two additional high-resolution borehole strainmeters...
Limnological and water-quality data from Wonder Lake, Chilchukabena Lake, and Lake Minchumina, Denali National Park and Preserve and surrounding area, Alaska, June 2006-August 2008
D.A. Long, C.D. Arp
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1322
Growing visitor traffic and resource use, as well as natural and anthropogenic land and climatic changes, can place increasing stress on lake ecosystems in Denali National Park and Preserve. Baseline data required to substantiate impact assessment in this sub-arctic region is sparse to non-existent. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation...
Bibliography of literature pertaining to Long Valley Caldera and associated volcanic fields
John W. Ewert, Christopher J. Harpel, Suzanna K. Brooks, Mae Marcaida
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1320
On May 25-27, 1980, Long Valley caldera was rocked by four M=6 earthquakes that heralded the onset of a wave of seismic activity within the caldera which has continued through the present. Unrest has taken the form of seismic swarms, uplift of the resurgent dome, and areas of vegetation killed...
Report on the 2010 Chilean earthquake and tsunami response
American Red Cross Multi-Disciplinary Team
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1053
In July 2010, in an effort to reduce future catastrophic natural disaster losses for California, the American Red Cross coordinated and sent a delegation of 20 multidisciplinary experts on earthquake response and recovery to Chile. The primary goal was to understand how the Chilean society and relevant organizations responded to...
Well installation, single-well testing, and particle-size analysis for selected sites in and near the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, north-central Colorado, 2003-2004
Jennifer A. Beck, Suzanne S. Paschke, L. Rick Arnold
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1024
This report describes results from a groundwater data-collection program completed in 2003-2004 by the U.S. Geological Survey in support of the South Platte Decision Support System and in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Two monitoring wells were installed adjacent to existing water-table monitoring wells. These wells were installed...
A refined characterization of the alluvial geology of yucca flat and its effect on bulk hydraulic conductivity
G. A. Phelps, K. J. Halford
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1307
In Yucca Flat, on the Nevada National Security Site in southern Nevada, the migration of radionuclides from tests located in the alluvial deposits into the Paleozoic carbonate aquifer involves passage through a thick, heterogeneous section of late Tertiary and Quaternary alluvial sediments. An understanding of the lateral and vertical changes...
Multiple technologies applied to characterization of the porosity and permeability of the Biscayne aquifer, Florida
K.J. Cunningham, M.C. Sukop
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1037
Research is needed to determine how seepage-control actions planned by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) will affect recharge, groundwater flow, and discharge within the dual-porosity karstic Biscayne aquifer where it extends eastward from the Everglades to Biscayne Bay. A key issue is whether the plan can be accomplished without...
Geophysical investigation of Red Devil mine using direct-current resistivity and electromagnetic induction, Red Devil, Alaska, August 2010
Bethany L. Burton, Lyndsay B. Ball
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1035
Red Devil Mine, located in southwestern Alaska near the Village of Red Devil, was the state's largest producer of mercury and operated from 1933 to 1971. Throughout the lifespan of the mine, various generations of mills and retort buildings existed on both sides of Red Devil Creek, and the tailings...
PQLX: A seismic data quality control system description, applications, and users manual
Daniel E. McNamara, Richard I. Boaz
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1292
We present a detailed description and users manual for a new tool to evaluate seismic station performance and characteristics by providing quick and easy transitions between visualizations of the frequency and time domains. The software is based on the probability density functions (PDF) of power spectral densities (PSD) (McNamara and...
Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, water year 2010: Quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards
Dwight Q. Tanner, Heather M. Bragg, Matthew W. Johnston
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1293
Significant Findings When water is released through the spillways of dams, air is entrained in the water, increasing the downstream concentration of dissolved gases. Excess dissolved-gas concentrations can have adverse effects on freshwater aquatic life. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected...
The effects of sediment and mercury mobilization in the South Yuba River and Humbug Creek confluence area, Nevada County, California: Concentrations, speciation, and environmental fate – Part 1: Field characterization
Jacob A. Fleck, Charles N. Alpers, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, Roger L. Hothem, Scott Wright, Kevin Ellett, Elizabeth Beaulieu, Jennifer L. Agee, Evangelos Kakouros, Le H. Kieu, Dennis D. Eberl, Alex E. Blum, Jason T. May
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1325-A
Millions of pounds of mercury (Hg) were deposited in the river and stream channels of the Sierra Nevada from placer and hard-rock mining operations in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The resulting contaminated sediments are relatively harmless when buried and isolated from the overlying aquatic environment. The entrained Hg...
Moderate-resolution sea surface temperature data for the nearshore North Pacific
Meredith C. Payne, Deborah A. Reusser, Henry Lee II, Cheryl A. Brown
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1251
Coastal sea surface temperature (SST) is an important environmental characteristic in determining the suitability of habitat for nearshore marine and estuarine organisms. This publication describes and provides access to an easy-to-use coastal SST dataset for ecologists, biogeographers, oceanographers, and other scientists conducting research on nearshore marine habitats or processes. The...
Removal of nonnative slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) and effects on native Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, Yavapai County, Arizona
Charles A. Drost, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, A.J. Monatesti
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1177
The National Park Service (NPS) estimates that 234 national parks contain nonnative, invasive animal species that are of management concern (National Park Service, 2004). Understanding and controlling invasive species is thus an important priority within the NPS (National Park Service, 1996). The slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) is one such invasive...
Petroleum hydrocarbons in sediment from the northern Gulf of Mexico shoreline, Texas to Florida
Robert J. Rosenbauer, Pamela L. Campbell, Angela Lam, T.D. Lorenson, Frances D. Hostettler, Burt Thomas, Florence L. Wong
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1014
Petroleum hydrocarbons were extracted and analyzed from shoreline sediment collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) coastline that could potentially be impacted by Macondo-1 (M-1) well oil. Sediment was collected before M-1 well oil made significant local landfall and analyzed for baseline conditions by a suite of diagnostic petroleum...
Predicting spread of invasive exotic plants into dewatered reservoirs after dam removal on the Elwha River, Olympic National Park, Washington
Andrea Woodward, Christian E. Torgersen, Joshua Chenoweth, Katherine Beirne, Steve Acker
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1048
The National Park Service is planning to start the restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem in Olympic National Park by removing two high head dams beginning in 2011. The potential for dispersal of exotic plants into dewatered reservoirs following dam removal, which would inhibit restoration of native vegetation, is of...
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2004-November 30, 2005
Bruce E. Krejmas, Gary N. Paulachok, Stephen F. Blanchard
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1106
A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered in 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversions of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City,...
Shoreline surveys of oil-impacted marsh in southern Louisiana, July to August 2010
Raymond F. Kokaly, David Heckman, JoAnn Holloway, Sarai C. Piazza, Brady R. Couvillion, Gregory D. Steyer, Christopher T. Mills, Todd M. Hoefen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1022
This report describes shoreline surveys conducted in the marshes of Louisiana in areas impacted by oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Three field expeditions were conducted on July 7-10, August 12-14, and August 24-26, 2010, in central Barataria Bay and the...
Elevation of the March-April 2010 flood high water in selected river reaches in Rhode Island
Phillip J. Zarriello, Gardner C. Bent
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1029
A series of widespread, large, low-pressure systems in southern New England in late February through late March 2010 resulted in record, or near record, rainfall and runoff. The total rainfall in the region during this period ranged from about 19 to 25 inches, which coupled with seasonal low evaporation, resulted...
Monitoring plan for vegetation responses to elk management in Rocky Mountain National Park
Linda Zeigenfuss, Therese L. Johnson, Zachary Wiebe
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1013
Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in north-central Colorado supports numerous species of wildlife, including several large ungulate species among which Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) are the most abundant. Elk are native to RMNP but were extirpated from the area by the late 1800s. They were reintroduced to the area...
The users, uses, and value of Landsat and other moderate-resolution satellite imagery in the United States-Executive report
Holly M. Miller, Natalie R. Sexton, Lynne Koontz, John Loomis, Stephen R. Koontz, Caroline Hermans
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1031
Moderate-resolution imagery (MRI), such as that provided by the Landsat satellites, provides unique spatial information for use by many people both within and outside of the United States (U.S.). However, exactly who these users are, how they use the imagery, and the value and benefits derived from the information are,...
Field reconnaissance report of landslides triggered by the January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake
Randall W. Jibson, Edwin L. Harp
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1023
