Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Madera, Chowchilla Study Unit, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Jennifer L. Shelton, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz, Bryant C. Jurgens
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5094
Groundwater quality in the approximately 860-square-mile Madera and Chowchilla Subbasins (Madera-Chowchilla study unit) of the San Joaquin Valley Basin was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in California's Central Valley region in parts of...
Sources and characteristics of organic matter in the Clackamas River, Oregon, related to the formation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water
Kurt D. Carpenter, Tamara E.C. Kraus, Jami H. Goldman, John Franco Saraceno, Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Gordon McGhee, Tracy Triplett
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5001
This study characterized the amount and quality of organic matter in the Clackamas River, Oregon, to gain an understanding of sources that contribute to the formation of chlorinated and brominated disinfection by-products (DBPs), focusing on regulated DBPs in treated drinking water from two direct-filtration treatment plants that together serve approximately...
Prediction of suspended-sediment concentrations at selected sites in the Fountain Creek watershed, Colorado, 2008-09
Stogner, Jonathan M. Nelson, Richard R. McDonald, Paul J. Kinzel, David P. Mau
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5102
In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Springs City Engineering, and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, began a small-scale pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a computational model of streamflow...
Groundwater quality in the Madera and Chowchilla subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley, California
Jennifer L. Shelton, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz
2013, Fact Sheet 2012-3099
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s untreated groundwater quality and increases public access...
Malberg Mystery
Shannon Barber-Meyer
2013, International Wolf (23)
No abstract available....
Integrating stations from the North America Gravity Database into a local GPS-based land gravity survey
Thomas G. Shoberg, Paul R. Stoddard
2013, Journal of Applied Geophysics (89) 76-83
The ability to augment local gravity surveys with additional gravity stations from easily accessible national databases can greatly increase the areal coverage and spatial resolution of a survey. It is, however, necessary to integrate such data seamlessly with the local survey. One challenge to overcome in integrating data from national...
Effect of heterogeneous atmospheric CO2 on simulated global carbon budget
Zhen Zhang, Hong Jiang, Jinxun Liu, Weimin Ju, Xiuying Zhang
2013, Global and Planetary Change (101) 33-51
The effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) on terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration have been a key focus in global change studies. As anthropological CO2 emissions substantially increase, the spatial variability of atmospheric CO2 should be considered to reduce the potential bias on C source and sink estimations. In this...
In-place oil shale resources examined by grade in the major basins of the Green River Formation, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming
Justin E. Birdwell, Tracey J. Mercier, Ronald C. Johnson, Michael E. Brownfield
2013, Fact Sheet 2012-3145
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a total of 4.285 trillion barrels of oil in-place in the oil shale of the three principal basins of the Eocene Green River Formation. Using oil shale cutoffs of potentially viable (15 gallons per ton) and high grade (25 gallons...
Assessment of groundwater quality data for the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, Rolette County, North Dakota
Robert F. Lundgren, Kevin C. Vining
2013, Data Series 732
The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation relies on groundwater supplies to meet the demands of community and economic needs. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, examined historical groundwater-level and groundwater-quality data for the Fox Hills, Hell Creek, Rolla, and Shell Valley aquifers. The...
Volcano crisis response at Yellowstone volcanic complex - after-action report for exercise held at Salt Lake City, Utah, November 15, 2011
Thomas C. Pierson, Carolyn L. Driedger, Robert I. Tilling
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1018
A functional tabletop exercise was run on November 14-15, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to test crisis response capabilities, communication protocols, and decision-making by the staff of the multi-agency Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) as they reacted to a hypothetical exercise scenario of accelerating volcanic unrest at the Yellowstone caldera....
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Baghlan mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter P in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney
2013, Data Series 709-P
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Assessment of macroinvertebrate communities in adjacent urban stream basins, Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area, 2007 through 2011
Eric D. Christensen, Heather M. Krempa
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5284
Macroinvertebrates were collected as part of two separate urban water-quality studies from adjacent basins, the Blue River Basin (Kansas City, Missouri), the Little Blue River and Rock Creek Basins (Independence, Missouri), and their tributaries. Consistent collection and processing procedures between the studies allowed for statistical comparisons. Seven Blue River Basin...
Chinook salmon foraging patterns in a changing Lake Michigan
Gregory R. Jacobs, Charles P. Madenjian, David B. Bunnell, David M. Warner, Randall M. Claramunt
2013, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (142) 362-372
Since Pacific salmon stocking began in Lake Michigan, managers have attempted to maintain salmon abundance at high levels within what can be sustained by available prey fishes, primarily Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus. Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha are the primary apex predators in pelagic Lake Michigan and patterns in their prey selection...
Amphibians and reptiles of Guyana, South America: illustrated keys, annotated species accounts, and a biogeographic synopsis
Charles J. Cole, Carol R. Townsend, Robert P. Reynolds, Ross D. MacCulloch, Amy Lathrop
2013, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington (125) 317-578
Guyana has a very distinctive herpetofauna. In this first ever detailed modern accounting, based on voucher specimens, we document the presence of 324 species of amphibians and reptiles in the country; 148 amphibians, 176 reptiles. Of these, we present species accounts for 317 species and color photographs of about 62%...
On the halophytic nature of mangroves
Ken W. Krauss, Marilyn C. Ball
2013, Trees: Structure and Function (27) 7-11
Scientists have discussed the halophytic nature of intertidal plants for decades, and have generally suggested that inherent differentiation of an obligate halophyte from a facultative halophyte relates strongly to whether the plant can survive in fresh water, and not much else. In this mini-review, we provide additional insight to support...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Takhar mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter Q in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney
2013, Data Series 709-Q
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Occurrence and persistence of fungicides in bed sediments and suspended solids from three targeted use areas in the United States
Kelly L. Smalling, Timothy J. Reilly, Mark W. Sandstrom, Kathryn Kuivila
2013, Science of the Total Environment (447) 179-185
To document the environmental occurrence and persistence of fungicides, a robust and sensitive analytical method was used to measure 34 fungicides and an additional 57 current-use pesticides in bed sediments and suspended solids collected from areas of intense fungicide use within three geographic areas across the United States. Sampling sites...
Vegetation impoverishment despite greening: a case study from central Senegal
Stefanie M. Herrmann, G. Gray Tappan
2013, Journal of Arid Environments (90) 55-66
Recent remote sensing studies have documented a greening trend in the semi-arid Sahel and Sudan zones of West Africa since the early 1980s, which challenges the mainstream paradigm of irreversible land degradation in this region. What the greening trend means on the ground, however, has not yet been explored. This...
Hydrography change detection: the usefulness of surface channels derived From LiDAR DEMs for updating mapped hydrography
Sandra K. Poppenga, Dean B. Gesch, Bruce B. Worstell
2013, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (49) 371-389
The 1:24,000-scale high-resolution National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) mapped hydrography flow lines require regular updating because land surface conditions that affect surface channel drainage change over time. Historically, NHD flow lines were created by digitizing surface water information from aerial photography and paper maps. Using these same methods to update nationwide...
Defining a data management strategy for USGS Chesapeake Bay studies
Cassandra Ladino
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1005
The mission of U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Chesapeake Bay studies is to provide integrated science for improved understanding and management of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Collective USGS efforts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed began in the 1980s, and by the mid-1990s the USGS adopted the watershed as one of its...
Analysis of changes in water-level dynamics at selected sites in the Florida Everglades
Paul Conrads, Stephen T. Benedict
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5286
The historical modification and regulation of the hydrologic patterns in the Florida Everglades have resulted in changes in the ecosystem of South Florida and the Florida Everglades. Since the 1970s, substantial focus has been given to the restoration of the Everglades ecosystem. The U.S. Geological Survey through its Greater Everglades...
Workshop on New Madrid geodesy and the challenges of understanding intraplate earthquakes
Oliver Boyd, Eric Calais, John O. Langbein, Harold Magistrale, Seth Stein, Mark Zoback
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1004
On March 4, 2011, 26 researchers gathered in Norwood, Massachusetts, for a workshop sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey and FM Global to discuss geodesy in and around the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) and its relation to earthquake hazard. The group addressed the challenge of reconciling current geodetic measurements,...
Assessing the risk of nitrogen deposition to natural resources in the Four Corners area
Sasha C. Reed, Jayne Belnap, Lisa Floyd-Hanna, Tim Crews, Jack Herring, Dave Hanna, Mark E. Miller, Michael C. Duniway, Carla M. Roybal
2013, Report
Nitrogen (N) deposition in the western U.S. is on the rise and is already dramatically affecting terrestrial ecosystems. For example, N deposition has repeatedly been shown to lower air and water quality, increase greenhouse gas emissions, alter plant community composition, and significantly modify fire regimes. Accordingly, the effects of N...
Partial least squares for efficient models of fecal indicator bacteria on Great Lakes beaches
Wesley R. Brooks, Michael N. Fienen, Steven R. Corsi
2013, Journal of Environmental Management (114) 470-475
At public beaches, it is now common to mitigate the impact of water-borne pathogens by posting a swimmer's advisory when the concentration of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) exceeds an action threshold. Since culturing the bacteria delays public notification when dangerous conditions exist, regression models are sometimes used to predict the...
Population genetic structure of rare and endangered plants using molecular markers
Jennifer Raji, Carter T. Atkinson
2013, Technical Report HCSU-036
This study was initiated to assess the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation in the remaining populations of Phyllostegia stachyoides and Melicope zahlbruckneri in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and determine the extent of gene flow to identify genetically distinct individuals or groups for conservation purposes....
