Contrasting patterns of vesiculation in low, intermediate, and high Hawaiian fountains: A case study of the 1969 Mauna Ulu eruption
Carolyn E. Parcheta, Bruce F. Houghton, Donald A. Swanson
2013, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (255) 79-89
Hawaiian-style eruptions, or Hawaiian fountains, typically occur at basaltic volcanoes and are sustained, weakly explosive jets of gas and dominantly coarse, juvenile ejecta (dense spatter to delicate reticulite). Almost the entire range of styles and mass eruption rates within Hawaiian fountaining occurred during twelve fountaining episodes recorded at Mauna Ulu,...
Sequential Gaussian co-simulation of rate decline parameters of longwall gob gas ventholes
C. Özgen Karacan, Ricardo A. Olea
2013, International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences (59) 1-14
Gob gas ventholes (GGVs) are used to control methane inflows into a longwall mining operation by capturing the gas within the overlying fractured strata before it enters the work environment. Using geostatistical co-simulation techniques, this paper maps the parameters of their rate decline behaviors across the study area, a longwall...
The feasibility of producing adequate feedstock for year–round cellulosic ethanol production in an intensive agricultural fuelshed
Daniel R. Uden, Rob B. Mitchell, Craig R. Allen, Qingfeng Guan, Tim D. McCoy
2013, BioEnergy Research (6) 930-938
To date, cellulosic ethanol production has not been commercialized in the United States. However, government mandates aimed at increasing second-generation biofuel production could spur exploratory development in the cellulosic ethanol industry. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the fuelshed surrounding a starch-based ethanol plant near York, Nebraska that has the...
Water levels shape fishing participation in flood-control reservoirs
Leandro E. Miranda, K. O. Meals
2013, Lake and Reservoir Management (29) 82-86
We examined the relationship between fishing effort (hours fished) and average March–May water level in 3 flood control reservoirs in Mississippi. Fishing effort increased as water level rose, peaked at intermediate water levels, and decreased at high water levels. We suggest that the observed arched-shaped relationship is driven by the...
Mineral resource of the month: tellurium
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2013, Earth (58) 57-57
The article offers information on tellerium, a rare and expensive metal. Tellerium is considered the 71st most abundant element in Earth's crust, along with platinum and palladium. The element belongs to the chalcogen chemical family, and is recovered as a byproduct of nonferrous metal mining. The global demand for tellerium...
Stochastic empirical loading and dilution model (SELDM) version 1.0.0
Gregory E. Granato
2013, Techniques and Methods 4-C3
The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) is designed to transform complex scientific data into meaningful information about the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks. The U.S. Geological...
Statistical classification of hydrogeologic regions in the fractured rock area of Maryland and parts of the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
Brandon J. Fleming, Andrew E. LaMotte, Andrew J. Sekellick
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5043
Hydrogeologic regions in the fractured rock area of Maryland were classified using geographic information system tools with principal components and cluster analyses. A study area consisting of the 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds with rivers that flow through the fractured rock area of Maryland and bounded by the Fall...
Golden eagle records from the Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey: information for wind energy management and planning
Wade Eakle, Patti Haggerty, Mark Fuller, Susan L. Phillips
2013, Data Series 753
The purpose of this Data Series report is to provide the occasions, locations, and counts when golden eagles were recorded during the annual Midwinter Bald Eagle Surveys. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are protected by Federal statutes including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) (16 USC 668-668c) and the...
Shallow groundwater in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Alaska—Conceptualization and simulation of flow
Colin P. Kikuchi
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5049
The Matanuska-Susitna Valley is in the Upper Cook Inlet Basin and is currently undergoing rapid population growth outside of municipal water and sewer service areas. In response to concerns about the effects of increasing water use on future groundwater availability, a study was initiated between the Alaska Department of Natural...
An evaluation of seepage gains and losses in Indian Creek Reservoir, Ada County, Idaho, April 2010–November 2011
Marshall L. Williams, Alexandra B. Etheridge
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5047
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, conducted an investigation on Indian Creek Reservoir, a small impoundment in east Ada County, Idaho, to quantify groundwater seepage into and out of the reservoir. Data from the study will assist the Idaho Water Resources Department’s Comprehensive...
Groundwater quality in the San Francisco Bay groundwater basins, California
Mary C. Parsons, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2013, Fact Sheet 2012-3111
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 groundwater quality and increases public access to...
Characterization and data-gap analysis of surface-water quality data in the Piceance study area, western Colorado, 1959–2009
Judith C. Thomas, Jennifer L. Moore, Keelin R. Schaffrath, Jean A. Dupree, Cory A. Williams, Kenneth J. Leib
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Federal, State, county, and industry partners, developed a Web-accessible common data repository to provide access to historical and current (as of August 2009) water-quality information (available on the Internet at http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/cwqdr/Piceance/index.shtml). Surface-water-quality data from public and private sources were compiled for the period...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the San Francisco Bay groundwater basins, 2007—California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Mary C. Parsons, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5248
Groundwater quality in the approximately 620-square-mile (1,600-square-kilometer) San Francisco Bay study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in the Southern Coast Ranges of California, in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda,...
Water quality of streams draining abandoned and reclaimed mined lands in the Kantishna Hills area, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 2008–11
Timothy P. Brabets, Robert T. Ourso
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5048
The Kantishna Hills are an area of low elevation mountains in the northwest part of Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Streams draining the Kantishna Hills are clearwater streams that support several species of fish and are derived from rain, snowmelt, and subsurface aquifers. However, the water quality of many...
Simulation of salinity intrusion along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts using climate-change scenarios
Paul Conrads, Edwin A. Roehl Jr., Ruby C. Daamen, John B. Cook
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5036
Potential changes in climate could alter interactions between environmental and societal systems and adversely affect the availability of water resources in many coastal communities. Changes in streamflow patterns in conjunction with sea-level rise may change the salinity-intrusion dynamics of coastal rivers. Several municipal water-supply intakes are located along the Georgia...
Multi-regional synthesis of temporal trends in biotic assemblages in streams and rivers of the continental United States
Matthew P. Miller, Anne M.D. Brasher, Jonathan G. Keenen
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5046
Biotic assemblages in aquatic ecosystems are excellent integrators and indicators of changing environmental conditions within a watershed. Therefore, temporal changes in abiotic environmental variables often can be inferred from temporal changes in biotic assemblages. Algae, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblage data were collected from 91 sampling sites in 4 geographic regions...
Missing great earthquakes
Susan E. Hough
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth 1098-1108
The occurrence of three earthquakes with moment magnitude (Mw) greater than 8.8 and six earthquakes larger than Mw 8.5, since 2004, has raised interest in the long-term global rate of great earthquakes. Past studies have focused on the analysis of earthquakes since 1900, which roughly marks the start of the...
The NAS Alert System: A look at the first eight years
Pamela L. Fuller, Matt Neilson, Dane H. Huge
2013, Fisheries (38) 128-138
The U.S. Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database program (http://nas.er.usgs.gov) tracks the distribution of introduced aquatic organisms across the United States. Awareness of, and timely response to, novel species introductions by those involved in nonindigenous aquatic species management and research requires a framework for rapid dissemination of occurrence data...
A new map of standardized terrestrial ecosystems of Africa
Roger G. Sayre, Patrick Comer, Jon Hak, Carmen Josse, Jacquie Bow, Harumi Warner, Mahamane Larwanou, Ensermu Kelbessa, Tamrat Bekele, Harald Kehl, Ruba Amena, Rado Andriamasimanana, Taibou Ba, Laurence Benson, Timothy Boucher, Matthew Brown, Jill J. Cress, Oueddo Dassering, Beverly A. Friesen, Francis Gachathi, Sebei Houcine, Mahamadou Keita, Erick Khamala, Dan Marangu, Fredrick Mokua, Boube Morou, Ladislav Mucina, Samuel Mugisha, Edward Mwavu, Michael Rutherford, Patrice Sanou, Stephen Syampungani, Bojoi Tomor, Abdallahi Ould Mohamed Vall, Jean Pierre Vande Weghe, Eunice Wangui, Lucy Waruingi
2013, African Geographical Review
Terrestrial ecosystems and vegetation of Africa were classified and mapped as part of a larger effort and global protocol (GEOSS – the Global Earth Observation System of Systems), which includes an activity to map terrestrial ecosystems of the earth in a standardized, robust, and practical manner, and at the finest...
Comparative spring-staging ecology of sympatric arctic-nesting geese in south-central Nebraska
Aaron T. Pearse, Gary L. Krapu, Robert R. Cox Jr.
2013, American Midland Naturalist (169) 371-381
The Rainwater Basin in Nebraska has been a historic staging area for midcontinent greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) since the 1950s and, in the mid-1990s, millions of midcontinent lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) expanded their spring migration route to include this region. In response to speculation...
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2012
Richard T. Kraus, Mark Rogers, Patrick M. Kocovsky, William Edwards, Betsy L. Bodamer Scarbro, Kevin R. Keretz, R. Wirick
2013, Report
No abstract available....
Approaches to setting organism-based ballast water discharge standards
Henry Lee II, Deborah A. Reusser, Melanie Frazier
2013, Ecological Applications (23) 301-310
As a vector by which foreign species invade coastal and freshwater waterbodies, ballast water discharge from ships is recognized as a major environmental threat. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) drafted an international treaty establishing ballast water discharge standards based on the number of viable organisms per volume of ballast discharge...
Rapid microsatellite marker development using next generation pyrosequencing to inform invasive Burmese python -- Python molurus bivittatus -- management
Margaret E. Hunter, Kristen M. Hart
2013, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (14) 4793-4804
Invasive species represent an increasing threat to native ecosystems, harming indigenous taxa through predation, habitat modification, cross-species hybridization and alteration of ecosystem processes. Additionally, high economic costs are associated with environmental damage, restoration and control measures. The Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus, is one of the most notable invasive species...
Counting at low concentrations: the statistical challenges of verifying ballast water discharge standards
Melanie Frazier, A. Whitman Miller, Henry Lee II, Deborah A. Reusser
2013, Ecological Applications (23) 339-351
Discharge from the ballast tanks of ships is one of the primary vectors of nonindigenous species in marine environments. To mitigate this environmental and economic threat, international, national, and state entities are establishing regulations to limit the concentration of living organisms that may be discharged from the ballast tanks of...
Web-based flood database for Colorado, water years 1867 through 2011
Michael S. Kohn, Robert D. Jarrett, Gary S. Krammes, Amanullah Mommandi
2013, Open-File Report 2012-1225
In order to provide a centralized repository of flood information for the State of Colorado, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for flood information from water years 1867 through 2011 and data for paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to...
