Characterization of water quality and biological communities, Fish Creek, Teton County, Wyoming, 2007-2011
Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, David A. Peterson, Jerrod D. Wheeler, C. Scott Edmiston, Michelle L. Taylor, Daniel J. Leemon
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5117
Fish Creek, an approximately 25-kilometer-long tributary to Snake River, is located in Teton County in western Wyoming near the town of Wilson. Fish Creek is an important water body because it is used for irrigation, fishing, and recreation and adds scenic value to the Jackson Hole properties it runs through....
Recent (circa 1998 to 2011) channel-migration rates of selected streams in Indiana
Bret A. Robinson
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5168
An investigation was completed to document recent (circa 1998 to 2011) channel-migration rates at 970 meander bends along 38 of the largest streams in Indiana. Data collection was completed by using the Google Earth™ platform and, for each selected site, identifying two images with capture dates separated by multiple years....
Bedrock geology and outcrop fracture trends in the vicinity of the Savage Municipal Well Superfund site, Milford, New Hampshire
William C. Burton, Philip T. Harte
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1224
The Savage Municipal Well Superfund site consists of an eastward-directed plume of volatile organic compounds, principally tetrachloroethylene (PCE), in alluvium and glacial sand and gravel in the Souhegan River valley, just south of the river and about 4 kilometers west of the town of Milford, New Hampshire. Sampling of monitoring...
Landscape consequences of natural gas extraction in Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004-2010
L.E. Milheim, E.T. Slonecker, C.M. Roig-Silva, A.R. Malizia
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1227
Increased demands for cleaner burning energy, coupled with the relatively recent technological advances in accessing unconventional hydrocarbon-rich geologic formations, have led to an intense effort to find and extract natural gas from various underground sources around the country. One of these sources, the Marcellus Shale, located in the Allegheny Plateau,...
Landscape consequences of natural gas extraction in Beaver and Butler Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004-2010
Coral M. Roig-Silva, E. Terry Slonecker, Lesley E. Milheim, Alexander R. Malizia
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1226
Increased demands for cleaner burning energy, coupled with the relatively recent technological advances in accessing unconventional hydrocarbon-rich geologic formations, have led to an intense effort to find and extract natural gas from various underground sources around the country. One of these sources, the Marcellus Shale, located in the Allegheny Plateau,...
Estimating the extent of impervious surfaces and turf grass across large regions
Peter R. Claggett, Frederick M. Irani, Renee L. Thompson
2013, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (49) 1057-1077
The ability of researchers to accurately assess the extent of impervious and pervious developed surfaces, e.g., turf grass, using land-cover data derived from Landsat satellite imagery in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is limited due to the resolution of the data and systematic discrepancies between developed land-cover classes, surface mines, forests,...
Geologic framework, structure, and hydrogeologic characteristics of the Knippa Gap area in eastern Uvalde and western Medina Counties, Texas
Allan K. Clark, Diana E. Pedraza, Robert R. Morris
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5149
The Edwards aquifer is the primary source of potable water for the San Antonio area in south-central Texas. The Knippa Gap was postulated to channel or restrict flow in the Edwards aquifer in eastern Uvalde County, and its existence was based on a series of numerical simulations of groundwater flow...
Evolutionary dynamics of a rapidly receding southern range boundary in the threatened California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Kelly R. Barr, Adam R. Backlin, Amy G. Vandergast, Robert N. Fisher
2013, Evolutionary Applications (6) 808-822
Populations forming the edge of a species range are often imperiled by isolation and low genetic diversity, with proximity to human population centers being a major determinant of edge stability in modern landscapes. Since the 1960s, the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) has undergone extensive declines in heavily urbanized southern...
Lithofacies, age, depositional setting, and geochemistry of the Otuk Formation in the Red Dog District, northwestern Alaska
Julie A. Dumoulin, Robert A. Burruss, Charles D. Blome
2013, Professional Paper 1795-B
Complete penetration of the Otuk Formation in a continuous drill core (diamond-drill hole, DDH 927) from the Red Dog District illuminates the facies, age, depositional environment, source rock potential, and isotope stratigraphy of this unit in northwestern Alaska. The section, in the Wolverine Creek plate of the Endicott Mountains Allochthon...
Sediment distribution and hydrologic conditions of the Potomac aquifer in Virginia and parts of Maryland and North Carolina
Randolph E. McFarland
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5116
Sediments of the heavily used Potomac aquifer broadly contrast across major structural features of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Physiographic Province in eastern Virginia and adjacent parts of Maryland and North Carolina. Thicknesses and relative dominance of the highly interbedded fluvial sediments vary regionally. Vertical intervals in boreholes of coarse-grained sediment...
Distribution of indoor radon concentrations in Pennsylvania, 1990-2007
Eliza L. Gross
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5143
Results from 548,507 indoor radon tests from a database compiled by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Radiation Protection, Radon Division, are evaluated in this report in an effort to determine areas where concentrations of radon are highest. Indoor radon concentrations were aggregated according to geologic unit and...
Internet-based Modeling, Mapping, and Analysis for the Greater Everglades (IMMAGE; Version 1.0): web-based tools to assess the impact of sea level rise in south Florida
Paul Hearn, David Strong, Eric Swain, Jeremy Decker
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1185
South Florida's Greater Everglades area is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, due to its rich endowment of animal and plant species and its heavily populated urban areas along the coast. Rising sea levels are expected to have substantial impacts on inland flooding, the depth and extent of surge from...
Clustering of velocities in a GPS network spanning the Sierra Nevada Block, the northern Walker Lane Belt, and the Central Nevada Seismic Belt, California-Nevada
James C. Savage, Robert W. Simpson
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (118) 4937-4947
The deformation across the Sierra Nevada Block, the Walker Lane Belt, and the Central Nevada Seismic Belt (CNSB) between 38.5°N and 40.5°N has been analyzed by clustering GPS velocities to identify coherent blocks. Cluster analysis determines the number of clusters required and assigns the GPS stations to the proper clusters....
Numerical simulation of the groundwater-flow system in Chimacum Creek Basin and vicinity, Jefferson County, Washington
Joseph L. Jones, Kenneth H. Johnson, Lonna M. Frans
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5160
A groundwater-flow model was developed to evaluate potential future effects of growth and of water-management strategies on water resources in the Chimacum Creek Basin. The model covers an area of about 64 square miles (mi2) on the Olympic Peninsula in northeastern Jefferson County, Washington. The Chimacum Creek Basin drains an...
Population vulnerability and evacuation challenges in California for the SAFRR tsunami scenario
Nathan Wood, Jamie Ratliff, Jeff Peters, Kimberley Shoaf
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1170-I
The SAFRR tsunami scenario models the impacts of a hypothetical yet plausible tsunami associated with a magnitude 9.1 megathrust earthquake east of the Alaska Peninsula. This report summarizes community variations in population vulnerability and potential evacuation challenges to the tsunami. The most significant public-health concern for California coastal communities during...
Modeling for the SAFRR Tsunami Scenario-generation, propagation, inundation, and currents in ports and harbors: Chapter D in The SAFRR (Science Application for Risk Reduction) Tsunami Scenario
SAFRR Tsunami Modeling Working Group
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1170-D
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Open-File report presents a compilation of tsunami modeling studies for the Science Application for Risk Reduction (SAFRR) tsunami scenario. These modeling studies are based on an earthquake source specified by the SAFRR tsunami source working group (Kirby and others, 2013). The modeling studies in this...
Synthesis and interpretation of surface-water quality and aquatic biota data collected in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1979-2009
John D. Jastram, Craig D. Snyder, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karen C. Rice
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5157
Shenandoah National Park in northern and central Virginia protects 777 square kilometers of mountain terrain in the Blue Ridge physiographic province and more than 90 streams containing diverse aquatic biota. Park managers and visitors are interested in the water quality of park streams and its ability to support healthy coldwater communities...
Continuous gravity measurements reveal a low-density lava lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i
Daniele Carbone, Michael P. Poland, Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr
2013, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (376) 178-185
On 5 March 2011, the lava lake within the summit eruptive vent at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, began to drain as magma withdrew to feed a dike intrusion and fissure eruption on the volcanoʼs east rift zone. The draining was monitored by a variety of continuous geological and geophysical measurements, including...
Mitigating the effects of landscape development on streams in urbanizing watersheds
Dianna M. Hogan, S. Taylor Jarnagin, John V. Loperfido, Keith Van Ness
2013, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (50) 163-178
This collaborative study examined urbanization and impacts on area streams while using the best available sediment and erosion control (S&EC) practices in developing watersheds in Maryland, United States. During conversion of the agricultural and forested watersheds to urban land use, land surface topography was graded and vegetation was removed creating...
The roles of large top predators in coastal ecosystems: new insights from long term ecological research
Adam E. Rosenblatt, Michael R. Heithaus, Martha E. Mather, Philip Matich, James C. Nifong, William J. Ripple, Brian R. Silliman
2013, Oceanography (26) 156-167
During recent human history, human activities such as overhunting and habitat destruction have severely impacted many large top predator populations around the world. Studies from a variety of ecosystems show that loss or diminishment of top predator populations can have serious consequences for population and community dynamics and ecosystem stability....
Variation in salinity tolerance among larval anurans: implications for community composition and the spread of an invasive, non-native species
Mary E. Brown, Susan C. Walls
2013, Copeia (2013) 543-551
Amphibians in freshwater coastal wetlands periodically experience acute exposure to salinity from hurricane-related overwash events, as well as chronic exposure associated with rising sea levels. In a comparative experimental approach, we examined whether seven species of anuran amphibians vary in their tolerance to changes in salinity. In a laboratory study,...
Geographic variation in migration chronology and winter distribution of midcontinent greater white-fronted geese
Craig R. Ely, Daniel J. Nieman, Ray T. Alisauskas, Joel A. Schmutz, James E. Hines
2013, Journal of Wildlife Management (77) 1182-1191
We evaluated spatial and temporal differences in migratory behavior among different breeding groups of midcontinent greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) using band-recovery data and observations of neck collared geese during migration and winter. Birds from different breeding areas were initially delineated by geographic distance into 6 banding reference areas (BRAs):...
The effect of coal bed dewatering and partial oxidation on biogenic methane potential
Elizabeth Jones, Steve H. Harris Jr., Elliott P. Barnhart, William H. Orem, Arthur C. Clark, M.D. Corum, Julie D. Kirshtein, Matthew S. Varonka, Mary A. Voytek
2013, International Journal of Coal Geology (115) 54-63
Coal formation dewatering at a site in the Powder River Basin was associated with enhanced potential for secondary biogenic methane determined by using a bioassay. We hypothesized that dewatering can stimulate microbial activity and increase the bioavailability of coal. We analyzed one dewatered and two water-saturated coals to examine possible...
Reconstructing vegetation response to altered hydrology and its use for restoration, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
Christopher E. Bernhardt, Laura A. Brandt, Bryan D. Landacre, Marci E. Marot, Debra A. Willard
2013, Wetlands (33) 1139-1149
We present reconstructed hydrologic and vegetation trends of the last three centuries across the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida in order to understand the effects of 20th century water management. We analyzed pollen assemblages from cores at marsh sites along three transects to document vegetation and infer...
Water levels and water quality in the Sparta-Memphis aquifer (middle Claiborne aquifer) in Arkansas, spring-summer 2009
T.P. Schrader
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5100
The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the Arkansas Geological Survey has monitored water levels in the Sparta Sand of Claiborne Group and Memphis Sand of Claiborne Group (herein referred to as the Sparta Sand and the Memphis Sand, respectively) since the 1920s. Groundwater...
