Groundwater availability of the Mississippi embayment
Brian R. Clark, Rheannon M. Hart, Jason J. Gurdak
2011, Professional Paper 1785
Groundwater is an important resource for agricultural and municipal uses in the Mississippi embayment. Arkansas ranks first in the Nation for rice and third for cotton production, with both crops dependent on groundwater as a major source of irrigation requirements. Multiple municipalities rely on the groundwater resources to provide water...
A new tool to assess groundwater resources in the Mississippi embayment
Brian R. Clark, David A. Freiwald
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3115
What is the Mississippi Embayment? The Mississippi embayment study area encompasses approximately 78,000 square miles in eight States and includes large parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and smaller areas of Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri (fig. 1). The Mississippi embayment is essentially a basin that slopes toward the...
Selected approaches to estimate water-budget components of the High Plains, 1940 through 1949 and 2000 through 2009
Jennifer S. Stanton, Sharon L. Qi, Derek W. Ryter, Sarah E. Falk, Natalie A. Houston, Steven M. Peterson, Stephen M. Westenbroek, Scott C. Christenson
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5183
The High Plains aquifer, underlying almost 112 million acres in the central United States, is one of the largest aquifers in the Nation. It is the primary water supply for drinking water, irrigation, animal production, and industry in the region. Expansion of irrigated agriculture throughout the past 60 years has...
Reinterpreting the importance of oxygen-based biodegradation in chloroethene-contaminated groundwater
Paul M. Bradley
2011, Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation (31) 50-55
Chlororespiration is common in shallow aquifer systems under conditions nominally identified as anoxic. Consequently, chlororespiration is a key component of remediation at many chloroethene-contaminated sites. In some instances, limited accumulation of reductive dechlorination daughter products is interpreted as evidence that natural attenuation is not adequate for site remediation. This conclusion...
USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3148
Extreme storms, sea-level rise, and the health of marine communities are some of the major societal and environmental issues impacting our Nation's marine and coastal realm. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in St. Petersburg, Fla., investigates processes related to these ecosystems and the societal implications of natural hazards and resource...
Stopover ecology of a migratory ungulate
Hall Sawyer, Matthew J. Kauffman
2011, Journal of Animal Ecology (80) 1078-1087
1. Birds that migrate long distances use stopover sites to optimize fuel loads and complete migration as quickly as possible. Stopover use has been predicted to facilitate a time-minimization strategy in land migrants as well, but empirical tests have been lacking, and alternative migration strategies have not been considered. 2....
Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2010 Mexico and vicinity
Susan Rhea, Richard L. Dart, Antonio H. Villasenor, Gavin P. Hayes, Arthur C. Tarr, Kevin P. Furlong, Harley M. Benz
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1083-F
Mexico, located in one of the world's most seismically active regions, lies on three large tectonic plates: the North American plate, Pacific plate, and Cocos plate. The relative motion of these tectonic plates causes frequent earthquakes and active volcanism and mountain building. Mexico's most seismically active region is in southern...
Microbial mineralization of dichloroethene and vinyl chloride under hypoxic conditions
Paul M. Bradley, Francis H. Chapelle
2011, Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation (31) 39-49
Mineralization of 14C-radiolabled vinyl chloride ([1,2-14C] VC) and cis-dichloroethene ([1,2-14C] cis-DCE) under hypoxic (initial dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations about 0.1 mg/L) and nominally anoxic (DO minimum detection limit = 0.01 mg/L) was examined in chloroethene-exposed sediments from two groundwater and two surface water sites. The results show significant VC and...
Simulation of the effects of groundwater withdrawals on water-level altitudes in the Sparta aquifer in the Bayou Meto-Grand Prairie area of eastern Arkansas, 2007-37
Brian R. Clark, Drew A. Westerman, D. Todd Fugitt
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5215
A groundwater-flow model of the Mississippi embayment was used to evaluate changes in water-level altitudes before (scenario 1) and after (scenario 2) the addition of wells that simulate potential future pumping from the Sparta aquifer in the Bayou Meto-Grand Prairie area of eastern Arkansas for the 30-year period from 2007...
Programming PHREEQC calculations with C++ and Python a comparative study
Scott R. Charlton, David L. Parkhurst, Mike Muller
2011, Conference Paper, Proceedings for MODFLOW and More 2011: Integrated Hydrologic Modeling
The new IPhreeqc module provides an application programming interface (API) to facilitate coupling of other codes with the U.S. Geological Survey geochemical model PHREEQC. Traditionally, loose coupling of PHREEQC with other applications required methods to create PHREEQC input files, start external PHREEQC processes, and process PHREEQC output files. IPhreeqc eliminates...
A data-input program (MFI2005) for the U.S. Geological Survey modular groundwater model (MODFLOW-2005) and parameter estimation program (UCODE_2005)
Arien W. Harbaugh
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1057
The MFI2005 data-input (entry) program was developed for use with the U.S. Geological Survey modular three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater model, MODFLOW-2005. MFI2005 runs on personal computers and is designed to be easy to use; data are entered interactively through a series of display screens. MFI2005 supports parameter estimation using the UCODE_2005...
Hydrogeologic settings and groundwater-flow simulations for regional investigations of the transport of anthropogenic and natural contaminants to public-supply wells—Investigations begun in 2004
Sandra M. Eberts
2011, Professional Paper 1737-B
A study of the Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants to public-supply wells (TANC study) was begun in 2001 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The study was designed to shed light on factors that affect the vulnerability of groundwater and, more specifically, water...
A bibliography of literature pertaining to plague (Yersinia pestis)
Laura E. Ellison, Megan K. Eberhardt Frank
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1293
Plague is an acute and often fatal zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis mainly cycles between small mammals and their fleas; however, it has the potential to infect humans and frequently causes fatalities if left untreated. It is often considered a disease of the past; however,...
A Bayesian network to predict vulnerability to sea-level rise: data report
Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, E. Robert Thieler
2011, Data Series 601
During the 21st century, sea-level rise is projected to have a wide range of effects on coastal environments, development, and infrastructure. Consequently, there has been an increased focus on developing modeling or other analytical approaches to evaluate potential impacts to inform coastal management. This report provides the data that were...
Species accounts for the Alamosa/Monte Vista/Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Laura E. Ellison
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1285
As part of an interagency agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Alamosa/Monte Vista/Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex requested help with the synthesis of scientific information for 10 focal species and their habitat requirements in response to common Refuge management activities...
Migratory movements of waterfowl in Central Asia and avian influenza emergence: Sporadic transmission of H5N1 from east to west
Samuel A. Iverson, Andrei Gavrilov, Todd E. Katzner, John Y. Takekawa, Tricia A. Miller, Ward Hagemeijer, Taej Mundkur, Balachandran Sivananinthaperumal, Carlos C. DeMattos, Lu’ay S. Ahmed, Scott H. Newman
2011, Ibis (153) 279-292
Waterfowl in the genera Anas and Tadorna are suspected as vectors in the long‐distance transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. The former Soviet Republics of Central Asia are situated at an important migratory crossroads for these and other species of birds that bridges regions where the disease is prevalent. However, waterfowl movements through...
National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center project accomplishments: highlights
Sally Holl
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3135
The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) has invested more than $20M since 2008 to put cutting-edge climate science research in the hands of resource managers across the Nation. With NCCWSC support, more than 25 cooperative research initiatives led by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and technical staff...
Popular myths about flooding in Western Washington
Joseph L. Jones
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3146
Floods are the most destructive natural hazard in the Nation, causing more deaths and financial loss in the 20th century than any other natural disaster. The most significant 20 riverine floods of the 20th century for which data are available have killed more than 1,843 people and caused more than...
Seepage investigations of the Clackamas River, Oregon
Karl K. Lee
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5191
Analysis of streamflow measurements and continuous records of streamflow provided insight into interaction of the groundwater system with the Clackamas River in northwestern Oregon. This report assesses gains and losses of the Clackamas River based on streamflow measurements made during previous hydrologic studies, decades of continuous streamflow data, and a...
Mineralogy and composition of the oceanic mantle
Keith Putirka, F. J. Ryerson, Michael Perfit, W. Ian Ridley
2011, Journal of Petrology (52) 279-313
The mineralogy of the oceanic basalt source region is examined by testing whether a peridotite mineralogy can yield observed whole-rock and olivine compositions from (1) the Hawaiian Islands, our type example of a mantle plume, and (2) the Siqueiros Transform, which provides primitive samples of normal mid-ocean ridge basalt. New...
Migration patterns, use of stopover areas, and austral summer movements of Swainson's hawks
Michael N. Kochert, Mark R. Fuller, Linda S. Schueck, Laura Bond, Marc J. Bechard, Brian Woodbridge, Geoff L. Holroyd, Mark S. Martell, Ursula Banasch
2011, The Condor (113) 89-106
From 1995 to 1998, we tracked movements of adult Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni), using satellite telemetry to characterize migration, important stopover areas, and movements in the austral summer. We tagged 46 hawks from July to September on their nesting grounds in seven U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Swainson's Hawks...
Delayed age at weaning in Southeast Alaska Steller sea lions determined using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen
Lorrie D. Rea, A.R. Banks, Sean D. Farley, Craig A. Stricker, B. Fadely, J. Mellish, A. Christ, K. Pitcher
2011, Conference Paper, 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
No abstract available....
Foraging ecology of bottlenose dolphins: a stable isotopic reconstruction over six decades
S.L. Rossman, N.B. Barros, Craig A. Stricker, P.H. Ostrom, R.S. Wells
2011, Conference Paper, 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
No abstract available....
Revisiting 'Beyond Leave No Trace'
Jeffrey L. Marion, Ben Lawhon, Wade M. Vagias, Peter Newman
2011, Ethics, Policy and Environment (14) 231-237
Role of back diffusion and biodegradation reactions in sustaining an MTBE/TBA plume in alluvial media
Ehsan Rasa, Steven W. Chapman, Barbara A. Bekins, Graham E. Fogg, Kate M. Scow, Douglas M. Mackay
2011, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (126) 235-247
A methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) / tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) plume originating from a gasoline spill in late 1994 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) persisted for over 15 years within 200 feet of the original spill source. The plume persisted until 2010 despite excavation of the tanks and piping within...
