Wind energy in the United States and materials required for the land-based wind turbine industry from 2010 through 2030
David R. Wilburn
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5036
The generation of electricity in the United States from wind-powered turbines is increasing. An understanding of the sources and abundance of raw materials required by the wind turbine industry and the many uses for these materials is necessary to assess the effect of this industry's growth on future demand for...
The John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Jill Baron, Martin Goldhaber
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3066
The Powell Center provides an environment for cross-disciplinary scientific collaboration. The Center expands U.S. Geological Survey earth system science synthesis research activities by fostering the innovation that results from accumulated knowledge, constructive errors, and the "information spillover" that emerges from collaborative settings. Working Groups at the Powell Center use existing...
Data compilation and assessment for water resources in Pennsylvania state forest and park lands
Daniel G. Galeone
2011, Data Series 327
As a result of a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PaDCNR), available electronic data were compiled for Pennsylvania state lands (state forests and parks) to allow PaDCNR to initially determine if data exist to make an objective evaluation of...
Sea-Floor geology and character of Eastern Rhode Island Sound West of Gay Head, Massachusetts
L.J. Poppe, K.Y. McMullen, S.D. Ackerman, D.S. Blackwood, B.J. Irwin, J.D. Schaer, M.R. Forrest
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1004
Gridded multibeam bathymetry covers approximately 102 square kilometers of sea floor in eastern Rhode Island Sound west of Gay Head, Massachusetts. Although originally collected for charting purposes during National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrographic survey H11922, these acoustic data and the sea-floor stations subsequently occupied to verify them (1) show...
Development and application of indices to assess the condition of benthic algal communities in U.S. streams and rivers
Marina Potapova, Daren M. Carlisle
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1126
Multi-metric indices (MMIs) are a measure of a combination of characteristics of biological communities and are used as indicators of water quality and ecological health. Although MMIs for algal communities have been developed for specific regions of the United States, none of the indices have national applicability. The MMIs described...
Macondo-1 well oil in sediment and tarballs from the northern Gulf of Mexico shoreline
Florence L. Wong, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Pamela L. Campbell, Angela Lam, T.D. Lorenson, Frances D. Hostettler, Burt Thomas
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1164
From April 20 through July 15, 2010, an estimated 4.4 million barrels (1 barrel = 42 gallons [~700,000 cu m]) of crude oil spilled into the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) from the ruptured British Petroleum (BP) Macondo-1 (M-1) well after the explosion of the drilling platform Deepwater Horizon. In...
A climate trend analysis of Sudan
Christopher C. Funk, Gary Eilerts, Jim Verdin, Jim Rowland, Michael Marshall
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3072
Summer rains in western and southern Sudan have declined by 10-20 percent since the mid-1970s. Observed warming of more than 1 degree Celsius is equivalent to another 10-20 percent reduction in rainfall for crops. The warming and drying have impacted southern Darfur and areas around Juba. Rainfall declines west of...
Estimated 2008 groundwater potentiometric surface and predevelopment to 2008 water-level change in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque area, central New Mexico
Sarah E. Falk, Laura M. Bexfield, Scott K. Anderholm
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3162
The water-supply requirements of the Albuquerque metropolitan area of central New Mexico have historically been met almost exclusively by groundwater withdrawal from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Previous studies have indicated that the large quantity of groundwater withdrawal relative to recharge has resulted in water-level declines in the aquifer...
The effect of offering distance education on enrollment in onsite training at the National Conservation Training Center
Joan M. Ratz, Rudy M. Schuster, Ann H. Marcy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1138
The objective of this study was to explore the effect that providing distance education courses would have on enrollment in courses offered on the campus of the National Conservation Training Center. This is an exploratory study and the results should be interpreted as preliminary rather than conclusive. The study included...
Archive of digital Chirp subbottom profile data collected during USGS cruises 09CCT03 and 09CCT04, Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Islands, June and July 2009
Arnell S. Forde, Shawn V. Dadisman, James G. Flocks, Dana S. Wiese
2011, Data Series 590
In June and July of 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geophysical surveys to investigate the geologic controls on island framework from Cat Island, Mississippi, to Dauphin Island, Alabama, as part of a broader USGS study on Coastal Change and Transport (CCT). The surveys were funded through the Northern...
USGS science for the Nation's changing coasts; shoreline change assessment
E. Robert Thieler, Cheryl J. Hapke
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3074
The coastline of the United States features some of the most popular tourist and recreational destinations in the world and is the site of intense residential, commercial, and industrial development. The coastal zone also has extensive and pristine natural areas, with diverse ecosystems providing essential habitat and resources that support...
The constraints of connecting children with nature--A research literature review
Phadrea D. Ponds, Rudy M. Schuster
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1139
Reports or research investigations studying children in nature are rapidly expanding and increasingly diverse. This document reports a review of a particular part of this field-studies of constraints to recreation and participation in environmental and outdoor recreation programs. The findings result from a review of more than 125 journal articles,...
Computer programs for forward and inverse modeling of acoustic and electromagnetic data
Karl J. Ellefsen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1124
A suite of computer programs was developed by U.S. Geological Survey personnel for forward and inverse modeling of acoustic and electromagnetic data. This report describes the computer resources that are needed to execute the programs, the installation of the programs, the program designs, some tests of their accuracy, and some...
Analysis of dam-passage survival of yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead at The Dalles Dam, Oregon, 2010
John W. Beeman, Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry, Steven G. Smith
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1162
We performed a series of analyses of mark-recapture data from a study at The Dalles Dam during 2010 to determine if model assumptions for estimation of juvenile salmonid dam-passage survival were met and if results were similar to those using the University of Washington's newly developed ATLAS software. The study...
Stable-isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in precipitation at Norman, Oklahoma, 1996–2008
Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Martha A. Scholl, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Jason R. Masoner, Scott Christenson, Haiping Qi
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5262
Precipitation samples for measurement of stable-isotope ratios of hydrogen (delta2H) and oxygen (delta18O) were collected at the Norman Landfill Research Site in Norman, Oklahoma, from May 1996 to October 2008. Rainfall amounts also were measured at the site (U.S. Geological Survey gaging station 07229053) during the collection period. The delta2H...
Discrete and continuous water-quality data and hydrologic parameters from seven agricultural watersheds in the United States, 2002-09
Kathleen A. McCarthy, David C. Lampe, Paul D. Capel
2011, Data Series 603
Field and analytical methods; discrete organic and non-organic water-quality data and associated quality-control data; and continuous hydrologic and water-quality parameters are reported for sites in California, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Washington. The sites were sampled as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program?s Agricultural Chemicals...
A Holocene record of endogenic iron and manganese precipitation, isotopic composition of endogenic carbonate, and vegetation history in a lake-fen complex in northwestern Minnesota
Walter E. Dean, Lisa A. Doner
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1106
Little Shingobee Lake and Fen are part of an extensive network of lakes and wetlands in the Shingobee River headwaters area of northwestern Minnesota. Prior to about 9800 radiocarbon years, most of the lakes in the Shingobee watershed area were interconnected to form glacial Lake Willobee. From 9800 to 7700...
Aggregate resource availability in the conterminous United States, including suggestions for addressing shortages, quality, and environmental concerns
William H. Langer
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1119
One-third of America's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and over one-quarter of the bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. A 70-percent increase in annual aggregate production may be required to upgrade the transportation infrastructure. Natural aggregate is widespread throughout the conterminous United States, but the...
Numerical simulation of the groundwater-flow system in the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed and Vicinity, Pierce County, Washington
Kenneth H. Johnson, Mark E. Savoca, Burt Clothier
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5086
A groundwater-flow model was developed to contribute to an improved understanding of water resources in the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed. The model covers an area of about 491 square miles in western Pierce County, Washington, and is bounded to the northeast by the Puyallup River valley, to the southwest by the...
Relative abundance and distribution of fishes within an established Area of Critical Environmental Concern, of the Amargosa River Canyon and Willow Creek, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California
G. Gary Scoppettone, Mark E. Hereford, Peter H. Rissler, Danielle M. Johnson, Antonio Salgado
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1161
The Amargosa River Canyon of San Bernardino and Inyo County, California, has been designated by the Bureau of Land Management as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, due in part to its unique flora and fauna. As a task of the Area of Critical Environmental Concern implementation plan, a survey...
Conservation of greater sage-grouse- a synthesis of current trends and future management
John W. Connelly, Steven T. Knick, Clait E. Braun, William L. Baker, Erik A. Beever, Thomas J. Christiansen, Kevin E. Doherty, Edward O. Garton, Christian A. Hagen, Steven E. Hanser, Douglas H. Johnson, Matthias Leu, Richard F. Miller, David E. Naugle, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, David A. Pyke, Kerry P. Reese, Michael A. Schroeder, San J. Stiver, Brett L. Walker, Michael J. Wisdorn
2011, Book chapter, Greater Sage-Grouse: Ecology and Conservation of a Landscape Species and Its Habitats
Recent analyses of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations indicate substantial declines in many areas but relatively stable populations in other portions of the species? range. Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats neces-sary to support sage-grouse are being burned by large wildfires, invaded by nonnative plants, and developed for energy resources (gas, oil,...
Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities
Jennifer Firn, Joslin L. Moore, Andrew S. MacDougall, Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Janneke HilleRisLambers, W. Stanley Harpole, Elsa E. Cleland, Cynthia S. Brown, Johannes M.H. Knops, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Kelly A. Farrell, John D. Bakker, Lydia R. O’Halloran, Peter B. Adler, Scott L. Collins, Carla M. D'Antonio, Michael J. Crawley, Elizabeth M. Wolkovich, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Brett A. Melbourne, Yann Hautier, John W. Morgan, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Adam Kay, Rebecca McCulley, Kendi F. Davies, Carly J. Stevens, Cheng-Jin Chu, Karen D. Holl, Julia A. Klein, Phillip A. Fay, Nicole Hagenah, Kevin P. Kirkman, Yvonne M. Buckley
2011, Ecology Letters (14) 274-281
Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants are more abundant in introduced vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts in populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous...
Customizing a rangefinder for community-based wildlife conservation initiatives
Jason I. Ransom
2011, Biodiversity and Conservation (20) 1603-1609
Population size of many threatened and endangered species is relatively unknown because estimating animal abundance in remote parts of the world, without access to aircraft for surveying vast areas, is a scientific challenge with few proposed solutions. One option is to enlist local community members and train them in data...
Alphacoronaviruses in New World Bats: Prevalence, Persistence, Phylogeny, and Potential for Interaction with Humans
Christina Osborne, Paul M. Cryan, Thomas J. O'Shea, Lauren M. Oko, Christina Ndaluka, Charles H. Calisher, Andrew D. Berglund, Mead L. Klavetter, Kathryn V. Holmes, Samuel R. Dominguez
Joel Mark Montgomery, editor(s)
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
Bats are reservoirs for many different coronaviruses (CoVs) as well as many other important zoonotic viruses. We sampled feces and/or anal swabs of 1,044 insectivorous bats of 2 families and 17 species from 21 different locations within Colorado from 2007 to 2009. We detected alphacoronavirus RNA in bats of 4...
Bat white-nose syndrome in North America
David S. Blehert, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Anne E. Ballmann, Paul M. Cryan, Carol U. Meteyer
2011, Microbe Magazine (6) 267-273
* The newly described fungus, Geomyces destructans, causes an invasive skin infection in bats and is the likely agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS). * With immune system functions and body temperatures reduced during hibernation, bats may be unusually susceptible to a pathogenic fungus such as G. destructans. * WNS was...
