Conceptual model of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system
Victor M. Heilweil, Lynette E. Brooks, editor(s)
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5193
A conceptual model of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system (GBCAAS) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for a regional assessment of groundwater availability as part of a national water census. The study area is an expansion of a previous USGS Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis (RASA)...
The future of rare earth elements—will these high-tech industry elements continue in short supply?
Keith R. Long
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1189
* REE will continue to find increasing use due to their unique properties. * There is a realistic possibility around 2015-2016 of sufficient REE capacity to meet demand under conditions of healthy price competition. * REE supplies will be tight and prices high for a few years. * There is...
Four studies on effects of environmental factors on the quality of National Atmospheric Deposition Program measurements
Gregory A. Wetherbee, Natalie E. Latysh, Christopher M.B. Lehmann, Mark F. Rhodes
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1170
Selected aspects of National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) protocols are evaluated in four studies. Meteorological conditions have minor impacts on the error in NADP/NTN sampling. Efficiency of frozen precipitation sample collection is lower than for liquid precipitation samples. Variability of NTN measurements is higher for relatively...
An inventory and monitoring plan for a Sonoran Desert ecosystem; Barry M. Goldwater Range-West
Miguel L. Villarreal, Charles van Riper III, Robert E. Lovich, Robert L. Palmer, Travis Nauman, Sarah E. Studd, Sam Drake, Abigail S. Rosenberg, Jim Malusa, Ronald L. Pearce
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1232
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma manages the Barry M. Goldwater Range-West, which encompasses approximately 2,800 square kilometers of Sonoran Desert habitat in southwestern Arizona. The Barry M. Goldwater Range is a major U.S. military installation designed as an air combat training location for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air...
Liquefaction hazard for the region of Evansville, Indiana
Jennifer S. Haase, Yoon S. Choi, Robert L. Nowack, Chris H. Cramer, Oliver S. Boyd, Robert A. Bauer
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1203
We calculated liquefaction potential index for a grid of sites in the Evansville, Indiana area for two scenario earthquakes-a magnitude 7.7 in the New Madrid seismic zone and a M6.8 in the Wabash Valley seismic zone. For the latter event, peak ground accelerations range from 0.13 gravity to 0.81 gravity,...
An open-water electrical geophysical tool for mapping sub-seafloor heavy placer minerals in 3D and migrating hydrocarbon plumes in 4D
Jefferey C. Wynn, Scott Urquhart, Mike Williamson, John B. Fleming
2011, Conference Paper, OCEANS '11 MTS/IEEE Kona
A towed-streamer technology has been developed for mapping placer heavy minerals and dispersed hydrocarbon plumes in the open ocean. The approach uses induced polarization (IP), an electrical measurement that encompasses several different surface-reactive capacitive and electrochemical phenomena, and thus is ideally suited for mapping dispersed or disseminated targets. The application...
An analysis of spatial relation predicates in U.S. Geological Survey feature definitions
Holly K. Caro, Dalia E. Varanka
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1235
The Semantic Web uses a data model called a triple, which consists of a subject -predicate - object structure. When represented as triples, geospatial data require a spatial relation term to serve as the predicate linking two spatial features. This document summarizes the approaches and procedures used during the identification...
Site-specific seismic-hazard maps and deaggregation in the western United States using the NGA models for ground-motion prediction
Stephen Harmsen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1218
The 2008 National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project (NSHMP) update for the conterminous United States employs several new ground-motion prediction equations which include modern empirical models of linear and nonlinear site response to local and regional earthquakes. The recent availability of attenuation functions incorporating site conditions via Vs30 values permits the...
Effectiveness of post-fire seeding at the Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Land Ecology Reserve, Washington
Troy A. Wirth, David A. Pyke
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1241
In August 2007, the Milepost 17 and Wautoma fires burned a combined total of 77,349 acres (31,302 hectares) of the Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Land Ecology Reserve (ALE), part of the Hanford Reach National Monument administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Mid-Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. In 2009, the USFWS...
Assessment of coal geology, resources, and reserves in the Southwestern Powder River Basin, Wyoming
Lee M. Osmonson, David C. Scott, Jon E. Haacke, James A. Luppens, Paul E. Pierce
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1134
The availability of abundant new borehole data from recent coal bed natural gas development was utilized by the U.S. Geological Survey for a comprehensive evaluation of coal resources and reserves in the southwestern part of the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. This report on the Southwestern Powder River Basin assessment...
Phreatophytic land-cover map of the northern and central Great Basin Ecoregion: California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming
Amy M. Mathie, Toby L. Welborn, David D. Susong, Mary L. Tumbusch
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3169
Increasing water use and changing climate in the Great Basin of the western United States are likely affecting the distribution of phreatophytic vegetation in the region. Phreatophytic plant communities that depend on groundwater are susceptible to natural and anthropogenic changes to hydrologic flow systems. The purpose of this report is...
Numerical simulation of groundwater flow for the Yakima River basin aquifer system, Washington
D.M. Ely, M.P. Bachmann, J. J. Vaccaro
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5155
A regional, three-dimensional, transient numerical model of groundwater flow was constructed for the Yakima River basin aquifer system to better understand the groundwater-flow system and its relation to surface-water resources. The model described in this report can be used as a tool by water-management agencies and other stakeholders to quantitatively...
Sensing disease and danger: A survey of vertebrate PRRs and their origins
John D. Hansen, Lucia N. Vojtech, Kerry J. Laing
2011, Developmental and Comparative Immunology (35) 886-897
A key facet of the innate immune response lays in its ability to recognize and respond to invading microorganisms and cellular disturbances. Through the use of germ-line encoded PRRs, the innate immune system is capable of detecting invariant pathogen motifs termed pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS) that are distinct from host...
Invasive Plant Management in the United States National Wildlife Refuge
Michael Lusk, Jenny Ericson
2011, Book chapter, Invasive plant management issues and challenges in the United States: 2011 overview
Invasive species pose a significant challenge to the National Wildlife Refuge System and have been identified as the single most important threat to habitat management on refuges. At present, it is estimated that over 2 million acres of refuge lands are invaded by invasive plants....
Interagency partnering for weed prevention-- Progress on development of a National Early Detection and Rapid Response System for Invasive Plants in the United States
Randy G. Westbrooks
R. Westbrooks, editor(s)
2011, Book chapter, Invasive plant management issues and challenges in the United States: 2011 Overview
Over the past 50 years, experience has shown that interagency groups provide an effective forum for addressing various invasive species issues and challenges on multiple land units. However, more importantly, they can also provide a coordinated framework for early detection, reporting, identification and vouchering, rapid assessment, and rapid response to...
Comprehensive summary of beach renourishment and offshore sand removal impacts for Florida
A. W.J. Demopoulos, D.J. Gualtieri, A. Neils, D. Huge
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1135
This report is temporarily unavailable pending review. An essential first step in the scope of environmental impacts for a sediment mining project is a formulation of specific purpose, precise needs, and estimated impacts. For each individual project, scope must be described, acceptable alternatives must be determined, critical environmental issues must be...
Federal interagency coordination for invasive plant issues -- The Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW)
Randy G. Westbrooks
2011, Book chapter, Invasive plant management issues and challenges in the United States: 2011 Overview
The U.S. Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW) is a formal partnership between 16 federal agencies that have invasive plant management and regulatory responsibilities for the United States and its territories. Efforts to develop a national level federal interagency committee to coordinate federal activities were initiated...
U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative-2010 Annual Report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Laura Biewick, Steven W. Blecker, Gregory K. Boughton, R. Sky Bristol, Natasha B. Carr, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Melanie L. Clark, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Bradley C. Fedy, Katharine Foster, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, JoAnn Holloway, Collin G. Homer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Douglas Keinath, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Jessica Montag, Christopher J. Potter, Spencer Schell, Sarah L. Shafer, David B. Smith, Lisa L. Stillings, Michele L. Tuttle, Anna B. Wilson
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1219
This is the third report produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) to detail annual work activities. The first report described activities for 2007 and 2008, and the second report covered work activities for FY09. This third report covers work activities conducted in...
Summary of inorganic compositional data for groundwater, soil-water, and surface-water samples collected at the Headgate Draw subsurface drip irrigation site, Johnson County, Wyoming
Nicholas J. Geboy, Mark A. Engle, Karl T. Schroeder, John W. Zupancic
2011, Data Series 619
As part of a 5-year project on the impact of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) application of coalbed-methane (CBM) produced waters, water samples were collected from the Headgate Draw SDI site in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA. This research is part of a larger study to understand short- and long-term...
Objectives, priorities, reliable knowledge, and science-based management of Missouri River interior least terns and piping plovers
Mark Sherfy, Michael J. Anteau, Terry Shaffer, Marsha Sovada, Jennifer Stucker
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1236
Supporting recovery of federally listed interior least tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos; tern) and piping plover (Charadrius melodus; plover) populations is a desirable goal in management of the Missouri River ecosystem. Many tools are implemented in support of this goal, including habitat management, annual monitoring, directed research, and threat mitigation. Similarly,...
Meteoric precipitation at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: Chemical and stable isotope analyses, 2006-09
Richard J. Moscati, Kevin M. Scofield
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5140
Meteoric precipitation samples collected in 2006-09 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, were analyzed for chemistry and stable isotope composition. Precipitation is the major source of infiltration to the unsaturated zone and of recharge to the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain. On February 28, 2005, seepage of water was observed about 40 to...
Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS
Steven E. Hanser, Cameron L. Aldridge, Matthias Leu, Scott E. Nielsen
2011, Data Series 631
The Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS is a tool that extends the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS 10 Desktop application to aid with the visualization of relationships between two raster GIS datasets. A dose-response curve is a line graph commonly used in medical research to examine the effects of different...
Landsat 8 on-orbit characterization and calibration system
Esad Micijevic, Ron Morfitt, Mike Choate
2011, Conference Paper, Proceeding of SPIE: Earth Observing Systems XV!
The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) is planning to launch the Landsat 8 satellite in December 2012, which continues an uninterrupted record of consistently calibrated globally acquired multispectral images of the Earth started in 1972. The satellite will carry two imaging sensors: the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and...
Preliminary geologic map of the island of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
David J. Weary, William C. Burton
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1234
This map provides an update and reinterpretation of the geology of the island of Saipan. The geology of the island was previously documented in 1956 in U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Professional Paper 280-A by Preston E. Cloud, Jr., and others. This report includes a geologic map at a scale of...
Weeds of Hawaii’s lands devoted to watershed protection and biodiversity conservation: Role of biological control as the missing piece in an integrated pest management strategy
Arthur C. Medeiros, L.L. Loope
2011, Conference Paper, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Despite Hawaii’s reputation as an extinction icon, significant biological resources remain, especially in watersheds, natural areas, and specialized edaphic sites (e.g., lava dry forest, coastal). While direct habitat destruction by humans continues, human-facilitated biological invaders are currently the primary agents of continuing degradation. The ability of invasive plants to have...
