Variabilities in probabilistic seismic hazard maps for natural and induced seismicity in the central and eastern United States
S. Mostafa Mousavi, Gregory C. Beroza, Susan M. Hoover
2018, The Leading Edge (37) 141a1-141a9
Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) characterizes ground-motion hazard from earthquakes. Typically, the time horizon of a PSHA forecast is long, but in response to induced seismicity related to hydrocarbon development, the USGS developed one-year PSHA models. In this paper, we present a display of the variability in USGS hazard curves...
Seismic hazard, risk, and design for South America
Mark D. Petersen, Stephen Harmsen, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Kenneth S. Rukstales, Nico Luco, Kathleen Haller, Charles Mueller, Allison Shumway
2018, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (108) 781-800
We calculate seismic hazard, risk, and design criteria across South America using the latest data, models, and methods to support public officials, scientists, and engineers in earthquake risk mitigation efforts. Updated continental scale seismic hazard models are based on a new seismicity catalog, seismicity rate models, evaluation of earthquake sizes,...
Monitoring algal blooms in drinking water reservoirs using the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager
Darryl Keith, Jennifer Rover, Jason Green, Brian Zalewsky, Mike Charpentier, Glen Hursby, Joseph Bishop
2018, International Journal of Remote Sensing (39) 2818-2846
In this study, we demonstrated that the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor is a powerful tool that can provide periodic and system-wide information on the condition of drinking water reservoirs. The OLI is a multispectral radiometer (30 m spatial resolution) that allows ecosystem observations at spatial and temporal scales that...
Use of remote sensing to detect and predict aquatic nuisance vegetation growth in coastal Louisiana: Summary of findings
Glenn M. Suir, Kevin J. Suir, Sijan Sapkota
2018, ERDC Technical Report ERDC/EL TR-18-3
On an annual basis, federal and state agencies are responsible for mapping and removing large expanses of aquatic nuisance vegetation from navigable waterways. This study set out to achieve four primary objectives: (1) utilize recent advancements in remote sensing techniques to classify the extent and distribution of aquatic vegetation in...
An open source high-performance solution to extract surface water drainage networks from diverse terrain conditions
Larry V. Stanislawski, Kornelijus Survila, Jeffrey Wendel, Yan Liu, Barbara P. Buttenfield
2018, Cartography and Geographic Information Science (45) 319-328
This paper describes a workflow for automating the extraction of elevation-derived stream lines using open source tools with parallel computing support and testing the effectiveness of procedures in various terrain conditions within the conterminous United States. Drainage networks are extracted from the US Geological Survey 1/3 arc-second 3D Elevation Program...
Response to Lisovski et al.
Henry M. Streby, Gunnar R. Kramer, Sean M. Peterson, Justin A. Lehman, David A. Buehler, David E. Andersen
2018, Current Biology (28) R101-R102
Lisovski et al. [1] describe the widely recognized limitations of light-level geolocator data for identifying short-distance latitudinal movements, recommend that caution be used when interpreting such data, intimated that we did not use such caution and argued that environmental shading likely explained the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) movements described in our 2015...
Mineral commodity summaries 2018
Joyce A. Ober
2018, Report
This report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering 2017 nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for more than 90 individual minerals and materials....
Flood-inundation maps for the Withlacoochee River From Skipper Bridge Road to St. Augustine Road, within the City of Valdosta, Georgia, and Lowndes County, Georgia
Jonathan W. Musser
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5011
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 12.6-mile reach of the Withlacoochee River from Skipper Bridge Road to St. Augustine Road (Georgia State Route 133) were developed to depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage at...
Missouri StreamStats—A water-resources web application
Jarrett T. Ellis
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3003
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains and operates more than 8,200 continuous streamgages nationwide. Types of data that may be collected, computed, and stored for streamgages include streamgage height (water-surface elevation), streamflow, and water quality. The streamflow data allow scientists and engineers to calculate streamflow statistics, such as the 1-percent annual exceedance...
Evaluation of the Radar Stage Sensor manufactured by Forest Technology Systems—Results of laboratory and field testing
Gerald A. Kunkle
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1085
Two identical Radar Stage Sensors from Forest Technology Systems were evaluated to determine if they are suitable for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic data collection. The sensors were evaluated in laboratory conditions to evaluate the distance accuracy of the sensor over the manufacturer’s specified operating temperatures and distance to water...
Water stress from high-volume hydraulic fracturing potentially threatens aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services in Arkansas, United States
Sally Entrekin, Anne Trainor, James Saiers, Lauren Patterson, Kelly O. Maloney, Joseph Fargione, Joseph M. Kiesecker, Sharon Baruch-Mordo, Katherine E. Konschnik, Hannah Wiseman, Jean-Philippe Nicot, Joseph N. Ryan
2018, Environmental Science & Technology (52) 2349-2358
Demand for high-volume, short duration water withdrawals could create water stress to aquatic organisms in Fayetteville Shale streams sourced for hydraulic fracturing fluids. We estimated potential water stress using permitted water withdrawal volumes and actual water withdrawals compared to monthly median, low, and high streamflows. Risk for biological stress was...
Development and release of phenological data products—A case study in compliance with federal open data policy
Alyssa H. Rosemartin, Madison L. Langseth, Theresa Crimmins, Jake F. Weltzin
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1007
In Autumn 2015, USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) staff implemented new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data-management policies intended to ensure that the results of Federally funded research are made available to the public. The effort aimed both to improve USA-NPN data releases and to provide a model for similar programs...
Sea surface temperature estimates for the mid-Piacenzian Indian Ocean—Ocean Drilling Program sites 709, 716, 722, 754, 757, 758, and 763
Marci M. Robinson, Harry J. Dowsett, Danielle K. Stoll
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1158
Despite the wealth of global paleoclimate data available for the warm period in the middle of the Piacenzian Stage of the Pliocene Epoch (about 3.3 to 3.0 million years ago [Ma]; Dowsett and others, 2013, and references therein), the Indian Ocean has remained a region of sparse geographic coverage in...
Chirp subbottom profile data collected in 2015 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Arnell S. Forde, Nancy T. DeWitt, Jake J. Fredericks, Jennifer L. Miselis
2018, Data Series 1077
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in September 2015. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island...
Quaternary sediment thickness and bedrock topography of the glaciated United States east of the Rocky Mountains
David R. Soller, Christopher P. Garrity
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3392
Beginning roughly 2.6 million years ago, global climate entered a cooling phase known as the Pleistocene Epoch. As snow in northern latitudes compacted into ice several kilometers thick, it flowed as glaciers southward across the North American continent. These glaciers extended across the northern United States, dramatically altering the landscape...
The 3D Elevation Program—Flood risk management
Carswell Jr., Vicki Lukas
2018, Fact Sheet 2017-3081
Flood-damage reduction in the United States has been a longstanding but elusive societal goal. The national strategy for reducing flood damage has shifted over recent decades from a focus on construction of flood-control dams and levee systems to a three-pronged strategy to (1) improve the design and operation of such...
Spatial and temporal variability in growth of giant gartersnakes: Plasticity, precipitation, and prey
Jonathan P. Rose, Brian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza
2018, Journal of Herpetology (52) 40-49
The growth rate of reptiles is plastic and often varies among individuals, populations, and years in response to environmental conditions. For an imperiled species, the growth rate of individual animals is an important component of demographic models, and changes in individual growth rates might precede changes in abundance. We analyzed...
Public views of wetlands and waterfowl conservation in the United States—Results of a survey to inform the 2018 update of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
Emily J. Wilkins, Holly M. Miller
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1148
Executive SummaryThis report provides information from a general public survey conducted in early 2017 to help inform the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) 2018 update. This report is intended for use by the NAWMP advisory committees and anyone interested in the human dimensions of wetlands and waterfowl management. A...
Simulated hydrologic response to climate change during the 21st century in New Hampshire
David M. Bjerklie, Luke P. Sturtevant
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5143
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the Department of Health and Human Services, has developed a hydrologic model to assess the effects of short- and long-term climate change on hydrology in New Hampshire. This report documents the model and datasets developed...
Flood-inundation maps for the Patoka River in and near Jasper, southwestern Indiana
Kathleen K. Fowler
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5138
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9.5-mile reach of the Patoka River in and near the city of Jasper, southwestern Indiana (Ind.), from the streamgage near County Road North 175 East, downstream to State Road 162, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of...
Estimating population extinction thresholds with categorical classification trees for Louisiana black bears
Jared S. Laufenberg, Joseph D. Clark, Richard B. Chandler
2018, PLoS ONE (13)
Monitoring vulnerable species is critical for their conservation. Thresholds or tipping points are commonly used to indicate when populations become vulnerable to extinction and to trigger changes in conservation actions. However, quantitative methods to determine such thresholds have not been well explored. The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) was...
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Gas Hydrates Project
Carolyn D. Ruppel
2018, Fact Sheet 2017-3079
The Gas Hydrates Project at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) focuses on the study of methane hydrates in natural environments. The project is a collaboration between the USGS Energy Resources and the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Programs and works closely with other U.S. Federal agencies, some State governments, outside...
Hydrogeologic framework and groundwater conditions of the Ararat Basin in Armenia
Joshua F. Valder, Janet M. Carter, Colton J. Medler, Ryan F. Thompson, Mark T. Anderson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5163
Armenia is a landlocked country located in the mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe. It shares borders with the countries of Georgia on the north, Azerbaijan on the east, Iran on the south, and Turkey and Azerbaijan on the west. The Ararat Basin is a transboundary basin in Armenia...
Determining mineralogical variations of aeolian deposits using thermal infrared emissivity and linear deconvolution methods
Bernard E. Hubbard, Donald M. Hooper, Federico Solano, John C. Mars
2018, Aeolian Research (30) 54-96
We apply linear deconvolution methods to derive mineral and glass proportions for eight field sample training sites at seven dune fields: (1) Algodones, California; (2) Big Dune, Nevada; (3) Bruneau, Idaho; (4) Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Alaska; (5) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado; (6) Sunset Crater, Arizona;...
Development of a hydraulic model and flood-inundation maps for the Wabash River near the Interstate 64 Bridge near Grayville, Illinois
Justin A. Boldt
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5140
A two-dimensional hydraulic model and digital flood‑inundation maps were developed for a 30-mile reach of the Wabash River near the Interstate 64 Bridge near Grayville, Illinois. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Flood Inundation Mapping Science web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict...
