California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, Spring 2017
M. Tim Tinker, Brian B. Hatfield
2017, Data Series 1067
The 2017 census of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) was conducted between late April and early July along the mainland coast of central California and in April at San Nicolas Island in southern California. The 3-year average of combined counts from the mainland range and San Nicolas Island...
Flood-inundation maps for the Meramec River at Valley Park and at Fenton, Missouri, 2017
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Jacob N. Sappington
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5116
Two sets of digital flood-inundation map libraries that spanned a combined 16.7-mile reach of the Meramec River that extends upstream from Valley Park, Missouri, to downstream from Fenton, Mo., were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, Missouri...
Long-term trends of surface-water mercury and methylmercury concentrations downstream of historic mining within the Carson River watershed
Eric D. Morway, Carl E. Thodal, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale
2017, Environmental Pollution (229) 1006-1018
The Carson River is a vital water resource for local municipalities and migratory birds travelling the Pacific Flyway. Historic mining practices that used mercury (Hg) to extract gold from Comstock Lode ore has left much of the river system heavily contaminated with Hg, a practice that continues in many parts...
Minimizing effects of methodological decisions on interpretation and prediction in species distribution studies: An example with background selection
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Marian Talbert, Jeffrey T. Morisette, Cameron L. Aldridge, Cynthia Brown, Sunil Kumar, Daniel J. Manier, Colin Talbert, Tracy R. Holcombe
2017, Ecological Modelling (363) 48-56
Evaluating the conditions where a species can persist is an important question in ecology both to understand tolerances of organisms and to predict distributions across landscapes. Presence data combined with background or pseudo-absence locations are commonly used with species distribution modeling to develop these relationships. However, there is not a...
A review of surface energy balance models for estimating actual evapotranspiration with remote sensing at high spatiotemporal resolution over large extents
Ryan R. McShane, Katelyn P. Driscoll, Roy Sando
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5087
Many approaches have been developed for measuring or estimating actual evapotranspiration (ETa), and research over many years has led to the development of remote sensing methods that are reliably reproducible and effective in estimating ETa. Several remote sensing methods can be used to estimate ETa at the high spatial resolution...
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2013–September 2015
C.A. Pfeifle, J.L. Cain, R.B. Rasmussen
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1068
Surface-water supplies are important sources of drinking water for residents in the Triangle area of North Carolina, which is located within the upper Cape Fear and Neuse River Basins. Since 1988, the U.S. Geological Survey and a consortium of local governments have tracked water-quality conditions and trends in several of...
Analysis of seafloor change around Dauphin Island, Alabama, 1987–2015
James G. Flocks, Nancy T. DeWitt, Chelsea A. Stalk
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1112
Dauphin Island is a 26-km-long barrier island located southwest of Mobile Bay, Alabama, in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. The island contains sandy beaches, dunes, maritime forests, freshwater ponds and intertidal wetlands, providing habitat for many endangered and threatened species. Dauphin Island also provides protection for and maintains estuarine conditions...
Streamflow of 2016—Water year summary
Xiaodong Jian, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins, Steven J. Brady
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3063
The maps and graphs in this summary describe national streamflow conditions for water year 2016 (October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016) in the context of streamflow ranks relative to the 87-year period of 1930–2016, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s...
Field manual for identifying and preserving high-water mark data
Toby D. Feaster, Todd A. Koenig
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1105
This field manual provides general guidance for identifying and collecting high-water marks and is meant to be used by field personnel as a quick reference. The field manual describes purposes for collecting and documenting high-water marks along with the most common types of high-water marks. The manual provides a list...
Bathymetric surveys of the Neosho River, Spring River, and Elk River, northeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri, 2016–17
Shelby L. Hunter, Chad E. Ashworth, S. Jerrod Smith
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5101
In February 2017, the Grand River Dam Authority filed to relicense the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The predominant feature of the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project is Pensacola Dam, which impounds Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees (locally called Grand Lake) in northeastern Oklahoma. Identification of information gaps...
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, May 23–27, 2016
Richard J. Huizinga
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5076
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, near 13 bridges at 8 highway crossings of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in the greater St. Louis, Missouri, area from May 23 to 27, 2016. A multibeam echosounder mapping system...
Structural equation model of total phosphorus loads in the Red River of the North Basin, USA and Canada
Karen R. Ryberg
2017, Journal of Environmental Quality (46) 1072-1080
Attribution of the causes of trends in nutrient loading is often limited to correlation, qualitative reasoning, or references to the work of others. This paper represents efforts to improve causal attribution of water-quality changes. The Red River of the North basin provides a regional test case because of international interest...
Concentration and trend of 1,4-dioxane in wells sampled during 2002–2017 in the vicinity of the Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site, Arizona
Fred D. Tillman
2017, Scientific Investigations Map 3385
Industrial activities causing extensive groundwater contamination led to the listing of the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) as a Superfund Site in 1983. Early groundwater investigations identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including the chlorinated solvents trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), in wells in the area. Several responsible parties were identified...
Using models to identify the best data: An example from northern Wisconsin
Andrew T. Leaf
2017, Groundwater (55) 641-645
Linear-based data-worth analysis is an efficient and straightforward method for identifying the most important data for model forecasts....
Projecting impacts of climate change on water availability using artificial neural network techniques
Eric D. Swain, Julieta Gomez-Fragoso, Sigfredo Torres-Gonzalez
2017, Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management (143)
Lago Loíza reservoir in east-central Puerto Rico is one of the primary sources of public water supply for the San Juan metropolitan area. To evaluate and predict the Lago Loíza water budget, an artificial neural network (ANN) technique is trained to predict river inflows. A method is...
Refining fault slip rates using multiple displaced terrace risers-An example from the Honey Lake fault, NE California, USA
Ryan D. Gold, Richard W. Briggs, Anthony J. Crone, Christopher DuRoss
2017, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (477) 134-146
Faulted terrace risers are semi-planar features commonly used to constrain Quaternary slip rates along strike-slip faults. These landforms are difficult to date directly and therefore their ages are commonly bracketed by age estimates of the adjacent upper and lower terrace surfaces. However, substantial differences in the ages of the upper and lower terrace...
Coming to terms about describing Golden Eagle reproduction
Karen Steenhof, Michael N. Kochert, Carol L. McIntyre, Jessi L. Brown
2017, Journal of Raptor Research (51) 378-390
Clearly defined terms are essential for reporting and understanding research findings, and inconsistent terminology can complicate efforts to compare findings from different studies. In this article, we reiterate and clarify recommended terms for describing Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) territory occupancy and reproduction. Several authors have provided recommendations for reporting data...
Holocene earthquakes of magnitude 7 during westward escape of the Olympic Mountains, Washington
Alan R. Nelson, Stephen Personius, Ray E. Wells, Elizabeth R. Schermer, Lee-Ann Bradley, Jason Buck, Nadine G. Reitman
2017, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (107) 2394-2415
The Lake Creek–Boundary Creek fault, previously mapped in Miocene bedrock as an oblique thrust on the north flank of the Olympic Mountains, poses a significant earthquake hazard. Mapping using 2015 light detection and ranging (lidar) confirms 2004 lidar mapping of postglacial (<<mn...
National assessment of shoreline change—Summary statistics for updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, U.S.-Canadian Border to Icy Cape
Ann E. Gibbs, Bruce M. Richmond
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1107
Long-term rates of shoreline change for the north coast of Alaska, from the U.S.-Canadian border to the Icy Cape region of northern Alaska, have been updated as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project. Short-term shoreline change rates are reported for the first time. Additional...
Low-flow characteristics of streams in South Carolina
Toby D. Feaster, Wladmir B. Guimaraes
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1110
An ongoing understanding of streamflow characteristics of the rivers and streams in South Carolina is important for the protection and preservation of the State’s water resources. Information concerning the low-flow characteristics of streams is especially important during critical flow periods, such as during the historic droughts that South Carolina has...
Assessment of critical minerals: Updated application of an early-warning screening methodology
Erin A. McCullough, Nedal Nassar
2017, Mineral Economics (30) 257-272
Increasing reliance on non-renewable mineral resources reinforces the need for identifying potential supply constraints before they occur. The US National Science and Technology Council recently released a report that outlines a methodology for screening potentially critical minerals based on three indicators: supply risk (R), production growth (<i class="EmphasisTypeItalic...
Annual estimates of recharge, quick-flow runoff, and ET for the contiguous U.S. using empirical regression equations
Meredith Reitz, Ward E. Sanford, Gabriel B. Senay, J. Cazenas
2017, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (53) 961-983
This study presents new data-driven, annual estimates of the division of precipitation into the recharge, quick-flow runoff, and evapotranspiration (ET) water budget components for 2000-2013 for the contiguous United States (CONUS). The algorithms used to produce these maps ensure water budget consistency over this broad spatial scale, with contributions from...
Multiple-source tracking: Investigating sources of pathogens, nutrients, and sediment in the Upper Little River Basin, Kentucky, water years 2013–14
Angela S. Crain, Mac A. Cherry, Tanja N. Williamson, Aubrey R. Bunch
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5086
The South Fork Little River (SFLR) and the North Fork Little River (NFLR) are two major headwater tributaries that flow into the Little River just south of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Both tributaries are included in those water bodies in Kentucky and across the Nation that have been reported with declining water...
A record of change - Science and elder observations on the Navajo Nation
Margaret M. Hiza-Redsteer, Stephen M. Wessells
2017, General Information Product 181
A Record of Change - Science and Elder Observations on the Navajo Nation is a 25-minute documentary about combining observations from Navajo elders with conventional science to determine how tribal lands and culture are affected by climate change. On the Navajo Nation, there is a shortage of historical climate data,...
Water-level trends and potentiometric surfaces in the Nacatoch Aquifer in northeastern and southwestern Arkansas and in the Tokio Aquifer in southwestern Arkansas, 2014–15
Kirk D. Rodgers
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5090
The Nacatoch Sand in northeastern and southwestern Arkansas and the Tokio Formation in southwestern Arkansas are sources of groundwater for agricultural, domestic, industrial, and public use. Water-level altitudes measured in 51 wells completed in the Nacatoch Sand and 42 wells completed in the Tokio Formation during 2014 and 2015 were used...
