Polygons of global undersea features for geographic searches
Stephen R. Hartwell, Dana K. Wingfield, Alan O. Allwardt, Frances L. Lightsom, Florence L. Wong
2018, Open-File Report 2014-1040
A shapefile of 311 undersea features from all major oceans and seas has been created as an aid for retrieving georeferenced information resources. Geospatial information systems with the capability to search user-defined, polygonal geographic areas will be able to utilize this shapefile or secondary products derived from it, such as...
Methods for computing water-quality loads at sites in the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Network
Casey J. Lee, Jennifer C. Murphy, Charles G. Crawford, Jeffrey R. Deacon
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1120
The U.S. Geological Survey currently (2020) publishes information on concentrations and loads of water-quality constituents at 110 sites across the United States as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Network (NWQN). This report details historical and updated methods for computing water-quality loads at NWQN sites. The primary...
Geologic map of the Washington West 30’ × 60’ quadrangle, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
Peter T. Lyttle, John N. Aleinikoff, William C. Burton, E. Allen Crider Jr., Avery A. Drake Jr., Albert J. Froelich, J. Wright Horton Jr., Gregorios Kasselas, Robert B. Mixon, Lucy McCartan, Arthur E. Nelson, Wayne L. Newell, Louis Pavlides, David S. Powars, C. Scott Southworth, Robert E. Weems
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1142
The Washington West 30’ × 60’ quadrangle covers an area of approximately 4,884 square kilometers (1,343 square miles) in and west of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The eastern part of the area is highly urbanized, and more rural areas to the west are rapidly being developed. The area lies...
P- and S-wave velocity models incorporating the Cascadia subduction zone for 3D earthquake ground motion simulations, Version 1.6—Update for Open-File Report 2007–1348
William J. Stephenson, Nadine G. Reitman, Stephen J. Angster
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1152
In support of earthquake hazard studies and ground motion simulations in the Pacific Northwest, three-dimensional P- and S-wave velocity (VP and VS, respectively) models incorporating the Cascadia subduction zone were previously developed for the region encompassed from about 40.2°N. to 50°N. latitude, and from about 122°W. to 129°W. longitude. This...
Visualization of groundwater withdrawals
Richard B. Winston, Daniel J. Goode
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1137
Generating an informative display of groundwater withdrawals can sometimes be difficult because the symbols for closely spaced wells can overlap. An alternative method for displaying groundwater withdrawals is to generate a “footprint” of the withdrawals. WellFootprint version 1.0 implements the Footprint algorithm with two optional variations that can speed up...
Model-based scenario planning to inform climate change adaptation in the Northern Great Plains—Final report
Amy J. Symstad, Brian W. Miller, Jonathan M. Friedman, Nicholas A. Fisichelli, Andrea J. Ray, Erika Rowland, Gregor W. Schuurman
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1129
Public SummaryWe worked with managers in two focal areas to plan for the uncertain future by integrating quantitative climate change scenarios and simulation modeling into scenario planning exercises.In our central North Dakota focal area, centered on Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, managers are concerned about how changes in...
Laboratory evaluation of the Sequoia Scientific LISST-ABS acoustic backscatter sediment sensor
Teri T. Snazelle
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1154
Sequoia Scientific’s LISST-ABS is an acoustic backscatter sensor designed to measure suspended-sediment concentration at a point source. Three LISST-ABS were evaluated at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF). Serial numbers 6010, 6039, and 6058 were assessed for accuracy in solutions with varying particle-size distributions and for the...
Evaluation of the Hydrolab HL4 water-quality sonde and sensors
Teri T. Snazelle
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1153
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility evaluated three Hydrolab HL4 multiparameter water-quality sondes by OTT Hydromet. The sondes were equipped with temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity sensors. The sensors were evaluated for compliance with the USGS National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data...
Effectiveness of common fish screen materials for protecting lamprey ammocoetes—Influence of sweeping velocities and decreasing flows
Matthew G. Mesa, Theresa L. Liedtke, Lisa K. Weiland, Helena E. Christiansen
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1163
In previous tests of the effectiveness of four common fish screen materials for excluding lamprey ammocoetes, we determined that woven wire (WW) allowed substantially more entrainment than perforated plate (PP), profile bar (PB), or Intralox (IL) material. These tests were simplistic because they used small vertically-oriented screens positioned perpendicular...
Groundwater/surface-water interaction in central Sevier County, Tennessee, October 2015–2016
John K. Carmichael, Gregory C. Johnson
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1147
The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the interaction of groundwater and surface water in the central part of Sevier County, Tennessee, from October 2015 through October 2016. Stream base flow was surveyed in December 2015 and in July and October 2016 to evaluate losing and gaining stream reaches along three streams...
Characteristics of dissolved organic matter in the Upper Klamath River, Lost River, and Klamath Straits Drain, Oregon and California
Jami H. Goldman, Annett B. Sullivan
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1160
Concentrations of particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which together comprise total organic carbon, were measured in this reconnaissance study at sampling sites in the Upper Klamath River, Lost River, and Klamath Straits Drain in 2013–16. Optical absorbance and fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM),...
Deepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Steve W. Ross, Christina A. Kellogg, Cheryl L. Morrison, Martha S. Nizinski, Nancy G. Prouty, Jill R. Bourque, Julie P. Galkiewicz, Michael A. Gray, Marcus J. Springmann, D. Katharine Coykendall, Andrew Miller, Mike Rhode, Andrea Quattrini, Cheryl L. Ames, Sandra D. Brooke, Jennifer P. McClain-Counts, E. Brendan Roark, Noreen A. Buster, Ryan M. Phillips, Janessy Frometa
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1139
The deep sea is a rich environment composed of diverse habitat types. While deep-sea coral habitats have been discovered within each ocean basin, knowledge about the ecology of these habitats and associated inhabitants continues to grow. This report presents information and results from the Lophelia II project that examined deep-sea...
U.S. Geological Survey National Strong-Motion Project strategic plan, 2017–22
Brad T. Aagaard, Mehmet Celebi, Lind Gee, Robert Graves, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Erol Kalkan, Keith L. Knudsen, Nico Luco, James Smith, Jamison Steidl, Christopher D. Stephens
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1156
The mission of the National Strong-Motion Project is to provide measurements of how the ground and built environment behave during earthquake shaking to the earthquake engineering community, the scientific community, emergency managers, public agencies, industry, media, and other users for the following purposes: Improving engineering evaluations and design methods for...
Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2013–2015
Jamie P. Macy, Jon P. Mason
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1127
The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of...
Analysis of the variability in ground-motion synthesis and inversion
Paul A. Spudich, Antonella Cirella, Laura Scognamiglio, Elisa Tinti
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1151
In almost all past inversions of large-earthquake ground motions for rupture behavior, the goal of the inversion is to find the “best fitting” rupture model that predicts ground motions which optimize some function of the difference between predicted and observed ground motions. This type of inversion was pioneered in the...
Cobalt—Styles of deposits and the search for primary deposits
Murray W. Hitzman, Arthur A. Bookstrom, John F. Slack, Michael L. Zientek
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1155
Cobalt (Co) is a potentially critical mineral. The vast majority of cobalt is a byproduct of copper and (or) nickel production. Cobalt is increasingly used in magnets and rechargeable batteries. More than 50 percent of primary cobalt production is from the Central African Copperbelt. The Central African Copperbelt is the...
Integrated wetland management for waterfowl and shorebirds at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Brian G. Tavernia, John D. Stanton, James E. Lyons
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1052
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) offers a mix of open water, marsh, forest, and cropland habitats on 20,307 hectares in coastal North Carolina. In 1934, Federal legislation (Executive Order 6924) established MNWR to benefit wintering waterfowl and other migratory bird species. On an annual basis, the refuge staff decide how...
Timing of warm water refuge use in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge by manatees—Results and insights from Global Positioning System telemetry data
Daniel H. Slone, Susan M. Butler, James P. Reid, Catherine G. Haase
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1146
Managers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR) desire to update their management plan regarding the operation of select springs including Three Sisters Springs. They wish to refine existing parameters used to predict the presence of federally threatened Trichechus manatus latirostris (Florida manatee) in...
An expert elicitation process to project the frequency and magnitude of Florida manatee mortality events caused by red tide (Karenia brevis)
Julien Martin, Michael C. Runge, Leanne J. Flewelling, Charles J. Deutsch, Jan H. Landsberg
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1132
Red tides (blooms of the harmful alga Karenia brevis) are one of the major sources of mortality for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), especially in southwest Florida. It has been hypothesized that the frequency and severity of red tides may increase in the future because of global climate...
Behavioral response of giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) to the relative availability of aquatic habitat on the landscape
Gabriel A. Reyes, Brian J. Halstead, Jonathan P. Rose, Julia S. M. Ersan, Anna C. Jordan, Allison M. Essert, Kristen J. Fouts, Alexandria M. Fulton, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Raymund F. Wack, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1141
Most extant giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) populations persist in an agro-ecosystem dominated by rice, which serves as a surrogate to the expansive marshes lost to flood control projects and development of the Great Central Valley of California. Knowledge of how giant gartersnakes use the rice agricultural landscape, including how...
Virginia flow-ecology modeling results—An initial assessment of flow reduction effects on aquatic biota
Jennifer L. Rapp, Pamela A. Reilly
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1088
BackgroundThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), reviewed a previously compiled set of linear regression models to assess their utility in defining the response of the aquatic biological community to streamflow depletion.As part of the 2012 Virginia Healthy Watersheds Initiative (HWI) study...
Bathymetric map and area/capacity table for Castle Lake, Washington
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1145
The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens produced a 2.5-cubic-kilometer debris avalanche that dammed South Fork Castle Creek, causing Castle Lake to form behind a 20-meter-tall blockage. Risk of a catastrophic breach of the newly impounded lake led to outlet channel stabilization work, aggressive monitoring programs, mapping...
Evaluation of the Eureka Manta2 Water-Quality Multiprobe Sonde
Evan F. Tillman
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1118
Two Eureka Manta2 3.5 water-quality multiprobe sondes by Eureka Water Probes were tested at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) against known standards over the sonde operating temperatures to verify the manufacturer’s stated accuracy specifications for pH, specific conductance (SC) at 25 degrees Celsius (°C), dissolved oxygen...
Acoustic tag detections of green sturgeon in the Columbia River and Coos Bay estuaries, Washington and Oregon, 2010–11
Hal C. Hansel, Jason G. Romine, Russell W. Perry
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1144
The Columbia River, in Washington and Oregon, and Coos Bay, in Oregon, are economically important shipping channels that are inhabited by several fishes protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Maintenance of shipping channels involves dredge operations to maintain sufficient in-channel depths to allow large ships to navigate the...
A concept for performance management for Federal science programs
Kevin G. Whalen
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1143
The demonstration of clear linkages between planning, funding, outcomes, and performance management has created unique challenges for U.S. Federal science programs. An approach is presented here that characterizes science program strategic objectives by one of five “activity types”: (1) knowledge discovery, (2) knowledge development and delivery, (3) science support,...
