Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) of the Great Plains, United States
Daniel Howard, Tagir Gilmanov, Yingxin Gu, Bruce Wylie, Li Zhang
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3134
Gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Re) are the fundamental environmental characteristics that promote carbon exchanges with the atmosphere (Chapin and others, 2009), although other exchanges of carbon, such as direct oxidation (Lovett and others, 2006), can modify net ecosystem production (NEP). The accumulation of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems...
Wetland fire remote sensing research--The Greater Everglades example
John Jones
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3133
Fire is a major factor in the Everglades ecosystem. For thousands of years, lightning-strike fires from summer thunderstorms have helped create and maintain a dynamic landscape suited both to withstand fire and recover quickly in the wake of frequent fires. Today, managers in the Everglades National Park are implementing controlled...
The Midwest Stream Quality Assessment
Peter C. Van Metre, Jeffrey W. Frey, Ellen Tarquinio
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3124
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) and USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) will be collaborating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA) to assess stream quality across the Midwestern United States. The sites selected for this study...
Slope-Area Computation Program Graphical User Interface 1.0—A Preprocessing and Postprocessing Tool for Estimating Peak Flood Discharge Using the Slope-Area Method
D. Nathan Bradley
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3112
The slope-area method is a technique for estimating the peak discharge of a flood after the water has receded (Dalrymple and Benson, 1967). This type of discharge estimate is called an “indirect measurement” because it relies on evidence left behind by the flood, such as high-water marks (HWMs) on trees...
Summary of the diamond resource potential and production capacity assessment of Guinea
Peter G. Chirico, Katherine C. Malpeli
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3129
In May of 2000, a meeting was convened in Kimberley, South Africa, by representatives of the diamond industry and leaders of African governments to develop a certification process intended to assure that export shipments of rough diamonds were free of conflict concerns. Outcomes of the meeting were formally supported later...
A methodology for conducting national-scale alluvial diamond resource potential and production capacity assessments, with a focus on artisanal mining
Peter G. Chirico, Katherine C. Malpeli
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3128
In May of 2000, a meeting was convened in Kimberley, South Africa, by representatives of the diamond industry and leaders of African governments to develop a certification process intended to assure that export shipments of rough diamonds were free of conflict concerns. Outcomes of the meeting were formally supported later...
Summary of the reconnaissance investigation of the diamond resource potential and production capacity of Côte d’Ivoire
Peter G. Chirico, Katherine C. Malpeli
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3130
This study presents the results of a multiyear effort to monitor the diamond mining activities of Côte d’Ivoire’s two main diamond regions, Séguéla and Tortiya. The innovative approach developed for this study integrates archival reports and maps, high-resolution satellite imagery, and terrain modeling to assess the diamond resource potential and...
Understanding pesticides in California's Delta
Kathryn Kuivila, James L. Orlando
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3132
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) is the hub of California’s water system and also an important habitat for imperiled fish and wildlife. Aquatic organisms are exposed to mixtures of pesticides that flow through the maze of Delta water channels from sources including agricultural, landscape, and urban pest-control applications. While...
Polar bear and walrus response to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice
Karen L. Oakley, Mary E. Whalen, David C. Douglas, Mark S. Udevitz, Todd C. Atwood, C. Jay
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3131
The Arctic is warming faster than other regions of the world due to positive climate feedbacks associated with loss of snow and ice. One highly visible consequence has been a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 3 decades - a decline projected to continue and result in...
Science to support the understanding of Ohio's water resources
Kimberly Shaffer, Stephanie Kula, Phil Bambach, Donna Runkle
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3118
Ohio’s water resources support a complex web of human activities and nature—clean and abundant water is needed for drinking, recreation, farming, and industry, as well as for fish and wildlife needs. The distribution of rainfall can cause floods and droughts, which affects streamflow, groundwater, water availability, water quality, recreation, and...
Urban development results in stressors that degrade stream ecosystems
Amanda H. Bell, James F. Coles, Gerard McMahon, Michael D. Woodside
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3071
In 2003, eighty-three percent of Americans lived in metropolitan areas, and considerable population increases are predicted within the next 50 years. Nowhere are the environmental changes associated with urban development more evident than in urban streams. Contaminants, habitat destruction, and increasing streamflow flashiness resulting from urban development have been associated...
Mercury and halogens in coal--Their role in determining mercury emissions from coal combustion
Allan Kolker, Jeffrey C. Quick, Connie L. Senior, Harvey E. Belkin
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3122
Mercury is a toxic pollutant. In its elemental form, gaseous mercury has a long residence time in the atmosphere, up to a year, allowing it to be transported long distances from emission sources. Mercury can be emitted from natural sources such as volcanoes, or from anthropogenic sources, such as coal-fired...
Mapping grasslands suitable for cellulosic biofuels in the Greater Platte River Basin, United States
Bruce K. Wylie, Yingxin Gu
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3126
Biofuels are an important component in the development of alternative energy supplies, which is needed to achieve national energy independence and security in the United States. The most common biofuel product today in the United States is corn-based ethanol; however, its development is limited because of concerns about global food...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of six geologic provinces of China
Ronald R. Charpentier, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3117
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in six geologic provinces of China at 14.9 billion barrels of oil, 87.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.4 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids....
United States Geological Survey fire science: Fire danger monitoring and forecasting
Jeff C. Eidenshink, Stephen M. Howard
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3121
Each day, the U.S. Geological Survey produces 7-day forecasts for all Federal lands of the distributions of number of ignitions, number of fires above a given size, and conditional probabilities of fires growing larger than a specified size. The large fire probability map is an estimate of the likelihood that...
Remaining recoverable petroleum in giant oil fields of the Los Angeles Basin, southern California
Donald L. Gautier, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Troy A. Cook, Ronald R. Charpentier, Timothy R. Klett
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3120
Using a probabilistic geology-based methodology, a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists recently assessed the remaining recoverable oil in 10 oil fields of the Los Angeles Basin in southern California. The results of the assessment suggest that between 1.4 and 5.6 billion barrels of additional oil could be recovered...
Decision-support systems for natural-hazards and land-management issues
Laura Dinitz, William Forney, Kristin Byrd
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3001
Scientists at the USGS Western Geographic Science Center are developing decision-support systems (DSSs) for natural-hazards and land-management issues. DSSs are interactive computer-based tools that use data and models to help identify and solve problems. These systems can provide crucial support to policymakers, planners, and communities for making better decisions about...
A climate trend analysis of Senegal
Christopher C. Funk, Jim Rowland, Alkhalil Adoum, Gary Eilerts, James Verdin, Libby White
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3123
This brief report, drawing from a multi-year effort by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), identifies modest declines in rainfall, accompanied by increases in air temperatures. These analyses are based on quality-controlled station observations. Conclusions: * Summer rains have remained steady in...
WaterSMART-The Colorado River Basin focus-area study
Breton W. Bruce
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3114
Increasing demand for the limited water resources of the United States continues to put pressure on water-resource agencies to balance the competing needs of ecosystem health with municipal, agricultural, and recreational uses. In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) identified a National Water Census as one of six pivotal future...
Evolution of 3-D geologic framework modeling and its application to groundwater flow studies
Charles D. Blome, David V. Smith
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3106
In this Fact Sheet, the authors discuss the evolution of project 3-D subsurface framework modeling, research in hydrostratigraphy and airborne geophysics, and methodologies used to link geologic and groundwater flow models....
Understanding beach health throughout the Great Lakes -- continuing research
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3113
The overall mission of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Beach Health Initiative is to provide science-based information and methods that will allow beach managers to more accurately make beach closure and advisory decisions, understand the sources and physical processes affecting beach contaminants, and understand how science-based information can be used to...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Arabian Peninsula and Zagros Fold Belt, 2012
Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3115
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 86 billion barrels of oil and 336 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas resources in the Arabian Peninsula and Zagros Fold Belt. The USGS assessed the potential for undiscovered conventional oil and gas accumulations within the Arabian...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Ordovician Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2012
Mark A. Kirschbaum, Christopher J. Schenk, Troy A. Cook, Robert T. Ryder, Ronald R. Charpentier, Timothy R. Klett, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Katherine J. Whidden
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3116
The U.S. Geological Survey assessed unconventional oil and gas resources of the Upper Ordovician Utica Shale and adjacent units in the Appalachian Basin Province. The assessment covers parts of Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The geologic concept is that black shale of the Utica Shale and...
The National Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Matthew E. Neilson, Pamela L. Fuller
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3100
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program maintains a database that monitors, records, and analyzes sightings of nonindigenous aquatic plant and animal species throughout the United States. The program is based at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Gainesville, Florida.The initiative to maintain scientific information...
Genetic research for wildlife and fisheries management - A primer
Rachel J. Pawlitz, Margaret E. Hunter, Nathan A. Johnson
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3110
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) use a range of research approaches to investigate the genetics of native and non-native species that are being managed. This Fact Sheet outlines those approaches and explains the type of information they provide....
