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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
Sylvatic plague vaccine and management of prairie dogs
Tonie E. Rocke
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3087
Scientists at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Wisconsin (UW), have developed a sylvatic plague vaccine that shows great promise in protecting prairie dogs against plague (Mencher and others, 2004; Rocke and others, 2010). Four species of prairie dogs reside in...
Flood inundation map library, Fort Kent, Maine
Pamela J. Lombard
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3119
Severe flooding occurred in northern Maine from April 28 to May 1, 2008, and damage was extensive in the town of Fort Kent (Lombard, 2010). Aroostook County was declared a Federal disaster area on May 9, 2008. The extent of flooding on both the Fish and St. John Rivers during...
Mauna Loa--history, hazards and risk of living with the world's largest volcano
Frank A. Trusdell
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3104
Mauna Loa on the Island Hawaiʻi is the world’s largest volcano. People residing on its flanks face many hazards that come with living on or near an active volcano, including lava flows, explosive eruptions, volcanic smog, damaging earthquakes, and local tsunami (giant seawaves). The County of Hawaiʻi (Island of Hawaiʻi)...
Groundwater quality in the Coastal Los Angeles Basin, California
Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3096
The Coastal Los Angeles Basin study unit is approximately 860 square miles and consists of the Santa Monica, Hollywood, West Coast, Central, and Orange County Coastal Plain groundwater basins (California Department of Water Resources, 2003). The basins are bounded in part by faults, including the Newport-Inglewood fault zone, and are...
Using genetic research to inform imperiled and invasive species management
Margaret E. Hunter, Rachel J. Pawlitz
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3017
The long-term viability of species and populations is related to their potential to migrate, reproduce, and adapt to environmental changes. In the southeast United States, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are providing resource managers with genetic information to improve the long-term survival and sustainability of the Nation's aquatic species. Research...
U.S. Department of the Interior South Central Climate Science Center
Allison A. Shipp
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3082
On September 14, 2009, the Secretary of the Interior signed a Secretarial Order (No. 3289) entitled, "Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America's Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources." The Order effectively established the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Climate Science Centers (CSCs) for the purpose...
A climate trend analysis of Mali
Christopher C. Funk, Jim Rowland, Alkhalil Adoum, Gary Eilerts, Libby White
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3105
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 relatively steady...
Streamflow of 2011 - Water Year Summary
Xiaodong Jian, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins, Steve Brady
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3085
The maps and graph in this summary describe streamflow conditions for water year 2011 (October 1, 2010, to September 30, 2011) in the context of the 82-year period from 1930 through 2011, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Streamflow...
