Groundwater quality in the southeast San Joaquin Valley, California
Carmen A. Burton, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Fact Sheet 2011-3151
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to...
A climate trend analysis of Uganda
Christopher C. Funk, Jim Rowland, Gary Eilerts, Libby White
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3062
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 observed changes in rainfall and temperature in Uganda, based on an analysis of a quality-controlled, long time series of station observations throughout Uganda. Extending recent trends...
Groundwater quality in the Kern County Subbasin, California
Carmen A. Burton, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Fact Sheet 2011-3150
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to...
Development of computational fluid dynamics--habitat suitability (CFD-HSI) models to identify potential passage--Challenge zones for migratory fishes in the Penobscot River
Alexander J. Haro, Robert W. Dudley, Michael Chelminski
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3073
A two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability (CFD–HSI) model was developed to identify potential zones of shallow depth and high water velocity that may present passage challenges for five anadromous fish species in the Penobscot River, Maine, upstream from two existing dams and as a result of the proposed future removal...
Effects of urban stormwater-management strategies on stream-water quantity and quality
J.V. Loperfido, Dianna M. Hogan
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3079
Urbanization results in elevated stormwater runoff, greater and more intense streamflow, and increased delivery of pollutants to local streams and downstream aquatic systems such as the Chesapeake Bay. Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) are used to mitigate these effects of urban land use by retaining large volumes of stormwater runoff...
February 2012 workshop jumpstarts the Mekong Fish Monitoring Network
Matthew E. Andersen, Shaara M. Ainsley
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3081
The Mekong River in Southeast Asia travels through a basin rich in natural resources. The river originates on the northern slope of the world's tallest mountains, the Himalaya Range, and then drops elevation quickly through steep mountain gorges, tumbling out of China into Myanmar (Burma) and the Lao People's Democratic...
Water resources of Allen Parish
Lawrence B. Prakken, Jason M. Griffith, Robert B. Fendick Jr.
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3064
In 2005, approximately 29.2 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Allen Parish, Louisiana, including about 26.8 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 2.45 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Rice irrigation accounted for 74 percent (21.7 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply,...
Satellite tracking and geospatial analysis of feral swine and their habitat use in Louisiana and Mississippi
Stephen B. Hartley, Kathryn A. Spear, Buddy L. Goatcher
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3083
Feral swine (Sus scrofa) is an invasive species that was first introduced to the continental United States in the 1500s by European explorers. Also known as feral hogs or feral pigs, the animals typically weigh about 200 pounds (up to 400 pounds), have characteristic tusks up to 3 inches long,...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of South America and the Caribbean, 2012
Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Mark A. Kirschbaum, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3046
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 126 billion barrels of oil and 679 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas in 31 geologic provinces of South America and the Caribbean....
The Stanford-U.S. Geological Survey SHRIMP ion microprobe--a tool for micro-scale chemical and isotopic analysis
Charles R. Bacon, Marty Grove, Jorge A. Vazquez, Matthew A. Coble
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3067
Answers to many questions in Earth science require chemical analysis of minute volumes of minerals, volcanic glass, or biological materials. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is an extremely sensitive analytical method in which a 5–30 micrometer diameter "primary" beam of charged particles (ions) is focused on a region of a...
Water resources of Vernon Parish
Lawrence B. Prakken, Jason M. Griffith, Robert B. Fendick Jr.
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3063
In 2005, about 6.67 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, including about 6.46 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.21 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Public-supply use accounted for about 76 percent (5.06 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included rural...
Demonstrating usefulness of real-time monitoring at streambank wells coupled with active streamgages - Pilot studies in Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi
Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Jim Constantz, Jerrod D. Wheeler, Rodney R. Caldwell, Jeannie R.B. Barlow
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3054
Groundwater and surface water in many cases are considered separate resources, but there is growing recognition of a need to treat them as a single resource. For example, groundwater inflow during low streamflow is vitally important to the health of a stream for many reasons, including buffering temperature, providing good...
Landsat: A global land-imaging mission
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3072
Across four decades since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth's land surface, coastal shallows, and coral reefs. The Landsat Program, a joint effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was established to routinely gather land imagery from...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the East Coast Mesozoic basins of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge Thrust Belt, Atlantic Coastal Plain, and New England Provinces, 2011
Robert C. Milici, James L. Coleman Jr., Elisabeth L. Rowan, Troy A. Cook, Ronald R. Charpentier, Mark A. Kirschbaum, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3075
During the early opening of the Atlantic Ocean in the Mesozoic Era, numerous extensional basins formed along the eastern margin of the North American continent from Florida northward to New England and parts of adjacent Canada. The basins extend generally from the offshore Atlantic continental margin westward beneath the Atlantic...
Sound data management as a foundation for natural resources management and science
Thomas E. Burley
2012, Fact Sheet 2011-3038
Effective decision making is closely related to the quality and completeness of available data and information. Data management helps to ensure data quality in any discipline and supports decision making. Managing data as a long-term scientific asset helps to ensure that data will be usable beyond the original intended application....
Landsat Data Continuity Mission
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3066
The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) is a partnership formed between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to place the next Landsat satellite in orbit in January 2013. The Landsat era that began in 1972 will become a nearly 41-year global land record...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Assam, Bombay, Cauvery, and Krishna-Godavari Provinces, South Asia, 2011
T. R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Craig J. Wandrey, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Michael E. Brownfield, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3059
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated volumes of undiscovered, technically recoverable, conventional petroleum resources for the Assam, Bombay, Cauvery, and Krishna–Godavari Provinces, South Asia. The estimated mean volumes are as follows: (1) Assam Province, 273 million barrels of crude oil, 1,559 billion cubic feet of natural...
Beryllium--important for national defense
M.A. Boland
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3056
Beryllium is one of the lightest and stiffest metals, but there was little industrial demand for it until the 1930s and 1940s when the aerospace, defense, and nuclear sectors began using beryllium and its compounds. Beryllium is now classified by the U.S. Department of Defense as a strategic and critical...
Landsat's international partners
Raymond A. Byrnes
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3055
Since the launch of the first Landsat satellite 40 years ago, International Cooperators (ICs) have formed a key strategic alliance with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to not only engage in Landsat data downlink services but also to enable a foundation for scientific and technical collaboration. The map below shows the...
Landsat: a global land imaging program
Raymond A. Byrnes
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3057
Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth's land surface, coastal shallows, and coral reefs across four decades. The Landsat Program, a joint effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was established to routinely gather land imagery from space. In...
Climatic changes and effect on wild sheep habitat
Edwin L. Pfeifer, Wayne Heimer, Gretchen Roffler, Raul Valdez, Megan Gahl
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3060
Wild sheep are sensitive to environmental change and may be an effective indicator species of climate change in arctic and high mountain ecosystems. To understand the effects of climatic changes on Dall sheep habitat, U.S. Geological Survey scientists have been studying selected areas in Alaska since 2007. The research focus...
Water quality studied in areas of unconventional oil and gas development, including areas where hydraulic fracturing techniques are used, in the United States
David D. Susong, Tanya J. Gallegos, Gretchen P. Oelsner
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3049
Domestic oil and gas production and clean water are critical for economic growth, public health, and national security of the United States. As domestic oil and gas production increases in new areas and old fields are enhanced, there is increasing public concern about the effects of energy production on surface-water...
Assessment of remaining recoverable oil in selected major oil fields of the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico
Marilyn E. Tennyson, Troy A. Cook, Ronald R. Charpentier, Donald L. Gautier, Timothy R. Klett, Mahendra K. Verma, Robert T. Ryder, E. D. Attanasi, P.A. Freeman, Phoung A. Le
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3051
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an estimate of technically recoverable, conventional oil in selected oil fields in the Permian Basin in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The mean total volume of potential additional oil resources that might be added using improved oil-recovery technologies was estimated to be...
Assessment of remaining recoverable oil in selected major oil fields of the San Joaquin Basin, California
Marilyn E. Tennyson, Troy A. Cook, Ronald R. Charpentier, Donald L. Gautier, Timothy R. Klett, Mahendra K. Verma, Robert T. Ryder, E. D. Attanasi, P.A. Freeman, Phoung A. Le
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3050
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an estimate of volumes of technically recoverable, conventional oil that could eventually be added to reserves in nine selected major oil fields in the San Joaquin Basin in central California. The mean total volume of potential oil reserves that might be added in...
Studying ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean
Lisa Robbins
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3058
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healey and its United Nations Convention Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) cruises has produced new synoptic data from samples collected in the Arctic Ocean and insights into the patterns and extent of ocean acidification. This framework of...
