Scientific monitoring plan in support of the selected alternative of the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan
Scott P. Vanderkooi, Theodore A. Kennedy, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, David L. Ward, Helen C. Fairley, Lucas S. Bair, Joel B. Sankey, John C. Schmidt, Charles B. Yackulic
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1006
IntroductionThe purpose of this document is to describe a strategy by which monitoring and research data in the natural and social sciences will be collected, analyzed, and provided to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), its bureaus, and to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) in support...
Status of the 3D Elevation Program, 2015
Larry J. Sugarbaker, Diane F. Eldridge, Allyson L. Jason, Vicki Lukas, David L. Saghy, Jason M. Stoker, Diana R. Thunen
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1196
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is a cooperative activity to collect light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and U.S. territories; and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IfSAR) elevation data for Alaska during an 8-year period. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and partner organizations acquire high-quality...
Southern sea otter range expansion and habitat use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California
M. Tim Tinker, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Nicole LaRoche, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Mike Murray, Michelle Staedler, Zachary Randell
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1001
The re-colonization of the Santa Barbara channel by sea otters brings these ESA-listed marine mammals closer to active oil and gas production facilities, shipping lanes and naturally occurring oil and gas seeps. However, the degree to which sea otters may actually be affected by human-caused oil spills or exposure to...
Evaluation of nocturnal roost and diurnal sites used by whooping cranes in the Great Plains, United States
Aaron T. Pearse, Mary J. Harner, David M. Baasch, Greg D. Wright, Andrew J. Caven, Kristine L. Metzger
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1209
Endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate through the Great Plains twice each year. Although there is much interest in conservation and management for this species, information regarding characteristics of nocturnal roost sites used during migration has been limited and based largely on incidental observations. Using...
Tectonic summaries of magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes from 2000 to 2015
Gavin P. Hayes, Emma K. Meyers, James W. Dewey, Richard W. Briggs, Paul S. Earle, Harley M. Benz, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Hanna E. Flamme, William D. Barnhart, Ryan D. Gold, Kevin P. Furlong
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1192
This paper describes the tectonic summaries for all magnitude 7 and larger earthquakes in the period 2000–2015, as produced by the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center during their routine response operations to global earthquakes. The goal of such summaries is to provide important event-specific information to the public...
Peak streamflow on selected streams in Arkansas, December 2015
Brian K. Breaker
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1198
Heavy rainfall during December 2015 resulted in flooding across parts of Arkansas; rainfall amounts were as high as 12 inches over a period from December 27, 2015, to December 29, 2015. Although precipitation accumulations were highest in northwestern Arkansas, significant flooding occurred in other parts of the State. Flood damage...
Surface-water quality-assurance plan for the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center
Mark C. Mastin
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1020
This Surface-Water Quality-Assurance Plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center (WAWSC) for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of surface-water data. This plan serves as a guide to all WAWSC personnel involved in surface-water data activities,...
Groundwater quality in the Lake Champlain and Susquehanna River basins, New York, 2014
Tia-Marie Scott, Elizabeth A. Nystrom, James E. Reddy
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1153
In a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, groundwater samples were collected from 6 production wells and 7 domestic wells in the Lake Champlain Basin and from 11 production wells and 9 domestic wells in the Susquehanna River...
Characterization of water-quality and bed-sediment conditions in Currituck Sound, North Carolina, prior to the Mid-Currituck Bridge construction, 2011–15
Chad R. Wagner, Sharon Fitzgerald, Dominick J. Antolino
2016, Open-File Report 2015-1208
The North Carolina Turnpike Authority, a division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, is planning to make transportation improvements in the Currituck Sound area by constructing a two-lane bridge from U.S. Highway 158 just south of Coinjock, North Carolina, to State Highway 12 on the Outer Banks just south...
Data from exploratory sampling of groundwater in selected oil and gas areas of coastal Los Angeles County and Kern and Kings Counties in southern San Joaquin Valley, 2014–15: California oil, gas, and groundwater project
David B. Dillon, Tracy A. Davis, Matthew K. Landon, Michael T. Land, Michael T. Wright, Justin T. Kulongoski
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1181
Exploratory sampling of groundwater in coastal Los Angeles County and Kern and Kings Counties of the southern San Joaquin Valley was done by the U.S. Geological Survey from September 2014 through January 2015 as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Water Quality in Areas of Oil...
Regional water table (2014) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, southwestern Mojave Desert, California
Nick F. Teague, Meghan C. Dick, Sally F. House, Dennis A. Clark
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1105
Data for static water-levels measured in about 610 wells during March-April 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Mojave Water Agency (MWA), and other local water districts were compiled to construct a regional water-table map. This map shows the...
Sharing our data—An overview of current (2016) USGS policies and practices for publishing data on ScienceBase and an example interactive mapping application
Katherine J. Chase, Andrew R. Bock, Roy Sando
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1202
This report provides an overview of current (2016) U.S. Geological Survey policies and practices related to publishing data on ScienceBase, and an example interactive mapping application to display those data. ScienceBase is an integrated data sharing platform managed by the U.S. Geological Survey. This report describes resources that U.S. Geological...
Development of a study design and implementation plan to estimate juvenile salmon survival in Lookout Point Reservoir and other reservoirs of the Willamette Project, western Oregon
Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry, Fred R. Monzyk, Adam C. Pope, John M. Plumb
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1211
Survival estimates for juvenile salmon and steelhead fry in reservoirs impounded by high head dams are coveted data by resource managers. However, this information is difficult to obtain because these fish are too small for tagging using conventional methods such as passive-integrated transponders or radio or acoustic transmitters. We developed...
Survival of juvenile chinook salmon and coho salmon in the Roza Dam fish bypass and in downstream reaches of the Yakima River, Washington, 2016
Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry, Amy C. Hansen
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1210
Estimates of juvenile salmon survival are important data for fishery managers in the Yakima River Basin. Radiotelemetry studies during 2012–14 showed that tagged juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) that passed through the fish bypass at Roza Dam had lower survival than fish that passed through other routes at the dam....
Sources of groundwater and characteristics of surface-water recharge at Bell, White, and Suwannee Springs, Florida, 2012–13
John F. Stamm, W. Scott McBride
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1190
Discharge from springs in Florida is sourced from aquifers, such as the Upper Floridan aquifer, which is overlain by an upper confining unit that locally can have properties of an aquifer. Water levels in aquifers are affected by several factors, such as precipitation, recharge, and groundwater withdrawals, which in turn...
Concentration, flux, and trend estimates with uncertainty for nutrients, chloride, and total suspended solids in tributaries of Lake Champlain, 1990–2014
Laura Medalie
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1200
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, estimated daily and 9-month concentrations and fluxes of total and dissolved phosphorus, total nitrogen, chloride, and total suspended solids from 1990 (or first available date) through 2014...
Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at selected streamgaging stations in North Carolina and South Carolina for flooding following Hurricane Matthew, October 2016
J. Curtis Weaver, Toby D. Feaster, Jeanne C. Robbins
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1205
The passage of Hurricane Matthew across the central and eastern regions of North Carolina and South Carolina during October 7–9, 2016, resulted in heavy rainfall that caused major flooding in parts of the eastern Piedmont in North Carolina and coastal regions of both States. Rainfall totals of 3 to 8...
Building unified geospatial data for land-change modeling—A case study in the area of Richmond, Virginia
David I. Donato, Jason L. Shapiro
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1176
An effort to build a unified collection of geospatial data for use in land-change modeling (LCM) led to new insights into the requirements and challenges of building an LCM data infrastructure. A case study of data compilation and unification for the Richmond, Va., Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) delineated the problems...
Collection, processing, and quality assurance of time-series electromagnetic-induction log datasets, 1995–2016, south Florida
Scott T. Prinos, Robert Valderrama
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1194
Time-series electromagnetic-induction log (TSEMIL) datasets are collected from polyvinyl-chloride cased or uncased monitoring wells to evaluate changes in water conductivity over time. TSEMIL datasets consist of a series of individual electromagnetic-induction logs, generally collected at a frequency of once per month or once per year that have been compiled into...
Estimating natural monthly streamflows in California and the likelihood of anthropogenic modification
Daren M. Carlisle, David M. Wolock, Jeanette K. Howard, Theodore E. Grantham, Kurt Fesenmyer, Michael Wieczorek
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1189
Because natural patterns of streamflow are a fundamental property of the health of streams, there is a critical need to quantify the degree to which human activities have modified natural streamflows. A requirement for assessing streamflow modification in a given stream is a reliable estimate of flows expected in the...
Estimated historical distribution of grassland communities of the Southern Great Plains
Gordon C. Reese, Daniel J. Manier, Natasha B. Carr, Ramana Callan, Ian I.F. Leinwand, Timothy J. Assal, Lucy Burris, Drew A. Ignizio
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1184
The purpose of this project was to map the estimated distribution of grassland communities of the Southern Great Plains prior to Euro-American settlement. The Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment (REA), under the direction of the Bureau of Land Management and the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative, includes four ecoregions:...
High-resolution seismic-reflection data from offshore northern California — Bolinas to Sea Ranch
Ray W. Sliter, Samuel Y. Johnson, John L. Chin, Parker Allwardt, Jeffrey Beeson, Peter J. Triezenberg
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1058
The U.S. Geological Survey collected high-resolution seismic-reflection data in September 2009, on survey S-8-09-NC, offshore of northern California between Bolinas and Sea Ranch.The survey area spans about 125 km of California’s coast and extends around Point Reyes. Data were collected aboard the U.S. Geological Survey R/V Parke Snavely. Cumulatively, ~1,150...
Geologic map and cross sections of the Embudo Fault Zone in the Southern Taos Valley, Taos County, New Mexico
Paul W. Bauer, Keith I. Kelson, V. J. S. Grauch, Benjamin J. Drenth, Peggy S. Johnson, Scott B. Aby, Brigitte Felix
2016, Open-File Report 584
The southern Taos Valley encompasses the physiographic and geologic transition zone between the Picuris Mountains and the San Luis Basin of the Rio Grande rift. The Embudo fault zone is the rift transfer structure that has accommodated the kinematic disparities between the San Luis Basin and the Española Basin during...
Mountain goat abundance and population trends in the Olympic Mountains, northwestern Washington, 2016
Kurt J. Jenkins, Patricia J. Happe, Katherine F. Beirne, William T. Baccus
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1185
Executive SummaryWe estimated abundance and trends of non-native mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in the Olympic Mountains of northwestern Washington, based on aerial surveys conducted during July 13–24, 2016. The surveys produced the seventh population estimate since the first formal aerial surveys were conducted in 1983. This was the second population...
Model description and evaluation of the mark-recapture survival model used to parameterize the 2012 status and threats analysis for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Catherine A. Langtimm, William L. Kendall, Cathy A. Beck, Howard I. Kochman, Amy L. Teague, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Claudia L. Penaloza
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1163
This report provides supporting details and evidence for the rationale, validity and efficacy of a new mark-recapture model, the Barker Robust Design, to estimate regional manatee survival rates used to parameterize several components of the 2012 version of the Manatee Core Biological Model (CBM) and Threats Analysis (TA). The CBM...
