Analysis of floods, including the tropical storm Irene inundation, of the Ottauquechee River in Woodstock, Bridgewater, and Killington and of Reservoir Brook in Bridgewater and Plymouth, Vermont
Robert H. Flynn
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5214
Digital flood-inundation maps were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District for a 25-mile reach of the Ottauquechee River and a 2-mile reach of Reservoir Brook in Vermont. The reach of the Ottauquechee River that was studied extends...
Understanding the magnitude dependence of PGA and PGV in NGA-West 2 data
Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Thomas C. Hanks
2014, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (104) 2851-2865
The Next Generation Attenuation‐West 2 (NGA‐West 2) 2014 ground‐motion prediction equations (GMPEs) model ground motions as a function of magnitude and distance, using empirically derived coefficients (e.g., Bozorgniaet al., 2014); as such, these GMPEs do not clearly employ earthquake source parameters beyond moment magnitude (M) and focal mechanism. To better understand the...
River chloride trends in snow-affected urban watersheds: increasing concentrations outpace urban growth rate and are common among all seasons
Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. De Cicco, Michelle A. Lutz, Robert M. Hirsch
2014, Science of the Total Environment (508) 488-497
Chloride concentrations in northern U.S. included in this study have increased substantially over time with average concentrations approximately doubling from 1990 to 2011, outpacing the rate of urbanization in the northern U.S. Historical data were examined for 30 monitoring sites on 19 streams that had chloride concentration and flow records...
Impacts of mountaintop mining on terrestrial ecosystem integrity: Identifying landscape thresholds for avian species in the central Appalachians, United States
Douglas A. Becker, Petra Bohall Wood, Michael P. Strager, Christine Mazzarella
2014, Landscape Ecology (30) 339-356
Context Mountaintop removal/valley fill (MTR/VF) mining in the central Appalachians is a major driver of landscape change within terrestrial ecosystems. Objective We quantified avian community and individual taxa thresholds in response to changing landscapes from MTR/VF using a Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis approach. <h4...
Characterization of subsurface stratigraphy along the lower American River floodplain using electrical resistivity, Sacramento, California, 2011
Bethany L. Burton, Michael H. Powers, Lyndsay B. Ball
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1242
In July 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completed a geophysical survey using electrical resistivity along an approximately 6-mile reach of the lower American River in Sacramento, California, to map near-surface lithological variations. This survey is a part of a manifold and...
Geologic map of the Ahankashan-Rakhna basin, Badghis, Ghor, and Herat Provinces, Afghanistan, modified from the 1974 original map compilation of Y.I. Shcherbina and others
Robert D. Tucker, Will R. Stettner, Linda M. Masonic, Anya K. Bogdanow
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1199
This geologic map of the Ahankashan-Rakhna basin, Afghanistan, is a redrafted and modified version of the Geological map of the area of Ahankashan-Rakhna basin, scale 1:50,000 and Geological map of the Ahankashan area with data on mineral resources, scale 1:12,000 from Shcherbina and others (1974) (Soviet report no. 0822). That unpublished Soviet report contains...
Effects of capturing and collaring on polar bears: findings from long-term research on the southern Beaufort Sea population
Karyn D. Rode, Anthony M. Pagano, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Todd C. Atwood, George M. Durner, Kristin S. Simac, Steven C. Amstrup
2014, Wildlife Research (41) 311-322
Context: The potential for research methods to affect wildlife is an increasing concern among both scientists and the public. This topic has a particular urgency for polar bears because additional research is needed to monitor and understand population responses to rapid loss of sea ice habitat.Aims: This study used data collected from...
Efficacy of iodine for disinfection of Lake Sturgeon eggs from the St. Lawrence River, New York
Marc A. Chalupnicki, Dawn E. Dittman, Clifford E. Starliper, Deborah D. Iwanowicz
2014, North American Journal of Aquaculture (77) 82-89
Optimal fish husbandry to reduce the risk of disease is particularly important when using wild fish as the source for gametes. The propagation and reestablishment of Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in New York waters to become a viable self-sustaining population is considered a high priority by managers. While standard hatchery...
Groundwater-quality data in the Santa Cruz, San Gabriel, and Peninsular Ranges Hard Rock Aquifers study unit, 2011-2012: results from the California GAMA program
Tracy A. Davis, Jennifer L. Shelton
2014, Data Series 874
Groundwater quality in the 2,400-square-mile Santa Cruz, San Gabriel, and Peninsular Ranges Hard Rock Aquifers (Hard Rock) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from March 2011 through March 2012, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA)...
Surficial geology and stratigraphy of Pleistocene Lake Manix, San Bernardino County, California
Marith C. Reheis, Joanna R. Redwine, Elmira Wan, John P. McGeehin, D. Paco VanSistine
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3312
Pluvial Lake Manix and its surrounding drainage basin, in the central Mojave Desert of California, has been a focus of paleoclimate, surficial processes, and neotectonic studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since about 2004. The USGS initiated studies of Lake Manix deposits to improve understanding of the paleoclimatic record...
Steady-state numerical groundwater flow model of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system
Lynette E. Brooks, Melissa D. Masbruch, Donald S. Sweetkind, Susan G. Buto
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5213
This report describes the construction, calibration, evaluation, and results of a steady-state numerical groundwater flow model of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system that was developed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Census Initiative to evaluate the nation’s groundwater availability. The study area spans 110,000...
Tree growth and recruitment in a leveed floodplain forest in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, USA
Hugo K.W. Gee, Sammy L. King, Richard F. Keim
2014, Forest Ecology and Management (334) 85-95
Flooding is a defining disturbance in floodplain forests affecting seed germination, seedling establishment, and tree growth. Globally, flood control, including artificial levees, dams, and channelization has altered flood regimes in floodplains. However, a paucity of data are available in regards to the long-term effects of levees on stand establishment and...
Nitrogen speciation and trends, and prediction of denitrification extent, in shallow US groundwater
Stephen R. Hinkle, Anthony J. Tesoriero
2014, Journal of Hydrology (509) 343-353
Uncertainties surrounding nitrogen cycling complicate assessments of the environmental effects of nitrogen use and our understanding of the global carbon–nitrogen cycle. In this paper, we synthesize data from 877 ambient-monitoring wells across the US to frame broad patterns of nitrogen speciation and trends. At these sites, groundwater frequently contains substantial...
Bedrock geologic and structural map through the western Candor Colles region of Mars
Chris H. Okubo
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3309
The Candor Colles are a population of low, conical hills along the southeast flank of Ceti Mensa, in west Candor Chasma, within the Valles Marineris system of Mars (fig. 1). Ceti Mensa and the adjacent Candor Mensa are mounds of layered sedimentary deposits and are the most prominent landforms within...
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2012 through September 2013) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Kent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica Dyke
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1244
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to near Missoula, Montana, as part of a monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork Basin of western Montana. The sampling program was led by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to characterize...
Proper handling of animal tissues from the field to the laboratory supports reliable biomarker endpoints
Heather M. Olivier, Jill A. Jenkins
J. B. Alford, Mark S. Peterson, Christopher C. Green, editor(s)
2014, Book chapter, Impacts of oil spill disasters on marine habitats and fisheries in North America
In the endeavor to assess potential effects to the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem from the Mississippi Canyon 252 incident, referred to as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, various environmental data have been collected. Whereas initial efforts have included satellite tracking and sediment and water sampling to estimate the geographical scope...
Geospatial compilation of historical water-level changes in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers 1977-2013 and Jasper aquifer 2000-13, Gulf Coast aquifer system, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
Michaela R. Johnson, Joshua I. Linard
2014, Data Series 900
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District has produced an annual series of reports that depict water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers of the...
DOI/GTN-P climate and active-layer data acquired in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Frank E. Urban, Gary D. Clow
2014, Data Series 892
This report provides data collected by the climate monitoring array of the U.S. Department of the Interior on Federal lands in Arctic Alaska over the period August 1998 to July 2013; this array is part of the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost, (DOI/GTN-P). In addition to presenting data, this report...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Michigan
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3107
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Michigan, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, water supply and quality, infrastructure and...
A 19-year record of chemical and isotopic composition of water from springs of the Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1995-2014
Eurybiades Busenberg, Niel Plummer, Tyler B. Coplen, Michael W. Doughten, Peggy K. Widman, Gerolamo C. Casile, Julian E. Wayland, David L. Nelms
2014, Data Series 893
During October 1995 through March 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service, Luray, Virginia Station collected and analyzed samples of selected springs, air and unsaturated-zone gases in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. The 19-year record of measurements of chemical and isotopic composition of water discharging from...
Methods for estimating magnitude and frequency of floods in Arizona, developed with unregulated and rural peak-flow data through water year 2010
Nicholas V. Paretti, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Lovina A. Turney, Andrea G. Veilleux
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5211
Flooding is among the worst natural disasters responsible for loss of life and property in Arizona, underscoring the importance of accurate estimation of flood magnitude for proper structural design and floodplain mapping. Twenty-four years of additional peak-flow data have been recorded since the last comprehensive regional flood frequency analysis conducted...
Evaluation of the magnitude and frequency of floods in urban watersheds in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona
Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Nicholas V. Paretti
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5121
Flooding in urban areas routinely causes severe damage to property and often results in loss of life. To investigate the effect of urbanization on the magnitude and frequency of flood peaks, a flood frequency analysis was carried out using data from urbanized streamgaging stations in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. Flood...
Predicting spatial and temporal distribution of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) in Biscayne Bay through habitat suitability modeling
Nicholas A. Bernal, Donald L. DeAngelis, Pamela J. Schofield, Kathleen Sullivan Sealey
2014, Biological Invasions (17) 1603-1614
Invasive species may exhibit higher levels of growth and reproduction when environmental conditions are most suitable, and thus their effects on native fauna may be intensified. Understanding potential impacts of these species, especially in the nascent stages of a biological invasion, requires critical information concerning spatial and temporal distributions of...
Quality-assurance and data-management plan for water-quality activities in the Kansas Water Science Center, 2014
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Trudy J. Bennett, Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, James E. Putnam
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1233
As the Nation’s largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping information agency, the U.S. Geological Survey is relied on to collect high-quality data, and produce factual and impartial interpretive reports. This quality-assurance and data-management plan provides guidance for water-quality activities conducted by the Kansas Water Science Center. Policies...
Hydrogeologic framework and groundwater/surface-water interactions of the South Fork Nooksack River Basin, northwestern Washington
Andrew S. Gendaszek
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5221
A hydrogeologic framework of the South Fork (SF) Nooksack River Basin in northwestern Washington was developed and hydrologic data were collected to characterize the groundwater-flow system and its interaction with surface‑water features. In addition to domestic, agricultural, and commercial uses of groundwater within the SF Nooksack River Basin, groundwater has...
