Science Goals of the U.S. Department of the Interior Southeast Climate Science Center
Melinda S. Dalton
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3138
In 2011, the U.S. Department of the Interior Southeast Climate Science Center (CSC) finalized the first draft of its goals for research needed to address the needs of natural and cultural partners for climate science in the Southeastern United States. The science themes described in this draft plan were established...
Methods for processing and imaging marsh foraminifera
Chandra A. Dreher, James G. Flocks
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3098
This study is part of a larger U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project to characterize the physical conditions of wetlands in southwestern Louisiana. Within these wetlands, groups of benthic foraminifera-shelled amoeboid protists living near or on the sea floor-can be used as agents to measure land subsidence, relative sea-level rise, and...
BioData: a national aquatic bioassessment database
Dorene MacCoy
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3112
BioData is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) web-enabled database that for the first time provides for the capture, curation, integration, and delivery of bioassessment data collected by local, regional, and national USGS projects. BioData offers field biologists advanced capabilities for entering, editing, and reviewing the macroinvertebrate, algae, fish, and supporting...
Organic compounds assessed in Chattahoochee River water used for public supply near Atlanta, Georgia, 2004-05
W. Brian Hughes, Cristal L. Younker
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3062
An investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program characterized the occurrence of 266 organic compounds in source water and finished water from the Chattahoochee River, which is the main water-supply source for the Atlanta metropolitan area. Source water is stream water collected at a surface-water...
Microbial ecology of deep-water mid-Atlantic canyons
Christina A. Kellogg
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3102
The research described in this fact sheet will be conducted from 2012 to 2014 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's DISCOVRE (DIversity, Systematics, and COnnectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems) Program. This integrated, multidisciplinary effort will be investigating a variety of topics related to unique and fragile deep-sea ecosystems from...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Sud Province, north-central Africa
Michael E. Brownfield, T. R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Ronald R. Charpentier, T. A. Cook, R. M. Pollastro, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3029
The Sud Province located in north-central Africa recently was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids resources as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) World Oil and Gas Assessment. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimated mean volumes of 7.31 billion barrels of...
Wind energy and wildlife research at the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Susan L. Phillips
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3134
The United States has embarked on a goal to increase electricity generation from clean, renewable sources by 2012. Towards this end, wind energy is emerging as a widely distributed form of renewable energy throughout the country. The national goal is for energy from wind to supply 20 percent of the...
Regional assessments of the Nation's water quality—Improved understanding of stream nutrient sources through enhanced modeling capabilities
Stephen D. Preston, Richard B. Alexander, Michael D. Woodside
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3114
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed assessments of stream nutrients in six major regions extending over much of the conterminous United States. SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) models were developed for each region to explain spatial patterns in monitored stream nutrient loads in relation to human activities...
A dryland river transformed—the Little Colorado, 1936–2010
Debra L. Block, Margaret Hiza Redsteer
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3099
The Little Colorado River, in northeastern Arizona, is a major tributary of the Colorado River. Over a span of 74 years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has mapped substantial migration of the river channel between the City of Winslow and the Navajo Nation community of Leupp (Tólchíí kooh). In a...
Land-use planning for nearshore ecosystem services—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model
Kristin Byrd
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3067
The 2,500 miles of shoreline and nearshore areas of Puget Sound, Washington, provide multiple benefits to people—"ecosystem services"—including important fishing, shellfishing, and recreation industries. To help resource managers plan for expected growth in coming decades, the U.S. Geological Survey Western Geographic Science Center has developed the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio...
Water resources of Bossier Parish
Lawrence B. Prakken, Jason M. Griffith
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3087
In 2005, about 15.8 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, including 4.12 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and about 11.7 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Public-supply use accounted for about 78 percent (12.4 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included industry,...
Water resources of Webster Parish
Lawrence B. Prakken, Jason M. Griffith
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3088
In 2005, about 9.52 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Webster Parish, Louisiana (fig. 1), including about 9.33 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.19 Mgal/d from surface-water sources1 (table 1). Publicsupply use accounted for about 70 percent of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use...
A promising tool for subsurface permafrost mapping-An application of airborne geophysics from the Yukon River Basin, Alaska
Jared E. Abraham
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3133
Permafrost is a predominant physical feature of the Earth's Arctic and Subarctic clines and a major consideration encompassing ecosystem structure to infrastructure engineering and placement. Perennially frozen ground is estimated to cover about 85 percent of the state of Alaska where northern reaches are underlain with continuous permafrost and parts...
Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers
Sonya A. Jones
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3025
What is a Climate Science Center? 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...
Assessment of groundwater pathways and contaminant transport in Florida and Georgia using multiple chemical and microbiological indicators
Gary L. Mahon
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3070
The hydrogeology of Florida, especially in the northern part of the state, and southwestern Georgia is characterized by a predominance of limestone aquifers overlain by varying amounts of sands, silts, and clays. This karstic system of aquifers and their associated springs is particularly vulnerable to contamination from various anthropogenic activities...
Invasive crayfish in the Pacific Northwest
Christopher A. Pearl, Brome McCreary, Michael Adams
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3132
Invasive species directly threaten freshwater biodiversity, particularly in regions of high aquatic richness like the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Crayfish are among the most impactful of aquatic invasive species. Invasive crayfish are considered ecosystem engineers due to their ability to alter basic wetland properties, such as reducing vegetation and bank integrity...
Monitoring and analysis of sand dune movement and growth on the Navajo Nation, southwestern United States
Margaret Hiza Redsteer, Rian Bogle, John M. Vogel
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3085
Recurring drought and rising temperatures have caused reactivation and renewed growth of sand dunes on the lands of the Navajo Nation on the Colorado Plateau. Migrating dunes threaten health, housing, and transportation pathways. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are conducting research to better understand the processes of dune growth and...
Using observed warming to identify hazards to Mozambique maize production
Christopher C. Funk, Laura Harrison, Gary Eilerts
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3110
New Perspectives on Crop Yield Constraints because of Climate Change. Climate change impact assessments usually focus on changes to precipitation because most global food production is from rainfed cropping systems; however, other aspects of climate change may affect crop growth and potential yields.A recent (2011) study by the University of...
Volunteer map data collection at the USGS
B. Wolf Eric, Barbara S. Poore, Holly K. Caro, Greg D. Matthews
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3103
Since 1994, citizen volunteers have helped the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) improve its topographic maps. Through the Earth Science Corps program, citizens were able to "adopt a quad" and collect new information and update existing map features. Until its conclusion in 2001, as many as 300 volunteers annotated paper maps...
Application of the SPARROW watershed model to describe nutrient sources and transport in the Missouri River Basin
Juliane B. Brown
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3104
Spatially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models were developed to provide spatially explicit information on local and regional total nitrogen and total phosphorus sources and transport in the Missouri River Basin. Model results provide estimates of the relative contributions from various nutrient sources and delivery factors. The models also...
In-place oil shale resources underlying Federal lands in the Green River and Washakie Basins, southwestern Wyoming
Tracey J. Mercier, Ronald C. Johnson, Michael E. Brownfield
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3113
Using a geologic-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated an in-place oil shale resource of 906 billion barrels under Federal mineral rights, or 62 percent of the total oil shale in place, in the Green River and Washakie Basins, Wyoming. More than 67 percent of the total oil shale...
The Alaska Geochemical Database: v. 1.0 - Geologic Materials
Jeanine M. Schmidt, Matthew Granitto
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3130
What is the AGDB?: The Alaska Geochemical Database (AGDB) is a new, comprehensive compilation of geologic, spatial, descriptive, mineralogical, and analytical geochemical data for samples collected in Alaska and surrounding waters by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from 1962 to 2009. Data for geologic materials (rocks, minerals and mineral separates, soils, lake...
Applying remote sensing to invasive species science—A tamarisk example
Jeffrey T. Morisette
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3109
The Invasive Species Science Branch of the Fort Collins Science Center provides research and technical assistance relating to management concerns for invasive species, including understanding how these species are introduced, identifying areas vulnerable to invasion, forecasting invasions, and developing control methods. This fact sheet considers the invasive plant species tamarisk...
Relations among land cover, streamflow, and water quality in the North Canadian River Basin near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 1968-2009
Rachel A. Esralew, William J. Andrews, S. Jerrod Smith
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3107
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Oklahoma City, has collected water-quality samples at the North Canadian River near Harrah, Oklahoma (the Harrah station), since 1968, and the North Canadian River at Britton Road at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (the Britton Road station), since 1988. The North Canadian...
Groundwater quality of southeastern Wyoming
Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Liberty Blain
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3106
Groundwater is an important resource for domestic, municipal, stock, and irrigation uses in southeastern Wyoming. Thirty-seven percent of water used in the tri-County area, which includes Laramie, Platte, and Goshen Counties, is from groundwater. Most groundwater use in the tri-County area is withdrawn from three primary aquifer groups: Quaternary-age unconsolidated-deposit...
