Relationships between land cover and dissolved organic matter change along the river to lake transition
James H. Larson, Paul C. Frost, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, Clayton J. Williams, Ana M. Morales-Williams, Jonathan M. Vallazza, J. C. Nelson, William B. Richardson
2014, Ecosystems (17) 1413-1425
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) influences the physical, chemical, and biological properties of aquatic ecosystems. We hypothesized that controls over spatial variation in DOM quantity and composition (measured with DOM optical properties) differ based on the source of DOM to aquatic ecosystems. DOM quantity and composition should be better predicted by...
Subsurface geologic features of the 2011 central Virginia earthquakes revealed by airborne geophysics
Anjana K. Shah, J. Wright Horton Jr., William C. Burton, David Spears, Amy K Gilmer
2014, GSA Special Papers (509) 509-517
Characterizing geologic features associated with major earthquakes provides insights into mechanisms contributing to fault slip and assists evaluation of seismic hazard. We use high-resolution airborne geophysical data combined with ground sample measurements to image subsurface geologic features associated with the 2011 moment magnitude (Mw) 5.8 central Virginia (USA) intraplate earthquake...
Metrics for comparing dynamic earthquake rupture simulations
Michael Barall, Ruth A. Harris
2014, Seismological Research Letters (86) 223-235
Earthquakes are complex events that involve a myriad of interactions among multiple geologic features and processes. One of the tools that is available to assist with their study is computer simulation, particularly dynamic rupture simulation. A dynamic rupture simulation is a numerical model of the physical processes that occur during...
Seismic instrumentation plan for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Weston A. Thelen
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5179
The seismic network operated by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is the main source of authoritative data for reporting earthquakes in the State of Hawaii, including those that occur on the State’s six active volcanoes (Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, Mauna Kea, Haleakalā, Lō‘ihi). Of these volcanoes, Kīlauea...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Ohio
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3111
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 Ohio, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply...
Sources, transport, and trends for selected trace metals and nutrients in the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane River Basins, Idaho, 1990-2013
Gregory M. Clark, Christopher A. Mebane
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5204
Data collected at 18 streamflow-gaging and water-quality sampling sites in the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane River Basins of northern Idaho were used to estimate mean streamflow‑weighted concentrations and annual loads of total and dissolved cadmium, lead, and zinc, and total phosphorus (TP) and nitrogen (TN) for water years (WYs) 2009–13....
Lidar-revised geologic map of the Poverty Bay 7.5' quadrangle, King and Pierce Counties, Washington
Rowland W. Tabor, Derek B. Booth, Kathy Goetz Troost
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3317
For this map, we interpreted a 6-ft-resolution lidar digital elevation model combined with the geology depicted on the Geologic Map of the Poverty Bay 7.5' Quadrangle, King and Pierce Counties, Washington (Booth and others, 2004b). The authors of the 2004 map described, interpreted, and located the geology on the 1:24,000-scale...
Investigation of the high-frequency attenuation parameter, κ (kappa), from aftershocks of the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake
Corrie Neighbors, E. J. Liao, Elizabeth S. Cochran, G. J. Funning, A. I. Chung, J. F. Lawrence, C. M. Christensen, M. Miller, A. Belmonte, H. H. Andres Sepulveda
2014, Geophysical Journal International (200) 200-215
The Bío Bío region of Chile experienced a vigorous aftershock sequence following the 2010 February 27 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake. The immediate aftershock sequence was captured by two temporary seismic deployments: the Quake Catcher Network Rapid Aftershock Mobilization Program (QCN RAMP) and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology CHile Aftershock Mobilization Program...
A new analysis of Mars "Special Regions": findings of the Second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2)
John D. Rummel, David W. Beaty, Melissa A. Jones, Corien Bakermans, Nadine G. Barlow, Penelope J. Boston, Vincent F. Chevrier, Benton C. Clark, Jean-Pierre P. de Vera, Raina V. Gough, John E. Hallsworth, James W. Head, Victoria J. Hipkin, Thomas L. Kieft, Alfred S. McEwen, Michael T. Mellon, Jill A. Mikucki, Wayne L. Nicholson, Christopher R. Omelon, Ronald Peterson, Eric E. Roden, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Kenneth L. Tanaka, Donna Viola, James J. Wray
2014, Astrobiology (14) 887-968
A committee of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has reviewed and updated the description of Special Regions on Mars as places where terrestrial organisms might replicate (per the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy). This review and update was conducted by an international team (SR-SAG2) drawn from both the biological...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Indiana
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3113
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 Indiana, elevation data are critical for flood risk management, agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, infrastructure and construction management, aviation navigation...
Occurrence model for magmatic sulfide-rich nickel-copper-(platinum-group element) deposits related to mafic and ultramafic dike-sill complexes
Klaus J. Schulz, Laurel G. Woodruff, Suzanne W. Nicholson, Robert R. Seal II, Nadine M. Piatak, Val W. Chandler, John L. Mars
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5070-I
Magmatic sulfide deposits containing nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), with or without (±) platinum-group elements (PGE), account for approximately 60 percent of the world’s nickel production. Most of the remainder of the Ni production is derived from lateritic deposits, which form by weathering of ultramafic rocks in humid tropical conditions....
Uncertainty analysis of a groundwater flow model in east-central Florida
Nicasio Sepulveda, John E. Doherty
2014, Groundwater
A groundwater flow model for east-central Florida has been developed to help water-resource managers assess the impact of increased groundwater withdrawals from the Floridan aquifer system on heads and spring flows originating from the Upper Floridan aquifer. The model provides a probabilistic description of predictions of interest to water-resource managers,...
Basin-scale simulation of current and potential climate changed hydrologic conditions in the Lake Michigan Basin, United States
Daniel E. Christiansen, John F. Walker, Randall J. Hunt
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5175
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is the largest public investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. A task force of 11 Federal agencies developed an action plan to implement the initiative. The U.S. Department of the Interior was one of the 11 agencies that entered into an interagency...
Population viability and connectivity of the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus)
Jared S. Laufenberg, Joseph D. Clark
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1228
In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) granted Ursus americanus luteolus (Louisiana black bear) threatened status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, listing loss and fragmentation of habitat as the primary threats. A study was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the University of Tennessee,...
Stochastic modeling of a lava-flow aquifer system
Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff, Geoffrey A. Phelps
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1179
This report describes preliminary three-dimensional geostatistical modeling of a lava-flow aquifer system using a multiple-point geostatistical model. The purpose of this study is to provide a proof-of-concept for this modeling approach. An example of the method is demonstrated using a subset of borehole geologic data and aquifer test data from...
Turbidity and suspended sediment in the upper Esopus Creek watershed, Ulster County, New York
Michael R. McHale, Jason Siemion
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5200
Suspended-sediment concentrations (SSCs) and turbidity were measured for 2 to 3 years at 14 monitoring sites throughout the upper Esopus Creek watershed in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. The upper Esopus Creek watershed is part of the New York City water-supply system that supplies water to more than...
Measurement of unsaturated hydraulic properties and evaluation of property-transfer models for deep sedimentary interbeds, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Kimberlie Perkins, Brittany D. Johnson, Benjamin B. Mirus
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5206
Operations at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have the potential to contaminate the underlying Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer. Methods to quantitatively characterize unsaturated flow and recharge to the ESRP aquifer are needed to inform water-resources management decisions at INL. In particular, hydraulic properties are needed to parameterize distributed...
Landsat 8 operational land imager on-orbit geometric calibration and performance
James C. Storey, Mike Choate, Kenton Lee
2014, Remote Sensing (6) 11127-11152
The Landsat 8 spacecraft was launched on 11 February 2013 carrying the Operational Land Imager (OLI) payload for moderate resolution imaging in the visible, near infrared (NIR), and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral bands. During the 90-day commissioning period following launch, several on-orbit geometric calibration activities were performed to refine the...
Landsat 8 thermal infrared sensor geometric characterization and calibration
James C. Storey, Mike Choate, Donald Moe
2014, Remote Sensing (6) 11153-11181
The Landsat 8 spacecraft was launched on 11 February 2013 carrying two imaging payloads: the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The TIRS instrument employs a refractive telescope design that is opaque to visible wavelengths making prelaunch geometric characterization challenging. TIRS geometric calibration thus relied heavily...
Coseismic landslides reveal near-surface rock strength in a high-relief tectonically active setting
Sean F. Gallen, Marin K. Clark, Jonathan W. Godt
2014, Geology (43) 11-14
We present quantitative estimates of near-surface rock strength relevant to landscape evolution and landslide hazard assessment for 15 geologic map units of the Longmen Shan, China. Strength estimates are derived from a novel method that inverts earthquake peak ground acceleration models and coseismic landslide inventories to obtain material proper- ties...
Flood-inundation maps and updated components for a flood-warning system or the City of Marietta, Ohio and selected communities along the Lower Muskingum River and Ohio River
Matthew T. Whitehead, Chad J. Ostheimer
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5195
Digital flood-inundation maps for lower reaches of the Muskingum River and a reach of the Ohio River in southeast Ohio were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and the City of Marietta, Ohio. To complete the inundation maps, Ohio River and...
Multisensor earth observations to characterize wetlands and malaria epidemiology in Ethiopia
Alemayehu Midekisa, Gabriel B. Senay, Michael C. Wimberly
2014, Water Resources Research (50) 8791-8806
Malaria is a major global public health problem, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The spatial heterogeneity of malaria can be affected by factors such as hydrological processes, physiography, and land cover patterns. Tropical wetlands, for example, are important hydrological features that can serve as mosquito breeding habitats. Mapping and monitoring of...
Mapping current and potential distribution of non-native Prosopis juliflora in the Afar region of Ethiopia
Tewodros Wakie, Paul H. Evangelista, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Melinda Laituri
2014, PLoS ONE (9) 1-9
We used correlative models with species occurrence points, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) vegetation indices, and topo-climatic predictors to map the current distribution and potential habitat of invasive Prosopis juliflora in Afar, Ethiopia. Time-series of MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Indices (EVI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI) with 250 m2 spatial...
A modified procedure for mixture-model clustering of regional geochemical data
Karl J. Ellefsen, David B. Smith, John D. Horton
2014, Applied Geochemistry (51) 315-326
A modified procedure is proposed for mixture-model clustering of regional-scale geochemical data. The key modification is the robust principal component transformation of the isometric log-ratio transforms of the element concentrations. This principal component transformation and the associated dimension reduction are applied before the data are clustered. The principal advantage of...
Vulnerability of breeding waterbirds to climate change in the Prairie Pothole Region, U.S.A.
Valerie Steen, Susan K. Skagen, Barry R. Noon
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the north-central U.S. and south-central Canada contains millions of small prairie wetlands that provide critical habitat to many migrating and breeding waterbirds. Due to their small size and the relatively dry climate of the region, these wetlands are considered at high risk for negative...
