Estimation of submarine mass failure probability from a sequence of deposits with age dates
Eric L. Geist, Jason D. Chaytor, Thomas E. Parsons, Uri S. ten Brink
2013, Geosphere (9) 287-298
The empirical probability of submarine mass failure is quantified from a sequence of dated mass-transport deposits. Several different techniques are described to estimate the parameters for a suite of candidate probability models. The techniques, previously developed for analyzing paleoseismic data, include maximum likelihood and Type II (Bayesian) maximum likelihood methods...
Nature's Notebook 2012: State of the data
Jherime Kellermann, T.M. Crimmins, E.G. Denny, C.A.F. Enquist, K.L. Gerst, A.H. Rosemartin, Jake F. Weltzin
2013, USA-NPN Technical Series 2013-001
In 2012, 2,045 observers contributed 1,592 sites to the NPDb, encompassing all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. At the close of 2012 the NPDb contained a total of over 1.6 million phenophase status records. More than half of these records were submitted in 2012. Observers submitted records on 547...
Change in the length of the northern section of the Chandeleur Islands oil berm, September 5, 2010, through September 3, 2012
N.G. Plant, K. K. Guy
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1074
On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig drilling at the Macondo Prospect site in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in a marine oil spill that continued to flow through July 15, 2010. One of the affected areas was the Breton National Wildlife Refuge, which consists...
Sequential Gaussian co-simulation of rate decline parameters of longwall gob gas ventholes
C. Özgen Karacan, Ricardo A. Olea
2013, International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences (59) 1-14
Gob gas ventholes (GGVs) are used to control methane inflows into a longwall mining operation by capturing the gas within the overlying fractured strata before it enters the work environment. Using geostatistical co-simulation techniques, this paper maps the parameters of their rate decline behaviors across the study area, a longwall...
Effects of equipment performance on data quality from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network and the Mercury Deposition Network
Gregory A. Wetherbee, Mark F. Rhodes
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1031
The U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Quality Systems operates the Precipitation Chemistry Quality Assurance project (PCQA) to provide independent, external quality-assurance for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP). NADP is composed of five monitoring networks that measure the chemical composition of precipitation and ambient air. PCQA and the NADP Program...
extrap: Software to assist the selection of extrapolation methods for moving-boat ADCP streamflow measurements
David S. Mueller
2013, Computers & Geosciences (54) 211-218
Selection of the appropriate extrapolation methods for computing the discharge in the unmeasured top and bottom parts of a moving-boat acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) streamflow measurement is critical to the total discharge computation. The software tool, extrap, combines normalized velocity profiles from the entire cross section and multiple transects to...
The effects of increased stream temperatures on juvenile steelhead growth in the Yakima River Basin based on projected climate change scenarios
Jill M. Hardiman, Matthew G. Mesa
2013, Climate Change (124) 413-426
Stakeholders within the Yakima River Basin expressed concern over impacts of climate change on mid-Columbia River steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), listed under the Endangered Species Act. We used a bioenergetics model to assess the impacts of changing stream temperatures—resulting from different climate change scenarios—on growth of juvenile steelhead...
Variability of displacement at a point: Implications for earthquake‐size distribution and rupture hazard on faults
Suzanne Hecker, N. A. Abrahamson, Kathryn Wooddell
2013, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (103) 651-674
To investigate the nature of earthquake‐magnitude distributions on faults, we compare the interevent variability of surface displacement at a point on a fault from a composite global data set of paleoseismic observations with the variability expected from two prevailing magnitude–frequency distributions: the truncated‐exponential model and the characteristic‐earthquake model. We use...
Change in the length of the middle section of the Chandeleur Islands oil berm, November 17, 2010, through September 6, 2011
N.G. Plant, K. K. Guy
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1075
On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig drilling at the Macondo Prospect site in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in a marine oil spill that continued to flow through July 15, 2010. One of the affected areas was the Breton National Wildlife Refuge, which consists...
Development and application of a soil organic matter-based soil quality index in mineralized terrane of the Western US
S.W. Blecker, Lisa L. Stillings, M.C. Amacher, J.A. Ippolito, N.M. DeCrappeo
2013, Environmental Earth Sciences (68) 1887-1901
Soil quality indices provide a means of distilling large amounts of data into a single metric that evaluates the soil’s ability to carry out key ecosystem functions. Primarily developed in agroecosytems, then forested ecosystems, an index using the relation between soil organic matter and other key soil properties in more...
Advantages of geographically weighted regression for modeling benthic substrate in two Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem streams
Kenneth R. Sheehan, Michael P. Strager, Stuart A. Welsh
2013, Environmental Modeling & Assessment (18) 209-219
Stream habitat assessments are commonplace in fish management, and often involve nonspatial analysis methods for quantifying or predicting habitat, such as ordinary least squares regression (OLS). Spatial relationships, however, often exist among stream habitat variables. For example, water depth, water velocity, and benthic substrate sizes within streams are often spatially...
Statistical classification of hydrogeologic regions in the fractured rock area of Maryland and parts of the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
Brandon J. Fleming, Andrew E. LaMotte, Andrew J. Sekellick
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5043
Hydrogeologic regions in the fractured rock area of Maryland were classified using geographic information system tools with principal components and cluster analyses. A study area consisting of the 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds with rivers that flow through the fractured rock area of Maryland and bounded by the Fall...
Golden eagle records from the Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey: information for wind energy management and planning
Wade Eakle, Patti Haggerty, Mark Fuller, Susan L. Phillips
2013, Data Series 753
The purpose of this Data Series report is to provide the occasions, locations, and counts when golden eagles were recorded during the annual Midwinter Bald Eagle Surveys. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are protected by Federal statutes including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA) (16 USC 668-668c) and the...
An evaluation of seepage gains and losses in Indian Creek Reservoir, Ada County, Idaho, April 2010–November 2011
Marshall L. Williams, Alexandra B. Etheridge
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5047
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, conducted an investigation on Indian Creek Reservoir, a small impoundment in east Ada County, Idaho, to quantify groundwater seepage into and out of the reservoir. Data from the study will assist the Idaho Water Resources Department’s Comprehensive...
Stochastic empirical loading and dilution model (SELDM) version 1.0.0
Gregory E. Granato
2013, Techniques and Methods 4-C3
The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) is designed to transform complex scientific data into meaningful information about the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks. The U.S. Geological...
Characterization and data-gap analysis of surface-water quality data in the Piceance study area, western Colorado, 1959–2009
Judith C. Thomas, Jennifer L. Moore, Keelin R. Schaffrath, Jean A. Dupree, Cory A. Williams, Kenneth J. Leib
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Federal, State, county, and industry partners, developed a Web-accessible common data repository to provide access to historical and current (as of August 2009) water-quality information (available on the Internet at http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/cwqdr/Piceance/index.shtml). Surface-water-quality data from public and private sources were compiled for the period...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the San Francisco Bay groundwater basins, 2007—California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Mary C. Parsons, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5248
Groundwater quality in the approximately 620-square-mile (1,600-square-kilometer) San Francisco Bay study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in the Southern Coast Ranges of California, in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda,...
Water quality of streams draining abandoned and reclaimed mined lands in the Kantishna Hills area, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 2008–11
Timothy P. Brabets, Robert T. Ourso
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5048
The Kantishna Hills are an area of low elevation mountains in the northwest part of Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Streams draining the Kantishna Hills are clearwater streams that support several species of fish and are derived from rain, snowmelt, and subsurface aquifers. However, the water quality of many...
Shallow groundwater in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Alaska—Conceptualization and simulation of flow
Colin P. Kikuchi
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5049
The Matanuska-Susitna Valley is in the Upper Cook Inlet Basin and is currently undergoing rapid population growth outside of municipal water and sewer service areas. In response to concerns about the effects of increasing water use on future groundwater availability, a study was initiated between the Alaska Department of Natural...
Simulation of salinity intrusion along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts using climate-change scenarios
Paul Conrads, Edwin A. Roehl Jr., Ruby C. Daamen, John B. Cook
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5036
Potential changes in climate could alter interactions between environmental and societal systems and adversely affect the availability of water resources in many coastal communities. Changes in streamflow patterns in conjunction with sea-level rise may change the salinity-intrusion dynamics of coastal rivers. Several municipal water-supply intakes are located along the Georgia...
Multi-regional synthesis of temporal trends in biotic assemblages in streams and rivers of the continental United States
Matthew P. Miller, Anne M.D. Brasher, Jonathan G. Keenen
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5046
Biotic assemblages in aquatic ecosystems are excellent integrators and indicators of changing environmental conditions within a watershed. Therefore, temporal changes in abiotic environmental variables often can be inferred from temporal changes in biotic assemblages. Algae, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblage data were collected from 91 sampling sites in 4 geographic regions...
The NAS Alert System: A look at the first eight years
Pamela L. Fuller, Matt Neilson, Dane H. Huge
2013, Fisheries (38) 128-138
The U.S. Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database program (http://nas.er.usgs.gov) tracks the distribution of introduced aquatic organisms across the United States. Awareness of, and timely response to, novel species introductions by those involved in nonindigenous aquatic species management and research requires a framework for rapid dissemination of occurrence data...
A new map of standardized terrestrial ecosystems of Africa
Roger G. Sayre, Patrick Comer, Jon Hak, Carmen Josse, Jacquie Bow, Harumi Warner, Mahamane Larwanou, Ensermu Kelbessa, Tamrat Bekele, Harald Kehl, Ruba Amena, Rado Andriamasimanana, Taibou Ba, Laurence Benson, Timothy Boucher, Matthew Brown, Jill J. Cress, Oueddo Dassering, Beverly A. Friesen, Francis Gachathi, Sebei Houcine, Mahamadou Keita, Erick Khamala, Dan Marangu, Fredrick Mokua, Boube Morou, Ladislav Mucina, Samuel Mugisha, Edward Mwavu, Michael Rutherford, Patrice Sanou, Stephen Syampungani, Bojoi Tomor, Abdallahi Ould Mohamed Vall, Jean Pierre Vande Weghe, Eunice Wangui, Lucy Waruingi
2013, African Geographical Review
Terrestrial ecosystems and vegetation of Africa were classified and mapped as part of a larger effort and global protocol (GEOSS – the Global Earth Observation System of Systems), which includes an activity to map terrestrial ecosystems of the earth in a standardized, robust, and practical manner, and at the finest...
Web-based flood database for Colorado, water years 1867 through 2011
Michael S. Kohn, Robert D. Jarrett, Gary S. Krammes, Amanullah Mommandi
2013, Open-File Report 2012-1225
In order to provide a centralized repository of flood information for the State of Colorado, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for flood information from water years 1867 through 2011 and data for paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to...
Mapping spatial resources with GPS animal telemetry: foraging manatees locate seagrass beds in the Ten Thousand Islands, Florida, USA
Daniel H. Slone, James P. Reid, W. Judson Kenworthy
2013, Marine Ecology Progress Series (476) 285-299
Turbid water conditions make the delineation and characterization of benthic habitats difficult by traditional in situ and remote sensing methods. Here, we develop and validate modeling and sampling methodology for detecting and characterizing seagrass beds by analyzing GPS telemetry records from radio-tagged manatees. Between October 2002 and October 2005, 14...
