Flood of April and May 2008 in Northern Maine
Pamela J. Lombard
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3003
Severe flooding occurred in Aroostook and Penobscot Counties in northern Maine between April 28 and May 1, 2008, and damage was extensive in the town of Fort Kent. Aroostook County was declared a Federal disaster area on May 9, and the declaration was expanded to include Penobscot County on May...
Modeling Climate Change and Sturgeon Populations in the Missouri River
Mark L. Wildhaber
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC), in collaboration with researchers from the University of Missouri and Iowa State University, is conducting research to address effects of climate change on sturgeon populations (Scaphirhynchus spp.) in the Missouri River. The CERC is conducting laboratory, field, and modeling research...
Groundwater Quality in the Central Eastside San Joaquin Valley, California
Kenneth Belitz, Matthew K. Landon
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3001
The Central Eastside study unit is located in California's San Joaquin Valley. The 1,695 square mile study unit includes three groundwater subbasins: Modesto, Turlock, and Merced (California Department of Water Resources, 2003). The primary water-bearing units consist of discontinuous lenses of gravel, sand, silt, and clay, which are derived largely...
River-corridor habitat dynamics, Lower Missouri River
Robert B. Jacobson
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3022
Intensive management of the Missouri River for navigation, flood control, and power generation has resulted in substantial physical changes to the river corridor. Historically, the Missouri River was characterized by a shifting, multithread channel and abundant unvegetated sandbars. The shifting channel provided a wide variety of hydraulic environments and large...
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
Gregory D. Steyer
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3018
In 1990, the U.S. Congress enacted the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in response to growing awareness of a land loss crisis in Louisiana. Projects funded by CWPPRA require monitoring and evaluation of project effectiveness, and there is also a need to assess the cumulative effects of...
The pallid sturgeon: Scientific investigations help understand recovery needs
Aaron J. DeLonay
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3024
Understanding of the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) has increased significantly since the species was listed as endangered over two decades ago. Since 2005, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) have been engaged in an interdisciplinary research program in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps...
Studies of Climate Change in the Yukon River Basin: Connecting Community and Science Through a Unique Partnership
Paul F. Schuster, Karonhiakta’tie Byran Maracle
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3020
An exciting new partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) is yielding critical data for the assessment of climate change effects in the Yukon River Basin. The foundation of this partnership is a shared interest in the current and future water quality...
Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Levant Basin Province, Eastern Mediterranean
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3014
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil and a mean of 122 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas in the Levant Basin Province using a geology based assessment methodology....
Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of Southeast Asia, 2010
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3015
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated means of 21.6 billion barrels of oil and 299 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas in 22 provinces of southeast Asia....
Molybdenum-A Key Component of Metal Alloys
S.J. Kropschot
2010, Fact Sheet 2009-3106
Molybdenum, whose chemical symbol is Mo, was first recognized as an element in 1778. Until that time, the mineral molybdenite-the most important source of molybdenum-was believed to be a lead mineral because of its metallic gray color, greasy feel, and softness. In the late 19th century, French metallurgists discovered that...
Assessing groundwater availability in the High Plains aquifer in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming
Sharon L. Qi, Scott Christenson
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3008
The U.S. Geological Survey's Groundwater Resources Program is conducting an assessment of groundwater availability to gain a clearer understanding of the status of the Nation's groundwater resources and the natural and human factors that can affect those resources. The goals of this national effort are to define the current status...
2008 High-Flow Experiment at Glen Canyon Dam Benefits Colorado River Resources in Grand Canyon National Park
Theodore S. Melis, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, David M. Rubin, Scott Wright, Amy E. Draut, Joseph E. Hazel Jr., Barbara E. Ralston, Theodore A. Kennedy, Emma Rosi-Marshall, Josh Korman, Kara D. Hilwig, Lara M. Schmit
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3009
On March 5, 2008, the Department of the Interior began a 60-hour high-flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, to determine if water releases designed to mimic natural seasonal flooding could be used to improve downstream resources in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park. U.S. Geological...
USGS Science Serves Public Health
Herbert T. Buxton
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3004
Human health so often depends on the health of the environment and wildlife around us. The presence of naturally occurring or human environmental contaminants and the emergence of diseases transferred between animals and humans are growing concerns worldwide. The USGS is a source of natural science information vital for understanding...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of four west Africa geologic provinces
Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3006
Four geologic provinces located along the northwest and west-central coast of Africa recently were assessed for undiscovered 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 71.7...
Health effects of energy resources
William Orem, Calin Tatu, Nikola Pavlovic, Joseph Bunnell, Allan Kolker, Mark Engle, Ben Stout
2010, Fact Sheet 2009-3096
Energy resources (coal, oil, and natural gas) are among the cornerstones of modern industrial society. The exploitation of these resources, however, is not without costs. Energy materials may contain harmful chemical substances that, if mobilized into air, water, or soil, can adversely impact human health and environmental quality. In order...
Drilling a Deep Geologic Test Well at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia
Arthur P. Schultz, Ellen Seefelt
2010, Fact Sheet 2009-3112
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is drilling a deep geologic test well at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia. The operation is scheduled to run between mid-February and mid-April 2010. When completed, the well will be about 1,500 feet deep. The purpose of this test...
Assessing the vulnerability of public-supply wells to contamination: Glacial aquifer system in Woodbury, Connecticut
Martha L. Jagucki, Craig J. Brown, J. Jeffrey Starn, Sandra M. Eberts
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3002
This fact sheet highlights findings from the vulnerability study of a public-supply well in Woodbury, Connecticut. The well typically produces water at the rate of 72 gallons per minute from the glacial aquifer system in the Pomperaug River Basin. Water samples were collected at the public-supply well and at monitoring...
An overview of historical channel adjustment and selected hydraulic values in the Lower Sabine and Lower Brazos River Basins, Texas and Louisiana
Franklin T. Heitmuller, Lauren E. Greene, John D. John D. Gordon
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3005
The Sabine and Brazos are alluvial rivers; alluvial rivers are dynamic systems that adjust their geometry in response to changes in streamflow (discharge) and sediment load. In fluvial geomorphology, the term 'channel adjustment' refers to river channel changes in three geometric dimensions: (1) channel slope (profile); (2) the outline or...
Integrating Agriculture and Conservation
Mark W. Vandever
2010, Fact Sheet 2009-3099
The USGS produces the needed science-based information to guide management actions and policy decisions that support wildlife habitat and other environmental services compatible with USDA conservation goals and farm operations. The Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch of the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) has conducted research involving a national...
Algal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Linking water quality to juvenile sucker health
S. P. VanderKooi, S. M. Burdick, K. R. Echols, C. A. Ottinger, B. H. Rosen, T. M. Wood
2010, Fact Sheet 2009-3111
As the lead science agency for the Department of Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey is actively involved in resource issues in the Klamath River basin. Activities include research projects on endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, threatened coho salmon, groundwater resources, seasonal runoff forecasting, water quality in Upper Klamath Lake...
Streamflow of 2008--Water year summary
Jian Xiaodong, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins, Steve Brady
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3003
The maps and graphs appearing in this summary describe streamflow conditions for water-year 2008 (October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008) in the context of the 79-year period 1930-2008, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Streamflow Information Program. The...
A brief geologic history of Volusia County, Florida
Edward R. German
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3101
Volusia County is in a unique and beautiful setting. This Florida landscape is characterized by low coastal plains bordered by upland areas of sandy ridges and many lakes. Beautiful streams and springs abound within the vicinity. Underneath the land surface is a deep layer of limestone rocks that stores fresh,...
Taste and odor occurrence in Lake William C. Bowen and Municipal Reservoir #1, Spartanburg County, South Carolina
Celeste Journey, Jane M. Arrington
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3043
The U.S. Geological Survey and Spartanburg Water are working cooperatively on an ongoing study of Lake Bowen and Reservoir #1 to identify environmental factors that enhance or influence the production of geosmin in the source-water reservoirs. Spartanburg Water is using information from this study to develop management strategies to reduce...
Streamgaging in Pennsylvania: 1883-2009
Randall R. Durlin
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3048
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania contains 83,602 miles of streams within its borders. These streams are natural resources that influence the lives and economy of Pennsylvania residents daily. The water resources are used on a daily basis for recreation, power generation, drinking water, agriculture, industry, and many other uses, emphasizing the...
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Iodophor Disinfection of Walleye and Northern Pike Eggs to Eliminate Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus
M.T. Tuttle-Lau, K.A. Phillips, M.P. Gaikowski
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3107
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSv) is a serious fish pathogen that has been responsible for large-scale fish kills in the Great Lakes since 2005. It causes high mortality and resulting outbreaks have severe economic consequences for aquaculture. Iodophor disinfection of salmonid eggs is a standard hatchery practice to reduce the...
