Historic Flooding in South Georgia, March 27-April 3, 2009
Brian E. McCallum, Anthony J. Gotvald, Mark N. Landers
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3079
A primary mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the measurement and documentation of the magnitude and extent of hydrologic hazards, such as floods, droughts, and hurricane storm surge. USGS personnel were deployed for historic widespread flooding that occurred throughout South Georgia from a storm event beginning in the...
Methods for Estimating Magnitude and Frequency of Floods in Rural Basins in the Southeastern United States: South Carolina
Toby D. Feaster, Anthony J. Gotvald, J. Curtis Weaver
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3085
For more than 50 years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been developing regional regression equations that can be used to estimate flood magnitude and frequency at ungaged sites. Flood magnitude relates to the volume of flow that occurs over some period of time and usually is presented in cubic...
Assessing the vulnerability of public-supply wells to contamination: Floridan aquifer system near Tampa, Florida
Martha L. Jagucki, Brian G. Katz, Christy A. Crandall, Sandra M. Eberts
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3062
This fact sheet highlights findings from the vulnerability study of a public-supply well in Temple Terrace, Florida, northeast of Tampa. The well selected for study typically produces water at the rate of 700 gallons per minute from the Upper Floridan aquifer. Water samples were collected at the public-supply well and...
SEAWAT: A Computer Program for Simulation of Variable-Density Groundwater Flow and Multi-Species Solute and Heat Transport
Christian D. Langevin
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3047
SEAWAT is a MODFLOW-based computer program designed to simulate variable-density groundwater flow coupled with multi-species solute and heat transport. The program has been used for a wide variety of groundwater studies including saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers, aquifer storage and recovery in brackish limestone aquifers, and brine migration within continental...
Twelve Years of Monitoring Phosphorus and Suspended-Solids Concentrations and Yields in the North Fork Ninnescah River above Cheney Reservoir, South-Central Kansas 1997-2008
Mandy L. Stone, Jennifer L. Graham, Andrew C. Ziegler
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3073
Cheney Reservoir, located on the North Fork Ninnescah River in south-central Kansas, is the primary water supply for the city of Wichita and an important recreational resource. Concerns about taste-and-odor occurrences in Cheney Reservoir have drawn attention to potential pollutants, including total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS). July...
USGS Water Data for Washington
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3082
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been investigating the water resources of Washington State since the latter part of the 19th century. During this time, demand for water has evolved from primarily domestic and stock needs to the current complex requirements for public-water supplies, irrigation, power generation, navigation, ecological needs,...
Assessment of Undiscovered Hydrocarbon Resources of the Western Oregon and Washington Province
Michael E. Brownfield, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3060
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of 2.2 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of undiscovered natural gas and 15 million barrels of oil (MMBO) in the Western Oregon and Washington Province. More than 67 percent, or 1.5 TCF, of the undiscovered natural gas is continuous...
Evaluation of Structural Best Management Practices for Highway Runoff in Beaufort and Colleton Counties, South Carolina, 2005-2006
Kevin Conlon, Celeste Journey
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3001
As part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program mandated in the Clean Water Act, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is required to address the quality of stormwater runoff from state-maintained roadways. From 2005 to 2006, the SCDOT and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) worked...
Investigating white-nose syndrome in bats
David S. Blehert
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3058
A devastating, emergent disease afflicting hibernating bats has pread from the northeast to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2006-2007, hundreds of thousands of insect-eating bats from at least nine states have died from this new disease, named White-Nose Syndrome (WNS)....
The Saga of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) in the Northern Great Plains
Diane L. Larson
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3066
Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) is an invasive Eurasian perennial introduced into the United States as a contaminant of crop seed in the 1880s and 1890s. It typically forms monocultures in rangeland and natural areas of the northern Great Plains where, because of the latex that occurs in all parts...
Floods of May 2006 and April 2007 in Southern Maine
Pamela J. Lombard
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3049
The U.S. Geological Survey Maine Water Science Center has worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for decades to document the magnitude and extent of major floods in Maine. Reports describing the May 2006 and April 2007 floods in southern Maine are examples of this cooperative relationship. The documentation of...
Alaska Interagency Ecosystem Health Work Group
Mark Shasby
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3072
The Alaska Interagency Ecosystem Health Work Group is a community of practice that recognizes the interconnections between the health of ecosystems, wildlife, and humans and meets to facilitate the exchange of ideas, data, and research opportunities. Membership includes the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Department of...
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Region: Alaska Coastal and Ocean Science
Leslie Holland-Bartels
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3069
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a bureau of the Department of the Interior (DOI), is the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and mapping agency. The bureau's science strategy 'Facing Tomorrow's Challenges - U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017' describes the USGS vision for its science in...
Earthquake hazard in the New Madrid Seismic Zone remains a concern
A.D. Frankel, D. Applegate, M.P. Tuttle, R. A. Williams
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3071
There is broad agreement in the scientific community that a continuing concern exists for a major destructive earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone. Many structures in Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo., and other communities in the central Mississippi River Valley region are vulnerable and at risk from severe ground...
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Region: Coastal and Ocean Science
Anne E. Kinsinger
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3068
USGS Western Region Coastal and Ocean Science is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and integrates expertise from all USGS Disciplines, and ten of its major Science Centers, in Alaska, Hawai'i, California, Washington, and Oregon. The scientific talent, laboratories, and research vessels in the Western Region and across the Nation, strategically position the USGS...
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Region: Seabirds coastal and ocean science
Anne E. Kinsinger
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3067
From the cold, high Arctic area of Alaska to the warm, tropical Pacific area of Hawai'i, a diverse array of seabird species numbering in the millions of individuals live off the bounty of the Pacific Ocean. Many come to land only to nest and raise their young - these are...
Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) Applications: Tools to View, Extract, Plot, and Manipulate EDEN Data
Pamela A. Telis, Heather Henkel
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3052
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) is an integrated system of real-time water-level monitoring, ground-elevation data, and water-surface elevation modeling to provide scientists and water managers with current on-line water-depth information for the entire freshwater part of the greater Everglades. To assist users in applying the EDEN data to their...
The USGS and the Gulf of Mexico
Alyssa M. Dausman, Kate Spear
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3059
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is committed to mapping, monitoring, and conducting research in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent watersheds. Through a network of science centers in the five Gulf States and across the Nation, the USGS applies its biologic, geologic, geographic, and hydrologic expertise to provide unbiased scientific...
California's Central Valley Groundwater Study: A Powerful New Tool to Assess Water Resources in California's Central Valley
Claudia C. Faunt, Randall T. Hanson, Kenneth Belitz, Laurel Rogers
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3057
Competition for water resources is growing throughout California, particularly in the Central Valley. Since 1980, the Central Valley's population has nearly doubled to 3.8 million people. It is expected to increase to 6 million by 2020. Statewide population growth, anticipated reductions in Colorado River water deliveries, drought, and the ecological...
The National Map - Orthoimagery
James Mauck, Kim Brown, William J. Carswell Jr.
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3055
Orthorectified digital aerial photographs and satellite images of 1-meter (m) pixel resolution or finer make up the orthoimagery component of The National Map. The process of orthorectification removes feature displacements and scale variations caused by terrain relief and sensor geometry. The result is a combination of the image characteristics of...
The National Map - Elevation
Dean Gesch, Gayla Evans, James Mauck, John Hutchinson, William J. Carswell Jr.
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3053
The National Elevation Dataset (NED) is the primary elevation data product produced and distributed by the USGS. The NED provides seamless raster elevation data of the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the island territories. The NED is derived from diverse source data sets that are processed to a specification...
Framework for a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic climate-response program in Maine
Glenn A. Hodgkins, Robert M. Lent, Robert W. Dudley, Charles W. Schalk
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3044
It is important to monitor hydrologic systems in the United States that could change dramatically over the short term as a result of climate change. Many ecological effects of climate change can be understood only if hydrologic data networks are in place. Because of its humid, temperate climate and its...
The National Map - Hydrography
Jeffrey D. Simley, William J. Carswell Jr.
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3054
The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is the surface-water component of The National Map. The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that represents the surface water of the United States using common features such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, canals, streamgages, and dams. Polygons are used to represent...
Taking the Pulse of a River System: Research on the Upper Mississippi River System
Jennifer Sauer, Barry Johnson
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3045
Mark Twain raved about the Mississippi River basin as, 'the body of the Nation'. The 'upper body', upstream of the confluence with the Ohio River, includes commercially navigable reaches and branching tributaries that are recreationally and environmentally important. Together they feed and shelter an array of fish and wildlife in...
Fifty-year record of glacier change reveals shifting climate in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, USA
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3046
Fifty years of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research on glacier change shows recent dramatic shrinkage of glaciers in three climatic regions of the United States. These long periods of record provide clues to the climate shifts that may be driving glacier change. The USGS Benchmark Glacier Program began in 1957...
