Effects of Climate Variability and Change on Groundwater Resources of the United States
Jason S. Gurdak, Randall T. Hanson, Timothy R. Green
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3074
Groundwater is an important part of the global fresh water supply and is affected by climate. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are working with local, State, Federal, and international partners to understand how the availability and sustainability of groundwater resources in the United States will be affected by climate variability...
Lead poisoning in wild birds
Lesanna L. Lahner, J. Christian Franson
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3051
Lead in its various forms has been used for thousands of years, originally in cooking utensils and glazes and more recently in many industrial and commercial applications. However, lead is a potent, potentially deadly toxin that damages many organs in the body and can affect all animals, including humans. By...
Unearthing Secrets of the Forest
Sarah I. Beldin, Steven S. Perakis
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3078
Forests are a defining feature for large areas of the Pacific northwestern United States from northern California to Alaska. Coniferous temperate rainforests in the western Cascade and coastal mountain ranges are appreciated for their aesthetic value and abundant natural resources. Few people recognize the riches beneath the forest floor; yet,...
Monitoring for Pesticides in Groundwater and Surface Water in Nevada, 2008
Carl E. Thodal, Jon Carpenter, Charles W. Moses
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3093
Commercial pesticide applicators, farmers, and homeowners apply about 1 billion pounds of pesticides annually to agricultural land, non-crop land, and urban areas throughout the United States (Gilliom and others, 2006, p. 1). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) defines a pesticide as any substance used to kill or control insects,...
Emissions from coal fires and their impact on the environment
Allan Kolker, Mark Engle, Glenn Stracher, James Hower, Anupma Prakash, Lawrence Radke, Arnout ter Schure, Ed Heffern
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3084
Self-ignited, naturally occurring coal fires and fires resulting from human activities persist for decades in underground coal mines, coal waste piles, and unmined coal beds. These uncontrolled coal fires occur in all coal-bearing parts of the world (Stracher, 2007) and pose multiple threats to the global environment because they emit...
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3087
Under an agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is distributing elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The SRTM is a joint project of NASA and NGA to map the Earth's...
Science-Based Strategies for Sustaining Coral Ecosystems
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3089
Coral ecosystems and their natural capital are at risk. Greenhouse gas emissions, overfishing, and harmful land-use practices are damaging our coral reefs. Overwhelming scientific evidence indicates that the threats are serious, and if they are left unchecked, the ecological and social consequences will be significant and widespread. Although the primary...
The Ozark Highlands
Max Ethridge
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3065
The Ozark Highlands include diverse topographic, geologic, soil, and hydrologic conditions that support a broad range of habitat types. The landscape features rugged uplands - some peaks higher than 2,500 feet above sea level - with exposed rock and varying soil depths and includes extensive areas of karst terrain. The...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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)....
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...
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: 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...
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...
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...
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...
