Century-scale perspective on water quality in selected river basins of the conterminous United States
Edward G. Stets, Valerie J. Kelly, Whitney P. Broussard III, Thor E. Smith, Charles G. Crawford
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5225
Nutrient pollution in the form of excess nitrogen and phosphorus inputs is a well-known cause of water-quality degradation that has affected water bodies across the Nation throughout the 20th century. The recognition of excess nutrients as pollution developed later than the recognition of other water-quality problems, such as waterborne illness,...
Female Agassiz’s desert tortoise activity at a wind energy facility in southern California: The influence of an El Niño event
Josh R. Ennen, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Jeffrey Lovich
2012, Natural Science (4) 30-37
We compared spring-summer activity of adult female Agassiz’s Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) among three consecutive years (1997, 1998, and 1999) that differed dramatically in winter rainfall and annual plant production at a wind energy facility in the Sonoran Desert of southern California. Winter rainfall was approximately 71%, 190%, and 17%...
Do bioclimate variables improve performance of climate envelope models?
James I. Watling, Stephanie S. Romañach, David N. Bucklin, Carolina Speroterra, Laura A. Brandt, Leonard G. Pearlstine, Frank J. Mazzotti
2012, Ecological Modelling (246) 79-85
Climate envelope models are widely used to forecast potential effects of climate change on species distributions. A key issue in climate envelope modeling is the selection of predictor variables that most directly influence species. To determine whether model performance and spatial predictions were related to the selection of predictor variables,...
Flood-inundation maps for a nine-mile reach of the Des Plaines River from Riverwoods to Mettawa, Illinois
Elizabeth A. Murphy, David T. Soong, Jennifer B. Sharpe
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5227
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9-mile reach of the Des Plaines River from Riverwoods to Mettawa, Illinois, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and the Villages of Lincolnshire and Riverwoods. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the...
Ash3d: A finite-volume, conservative numerical model for ash transport and tephra deposition
Hans F. Schwaiger, Roger P. Denlinger, Larry G. Mastin
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research (117)
We develop a transient, 3-D Eulerian model (Ash3d) to predict airborne volcanic ash concentration and tephra deposition during volcanic eruptions. This model simulates downwind advection, turbulent diffusion, and settling of ash injected into the atmosphere by a volcanic eruption column. Ash advection is calculated using time-varying pre-existing wind data and...
Determination and uncertainty of moment tensors for microearthquakes at Okmok Volcano, Alaska
J. D. Pesicek, J. Sileny, S. G. Prejean, C.H. Thurber
2012, Geophysical Journal International (190) 1689-1709
Efforts to determine general moment tensors (MTs) for microearthquakes in volcanic areas are often hampered by small seismic networks, which can lead to poorly constrained hypocentres and inadequate modelling of seismic velocity heterogeneity. In addition, noisy seismic signals can make it difficult to identify phase arrivals correctly for small magnitude...
Extension of the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method to mixed-component correlations of surface waves
Matthew M. Haney, T. Dylan Mikesell, Kasper van Wijk, Hisashi Nakahara
2012, Geophysical Journal International (191) 189-206
Using ambient seismic noise for imaging subsurface structure dates back to the development of the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method in the 1950s. We present a theoretical analysis of the SPAC method for multicomponent recordings of surface waves to determine the complete 3 × 3 matrix of correlations between all pairs...
Streamflow statistics for selected streams in North Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan
Tara Williams-Sether
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1147
Statistical summaries of streamflow data for the periods of record through water year 2009 for selected active and discontinued U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in North Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan were compiled. The summaries for each streamflow-gaging station include a brief station description, a graph of the annual peak...
Variability in expression of anadromy by female Oncorhynchus mykiss within a river network
Justin S. Mills, Jason B. Dunham, Gordon H. Reeves, John R. McMillan, Christian E. Zimmerman, Chris E. Jordan
2012, Environmental Biology of Fishes (93) 505-517
We described and predicted spatial variation in marine migration (anadromy) of female Oncorhynchus mykiss in the John Day River watershed, Oregon. We collected 149 juvenile O. mykiss across 72 sites and identified locations used by anadromous females by assigning maternal origin (anadromous versus non-anadromous) to each juvenile. These assignments used...
Phase II modification of the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) for Kentucky: The sinkhole-drainage process, point-and-click basin delineation, and results of karst test-basin simulations
Charles J. Taylor, Tanja N. Williamson, Jeremy K. Newson, Randy L. Ulery, Hugh L. Nelson, Peter J. Cinotto
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5071
This report describes Phase II modifications made to the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER), which applies the process-based TOPMODEL approach to simulate or predict stream discharge in surface basins in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The previous (Phase I) version of WATER did not provide a means of identifying...
Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) of the Great Plains, United States
Daniel Howard, Tagir Gilmanov, Yingxin Gu, Bruce Wylie, Li Zhang
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3134
Gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Re) are the fundamental environmental characteristics that promote carbon exchanges with the atmosphere (Chapin and others, 2009), although other exchanges of carbon, such as direct oxidation (Lovett and others, 2006), can modify net ecosystem production (NEP). The accumulation of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems...
Relations among water levels, specific conductance, and depths of bedrock fractures in four road-salt-contaminated wells in Maine, 2007–9
Charles W. Schalk, Nicholas W. Stasulis
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5205
Data on groundwater-level, specific conductance (a surrogate for chloride), and temperature were collected continuously from 2007 through 2009 at four bedrock wells known to be affected by road salts in an effort to determine the effects of road salting and fractures in bedrock that intersect the well at a depth...
Revolutionary land use change in the 21st century: Is (rangeland) science relevant?
J. E. Herrick, J.R. Brown, B.T. Bestelmeyer, S.S. Andrews, G. Baldi, J. Davies, M. Duniway, K. M. Havstad, J.W. Karl, D.L. Karlen, Debra P. C. Peters, J.N. Quinton, C. Riginos, P.L. Shaver, D. Steinaker, S. Twomlow
2012, Rangeland Ecology and Management (65) 590-598
Rapidly increasing demand for food, fiber, and fuel together with new technologies and the mobility of global capital are driving revolutionary changes in land use throughout the world. Efforts to increase land productivity include conversion of millions of hectares of rangelands to crop production, including many marginal lands with low...
Wetland fire remote sensing research--The Greater Everglades example
John W. Jones
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3133
Fire is a major factor in the Everglades ecosystem. For thousands of years, lightning-strike fires from summer thunderstorms have helped create and maintain a dynamic landscape suited both to withstand fire and recover quickly in the wake of frequent fires. Today, managers in the Everglades National Park are implementing controlled...
Ecosystem services valuation to support decisionmaking on public lands—A case study of the San Pedro River watershed, Arizona
Kenneth J. Bagstad, Darius J. Semmens, Rob Winthrop, Delilah Jaworksi, Joel Larson
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5251
This report details the findings of the Bureau of Land Management–U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystem Services Valuation Pilot Study. This project evaluated alternative methods and tools that quantify and value ecosystem services, and it assessed the tools’ readiness for use in the Bureau of Land Management decisionmaking process. We tested these...
The Midwest Stream Quality Assessment
Peter C. Van Metre, Jeffrey W. Frey, Ellen Tarquinio
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3124
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) and USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) will be collaborating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA) to assess stream quality across the Midwestern United States. The sites selected for this study...
Use of ASTER and MODIS thermal infrared data to quantify heat flow and hydrothermal change at Yellowstone National Park
R. Greg Vaughan, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Cheryl Jaworowski, Henry Heasler
2012, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (233-234) 72-89
The overarching aim of this study was to use satellite thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing to monitor geothermal activity within the Yellowstone geothermal area to meet the missions of both the U.S. Geological Survey and the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program. Specific goals were to: 1) address the challenges...
Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the Western United States
Zhi-Liang Zhu, Bradley C. Reed
2012, Professional Paper 1797
This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 and to improve understanding of carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in ecosystems of the Western United States. The assessment examined carbon storage, carbon fluxes, and other GHG fluxes...
Detecting hidden volcanic explosions from Mt. Cleveland Volcano, Alaska with infrasound and ground-couples airwaves
Slivio De Angelis, David Fee, Matthew Haney, David Schneider
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
In Alaska, where many active volcanoes exist without ground-based instrumentation, the use of techniques suitable for distant monitoring is pivotal. In this study we report regional-scale seismic and infrasound observations of volcanic activity at Mt. Cleveland between December 2011 and August 2012. During this period, twenty explosions were detected by...
Hydrate morphology: Physical properties of sands with patchy hydrate saturation
S. Dai, J.C. Santamarina, William F. Waite, T.J. Kneafsey
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (117) B11205
The physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments depend on the volume fraction and spatial distribution of the hydrate phase. The host sediment grain size and the state of effective stress determine the hydrate morphology in sediments; this information can be used to significantly constrain estimates of the physical properties of...
Simulated effects of hydrologic, water quality, and land-use changes of the Lake Maumelle watershed, Arkansas, 2004–10
Rheannon M. Hart, W. Reed Green, Drew A. Westerman, James C. Petersen, Jeanne L. DeLanois
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5246
Lake Maumelle, located in central Arkansas northwest of the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock, is one of two principal drinking-water supplies for the Little Rock, and North Little Rock, Arkansas, metropolitan areas. Lake Maumelle and the Maumelle River (its primary tributary) are more pristine than most other...
Estimated probability of arsenic in groundwater from bedrock aquifers in New Hampshire, 2011
Joseph D. Ayotte, Matthew Cahillane, Laura Hayes, Keith W. Robinson
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5156
Probabilities of arsenic occurrence in groundwater from bedrock aquifers at concentrations of 1, 5, and 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L) were estimated during 2011 using multivariate logistic regression. These estimates were developed for use by the New Hampshire Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. About 39 percent of New Hampshire bedrock...
Seasonal variability in the surface sediments of Mobile Bay, Alabama, recorded by geochemistry and foraminifera, 2009–2010
D.K. Umberger, L.E. Osterman, C.G. Smith, J. Frazier, K.A. Richwine
2012, Data Series 733
A study was undertaken in order to document and quantify recent environmental change in Mobile Bay, Alabama. The study was part of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility project, a regional project funded by the Coastal and Marine Geology Program to understand how natural forcings...
3-D reconstructions of subsurface Pleistocene basalt flows from paleomagnetic inclination data and 40Ar/39Ar ages in the southern part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho (USA)
Mary K. V. Hodges, Duane E. Champion, B. D. Turrin, C. C. Swisher III
2012, Conference Paper
The U. S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, is mapping the distribution of basalt flows and sedimentary interbeds at the Idaho National Laboratory in three dimensions to provide data for refining numerical models of groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the eastern Snake River Plain...
Priorities for IOOS® Data Management and Communications (DMAC)
Corrine Alexander, Joan Thomas, K. Benedict, W. Johnson, R. Morrison, J. Andrechik, E. Stabenau, M. Gierach, K. Casey, Richard P. Signell, H. Norris, R. Proctor, K. Kirby, D. Snowden, J. de La Beaujardière, E. Howlett, S. Uczekaj, K. Narasimhan, E. Key, M. Trice, J. Fredericks
2012, Book
Dramatic increases in the volume of online data and rapid advances in information technology have transformed many aspects of our society. In the coastal ocean, the amount of data is also growing dramatically due to new sensor and modeling technologies. Lagging behind this deluge of ocean data, however, is an...
