Nearshore morphology, benthic structure, hydrodynamics, and coastal groundwater discharge near Kahekili Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii
Peter W. Swarzenski, Curt D. Storlazzi, M. Katherine Presto, Ann E. Gibbs, Christopher G. Smith, Natasha T. Dimova, Meghan L. Dailer, Joshua B. Logan
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1166
This report presents a brief summary of recent fieldwork conducted off Kahekili Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii, the site of the newly established U.S. Coral Reef Task Force priority study area at Kaanapali and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Haji-Gak mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter C in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
2012, Data Series 709-C
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Quantification of aquifer properties with surface nuclear magnetic resonance in the Platte River valley, central Nebraska, using a novel inversion method
Trevor P. Irons, Christopher M. Hobza, Gregory V. Steele, Jared D. Abraham, James C. Cannia, Duane D. Woodward
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5189
Surface nuclear magnetic resonance, a noninvasive geophysical method, measures a signal directly related to the amount of water in the subsurface. This allows for low-cost quantitative estimates of hydraulic parameters. In practice, however, additional factors influence the signal, complicating interpretation. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Central Platte...
Methods of practice and guidelines for using survey-grade global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) to establish vertical datum in the United States Geological Survey
Paul H. Rydlund Jr., Brenda K. Densmore
2012, Techniques and Methods 11-D1
Geodetic surveys have evolved through the years to the use of survey-grade (centimeter level) global positioning to perpetuate and post-process vertical datum. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technology to monitor natural hazards, ensure geospatial control for climate and land use change, and gather data...
Storm-induced inner-continental shelf circulation and sediment transport: Long Bay, South Carolina
John C. Warner, Brandy N. Armstrong, Charlene S. Sylvester, George Voulgaris, Tim Nelson, William C. Schwab, Jane F. Denny
2012, Continental Shelf Research (42) 51-63
Long Bay is a sediment-starved, arcuate embayment located along the US East Coast connecting both South and North Carolina. In this region the rates and pathways of sediment transport are important because they determine the availability of sediments for beach nourishment, seafloor habitat, and navigation. The impact of storms...
Water-level altitudes 2012 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2011 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
Mark C. Kasmarek, Michaela R. Johnson, Jason K. Ramage
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3230
Most of the subsidence in the Houston–Galveston region, Texas, has occurred as a direct result of groundwater withdrawals for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation that depressured and dewatered the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers and caused compaction of the clay layers of the aquifer sediments. This report—prepared by...
Comparison of no-purge and pumped sampling methods for monitoring concentrations of ordnance-related compounds in groundwater, Camp Edwards, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2009-2010
Jennifer G. Savoie, Denis R. LeBlanc
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5084
Field tests were conducted near the Impact Area at Camp Edwards on the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to determine the utility of no-purge groundwater sampling for monitoring concentrations of ordnance-related explosive compounds and perchlorate in the sand and gravel aquifer. The no-purge methods included (1) a diffusion sampler...
Assessment of soil-gas contamination at building 310 underground storage tank area, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 2010-2011
Wladmir B. Guimaraes, W. Fred Falls, Andral W. Caldwell, W. Hagan Ratliff, John B. Wellborn, James Landmeyer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1136
Soil gas was assessed for contaminants in the building 310 underground storage tank area adjacent to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Ft. Gordon, Georgia, from October 2010 to September 2011. The assessment, which also included the detection of organic compounds in soil gas, provides environmental contamination data...
Movement of water infiltrated from a recharge basin to wells
David R. O'Leary, John A. Izbicki, Jean E. Moran, Tanya Meeth, Brandon Nakagawa, Loren Metzger, Chris Bonds, Michael J. Singleton
2012, Ground Water (50) 242-255
Local surface water and stormflow were infiltrated intermittently from a 40-ha basin between September 2003 and September 2007 to determine the feasibility of recharging alluvial aquifers pumped for public supply, near Stockton, California. Infiltration of water produced a pressure response that propagated through unconsolidated alluvial-fan deposits to 125 m below...
Analysis of trends in selected streamflow statistics for the Concho River Basin, Texas, 1916-2009
Dana L. Barbie, Loren L. Wehmeyer, Jayne E. May
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5193
The Concho River Basin is part of the upper Colorado River Basin in west-central Texas. Monotonic trends in streamflow statistics during various time intervals from 1916-2009 were analyzed to determine whether substantial changes in selected streamflow statistics have occurred within the Concho River Basin. Two types of U.S. Geological Survey...
Yellowstone bison genetics: let us move forward
Natalie D. Halbert, Peter J.P. Gogan, Philip W. Hedrick, Jacquelyn M. Wahl, James N. Derr
2012, Journal of Heredity (103) 754-755
White and Wallen (2012) disagree with the conclusions and suggestions made in our recent assessment of population structure among Yellowstone National Park (YNP) bison based on 46 autosomal microsatellite loci in 661 animals (Halbert et al. 2012). First, they suggest that "the existing genetic substructure (that we observed) was artificially...
Measurement and simulation of evapotranspiration at a wetland site in the New Jersey Pinelands
David M. Sumner, Robert S. Nicholson, Kenneth L. Clark
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5118
Evapotranspiration (ET) was monitored above a wetland forest canopy dominated by pitch-pine in the New Jersey Pinelands during November 10, 2004-February 20, 2007, using an eddy-covariance method. Twelve-month ET totals ranged from 786 to 821 millimeters (mm). Minimum and maximum ET rates occurred during December-February and in July, respectively. Relations...
A benthic-macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity and assessment of conditions in selected streams in Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1998-2009
Andrew G. Reif
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5116
The Stream Conditions of Chester County Biological Monitoring Network (Network) was established by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Chester County Water Resources Authority in 1969. Chester County encompasses 760 square miles in southeastern Pennsylvania and has a rapidly expanding population. Land-use change has occurred in response to this continual...
Persistence and extirpation in invaded landscapes: patch characteristics and connectivity determine effects of non-native predatory fish on native salamanders
David S. Pilliod, Robert S. Arkle, Bryce A. Maxell
2012, Biological Invasions (15) 671-685
Studies have demonstrated negative effects of non-native, predatory fishes on native amphibians, yet it is still unclear why some amphibian populations persist, while others are extirpated, following fish invasion. We examined this question by developing habitat-based occupancy models for the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and nonnative fish using survey data...
Groundwater quality in the Coastal Los Angeles Basin, California
Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3096
The Coastal Los Angeles Basin study unit is approximately 860 square miles and consists of the Santa Monica, Hollywood, West Coast, Central, and Orange County Coastal Plain groundwater basins (California Department of Water Resources, 2003). The basins are bounded in part by faults, including the Newport-Inglewood fault zone, and are...
Microgravity methods for characterization of groundwater-storage changes and aquifer properties in the karstic Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 2009-12
Karl R. Koth, Andrew J. Long
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5158
A study of groundwater storage in the karstic Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of South Dakota using microgravity methods was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with West Dakota Water Development District, South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Lawrence County. Microgravity measurements from 2009...
Matrix population models from 20 studies of perennial plant populations
Martha M. Ellis, Jennifer L. Williams, Peter Lesica, Timothy J. Bell, Paulette Bierzychudek, Marlin Bowles, Elizabeth E. Crone, Daniel F. Doak, Johan Ehrlen, Albertine Ellis-Adam, Kathryn McEachern, Rengaian Ganesan, Penelope Latham, Sheila Luijten, Thomas N. Kaye, Tiffany M. Knight, Eric S. Menges, William F. Morris, Hans den Nijs, Gerard Oostermeijer, Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, J. Stephen Shelly, Amanda Stanley, Andrea Thorpe, Ticktin Tamara, Teresa Valverde, Carl W. Weekley
2012, Ecology (93) 951-951
Demographic transition matrices are one of the most commonly applied population models for both basic and applied ecological research. The relatively simple framework of these models and simple, easily interpretable summary statistics they produce have prompted the wide use of these models across an exceptionally broad range of taxa. Here,...
Evaluation of the relation between evapotranspiration and normalized difference vegetation index for downscaling the simplified surface energy balance model
Jonathan V. Haynes, Gabriel B. Senay
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5197
The Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model uses satellite imagery to estimate actual evapotranspiration (ETa) at 1-kilometer resolution. SSEB ETa is useful for estimating irrigation water use; however, resolution limitations restrict its use to regional scale applications. The U.S. Geological Survey investigated the downscaling potential of SSEB ETa from 1...
Status of groundwater quality in the Coastal Los Angeles Basin, 2006-California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Dara A. Goldrath, Miranda S. Fram, Michael Land, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5048
Groundwater quality in the approximately 860-square-mile (2,227-square-kilometer) Coastal Los Angeles Basin study unit (CLAB) was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study area is located in southern California in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The GAMA Priority Basin...
Shading decreases the abundance of the herbivorous California horn snail, Cerithidea californica
Julio Lorda, Kevin D. Lafferty
2012, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (432-433) 148-155
Most of the intertidal zone in estuaries of California, USA and Baja California, Mexico is covered with vascular vegetation. Shading by these vascular plants influences abiotic and biotic processes that shape benthic community assemblages. We present data on the effects of shading on the California horn snail, Cerithidea californica. This...
Streamflow gain and loss and water quality in the upper Nueces River Basin, south-central Texas, 2008-10
J. Ryan Banta, Rebecca B. Lambert, Richard N. Slattery, Darwin J. Ockerman
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5181
The U.S. Geological Survey-in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Nature Conservancy, the Real Edwards Conservation and Reclamation District, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department-investigated streamflow gain and loss and water quality in the upper Nueces River Basin, south-central Texas, specifically in the watersheds of the...
Assessment of groundwater, soil-gas, and soil contamination at the Vietnam Armor Training Facility, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 2009-2011
Wladmir B. Guimaraes, W. Fred Falls, Andral W. Caldwell, W. Hagan Ratliff, John B. Wellborn, James Landmeyer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1160
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Army Environmental and Natural Resources Management Office of the U.S. Army Signal Center and Fort Gordon, Georgia, assessed the groundwater, soil gas, and soil for contaminants at the Vietnam Armor Training Facility (VATF) at Fort Gordon, from October...
Specific conductance measurements in central and western New York streams - A retrospective characterization
William M. Kappel, Gaylen J. Sinclair, James E. Reddy, David A. Eckhardt, M. Peter deVries, Margaret E. Phillips
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1174
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Rescue Program funds were used to recover data from paper records for 139 streamgages across central and western New York State; 6,133 different streamflow measurement forms, collected between 1970-80, contained field water-quality measurements. The water-quality data were entered, reviewed, and uploaded into the USGS National...
Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2011
Joseph E. Beman
2012, Data Series 714
The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were...
Guidelines for a graph-theoretic implementation of structural equation modeling
James B. Grace, Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr., Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Amanda M. Little, Brian R. Mitchell, Kathryn M. Miller, E. William Schweiger
2012, Ecosphere (3)
Structural equation modeling (SEM) is increasingly being chosen by researchers as a framework for gaining scientific insights from the quantitative analyses of data. New ideas and methods emerging from the study of causality, influences from the field of graphical modeling, and advances in statistics are expanding the rigor, capability, and...
