Design and maintenance of a network for collecting high-resolution suspended-sediment data at remote locations on rivers, with examples from the Colorado River
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Timothy Andrews, Glenn E. Bennett, Thomas A. Sabol, Theodore S. Melis
2012, Techniques and Methods 8-C2
Management of sand and finer sediment in fluvial settings has become increasingly important for reasons ranging from endangered-species habitat to transport of sediment-associated contaminants. In all rivers, some fraction of the suspended load is transported as washload, and some as suspended bed material. Typically, the washload is composed of silt-and-clay-size...
Hydrologic and landscape database for the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma
Gary R. Buell, Loren L. Wehmeyer, Daniel L. Calhoun
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1026
A hydrologic and landscape database was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges and their contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The database is composed of a set of ASCII files,...
Preserving science for the ages--USGS data rescue
Carol Wippich
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3078
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a steward for over 130 years of rich, diverse natural science and information resources. We document one-of-a-kind observations of natural phenomena and cultural impacts on our changing world. In order for society to deal with national and global trends, the USGS must enable access...
Flood-inundation maps for Peachtree Creek from the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge to the Moores Mill Road NW bridge, Atlanta, Georgia
Jonathan W. Musser
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3189
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5.5-mile reach of the Peachtree Creek from the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge to the Moores Mill Road NW bridge, were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Atlanta, Georgia. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS...
Regional moisture balance control of landslide motion: implications for landslide forecasting in a changing climate
Jeffrey A. Coe
2012, Geology (40) 323-326
I correlated 12 years of annual movement of 18 points on a large, continuously moving, deep-seated landslide with a regional moisture balance index (moisture balance drought index, MBDI). I used MBDI values calculated from a combination of historical precipitation and air temperature data from A.D. 1895 to 2010, and downscaled...
Rotenone persistence model for montane streams
Peter J. Brown, Alexander V. Zale
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 560-569
The efficient and effective use of rotenone is hindered by its unknown persistence in streams. Environmental conditions degrade rotenone, but current label instructions suggest fortifying the chemical along a stream based on linear distance or travel time rather than environmental conditions. Our objective was to develop models that use measurements...
Explaining differences between bioaccumulation measurements in laboratory and field data through use of a probabilistic modeling approach
Henriette Selck, Ken Drouillard, Karen Eisenreich, Albert A. Koelmans, Annemette Palmqvist, Anders Ruus, Daniel Salvito, Irv Schultz, A. Robin Stewart, Annie Weisbrod, Nico W. van den Brink, Martine van den Heuvel-Greve
2012, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (8) 42-63
In the regulatory context, bioaccumulation assessment is often hampered by substantial data uncertainty as well as by the poorly understood differences often observed between results from laboratory and field bioaccumulation studies. Bioaccumulation is a complex, multifaceted process, which calls for accurate error analysis. Yet, attempts to quantify and compare propagation...
Endocrine disrupting chemicals in Minnesota lakes - Water-quality and hydrological data from 2008 and 2010
Larry B. Barber, Jeffrey H. Writer, Steffanie K. Keefe, Greg K. Brown, Mark L. Ferrey, Nathan D. Jahns, Richard L. Kiesling, James R. Lundy, Beth H. Poganski, Donald O. Rosenberry, Howard E. Taylor, Olivia P. Woodruff, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1124
Understanding the sources, fate, and effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in aquatic ecosystems is important for water-resource management. This study was conducted during 2008 and 2010 to establish a framework for assessing endocrine disrupting chemicals, and involved a statewide survey of their occurrence in 14 Minnesota lakes and a targeted...
Bathymetric contours of Breckenridge Reservoir, Quantico, Virginia
S.M. Wicklein, R.R. Lotspeich, R.B. Banks III
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3213
Breckenridge Reservoir, built in 1938, is fed by Chopawamsic Creek and South Branch Chopawamsic Creek. The Reservoir is a main source of drinking water for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Base in Quantico, Virginia. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the USMC, conducted a bathymetric survey of Breckenridge...
Flood-inundation maps for the St. Marys River at Fort Wayne, Indiana
Chad D. Menke, Moon H. Kim, Kathleen K. Fowler
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3205
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9-mile reach of the St. Marys River that extends from South Anthony Boulevard to Main Street at Fort Wayne, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Fort Wayne. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the...
Variance of discharge estimates sampled using acoustic Doppler current profilers from moving boats
Carlos M. Garcia, Leticia Tarrab, Kevin Oberg, Ricardo Szupiany, Mariano I. Cantero
2012, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
This paper presents a model for quantifying the random errors (i.e., variance) of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) discharge measurements from moving boats for different sampling times. The model focuses on the random processes in the sampled flow field and has been developed using statistical methods currently available for uncertainty...
Vulnerability of recently recharged groundwater in principal aquifers of the United States to nitrate contamination
Jason J. Gurdak, Sharon L. Qi
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 6004-6012
Recently recharged water (defined here as <60 years old) is generally the most vulnerable part of a groundwater resource to nonpoint-source nitrate contamination. Understanding at the appropriate scale the interactions of natural and anthropogenic controlling factors that influence nitrate occurrence in recently recharged groundwater is critical to support best management...
Downscaling future climate scenarios to fine scales for hydrologic and ecological modeling and analysis
Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint
2012, Ecological Processes (1)
Introduction Evaluating the environmental impacts of climate change on water resources and biological components of the landscape is an integral part of hydrologic and ecological investigations, and the resultant land and resource management in the twenty-first century. Impacts of both climate and simulated hydrologic parameters on ecological processes are relevant at...
Frequency-dependent attenuation of the Hispaniola Island region of the Caribbean Sea
D. McNamara, M. Meremonte, J.Z. Maharrey, S-L. Mildor, J.R. Altidore, D. Anglade, S. E. Hough, D. Given, H. Benz, L. Gee, A. Frankel
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 773-782
We determine frequency-dependent attenuation 1/Q(f) for the Hispaniola region using direct S and Lg waves over five distinct passbands from 0.5 to 16 Hz. Data consist of 832 high-quality vertical and horizontal component waveforms recorded on short-period and broadband seismometers from the devastating 12 January 2010 M 7.0 Haiti earthquake...
Assessing native and introduced fish predation on migrating juvenile salmon in Priest Rapids and Wanapum Reservoirs, Columbia River, Washington, 2009--11
Timothy D. Counihan, Jill M. Hardiman, Dave S. Burgess, Katrina E. Simmons, Glen S. Holmberg, Josh A. Rogala, Rochelle R. Polacek
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1130
Hydroelectric development on the mainstem Columbia River has created a series of impoundments that promote the production of native and non-native piscivores. Reducing the effects of fish predation on migrating juvenile salmonids has been a major component of mitigating the effects of hydroelectric development in the Columbia River basin. Extensive...
234U/238U isotope data from groundwater and solid-phase leachate samples near Tuba City Open Dump, Tuba City, Arizona
Raymond H. Johnson, Robert Horton, James K. Otton, Michael K. Ketterer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1126
This report releases 234U/238U isotope data, expressed as activity ratios, and uranium concentration data from analyses completed at Northern Arizona University for groundwater and solid-phase leachate samples that were collected in and around Tuba City Open Dump, Tuba City, Arizona, in 2008....
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the two southern San Joaquin Valley study units, 2005-2006 - California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Carmen A. Burton, Jennifer L. Shelton, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5218
Groundwater quality in the southern San Joaquin Valley was investigated from October 2005 through March 2006 as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the California...
Characterization of intrabasin faulting and deformation for earthquake hazards in southern Utah Valley, Utah, from high-resolution seismic imaging
William J. Stephenson, Jack K. Odum, Robert A. Williams, John H. McBride, Iris Tomlinson
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 524-540
We conducted active and passive seismic imaging investigations along a 5.6-km-long, east–west transect ending at the mapped trace of the Wasatch fault in southern Utah Valley. Using two-dimensional (2D) P-wave seismic reflection data, we imaged basin deformation and faulting to a depth of 1.4 km and developed a detailed interval...
A seamless, high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the north-central California coast
Amy C. Foxgrover, Patrick L. Barnard
2012, Data Series 684
A seamless, 2-meter resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the north-central California coast has been created from the most recent high-resolution bathymetric and topographic datasets available. The DEM extends approximately 150 kilometers along the California coastline, from Half Moon Bay north to Bodega Head. Coverage extends inland to an elevation...
Assessment of rangeland ecosystem conditions, Salt Creek watershed and Dugout Ranch, southeastern Utah
M. A. Bowker, M. E. Miller, R.T. Belote
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1061
Increasingly, dry rangelands are being valued for multiple services beyond their traditional value as a forage production system. Additional ecosystem services include the potential to store carbon in the soil and plant biomass. In addition, dust emissions from rangelands might be considered an ecosystem detriment, the opposite of an ecosystem...
Temporal genetic monitoring of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout in the Stehekin River, Washington
Carl O. Ostberg, Dorothy M. Chase
2012, Northwest Science (86) 198-211
Introgressive hybridization with introduced rainbow trout (RBT) (Oncorhynchus mykiss) has led to the loss of native cutthroat trout species (O. clarkii) throughout their range, creating conservation concerns. Monitoring temporal hybridization trends provides resource managers with a tool for determining population status and information for establishing conservation goals for native cutthroat...
February 2012 workshop jumpstarts the Mekong Fish Monitoring Network
Matthew E. Andersen, Shaara M. Ainsley
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3081
The Mekong River in Southeast Asia travels through a basin rich in natural resources. The river originates on the northern slope of the world's tallest mountains, the Himalaya Range, and then drops elevation quickly through steep mountain gorges, tumbling out of China into Myanmar (Burma) and the Lao People's Democratic...
Evaluating remedial alternatives for an acid mine drainage stream: A model post audit
Robert L. Runkel, Briant A. Kimball, Katherine Walton-Day, Philip L. Verplanck, Robert E. Broshears
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 340-347
A post audit for a reactive transport model used to evaluate acid mine drainage treatment systems is presented herein. The post audit is based on a paired synoptic approach in which hydrogeochemical data are collected at low (existing conditions) and elevated (following treatment) pH. Data obtained under existing, low-pH conditions...
Estimating pole/zero errors in GSN-IRIS/USGS network calibration metadata
A. T. Ringler, C. R. Hutt, R. Aster, H. Bolton, L.S. Gee, T. Storm
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 836-841
Mapping the digital record of a seismograph into true ground motion requires the correction of the data by some description of the instrument's response. For the Global Seismographic Network (Butler et al., 2004), as well as many other networks, this instrument response is represented as a Laplace domain pole–zero model...
Evaluating a fish monitoring protocol using state-space hierarchical models
Robin E. Russell, David A. Schmetterling, Chris S. Guy, Bradley B. Shepard, Robert McFarland, Donald Skaar
2012, Open Fish Science Journal (5) 1-8
Using data collected from three river reaches in Montana, we evaluated our ability to detect population trends and predict fish future fish abundance. Data were collected as part of a long-term monitoring program conducted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to primarily estimate rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo...
