California State Waters Map Series — Offshore of San Francisco, California
Guy R. Cochrane, Samuel Y. Johnson, Peter Dartnell, H. Gary Greene, Mercedes D. Erdey, Nadine E. Golden, Stephen R. Hartwell, Charles A. Endris, Michael W. Manson, Ray W. Sliter, Rikk G. Kvitek, Janet Tilden Watt, Stephanie L. Ross, Terry R. Bruns
Guy R. Cochrane, Susan A. Cochran, editor(s)
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1068
In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration, interpretation, and visualization of...
Laboratory evaluation of the pressure water level data logger manufactured by Infinities USA, Inc.: results of pressure and temperature tests
Mark V. Carnley
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1049
The Pressure Water Level Data Logger manufactured by Infinities USA, Inc., was evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility for conformance with the manufacturer’s stated accuracy specifications for measuring pressure throughout the device’s operating temperature range and with the USGS accuracy requirements for water-level measurements. The Pressure...
Exposure-related effects of formulated Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A to glochidia from seven unionid mussel species
James A. Luoma, Kerry L. Weber, Todd J. Severson, Theresa M. Schreier, Denise A. Mayer, Douglas B. Aloisi, Nathan L. Eckert
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1094
The study was completed to evaluate the exposure-related effects of a biopesticide for dreissenid mussel (Dreissena polymorpha, zebra mussel and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis, quagga mussel) control on glochidia from unionid mussels endemic to the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River Basins. The commercially prepared biopesticide was either a spray-dried powder (SDP)...
Effects of proposed sediment borrow pits on nearshore wave climate and longshore sediment transport rate along Breton Island, Louisiana
Patricia (Soupy) Dalyander, Rangley C. Mickey, Joseph W. Long, James G. Flocks
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1055
As part of a plan to preserve bird habitat on Breton Island, the southernmost extent of the Chandeleur Islands and part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to increase island elevation with sand supplied from offshore resources. Proposed sand extraction sites include...
Geomorphic mapping to support river restoration on the Trinity River downstream from Lewiston Dam, California, 1980-2011
Jennifer A. Curtis, Timothy M. Guerrero
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1047
Historic land use, dam construction, water storage, and flow diversions in the Trinity River watershed have resulted in downstream geomorphic change, loss of salmonid habitat, and declines in salmonid populations. The USGS in cooperation with the Trinity River Restoration Program, a multi-agency partnership tasked with implementing federally mandated restoration, completed...
Salmon habitat assessment for conservation planning in the lower White Salmon River, Washington
Jill M. Hardiman, M. Brady Allen
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1100
In 2011, Condit Dam was removed from the White Salmon River, Washington. Since dam removal, there has been interest among scientists (State and Federal), Tribes, non-profit organizations, and the general public in assessing Pacific salmon habitat and use in the White Salmon River for conservation planning and potential fishery management...
Field observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates
Patricia (Soupy) Dalyander, Joseph W. Long, Nathaniel G. Plant, Molly R. McLaughlin, Rangley C. Mickey
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1057
Oil that comes into the surf zone following spills, such as occurred during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout, can mix with local sediment to form heavier-than-water sand and oil agglomerates (SOAs), at times in the form of mats a few centimeters thick and...
Near-surface stratigraphy and morphology, Mississippi Inner Shelf, northern Gulf of Mexico
James G. Flocks, Jack Kindinger, Kyle W. Kelso, Julie Bernier, Nancy T. DeWitt, Michael FitzHarris
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1014
Over the past decade, the Mississippi Barrier Islands have been the focus of a comprehensive geologic investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the National Park Service (NPS). The islands (Dauphin, Petite Bois, Horn, East Ship, West Ship, and...
Potential demographic and genetic effects of a sterilant applied to wild horse mares
James E. Roelle, Sara J. Oyler-McCance
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1045
Wild horse populations on western ranges can increase rapidly, resulting in the need for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to remove animals in order to protect the habitat that horses share with numerous other species. As an alternative to removals, BLM has sought to develop a long-term, perhaps even...
Results from laboratory and field testing of nitrate measuring spectrophotometers
Teri T. Snazelle
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1065
Five ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometer nitrate analyzers were evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) during a two-phase evaluation. In Phase I, the TriOS ProPs (10-millimeter (mm) path length), Hach NITRATAX plus sc (5-mm path length), Satlantic Submersible UV Nitrate Analyzer (SUNA, 10-mm path length), and S::CAN...
Evaluation of Xylem EXO water-quality sondes and sensors
Teri T. Snazelle
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1063
Two models of multiparameter sondes manufactured by Xylem, parent company of Yellow Springs Incorporated (YSI)—EXO1 and EXO2—equipped with EXO conductivity/temperature (C/T), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity sensors, were evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility. The sondes and sensors were evaluated in two phases for compliance with...
Gravity data from the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Jeffrey R. Kennedy
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1086
Observations of very small changes of Earth’s gravitational field (time-lapse gravity) provide a direct, non-invasive method for measuring changes in aquifer storage change. An existing network of gravity stations in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed was revised in 2014 to better understand the spatial distribution of changes in aquifer storage, especially...
Geochemical and mineralogical sampling of the Devonian shales in the Broadtop synclinorium, Appalachian basin, in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania
Catherine B. Enomoto, James L. Coleman Jr., Christopher S. Swezey, Patrick W. Niemeyer, Frank T. Dulong
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1061
Reconnaissance field mapping and outcrop sampling for geochemical and mineralogical analyses indicate that the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale in the Broadtop synclinorium and nearby areas from southeastern West Virginia to south-central Pennsylvania has an organic content sufficiently high and a thermal maturity sufficiently moderate to be considered for a shale...
Historic and forecasted population and land-cover change in eastern North Carolina, 1992-2030
Peter R. Claggett, Hearn Jr., David I. Donato
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1125
The Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) was formed in 2005 as a partnership between the Department of Defense (DOD) and State and Federal agencies to promote better collaboration in making resource-use decisions. In support of this goal, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a study to evaluate...
Summary of oceanographic and water-quality measurements in Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Wells, Maine, in 2013
Ellyn T. Montgomery, Neil K. Ganju, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Jonathan Borden, Marinna A. Martini, Sandra M. Brosnahan
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1072
Suspended-sediment transport is a critical element controlling the geomorphology of tidal wetland complexes. Wetlands rely on organic material and inorganic sediment deposition to maintain their elevation relative to sea level. The U.S. Geological Survey performed observational deployments to measure suspended-sediment concentration and water flow rates in the tidal channels of...
Estimated abundance of wild burros surveyed on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 2014
Paul C. Griffin
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1084
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requires accurate estimates of the numbers of wild horses (Equus ferus caballus) and burros (Equus asinus) living on the lands it manages. For over ten years, BLM in Arizona has used the simultaneous double-observer method of recording wild burros during aerial surveys and has...
Quantification of shoreline change along Hatteras Island, North Carolina: Oregon Inlet to Cape Hatteras, 1978-2002, and associated vector shoreline data
Cheryl J. Hapke, Rachel E. Henderson
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1002
Shoreline change spanning twenty-four years was assessed along the coastline of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, at Hatteras Island, North Carolina. The shorelines used in the analysis were generated from georeferenced historical aerial imagery and are used to develop shoreline change rates for Hatteras Island, from Oregon Inlet to Cape Hatteras....
Storm tide monitoring during the blizzard of January 26-28, 2015, in eastern Massachusetts
Andrew J. Massey, Richard J. Verdi
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1081
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed a temporary monitoring network of six storm surge sensors and four barometric pressure sensors along the Atlantic coast in eastern Massachusetts, from Plymouth to Newburyport, before the blizzard of January 26–28, 2015 (Blizzard of January 2015), to record the timing and magnitude of storm...
U.S. Geological Survey quality-assurance plan for surface-water activities in Kansas, 2015
Colin C. Painter, Brian L. Loving
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1074
This Surface Water Quality-Assurance Plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the Kansas Water Science Center (KSWSC) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of surface-water data....
Assessment of bauxite, clay, and laterite deposits in Afghanistan
Karine M. Renaud, Bruce R. Wardlaw, Bernard E. Hubbard
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1210
Bauxite-bearing rocks are present in several regions of Afghanistan; specifically, the southeast segment of the North Afghanistan Platform, the eastern parts of South Afghanistan, and within the Afghanistan-North and -South Pamir Fold Regions. Bauxite-bearing rocks occur at various stratigraphic levels, in lithologically different sequences of sedimentary rocks. The bauxites are...
Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment: pre-assessment report
Timothy J. Assal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Natasha B. Carr
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1003
The purpose of the Pre-Assessment Report for the Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment (REA) is to document the selection process for and final list of Conservation Elements, Change Agents, and Management Questions developed during Phase I. The overall goal of the REAs being conducted for the Bureau of Land...
Incorporating induced seismicity in the 2014 United States National Seismic Hazard Model: results of the 2014 workshop and sensitivity studies
Mark D. Petersen, Charles S. Mueller, Morgan P. Moschetti, Susan M. Hoover, Justin L. Rubinstein, Andrea L. Llenos, Andrew J. Michael, William L. Ellsworth, Arthur F. McGarr, Austin A. Holland, John G. Anderson
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1070
The U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model for the conterminous United States was updated in 2014 to account for new methods, input models, and data necessary for assessing the seismic ground shaking hazard from natural (tectonic) earthquakes. The U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model project uses probabilistic seismic...
Accuracy testing of electric groundwater-level measurement tapes
Jim Jelinski, Christopher S. Clayton, Janice M. Fulford
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1236
Electric tapes are used to measure groundwater levels and to verify the accuracy of pressure transducers installed in wells. Electric tapes are generally assumed to be accurate to ±0.01 foot (ft), but little information is available from the manufacturers and no accuracy studies have been conducted to confirm this value....
Safety of spray-dried powder formulated Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A exposure to subadult/adult unionid mussels during simulated open-water treatments
James A. Luoma, Kerry L. Weber, Diane L. Waller, Jeremy K. Wise, Denise A. Mayer, Douglas B. Aloisi
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1064
The exposure effects of a commercially prepared spray dried powder (SDP) formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A) on the survival of seven species of unionid mussels endemic to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins was evaluated in this study. The study exposures were completed within replicated 350-liter test tanks contained within...
Exposure-related effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-CL145A) on juvenile unionid mussels
Kerry L. Weber, James A. Luoma, Denise A. Mayer, Douglas B. Aloisi, Nathan L. Eckert
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1066
The exposure-related effects of a commercially prepared spray-dried powder (SDP) or freeze-dried powder (FDP) formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A) on the survival of seven species of newly metamorphosed (<72 hours old) freshwater unionid mussels was evaluated. Forty unionid mussels of each species were randomly distributed to test chambers and...
