A refined characterization of the alluvial geology of yucca flat and its effect on bulk hydraulic conductivity
G. A. Phelps, K. J. Halford
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1307
In Yucca Flat, on the Nevada National Security Site in southern Nevada, the migration of radionuclides from tests located in the alluvial deposits into the Paleozoic carbonate aquifer involves passage through a thick, heterogeneous section of late Tertiary and Quaternary alluvial sediments. An understanding of the lateral and vertical changes...
Well installation, single-well testing, and particle-size analysis for selected sites in and near the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, north-central Colorado, 2003-2004
Jennifer A. Beck, Suzanne S. Paschke, L. Rick Arnold
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1024
This report describes results from a groundwater data-collection program completed in 2003-2004 by the U.S. Geological Survey in support of the South Platte Decision Support System and in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Two monitoring wells were installed adjacent to existing water-table monitoring wells. These wells were installed...
The delicate balance between soil production and erosion, and its role on landscape evolution
A. Dosseto, Heather L. Buss, P. O. Suresh
2011, Applied Geochemistry (26) S24-S27
The diversity in landscapes at the Earth’s surface is the result, amongst other things, of the balance (or imbalance) between soil production and erosion. While erosion rates are well constrained, it is only recently that we have been able to quantify rates of soil production. Uranium-series isotopes have been useful...
U.S. Geological Survey Fundamental Science Practices
Fundamental Science Practices Advisory Committee
2011, Circular 1367
The USGS has a long and proud tradition of objective, unbiased science in service to the Nation. A reputation for impartiality and excellence is one of our most important assets. To help preserve this vital asset, in 2004 the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) of the USGS was charged by the...
The USA National Phenology Network; taking the pulse of our planet
Jake F. Weltzin
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3023
People have tracked phenology for centuries and for the most practical reasons: it helped them know when to hunt and fish, when to plant and harvest crops, and when to navigate waterways. Now phenology is being used as a tool to assess climate change and its effects on both natural...
Geophysical investigation of Red Devil mine using direct-current resistivity and electromagnetic induction, Red Devil, Alaska, August 2010
Bethany L. Burton, Lyndsay B. Ball
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1035
Red Devil Mine, located in southwestern Alaska near the Village of Red Devil, was the state's largest producer of mercury and operated from 1933 to 1971. Throughout the lifespan of the mine, various generations of mills and retort buildings existed on both sides of Red Devil Creek, and the tailings...
Potentiometric surface in the Central Oklahoma (Garber-Wellington) aquifer, Oklahoma, 2009
Shana L. Mashburn, Jessica Magers
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3147
A study of the hydrogeology of the Central Oklahoma aquifer was started in 2008 to provide the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) hydrogeologic data and a groundwater flow model that can be used as a tool to help manage the aquifer. The 1973 Oklahoma water law requires the OWRB to...
Geologic assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources of the Western Oregon and Washington Province
U.S. Geologic Survey Western Oregon and Washington Province Team, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk, P. A. Le, GIS Spatial Data Team
2011, Data Series 69-X
The purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Oil and Gas Assessment is to develop geology-based hypotheses regarding the potential for additions to oil and gas reserves in priority areas of the United States, focusing on the distribution, quantity, and availability of oil and natural gas resources. The USGS...
Ocean acidification postcards
Heather A. Schreppel, Matthew J. Cimitile
2011, General Information Product 122
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting research on ocean acidification in polar, temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions including the Arctic, West Florida Shelf, and the Caribbean. Project activities include field assessment, experimental laboratory studies, and evaluation of existing data. The USGS is participating in international and interagency working groups...
Lidar postcards
Heather A. Schreppel, Matthew J. Cimitile
2011, General Information Product 124
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program develops and uses specialized technology to build high-resolution topographic and habitat maps. High-resolution maps of topography, bathymetry, and habitat describe important features affected by coastal-management decisions. The mapped information serves as a baseline for evaluating resources and tracking the effectiveness...
Science supporting Gulf of Mexico oil-spill response, mitigation, and restoration activities-Assessment, monitoring, mapping, and coordination
Jack Kindinger, Ann B. Tihansky, Matthew Cimitile
2011, General Information Product 123
The St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigates physical processes related to coastal and marine environments and societal implications related to natural hazards, resource sustainability, and environmental change. Immediately after the Deepwater Horizon event, the USGS began responding to data requests, directing response...
Data for giant constrictors - Biological management profiles and an establishment risk assessment for nine large species of pythons, anacondas, and the boa constrictor
C. S. Jarnevich, G.H. Rodda, R.N. Reed
2011, Data Series 579
Giant Constrictors' Climate Space The giant constrictors' climate space data set represents the information needed to recreate the climate space and climate matching analyses in Reed and Rodda (2009). A detailed methodology and results are included in that report. The data include locations for nine species of large constrictors including Python...
Simulation of streamflow in the Pleasant, Narraguagus, Sheepscot, and Royal Rivers, Maine, using watershed models
Robert W. Dudley, Martha G. Nielsen
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5221
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a study in 2008 to investigate anticipated changes in summer streamflows and stream temperatures in four coastal Maine river basins and the potential effects of those changes on populations of endangered Atlantic salmon. To achieve this purpose, it was necessary to characterize the quantity...
PQLX: A seismic data quality control system description, applications, and users manual
Daniel E. McNamara, Richard I. Boaz
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1292
We present a detailed description and users manual for a new tool to evaluate seismic station performance and characteristics by providing quick and easy transitions between visualizations of the frequency and time domains. The software is based on the probability density functions (PDF) of power spectral densities (PSD) (McNamara and...
Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, water year 2010: Quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards
Dwight Q. Tanner, Heather M. Bragg, Matthew W. Johnston
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1293
Significant Findings When water is released through the spillways of dams, air is entrained in the water, increasing the downstream concentration of dissolved gases. Excess dissolved-gas concentrations can have adverse effects on freshwater aquatic life. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected...
Moderate-resolution sea surface temperature data for the nearshore North Pacific
Meredith C. Payne, Deborah A. Reusser, Henry Lee II, Cheryl A. Brown
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1251
Coastal sea surface temperature (SST) is an important environmental characteristic in determining the suitability of habitat for nearshore marine and estuarine organisms. This publication describes and provides access to an easy-to-use coastal SST dataset for ecologists, biogeographers, oceanographers, and other scientists conducting research on nearshore marine habitats or processes. The...
Removal of nonnative slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) and effects on native Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, Yavapai County, Arizona
Charles A. Drost, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, A.J. Monatesti
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1177
The National Park Service (NPS) estimates that 234 national parks contain nonnative, invasive animal species that are of management concern (National Park Service, 2004). Understanding and controlling invasive species is thus an important priority within the NPS (National Park Service, 1996). The slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) is one such invasive...
Rainfall and evapotranspiration data for southwest Medina County, Texas, August 2006-December 2009
Richard N. Slattery, William H. Asquith, Darwin J. Ockerman
2011, Data Series 554
During August 2006-December 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, collected rainfall and evapotranspiration data to help characterize the hydrology of the Nueces River Basin, Texas. The USGS installed and operated a station to collect continuous (30-minute interval) rainfall...
Water budgets and groundwater volumes for abandoned underground mines in the Western Middle Anthracite Coalfield, Schuylkill, Columbia, and Northumberland Counties, Pennsylvania: Preliminary estimates with identification of data needs
Daniel J. Goode, Charles A. Cravotta III,, Roger J. Hornberger, Michael A. Hewitt, Robert E. Hughes, Daniel J. Koury, Lee W. Eicholtz
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5261
This report, prepared in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP), the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, and the Dauphin County Conservation District, provides estimates of water budgets and groundwater volumes stored in abandoned underground mines in the Western Middle Anthracite Coalfield, which encompasses an area...
Implications of community concordance for assessing stream integrity at three nested spatial scales in Minnesota, U.S.A.
Christine L. Dolph, David D. Huff, Christopher J. Chizinski, Bruce C. Vondracek
2011, Freshwater Biology (56) 1652-1669
1. Fish and invertebrate assemblage data collected from 670 stream sites in Minnesota (U.S.A.) were used to calculate concordance across three nested spatial scales (statewide, ecoregion and catchment). Predictive taxa richness models, calibrated using the same data, were used to evaluate whether concordant communities exhibited similar trends in human‐induced taxa...
Classifying the water table at regional to continental scales
Tom Gleeson, Lars Marklund, Leslie Smith, Andrew H. Manning
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Water tables at regional to continental scales can be classified into two distinct types: recharge-controlled water tables that are largely disconnected from topography and topography-controlled water tables that are closely tied to topography. We use geomatic synthesis of hydrologic, geologic and topographic data sets to quantify and map water-table type...
A digital terrain model of bathymetry and shallow-zone bottom-substrate classification for Spednic Lake and estimates of lake-level-dependent habitat to support smallmouth bass persistence modeling
Robert W. Dudley, Charles W. Schalk, Nicholas W. Stasulis, Joan G. Trial
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5255
In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey entered into a cooperative agreement with the International Joint Commission, St. Croix River Board to do an analysis of historical smallmouth bass habitat as a function of lake level for Spednic Lake in an effort to quantify the effects, if any, of historical lake-level...
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2004-November 30, 2005
Bruce E. Krejmas, Gary N. Paulachok, Stephen F. Blanchard
2011, Open-File Report 2010-1106
A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered in 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversions of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City,...
Pesticides in Wyoming's rivers, 2006-10
Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3011
In 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a study in cooperation with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture to determine the occurrence of pesticides in four major rivers within the Bighorn and North Platte River Basins in Wyoming. Surface-water samples were collected at five sites during three different times of the...
Enhancing the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) Approach for Estimating Landscape ET: Validation with the METRIC model
Gabriel B. Senay, Michael E. Budde, James P. Verdin
2011, Agricultural Water Management (98) 606-618
Evapotranspiration (ET) can be derived from satellite data using surface energy balance principles. METRIC (Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration) is one of the most widely used models available in the literature to estimate ET from satellite imagery. The Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model is much easier...
