A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
Johnathan R. Bumgarner, Gregory P. Stanton, Andrew Teeple, Jonathan V. Thomas, Natalie A. Houston, Jason Payne, MaryLynn Musgrove
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5124
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers, which include the Pecos Valley, Igneous, Dockum, Rustler, and Capitan Reef aquifers, was developed as the second phase of a groundwater availability study in the Pecos County region in west Texas. The first...
A proxy for high-resolution regional reanalysis for the Southeast United States: assessment of precipitation variability in dynamically downscaled reanalyses
Lydia Stefanova, Vasubandhu Misra, Steven Chan, Melissa Griffin, James J. O’Brien, Thomas J. Smith III
2012, Climate Dynamics (38) 2449-2466
We present an analysis of the seasonal, subseasonal, and diurnal variability of rainfall from COAPS Land- Atmosphere Regional Reanalysis for the Southeast at 10-km resolution (CLARReS10). Most of our assessment focuses on the representation of summertime subseasonal and diurnal variability.Summer precipitation in the Southeast United States is a particularly challenging...
Wetland selection by breeding and foraging black terns in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States
Valerie A. Steen, Abby N. Powell
2012, The Condor (114) 155-165
We examined wetland selection by the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), a species that breeds primarily in the prairie pothole region, has experienced population declines, and is difficult to manage because of low site fidelity. To characterize its selection of wetlands in this region, we surveyed 589 wetlands throughout North and...
User guide for MODPATH version 6—A particle-tracking model for MODFLOW
David W. Pollock
2012, Techniques and Methods 6-A41
MODPATH is a particle-tracking post-processing model that computes three-dimensional flow paths using output from groundwater flow simulations based on MODFLOW, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finite-difference groundwater flow model. This report documents MODPATH version 6. Previous versions were documented in USGS Open-File Reports 89-381 and 94-464. The program uses a...
Groundwater flow and water budget in the surficial and Floridan aquifer systems in east-central Florida
Nicasio Sepulveda, Claire R. Tiedeman, Andrew M. O’Reilly, Jeffery B. Davis, Patrick Burger
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1132
A numerical transient model of the surficial and Floridan aquifer systems in east-central Florida was developed to (1) increase the understanding of water exchanges between the surficial and the Floridan aquifer systems, (2) assess the recharge rates to the surficial aquifer system from infiltration through the unsaturated zone and (3)...
Forecast Mekong 2012: Building scientific capacity
James E. Stefanov
2012, General Information Product 144
In 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton joined the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in launching the Lower Mekong Initiative to enhance U.S. engagement with the countries of the Lower Mekong River Basin in the areas of environment, health, education, and infrastructure. The U.S. Geological...
Nutrient concentrations and loads in the northeastern United States - Status and trends, 1975-2003
Elaine C. Todd Trench, Richard B. Moore, Elizabeth A. Ahearn, John R. Mullaney, R. Edward Hickman, Gregory E. Schwarz
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5114
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) began regional studies in 2003 to synthesize information on nutrient concentrations, trends, stream loads, and sources. In the northeastern United States, a study area that extends from Maine to central Virginia, nutrient data were evaluated for 130 USGS water-quality monitoring...
Science implementation of Forecast Mekong for food and environmental security
D. Phil Turnipseed
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3086
Forecast Mekong is a significant international thrust under the Delta Research and Global Observation Network (DRAGON) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and was launched in 2009 by the U.S. Department of State and the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam under U.S. Department of State Secretary Hillary...
National Enhanced Elevation Assessment at a glance
Gregory I. Snyder
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3088
Elevation data are essential for hazards mitigation, conservation, infrastructure development, national security, and many other applications. Under the leadership of the U.S. Geological Survey and the member States of the National Digital Elevation Program (NDEP), Federal agencies, State agencies, and others work together to acquire high-quality elevation data for the...
Field evaluation of distance-estimation error during wetland-dependent bird surveys
Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway
2012, Wildlife Research (39) 311-320
Context: The most common methods to estimate detection probability during avian point-count surveys involve recording a distance between the survey point and individual birds detected during the survey period. Accurately measuring or estimating distance is an important assumption of these methods; however, this assumption is rarely tested in the context...
Spatial ecology of refuge selection by an herbivore under risk of predation
Tammy L. Wilson, Andrew P. Rayburn, Thomas C. Edwards Jr.
2012, Ecosphere (3)
Prey species use structures such as burrows to minimize predation risk. The spatial arrangement of these resources can have important implications for individual and population fitness. For example, there is evidence that clustered resources can benefit individuals by reducing predation risk and increasing foraging opportunity concurrently, which leads to higher...
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...
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...
Magnitude of flood flows for selected annual exceedance probabilities in Rhode Island through 2010
Phillip J. Zarriello, Elizabeth A. Ahearn, Sara B. Levin
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5109
Heavy persistent rains from late February through March 2010 caused severe widespread flooding in Rhode Island that set or nearly set record flows and water levels at many long-term streamgages in the State. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, conducted a study...
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...
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...
Use of vertical temperature gradients for prediction of tidal flat sediment characteristics
Jennifer L. Miselis, K. Todd Holland, Allen H. Reed, Andrei Abelev
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (117) C03012-C03023
Sediment characteristics largely govern tidal flat morphologic evolution; however, conventional methods of investigating spatial variability in lithology on tidal flats are difficult to employ in these highly dynamic regions. In response, a series of laboratory experiments was designed to investigate the use of temperature diffusion toward sediment characterization. A vertical...
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...
Progress report for project modeling Arctic barrier island-lagoon system response to projected Arctic warming
Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Bruce M. Richmond, Curt D. Storlazzi, Benjamin M. Jones
2012, Report
Changes in Arctic coastal ecosystems in response to global warming may be some of the most severe on the planet. A better understanding and analysis of the rates at which these changes are expected to occur over the coming decades is crucial in order to delineate high-priority areas that are...
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...
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...
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...
Geologic cross section C-C' through the Appalachian basin from Erie County, north-central Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge province, Bedford County, south-central Pennsylvania
Robert T. Ryder, Michael H. Trippi, Christopher S. Swezey, Robert D. Crangle Jr., Rebecca S. Hope, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Erika E. Lentz
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3172
Geologic cross section C-C' is the third in a series of cross sections constructed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to document and improve understanding of the geologic framework and petroleum systems of the Appalachian basin. Cross section C-C' provides a regional view of the structural and stratigraphic framework of...
Development of computational fluid dynamics--habitat suitability (CFD-HSI) models to identify potential passage--Challenge zones for migratory fishes in the Penobscot River
Alexander J. Haro, Robert W. Dudley, Michael Chelminski
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3073
A two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability (CFD–HSI) model was developed to identify potential zones of shallow depth and high water velocity that may present passage challenges for five anadromous fish species in the Penobscot River, Maine, upstream from two existing dams and as a result of the proposed future removal...
