SAFRR tsunami scenario: Impacts on California ecosystems, species, marine natural resources, and fisheries
Deborah Brosnan, Anne Wein, Rick Wilson
Stephanie L. Ross, Lucile Jones, editor(s)
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1170-G
We evaluate the effects of the SAFRR Tsunami Scenario on California’s ecosystems, species, natural resources, and fisheries. We discuss mitigation and preparedness approaches that can be useful in Tsunami planning. The chapter provides an introduction to the role of ecosystems and natural resources in tsunami events (Section 1). A separate...
Estimation of methane concentrations and loads in groundwater discharge to Sugar Run, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Victor M. Heilweil, Dennis W. Risser, Randall W. Conger, Paul L. Grieve, Scott A. Hynek
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1126
A stream-sampling study was conducted to estimate methane concentrations and loads in groundwater discharge to a small stream in an active shale-gas development area of northeastern Pennsylvania. Grab samples collected from 15 streams in Bradford, Lycoming, Susquehanna, and Tioga Counties, Pa., during a reconnaissance survey in May and June 2013...
Geologic logs of geotechnical cores from the subsurface Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Katherine L. Maier, Daniel J. Ponti, John C. Tinsley III, Emma Gatti, Mark Pagenkopp
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1127
This report presents and summarizes descriptive geologic logs of geotechnical cores collected from 2009–12 in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California, by the California Department of Water Resources. Graphic logs are presented for 1,785.7 ft of retained cores from 56 borehole sites throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Most core sections are...
Urban ecosystem services and decision making for a green Philadelphia
Dianna M. Hogan, Carl D. Shapiro, David N. Karp, Susan M. Wachter
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1155
Traditional approaches to urban development often do not account for, or recognize, the role of ecosystem services and the benefits these services provide to the health and well-being of city residents. Without such accounting, urban ecosystem services are likely to be degraded over time, with negative consequences for the sustainability...
Field methods and quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities and water-level measurements, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Roy C. Bartholomay, Neil V. Maimer, Amy J. Wehnke
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1146
Water-quality activities and water-level measurements by the personnel of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project Office coincide with the USGS mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation’s water resources. The activities are carried out in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)...
Timing of ore-related magmatism in the western Alaska Range, southwestern Alaska
Ryan D. Taylor, Garth E. Graham, Eric D. Anderson, David Selby
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1115
This report presents isotopic age data from mineralized granitic plutons in an area of the Alaska Range located approximately 200 kilometers to the west-northwest of Anchorage in southwestern Alaska. Uranium-lead isotopic data and trace element concentrations of zircons were determined for 12 samples encompassing eight plutonic bodies ranging in age...
Comments on the Yule Marble Haines block: Potential replacement, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery
Victor G. Mossotti
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1182
Marble for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery was cut from the Colorado Yule Marble Quarry in 1931. Although anecdotal reports suggest that cracks were noticed in the main section of the monument shortly after its installation at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, detailed...
Methow River Studies, Washington: abundance estimates from Beaver Creek and the Chewuch River screw trap, methodology testing in the Whitefish Island side channel, and survival and detection estimates from hatchery fish releases, 2013
Kyle D. Martens, Teresa M. Fish, Grace A. Watson, Patrick J. Connolly
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1154
Salmon and steelhead populations have been severely depleted in the Columbia River from factors such as the presence of tributary dams, unscreened irrigation diversions, and habitat degradation from logging, mining, grazing, and others (Raymond, 1988). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been funded by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to...
Chirp seismic-reflection data from the Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. mid-Atlantic margin
Jeffrey B. Obelcz, Daniel S. Brothers, Uri S. ten Brink, Jason D. Chaytor, Charles R. Worley, Eric M. Moore
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1118
A large number of high-resolution geophysical surveys between Cape Hatteras and Georges Bank have been conducted by federal, state, and academic institutions since the turn of the century. A major goal of these surveys is providing a continuous view of bathymetry and shallow stratigraphy at the shelf edge in order...
Characterization of potential mineralization in Afghanistan: four permissive areas identified using imaging spectroscopy data
Trude King, Byron R. Berger, Michaela R. Johnson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1071
As part of the U.S. Geological Survey and Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations natural resources revitalization activities in Afghanistan, four permissive areas for mineralization, Bamyan 1, Farah 1, Ghazni 1, and Ghazni 2, have been identified using imaging spectroscopy data. To support economic development, the...
Design of a sediment-monitoring gaging network on ephemeral tributaries of the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons, Arizona
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Robert S. Anderson, Gregory S. Hancock, Theodore S. Melis
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1137
Management of sediment in rivers downstream from dams requires knowledge of both the sediment supply and downstream sediment transport. In some dam-regulated rivers, the amount of sediment supplied by easily measured major tributaries may overwhelm the amount of sediment supplied by the more difficult to measure lesser tributaries. In this...
Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2012
Manuel Nathenson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1147
The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of...
Documentation for the 2014 update of the United States national seismic hazard maps
Mark D. Petersen, Morgan P. Moschetti, Peter M. Powers, Charles S. Mueller, Kathleen M. Haller, Arthur D. Frankel, Yuehua Zeng, Sanaz Rezaeian, Stephen C. Harmsen, Oliver S. Boyd, Edward H. Field, Rui Chen, Kenneth S. Rukstales, Nico Luco, Russell L. Wheeler, Robert A. Williams, Anna H. Olsen
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1091
The national seismic hazard maps for the conterminous United States have been updated to account for new methods, models, and data that have been obtained since the 2008 maps were released (Petersen and others, 2008). The input models are improved from those implemented in 2008 by using new ground motion...
U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: 2012 annual report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Carleton R. Bern, Laura Biewick, Gregory K. Boughton, Natasha B. Carr, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Melanie L. Clark, Bradford C. Fedy, Katharine Foster, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, Matthew G. Hethcoat, Collin G. Homer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Douglas Keinath, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Jessica Montag, Christopher J. Potter, Spencer Schell, Sarah L. Shafer, David B. Smith, Michael J. Sweat, Anna B. Wilson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1093
Southwest Wyoming contains abundant energy resources, wildlife, habitat, open spaces, and outdoor recreational opportunities. Although energy exploration and development have been taking place in the region since the late 1800s, the pace of development for fossil fuels and renewable energy increased significantly in the early 2000s. This and the associated...
Discharge, water quality, and native fish abundance in the Virgin River, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, in support of Pah Tempe Springs discharge remediation efforts
Matthew P. Miller, Patrick M. Lambert, Thomas B. Hardy
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1104
Pah Tempe Springs discharge hot, saline, low dissolved-oxygen water to the Virgin River in southwestern Utah, which is transported downstream to Lake Mead and the Colorado River. The dissolved salts in the Virgin River negatively influence the suitability of this water for downstream agricultural, municipal, and industrial use. Therefore, various...
Effects of reintroduced beaver (Castor canadensis) on riparian bird community structure along the upper San Pedro River, southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico
Glenn E. Johnson, Charles van Riper III
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1121
Chapter 1.—We measured bird abundance and richness along the upper San Pedro River in 2005 and 2006, in order to document how beavers (Castor canadensis) may act as ecosystem engineers after their reintroduction to a desert riparian area in the Southwestern United States. In areas where beavers colonized, we found...
Mapping habitat for multiple species in the Desert Southwest
Richard D. Inman, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque, Amy G. Vandergast, Stacie A. Hathaway, Dustin A. Wood, Kelly R. Barr, Robert N. Fisher
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1134
Many utility scale renewable energy projects are currently proposed across the Mojave Ecoregion. Agencies that manage biological resources throughout this region need to understand the potential impacts of these renewable energy projects and their associated infrastructure (for example, transmission corridors, substations, access roads, etc.) on species movement, genetic exchange among...
Mercury in fishes from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Brandon M. Kowalski, James J. Willacker, Christian E. Zimmerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1145
In this study, mercury (Hg) concentrations were examined in fishes from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, the largest and one of the most remote units in the national park system. The goals of the study were to (1) examine the distribution of Hg in select lakes of Wrangell-St....
Historical and contemporary imagery to assess ecosystem change on the Arctic coastal plain of northern Alaska
Ken D. Tape, John M. Pearce, Dennis H. Walworth, Brandt W. Meixell, Tom F. Fondell, David D. Gustine, Paul L. Flint, Jerry W. Hupp, Joel A. Schmutz, David H. Ward
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1140
The Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska is a complex landscape of lakes, streams, and wetlands scattered across low-relief tundra that is underlain by permafrost. This region of the Arctic has experienced a warming trend over the past three decades leading to thawing of on-shore permafrost and the disappearance of...
Baseline groundwater quality from 34 wells in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, 2011 and 2013
Ronald A. Sloto
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1116
Wayne County, Pennsylvania, is underlain by the Marcellus Shale, which currently (2014) is being developed elsewhere in Pennsylvania for natural gas. All residents of largely rural Wayne County rely on groundwater for water supply, primarily from bedrock aquifers (shales and sandstones). This study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in...
Ecoregions of Arizona (poster)
Glenn E. Griffith, James M. Omernik, Colleen Burch Johnson, Dale S. Turner
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1141
Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of...
Surficial geologic map of the Charleston region, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown Counties, South Carolina
Robert E. Weems, William C. Lewis, Earl M. Lemon Jr.
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1030
This map portrays the surface and shallow subsurface geology of the greater Charleston, S.C. region east of 80°30′ west and south of 33°15′ north. The region covers the entirety of Charleston County and portions of Berkeley, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown Counties. Units locally exposed at the surface range in age...
Behavior and dam passage of juvenile Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead at Detroit Reservoir and Dam, Oregon, March 2012-February 2013
John W. Beeman, Hal C. Hansel, Amy C. Hansen, Scott D. Evans, Philip V. Haner, Tyson W. Hatton, Eric E. Kofoot, Jamie M. Sprando, Collin D. Smith
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1144
The in-reservoir movements and dam passage of individual juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were studied at Detroit Reservoir and Dam, near Detroit, Oregon, during 2012 and 2013. The goal of the study was to provide data to inform decisions about future downstream passage alternatives and...
Preliminary bedrock and surficial geologic map of the west half of the Sanders 30' x 60' quadrangle, Navajo and Apache Counties, northern Arizona
Lee Amoroso, Susan S. Priest, Margaret Hiza-Redsteer
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1124
The bedrock and surficial geologic map of the west half of the Sanders 30' x 60' quadrangle was completed in a cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Navajo Nation to provide regional geologic information for management and planning officials. This report provides baseline geologic information that...
2010 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Timothy P. Dealy, Amy E. East, Helen C. Fairley
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1135
Measurements of weather parameters and aeolian sand transport were made in 2010 near selected archeological sites in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Arizona. Data collected in 2010 indicate event- and seasonal-scale variations in rainfall, wind, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. Differences in weather patterns between 2009 and 2010...
