Mineral resource of the month: iron oxide pigments
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Earth (53) 25-25
The article discusses iron oxide pigments, which have been used as colorants since human began painting as they resist color change due to sunlight exposure, have good chemical resistance and are stable under normal ambient conditions. Cyprus, Italy and Spain are among the countries that are known for the production...
Framework for Understanding Structural Errors (FUSE): A modular framework to diagnose differences between hydrological models
Martyn P. Clark, Andrew G. Slater, David E. Rupp, Ross A. Woods, Jasper A. Vrugt, Hoshin V. Gupta, Thorsten Wagener, Lauren E. Hay
2008, Water Resources Research (44)
The problems of identifying the most appropriate model structure for a given problem and quantifying the uncertainty in model structure remain outstanding research challenges for the discipline of hydrology. Progress on these problems requires understanding of the nature of differences between models. This paper presents a methodology to diagnose differences...
Duck migration and past influenza A (H5N1) outbreak areas
Nicolas Gaidet, Scott H. Newman, Ward Hagemeijer, Tim Dodman, Julien Cappelle, Saliha Hammoumi, Lorenzo De Simone, John Y. Takekawa
2008, Emerging Infectious Diseases (14) 1164-1166
In 2005 and 2006, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus subtype H5N1 rapidly spread from Asia through Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Waterbirds are considered the natural reservoir of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (1), but their potential role in the spread of HPAI (H5N1), along with legal...
Mineral resource of the month: antimony
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Earth (53) 29-29
The article describes the characteristics and industrial uses of antimony. Antimony, which is produced as a byproduct of mining other metals such as gold, lead or silver, is used in everything from flame retardants, batteries, ceramics and glass. It is also used in glass for television picture tubes, computer monitors,...
Mineral resource of the month: strontium
Joyce A. Ober
2008, Geotimes (2008)
Last month as Americans sat transfixed watching fireworks on July 4, they were probably unaware that strontium was responsible for the beautiful reds in the display. Strontium, a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that turns yellow when exposed to air (and red when it burns), is prized for its...
Low prevalence of avian influenza virus in shorebirds on the Pacific coast of North America
Samuel A. Iverson, John Y. Takekawa, Steven Schwarzbach, Carol J. Cardona, Nils Warnock, Mary Anne Bishop, Greg A. Schirato, Sara Paroulek, Joshua T. Ackerman, S. Ip, Walter M. Boyce
2008, Waterbirds (31) 602-610
The emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has elevated concerns about wild birds as virus hosts; however, little is known about the ecological and epidemiological factors of transmission by shorebirds. Here we summarize results for 2,773 shorebirds that were live-trapped on the Pacific coast of the United States...
Water-resources data for the United States: water year 2008
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Water Data Report 2008
Water resources data are published annually for use by engineers, scientists, managers, educators, and the general public. These archival products supplement direct access to current and historical water data provided by NWISWeb. Beginning with Water Year 2006, annual water data reports are available as individual electronic Site Data Sheets for...
Mineral resource of the month: cultured quartz crystal
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Earth (53) 29-29
The article presents information on cultured quartz crystals, a mineral used in mobile phones, computers, clocks and other devices controlled by digital circuits. Cultured quartz, which is synthetically produced in large pressurized vessels known as autoclaves, is useful in electronic circuits for precise filtration, frequency control and timing for consumer...
Metals fate and transport modelling in streams and watersheds: state of the science and USEPA workshop review
B.S. Caruso, T.J. Cox, Robert L. Runkel, M.L. Velleux, Kenneth E. Bencala, D. Kirk Nordstrom, P.Y. Julien, B. A. Butler, Charles N. Alpers, A. Marion, Kathleen S. Smith
2008, Hydrological Processes (22) 4011-4021
Metals pollution in surface waters from point and non-point sources (NPS) is a widespread problem in the United States and worldwide (Lofts et al., 2007; USEPA, 2007). In the western United States, metals associated with acid mine drainage (AMD) from hardrock mines in mountainous areas impact aquatic ecosystems and human...
Density currents in the Chicago River: Characterization, effects on water quality, and potential sources
P. Ryan Jackson, Carlos M. Garcia, Kevin A. Oberg, Kevin K. Johnson, Marcelo H. Garcia
2008, Science of the Total Environment (401) 130-143
Bidirectional flows in a river system can occur under stratified flow conditions and in addition to creating significant errors in discharge estimates, the upstream propagating currents are capable of transporting contaminants and affecting water quality. Detailed field observations of bidirectional flows were made in the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois...
Streamflow of 2007--Water year summary
Jian Xiaodong, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3042
The maps and graphs appearing in this summary describe streamflow conditions for water-year 2007 (October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007) in the context of the 78-year period 1930-2007, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Streamflow Information Program. The...
Topographic mapping
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Report
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produced its first topographic map in 1879, the same year it was established. Today, more than 100 years and millions of map copies later, topographic mapping is still a central activity for the USGS. The topographic map remains an indispensable tool for government, science, industry,...
Challenges to hydrological observations
H.F. Lins
2008, WMO Bulletin (57) 55-58
The Colorado Plateau III: integrating research and resources management for effective conservation
Mark K. Sogge
Charles van Riper III, editor(s)
2008, Book
Roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States, the Colorado Plateau covers an area of 130,000 square miles. The relatively high semi-arid province boasts nine national parks, sixteen national monuments, many state parks, and dozens of wilderness areas. With the highest concentration of parklands in North...
Hematite spherules at Meridiani: results from MI, Mini-TES, and Pancam
W. M. Calvin, J.D. Shoffner, J. R. Johnson, A.H. Knoll, J.M. Pocock, S. W. Squyres, C.M. Weitz, R. E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell III, P. R. Christensen, P. A. de Souza Jr., W. H. Farrand, T.D. Glotch, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, B.L. Jolliff, A.T. Knudson, S. M. McLennan, A.D. Rogers, S.D. Thompson
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research (113)
We report on observations of hematite‐bearing spherules at Meridiani Planum made using the Microscopic Imager (MI), Mini‐Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini‐TES), and Panoramic Camera (Pancam) instruments on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Spherules were observed on soil surfaces and in outcrop rocks, both on undisturbed surfaces and in abraded surfaces ground...
An exploration of Bureau of Reclamation approaches for managing conflict over diverging science
Nina Burkardt, Emily Ruell, Douglas Clark
2008, Technical Memorandum 86-68211-09-01
As a major institutional agent supplying Western water resources, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) provides important leadership, technical, and financial resources in water management, serving as the West's "water broker" (Bowersox 2000; Pisani 2003). In recent years, growing numbers of constituencies using water and the over-allocation of water resources have...
Miocene Total Petroleum System -- Southeast Stable Shelf Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province: Chapter 13 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California
Donald L. Gautier, Allegra Hosford Scheirer
2008, Professional Paper 1713-13
The confirmed stratigraphic and structural-stratigraphic Southeast Stable Shelf Assessment Unit (AU) of the Miocene Total Petroleum System (San Joaquin Basin Province) comprises all hydrocarbon accumulations within the geographic limits of the AU. Traps typically display low dip angles, gentle folds, and normal faults. Reservoirs, which range in age from fractured...
Co-precipitation of dissolved organic matter by calcium carbonate in Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Jerry A. Leenheer, Michael M. Reddy
2008, Annals of Environmental Science (2) 11-25
Our previous research has demonstrated that dissolved organic matter (DOM) influences calcium carbonate mineral formation in surface and ground water. To better understand DOM mediation of carbonate precipitation and DOM co-precipitation and/or incorporation with carbonate minerals, we characterized the content and speciation of DOM in carbonate minerals and in the...
Modeling landslide recurrence in Seattle, Washington, USA
Diana Salciarini, Jonathan W. Godt, William Z. Savage, Rex L. Baum, Pietro Conversini
2008, Engineering Geology (102) 227-237
To manage the hazard associated with shallow landslides, decision makers need an understanding of where and when landslides may occur. A variety of approaches have been used to estimate the hazard from shallow, rainfall-triggered landslides, such as empirical rainfall threshold methods or probabilistic methods based on historical records. The wide...
Radargrammetry on three planets
Randolph L. Kirk, Elpitha Howington-Kraus
Jun Chen, Jie Jiang, Shailesh Nayak, editor(s)
2008, Conference Paper, Proceedings: XXIst ISPRS Congress, Technical Commission IV
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can provide useful images in situations where passive optical imaging cannot, either because the microwaves used can penetrate atmospheric clouds, because active imaging can "see in the dark," or both. We have participated in the NASA Magellan mission to Venus in the 1990s and the current...
Environmental occurrence and shallow ground water detection of the antibiotic monensin from dairy farms
N. Watanabe, T.H. Harter, B.A. Bergamaschi
2008, Journal of Environmental Quality (37) S78-S85
Pharmaceuticals used in animal feeding operations have been detected in various environmental settings. There is a growing concern about the impact on terrestrial and aquatic organisms and the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms. Pharmaceutical use in milking cows is relatively limited compared with other livestock operations, except for the...
Paleowetlands and regional climate change in the central Atacama Desert, northern Chile
Jay Quade, Jason A. Rech, Julio L. Betancourt, Claudio Latorre, Barbra Quade, Kate Aasen Rylander, Timothy Fisher
2008, Quaternary Research (69) 343-360
Widespread, organic-rich diatomaceous deposits are evidence for formerly wetter times along the margins of the central Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth today. We mapped and dated these paleowetland deposits at three presently waterless locations near Salar de Punta Negra (24.5°S) on the western slope of the...
Light-toned salty soils and co-existing Si-rich species discovered by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in Columbia Hills
Alian Wang, J.F. Bell III, Ron Li, J. R. Johnson, W. H. Farrand, E.A. Cloutis, R. E. Arvidson, L. Crumpler, S. W. Squyres, S. M. McLennan, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, S. W. Ruff, A.T. Knudson, Wei Chen, R. Greenberger
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research (113) 1-35
Light-toned soils were exposed, through serendipitous excavations by Spirit Rover wheels, at eight locations in the Columbia Hills. Their occurrences were grouped into four types on the basis of geomorphic settings. At three major exposures, the light-toned soils are hydrous and sulfate-rich. The spatial distributions of distinct types of salty...
Hydrologic connections and dynamics of water movement in the classical Karst (Kras) aquifer: Evidence from frequent chemical and stable isotope sampling
Daniel H. Doctor
2008, Acta Carsologica (37) 101-123
A review of past researchon the hydrogeology of the Classical Karst (Kras) region and new information obtained from a two-year study using environmental tracers are presented in this paper. The main problems addressed are 1) the sources of water to the Kras aquifer resurgence zone—including the famous Timavo springs—under changing...
Assessing contribution of DOC from sediments to a drinking-water reservoir using optical profiling
Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Bergamaschi, David G. Evans, Emmanuel Boss
2008, Lake and Reservoir Management (24) 381-391
Understanding the sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in drinking-water reservoirs is an important management issue because DOC may form disinfection by-products, interfere with disinfection, or increase treatment costs. DOC may be derived from a host of sources-algal production of DOC in the reservoir, marginal production of DOC from mucks...
