Landslides Mapped from LIDAR Imagery, Kitsap County, Washington
Jonathan P. McKenna, David J. Lidke, Jeffrey A. Coe
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1292
Landslides are a recurring problem on hillslopes throughout the Puget Lowland, Washington, but can be difficult to identify in the densely forested terrain. However, digital terrain models of the bare-earth surface derived from LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) data express topographic details sufficiently well to identify landslides. Landslides and escarpments...
Arctic climate change and its impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic
Charles H. Greene, Andrew J. Pershing, Thomas M. Cronin, Nicole Ceci
2008, Ecology (89) S24-S38
Arctic climate change from the Paleocene epoch to the present is reconstructed with the objective of assessing its recent and future impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic. A recurring theme in Earth's paleoclimate record is the importance of the Arctic atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere in regulating global climate...
Streamflow and Endangered Species Habitat in the Lower Isleta Reach of the Middle Rio Grande
Ken D. Bovee, Terry J. Waddle, J. Mark Spears
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1323
San Acacia Dam is located in a reach of the Rio Grande that has been designated as critical habitat for two endangered species, the Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) and the southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus). Under present operations, the Rio Grande upstream from the dam is used...
Database for the Geologic Map of Upper Eocene to Holocene Volcanic and Related Rocks of the Cascade Range, Oregon
Kathryn Nimz, David W. Ramsey, David R. Sherrod, James G. Smith
2008, Data Series 313
Since 1979, Earth scientists of the Geothermal Research Program of the U.S. Geological Survey have carried out multidisciplinary research in the Cascade Range. The goal of this research is to understand the geology, tectonics, and hydrology of the Cascades in order to characterize and quantify geothermal resource potential. A major...
Continuous Temperature and Water-Level Data Collected for a Heat Tracer Study on a Selected Reach of Tri-State Canal, Western Nebraska, 2007
Christopher M. Hobza
2008, Data Series 381
The water supply in parts of the North Platte River Basin in the Nebraska Panhandle has been designated as fully appropriated or over appropriated by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. Recent legislation (LB 962) requires the North Platte Natural Resources District and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to...
Use of Superposition Models to Simulate Possible Depletion of Colorado River Water by Ground-Water Withdrawal
Stanley A. Leake, William Greer, Dennis Watt, Paul Weghorst
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5189
According to the 'Law of the River', wells that draw water from the Colorado River by underground pumping need an entitlement for the diversion of water from the Colorado River. Consumptive use can occur through direct diversions of surface water, as well as through withdrawal of water from the river...
Morphological Analyses and Simulated Flood Elevations in a Watershed with Dredged and Leveed Stream Channels, Wheeling Creek, Eastern Ohio
James M. Sherwood, Carrie A. Huitger, Andrew D. Ebner, G. F. Koltun
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5133
The USGS, in cooperation with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, conducted a study in the Wheeling Creek Basin to (1) evaluate and contrast land-cover characteristics from 2001 with characteristics from 1979 and 1992; (2) compare current streambed elevation, slope, and geometry with conditions present in the late 1980s; (3) look...
Ground-Water Conditions and Studies in the Albany Area of Dougherty County, Georgia, 2007
Debbie W. Gordon
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1328
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been working with the Albany Water, Gas, and Light Commission to monitor ground-water quality and availability since 1977. This report presents an overview of ground-water conditions and studies in the Albany area of Dougherty County, Georgia, during 2007. Historical data are also presented for...
What can we learn from the Wells, NV earthquake sequence about seismic hazard in the intermountain west?
M.D. Petersen, K.L. Pankow, G. P. Biasi, M. Meremonte
2008, Conference Paper
The February 21, 2008 Wells, NV earthquake (M 6) was felt throughout eastern Nevada, southern Idaho, and western Utah. The town of Wells sustained significant damage to unreinforced masonry buildings. The earthquake occurred in a region of low seismic hazard with little seismicity, low geodetic strain rates, and few mapped...
Survival and migration behavior of juvenile coho salmon in the Klamath River relative to discharge at Iron Gate Dam, Northern California, 2007
John W. Beeman, Greg Stutzer, Steve Juhnke, Nicholas Hetrick
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1332
This report describes a study of survival and migration behavior of juvenile coho salmon in the Klamath River relative to discharge at Iron Gate Dam in 2006. This was the second year of a multi-year study with the goal of determining the effects of discharge at Iron Gate Dam on...
Hydrogeologic Framework in Three Drainage Basins in the New Jersey Pinelands, 2004-06
Richard L. Walker, Pamela A. Reilly, Kara M. Watson
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5061
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, began a multi-phase hydrologic investigation in 2004 to characterize the hydrologic system supporting the aquatic and wetland communities of the New Jersey Pinelands area (Pinelands). The Pinelands is an ecologically diverse area in the southern New Jersey Coastal...
Simulation of Ground-Water Flow and Optimization of Withdrawals from Aquifers at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, St. Mary's County, Maryland
Cheryl A. Dieter, William B. Fleck
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5144
Potentiometric surfaces in the Piney Point-Nanjemoy, Aquia, and Upper Patapsco aquifers have declined from 1950 through 2000 throughout southern Maryland. In the vicinity of Lexington Park, Maryland, the potentiometric surface in the Aquia aquifer in 2000 was as much as 170 feet below sea level, approximately 150 feet lower than...
Seismic hazard mapping of California incorporating spatial variability of site conditions
Erol Kalkan, Chris J. Wills, David M. Branum
2008, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Third Conference on Earthquake Hazards in the Eastern San Francisco Bay Area: Science, hazard, engineering and risk
The U.S. Geological Survey has recently released a 2008 version of the probabilistic National Seismic Hazard Maps. These maps plot the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration (SA) ordinates at 0.2 and 1.0 sec with 2% and 10% probabilities of being exceeded in 50 years, corresponding to earthquake return...
Geochemical trends and natural attenuation of RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate in the hazardous test area Fractured-Granite aquifer, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 1996-2006
Jeff B. Langman, Andrew J. Robertson, Jamar Bynum, Fredrick E. Gebhardt
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5157
A fractured-granite aquifer at White Sands Missile Range is contaminated with the explosive compound RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate (oxidizer associated with rocket propellant) from the previous use of the Open Burn/Open Detonation site at the Hazardous Test Area. RDX, nitrate, and perchlorate ground-water concentrations were analyzed to examine source characteristics, spatial...
Understanding contaminants associated with mineral deposits
Philip L. Verplanck
2008, Circular 1328
Interdisciplinary studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have resulted in substantial progress in understanding the processes that controlthe release of metals and acidic water from inactive mines and mineralized areas,the transport of metals and acidic water to streams, andthe fate and effect of metals and acidity on downstream ecosystems.The...
The Significance of Accounting Order for Evapotranspiration and Recharge in Monthly and Daily Threshold-Type Water Budgets
Delwyn S. Oki
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5163
Most threshold-type water-budget models account for the loss of water by evapotranspiration before accounting for recharge. Recharge estimates can differ substantially, depending on whether recharge is counted before or after evapotranspiration in the water budget. This disparity is the source of uncertainty and is most pronounced for areas where soil-moisture...
Ground-Water Conditions and Studies in the Brunswick-Glynn County Area, Georgia, 2007
Gregory S. Cherry, John S. Clarke
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1297
The Upper Floridan aquifer is contaminated with saltwater in a 2-square-mile area of downtown Brunswick, Georgia. This contamination has limited the development of the ground-water supply in the Glynn County area. Hydrologic, geologic, and water-quality data are needed to effectively manage water resources. Since 1959, the U.S. Geological Survey has...
Nutrient Loading and Algal Response in West Thompson Lake, Thompson, Connecticut, 2003-2005
Jonathan Morrison, Michael J. Colombo
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5072
Water quality and nutrient loads were characterized for parts of the Quinebaug River and West Thompson Lake in northeastern Connecticut during 2003 to 2005. The West Thompson Lake watershed is a mainly forested watershed that receives treated municipal wastewater from several point sources in Massachusetts. The lake is a flood-control...
Flood of June 7-9, 2008, in Central and Southern Indiana
Scott E. Morlock, Chad D. Menke, Donald V. Arvin, Moon H. Kim
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1322
On June 6-7, 2008, heavy rainfall of 2 to more than 10 inches fell upon saturated soils and added to already high streamflows from a wetter than normal spring in central and southern Indiana. The heavy rainfall resulted in severe flooding on many streams within the White River Basin during...
Isotope and Chemical Methods in Support of the U.S. Geological Survey Science Strategy, 2003-2008
R. O. Rye, C. A. Johnson, G. P. Landis, A. H. Hofstra, P. Emsbo, C. A. Stricker, A.G. Hunt, B.G. Rusk
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3083
Principal functions of the Mineral Resources Program are providing information to decision-makers related to mineral deposits on federal lands and predicting the environmental consequences of the mining or natural weathering of those deposits. Performing these functions requires that predictions be made of the likelihood of undiscovered deposits. The predictions are...
An evaluation of selected extraordinary floods in the United States reported by the U.S. Geological Survey and implications for future advancement of flood science
John E. Costa, Robert D. Jarrett
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5164
Thirty flood peak discharges determine the envelope curve of maximum floods documented in the United States by the U.S. Geological Survey. These floods occurred from 1927 to 1978 and are extraordinary not just in their magnitude, but in their hydraulic and geomorphic characteristics. The reliability of the computed discharge of...
Preliminary model of porphyry copper deposits
Byron R. Berger, Robert A. Ayuso, Jeffrey C. Wynn, Robert R. Seal II
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1321
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resources Program develops mineral-deposit models for application in USGS mineral-resource assessments and other mineral resource-related activities within the USGS as well as for nongovernmental applications. Periodic updates of models are published in order to incorporate new concepts and findings on the occurrence, nature, and...
Simulation of Ground-Water Flow and Effects of Ground-Water Irrigation on Base Flow in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, Nebraska
Steven M. Peterson, Jennifer S. Stanton, Amanda T. Saunders, Jesse R. Bradley
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5143
Irrigated agriculture is vital to the livelihood of communities in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins in Nebraska, and ground water is used to irrigate most of the cropland. Concerns about the sustainability of ground-water and surface-water resources have prompted State and regional agencies to evaluate the cumulative effects of...
Base of principal aquifer for the Elkhorn-Loup model area, North-Central Nebraska
V. L. McGuire, Steven M. Peterson
2008, Scientific Investigations Map 3042
In Nebraska, the water managers in the Natural Resources Districts and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources are concerned with the effect of ground-water withdrawal on the availability of surface water and the long-term effects of ground-water withdrawal on ground- and surface-water resources. In north-central Nebraska, in the Elkhorn and...
Potential effects of a scenario earthquake on the economy of southern California: Intraregional commuter, worker, and earnings flow analysis
Benson C. Sherrouse, D. J. Hester
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1254
The Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) is a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and various partners from the public and private sectors and academia, meant to improve Southern California's resiliency to natural hazards (Jones and others, 2007). In support of the MHDP objectives, the ShakeOut Scenario was developed. It...
