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Members of the Engineering Geology and Ground Water Branches, U.S. Geological Survey

Publications and source records attributed to Members of the Engineering Geology and Ground Water Branches, U.S. Geological Survey.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
USGS2005

The AmericaView Project - Putting the Earth into Your Hands

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a leader in collecting, archiving, and distributing geospatial data and information about the Earth. Providing quick, reliable access to remotely sensed images and geospatial data is the driving principle behind the AmericaView Project. A national not-for-profit organization, AmericaView, Inc. was established and is supported by the USGS to coordinate the activities of a national network of university-led consortia with the primary objective of the advancement of the science of remote sensing. Individual consortia members include academic institutions, as well as state, local, and tribal government agencies. AmericaView's focus is to expand the understanding and use of remote sensing through education and outreach efforts and to provide affordable, integrated remote sensing information access and delivery to the American public. USGS's Landsat and NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite data are downlinked from satellites or transferred from other facilities to the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) ground receiving station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The data can then be transferred over high-speed networks to consortium members, where it is archived and made available for public use.

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USGS2005

Southern California — Wildfires and debris flows

Wildland fires are inevitable in the western United States. Expansion of man-made developments into fire-prone wildlands has created situations where wildfires can destroy lives and property, as can the flooding and debris flows that are common in the aftermath of the fires. Fast-moving, highly destructive debris flows triggered by intense rainfall are one of the most dangerous post-fire hazards. Such debris flows are particularly dangerous because they tend to occur with little warning. Their mass and speed make them particularly destructive: debris flows can strip vegetation, block drainages, damage structures, and endanger human life. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Landslide Hazards Program is participating in a multi-agency cooperative effort to investigate debris flows in burned areas of southern California and other parts of the western United States. Participating agencies are the USDA Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the California, Colorado, and Montana Geological Surveys. The objective of this project is to develop methods needed to estimate the locations, probability of occurrence, and size of potentially destructive debris flows. Public officials can use this information to plan and execute emergency response and post-fire rehabilitation. Analysis of data collected from studies of debris flows following wildfires can answer many of the questions fundamental to post-fire hazard assessments— what and why, where, when, how big, and how often?

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USGS2005

Southern California landslides-an overview

Southern California lies astride a major tectonic plate boundary defined by the San Andreas Fault and numerous related faults that are spread across a broad region. This dynamic tectonic environment has created a spectacular landscape of rugged mountains and steep-walled valleys that compose much of the region’s scenic beauty. Unfortunately, this extraordinary landscape also presents serious geologic hazards. Just as tectonic forces are steadily pushing the landscape upward, gravity is relentlessly tugging it downward. When gravity prevails, landslides can occur.

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USGS2005

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Composites

The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) is a broad-band scanner with four to six bands, depending on the model. The AVHRR senses in the visible, near-, middle-, and thermal- infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. This sensor is carried on a series of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES), beginning with the Television InfraRed Observation Satellite (TIROS-N) in 1978. Since 1989, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) has been mapping the vegetation condition of the United States and Alaska using satellite information from the AVHRR sensor. The vegetation condition composites, more commonly called greenness maps, are produced every week using the latest information on the growth and condition of the vegetation. One of the most important aspects of USGS greenness mapping is the historical archive of information dating back to 1989. This historical stretch of information has allowed the USGS to determine a 'normal' vegetation condition. As a result, it is possible to compare the current week's vegetation condition with normal vegetation conditions. An above normal condition could indicate wetter or warmer than normal conditions, while a below normal condition could indicate colder or dryer than normal conditions. The interpretation of departure from normal will depend on the season and geography of a region.

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USGS2005

Global Visualization (GloVis) Viewer

GloVis (http://glovis.usgs.gov) is a browse image-based search and order tool that can be used to quickly review the land remote sensing data inventories held at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). GloVis was funded by the AmericaView project to reduce the difficulty of identifying and acquiring data for user-defined study areas. Updated daily with the most recent satellite acquisitions, GloVis displays data in a mosaic, allowing users to select any area of interest worldwide and immediately view all available browse images for the following Landsat data sets: Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC), Orthorectified, Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), and ETM+ Scan Line Corrector-off (SLC-off). Other data sets include Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Aqua MODIS, and the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Advanced Land Imager (ALI) and Hyperion data.

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USGS2005

Hurricane hazards — A national threat

Hurricanes bring destructive winds, storm surge, torrential rain, flooding, and tornadoes. A single storm can wreak havoc on coastal and inland communities and on natural areas over thousands of square miles. In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma demonstrated the devastation that hurricanes can inflict and the importance of hurricane hazards research and preparedness. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast, and this number is increasing. Many of these areas, especially the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, will be in the direct path of future hurricanes. Hawaii is also vulnerable to hurricanes.

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USGS2005

Science to sustain terminal lakes: The Walker River Basin Study

Section 2507 of Public Law 107-171 (2002 Farm Bill) provided $200,000,000 to be used by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to provide water to at-risk natural desert terminal lakes. This bill was later amended under Public Law 108-7, Section 207 to include language 'Restoration of fish, wildlife, and associated habitats in watersheds of certain lakes'. The amendment specified that only Pyramid, Summit, and Walker Lakes in the State of Nevada were to be considered under Section 2507, Public Law 107-171.

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USGS2005

Landsat: A global land-observing program

Landsat represents the world’s longest continuously acquired collection of space-based land remote sensing data. The Landsat Project is a joint initiative of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) designed to gather Earth resource data from space. NASA developed and launched the spacecrafts, while the USGS handles the operations, maintenance, and management of all ground data reception, processing, archiving, product generation, and distribution. Landsat satellites have been collecting images of the Earth’s surface for more than thirty years. Landsat’s Global Survey Mission is to repeatedly capture images of the Earth’s land mass, coastal boundaries, and coral reefs, and to ensure that sufficient data are acquired to support the observation of changes on the Earth’s land surface and surrounding environment. NASA launched the first Landsat satellite in 1972, and the most recent one, Landsat 7, in 1999. Landsats 5 and 7 continue to capture hundreds of additional images of the Earth’s surface each day. These images provide a valuable resource for people who work

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USGS2005

Landslide hazards: A national threat

Landslides occur and can cause damage in all 50 States. Severe storms, earthquakes, volcanic activity, coastal wave attack, and wildfires can cause widespread slope instability. Landslide danger may be high even as emergency personnel are providing rescue and recovery services. To address landslide hazards, several questions must be considered: Where and when will landslides occur? How big will the landslides be? How fast and how far will they move? What areas will the landslides affect or damage? How frequently do landslides occur in a given area? Answers to these questions are needed to make accurate landslide hazard maps and forecasts of landslide occurrence, and to provide information on how to avoid or mitigate landslide impacts. The U.S. Geological Survey develops methods to answer these questions to help protect U.S. communities from the dangers of landslides.

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USGS2005

Putting down roots in earthquake country: Your handbook for the San Francisco Bay region

This handbook provides information about the threat posed by earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay region and explains how you can prepare for, survive, and recover from these inevitable events. If you live or work in the region, you need to know why you should be concerned with earthquakes, what you can expect during and after a quake, and what you need to do beforehand to be safe and reduce damage.

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USGS2005

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2005

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries↗