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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
USGS2007

Beach morphology monitoring in the Elwha River Littoral Cell, 2004-2009

This report describes the methods used, data collected, and results of the Beach Morphology Monitoring Program in the Elwha River Littoral Cell, starting in 2004. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Washington State Department of Ecology collaborated in the data collection with the support of the local Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Beach monitoring efforts consisted of collecting topographic and bathymetric horizontal and vertical position data by using a Real Time Kinematic Differential Global Positioning System (RTK-DGPS). The monitoring program was designed to characterize the littoral system of the Elwha River before the scheduled removal of two large dams in 2012. A primary objective of this work is to quantitatively describe the topography and bathymetry of the Elwha River littoral system so that the effects of dam removal may be quantified. Sediment inputs following dam removal are hypothesized to result in (A) larger amounts of fine sediment grain-sizes entering the littoral system and, (B) a reduction or reversal of coastal erosion.

Washington↗
USGS2003

Regional sediment budget of the Columbia River littoral cell, USA: Analysis of bathymetric- and topographic-volume change

In this Open-File Report we present calculations of changes in bathymetric and topographic volumes for the Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and Columbia River entrances and the adjacent coasts of North Beach, Grayland Plains, Long Beach, and Clatsop Plains for four intervals: pre-jetty - 1920s (Interval 1), 1920s - 1950s (Interval 2), 1950s - 1990s (Interval 3), and 1920s 1990s (Interval 4). This analysis is part of the Southwest Washington Coastal Erosion Study (SWCES), the goals of which are to understand and predict the morphologic behavior of the Columbia River littoral cell on a management scale of tens of kilometers and decades. We obtain topographic Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data from a joint project by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) and bathymetric data from the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), USGS, and the DOE. Shoreline data are digitized from T-Sheets and aerial photographs from the USC&GS and National Ocean Service (NOS). Instead of uncritically adjusting each survey to NAVD88, a common vertical land-based datum, we adjust some surveys to produce optimal results according to the following criteria. First, we minimize offsets in overlapping surveys within the same era, and second, we minimize bathymetric changes (relative to the 1990s) in deep water, where we assume minimal change has taken place. We grid bathymetric and topographic datasets using kriging and triangulation algorithms, calculate bathymetric-change surfaces for each interval, and calculate volume changes within polygons that are overlaid on the bathymetric-change surfaces. We find similar morphologic changes near the entrances to Grays Harbor and the Columbia River following jetty construction between 1898 and 1916 at the Grays Harbor entrance and between 1885 and 1913 at the Columbia River entrance. The inlets and inner deltas eroded and the outer deltas moved offshore and accreted. The adjacent coasts experienced accretion over alongshore distances of tens of kilometers. North of the Grays Harbor entrance along North Beach and north of the Columbia River entrance along Long Beach the shoreface and the beach-dune complex mainly prograded, whereas south of the Grays Harbor entrance along Grayland Plains and south of the Columbia River entrance along Clatsop Plains the beach-dune complex above -10 m NAVD88 prograded and the shoreface between approximately -30 m and -10 m NAVD88 eroded. In the decades following jetty construction, the rates of erosion and accretion at the entrances decreased and the centers of deposition along the adjacent coasts moved away from the entrances. The rates of change have decreased, suggesting the systems are approaching dynamic equilibrium. Exceptions to this behaviour are the accretion of the beach-dune complex of Long Beach, the erosion of Cape Shoalwater, and the northward migration of the Willapa Bay ebb-tidal delta during all intervals. The net shoreline advance of Long Beach increases from 0.28 m/yr in pre-jetty conditions to 3.78 m/yr during Interval 4. The erosion of Cape Shoalwater and the northward migration of the Willapa Bay ebb-tidal delta are related to the northern migration of the Willapa Bay North Channel. Volume changes at the Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and Columbia River entrances and the Columbia River estuary are balanced against losses and gains due to littoral transport and sand supply from the Columbia River. Based on these sediment balances, we infer the following pathways: sand that eroded from the inlets and inner deltas at the Grays Harbor and Columbia River entrances moved offshore and northward to accrete the outer deltas and the beaches to the north; sand from the south flank of the Grays Harbor delta and shelf along Grayland Plains moved onshore to accrete the beach dune complex of Grayland Plains and moved northward to maintain accretion of the outer delta and the beach-dune complex of North Beach; sand that eroded from the south flank of the Columbia River delta and shelf along Clatsop Plains contributed to the accretion of the beach-dune complex of Clatsop Plains and the Columbia River outer delta. The net volume change for Interval 1 and 3 at the Grays Harbor entrance and for Interval 1 at the Columbia River entrance is erosion, whereas the net change for the other intervals is accretion. For the entire CRLC, there is a net loss of 185 Mm 3 for Interval 1, a net gain of 357 Mm 3 for Interval 2, and a net gain of 187 Mm 3 for Interval 3. These imbalances can be the result of incomplete bathymetric coverage of the bays and shoreface, uncertainties in the adjustments of vertical tidal datums, inconsistencies in the bathymetric data, and uncertainties in the sediment supply of the Columbia River.

Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2007

Quaternary stratigraphy, drainage-basin development, and geomorphology of the Lake Manix basin, Mojave Desert: Guidebook for fall field trip, Friends of the Pleistocene, Pacific Cell, October 4-7, 2007

The 2007 field trip of the Pacific Cell, Friends of the Pleistocene, visited features of the Quaternary geology and geomorphology of the Lake Manix basin in the Mojave Desert. This report is the guidebook for this trip and includes some discussion of relations observable along the road and at various field trip stops. The Mojave River originates in the San Bernardino Mountains and in high-water years flows north and east to its terminus in Silver Lake playa north of Baker, Calif. Along this course, the river passes through or near several basins that were internally drained prior to integration by the Mojave River, including the Victorville, Harper, Manix, and Soda Lake basins. Sediments in the Lake Manix basin record Mojave River discharge and lake fluctuations that began during the middle Pleistocene and continued through most of the late Pleistocene.

California↗
USGS1982

Two BASIC computer programs for the determination of in situ stresses using the CSIRO hollow inclusion stress cell and the USBM borehole deformation gage

The mathematical method of determining in-situ stresses by overcoring, using either the U.S. Bureau of Mines Borehole Deformation Gage or the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Hollow Inclusion Stress Cell, is summarized, and data reduction programs for each type of instrument, written in BASIC, are presented. The BASIC programs offer several advantages over previously available FORTRAN programs. They can be executed on a desk-top microcomputer at or near the field site, allowing the investigator to assess the quality of the data and make decisions on the need for additional testing while the crew is still in the field. Also, data input is much simpler than with currently available FORTRAN programs; either English or SI units can be used; and standard deviations of the principal stresses are computed as well as those of the geographic components.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1997

Ground-water flow in the Saginaw aquifer in the vicinity of the north Lansing well field, Lansing Michigan — Part 2, simulations with a regional model using a reduced cell size

Vinyl chloride has been detected in water from the Saginaw aquifer near Lansing Board of Water and Light wells in the north Lansing well field. These public-supply wells have the potential to withdraw contaminated ground water. The effects of reduced grid spacing for the existing TriCounty regional ground-water-flow model on local ground-water movement were investigated. This refinement of the grid eliminated multiple wells in a cell and reduced the number of wells represented as weak sinks. Two pumping scenarios were developed to investigate the effects of pumping conditions, plume size, and hypothetical purge well locations on the movement of the vinyl chloride plume in the Saginaw aquifer. Under 1995 pumping conditions, water that originates in the central portion of the Saginaw aquifer known to be contaminated with vinyl chloride is prevented from reaching Lansing Board of Water and Light supply wells when hypothetical purge wells located west of the plume are simulated as pumping either 100 gallons per minute or 200 gallons per minute. Purge wells located north of the plume are effective at preventing contamination from reaching Lansing Board of Water and Light supply wells when simulated as pumping 200 gallons per minute. Water that originates within and surrounding the area known to be contaminated with vinyl chloride is not prevented from reaching Lansing Board of Water and Light supply wells under 1995 conditions using either purge well location or pumping rate. Under 1997 pumping conditions, water that originates in the central portion of the Saginaw aquifer known to be contaminated with vinyl chloride is prevented from reaching Lansing Board of Water and Light supply wells when hypothetical purge wells located either west or north of the plume are simulated as pumping 200 gallons per minute. Water that originates within and surrounding the area known to be contaminated with vinyl chloride is not prevented from reaching Lansing Board of Water and Light supply wells under 1997 conditions using either purge well location or pumping rate.

Michigan↗
USGS1993

Development, calibration, and testing of ground-water flow models for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in eastern Arkansas using one-square-mile cells

Significant water-level declines in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer prompted the need to better understand the flow system in the aquifer which, in turn, led to the development of digital groundwater flow models of the alluvial aquifer. Two models were developed in the eastern Arkansas study area with the Arkansas River dividing the study area and functioning as a hydrologic boundary to the models. Both models simulate groundwater flow in one layer with recharge entering the aquifer from head-dependent surface infiltration through the overlying confining unit and from seepage through river beds. Digital models were used to simulate flow in the aquifer during seven stress periods between 1918 and 1987. Pumpage used in the simulations ranged from 83,400,000 to 412,000,000 cu ft/d in the north model and from 12,800,000 to 58,500,000 cu ft/d in the south model. Three different spatial and temporal pumpage scenarios were tested to simulate pumpage stress in the models. The pumpage distribution used in the calibrated model was based on a combination of all three scenarios. Several criteria were used during model development to determine how well the model simulated conditions in the aquifer. Potentiometric maps of model-computed water levels were compared to measured data to check the computed water levels and direction of flow. Hydrographs of observation wells were compared to computed water levels at corresponding model cells to assess the temporal distribution of pumpage. A root-mean-square error analysis was performed during calibration by comparing observation-well and model-computed water levels for 1972. Sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the effects of changes in input parameters on computed heads (water levels). Both models were sensitive to changes in recharge and pumpage but the south model generally was less sensitive than the north model.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2017

Use of swabs for sampling epithelial cells for molecular genetics analyses in Enteroctopus

We evaluated the efficacy of using swabs to collect cells from the epidermis of octopus as a non-invasive DNA source for classical genetic studies, and demonstrated value of the technique by incorporating it into an effort to determine, within a day, the lineage of captured, live Enteroctopus ( E. dofleini or a cryptic lineage). The cryptic lineage was targeted for captive behavioral and morphological studies, while once genetically identified, the non-target lineage could be more rapidly released back to the wild. We used commercially available sterile foamtipped swabs and a high-salt preservation buffer to collect and store paired swab and muscle (arm tip) tissue sampled from live Enteroctopus collected from Prince William Sound, Alaska. We performed a one-day extraction of DNA from epithelial swab samples and amplification of two diagnostic microsatellite loci to determine the lineage of each of the 21 individuals. Following this rapid lineage assessment, which allowed us to release non-target individuals within a day of laboratory work, we compared paired swab and muscle tissue samples from each individual to assess quantity of DNA yields and consistency of genotyping results, followed by assessment of locus-by-locus reliability of DNA extracts from swabs. Epithelial swabs yielded, on average, lower quantities of DNA (170.32 ± 74.72 (SD) ng/μL) relative to DNA obtained from tissues collected using invasive or destructive techniques (310.95 ± 147.37 (SD) ng/μL. We observed some decrease in yields of DNA from extractions of swab samples conducted 19 and 31 months after initial extractions when samples were stored at room temperature in lysis buffer. All extractions yielded quantities of DNA sufficient to amplify and score all loci, which included fragment data from 10 microsatellite loci (nine polymorphic loci and monomorphic locus EdoμA106), and nucleotide sequence data from a 528 base pair portion of the nuclear octopine dehydrogenase gene. All results from genotyping and sequencing using paired swab and muscle tissue extracts were concordant, and experimental reliability levels for multilocus genotypes generated from swab samples exceeded 97%. This technique is useful for studies in which invasive sampling is not optimal, and in remote field situations since samples can be stored at ambient temperatures for at least 31 months. The use of epithelial swabs is thus a noninvasive technique appropriate for sampling genetic material from live octopuses for use in classical genetic studies as well as supporting experimental and behavioral studies.

American Malacological Bulletin↗
USGS2025

Gram staining reveals diverse bacterial associations in coral cell-associated microbial aggregates in the Pacific Ocean

Cell-associated microbial aggregates (CAMAs) (also referred to as coral-associated microbial aggregates) have been observed in 24 coral species from the Pacific Ocean, and studies indicate most contain gram-negative bacilli from the genus Endozoicomonas. Here, we used histology with Gram staining to evaluate the morphology and distribution of CAMAs in six species of scleractinian corals from Hawaii and Palmyra. Within CAMAs, we observed the coexistence of bacteria with differing morphologies and Gram-staining properties both within and among coral species. Pocillopora and Acropora had mostly gram-negative bacilli, whereas gram-negative cocci dominated in Porites . Acropora had the highest abundance of gram-positive CAMAs. The anatomical distribution of CAMAs varied by coral species. CAMAs dominated in the tentacles of Pocillopora meandrina , Pocillopora grandis , and Porites evermanni, were mostly in the coenenchyme of Acropora cytherea , and were found equally between tentacles and coenenchyme in Porites compressa and Porites lobata . Tissue-layer distribution also varied, with CAMAs mainly in the epidermis of Pocillopora but in the gastrodermis of Porites and Acropora . The diversity of bacteria in CAMAs and their anatomic distribution in Pacific corals may be more complex than previously understood. This indicates other bacterial species, in addition to Endozoicomonas, are colonizing CAMAs in corals from the Pacific Ocean.

Hawaii↗
USGS1995

Techniques for determining pressure in the hydrothermal diamond- anvil cell: behavior and identification of ice polymorphs (I, III, V, VI)

For H2O densities > 1.0 g/cm3, a determination of the ice melting temperature provides the density information required to calculate the P-T path that the sample in a hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell follows when the sample is heated isochorically. The principal difficulty is the identification of the polymorph because of metastable behavior of ices in the H2O system. Usually, an accurate identification of the liquidus ice phase can be made without analytical instrumentation and requires only careful observations. -Authors

American Mineralogist↗
USGS2003

Hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell: Application to studies of geologic fluids

The hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell (HDAC) was designed to simulate the geologic conditions of crustal processes in the presence of water or other fluids. The HDAC has been used to apply external pressure to both synthetic and natural fluid inclusions in quartz to minimize problems caused by stretching or decrepitation of inclusions during microthermometric analysis. When the HDAC is loaded with a fluid sample, it can be considered as a large synthetic fluid inclusion and therefore, can be used to study the PVTX properties as well as phase relations of the sample fluid. Because the HDAC has a wide measurement pressure-temperature range and also allows in-situ optical observations, it has been used to study critical phenomena of various chemical systems, such as the geologically important hydrous silicate melts. It is possible, when the HDAC is combined with synchrotron X-ray sources, to obtain basic information on speciation and structure of metal including rare-earth elements (REE) complexes in hydrothermal solutions as revealed by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra. Recent modifications of the HDAC minimize the loss of intensity of X-rays due to scattering and absorption by the diamonds. These modifications are especially important for studying elements with absorption edges below 10 keV and therefore particularly valuable for our understanding of transport and deposition of first-row transition elements and REE in hydrothermal environments.

Acta Petrologica Sinica↗
USGS2009

Littoral transport rates in the Santa Barbara Littoral Cell: a process-based model analysis

Identification of the sediment transport patterns and pathways is essential for sustainable coastal zone management of the heavily modified coastline of Santa Barbara and Ventura County (California, USA). A process-based model application, based on Delft3D Online Morphology, is used to investigate the littoral transport potential along the Santa Barbara Littoral Cell (between Point Conception and Mugu Canyon). An advanced optimalization procedure is applied to enable annual sediment transport computations by reducing the ocean wave climate in 10 wave height - direction classes. Modeled littoral transport rates compare well with observed dredging volumes, and erosion or sedimentation hotspots coincide with the modeled divergence and convergence of the transport gradients. Sediment transport rates are strongly dependent on the alongshore variation in wave height due to wave sheltering, diffraction and focusing by the Northern Channel Islands, and the local orientation of the geologically-controlled coastline. Local transport gradients exceed the net eastward littoral transport, and are considered a primary driver for hot-spot erosion.

California↗
USGS2000

Evaluation of planar halogenated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in estuarine sediments using ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase induction of H4IIE cells

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and planar halogenated hydrocarbons (PHHs), including polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in fractionated sediment extracts from the Hudson-Raritan estuary and Newark Bay, New Jersey, USA, as part of a comprehensive risk assessment. Contributions of PCDDs/PCDFs, PCBs, and PAHs to the total toxic equivalents (TEQs) were measured using an H4IIE bioassay and calculated from instrumentally determined concentrations using international toxic equivalency factors. The H4IIE TEQs of whole and fractionated extracts were compared to calculated TEQs to investigate the applicability of the bioassay approach for evaluating 7-ethoxyresorufin- O -deethylease induction by PHHs and PAHs present together in complex mixtures. Although 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo- p -dioxin contributed from 41 to 79% of the calculated TEQs from PCDDs/PCDFs and planar PCBs in all sediments sampled, the PAH-containing fractions accounted for >80% of the total TEQs determined either instrumentally or by bioassay. Calculated TEQs from PAHs, based on reported toxic equivalency factors for only seven PAHs, were severalfold greater than the bioassay-derived TEQs of PAH-only fractions of the sediment extracts. Significant correlations were observed between bioassay and instrumentally determined toxic equivalents in the more purified fractions but not in fractions only purified by size-exclusion or argentate chromatographies alone.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1977

Cell dimensions and antiferromagnetism of lunar and terrestrial ilmenite single crystals

X-Ray diffraction and anisotropic magnetic measurements have been made on single crystals of lunar ilmenite and on terrestrial ilmenite from Bancroft, Ontario, Canada and the Ilmen Mountains, U.S.S.R. The elongated c "> c -axis of lunar ilmenite, previously reported, is confirmed by new measurements. The shorter c "> c -axis found in terrestrial specimens is ascribed to Fe 3+ substitution for Ti 4+ in the titanium layer. Magnetic measurements on the same specimens show that, in agreement with the Ishikawa-Shirane et al . model, the initial shortening of the c "> c -axis by the above substitution of small amounts of Fe 3+ (<8%) causes an increase in Fe 2+ −Fe 2+ exchange coupling through Fe 3+ in the titanium layer that lowers the Néel transition temperature. The Weiss temperatures and other magnetic parameters confirm this model proposed by Ishikawa and Shirane et al . Additional transitions found in one of the terrestrial specimens (Bancroft) have been ascribed to a small amount of an exsolved spinel phase, possibly a solid solution phase of magnetite-ülvospinel. The spinel phase is localized in hematite-rich blebs which exsolved from the host ilmenite-rich phase.

Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids↗
USGS1987

Estimates of plasma, packed cell and total blood volume in tissues of the rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri )

1. Total blood volume and relative blood volumes in selected tissues were determined in non-anesthetized, confined rainbow trout by using 51 Cr-labelled trout erythrocytes as a vascular space marker. 2. Mean total blood volume was estimated to be 4.09 ± 0.55 ml/100 g, or about 75% of that estimated with the commonly used plasma space marker Evans blue dye. 3. Relative tissue blood volumes were greatest in highly perfused tissues such as kidney, gills, brain and liver and least in mosaic muscle. 4. Estimates of tissue vascular spaces, made using radiolabelled erythrocytes, were only 25–50% of those based on plasma space markers. 5. The consistently smaller vascular volumes obtained with labelled erythrocytes could be explained by assuming that commonly used plasma space markers diffuse from the vascular compartment.

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A: P↗
USGS2005

Discovery of a unique Ig heavy-chain (IgT) in rainbow trout: Implications for a distinctive B cell developmental pathway in teleost fish

During the analysis of Ig superfamily members within the available rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) EST gene index, we identified a unique Ig heavy-chain (IgH) isotype. cDNAs encoding this isotype are composed of a typical IgH leader sequence and a VDJ rearranged segment followed by four Ig superfamily C-1 domains represented as either membrane-bound or secretory versions. Because teleost fish were previously thought to encode and express only two IgH isotypes (IgM and IgD) for their humoral immune repertoire, we isolated all three cDNA isotypes from a single homozygous trout (OSU-142) to confirm that all three are indeed independent isotypes. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analysis indicates that this previously undescribed divergent isotype is restricted to bony fish, thus we have named this isotype "IgT" (??) for teleost fish. Genomic sequence analysis of an OSU-142 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone positive for all three IgH isotypes revealed that IgT utilizes the standard rainbow trout VH families, but surprisingly, the IgT isotype possesses its own exclusive set of DH and JH elements for the generation of diversity. The IgT D and J segments and ?? constant (C) region genes are located upstream of the D and J elements for IgM, representing a genomic IgH architecture that has not been observed in any other vertebrate class. All three isotypes are primarily expressed in the spleen and pronephros (bone marrow equivalent), and ontogenically, expression of IgT is present 4 d before hatching in developing embryos. ?? 2005 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of↗