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At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources

Mapping playa evaporite minerals with AVIRIS data: A first report from Death Valley, California

Efflorescent salt crusts in Death Valley, California, were mapped by using Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data and a recently developed least-squares spectral band-fitting algorithm. Eight different saline minerals were remotely identified, including three borates, hydroboracite, pinnoite, and rivadavite, that have not been previously reported from the Death Valley efflorescent crusts. The three borates are locally important phases in the crusts, and at least one of the minerals, rivadavite, appears to be forming directly from brine. Borates and other evaporite minerals provide a basis for making remote chemical measurements of desert hydrologic systems. For example, in the Eagle Borax Spring area, the AVIRIS mineral maps pointed to elevated magnesium and boron levels in the ground waters, and to the action of chemical divides causing subsurface fractionation of calcium. Many other chemical aspects of playa brines should have an expression in the associated evaporite assemblages. Certain anhydrous evaporites, including anhydrite, glauberite, and thenardite, lack absorption bands in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range, and crusts composed of these minerals could not be characterized by using AVIRIS. In these situations, thermal-infrared remote sensing data may complement visible and near-infrared data for mapping evaporites. Another problem occurred in wet areas of Death Valley, where water absorption caused low signal levels in the 2.0-2.5 ??m wavelength region that obscured any spectral features of evaporite minerals. Despite these difficulties, the results of this study demonstrate the potential for using AVIRIS and other imaging spectrometer data to study playa chemistry. Such data can be useful for understanding chemical linkages between evaporites and ground waters, and will facilitate studies of how desert ground-water regimes change through time in response to climatic and other variables.

California↗

The National Coal Resources Data System: A status report

The National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS) of the U.S. Geological Survey is an interactive computerized storage, retrieval, and display system to assess the quantity and quality of the nation's coal resources. It has been developed to provide geological coal-resource data currently available, to update that data, and to expand to new types of data. To this end the U.S. Geological Survey has initiated a 5- to 10-yr program to acquire point-source data for all coal-bearing regions through its own programs and cooperative projects with state agencies. Presently, files containing summary areal coal-tonnage estimates and proximate/ultimate chemical analyses, as well as point-located major-, minor-, and trace-element analyses, and stratigraphic data are available. New resource assessments can be made with point-source data, including drill-hole records, field measurements, and so on. Data may be displayed in literal form or graphically — for example, tables, isoline maps, and cross sections. The system software can calculate coal-resource estimates, generate overburden or interburden distribution, and delineate areas of coal with selected parameters (for example, < .3% sulfur, > 28 in.) within specified boundaries (for example, quadrangle, county).

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗

Water resources data in Minnesota, water year 2003 annual report

Water resources data for the 2003 water year for Minnesota consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage of lakes and reservoirs; ground-water quality; and water quality in wells. This report contains discharge records for 109 stream-gaging stations; stage for 12 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 4 stream-gaging stations; peak flow data for 90 highflow partial-record stations, and water levels for 3 groundwater observation wells. Additional water data were collected at various sites that are not part of the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey for cooperating State and Federal agencies in Minnesota.

Minnesota↗

Water resources data in Minnesota, water year 2004, annual report

Water resources data for the 2004 water year for Minnesota consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage of lakes and reservoirs; ground-water quality; and water quality in wells. This report contains discharge records for 110 stream-gaging stations; stage for 12 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 12 stream-gaging stations; peak flow data for 87 highflow partial-record stations, and water levels for 2 ground water observation wells. Additional water data were collected at various sites that are not part of the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey for cooperating State and Federal agencies in Minnesota.

Minnesota↗

Archive of ground penetrating radar data collected during USGS field activity 13BIM01—Dauphin Island, Alabama, April 2013

From April 13 to 20, 2013, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS-SPCMSC) conducted geophysical and sediment sampling surveys on Dauphin Island, Alabama, as part of Field Activity 13BIM01 . The objectives of the study were to quantify inorganic and organic accretion rates in back-barrier and mainland marsh and estuarine environments. Various field and laboratory methods were used to achieve these objectives, including subsurface imaging using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), sediment sampling, lithologic and microfossil analyses, and geochronology techniques to produce barrier island stratigraphic cross sections to help interpret the recent (last 2000 years) geologic evolution of the island. This data series report is an archive of GPR and associated Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected in April 2013 from Dauphin Island and adjacent barrier-island environments. In addition to GPR data, marsh core and vibracore data were also collected collected but are not reported (or included) in the current report. Data products, including elevation-corrected subsurface profile images of the processed GPR data, unprocessed digital GPR trace data, post-processed GPS data, Geographic Information System (GIS) files and accompanying Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata, can be downloaded from the Data Downloads page.

Alabama↗

National requirements for improved elevation data

This report presents the results of surveys, structured interviews, and workshops conducted to identify key national requirements for improved elevation data for the United States and its territories, including coastlines. Organizations also identified and reported the expected economic benefits that would be realized if their requirements for improved elevation were met (appendixes 1–3). This report describes the data collection methodology and summarizes the findings. Participating organizations included 34 Federal agencies, 50 States and two territories, and a sampling of local governments, tribes, and nongovernmental orgnizations. The nongovernmental organizations included The Nature Conservancy and a sampling of private sector businesses. These data were collected in 2010-2011 as part of the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA), a study to identify program alternatives for better meeting the Nation’s elevation data needs. NEEA tasks included the collection of national elevation requirements; analysis of the benefits and costs of meeting these requirements; assessment of emerging elevation technologies, lifecycle data management needs, and costs for managing and distributing a national-scale dataset and derived products; and candidate national elevation program alternatives that balance costs and benefits in meeting the Nation’s elevation requirements. The NEEA was sponsored by the National Digital Elevation Program (NDEP), a government coordination body with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as managing partner that includes the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), among the more than a dozen agencies and organizations. The term enhanced elevation data as used in this report refers broadly to three-dimensional measurements of land or submerged topography, built features, vegetation structure, and other landscape detail. Additional information about NEEA and its later use in the development of a 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) can be found at http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/index.html.

Open-File Report↗

Final Alabama Barrier Island restoration assessment report, appendix A: Data management plan

The Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment project focused exclusively on Dauphin Island, a significant barrier island along the northern Gulf of Mexico. This restoration feasibility study effort required data collection and analysis of many data types (e.g., hydro, sediment, currents, etc.) through the project’s life cycle to assess restoration measures and their effects on the sustainability of Dauphin Island. As such, the project requires a data management plan (DMP) to address issues such as data delivery format, organizational strategies, internal data sharing, archival processes, and product dissemination.

Alabama↗

Evaluating effectiveness of restoration to address current stressors to riverine fish

River restoration programmes with the goal of conserving and rehabilitating inland fishes have a multi-decadal history, but evaluation and synthesis of past restoration actions have been limited by a lack of monitoring and reporting. Given that calls for both monitoring and systematic reviews of restoration have increased, we were interested in the influence that restoration has had on improving conditions for riverine fishes resulting from long-standing and increasingly prominent stressors. Our objectives were to (1) identify which stressors were targeted in river restoration efforts, (2) determine the proportion of published studies that articulate restoration goals and develop comparative monitoring designs for assessing the effects of restoration on fishes, and (3) conduct a meta-analysis to synthesise fish responses to restoration projects. We assessed restoration effectiveness for increasing fish density and richness from peer-reviewed papers published over the past decade using a global systematic review and meta-analysis. We found that restoration actions addressed major stressors primarily by improving in-stream habitat (37%), increasing in-stream longitudinal connectivity (26%) and increasing lateral floodplain connections (9%). Although 81% of studies had comparative monitoring designs (i.e., before/after and control/impact) and stated restoration goals, only 40% of those studies reported sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis. Projects which increased in-stream connectivity had the largest positive effect size on fish density and richness compared to in-stream habitat improvements and increasing floodplain connections. Time since restoration and restoration size (i.e., geographical footprint) were not strong predictors of fish response effect sizes. Restoration effectiveness was highly variable among project types. Authors of studies included in the meta-analysis often identified spatial or temporal scale of monitoring, overriding catchment conditions, and recolonisation potential as sources of variability and effectiveness in restoration outcomes. Systematic reporting of these and other covariates may help guide processes in restoration evaluation and provide valuable research insights. Despite increased emphasis on monitoring, incomplete data reporting limited the number of studies that could be included for quantitative meta-analysis. Persistent emphasis on setting specific criteria (e.g., measurable outcomes of fish response) for restoration goals, project monitoring, data reporting, information sharing and collaborative projects is likely to continue to improve understanding of restoration effectiveness transferable to future endeavours. Our results can be used to support river restoration practitioners with evidence-based information to evaluate the cost–benefit ratio of competing restoration priorities, and inform restoration planning and implementation for riverine fish.

Freshwater Biology↗

Statistical summaries of Arizona streamflow data

The report includes statistical summaries of streamflow data for 143 gaging stations in Arizona. Statistical summaries are given for all active streamflow-gaging stations at which flow is unregulated, for discontinued stations that have at least 5 years of record, and for a few stations at which the flow is partly regulated. The summaries include (1) log-Pearson Type III flood-frequency data for selected streamflow-gaging stations, (2) annual peak discharges and gage heights and annual volumes, (3) duration tables of daily discharges, (4) lowest mean discharges, (5) highest mean discharges, (6) statistics on normal monthly mean discharges, and (7) statistics on normal annual mean discharges.

Arizona↗

Ground-water-quality assessment of the central Oklahoma aquifer, Oklahoma: Hydrologic, water-quality, and quality-assurance data 1987-90

This report presents data collected from 202 wells between June 1987 and September 1990 as part of the Central Oklahoma aquifer pilot study of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The report describes the sampling networks, the sampling procedures, and the results of the ground-water quality and quality-assurance sample analyses. The data tables consist of information about the wells sampled and the results of the chemical analyses of ground water and quality-assurance sampling. Chemical analyses of ground-water samples in four sampling networks are presented: A geochemical network, a low-density survey bedrock network, a low-density survey alluvium and terrace deposits network, and a targeted urban network. The analyses generally included physical properties, major ions, nutrients, trace substances, radionuclides, and organic constituents. The chemical analyses of the ground-water samples are presented in five tables: (1) Physical properties and concentrations of major ions, nutrients, and trace substances; (2) concentrations of radionuclides and radioactivities; (3) carbon isotope ratios and delta values (d-values) of selected isotopes; (4) concentrations of organic constituents; and (5) organic constituents not reported in ground-water samples. The quality of the ground water sampled varied substantially. The sum of constituents (dissolved solids) concentrations ranged from 71 to 5,610 milligrams per liter, with 38 percent of the wells sampled exceeding the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level of 500 milligrams per liter established under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Values of pH ranged from 5.7 to 9.2 units with 20 percent of the wells outside the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level of 6.5 to 8.5 units. Nitrite plus nitrate concentrations ranged from less than 0.1 to 85 milligrams per liter with 8 percent of the wells exceeding the proposed Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 milligrams per liter. Concentrations of trace substances were highly variable, ranging from below the reporting level to concentrations over the Maximum Contaminant Levels for several constituents (arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, and selenium). Radionuclide activities also were highly variable. Gross alpha radioactivity ranged from 0.1 to 210 picocuries per liter as 230thorium. Of the wells sampled, 20 percent exceeded the proposed Maximum Contaminant Level of 15 picocuries per liter for gross alpha radioactivity. Organic constituents were detected in 39 percent of the 170 wells sampled for organic constituents; in most cases concentrations were at or near the laboratory minimum reporting levels. Ten of the wells sampled for organic constituents had one or more constituents (chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, trichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane) at concentrations equal to or greater than the Maximum Contaminant Level or acceptable concentrations as suggested in the Environmental Protection Agency's Health Advisory Summaries. Quality-assurance sampling included duplicate samples, repeated samples, blanks, spikes, and blind samples. These samples proved to be essential in evaluating the accuracy of the data, particularly in the case of volatile organic constituents.

Oklahoma↗

Water levels in periodically measured wells in the Yucca Mountain area, Nye County, Nevada, 1981-87

This report contains data on groundwater levels beneath Yucca Mountain and adjacent areas, Nye County, Nevada. In addition to new data collected since 1983, the report contains data that has been updated from previous reports, including added explanations of the data. The data was collected in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy to help that agency evaluate the suitability of the area of storing high-level nuclear waste. The water table in the Yucca Mountain area occurs in ash-flow and air-fall tuff of Tertiary age. West of the crest of Yucca Mountain, water level altitudes are about 775 m above sea level. Along the eastern edge and southern end of Yucca Mountain, the potentiometric surface generally is nearly flat, ranging from about 730 to 728 m above sea level. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Estimating total human-caused mortality from reported mortality using data from radio-instrumented grizzly bears

Tracking mortality of the Yellowstone grizzly bear ( Ursus arctos horribilis ) is an essential issue of the recovery process. Problem bears removed by agencies are well documented. Deaths of radiocollared bears are known or, in many cases, can be reliably inferred. Additionally, the public reports an unknown proportion of deaths of uncollared bears. Estimating the number of non-agency human-caused mortalities is a necessary element that must be factored into the total annual mortality. Here, we describe a method of estimating the number of such deaths from records of reported human-caused bear mortalities. We used a hierarchical Bayesian model with a non-informative prior distribution for the number of deaths. Estimates of reporting rates developed from deaths of radio-instrumented bears from 1983 to 2000 were used to develop beta prior probability distributions that the public will report a death. Twenty-seven known deaths of radio-instrumented bears occurred during this period with 16 reported. Additionally, fates of 23 radio-instrumented bears were unknown and are considered possible unreported mortalities. We describe 3 ways of using this information to specify prior distributions on the probability a death will be reported by the public. We estimated total deaths of noninstrumented bears in running 3-year periods from 1993 to 2000. Thirty-nine known deaths of non-instrumented bears were reported during this period, ranging from 0 to 7/year. Seven possible mortalities were recorded. We applied the method to both sets of mortality data. Results from this method can be combined with agency removals and deaths of collared bears to produce defensible estimates of total mortality over relevant periods and to incorporate uncertainty when evaluating mortality limits established for the Yellowstone grizzly bear population. Assumptions and limitations of this procedure are discussed.

Idaho, Montana, Wyoming↗

Community for data integration 2019 project report

The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually supports small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 14 projects supported in fiscal year 2019 and outlines their goals, activities, and accomplishments. Proposals in 2019 were encouraged to address the optional disciplinary theme of biosurveillance of emerging invasive species and health threats.

Open-File Report↗

Community for Data Integration 2020 project report

The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 12 projects funded in fiscal year 2020, outlining their goals, activities, and accomplishments.

Open-File Report↗

Preliminary report on geophysical data in Yavapai County, Arizona

Recently acquired geophysical data provide information on the geologic framework and its effect of groundwater flow and on stream/aquifer interaction in Yavapai County, Arizona. High-resolution aeromagnetic data reflect diverse rock types at and below the topographic surface and have permitted a preliminary interpretation of faults and underlying rock types (in particular, volcanic) that will provide new insights on the geologic framework, critical input to future hydrologic investigations. Aeromagnetic data map the western end of the Bear Wallow Canyon fault into the sedimentary fill of Verde Valley. Regional gravity data indicate potentially significant accumulations of low-density basin fill in Big Chino, Verde, and Williamson Valleys. Electrical and seismic data were also collected and help evaluate the approximate depth and extent of recent alluvium overlying Tertiary and Paleozoic sediments. These data will be used to ascertain the potential contribution of shallow ground-water subflow that cannot be measured by gages or flow meters and whether stream flow in losing reaches is moving as subflow or is being lost to the subsurface. The geophysical data will help produce a more robust groundwater flow model of the region.

Arizona↗