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At least 847 records · Page 47Linked to original sources
USGS2008

State of Louisiana - Highlighting low-lying areas derived from USGS Digital Elevation Data

In support of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) disaster preparedness efforts, this map depicts a color shaded relief representation highlighting the State of Louisiana and depicts the surrounding areas using muted elevation colors. The first 30 feet of relief above mean sea level are displayed as brightly colored 5-foot elevation bands, which highlight low-elevation areas at a coarse spatial resolution. Areas below sea level typically are surrounded by levees or some other type of flood-control structures. Standard USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1 arc-second (nominally 30-meter) digital elevation model (DEM) data are the basis for the map, which is designed to be used at a broad scale and for informational purposes only. The NED data are a mixture of data and were derived from the original 1:24,000-scale USGS topographic map bare-earth contours, which were converted into gridded quadrangle-based DEM tiles at a constant post spacing (grid cell size) of either 30 meters (data before the mid-1990s) or 10 meters (mid-1990s and later data). These individual-quadrangle DEMs were then converted to spherical coordinates (latitude/longitude decimal degrees) and edge-matched to ensure seamlessness. Approximately one-half of the area shown on this map has DEM source data at a 30-meter resolution, with the remaining half consisting of mostly 10-meter contour-derived DEM data and some small areas of higher-resolution LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) data along parts of the coastline. Areas below sea level typically are surrounded by levees or some other type of flood-control structures. State and parish boundary, hydrography, city, and road layers were modified from USGS National Atlas data downloaded in 2003. The NED data were downloaded in 2007.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS2004

Investigation of hydroacoustic flow-monitoring alternatives at the Sacramento River at Freeport, California: results of the 2002-2004 pilot study

The Sacramento River at Freeport is a tidally affected channel approximately 620 feet wide located at the northern boundary of the Sacramento?San Joaquin River Delta, California. In 1978, an acoustic velocity meter was installed at Freeport to monitor the flow. The acoustic velocity meter was calibrated successfully and has been used continuously since that time. Although the calibration has been extremely stable, an increasing number of maintenance problems prompted a search for alternatives to monitor discharge at this location. Two sideward-looking acoustic Doppler velocity meters were tested in a pilot study from 2002-2004: a short-range system and a long-range system. The pilot study was conducted over a wide range of hydrologic conditions and both sideward-l-ooking acoustic Doppler velocity meters have performed well at this location and have been calibrated successfully. As of February 2004, the short-range system had a robust calibration and a higher data-recovery rate, therefore, it was selected as the primary replacement of the acoustic velocity meter, with the long-range system providing real-time data redundancy to minimize data loss.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2005

Simulated ground-water flow for a pond-dominated aquifer system near Great Sandy Bottom Pond, Pembroke, Massachusetts

A ground-water flow simulation for a 66.4-square-mile area around Great Sandy Bottom (GSB) Pond (105 acres) near Pembroke, Massachusetts, was developed for use by local and State water managers to assess the yields for public water supply of local ponds and wells for average climatic and drought conditions and the effects of water withdrawals on nearby water levels and streamflows. Wetlands and ponds cover about 30 percent of the study area and the aquifer system is dominated by interactions between ground water and the ponds. The three largest surface-water bodies in the study area are Silver Lake (640 acres), Monponsett Pond (590 acres), and Oldham Pond (236 acres). The study area is drained by tributaries of the Taunton River to the southwest, the South and North Rivers to the northeast, and the Jones River to the southeast. In 2002, 10.8 million gallons per day of water was exported from ponds and 3.5 million gallons per day from wells was used locally for public supply. A transient ground-water-flow model with 69 monthly stress periods spanning the period from January 1998 through September 2003 was calibrated to stage at GSB Pond and nearby Silver Lake and streamflow and water levels collected from September 2002 through September 2003. The calibrated model was used to assess hydrologic responses to a variety of water-use and climatic conditions. Simulation of predevelopment (no pumping or export) average monthly (1949-2002) water-level conditions caused the GSB Pond level to increase by 6.3 feet from the results of a simulation using average 2002 pumping for all wells, withdrawals, and exports. Most of this decline can be attributed to pumping, withdrawals, and exports of water from sites away from GSB Pond. The effects of increasing the export rate from GSB Pond by 1.25 and 1.5 times the 2002 rate were a lowering of pond levels by a maximum of 1.6 and 2.8 feet, respectively. Simulated results for two different drought conditions, one mild drought similar to that of 1979-82 and a more severe drought similar to that of 1963-66, but with current (2002) pumping, were compared to results for average monthly recharge conditions (1949-2002). Simulated mild drought conditions showed a reduction of GSB Pond level of about 1.3 feet and a lower streamflow of about 1.7 percent in the nearby stream. Simulated severe drought conditions reduced the pond level at GSB Pond by almost 7 feet and lowered streamflow by about 37 percent. Varying cranberry-irrigation practices had little effect on simulated GSB Pond water levels, but may be important in other ponds. The model was most sensitive to changes in areal recharge. An increase and decrease of 22 percent in recharge produced changes in the GSB Pond water level of +1.4 feet and -2.4 feet, respectively. The accuracy of simulation results was best in the central portion of the study area in the immediate location of GSB Pond. The model was developed with the study-area boundary far enough away from the GSB Pond area that the boundary would have minimal effect on the water levels in GSB Pond, nearby ponds, and the underlying aquifer system. The model is best suited for use by local and State water managers to assess the effects of different withdrawal scenarios for wells and ponds near GSB Pond and for general delineation of areas contributing recharge to wells and ponds in the vicinity of GSB Pond. The model in its current form may not be well suited to detailed analyses of water budgets and flow patterns for parts of the study area farther from GSB Pond without further investigation, calibration, and data collection.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2007

Chapter B. Physical, Chemical, and Biological Responses of Streams to Increasing Watershed Urbanization in the Piedmont Ecoregion of Georgia and Alabama, 2003

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program?s effort to assess the physical, chemical, and biological responses of streams to urbanization, 30 wadable streams were sampled near Atlanta, Ga., during 2002?2003. Watersheds were selected to minimize natural factors such as geology, altitude, and climate while representing a range of urban development. A multimetric urban intensity index was calculated using watershed land use, land cover, infrastructure, and socioeconomic variables that are highly correlated with population density. The index was used to select sites along a gradient from low to high urban intensity. Response variables measured include stream hydrology and water temperature, instream habitat, field properties (pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity), nutrients, pesticides, suspended sediment, sulfate, chloride, Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations, and characterization of algal, invertebrate and fish communities. In addition, semipermeablemembrane devices (SPMDs)?passive samplers that concentrate hydrophobic organic contaminants such as polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)?were used to evaluate water-quality conditions during the 4 weeks prior to biological sampling. Changes in physical, chemical, and biological conditions were evaluated using both nonparametric correlation analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS) ordinations and associated comparisons of dataset similarity matrices. Many of the commonly reported effects of watershed urbanization on streams were observed in this study, such as altered hydrology and increases in some chemical constituent levels. Analysis of water-chemistry data showed that specific conductance, chloride, sulfate, and pesticides increased as urbanization increased. Nutrient concentrations were not directly correlated to increases in development, but were inversely correlated to percent forest in the watershed. Analyses of SPMD-derived data showed that bioassays and certain chemical constituents such as pyrene and benzophenanthrene, both PAHs found in coal tar, were strongly correlated with measures of watershed urbanization. Hydrologic variability metrics indicated that as urban development increased, streams became flashier, with characteristic high flows having shorter duration. The hydrologic effects associated with urbanization were greatest during the fall and least apparent during the winter. No correlations were observed between increasing urbanization and stream temperature or changes in stream habitat. Algal, invertebrate, and fish communities exhibited statistically significant changes as watersheds became increasingly urban, with the strongest responses observed in the invertebrate community followed by fishes, then algal diatom communities. Invertebrate communities were the most responsive to increasing urbanization with Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Tricoptera taxa, especially Plecoptera (stoneflies) responding negatively and most strongly to increasing urbanization. Invertebrate communities were influenced more significantly by water quality, although significant responses to altered hydrology also were noted. In terms of the fish community, the percentage of cyprinids present in the stream was the only Index of Biotic Integrity metric that responded negatively to increases in watershed urbanization. Fish community response to urbanization was intermediate relative to algae and invertebrates with respect to significant metric responses as well as the overall community response to increasing urbanization. Measures of hydrologic variability were the most influential environmental variables affecting the algal community. Although sites were originally chosen to represent a gradient of increasing urbanization, a cluster analysis performed on the component metrics of the urban index categorized sites into four distinct groups. Multivariate analysis based on nonmetric MDS and related analyses of data ma

Alabama, Georgia↗
USGS2009

Method for Estimating Water Withdrawals for Livestock in the United States, 2005

Livestock water use includes ground water and surface water associated with livestock watering, feedlots, dairy operations, and other on-farm needs. The water may be used for drinking, cooling, sanitation, waste disposal, and other needs related to the animals. Estimates of water withdrawals for livestock are needed for water planning and management. This report documents a method used to estimate withdrawals of fresh ground water and surface water for livestock in 2005 for each county and county equivalent in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Categories of livestock included dairy cattle, beef and other cattle, hogs and pigs, laying hens, broilers and other chickens, turkeys, sheep and lambs, all goats, and horses (including ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys). Use of the method described in this report could result in more consistent water-withdrawal estimates for livestock that can be used by water managers and planners to determine water needs and trends across the United States. Water withdrawals for livestock in 2005 were estimated by using water-use coefficients, in gallons per head per day for each animal type, and livestock-population data. Coefficients for various livestock for most States were obtained from U.S. Geological Survey water-use program personnel or U.S. Geological Survey water-use publications. When no coefficient was available for an animal type in a State, the median value of reported coefficients for that animal was used. Livestock-population data were provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. County estimates were further divided into ground-water and surface-water withdrawals for each county and county equivalent. County totals from 2005 were compared to county totals from 1995 and 2000. Large deviations from 1995 or 2000 livestock withdrawal estimates were investigated and generally were due to comparison with reported withdrawals, differences in estimation techniques, differences in livestock coefficients, or use of livestock-population data from different sources. The results of this study were distributed to U.S. Geological Survey water-use program personnel in each State during 2007. Water-use program personnel are required to submit estimated withdrawals for all categories of use in their States to the National Water-Use Information Program for inclusion in a national report describing water use in the United States during 2005. Water-use program personnel had the option of submitting these estimates, a modified version of these estimates, or their own set of estimates or reported data. Estimated withdrawals resulting from the method described in this report are not presented herein to avoid potential inconsistencies with estimated withdrawals for livestock that will be presented in the national report, as different methods used by water-use personnel may result in different withdrawal estimates. Estimated withdrawals also are not presented to avoid potential disclosure of data for individual livestock operations.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2018

Preliminary groundwater salinity mapping near selected oil fields using historical water-sample data, central and southern California

The distribution of groundwater salinity was mapped for 31 oil fields and adjacent aquifers and summarized by 8 subregions across major oil-producing areas of central and southern California. The objectives of this study were to describe the distribution of groundwater near oil fields having total dissolved solids less than 10,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) based on available data and to document where data gaps exist. Salinity was represented by the measured or calculated concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS) in samples of produced water obtained from petroleum wells and groundwater obtained from water wells. The water chemistry data were used to estimate the minimum depths of TDS greater than 3,000 mg/L and greater than 10,000 mg/L in areas near selected oil fields using historical water-chemistry data coupled with available well-location and construction information. The 10,000 mg/L threshold, representing the highest level of TDS concentration of water that could be considered as a potential source of drinking water, was present in all but 4 (Jasmin, Kern Bluff, Kern Front, and Mount Poso) of the 31 individual oil fields. Among petroleum wells, the median TDS concentration of produced water ranged from 500 mg/L for the Jasmin field to 32,636 mg/L for the Elk Hills field. Among water wells, median TDS concentrations, either reported or calculated from specific conductance, ranged from 151 mg/L for wells within 2 miles of the Ten Section field to 9,750 mg/L for wells within 2 miles of the combined North and South Belridge fields. In general, TDS across the eight geographic subregions increased with depth, but the relation of TDS with depth varied regionally. The most pronounced increases in TDS with depth were across the West Kern Valley Floor and West Kern Valley Margin subregions on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, and in the vicinity of the Wilmington field in the Los Angeles Basin subregion; in these areas, relatively high TDS concentrations greater than 10,000 mg/L were present within the upper few hundred to several thousand feet of land surface. Total dissolved solids concentrations increased more gradually with depth in the Middle Kern Valley Floor subregion, in the South Kern Valley Margin subregion, in the vicinity of the Montebello and Santa Fe Springs fields in the Los Angeles Basin subregion, and in the Central Coast Basin subregion. The Kern Sierran Foothills and East Kern Valley Floor subregions, on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley, had the most gradual increases in TDS with depth. Fields in the East Kern Valley Floor subregion generally had groundwater and produced water with TDS less than 10,000 mg/L that extended to a large depth compared to most other subregions. Overall, the west side of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County and the Wilmington field in Los Angeles County generally have the highest TDS values and the shallowest depths to high TDS. High TDS at relatively shallow depths on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley may be because of a combination of natural conditions and anthropogenic factors. In the vicinity of the Wilmington field in the Los Angeles Basin subregion, high TDS at relatively shallow depths is attributable at least in part to seawater intrusion. Fields on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County have the lowest TDS and greatest depths to TDS greater than 10,000 mg/L because of their geologic setting adjacent to Sierra Nevada recharge areas. Reconnaissance salinity mapping was limited by several factors. The primary limitation was the lack of well-construction data for a significant number of water wells. Bottom perforation, well depth, or hole depth were not available for 35 percent of wells used for salinity mapping. A second limitation was variability in data quality. Total dissolved solids and specific conductance data were compiled from different data sources with varying degrees of documentation that ranged from comprehensive to very little or none. As a result, it was not always possible to assess the quality of the provided data with respect to either conditions at each well during sampling or the methodology used for sample collection and analysis. A third limitation was the lack of wells, either petroleum or water, and associated TDS data over large vertical intervals for some fields. As a result, the distribution of salinity and the depths at which TDS concentration exceeds the 3,000 and 10,000 mg/L thresholds could not always be precisely determined. This analysis highlights key gaps that need to be filled with additional analysis of other sources of information, such as borehole geophysical logs and new water sample or geophysical data collection.

California↗
USGS2018

Chemical and isotopic characteristics of methane in groundwater of Ohio, 2016

In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Ohio Water Development Authority, investigated the hydrogeologic setting, chemical and isotopic characteristics, and origin of methane in groundwater of Ohio. Understanding the occurrence and distribution of methane in groundwater is important in terms of public safety because methane in water wells can pose a risk of explosion. In addition, documenting the chemical and isotopic characteristics of methane in groundwater can make an important contribution to future stray gas investigations. Water samples were collected from 15 domestic water wells known to produce methane, which were in 12 counties in diverse parts of Ohio. The wells were 75–345 feet deep and tapped a range of aquifer types, including glacial deposits and bedrock of Upper Ordovician, Upper Devonian, Lower Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian ages. Although the hydrogeologic settings were varied, there was a broad similarity among the well sites in that the bedrock was predominantly shale and the glacial deposits were predominantly clay. The wells were sampled for dissolved inorganic constituents; dissolved organic carbon; methane and other dissolved gases; stable isotopes (carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) of methane, water, and dissolved inorganic carbon; and carbon-14 of methane. Gas composition and stable isotopes of methane were used to differentiate thermogenic and microbial methane. The degree of fractionation of hydrogen and carbon isotopes was used to evaluate the pathway of microbial methanogenesis (carbon dioxide [CO 2 ] reduction or acetate fermentation) and the effects of secondary processes such as oxidation, mixing, and migration. The concentration of carbon-14 of methane was used to evaluate the relative age of the carbon source. The quality of water from the 15 wells differed greatly; water types ranged from CaMgHCO 3 to NaCl, and total dissolved solids concentrations ranged from 318 to 2,940 milligrams per liter (mg/L). Methane concentrations ranged from 1.2 to 120 mg/L. Of the 15 samples, 12 had methane concentrations greater than 28 mg/L, the level that can pose a risk of explosion. Of the 15 samples, 12 had chemical and isotopic characteristics or "signatures" consistent with microbial methane formed by CO 2 reduction. CO 2 reduction is commonly associated with microbial degradation of organic matter in anaerobic aquifers and with the formation of microbial shale gas and coalbed methane along margins of sedimentary basins. Two of 15 samples were interpreted as having a component of thermogenic methane based on the δ 13 C of methane (−50.96 and −47.74 parts per thousand [per mil]) and gas dryness (28 and 5). One of 15 samples (from the shallowest well) had chemical and isotopic characteristics consistent with methane oxidation by sulfate reduction based on light δ 13 C of dissolved inorganic carbon (−31.6 per mil) and evidence of sulfate reduction in terms of the odor and appearance of the water. For the 12 samples interpreted as microbial methane formed by CO 2 reduction, the δ 13 C of methane varied from −75 to −56 per mil. Multiple samples from the same aquifer demonstrated a general trend of increasing δ 13 C of methane with depth. Samples with lighter δ 13 C of methane (−75 to −62 per mil) were from shallower wells (or wells with shallow open intervals), and the isotopic signature of the water was consistent with modern or postglacial groundwater recharge. Three samples with heavier δ 13 C of methane (−61 to −56 per mil) were from deeper wells or more confined aquifers where the isotopic signature of water was consistent with older (glacial) recharge. In addition, δ 13 C of dissolved inorganic carbon was enriched (+12 to +18.9 per mil), and carbon-14 of methane was consistent with carbon associated with Paleozoic bedrock or older glacial deposits. These observations are generally consistent with increased Rayleigh-type fractionation at greater depths; however, other interpretations are possible. Isotopic signatures can be ambiguous, especially in areas with complex geologic histories that include multiple episodes of migration, mixing, and (or) oxidation. Many of the wells were in proximity to multiple potential natural and anthropogenic pathways of methane migration; however, it is not possible to determine if the methane in any of the wells is related to human activities based on the chemical and isotopic data collected for this study.

Ohio↗
USGS2019

Documentation of a Soil-Water-Balance Model to estimate recharge to Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Mesozoic Basin fractured-rock aquifers, Fauquier County, Virginia, 1996 through 2015

This report documents a Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model that was developed for an area covering the Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Mesozoic basin fractured-rock aquifers in Fauquier County, Virginia, for the calendar years 1996–2015. The SWB model includes an area of 1,498 square miles, divided into 1,076-square-foot (100-square-meter) grid cells on which daily groundwater recharge was estimated using existing elevation, meteorological, land-use, and soil property datasets. Daily groundwater recharge estimates obtained from the model were summarized annually, and annual model output was compared to the results of the hydrograph separation method, PART, on streamflow data from two streamgages in Fauquier County with periods of continuous record overlapping those of the SWB model period (01643700 Goose Creek near Middleburg, Virginia, and 01656000 Cedar Run near Catlett, Virginia). Spatially distributed groundwater recharge results from the SWB model represent annual conditions and the 20-year average values for the years 1996–2015, including estimated recharge during a previously defined drought in 2001. The 20-year average recharge in Fauquier County from the SWB model ranged from 8.1 inches per year (in/yr) in Blue Ridge aquifers to 5.3 in/yr in Mesozoic basin aquifers. Although mean annual precipitation volumes vary slightly across the County, the contrast in recharge among the Blue Ridge and western Piedmont aquifers with that of the Mesozoic basin aquifers is largely a result of differences in soil infiltration capacity. Precipitation totals 20 percent below mean annual precipitation from 1996–2015 produced drought recharge rates that were less than 50 percent of mean annual recharge. The SWB model and model output, including spatially distributed annual estimates of groundwater recharge, evapotranspiration, and gross precipitation for the 1996 through 2015 model period, are publicly available as a U.S. Geological Survey data release.

Virginia↗
USGS2020

Bathymetry of Morris Lake (Newton Reservoir), New Jersey, 2018

Morris Lake, also known as Newton Reservoir, has been the source of drinking water for the Town of Newton, New Jersey, since the early 1900s. Although Morris Lake has been used as a source of drinking water for many years, its capacity was previously uncertain. In April 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection conducted a bathymetric survey of Morris Lake using a multibeam echosounder to map the reservoir. The points measured with the multibeam echosounder were combined with light detection and ranging data above the water surface and processed to create a 3.3-foot (1 meter) raster grid of the bathymetric surface, bathymetric contours at 2-foot intervals of depth and elevation, and an elevation-area-capacity table. The results of the bathymetric survey show that Morris Lake has a maximum depth of just over 119 feet with an average depth of 42 feet. Like the surrounding topography, parts of the reservoir are extremely steep. The capacity of the reservoir at full spillway level is 1,980 million gallons, with a corresponding surface area of 145 acres. The accuracy of the mapped multibeam echosounder bathymetric data was evaluated using a quality assurance dataset collected with a single-beam echosounder; 9,386 quality assurance points were spatially joined with the mapped raster surface to compute measurement errors. The calculated median point error for Morris Lake was 0.23 foot, the median absolute error was 0.35 foot, and the 95-percent accuracy was 2.68 feet. The largest errors occurred in the steepest areas of the reservoir and in unmeasured areas. Geospatial files of the bathymetry data, including the mapped bathymetric surface, contours, and capacity tables, quality assurance points, and associated metadata are available for download as part of an accompanying U.S. Geological Survey data release.

New Jersey↗
USGS2022

Groundwater-level contour map of Fauquier County, Virginia, October-November 2018

Groundwater withdrawals provide most public-water supplies and all private-domestic users in Fauquier County, Virginia, a fast-growing rural area southwest of Washington, D.C. Groundwater levels were measured in 129 wells during a county-wide synoptic survey from October 29 through November 2, 2018. Field measurements, combined with datapoints from the National Hydrography Dataset, were used to develop a county-wide groundwater-level contour map. Groundwater levels and withdrawals during the synoptic survey were near or slightly above long-term medians. Error analysis indicated that the estimated groundwater-level contours generally were lower than observed measurements, with a root-mean-squared error of 33.52 feet. Groundwater levels in Fauquier County are controlled largely by topography: low levels in the crystalline Blue Ridge aquifers in the northwestern part of the county contrast markedly with higher levels in the sedimentary Mesozoic Basin aquifers in the southeast. At current levels of groundwater withdrawal, and at the scale and scope of the synoptic survey, no cones of depression in the groundwater surface were detected. The Fauquier County groundwater-level contour map is available as a U.S. Geological Survey data release.

Virginia↗
USGS2012

Olympic Fisher Reintroduction Project: Progress report 2008-2011

This progress report summarizes the final year of activities of Phase I of the Olympic fisher restoration project. The intent of the Olympic fisher reintroduction project is to reestablish a self-sustaining population of fishers on the Olympic Peninsula. To achieve this goal, the Olympic fisher reintroduction project released 90 fishers within Olympic National Park from 2008 to 2010. The reintroduction of fishers to the Olympic Peninsula was designed as an adaptive management project, including the monitoring of released fishers as a means to (1) evaluate reintroduction success, (2) investigate key biological and ecological traits of fishers, and (3) inform future reintroduction, monitoring, and research efforts. This report summarizes reintroduction activities and preliminary research and monitoring results completed through December 2011. The report is non-interpretational in nature. Although we report the status of movement, survival, and home range components of the research, we have not completed final analyses and interpretation of research results. Much of the data collected during the monitoring and research project will be analyzed and interpreted in the doctoral dissertation being developed by Jeff Lewis; the completion of this dissertation is anticipated prior to April 2013. We anticipate that this work, and analyses of other data collected during the project, will result in several peer-reviewed scientific publications in ecological and conservation journals, which collectively will comprise the final reporting of work summarized here. These publications will include papers addressing post-release movements, survival, resource selection, food habits, and age determination of fishers.

Report↗
USGS2000

U.S. Geological Survey Activities Related to American Indians and Alaska Natives Fiscal Year 2000

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is an impartial scientific organization that strives to produce scientific results that are relevant to the people of the United States and their land and resource managers. USGS does not improve the quality of its customers' lives; it provides the informational tools for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and other customers to understand and improve their own lives. In cooperation with American Indian and Alaska Native governments, the USGS conducts research on water and mineral resources, animals and plants of environmental, economic, or subsistence importance, natural hazards, and geologic resources. Digital data on cartography, mineral resources, stream flows, biota, and other data sets are available to American Indian and Alaska Native institutions. The USGS recognizes the need to learn from and share knowledge with Native peoples. This report describes most of the activities that the USGS conducted with American Indian and Alaska Native governments, educational institutions, and individuals during Federal Fiscal Year 2000. Some of these USGS activities were conducted in concert with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Others were conducted by Tribes and the USGS. In the year 2000, the USGS began examining its activities related to American Indians and Native Alaskans to determine how it can better serve these customers within its mandates. More Tribal governments, educational institutions, and other Tribal organizations are using geographic information systems and other digital technologies in recent years. As Tribes become more interested and more adept at managing digital information, they are seeking such data from the USGS with greater frequency. The increasing use of such technologies allows Tribal governments additional means of managing lands and resources for the benefit of current and future generations. The USGS recognizes the need to make its information available to Tribal governments, and to work with those governments and other institutions to advance data management capabilities. The USGS is responding to this need by increasing the transfer of scientific information to American Indian and Alaska Native governments and by training employees of these governments to conduct and improve scientific studies. The USGS is also encouraging American Indians and Alaska Natives to pursue careers in science, and seeking ways to hire Indian and Native students. By identifying, improving, and disseminating information about available hiring mechanisms, the USGS is working to make hiring such students easier, and therefore more likely, for USGS managers. The U.S. Geological Survey is the Federal science bureau within the Department of the Interior (DoI). The USGS is non-regulatory and is not a significant manager of Federal or Trust lands or assets. However, there are two types of USGS activities that do involve American Indians, Alaska Natives, and their lands. The first type of activity is the course of formal studies, conducted through existing USGS programs, that involve collection of specific types of data as well as investigative and research projects. These projects have a duration of two or three years, although a few are parts of longer-term activities. Some are funded through cooperative agreements or reimbursable accounts, from monies provided to the USGS by individual Tribal governments or by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The USGS provides matching funds for cooperative projects. These formal projects may also receive funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Indian Health Service (part of the Department of Health and Human Services), or other Federal agencies. The USGS routinely works with its sister bureaus in the Department of the Interior to provide the scientific information and expertise needed to meet the Department's science priorities. Within this context, the USGS and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are cooperating to use USGS knowledge for the benefit of American Indian and Native peoples and their lands. The second type of USGS activity is less formal, based on initiatives designed and conducted by USGS employees. Frequently involving educational activities, these endeavors are prompted by employee interests, often as collateral issues, that result from an individual or group of USGS employees identifying and responding to an observed need. In these activities, USGS employees help us fulfill a mission of the USGS, to make science relevant, while helping their fellow citizens. USGS employees have also taken the initiative to assist American Indians and Alaska Natives through participation in several organizations that were created to foster knowledge of science among Native peoples and to help build support and communication networks. One such group is the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). This group sponsors an annual national meeting in which USGS employees participate. USGS employees join this organization on a voluntary basis, paying the costs themselves, yet bringing the benefits of this expanded network to the USGS, as many employees do with other professional organizations. Each part of the USGS has identified an American Indian/Alaska Native liaison. As USGS moves to a more regional organizational structure, it will establish contacts in the Western, Central, and Eastern Regions. Within the USGS, this report will help in developing outreach, educational, and program documents for use in future years. It is hoped that USGS employees, American Indians, and Alaska Natives will adapt these activities in new areas and will use the USGS contacts to expand the relevance of the USGS to more Americans.

Report↗
USGS2025

VIPER site analysis

We needed to evaluate available orbital data of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission area in order to derive a variety of maps to help the science team identify scientifically interesting places for the rover to visit and to provide scientific context for our mission. Some of these maps also fulfilled engineering and mission design needs to enable safe and efficient landing and roving. We incorporated data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, the Lunar Orbital Laser Altimeter, the Mini-RF instrument, the Chandrayaan-2 Orbital High Resolution Camera, the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter’s Shadowcam, the Kaguya Spectral Profiler and Multiband Imager, and the Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper. We used a variety of techniques to build these maps, including stereogrammetry, shape-from-shading, ice stability depth and surface temperature calculations, and the horizon method for solar illumination and direct-to-Earth communications maps. Altogether, these maps allowed us to survey for boulders, evaluate features in permanently shadowed regions that VIPER might explore, provide mineralogic context for what VIPER’s instruments may learn, estimate the ages and radar properties of craters in the VIPER mission area, and evaluate the potential for gravity traverses with the rover. These data and techniques provided a rich set of information from which both the VIPER science team and engineering teams were able to draw in order to plan a safe landing and to plan a VIPER surface mission that will be both scientifically valuable and robust from an operational perspective.

The Planetary Science Journal↗
USGS2014

Status and trends of Caribbean coral reefs: 1970-2012

This it the 9th status report since the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) was founded in 1995 was the data arm of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to document the ecological condition or corral reefs, strengthen monitoring efforts, and link existing organizations and people working on reefs worldwide. The US Government provided the initial funding to help set up a global network of coral reef workers and has continued to provide core support. Since then, the series of reports have aimed to present the current status of coral reefs of the world or particular regions, the major threats to reefs and their consequences, and any initiative undertaken under the auspices of ICRI or other bodies to arrest or reverse the decline of coral reefs. IUCN assumed responsibility for hosting the global coordination of the GCRMN in 2010 under the scientific direction of Jeremy Jackson with the following objectives: 1. Document quantitatively the global status and trends for corals, macroalgae, sea urchins, and fishes based on available data from individual scientists as well as the peer reviewed scientific literature, monitoring programs, and report. 2. Bring together regional experts in a series of workshops to involve them in data compilation, analysis, and synthesis. 3. Integrate coral reef status and trends with independent environmental, management, and socioeconomic data to better understand the primary factors responsible for coral reef decline, the possible synergies among factors that may further magnify their impacts, and how these stresses may be more effectively alleviated. Work with GCRMN partners to establish simple and practical standardized protocols for future monitoring and assessment. Disseminate information and results to help guide member state policy and actions. The overarching objective is to understand why some reefs are much healthier than others, to identify what kinds of actions have been particularly beneficial or harmful, and to vigorously communicate results in simple and straightforward terms to foster more effective conservation and management. This and subsequent reports will focus on separate biogeographic regions in a stepwise fashion and combine all of the results for a global synthesis in the coming years. We began in the wide Caribbean region because the historical data are so extensive and to refine methods of analysis before moving on to other regions. This report documents quantitative trends for Caribbean reef corals, macroalgae, sea urchins, and fishes based on data from 90 reef locations over the past 43 tears. This is the first report to combine all these disparate kinds of data in a single place to explore how the different major components of coral reef ecosystems interact on a broadly regional oceanic scale. We obtained data from more than 35,000 ecological surveys carried out by 78 principal investigators (PIs) and some 200 colleagues working in 34 countries, states, and territories throughout the wide Caribbean region. We conducted two workshops in Panama and Brisbane, Australia to bring together people who provided the data to assist in data quality control, analysis, and synthesis. The first workshop at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in the Republic of Panama 29 April to 5 May, 2012 included scientists from 18 countries and territories to verify and expand the database and to conduct exploratory analyses of status and trends. Preliminary results based on the Panama workshop were presented to the DC Marine Community and Smithsonian Institution Senate of Scientists in May 2012 and at the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) and annual ICRI meeting in Cairns, Australia in July 2012. The second workshop in Brisbane, Australia in December 2012 brought together eight coral reef scientists for more detailed data analysis and organization of results for this report and subsequent publications. Subsequent presentations to solicit comments while the report was being finalized were made in 2013-2014 at the ICRI General meeting in Belize, the biennial meeting of the Association of Island Marine Laboratories in Jamaica, the Panamerican Coral Reef Congress in Merida, Mexico, the annual meeting of he Western Society of Naturalists, and numerous universities in Costa Rica, the USA and Europe. The main body of the report is in two sections. Part I provides an overview of overall status and trends and detailed analyses of the multiple factors responsible for the decline of reef corals throughout the entire wider Caribbean region. The editors are grateful to all the people who have so generously provided data and expertise, but we assume responsibility for the many statements, conclusions and recommendations and final wording of the text. Part II provides a more detailed analysis of the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems in the 32 countries, states, and territories for which we have data. The format includes maps indicating all locations sampled, a detailed table of data sources and sites surveyed, timelines of ecologically important evens, and relevant references. Each of these reports was compiled in consultation with local experts and all those who provided data and advice are listed as authors of each country report.

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USGS2021

U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Forum—Summary of remaining data and science needs and next steps

A U.S. Geological Survey-led assessment of data gaps and science needs across the Great Lakes ecosystem indicated the following: • Expanded data collection or monitoring would provide basic ecosystem, social, and public health data to manage the Great Lakes system and to develop and test models and decision support tools. • New science and advanced technologies (for example, sensors and high-performance computing capability) would improve the understanding of critical threats, such as harmful algae blooms and high-water levels. Although there is significant scientific knowledge in specific areas or for specific topics, managers could use improved models and decision support tools, strengthened by extensive data collection and developed at multiple scales, to better inform decision making in the future. Enhanced coordination of agency efforts and associated data collection across data types (for example, prey fish populations and water levels) is needed to effectively manage the Great Lakes. This report highlights the data gaps; benefits of better, more structured coordination; and areas of concern specifically related to data collection/measurement and science efforts. It summarizes and analyzes stakeholder feedback and information from review of scientific literature. Finally, the report outlines steps necessary to create an integrated Great Lakes science plan.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1981

Preliminary design study for a National Digital Seismograph Network

Recently, the National Research Council published a report by the Panel on National, Regional, and Local Seismograph Networks of the Committee on Seismology in which the principal recommendation was for the establishment of a national digital seismograph network (NDSN). The Panel Report (Bolt, 1980) addresses both the need and the scientific requirements for the new national network. The purpose of this study has been to translate the scientific requirements into an instrumentation concept for the NSDS. There are literally hundreds, perhaps thousands, of seismographs in operation within the United States. Each serves an important purpose, but most have limited objectives in time, in region, or in the types of data that are being recorded. The concept of a national network, funded and operated by the Federal Government, is based on broader objectives that include continuity of time, uniform coverage, standardization of data format and instruments, and widespread use of the data for a variety of research purposes. A national digital seismograph network will be an important data resource for many years to come; hence, its design is likely to be of interest to most seismologists. Seismologists have traditionally been involved in the development and field operation of seismic systems and thus have been familiar with both the potential value and the limitations of the data. However, in recent years of increasing technological sophistication, the development of data sstems has fallen more to system engineers, and this trend is likely to continue. One danger in this is that the engineers may misinterpret scientific objectives or subordinate them to purely technological considerations. Another risk is that the data users may misuse or misinterpret the data because they are not aware of the limitations of the data system. Perhaps the most important purpose of a design study such as this is to stimulate a dialogue between system engineers and potential data users. The NDSN system concept presented in this report is intended to serve as a point of discussion -- a strawman, if you will. It is a feasible solution to what we perceive to be the objectives of the NDSN, but it is not a unique solution. Current technology offers a variety of choices in meeting design objectives. We have examined some but not all of these choices. Although our fundamental concept of the NDSN is based on current technology, we have anticipated developments in several fields where state-of-the-art is evolving rapidly, notably satellite communications and database management. If the installation of the NDSN is delayed 5 - 10 years, we anticipate that the methods proposed to record, communicate, and manage the data may change, but it is likely that the fundamental data requirements will be the same. Therefore, in this study we have concentrated more on the types of data that will be generated at the NDSN stations and less on specific hardware that might be used in the data system. When the NDSN is budgeted, a second, more hardware-oriented design study may be needed.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2023

Documenting Arctic sea ice dynamics with Global Fiducials Program imagery

For more than 25 years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has used the remote-sensing capabilities of United States National Imagery Systems (USNIS) to obtain high-resolution electro-optical imagery to monitor Earth’s response to global environmental change. A major focus has been monitoring sea ice behavior in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas. In 1997 and 1998, under the direction of the Global Fiducials Program (GFP), USNIS imagery was collected during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) Project. In 1999, collection of USNIS imagery of six static sea ice sites in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas began, and the imagery was archived in the USGS-hosted Global Fiducials Library (GFL). The static sites were imaged through 2014, creating time series of geographically referenced images which scientists have used to study seasonal changes in Arctic ice over the same locations for extended time periods. In early 2009, the Central Intelligence Agency’s MEDEA Program requested that the USGS use USNIS imagery to track movements of sea ice floes during an entire Arctic summer (April through September). The goal was to improve researchers’ understanding of seasonal changes in Arctic sea ice. In order to track and repeatedly capture imagery of the same ice as it drifted across the Arctic Ocean, the USGS developed a methodology and a series of protocols to use data from telemetering drift buoys deployed at locations across the Arctic Ocean by the International Arctic Buoy Programme (IABP) to track the drift of targeted ice masses for periods that exceeded a year. Resulting time series of sea ice imagery, captured while monitoring 38 individual buoys, were archived in the GFL. In 2013 and 2014, in support of the Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys (SIZRS) Program led by the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, the USGS requested the collection of USNIS imagery of selected sites in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas located at every degree of latitude between 70º and 80º N. along a north-south transect. This was done to track and understand the interplay among the ice, atmosphere, and ocean and what it contributes to the rapid decline in summer ice extent that has occurred in recent years. Under the auspices of the GFP, thousands of sea ice images have been collected. Many of those that pass a quality and cloud-cover screening are archived in the GFL. Of these, more than 1,750 sea ice images have been publicly released, following an editing and processing procedure that produces high-resolution degraded images, known as “literal imagery-derived products” or LIDPs. These LIDPs have been approved for free, unrestricted public distribution and scientific analysis. The LIDPs can be downloaded from the USGS Global Fiducials Library Data Access Portal (USGS GFLDAP) at https://www.usgs.gov/global-fiducials-library-data-access-portal . In addition, nonliteral imagery-derived products (nonliteral IDPs), such as metadata, maps, charts, and graphs, have also been released.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1992

Sampling design for spatially distributed hydrogeologic and environmental processes

A methodology for the design of sampling networks over space is proposed. The methodology is based on spatial random field representations of nonhomogeneous natural processes, and on optimal spatial estimation techniques. One of the most important results of random field theory for physical sciences is its rationalization of correlations in spatial variability of natural processes. This correlation is extremely important both for interpreting spatially distributed observations and for predictive performance. The extent of site sampling and the types of data to be collected will depend on the relationship of subsurface variability to predictive uncertainty. While hypothesis formulation and initial identification of spatial variability characteristics are based on scientific understanding (such as knowledge of the physics of the underlying phenomena, geological interpretations, intuition and experience), the support offered by field data is statistically modelled. This model is not limited by the geometric nature of sampling and covers a wide range in subsurface uncertainties. A factorization scheme of the sampling error variance is derived, which possesses certain atttactive properties allowing significant savings in computations. By means of this scheme, a practical sampling design procedure providing suitable indices of the sampling error variance is established. These indices can be used by way of multiobjective decision criteria to obtain the best sampling strategy. Neither the actual implementation of the in-situ sampling nor the solution of the large spatial estimation systems of equations are necessary. The required values of the accuracy parameters involved in the network design are derived using reference charts (readily available for various combinations of data configurations and spatial variability parameters) and certain simple yet accurate analytical formulas. Insight is gained by applying the proposed sampling procedure to realistic examples related to sampling problems in two dimensions.

Advances in Water Resources↗