SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Life”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,441 records · Page 80Linked to original sources

USGS2022

Monitoring the movements of juvenile Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Yakima River, Washington, using acoustic telemetry, 2019–20

Anthropogenic barriers to main-stem and tributary passage are one of the primary threats associated with declining populations of Pacific Lamprey ( Entosphenus tridentatus ) in the Columbia River Basin. Juvenile lamprey are of special interest because their downstream migration to the ocean may be affected by barriers such as dams or water diversions. Telemetry studies that describe the movement and passage of juvenile lamprey have not been possible until the recent development of a micro-transmitter specifically for use in juvenile lamprey and eels. Through a collaborative research approach, we used these prototype transmitters and acoustic monitoring arrays installed for a juvenile salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) migration study to evaluate juvenile lamprey movements in the Yakima River (river kilometer 179 to the river mouth) in 2019 and 2020. We tagged and released 152 juvenile lamprey from April 30 to June 5, 2019, and on June 9, 2020. Lamprey were released 6.9 kilometers (km) upstream from Wapato Dam, 1.2 km upstream from Prosser Dam, and into the canal and tailrace at Prosser Dam. Most tagged lamprey did not initiate downstream movements within the 18 days of tag life, as evidenced by our detections of lamprey in the highest numbers at the first monitoring site downstream from their release site, with limited or no detections at sites farther downstream. There was no evidence of missed detections (lamprey detected at a downstream site without corresponding detections upstream). Overall detections of tagged lamprey were low: 27.0 percent in 2019 and 48.0 percent in 2020. River flows were less than the 10-year average during the monitoring period and water temperatures were variable. Lamprey arrived at detections sites predominantly during periods of darkness (85.3–96.6 percent) following daytime releases. Travel rates through the study area ranged from 0.2 to 45.3 kilometers per day, and lamprey generally remained at each detection station for less than about 20 minutes. Groups of lamprey released together generally had similar travel rates with a small number of fish that moved more quickly or slowly than the remainder of the group. In addition to monitoring the migration and behavior of juvenile lamprey, we also assessed some assumptions of survival models (determining downstream drift of purposely killed fish and empirically measuring transmitter operating life) to benefit future evaluations focused on migration survival of juvenile lamprey.

Washington↗

USGS2023

The value of scientific information — An overview

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides reliable science, data, information, and models (hereafter collectively referred to as “information”) to describe and understand the Earth. This information is used to minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect quality of life. USGS science informs public and private decisions, operations, and risk management in all major United States economic sectors, as defined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and provides critical information for natural resource and natural hazard management and stewardship decisions. Understanding the value of scientific information supports applications of USGS science in land- and water-management decisions, and better informs the public about the return on investment of USGS programs. USGS economists, social scientists, and physical scientists are engaged in collaborative efforts to advance methods to estimate the value of information (VOI) produced by the USGS. These efforts involve collaborating with an international community to develop and refine estimation methods, establish best practices to determine VOI, develop a study repository, and conduct projects to assess the VOI of specific information products and their application. This report focuses on economic valuation conducted by USGS specifically, although the methodology has much broader applicability within the U.S. government, academia, and beyond. Noneconomic valuation techniques for assessing the VOI also exist but are not addressed in this report.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2023

Calibration of the Trinity River Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) with extension to the Klamath River, California, 2006–17

The Trinity River is managed in two sections: (1) the upper 64-kilometer (km) “restoration reach” downstream from Lewiston Dam and (2) the 120-km lower Trinity River downstream from the restoration reach. The Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) has been previously constructed and calibrated for the restoration reach. In this report, we extended and parameterized S3 for the 120-km section of the lower Trinity River to the confluence with the Klamath River and then to the Pacific Ocean in northern California. S3 is a deterministic life-stage structured-population model that tracks daily growth, movement, and survival of juvenile salmon. A key theme of the model is that river discharge affects habitat availability and capacity, which in turn drives density-dependent population dynamics. To explicitly link population dynamics to habitat quality and quantity, the river environment is constructed as a one-dimensional series of linked habitat units, each of which has an associated daily timeseries of discharge, water temperature, and useable habitat area or carrying capacity. In turn, the physical characteristics of each habitat unit and the number of fish occupying each unit drive (1) survival and growth within each habitat unit and (2) movement of fish among habitat units. The physical template of the Trinity River was formed by classifying the river into 910 meso-habitat units that were designated into runs, riffles, or pools. For each habitat unit, we developed a timeseries of daily discharge, water temperature, amount of available spawning habitat, and fry and parr carrying capacity. Capacity timeseries were constructed using state-of-the-art models of spatially explicit hydrodynamics and quantitative fish habitat relationships developed for the Trinity River. These variables were then used to drive population dynamics such as egg maturation and survival, and in turn, juvenile movement, growth, and survival. We estimated key movement and survival parameters by calibrating the model to 12 years (2007–18) of weekly juvenile abundance estimates from two rotary screw traps: (1) the Pear Tree trap near the downstream end of the restoration reach and (2) the Willow Creek trap site is about 40.2 km upriver from the Trinity River’s confluence with the Klamath River. The calibration consisted of replicating historical conditions as closely as possible (for example: flow, temperature, spawner abundance, spawning location and timing, and hatchery releases), and then running the model to predict weekly abundance passing the trap location. We also evaluated four alternative model structures that included either no density-dependence, density-independent movement and survival, density-dependent survival, or density-dependent movement. Akaike information criterion model selection was used to evaluate the strength of evidence for alternative model structures to simulate the observed abundance estimates. Model selection supported the conclusion that the fully density-dependent model and density-dependent survival model was better supported by the data than the no density-dependence or density-dependent movement model. Because density-dependent movement was favored in past evaluations, we focus on the results from the fully density-dependent model. Parameter estimates from this model indicated that fry were less likely than parr to move downstream and that fry moved slower. Fry had a lower daily survival probability than parr. In contrast, hatchery fish had the highest probability of movement and the lowest daily survival probability. Fitting the model to both traps individually enabled us to independently compare the fit and performance of S3 at simulating fish abundance, timing, and growth of juvenile salmon in the upper restoration reach and lower Trinity River. We obtained a better fit to the data at the Willow Creek trap site than we obtained at the Pear Tree trap site, regardless of whether we fit the model to the abundances at the Pear Tree trap or Willow Creek trap. This better fit was surprising given that the S3 input data for the upper restoration reach required fewer assumptions than fitting to the Willow Creek trap site that is farther down river. Fitting S3 to weekly abundances at the Willow Creek trap site required making assumptions about (1) extrapolating capacity-flow relationships to unmeasured habitat units; (2) spatially allocating spawners within the lower Trinity River; and (3) approximating the abundance, timing, and size of juveniles entering from tributaries. The model provided better fit to the data at the Willow Creek trap site. In the weekly abundance estimates, in relation to the S3 simulated abundances, several migration years’ (2011, 2015–17) weekly abundance estimates appeared truncated and were near or at peak annual abundances in January, suggesting that a large fraction of juveniles was migrating as early as December at the Pear Tree trap site. Some early life dynamics may not be currently incorporated into S3. For example, the estimation of abundance at the Pear Tree trap may be biased because of size selectivity. Knowing about selectivity at the Pear Tree trap could greatly improve S3’s ability to predict weekly and peak abundances each year.

California↗

USGS2023

Application of the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) model to assess fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) production in the American River, California

Executive Summary Anadromous fish returning to the lower American River are restricted to 36 kilometers of free-flowing river between Nimbus Dam and American River’s confluence with the Sacramento River, California. Salmon in the American River provide an important freshwater recreational fishery. However, annual salmon production in the American River in recent years has been low relative to the mid-1990s (Surface Water Resources, Inc., 2001). To investigate the low production of fall-run Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ), the Bureau of Reclamation requested that the U.S. Geological Survey apply the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) model to the population of fall-run Chinook salmon on the American River. The American River was chosen among seven candidate Sacramento Basin rivers for S3 application. The American River was selected because of its management and public interest, recently low anadromous fish production, and rich time series of key demographic data needed for S3 application. Data that were not available, however, were empirical estimates on juvenile salmon habitat suitability in the American River. Therefore, a large component of applying S3 to the American River was devoted to the estimation of juvenile salmon habitat suitability and capacity. This entailed snorkeling the lower American River for 3 weeks in March 2021 during the early out-migration period for juvenile Chinook salmon. These efforts were fruitful and showed that the typically small fish (<55 millimeters) in the American River preferred much shallower depths than predicted by habitat suitability criteria derived from the literature for this population. Having empirical estimates on juvenile salmon in the American River provided a solid foundation from which to simulate the population using the S3 model. The S3 model is a spatially explicit population model that runs on a daily time step to simulate redd superimposition, egg maturation, fry emergence and the subsequent growth, survival, and emigration of juvenile Chinook salmon from the river. The key features of this model relevant to this report include (1) a temperature-dependent bioenergetics model driving daily growth rates; (2) density-dependent dynamics that are influenced by the effect of flow on suitable habitat area; and (3) within-year habitat, river flow, and water temperature effects specific to spawning, egg incubation, and fry, parr, and smolt life stages. We used estimates of spawning escapement and geo-referenced redd locations to quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of female spawners for brood years 2014–19. These estimates of female spawners initiate the simulation of each year’s juvenile salmon emergence and emigration over a spatial domain extending from Nimbus Dam to the river’s confluence with the Sacramento River. Using weekly estimates of juvenile salmon abundance and size (fork length) that passed the Watt Avenue fish trap (river kilometer 14.7), we calibrated the S3 model by estimating three key demographic parameters for each year, y : (1) S y , the average daily survival probability, (2) M 0y , the intercept for density-dependence in movement, representing the average daily probability of remaining in a habitat at zero abundance, and (3) C y , the average daily proportion of maximum consumption. These parameters were obtained by minimizing the Mallow’s distance (Lupu and others, 2017) between distributions of weekly abundances and sizes of fish at the traps and weekly simulated abundances and sizes (by S3). Investigation of model fit showed excellent agreement between simulated annual abundances and the abundance of fish passing the fish trap. However, when we compared weekly abundances at the fish trap, S3 under-predicted peaks and over-predicted troughs in the time series of weekly abundances at the fish trap. Thus, some unknown within-year effects have yet to be identified and incorporated in the S3 model. Identifying these important effects and incorporating them in the S3 model would help explain the lack of fit between estimated and simulated weekly abundances. We estimated parameters for 6 years that included a wide range of female spawner abundances (3,057–10,753) and water year types (Critical–Wet). We contrast our estimated parameters to the corresponding number of female spawners and the water year type for the Sacramento Valley. By happenstance, years having higher annual spawner abundances concurred with Critical to Dry water year types. Estimates of survival trended lower with higher spawner abundances and Critical to Dry conditions. In contrast, the extremely wet water year of 2017 had the lowest M 0y , suggesting less density-dependence in fish movement, and the lowest C y , suggesting lower average consumption in this year. When this high-flow year was excluded, a trend towards higher probabilities of fish remaining in a habitat at low abundance and lower proportions of maximum consumption was apparent from Critical to Wet conditions, but only 5 years of data were included. Except for 2017, daily proportions of maximum consumption were relatively high ( C y > 0.83), suggesting that fish were feeding at reasonably high proportions relative to the expected maximum consumption as defined by the “Wisconsin” bioenergetics model (Stewart and Ibarra, 1991). Survival estimates from fry emergence to outmigration at the Sacramento River confluence were generally low when integrated over time. The highest daily survival probability was S y = 0.93 in 2019, or 50 percent total mortality after 10 days. In contrast, our lowest daily survival probability was S y = 0.74 in 2015, or 95 percent total mortality after 10 days. Consequently, even our highest estimated daily survival probability might be considered low. This is especially true given that S y was estimated over a relatively short distance (<14.7 kilometers) from emergence to the Watt Avenue fish trap. Several factors, including our assumed and relatively high daily egg survival rate of 0.9975, could influence juvenile survival estimates. For example, an egg survival rate of 0.9975 results in 3-percent total mortality after 10 days. Egg mortality estimates used in S3 calibration were approximated from egg survivorship studies in the Yakima River, Washington (Johnson and others, 2012), and remains one of the greater uncertainties in S3 when estimating survival across life stages. By including bona fide estimates of egg survival in S3 simulations, the validity of the S3’s current daily egg survival rate could be assessed specifically for the American River. Tagging studies also could provide S3 with direct estimates of juvenile survival and movement; survival during egg incubation then could be estimated indirectly via model fitting.

California↗

USGS2024

Greater sage-grouse habitat of Nevada and northeastern California—Integrating space use, habitat selection, and survival indices to guide areas for habitat management

Executive Summary Greater sage-grouse populations ( Centrocercus urophasianus ; hereafter sage-grouse) are threatened by a suite of disturbances and anthropogenic factors that have contributed to a net loss of sagebrush-dominant shrub cover in recent decades. Declines in sage-grouse populations are largely linked to habitat loss across their range. A key component of conservation and land use planning efforts for sage-grouse involves the continued monitoring and modeling of habitat requirements and suitability across its range. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is addressing the management of sage-grouse habitats on BLM-authorized public lands throughout the western United States through a land use planning amendment and associated environmental impact statement (86 FR 66331). More than 25 percent of the range-wide distribution of sage-grouse is within Nevada and northeastern California, and information on sage-grouse distribution and habitat requirements is important to guide appropriate management decisions. Therefore, the BLM has identified the need for updated spatially explicit information on sage-grouse habitat in Nevada and northeastern California to guide the land use planning amendment and associated management decisions. To address this need, researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey, in close cooperation with multiple State and Federal resource agency partners, including BLM, Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), sought to map sage-grouse distribution and produce example habitat designations in these states. Herein, we report results of our primary study objective, which was to map sage-grouse habitat and create example habitat management areas, based on more than a decade of location and survival data collected from marked sage-grouse across the study region coupled with lek count survey data managed by the NDOW and the CDFW. We expanded on previously developed methodology to incorporate information on habitat selection and survival during reproductive life stages and specific seasons with updated sage-grouse location and known fate datasets, while also including brood-rearing areas that are understood to be threatened and important for population persistence. We combined predictive habitat map surfaces for each life stage and season with updated information on current occupancy patterns to classify habitat based on its suitability and probability of occupancy. We carried out additional steps to delineate specific example habitat management areas, specifically (1) incorporated corridors connecting key nesting and brood-rearing habitat, (2) corrected outputs for pre-wildfire habitat conditions within areas burned in the last 16 years, and (3) masked out areas of anthropogenic development. Our methodological example of deriving habitat management areas was intended to help inform decisions by BLM and other land managers regarding conservation and management of sage-grouse. Associated data products in the form of habitat maps provide updated, detailed, and comprehensive information about the status of habitats and can be useful to partner agencies in their efforts to designate and rank habitats for this species of high conservation concern in Nevada and California, with full recognition that on-the-ground field data and local sources of information and expertise should be used in conjunction with inferences from these models.

California, Idaho, Nevada↗

USGS2025

Gillnet sampling methods for monitoring status and trends of Clear Lake Hitch in Clear Lake, Lake County, California

The Clear Lake Hitch ( Lavinia exilicauda chi ) is a minnow endemic to Clear Lake, Lake County, California. This species is listed as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act and has been petitioned for listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initiated a Clear Lake Hitch monitoring program to generate information annually on relative abundance and size structure. The monitoring program was organized around a conceptual life cycle diagram, focused on life stages approximately ≥1 year of age, and incorporated a probabilistic study design involving approximately 10 days of short-duration (approximately 40 minutes) gillnet sampling undertaken during daytime. This report documents monitoring program activities from 2017 to 2023 and presents the results of an evaluation of the monitoring program. The evaluation was done after the 2023 sampling event, following 6 years of implementation, which is the approximate generation cycle of Clear Lake Hitch. The results of the evaluation indicated the following: (1) gillnets used in the monitoring program were effective at capturing Clear Lake Hitch aged 1 year or more; (2) the study design was effective at generating the information needed to characterize Clear Lake Hitch relative abundance and size structure, and meaningful operational efficiencies can be obtained by implementing simple changes; and (3) future sampling can be scaled to approximately 4–7 days of effort and maintain at least 80-percent confidence in detecting at least a 25-percent change in abundance, assuming past work productivity is maintained and future data are typical of previous data.

California↗

USGS1950

Water supply of the United States

The front pages of the press throughout the country during the past several weeks have dramatized the critical water shortages in many parts of the Nation. The concerns that has grown in recent years over the future of our water supplies has been forcibly brought to the attention of the public by the water shortage that New York City is experiencing. This shortage is not the dirt that has affected an American community and it probably is not the most serious. Ample sources of additional water are known to exist in Upstate New York, and in all probability construction that will bring this water to the city will be pushed as rapidly as possible. Nevertheless, the fact that our largest city, the center of our business life, has an acute water shortage, even though it may only be temporary, causes everyone to realize something of the importance that water has in our national life and out national economy and security. In nearly every state of the Union, one or more communities now has or has had water problems as serious as or more serious than that which now faces New York City. These problems are springing up in increasing numbers, and it is high time that orderly and systematic consideration be given to their solutions and to the avoidance of as many such problems as possible in the future. If the crisis in New York services to bring this fact into national focus, New York's misfortune may in the long run be a blessing in disguise.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1950

Water resources of the United States

The concerns that has grown gradually in recent years over the future of our water supplies has been forcefully dramatized by the water shortage that New York City is now experiencing. This shortage is not the first that has affected an American community and it is not the most serious. Ample sources of additional water are known to exist in Upstate New York and construction that will bring this water to the city is being pushed as rapidly as possible. Nevertheless, the fact that our largest city, the center of our business life, has a water shortage, even though it is temporary, causes even the layman to realize something of the importance that water has in our national life and our national economy. In nearly every State in the Union, one or more communities now has or has had water problems as serious as or more serious than that which face New York City. These problems are springing up in increasing numbers and it is high time that serious consideration be given to the question of the adequacy of our water supplies. If the crisis in New York serves to bring this face into national focus, New York's misfortune may in the long run be a blessing in disguise.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1964

Seismic study of coal mine bumps, Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah

A continuously recording seismic network was constructed in 1962 by the U.S. Geological Survey to locate epicenters and record incidence of bumps (bounces, rock bursts) that occur in the bituminous coal mines of the Book Cliffs coal field near Sunnyside, Utah. The coal is mined because of its value as coking coal, although those bumps may be a hazard to life and property. Daily records of tremors caused by bumps for 1-3/4 years indicate that a seasonal pattern, as well as a daily pattern, exists for the number of bumps that occur in a given period. Maxima occur in May and June and in November and December. Marked increases at 5- to 9-day intervals are superimposed on these seasonal maxima. The largest bumps commonly occur during seasonal maxima when the rate of occurrence suddenly decreases and the amplitude of the individual bumps increases. Knowledge of this pattern may lead to prediction of general locations and periods of increased hazard from bumps. Experience to date has shown that prediction of precise times and locations of hazardous bumps is not possible, and may never be, primarily because even a small bump can be a hazard to life and property. Some bumps or bump sequences are actually composites, consisting of two or more discrete bumps a few tenths of a second to a few seconds apart.

Utah↗

USGS1974

Volcanic hazards on the Island of Hawaii

Volcanic hazards on the Island of Hawaii have been determined to be chiefly products of eruptions: lava flows, falling fragments, gases, and particle-and-gas clouds. Falling fragments and particle-and-gas clouds can be substantial hazards to life, but they are relatively rare. Lava flows are the chief hazard to property; they are frequent and cover broad areas. Rupture, subsidence, earthquakes, and sea waves (tsunamis) caused by eruptions are minor hazards; those same events caused by large-scale crustal movements, however, are major hazards to both life and property. Volcanic hazards are greatest on Mauna Loa and Kilauea, and the risk is highest along the rift zones of those volcanoes. The hazards are progressively less severe on Hualalai, Mauna Kea, and Kohala volcanoes. Some risk from earthquakes extends across the entire island, and the risk from tsunamis is high all along the coast. The island has been divided into geographic zones of different relative risk for each volcanic hazard, and for all those hazards combined. Each zone is assigned a relative risk for that area as a whole; the degree of risk varies within the zones, however, and in some of them the risk decreases gradationally across the entire zone. Moreover, the risk in one zone may be locally as great or greater than that at some points in the zone of next higher overall risk. Nevertheless, the zones can be highly useful for land-use planning. Planning decisions to which the report is particularly applicable include the selection of kinds of structures and kinds of land use that are appropriate for the severity and types of hazards present. For example, construction of buildings that can resist a lava flow is generally not feasible, but it is both feasible and desirable to build structures that can resist falling rock fragments, earthquakes, and tsunamis in areas where risk from those hazards is relatively high. The report can also be used to select sites where overall risk is relatively low, to identify sites where either overall risk or risk from some specific hazard is relatively high, and to identify areas in which there is a threat to lives as well as to property. The report further can serve as a basis for warning persons about hazards in areas most likely to be affected by volcanic eruptions. Perhaps most important, however, the report provides basic information needed for zoning to control future land use.

Hawaii↗

USGS1975

Origin and age of postglacial deposits and assessment of potential hazards from future eruptions of Mount Baker, Washington

Eruptions and other geologic processes at Mount Baker during the last 10,000 years have repeatedly affected adjacent areas, and especially the valleys that head at the volcano. Most mudflows from the volcano were caused by massive avalanches of volcanic rock that had been partly altered to clay by steam and other gases. Future mudflows like these could move down valleys for distances of tens of kilometres. Floods caused by rapid melting of snow and ice by lava flows or hot rock debris could affect valley floors far from the volcano, especially if they occurred at a time of high stream discharge due to other causes. Small amounts of tephra (airborne rock debris) have been erupted at least four times during the last 10,000 years. Eruptions like these in the future probably would not seriously endanger human life except within a distance of perhaps a few kilometres of the vent. Lava flows have been erupted at least twice during the last 10,000 years, but have moved down only two valleys. Future lava flows will not directly endanger people because movement typically is so slow that escape is possible. Eruptions which caused pyroclastic flows (flows of hot rock debris) evidently occurred during only one period, and the flows were restricted to only one valley. Pyroclastic flows seriously endanger human life in areas they affect. Such flows move at speeds of as much as 100 km/hr and can bury valley floors under tens of metres of hot rock debris to distances of as much as 15 km from the volcano.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1976

Hydrologic studies of the U.S. Geological Survey related to coal development in Colorado

The coal resources of Colorado are extremely valuable. Viewed in the perspective of the existing energy crisis, coal is the sole energy resource for which the United States is completely self-sufficient. The productive life of known oil and gas fields is measured in decades, whereas the productive life of coal resources, based on present rates of production, is measured in centuries. Twenty-eight percent of the State of Colorado is underlain by coal (fig. 1). The U.S. Bureau of Mines estimates that total coal resources that can be strip mined are approximately 18 billion tons (16.3 billion t). Development of coal resources and associated activities will impact water resources.

Colorado↗

USGS1981

Water-quality reconnaissance of the Larkin Creek watershed, Lee and St. Francis counties, Arkansas

A reconnaissance of the Larkin Creek watershed in Arkansas was made during April through September 1980 to assess the water quality of streams in the watershed. Streamflow was measured and water samples were collected three times during the study period. Samples of bottom material were collected in September. Concentrations of dissolved solids ranged from 45 to 391 milligrams per liter. Water hardness ranged from 31 milligrams per liter (soft) to 280 milligrams per liter (very hard). Fecal-coliform bacteria densities ranged from 40 to an estimated 540 colonies per 100 milliliters and may have exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criterion for bathing waters. Total nitrogen concentrations ranged from 0.90 to 2.2 milligrams per liter. Total phosphorus concentrations often exceeded the State standard and ranged from 0.08 to 0.46 milligrams per liter. Low dissolved-oxygen concentrations (2.5 to 5.4 milligrams per liter at midday) were measured in Larkin Creek and a major tributary. Iron (290 to 9,800 micrograms per liter), manganese (60 to 3,100 micrograms per liter), and mercury (0.0 to 0.2 micrograms per liter) concentrations at times exceeded Environmental Protection Agency criteria for domestic use or freshwater aquatic life. High concentrations of toxaphene (20 to 170 micrograms per kilogram dry weight) were present in all bottom-material samples. In two water samples, concentrations of dieldrin (0.01 micrograms per liter) exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency criterion for freshwater aquatic life. Polychlorinated biphenyls, several insecticides, and several herbicides (including 2, 4, 5-T) were present in water or bottom-material samples. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1983

Principles for selecting earthquake motions in engineering design of large dams

This report gives a synopsis of the various tools and techniques used in selecting earthquake ground motion parameters for large dams. It presents 18 charts giving newly developed relations for acceleration, velocity, and duration versus site earthquake intensity for near- and far-field hard and soft sites and earthquakes having magnitudes above and below 7. The material for this report is based on procedures developed at the Waterways Experiment Station. Although these procedures are suggested primarily for large dams, they may also be applicable for other facilities. Because no standard procedure exists for selecting earthquake motions in engineering design of large dams, a number of precautions are presented to guide users. The selection of earthquake motions is dependent on which one of two types of engineering analyses are performed. A pseudostatic analysis uses a coefficient usually obtained from an appropriate contour map; whereas, a dynamic analysis uses either accelerograms assigned to a site or specified respunse spectra. Each type of analysis requires significantly different input motions. All selections of design motions must allow for the lack of representative strong motion records, especially near-field motions from earthquakes of magnitude 7 and greater, as well as an enormous spread in the available data. Limited data must be projected and its spread bracketed in order to fill in the gaps and to assure that there will be no surprises. Because each site may have differing special characteristics in its geology, seismic history, attenuation, recurrence, interpreted maximum events, etc., as integrated approach gives best results. Each part of the site investigation requires a number of decisions. In some cases, the decision to use a 'least ork' approach may be suitable, simply assuming the worst of several possibilities and testing for it. Because there are no standard procedures to follow, multiple approaches are useful. For example, peak motions at a site may be obtained from several methods that involve magnitude of earthquake, distance from source, and corresponding motions; or, alternately, peak motions may be assigned from other correlations based on earthquake intensity. Various interpretations exist to account for duration, recurrence, effects of site conditions, etc. Comparison of the various interpretations can be very useful. Probabilities can be assigned; however, they can present very serious problems unless appropriate care is taken when data are extrapolated beyond their data base. In making deterministic judgments, probabilistic data can provide useful guidance in estimating the uncertainties of the decision. The selection of a design ground motion for large dams is based in the end on subjective judgments which should depend, to an important extent, on the consequences of failure. Usually, use of a design value of ground motion representing a mean plus one standard deviation of possible variation in the mean of the data puts one in a conservative position. If failure presents no hazard to life, lower values of design ground motion may be justified, providing there are cost benefits and the risk is acceptable to the owner. Where a large hazard to life exists (i.e., a dam above an urbanized area) one may wish to use values of design ground motion that approximate the very worst case. The selection of a design ground motion must be appropriate for its particular set of circumstances.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1989

Sedimentation survey of Lago Dos Bocas, Puerto Rico, June 1985

A survey of the sedimentation of Dos Bocas reservoir, in central Puerto Rico, was conducted during July 1985. The survey showed that the capacity of the reservoir has declined from 30,420 acre-ft in 1942 to about 19,620 acre-ft. Sediment is accumulating in the reservoir at an average rate of about 251 acre-ft/yr, or about 0.83%/yr of the original capacity. The expected usable life of the reservoir on the basis of the long-term sedimentation rate is about 78 years. However, the sedimentation rate appears to have increased significantly since 1979. During the last six years, the average sedimentation rate has exceeded 600 acre-ft/yr. If this rate is maintained, the expected usable life of the reservoir would be about 32 years. (Author 's abstract)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1987

Plan for the design, development, and implementation, and operation of the National Water Information System

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey is developing a National Water Information System (NWIS) that will integrate and replace its existing water data and information systems of the National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System, National Water Data Exchange, National Water-Use Information, and Water Resources Scientific Information Center programs. It will be a distributed data system operated as part of the Division 's Distributed Information System, which is a network of computers linked together through a national telecommunication network known as GEONET. The NWIS is being developed as a series of prototypes that will be integrated as they are completed to allow the development and implementation of the system in a phased manner. It also is being developed in a distributed manner using personnel who work under the coordination of a central NWIS Project Office. Work on the development of the NWIS began in 1983 and it is scheduled for completion in 1990. This document presents an overall plan for the design, development, implementation, and operation of the system. Detailed discussions are presented on each of these phases of the NWIS life cycle. The planning, quality assurance, and configuration management phases of the life cycle also are discussed. The plan is intended to be a working document for use by NWIS management and participants in its design and development and to assist offices of the Division in planning and preparing for installation and operation of the system. (Author 's abstract)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1994

The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Strong ground motion

Strong ground motion generated by the Loma Prieta, Calif., earthquake (MS~7.1) of October 17, 1989, resulted in at least 63 deaths, more than 3,757 injuries, and damage estimated to exceed $5.9 billion. Strong ground motion severely damaged critical lifelines (freeway overpasses, bridges, and pipelines), caused severe damage to poorly constructed buildings, and induced a significant number of ground failures associated with liquefaction and landsliding. It also caused a significant proportion of the damage and loss of life at distances as far as 100 km from the epicenter. Consequently, understanding the characteristics of the strong ground motion associated with the earthquake is fundamental to understanding the earthquake's devastating impact on society. The papers assembled in this chapter address this problem. Damage to vulnerable structures from the earthquake varied substantially with the distance from the causative fault and the type of underlying geologic deposits. Most of the damage and loss of life occurred in areas underlain by 'soft soil'. Quantifying these effects is important for understanding the tragic concentrations of damage in such areas as Santa Cruz and the Marina and Embarcadero Districts of San Francisco, and the failures of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Interstate Highway 880 overpass. Most importantly, understanding these effects is a necessary prerequisite for improving mitigation measures for larger earthquakes likely to occur much closer to densely urbanized areas in the San Francisco Bay region. The earthquake generated an especially important data set for understanding variations in the severity of strong ground motion. Instrumental strong-motion recordings were obtained at 131 sites located from about 6 to 175 km from the rupture zone. This set of recordings, the largest yet collected for an event of this size, was obtained from sites on various geologic deposits, including a unique set on 'soft soil' deposits (artificial fill and bay mud). These exceptional ground-motion data are used by the authors of the papers in this chapter to infer radiation characteristics of the earthquake source, identify dominant propagation characteristics of the Earth?s crust, quantify amplification characteristics of near-surface geologic deposits, develop general amplification factors for site-dependent building-code provisions, and revise earthquake-hazard assessments for the San Francisco Bay region. Interpretations of additional data recorded in well-instrumented buildings, dams, and freeway overpasses are provided in other chapters of this report.

California↗

USGS2013

2011 floods of the central United States

The Central United States experienced record-setting flooding during 2011, with floods that extended from headwater streams in the Rocky Mountains, to transboundary rivers in the upper Midwest and Northern Plains, to the deep and wide sand-bedded lower Mississippi River. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of its mission, collected extensive information during and in the aftermath of the 2011 floods to support scientific analysis of the origins and consequences of extreme floods. The information collected for the 2011 floods, combined with decades of past data, enables scientists and engineers from the USGS to provide syntheses and scientific analyses to inform emergency managers, planners, and policy makers about life-safety, economic, and environmental-health issues surrounding flood hazards for the 2011 floods and future floods like it. USGS data, information, and scientific analyses provide context and understanding of the effect of floods on complex societal issues such as ecosystem and human health, flood-plain management, climate-change adaptation, economic security, and the associated policies enacted for mitigation. Among the largest societal questions is "How do we balance agricultural, economic, life-safety, and environmental needs in and along our rivers?" To address this issue, many scientific questions have to be answered including the following: * How do the 2011 weather and flood conditions compare to the past weather and flood conditions and what can we reasonably expect in the future for flood magnitudes? * What is the “natural” hydrology of these watersheds and how have they been changed? * How do rivers change during floods and what effects do they have on the natural and built environment: conversely, what effects do the natural and built environments have on rivers and floods? * Do floods contribute to the transport and fate of contaminants that affect human and ecosystem health? In an effort to help address these and other questions, USGS Professional Paper 1798 consists of independent but complementary chapters dealing with various scientific aspects of the 2011 floods in the Central United States.

Professional Paper↗