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

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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
USGS2024

Database of surface water diversion sites and daily withdrawals for the upper Colorado River Basin, 1980–2022

The Colorado River drains about 8% of the conterminous United States, provides water for 40 million people, and is one of the most overallocated rivers in the world. As the upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) contributes an estimated 92% of the total basin natural streamflow, knowledge of the location and amount of surface water withdrawals in the UCOL is important for managing the Colorado River system. Since the UCOL encompasses portions of five states, water use data are dispersed among numerous federal and state agency databases, and there is no centralized dataset that documents surface water use within the entire UCOL at a fine spatial and temporal resolution. This article presents an inventory of 1,358 major structures that divert surface water from and within the UCOL with corresponding daily time series withdrawal records from 1980 through 2022. Data compilation efforts, processing methods, and contents of this diversion database are documented, and summary information is provided.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming↗
USGS2022

Simplifying complex fault data for systems-level analysis: Earthquake geology inputs for U.S. NSHM 2023

As part of the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) update planned for 2023, two databases were prepared to more completely represent Quaternary-active faulting across the western United States: the NSHM23 fault sections database (FSD) and earthquake geology database (EQGeoDB). In prior iterations of NSHM, fault sections were included only if a field-measurement-derived slip rate was estimated along a given fault. By expanding this inclusion criteria, we were able to assess a larger set of faults for use in NSHM23. The USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database served as a guide for assessing possible additions to the NSHM23 FSD. Reevaluating available data from published sources yielded an increase of fault sections from ~650 faults in NSHM18 to ~1,000 faults proposed for use in NSHM23. EQGeoDB, a companion dataset linked to NSHM23 FSD, contains geologic slip rate estimates for fault sections included in FSD. Together, these databases serve as common input data used in deformation modeling, earthquake rupture forecasting, and additional downstream uses in NSHM development.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2017

Monitoring the southwestern Wyoming landscape—A foundation for management and science

Natural resource monitoring involves repeated collections of resource condition data and analyses to detect possible changes and identify underlying causes of changes. For natural resource agencies, monitoring provides the foundation for management and science. Specifically, analyses of monitoring data allow managers to better understand effects of land-use and other changes on important natural resources and to achieve their conservation and management goals. Examples of natural resources monitored on public lands include wildlife habitats, plant productivity, animal movements and population trends, soil chemistry, and water quality and quantity. Broader definitions of monitoring also recognize the need for scientifically valid data to help support planning efforts and informed decisions, to develop adaptive management strategies, and to provide the means for evaluating management outcomes.

Wyoming↗
USGS2020

Development and validation of the CHIRTS-daily quasi-global high-resolution daily temperature data set

We present a high-resolution daily temperature data set, CHIRTS-daily, which is derived by merging the monthly Climate Hazards center InfraRed Temperature with Stations climate record with daily temperatures from version 5 of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis. We demonstrate that remotely sensed temperature estimates may more closely represent true conditions than those that rely on interpolation, especially in regions with sparse in situ data. By leveraging remotely sensed infrared temperature observations, CHIRTS-daily provides estimates of 2-meter air temperature for 1983–2016 with a footprint covering 60°S-70°N. We describe this data set and perform a series of validations using station observations from two prominent climate data sources. The validations indicate high levels of accuracy, with CHIRTS-daily correlations with observations ranging from 0.7 to 0.9, and very good representation of heat wave trends.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2022

Community established best practice recommendations for tephra studies— From collection through analysis

Tephra is a unique volcanic product with an unparalleled role in understanding past eruptions, long-term behavior of volcanoes, and the effects of volcanism on climate and the environment. Tephra deposits also provide spatially widespread, high-resolution time-stratigraphic markers across a range of sedimentary settings and thus are used in numerous disciplines (e.g., volcanology, climate science, archaeology). Nonetheless, the study of tephra deposits is challenged by a lack of standardization that inhibits data integration across geographic regions and disciplines. We present comprehensive recommendations for tephra data gathering and reporting that were developed by the tephra science community to guide future investigators and to ensure that sufficient data are gathered for interoperability. Recommendations include standardized field and laboratory data collection, reporting and correlation guidance. These are organized as tabulated lists of key metadata with their definition and purpose. They are system independent and usable for template, tool, and database development. This standardized framework promotes consistent documentation and archiving, fosters interdisciplinary communication, and improves effectiveness of data sharing among diverse communities of researchers.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2023

CreelCat, a Catalog of United States Inland Creel and Angler Survey Data

The United States Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat) contains a national compilation of angler and creel survey data collected by natural resource management agencies across the United States (including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico). These surveys are used to help inform the management of recreational fisheries, by collecting information about anglers including what they are catching and harvesting, the amount of effort they expend, their angling preferences, and demographic information. As of May 1, 2023, CreelCat houses over 14,729 surveys from 33 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., comprising 235 data fields across 8 tables. These tables contain 235,015 records of fish catch and harvest metrics, 27,250 angler preference metrics, 14,729 records of survey characteristics, 13,576 records of effort metrics, and 409 records of angler demographics. Though individual creel surveys are often deployed to meet local science and management objectives, creel data aggregated across jurisdictions has the potential to address larger scale research and management needs.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2022

GPS data from 2019 and 2020 campaigns in the Chesapeake Bay region towards quantifying vertical land motions

The Chesapeake Bay is a region along the eastern coast of the United States where sea-level rise is confounded with poorly resolved rates of land subsidence, thus new constraints on vertical land motions (VLM) in the region are warranted. In this paper, we provide a description of two campaign-style Global Positioning System (GPS) datasets, explain the methods used in data collection and validation, and present the experiment designed to quantify a new baseline of VLM in the Chesapeake Bay region of eastern North America. Data from GPS campaigns in 2019 and 2020 are presented as ASCII RINEX2.11 files and logsheets for each observation from the campaigns. Data were quality checked using the open-source program TEQC, resulting in average multipath 1 and 2 values of 0.68 and 0.57, respectively. All data are archived and publicly available for open access at the geodesy facility UNAVCO to abide by Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) data principles.

Chesapeake Bay area↗
USGS2026

Individual encounter data of six African carnivore species optimized for multi-species density estimation

The ability to estimate abundances of multiple wildlife species within an area is valuable for both conservation and ecological inquiry. Spatially explicit capture–recapture (SCR) methods are commonly used to obtain reliable population size estimates, particularly for low-density and individually identifiable carnivore species. However, estimating abundance within multi-species communities poses a methodological challenge as survey designs and analytical tools are primarily tailored for single target species. Here, we present a dataset of spatially referenced individual encounter histories of six carnivore species with varying space requirements (lion, Panthera leo ; leopard, Panthera pardus ; spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta ; cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus ; serval, Leptailurus serval ; large-spotted genet, Genetta tigrina ). These data were collected in a South African game reserve using a camera trap array optimized for multi-species density estimation using SCR methods. This dataset will be a valuable resource for studying spatial processes among potentially interacting carnivores without the common pitfalls that come with by-catch data of non-target species, and will provide a much-needed case study for the further development of multi-species statistical method development.

Munywana Conservancy↗
USGS2024

Chlorophyll a in lakes and streams of the United States (2005–2022)

The concentration of chlorophyll a in phytoplankton and periphyton represents the amount of algal biomass. We compiled an 18-year record (2005–2022) of pigment data from water bodies across the United States (US) to support efforts to develop process-based, machine learning, and remote sensing models for prediction of harmful algal blooms (HABs). To our knowledge, this dataset of nearly 84,000 sites and over 1,374,000 pigment measurements is the largest compilation of harmonized discrete, laboratory-extracted chlorophyll data for the US. These data were compiled from the Water Quality Portal (WQP) and previously unpublished U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) data. Data were harmonized for reporting units, pigment type, duplicate values, collection depth, site name, negative values, and some extreme values. Across the country, data show great variation by state in sampling frequency, distribution, and methods. Uses for such data include the calibration of models, calibration of field sensors, examination of relationship to nutrients and other drivers, evaluation of temporal trends, and other applications addressing local to national scale concerns.

Nature Scientific Data↗
USGS2020

A rasterized building footprint dataset for the United States

Microsoft released a U.S.-wide vector building dataset in 2018. Although the vector building layers provide relatively accurate geometries, their use in large-extent geospatial analysis comes at a high computational cost. We used High-Performance Computing (HPC) to develop an algorithm that calculates six summary values for each cell in a raster representation of each U.S. state, excluding Alaska and Hawaii: (1) total footprint coverage, (2) number of unique buildings intersecting each cell, (3) number of building centroids falling inside each cell, and area of the (4) average, (5) smallest, and (6) largest area of buildings that intersect each cell. These values are represented as raster layers with 30 m cell size covering the 48 conterminous states. We also identify errors in the original building dataset. We evaluate precision and recall in the data for three large U.S. urban areas. Precision is high and comparable to results reported by Microsoft while recall is high for buildings with footprints larger than 200 m2 but lower for progressively smaller buildings.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2017

A land data assimilation system for sub-Saharan Africa food and water security applications

Seasonal agricultural drought monitoring systems, which rely on satellite remote sensing and land surface models (LSMs), are important for disaster risk reduction and famine early warning. These systems require the best available weather inputs, as well as a long-term historical record to contextualize current observations. This article introduces the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Land Data Assimilation System (FLDAS), a custom instance of the NASA Land Information System (LIS) framework. The FLDAS is routinely used to produce multi-model and multi-forcing estimates of hydro-climate states and fluxes over semi-arid, food insecure regions of Africa. These modeled data and derived products, like soil moisture percentiles and water availability, were designed and are currently used to complement FEWS NET’s operational remotely sensed rainfall, evapotranspiration, and vegetation observations. The 30+ years of monthly outputs from the FLDAS simulations are publicly available from the NASA Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) and recommended for use in hydroclimate studies, early warning applications, and by agro-meteorological scientists in Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2023

Georectified polygon database of ground-mounted large-scale solar photovoltaic sites in the United States

Over 4,400 large-scale solar photovoltaic (LSPV) facilities operate in the United States as of December 2021, representing more than 60 gigawatts of electric energy capacity. Of these, over 3,900 are ground-mounted LSPV facilities with capacities of 1 MWdc or more. Ground mounted LSPV installations continue increasing, with more than 400 projects appearing online in 2021 alone; however, a comprehensive, publicly available georectified dataset including spatial footprints of these facilities is lacking. Analysts from U.S. Over 4,400 large-scale solar photovoltaic (LSPV) facilities operate in the United States as of December 2021, representing more than 60 gigawatts of electric energy capacity. Of these, over 3,900 are ground-mounted LSPV facilities with capacities of 1 megawatt direct current (MW dc ) or more. Ground-mounted LSPV installations continue increasing, with more than 400 projects appearing online in 2021 alone; however, a comprehensive, publicly available georectified dataset including spatial footprints of these facilities is lacking. The United States Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB) was developed to fill this gap. Using US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, locations of 3,699 LSPV facilities were verified using high-resolution aerial imagery, polygons were digitized around panel arrays, and attributes were appended. Quality assurance and control were achieved via team peer review and comparison to other US PV datasets. Data are publicly available via an interactive web application and multiple downloadable formats, including: comma-separated value (CSV), application programming interface (API), and GIS shapefile and GeoJSON. Survey and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory collaborated to develop the United States Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB). Using Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, locations of LSPV facilities were verified using high-resolution aerial imagery, polygons were digitized around panel arrays, and attributes were appended. Quality assurance and control were achieved via team peer review and comparison to other US PV datasets. Data are publicly available in an interactive web application, and a number of downloadable formats, including: comma-separated value spreadsheet (CSV), application programming interface (API), and GIS shapefile.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2015

Archive of Sidescan Sonar and Swath Bathymetry Data Collected During USGS Cruise 13CCT04 Offshore of Petit Bois Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi, August 2013

In August of 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a geophysical survey offshore of Petit Bois Island, Mississippi. This effort was part of the U.S. Geological Survey Gulf of Mexico Science Coordination partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program and the Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Change and Hazards Susceptibility Project, by mapping the shallow geologic stratigraphic framework of the Mississippi Barrier Island Complex. This geophysical survey will provide additional data necessary for scientists to define, interpret, and provide baseline bathymetry and seafloor habitat for this area, and to aid scientists in predicting future geomorphological changes of the islands with respect to climate change, storm impact, and sea-level rise. Furthermore, these data will provide information for barrier island restoration, particularly in Camille Cut, and protection for the historical Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island, Mississippi. The geophysical data were collected during one cruise ( USGS Field Activity Numbers 13CCT04 ) aboard the Research Vessel Tommy Munro offshore along the gulf side of Petit Bois Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi. Data were acquired with the following equipment: a Systems Engineering and Assessment, Ltd., SWATH plus interferometric sonar (468 kilohertz (kHz)), an EdgeTech 424 (4-24 kHz), an EdgeTech 525i chirp subbottom profiling system, and a Klein 3900 sidescan sonar system. This report serves as an archive of the processed interferometric swath bathymetry and sidescan sonar data. Geographic information system data products include an interpolated digital elevation model, an acoustic backscatter mosaic, trackline maps, and point data files. Additional files include error analysis maps, Field Activity Collection System logs, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata. NOTE: These data are scientific in nature and are not to be used for navigation. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Mississippi↗
USGS2026

Tidal wetland soil carbon accumulation rates for coastal California

Carbon stock and carbon accumulation rate data are vital to multiple aspects of tidal wetland conservation and restoration policy. In California, USA tidal soil data are rare outside of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Delta regions, despite the differing conditions experienced by the outer coastline. Here we provide carbon stocks and decadal-to-centennial-scale carbon accumulation rate calculations. This dataset presents 83 soil depth profiles from 15 sites, with 58 cores from 12 tidal wetland sites analyzed for carbon stock, mostly from the outer coastline of California. Mean organic matter content was 11%, and stocks estimated to 1 meter depth ranged from 15.4 to 44.7 kgC m −2 . Organic matter content generally declined asymptotically with depth. Carbon accumulation rates ranged from 39.2 to 130.0 gC m −2 yr −1 . Neither carbon stock nor carbon accumulation rates were notably different from global average values. Data at this level of reporting are vital for establishing restoration baselines, informing greenhouse gas mitigation planning, and projecting future ecosystem response to sea-level rise.

California↗
USGS2026

Reconstructing Great Lakes air temperature and ice dynamics data back to 1897

Ice cover on the Great Lakes plays an important role in regional climate, supports tourism and recreation, and provides ecological habitat. As the climate warms, ice cover in the Great Lakes is expected to decline, which in turn will create more lake effect precipitation, reduce ice cover for recreation, and alter habitat for aquatic species. While it is important to understand the historical ice patterns to better understand past distributions of aquatic species and improve the accuracy of forecasts for future ice cover on the lakes, Great Lakes ice cover data prior to 1973 is scarce, due to the limited routine satellite observations. We used weather station data around the Great Lakes to compile daily air temperature, calculate cumulative freezing degree-days and net melting degree-days from 1897–2023, and develop raster layers estimating ice duration and variability spatially during the historical period from 1897–1960.

Great Lakes↗
USGS2016

Archive of bathymetry and backscatter data collected in 2014 nearshore Breton and Gosier Islands, Breton National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

As part of the Barrier Island Monitoring Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted nearshore geophysical surveys off Breton and Gosier Islands, Louisiana, in July and August of 2014. To assist the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) with restoration planning efforts, the USGS was tasked with answering fundamental questions about the physical environment of the southern Chandeleur Islands, including the geology, morphology, and oceanography. Baseline data needed to answer these questions were either insufficient or missing. The USGS conducted a comprehensive geologic investigation in the summer of 2014, collecting geophysical and sedimentological data. Breton Island, located at the southern end of the Chandeleur Island chain in southeastern Louisiana, was recognized as a natural, globally significant nesting sanctuary for several bird species and was established as the Breton National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in 1904. The areal extent of Breton Island has diminished 90 percent since 1920. Land loss is attributed to ongoing relative sea-level rise, diminished sediment supply, and storm impacts. The bird population on Breton Island has also declined over the years, most notably after Hurricane George in 1998 and after Hurricane Katrina in 2015; the latter completely submerged the island. Despite decreasing habitable acreage, migratory seabirds continue to return and nest on Breton Island. To prevent the island from being submerged in the future, and to protect, stabilize, and provide more nesting and foraging areas for the bird population, the USFWS proposed a restoration effort to rebuild Breton Island to its pre-Katrina footprint. This data series serves as an archive of processed interferometric swath and single-beam bathymetry data, and side-scan sonar data, collected in the nearshore of Breton and Gosier Islands, NWR, Louisiana. The data were collected during two USGS cruises (USGS Field Activity Numbers 2014-314-FA and 2014-317-FA) in July and August 2014. Geographic information system data products include a 100-meter-cell-size interpolated bathymetry grid, trackline maps, and point data files. Additional files include error analysis maps, Field Activity Collection System logs, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata. NOTE: These data are scientific in nature and are not to be used for navigation. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Louisiana↗
USGS2025

GlASS - Global Aggregation of Stream Silica

Riverine silicon (Si) plays a vital role in governing primary production, water quality, and carbon cycling. Climate and land cover change have altered how dissolved Si (DSi) is processed on land, transported to rivers, and cycled through aquatic ecosystems. The Global Aggregation of Stream Silica (GlASS) database was constructed to assess changes in river Si concentrations and fluxes, their relationship to other nutrients (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)), and to evaluate mechanisms driving the availability of Si. GlASS includes concentrations of DSi, dissolved inorganic N (NO 3 , NO x , and NH 4 ), and dissolved inorganic P (as soluble reactive P or PO 4 -P) at daily to quarterly time steps from 1963 to 2024; daily discharge; and watershed characteristics for 421 rivers spanning eight climate zones. Original data sources are cited, data quality assurance workflows are public, and input files to a common load model are provided. GlASS offers critical data to address questions about patterns, controls, and trajectories of global river Si biogeochemistry and stoichiometry.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2006

Volcano and Earthquake Monitoring Plan for the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, 2006-2015

To provide Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and its surrounding communities with a modern, comprehensive system for volcano and earthquake monitoring, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) has developed a monitoring plan for the period 2006-2015. Such a plan is needed so that YVO can provide timely information during seismic, volcanic, and hydrothermal crises and can anticipate hazardous events before they occur. The monitoring network will also provide high-quality data for scientific study and interpretation of one of the largest active volcanic systems in the world. Among the needs of the observatory are to upgrade its seismograph network to modern standards and to add five new seismograph stations in areas of the park that currently lack adequate station density. In cooperation with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its Plate Boundary Observatory Program (PBO), YVO seeks to install five borehole strainmeters and two tiltmeters to measure crustal movements. The boreholes would be located in developed areas close to existing infrastructure and away from sensitive geothermal features. In conjunction with the park's geothermal monitoring program, installation of new stream gages, and gas-measuring instruments will allow YVO to compare geophysical phenomena, such as earthquakes and ground motions, to hydrothermal events, such as anomalous water and gas discharge. In addition, YVO seeks to characterize the behavior of geyser basins, both to detect any precursors to hydrothermal explosions and to monitor earthquakes related to fluid movements that are difficult to detect with the current monitoring system. Finally, a monitoring network consists not solely of instruments, but requires also a secure system for real-time transmission of data. The current telemetry system is vulnerable to failures that could jeopardize data transmission out of Yellowstone. Future advances in monitoring technologies must be accompanied by improvements in the infrastructure for data transmission. Overall, our strategy is to (1) maximize our ability to provide rapid assessments of changing conditions to ensure public safety, (2) minimize environmental and visual impact, and (3) install instrumentation in developed areas.

Scientific Investigations Report↗