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USGS2017

Challenges with secondary use of multi-source water-quality data in the United States

Combining water-quality data from multiple sources can help counterbalance diminishing resources for stream monitoring in the United States and lead to important regional and national insights that would not otherwise be possible. Individual monitoring organizations understand their own data very well, but issues can arise when their data are combined with data from other organizations that have used different methods for reporting the same common metadata elements. Such use of multi-source data is termed “secondary use”—the use of data beyond the original intent determined by the organization that collected the data. In this study, we surveyed more than 25 million nutrient records collected by 488 organizations in the United States since 1899 to identify major inconsistencies in metadata elements that limit the secondary use of multi-source data. Nearly 14.5 million of these records had missing or ambiguous information for one or more key metadata elements, including (in decreasing order of records affected) sample fraction, chemical form, parameter name, units of measurement, precise numerical value, and remark codes. As a result, metadata harmonization to make secondary use of these multi-source data will be time consuming, expensive, and inexact. Different data users may make different assumptions about the same ambiguous data, potentially resulting in different conclusions about important environmental issues. The value of these ambiguous data is estimated at \$US12 billion, a substantial collective investment by water-resource organizations in the United States. By comparison, the value of unambiguous data is estimated at \$US8.2 billion. The ambiguous data could be preserved for uses beyond the original intent by developing and implementing standardized metadata practices for future and legacy water-quality data throughout the United States.

Water Research↗

USGS2011

Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS

The Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS is a tool that extends the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS 10 Desktop application to aid with the visualization of relationships between two raster GIS datasets. A dose-response curve is a line graph commonly used in medical research to examine the effects of different dosage rates of a drug or chemical (for example, carcinogen) on an outcome of interest (for example, cell mutations) (Russell and others, 1982). Dose-response curves have recently been used in ecological studies to examine the influence of an explanatory dose variable (for example, percentage of habitat cover, distance to disturbance) on a predicted response (for example, survival, probability of occurrence, abundance) (Aldridge and others, 2008). These dose curves have been created by calculating the predicted response value from a statistical model at different levels of the explanatory dose variable while holding values of other explanatory variables constant. Curves (plots) developed using the Dose-Response Calculator overcome the need to hold variables constant by using values extracted from the predicted response surface of a spatially explicit statistical model fit in a GIS, which include the variation of all explanatory variables, to visualize the univariate response to the dose variable. Application of the Dose-Response Calculator can be extended beyond the assessment of statistical model predictions and may be used to visualize the relationship between any two raster GIS datasets (see example in tool instructions). This tool generates tabular data for use in further exploration of dose-response relationships and a graph of the dose-response curve.

Data Series↗

USGS2010

Fate and transport of petroleum hydrocarbons in the subsurface near Cass Lake, Minnesota

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigated the natural attenuation of subsurface petroleum hydrocarbons leaked over an unknown number of years from an oil pipeline under the Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership South Cass Lake Pumping Station, in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Three weeks of field work conducted between May 2007 and July 2008 delineated a dissolved plume of aromatic hydrocarbons and characterized the biodegradation processes of the petroleum. Field activities included installing monitoring wells, collecting sediment cores, sampling water from wells, and measuring water-table elevations. Geochemical measurements included concentrations of constituents in both spilled and pipeline oil, dissolved alkylbenzenes and redox constituents, sediment bioavailable iron, and aquifer microbial populations. Groundwater in this area flows east-southeast at approximately 26 meters per year. Results from the oil analyses indicate a high degree of biodegradation, characterized by nearly complete absence of n-alkanes. Cass Lake oil samples were more degraded than two oil samples collected in 2008 from the similarly contaminated USGS Bemidji, Minnesota, research site 40 kilometers away. Based on 19 ratios developed for comparing oil sources, the conclusion is that the oils at the two sites appear to be from the same hydrocarbon source. In the Cass Lake groundwater plume, benzene concentrations decrease by three orders of magnitude within 150 meters (m) downgradient from the oil body floating on the water table (between well MW-10 and USGS-4 well nest). The depths of the highest benzene concentrations increase with distance downgradient from the oil, a condition typical of plumes in shallow, unconfined aquifers. Background groundwater, which is nearly saturated with oxygen, becomes almost entirely anaerobic in the plume. As at the Bemidji site, the most important biodegradation processes are anaerobic and dominated by iron reduction. The similarity between the Cass Lake and Bemidji benzene degradation rates, redox conditions, and aquifer material all support a hypothesis that the Cass Lake plume, like the Bemidji plume, is decades old. As concentrations of alkylbenzenes in the oil decrease over time, the benzene concentrations in the groundwater plume will also decrease and the plume is expected to shrink. The Fox Creek wetland, about 250 m south of the Cass Lake site, is the nearest receptor to the south.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2013

Historical methane hydrate project review

In 1995, U.S. Geological Survey made the first systematic assessment of the volume of natural gas stored in the hydrate accumulations of the United States. That study, along with numerous other studies, has shown that the amount of gas stored as methane hydrates in the world greatly exceeds the volume of known conventional gas resources. However, gas hydrates represent both a scientific and technical challenge and much remains to be learned about their characteristics and occurrence in nature. Methane hydrate research in recent years has mostly focused on: (1) documenting the geologic parameters that control the occurrence and stability of gas hydrates in nature, (2) assessing the volume of natural gas stored within various gas hydrate accumulations, (3) analyzing the production response and characteristics of methane hydrates, (4) identifying and predicting natural and induced environmental and climate impacts of natural gas hydrates, and (5) analyzing the effects of methane hydrate on drilling safety. Methane hydrates are naturally occurring crystalline substances composed of water and gas, in which a solid water-‐lattice holds gas molecules in a cage-‐like structure. The gas and water becomes a solid under specific temperature and pressure conditions within the Earth, called the hydrate stability zone. Other factors that control the presence of methane hydrate in nature include the source of the gas included within the hydrates, the physical and chemical controls on the migration of gas with a sedimentary basin containing methane hydrates, the availability of the water also included in the hydrate structure, and the presence of a suitable host sediment or “reservoir”. The geologic controls on the occurrence of gas hydrates have become collectively known as the “methane hydrate petroleum system”, which has become the focus of numerous hydrate research programs. Recognizing the importance of methane hydrate research and the need for a coordinated effort, the U.S. Congress enacted Public Law 106-‐193, the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000. This Act called for the Secretary of Energy to begin a methane hydrate research and development program in consultation with other U.S. federal agencies. At the same time a new methane hydrate research program had been launched in Japan by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to develop plans for a methane hydrate exploratory drilling project in the Nankai Trough. Since this early start we have seen other countries including India, China, Canada, and the Republic of Korea establish large gas hydrate research and development programs. These national led efforts have also included the investment in a long list of important scientific research drilling expeditions and production test studies that have provided a wealth of information on the occurrence of methane hydrate in nature. The most notable expeditions and projects have including the following: -‐Ocean Drilling Program Leg 164 (1995) -‐Japan Nankai Trough Project (1999-‐2000) -‐Ocean Drilling Program Leg 204 (2004) -‐Japan Tokai-‐oki to Kumano-‐nada Project (2004) -‐Gulf of Mexico JIP Leg I (2005) -‐Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311 (2005) -‐Malaysia Gumusut-‐Kakap Project (2006) -‐India NGHP Expedition 01 (2006) -‐China GMGS Expedition 01 (2007) -‐Republic of Korea UBGH Expedition 01 (2007) -‐Gulf of Mexico JIP Leg II (2009) -‐Republic of Korea UBGH Expedition 02 (2010) -‐MH-‐21 Nankai Trough Pre-‐Production Expedition (2012-‐2013) -‐Mallik Gas Hydrate Testing Projects (1998/2002/2007-‐2008) -‐Alaska Mount Elbert Stratigraphic Test Well (2007) -‐Alaska Iġnik Sikumi Methane Hydrate Production Test Well (2011-‐2012) Research coring and seismic programs carried out by the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), starting with the ODP Leg 164 drilling of the Blake Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean in 1995, have also contributed greatly to our understanding of the geologic controls on the formation, occurrence, and stability of gas hydrates in marine environments. For the most part methane hydrate research expeditions carried out by the ODP and IODP provided the foundation for our scientific understanding of gas hydrates. The methane hydrate research efforts under ODP-‐IODP have mostly dealt with the assessment of the geologic controls on the occurrence of gas hydrate, with a specific goal to study the role methane hydrates may play in the global carbon cycle. Over the last 10 years, national led methane hydrate research programs, along with industry interest have led to the development and execution of major methane hydrate production field test programs. Two of the most important production field testing programs have been conducted at the Mallik site in the Mackenzie River Delta of Canada and in the Eileen methane hydrate accumulation on the North Slope of Alaska. Most recently we have also seen the completion of the world’s first marine methane hydrate production test in the Nankai Trough in the offshore of Japan. Industry interest in gas hydrates has also included important projects that have dealt with the assessment of geologic hazards associated with the presence of hydrates. The scientific drilling and associated coring, logging, and borehole monitoring technologies developed in the long list of methane hydrate related field studies are one of the most important developments and contributions associated with methane hydrate research and development activities. Methane hydrate drilling has been conducted from advanced scientific drilling platforms like the JOIDES Resolution and the D/V Chikyu, which feature highly advanced integrated core laboratories and borehole logging capabilities. Hydrate research drilling has also included the use of a wide array of industry, geotechnical and multi-‐service ships. All of which have been effectively used to collect invaluable geologic and engineering data on the occurrence of methane hydrates throughout the world. Technologies designed specifically for the collection and analysis of undisturbed methane hydrate samples have included the development of a host of pressure core systems and associated specialty laboratory apparatus. The study and use of both wireline conveyed and logging-‐while-‐drilling technologies have also contributed greatly to our understanding of the in-‐situ nature of hydrate-‐bearing sediments. Recent developments in borehole instrumentation specifically designed to monitor changes associated with hydrates in nature through time or to evaluate the response of hydrate accumulations to production have also contributed greatly to our understanding of the complex nature and evolution of methane hydrate systems. Our understanding of how methane hydrates occur and behave in nature is still growing and evolving – we do not yet know if methane hydrates can be economically produced, nor do we know fully the role of hydrates as an agent of climate change or as a geologic hazard. But it is known for certain that scientific drilling has contributed greatly to our understanding of hydrates in nature and will continue to be a critical source of the information to advance our understanding of methane hydrates.

Report↗

USGS1977

Photo-optical enhancement of landsat imagery for land use in south-central Iowa

Because the photographic laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory found it difficult to estimate what were the optimal color renditions of the Iowa landscape for land classification purposes, the Iowa Geological Survey developed its own capability for producing color products from digitally enhanced Landsat data. Research has now shown that efficient production of enhanced images requires full utilization of both computer and photographic enhancement . procedures. Experimental photo-optical enhancement techniques carried out at the EROS Data Center (EDC) for a Landsat-1, 29 August 1972 scene, proved to be more easily interpreted for land classification purposes than the EDC standard color composite. I.f digital processing can be minimized by using photographic enhancement techniques, then costs of enhanced products could be greatly reduced. Perhaps one of the major objectives of computer processing of Landsat data should be to produce high quality cosmetically enhanced (eliminate striping and line drops) data which has a range of digital values that can be completely recorded by film media. If digital processinq can distribute reflectance data throughout the entire recording ranqe of photographic film, then photographic enhancement techniques could be employed cheaply by users familiar with the type of information they wish to extract from the imaqery. Alternatively, if custom enhanced imagery is to be produced for users not having a photographic capability, different enhancements may be tried in an iterative fashion in the photographic laboratory, without having to reprocess digital data in the computer for each iteration. The savings in time and money should be considerable using this approach.

Iowa↗

USGS2011

PQLX: A seismic data quality control system description, applications, and users manual

We present a detailed description and users manual for a new tool to evaluate seismic station performance and characteristics by providing quick and easy transitions between visualizations of the frequency and time domains. The software is based on the probability density functions (PDF) of power spectral densities (PSD) (McNamara and Buland, 2004) and builds on the original development of the PDF stand-alone software system (McNamara and Boaz, 2005) and the seismological data viewer application PQL (IRIS-PASSCAL Quick Look) and PQLII (available through the IRIS PASSCAL program: http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/content/pql-ii-program-viewing-data). With PQLX (PQL eXtended), computed PSDs are stored in a MySQL database, allowing a user to access specific time periods of PSDs (PDF subsets) and time series segments through a GUI-driven interface. The power of the method and software lies in the fact that there is no need to screen the data for system transients, earthquakes, or general data artifacts, because they map into a background probability level. In fact, examination of artifacts related to station operation and episodic cultural noise allow us to estimate both the overall station quality and a baseline level of Earth noise at each site. The output of this analysis tool is useful for both operational and scientific applications. Operationally, it is useful for characterizing the current and past performance of existing broadband stations, for conducting tests on potential new seismic station locations, for evaluating station baseline noise levels (McNamara and others, 2009), for detecting problems with the recording system or sensors, and for evaluating the overall quality of data and metadata. Scientifically, the tool allows for mining of PSDs for investigations on the evolution of seismic noise (for example, Aster and others, 2008; and Aster and others, 2010) and other phenomena. Currently, PQLX is operational at several organizations including the USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (ASL), and the Incorporated Research Institutions in Seismology (IRIS) Data Management Center (DMC) for station monitoring and instrument response quality control. The PQLX system is available to the community at large through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (http://ehpm-earthquake.wr.usgs.gov/research/software/pqlx.php) and IRIS (http://www.iris.edu/software/pqlx). Also provided is a fully searchable website for bug reporting and enhancement requests (http://wush.net/bugzilla/PQLX). The first part of this document aims to describe and illustrate some of the features and capabilities of the software. The second part of this document is a detailed users manual that covers installation procedures, system requirements, operations, bug reporting, and software components (Appendix).

Open-File Report↗

USGS2015

Estimation of unaltered daily mean streamflow at ungaged streams of New York, excluding Long Island, water years 1961-2010

The lakes, rivers, and streams of New York State provide an essential water resource for the State. The information provided by time series hydrologic data is essential to understanding ways to promote healthy instream ecology and to strengthen the scientific basis for sound water management decision making in New York. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, has developed the New York Streamflow Estimation Tool to estimate a daily mean hydrograph for the period from October 1, 1960, to September 30, 2010, at ungaged locations across the State. The New York Streamflow Estimation Tool produces a complete estimated daily mean time series from which daily flow statistics can be estimated. In addition, the New York Streamflow Estimation Tool provides a means for quantitative flow assessments at ungaged locations that can be used to address the objectives of the Clean Water Act—to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters. The New York Streamflow Estimation Tool uses data from the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow network for selected streamgages in New York (excluding Long Island) and surrounding States with shared hydrologic boundaries, and physical and climate basin characteristics to estimate the natural unaltered streamflow at ungaged stream locations. The unaltered streamflow is representative of flows that are minimally altered by regulation, diversion, or mining, and other anthropogenic activities. With the streamflow network data, flow-duration exceedance probability equations were developed to estimate unaltered streamflow exceedance probabilities at an ungaged location using a methodology that equates streamflow as a percentile from a flow-duration curve for a particular day at a hydrologically similar reference streamgage with streamflow as a percentile from the flow-duration curve for the same day at an ungaged location. The reference streamgage is selected using map correlation, a geostatistical method in which variogram models are developed that correlate streamflow at one streamgage with streamflows at all other locations in the study area. Regression equations used to predict 17 flow-duration exceedance probabilities were developed to estimate the flow-duration curves at ungaged locations for New York using geographic information system-derived basin characteristics. A graphical user interface, with an integrated spreadsheet summary report, has been developed to estimate and display the daily mean streamflows and statistics and to evaluate different water management or water withdrawal scenarios with the estimated monthly data. This package of regression equations, U.S. Geological Survey streamgage data, and spreadsheet application produces an interactive tool to estimate an unaltered daily streamflow hydrograph and streamflow statistics at ungaged sites in New York. Among other uses, the New York Streamflow Estimation Tool can assist water managers with permitting water withdrawals, implementing habitat protection, estimating contaminant loads, or determining the potential affect from chemical spills.

New York↗

USGS2005

Living with a volcano in your backyard: An educator's guide with emphasis on Mount Rainier

Today’s residents, as well as residents of centuries past, consider Mount Rainier “the spiritual and cultural icon of the Pacific Northwest.” As a backdrop for many of the State’s residents, Mount Rainier offers beauty, solace, inspiration, and challenge. The mountain sets the daily mood for thousands of people who gaze at and respect it. There is no mistaking this object of admiration when people smile and remark that, “the mountain is out!” Yet, the origin of Mount Rainier, formed by volcanic processes and now heavily laden with snow and ice, remains an enigma to many admirers. During the 1980s, volcanologists from around the world voted Mount Rainier as one of 17 volcanoes most worthy of additional study because of the hazard potential to large population centers nearby. Subsequent research indicates that Mount Rainier, though quiet since the nineteenth century, is very much an “active volcano” with potential to erupt again and disrupt the life of Pacific Northwest residents. Following days to months or more of warning, Mount Rainier could erupt lava and ash and melt snow and ice to form lahars (volcanic mudflows). Or, Mount Rainier could simply warm up briefly, jolt us from our apathy, and then return to slumber for many more years. Until such time, the mountain is ours to explore. Living with a Volcano in Your Backyard—An Educator’s Guide with Emphasis on Mount Rainier invites educators and their students to learn what scientists are discovering about Mount Rainier’s past, to explore its slopes during this period of quiescence, and to plan future responses to volcanic unrest. Mount Rainier National Park is a unique classroom, rich in resources for observing geologic change. The park staff encourages safe and knowledgeable use by educators and students and their families. The National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program (USGS-VHP) support development and publication of this educator’s guide as part of their mission to educate the public about volcanoes. The USGS-VHP studies the dynamics of volcanoes, investigates eruption histories, develops hazard assessments, monitors volcano-related activity, and collaborates with local officials to lower the risk of disruption when volcanoes become restless.

Washington↗

USGS2012

U.S. Geological Survey energy and minerals science strategy

The economy, national security, and standard of living of the United States depend heavily on adequate and reliable supplies of energy and mineral resources. Based on current population and consumption trends, the Nation's use of energy and minerals can be expected to grow, driving the demand for ever broader scientific understanding of resource formation, location, and availability. In addition, the increasing importance of environmental stewardship, human health, and sustainable growth place further emphasis on energy and mineral resources research and understanding. Collectively, these trends in resource demand and the interconnectedness among resources will lead to new challenges and, in turn, require cutting-edge science for the next generation of societal decisions. The contributions of the U.S. Geological Survey to energy and minerals research are well established. Based on five interrelated goals, this plan establishes a comprehensive science strategy. It provides a structure that identifies the most critical aspects of energy and mineral resources for the coming decade. * Goal 1. - Understand fundamental Earth processes that form energy and mineral resources. * Goal 2. - Understand the environmental behavior of energy and mineral resources and their waste products. * Goal 3. - Provide inventories and assessments of energy and mineral resources. * Goal 4. - Understand the effects of energy and mineral development on natural resources. * Goal 5. - Understand the availability and reliability of energy and mineral resource supplies. Within each goal, multiple, scalable actions are identified. The level of specificity and complexity of these actions varies, consistent with the reality that even a modest refocus can yield large payoffs in the near term whereas more ambitious plans may take years to reach fruition. As such, prioritization of actions is largely dependent on policy direction, available resources, and the sequencing of prerequisite steps that will lead up to the most visionary directions. The science strategy stresses early planning and places an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and leveraging of expertise across the U.S. Geological Survey.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2007

Understanding knowledge and perceptions of bats among residents of Fort Collins, Colorado

As regional urbanization increases in Colorado, so do interactions between humans and wildlife. Where previous habitat has been reduced due to urbanization and development, a few bat species that easily adapt to new environments now roost in homes and buildings (Kunz and Reynolds, 2003). Bats frequently serve as reservoirs of disease that have potential health consequences for humans and other mammals (Messenger and others, 2003). As bat use of buildings becomes more frequent, the incidences of bat/human contact and the risk of spreading disease also increase. In Colorado, rabies is most common in the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) Pape and others, 1999), the most ubiquitous species of urban-dwelling bat in the United States (Barbour and Davis, 1969) and the most common species submitted for rabies testing in Colorado (Pape and others, 1999). An in-depth knowledge of the big brown bat - including its ecology, habitat and movements, and aspects of disease transmission - and of its interactions with humans is essential for making informed management decisions regarding this species. To balance the competing priorities of species preservation and public safety, natural resource managers and public health professionals must be able to accurately estimate citizens' knowledge, perceptions, and perceived risks regarding the bat species that use human dwellings and harbor diseases potentially dangerous to humans. A recently completed five-year ecological study (2001-2005) on bats inhabiting buildings in Fort Collins, Colo., has provided much information on the basic epidemiology of rabies and on the ecology of the local bat population (Davis, Rudd, and Bowen, 2007; Ellison and others, 2007; Neubaum, Douglas, and others, in press; Neubaum, O'Shea, and Wilson, 2006; Neubaum, Wilson, and O'Shea, 2007; O'Shea, Ellison, and Stanley, 2004; Pearce and O'Shea, 2007; Pearce and others, in press; Shankar and others, 2004; Shankar and others, 2005; Wimsatt and others 2005). Research investigating the human dimensions of bats and bat/rabies relationships, however, has been very limited (Gibbins and others, 2002; Liesener and others, 2006). Herein, we report the results of a study to evaluate perceptions and knowledge of bats and rabies among residents of Fort Collins, Colo. The study resulted from collaborations between U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) bat ecologists of the Trust Species and Habitats branch, and social scientists of the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance branch, both of the USGS Fort Collins Science Center (FORT).

Open-File Report↗

USGS2015

Distribution and biophysical processes of beaded streams in Arctic permafrost landscapes

Beaded streams are widespread in permafrost regions and are considered a common thermokarst landform. However, little is known about their distribution, how and under what conditions they form, and how their intriguing morphology translates to ecosystem functions and habitat. Here we report on a Circum-Arctic survey of beaded streams and a watershed-scale analysis in northern Alaska using remote sensing and field studies. We mapped over 400 channel networks with beaded morphology throughout the continuous permafrost zone of northern Alaska, Canada, and Russia and found the highest abundance associated with medium- to high- ground ice content permafrost in moderately sloping terrain. In the Fish Creek watershed, beaded streams accounted for half of the drainage density, occurring primarily as low-order channels initiating from lakes and drained lake basins. Beaded streams predictably transition to alluvial channels with increasing drainage area and decreasing channel slope, although this transition is modified by local controls on water and sediment delivery. Comparison of one beaded channel using repeat photography between 1948 and 2013 indicate a relatively stable landform and 14C dating of basal sediments suggest channel formation may be as early as the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Contemporary processes, such as deep snow accumulation in riparian zones effectively insulates channel ice and allows for perennial liquid water below most beaded stream pools. Because of this, mean annual temperatures in pool beds are greater than 2°C, leading to the development of perennial thaw bulbs or taliks underlying these thermokarst features. In the summer, some pools thermally stratify, which reduces permafrost thaw and maintains coldwater habitats. Snowmelt generated peak-flows decrease rapidly by two or more orders of magnitude to summer low flows with slow reach-scale velocity distributions ranging from 0.1 to 0.01 m/s, yet channel runs still move water rapidly between pools. The repeating spatial pattern associated with beaded stream morphology and hydrological dynamics may provide abundant and optimal foraging habitat for fish. Thus, beaded streams may create important ecosystem functions and habitat in many permafrost landscapes and their distribution and dynamics are only beginning to be recognized in Arctic research.

Alaska↗

USGS2002

Research plan for lands administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Interior Columbia Basin and Snake River Plateau

This document presents a long-term research strategy designed to address current and future research needs for management of Department of the Interior-administered ecosystems in the Intermountain West. Although the research plan was developed in the context of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project, the plan addresses many high-priority issues facing land managers throughout the Intermountain West. These issues pose management challenges that may be addressed with applied research both currently and in upcoming decades. Possessing a particular focus on semiarid ecosystems, the plan is a collection of research questions under five categories of research emphases: 1) restoration; 2) rangeland health; 3) aquatic-terrestrial connections; 4) development of monitoring and evaluation protocols; and 5) species and habitats at risk. The goal of the research strategy is to provide ideas for integrating emerging scientific understanding into future management in order to restore and maintain long-term ecosystem health and ecological integrity; provide consistent management direction over broad spatial and temporal scales; emphasize adaptive management over the long term; restore and maintain habitats for plant and animal species; and support economic and social needs of people, without compromising the above goals. Research questions are prioritized into three categories based on the immediacy of their need, feasibility of addressing the question rigorously under varying funding budgets, and magnitude of risk posed by not addressing the issue. The research strategy is intended to support and integrate with existing management efforts and strategies. As such, it melds observational studies with experimental manipulation, treating management actions as experiments whenever feasible. The research strategy focuses on disturbance processes and events that have been the primary drivers of change, to provide a predictive model for future changes. These drivers include fire, nonnative plants, herbivory, roads and associated human influences, and climate change. Whereas management in the western United States has striven to move from an inefficient species-based approach to a habitat-based approach, the plan focuses on ecosystem function and ecological processes as critical measures of habitat response. Because of the large amount and contiguity of public lands in the western United States, the region presents both a compelling opportunity to implement landscape-level science and a challenge to underst

Information and Technology Report↗

USGS2006

Hydratools manual version 1.0, documentation for a MATLAB ® -based post-processing package for the Sontek Hydra

The Sediment Transport Instrumentation Group (STG) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Science Center has a long-standing comitment to providing scientists with high quality oceanographic data. To meet this commitment, STG personnel are vigilant in checking data as well as hardware for signs of instrument malfunction. STG data sets are accompanied by processing histories to detail data processing procedures that may have modified the natural data signal while removing noise from the data. The history also allows the data to be reprocessed in the ligth of new insight into instrument function and moored conditions. This toolbox was compiled to meet these data quality commitments for data generated by Sontek Hydra systems using both ADV and PCADP probes. In the mid 1900's, the USGS Coastal and Marine Program began frequent deployments of Sontek Hydra systems in support of projects in estuaries, coastal, and continental shelf regions nationwide. Hydra data sets are large and complex in structure, and existing processing and editing tools consisted of fragments of MATLAB code written by USGS scientists to satisfy personal research needs. This code did not meet STG quality control criteria. This toolbox permits engineers and scientists to monitor data quality by: 1. processing data with interactive critical review; 2. preserving data quality indicators; 3. preserving minimally processed and partially processed versions of data sets. STG usually deploys ADV and PCADP probes configured as downward looking, mounted on bottom tripods, with the objective of measuring high-resolution near-bed currents. The velocity profiles are recorded with minimal internal data processing. Also recorded are parameters such as temperature, conductivity, optical backscatter, light transmission, and high frequency pressure. Sampling consists of high-frequency bursts(1–10 Hz) bursts of long duration (5–30 minutes) at regular and recurring intervals for a duration of 1 to 6 months. The result is very large data files, often 500 MB per Hydra, per deployment, in Sontek's compressed binary format. This section introduces the Hydratools toolbox and provides information about the history of the system's development. The USGS philosophy regarding data quality is discussed to provide an understating of the motivation for creating the system. General information about the following topics will also be discussed: hardware and software required for the system, basic processing steps, limitations of program usage, and features that are unique to the programs.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2017

An assessment of food habits, prey availability, and nesting success of golden eagles within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Area

Within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area, which encompasses California’s Mojave Desert, development and operation of renewable energy facilities has the potential to impact golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations through loss of habitat and prey base. Developing an effective conservation strategy that aims to mitigate for such operations is necessary to lessen these impacts; however, this requires site-specific knowledge of how golden eagle productivity is influenced by variability in prey abundance. In this study, researchers studied the food habits, prey availability, and nesting success of golden eagles in the conservation plan area over two seasons (2014 and 2015). In addition, as part of a collaborative research effort funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the same research was conducted within the adjoining Mojave Desert ecoregion of southern Nevada; these research results are presented as well. To examine prey availability, researchers conducted nocturnal spotlight surveys along 140 fivekilometer transects. Diet selection was determined using motion-activated trail cameras and by collecting prey remains at 20 active nests. Nesting success was determined by conducting occupancy and reproductive assessment surveys within 50 historic breeding areas and evaluating camera data collected at active nests. Preliminary results indicate high spatial variability in prey species abundance and selection. Black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) represented over half the available prey, as well as nearly half the prey species identified by nest cameras. Overall, nesting success was 47 percent. Productivity was 0.67 young per occupied breeding area, and mean brood size was 1.4 young per successful nest. No evidence was found indicating that camera installation caused nest failures or influenced eagle behavior for any sites. Results from this project are incorporated into a spatial demographic model linking prey availability and abundance to golden eagle productivity across a changing Mojave Desert landscape.

Report↗

USGS1980

Effects of post-impoundment shore modifications on fish populations in Missouri River reservoirs

In the Missouri River main stem reservoirs in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, hydrodynamic processes have decreased the lengths of shorelines and changed their configuration during the first 20 to 25 years of impoundment. Shale shores of Lakes Fort Peck, Oahe, Sharpe, and Francis Case were rapidly eroded by wave action and water level fluctuation. Banks slumped, embayments filled, and stumps and debris were covered by sediment. Shale shores developed mean slopes of 5-7% in sections of reservoirs with 10- to 25-km fetches and more than 10% in sections with 3- to 7-km fetches. Glacial till tended to armor the shorelines and deter their degradation in all reservoirs. Bank-cutting was particularly severe up to 1973 in the readily erodible Fort Union sediments along Lake Sakakawea. Water level fluctuation retarded the development of stable shores. Some aquatic vegetation developed along shorelines and in shallow sections of reservoirs in which water levels fluctuated little. Substrate suitable for terrestrial vegetation did not develop along the shores of fluctuating reservoirs, except where alluvial deposits were present. Physical changes of the shore probably influenced fish abundance and species composition primarily by changing the quality and quantity of spawning and nursery habitat. Species that appeared to be adversely affected by shore changes required protected embayments or flooded vegetation for reporduction: white crappie, Pomoxis annularis : black crappie, P. nigromaculatus : yellow perch, Perca flavescens : northern pike, Esox lucius : bigmouth buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus : small mouth buffalo, I. bubalus : and carp, Cyprinus carpio . Fish that spawn in tributaries or on rocky shores were not greatly influenced by shore changes (although the growth rate of several species were slowed): sauger, Sander canadensis : channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus : white bass, Morone chrysops : goldeye, Hiodon alosoides : and river carpsucker, Carpiodes carpio . One species, the walleye, Stizostedion v. vitreum , appeared to be benefited from the shore changes. Physical changes along shores have not been adequately addressed in reservoir ecological planning. Fish population data collected before reservoir shores have reached a reasonable degree of stability do not provide a reliable estimate of the ultimate species composition in a reservoir.

Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota↗

USGS2021

Partitioning and transformation of organic and inorganic phosphorus among dissolved, colloidal and particulate phases in a hypereutrophic freshwater estuary

Phosphorus (P) loadings to the Great Lakes have been regulated for decades, but re-eutrophication and seasonal hypoxia have recently been increasingly reported. It is of paramount importance to better understand the fate, transformation, and biogeochemical cycling processes of different P species across the river-lake interface. We report here results on chemical speciation of P in the seasonally hypoxic Fox River-Green Bay system and variations in sources and partitioning of P species along the aquatic continuum. During midsummer when productivity is generally high, phosphate and dissolved organic P (DOP) were the major species in river water while particulate-organic-P predominated in open bay waters, showing a dynamic change in the chemical speciation of P along the river-bay transect with active transformations between inorganic and organic P and between colloidal and particulate phases. Colloidal organic P (COP, >1 kDa) comprised 33‒65% of the bulk DOP, while colloidal inorganic P was generally insignificant and undetectable especially in open bay water. Sources of COP changed from mainly allochthonous in the Fox River, having mostly smaller sized colloids (1–3 kDa) and a lower organic carbon to phosphorus (C/P) ratio, to predominantly autochthonous in open bay waters with larger sized colloids (>10 kDa) and a higher organic C/P ratio. The observed high apparent distribution coefficients ( K d ) of P between dissolved and particulate phases and high-abundant autochthonous colloidal and particulate organic P in the hypereutrophic environment suggest that, in addition to phosphate, colloidal/particulate organic P may play a critical role in the biogeochemical cycling of P and the development of seasonal hypoxia.

Wisconsin↗

USGS2008

Ground water on tropical Pacific Islands— Understanding a vital resource

To a casual observer, tropical Pacific islands seem idyllic. Closer scrutiny reveals that their generally small size makes them particularly vulnerable to economic and environmental stresses imposed by rapidly growing populations, increasing economic development, and global climate change. On these islands, freshwater is one of the most precious resources. Ground water is the main source of drinking water on many islands, and for quite a few islands, it is the only reliable source of water throughout the year. Faced with a growing demand for this valuable resource, and the potential negative effects on its availability and quality from changes in global climate, increasingly sophisticated management approaches will be needed to ensure a dependable supply of freshwater for the residents of these islands. Much scientific information has been collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other organizations about the ground-water resources of tropical Pacific islands. The aim of this Circular is to give members of the public, policymakers, and other stakeholders knowledge that will help ensure that this information can be used to make informed decisions about the management of these life-giving resources. As the demand for freshwater grows, new monitoring and research efforts will be needed to (1) characterize the extent and sustainability of ground-water resources on different tropical Pacific islands, (2) better understand linkages between ground-water discharge and freshwater and nearshore ecosystems, and (3) prepare for the effects of climate change, which will likely include the loss of habitable land and reduced areas for the accumulation of ground water as a result of rising sea levels.

Laura area of Majuro Atoll↗

USGS1984

Determination of hydraulic conductivity in three dimensions and its relation to dispersivity: Chapter D in Ground-water contamination by crude oil at the Bemidji, Minnesota, research site; US Geological Survey Toxic Waste--ground-water contamination study

Recent investigations suggest that dispersion in aquifers is scale dependent and a function of the heterogeneity of aquifer materials. Theoretical stochastic studies indicate that determining hydraulic-conductivity variability in three dimensions is important in analyzing the dispersion process. Even though field methods are available to approximate hydraulic conductivity in three dimensions, the methods are not generally used because of high cost of field equipment and because measurement and analysis techniques are cumbersome and time consuming. The hypothesis of this study is that field-determined values of dispersivity are scale dependent and that they may be described as a function of hydraulic conductivity in three dimensions. The objectives of the study at the Bemidji research site are to (1) determine hydraulic conductivity of the porous media in three dimensions, (2) determine field values of dispersivity and its scale dependence on hydraulic conductivity, and (3) develop and apply a computerized data-collection, storage, and analysis system for field use in comprehensive determination of hydraulic conductivity and dispersivity. Plans for this investigation involve a variety of methods of analysis. Hydraulic conductivity will be determined separately in the horizontal and vertical planes of the hydraulic-conductivity ellipsoid. Field values of dispersivity will be determined by single-well and doublet-well injection or withdrawal tests with tracers. A computerized data-collection, storage, and analysis system to measure pressure, flow rate, tracer concentrations, and temperature will be designed for field testing. Real-time computer programs will be used to analyze field data. The initial methods of analysis will be utilized to meet the objectives of the study. Preliminary field data indicate the aquifer underlying the Bemidji site is vertically heterogeneous, cross-bedded outwash. Preliminary analysis of the flow field around a hypothetical doublet-well tracer test indicates that the location of the wells can affect the field value of dispersivity. Preliminary analysis also indicates that different values of dispersivity may result from anisotropic conditions in tests in which observation wells are located at equal radial distances from either the injection or withdrawal well.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗