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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2014

Occurrence of pesticides in groundwater and sediments and mineralogy of sediments and grain coatings underlying the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Upper Deerfield, New Jersey, 2007

Water and sediment samples were collected from June through October 2007 from seven plots at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Upper Deerfield, New Jersey, and analyzed for a suite of pesticides (including fungicides) and other physical and chemical parameters (including sediment mineralogy) by the U.S. Geological Survey. Plots were selected for inclusion in this study on the basis of the crops grown and the pesticides used. Forty-one pesticides were detected in 14 water samples; these include 5 fungicides, 13 herbicides, 1 insecticide, and 22 pesticide degradates. The following pesticides and pesticide degradates were detected in 50 percent or more of the groundwater samples: 1-amide-4-hydroxy-chorothalonil, alachlor sulfonic acid, metolachlor oxanilic acid, metolachlor sulfonic acid, metalaxyl, and simazine. Dissolved-pesticide concentrations ranged from below their instrumental limit of detection to 36 micrograms per liter (for metolachlor sulfonic acid, a degradate of the herbicide metolachlor). The total number of pesticides found in groundwater samples ranged from 0 to 29. Fourteen pesticides were detected in sediment samples from continuous cores collected within each of the seven sampled plots; these include 4 fungicides, 2 herbicides, and 7 pesticide degradates. Pesticide concentrations in sediment samples ranged from below their instrumental limit of detection to 34.2 nanograms per gram (for azoxystrobin). The total number of pesticides found in sediment samples ranged from 0 to 8. Quantitative whole-rock and grain-coating mineralogy of sediment samples were determined by x-ray diffraction. Whole-rock analysis indicated that sediments were predominantly composed of quartz. The materials coating the quartz grains were removed to allow quantification of the trace mineral phases present.

New Jersey↗
USGS1991

Agricultural research to improve water quality

ime courses for ingest~on, retention and release via feces of microbial food was investigated using 2 b~valves w~th d~fferent feeding strategies, Potamocorbula amurensis and Macoma balthica. The results showed 2 pathways for the uptake of food material in these clams. The first is represented by an initlal label pulse in the feces. The second pathway operates over longer time periods. Inert "Cr-labeled beads were used to determine time frames for these pathways. The first pathway, involving extracellular digestion and intestinal uptake, is relatively inefficient In the digestion of bacter~al cells by P amurensis but more efficient in M. balthica. The second pathway, involving intracellular digestion withln the digestive gland of both clams, was highly efficient in absorb~ng bacterial carbon, and was responsible for most chromium uptake. Differences in the overall retention of microbial "Cr and I4C relate not to gut-passage times but to the processing and release strategies of the food material by these 2 clams.

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation↗
USGS2023

Integration of remote sensing and field observations in evaluating DSSAT model for estimating maize and soybean growth and yield in Maryland, USA

Crop models are useful for evaluating crop growth and yield at the field and regional scales, but their applications and accuracies are restricted by input data availability and quality. To overcome difficulties inherent to crop modeling, input data can be enhanced by the incorporation of remotely sensed and field observations into crop growth models. This approach has been recognized to be an important way to monitor crop growth conditions and to predict yield at the field and regional scale. In recent years, satellite remote sensing has provided high-temporal and high-spatial-resolution data that allow for generating continuous time series of biophysical parameters such as vegetation indices, leaf area index, and phenology. The objectives of this study were to use remote sensing along with field observations as inputs to the Decision Support System for Agro-Technology (DSSAT) model to estimate soybean and maize growth and yield. The study used phenology and leaf area index (LAI) data derived from Planet Fusion (daily, 3 m) satellite imagery along with field observation data on crop growth stage, LAI and yield collected at the United State Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), Beltsville, Maryland. For maize, a total of 17 treatments (site years) were used (ten treatments for model calibration and seven treatments for validation), while for soybean (maturity groups three and four), a total of 18 treatments were used (nine for calibration and nine for validation). The calibrated model was tested against an independent, multi-location and multi-year set of phenology and yield data (2017–2020) from BARC fields. The model accurately simulated maize and soybean days to flowering and maturity and produced reasonable yield estimates for most fields and years. Model run for independent locations and years produced good results for phenology and yields for both maize and soybean, as indicated by index of agreement (d) values ranging from 0.65 to 0.93 and normalized root-mean-squared error values ranging from 1 to 20%, except for soybean maturity group four. Overall, model performances with respect to phenology and grain yield for maize and soybean were good and consistent with other DSSAT evaluation studies. The inclusion of remote sensing along with field observations in crop-growth model inputs can provide an effective approach for assessing crop conditions, even in regions lacking ground data.

Maryland↗
USGS2005

Upper Auglaize watershed AGNPS modeling project

The Upper Auglaize Watershed agricultural non-point source modeling project was an interagency effort to use a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based modeling approach for assessing and reducing pollution from agricultural runoff and other non-point sources. This project applied the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service’s AGricultural Non-Point Source (AGNPS) suite of models to the Upper Auglaize River Watershed, a major watershed within the Maumee River Basin. This modeling project was conducted by an interagency team consisting of a partnership between the: (1) USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS); (2) USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); (3) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); (4) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); (5) Ohio State University; (6) University of Toledo (UT); (7) Heidelberg College; (8) Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Soil and Water Conservation; (9) Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA); and (10) Allen, Auglaize, Van Wert, and Putnam Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The partnership was the first step in a process to eventually apply the model in a portioned subset of watersheds for the Maumee Basin, and then to link them to form a comprehensive basin-wide model This work was performed under the authority of Section 516(e) of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1996, as amended, for the purpose of assisting State and local watershed managers with their evaluation, prioritization and implementation of alternatives for soil conservation, sediment trapping and non-point source pollution prevention in the Upper Auglaize River watershed. The project team, working in a cooperative effort, used the models to determine sediment sources, contributing locations, and the effect of application of best management practices (BMPs) on rates of sediment delivery to the mouth of the watershed. The results will be used to guide conservation incentive and land treatment programs. The team relied heavily on Geographic Information System (GIS)-based applications to expedite the application of the model. The results of the analysis demonstrated that the application of BMPs would have a positive effect on reducing the loadings of sediment leaving the mouth of the Upper Auglaize Watershed. An application of 17 percent new no-till acres and eight percent new grassland acres, when randomly applied to the watershed, reduced loadings at the mouth to 82 percent of the simulated existing condition loadings. No-till, conversion of cropland to grassland, other uses including grass buffers, and reforestation of parts of the watershed, were all shown by the model to have a measurable effect on reducing sediment loads. Conversion of all of the cropland in the watershed to no-till would reduce the average unit load (tons of sediment per acre) leaving the mouth of the watershed to a level that is 42 percent of the simulated existing condition load. Ephemeral gullies were found to be the primary source of erosion (72 percent), sediment yield (73 percent), and sediment loading (73 percent). Controlling sediment load means controlling gully erosion and possibly trapping sediment yield before it reaches the stream system. Most BMPs (e.g., no-till, conversion of cropland, etc.) that reduce sheet and rill erosion and its sediment yield will also reduce gully erosion and its sediment yield. However, grassed waterways, which have no effect on sheet and rill erosion, are frequently an effective BMP to prevent ephemeral gullies. And, of course, riparian vegetation and sediment traps would reduce the delivery ratios of all types of landscape erosion. New techniques were developed by the team to quantify the ephemeral gully erosion within the model. When calibrated to available stream gage data the model suggests that more (73% in the existing condition simulation) of the sediment load originates from ephemeral gully erosion than from traditional sheet and rill erosion. The model quantified the value of tile drainage in reducing the sediment load from the watershed. Loadings under drained conditions were always less than loadings under undrained conditions for otherwise identical land uses. The average sediment load of all alternatives for drained loadings was 89.2 percent of the load for the corresponding undrained loadings. The model established that while many conservation incentive programs treat tile drainage as a production practice, significant erosion and sediment control benefits are provided by the practice in comparison to cultivation in an undrained state.

Ohio↗
USGS2012

GRACEnet: addressing policy needs through coordinated cross-location research

GRACEnet (Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network) was conceived to build upon ongoing USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research to improve soil productivity, while addressing the challenges and opportunities of interest in C sequestration from a climate change perspective. The vision for GRACEnet was and remains: Knowledge and information used to implement scientifically based agricultural management practices from the field to national policy scales on C sequestration, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and environmental benefits. The national focus of GRACEnet uses a standardized approach by ARS laboratories and university and land manager (e.g. farmer and rancher) cooperators to assess C sequestration and GHG emission from different crop and grassland systems. Since 2002, GRACEnet has significantly expanded GHG mitigation science and delivered usable information to agricultural research and policy organizations. Recent developments suggest GRACEnet will have international impact by contributing leadership and technical guidance for the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

Book chapter↗
USGS2020

Pilot-scale testing of dairy manure treatments to reduce nutrient transport from land application, northwest Ohio, 2015–17

Manure and wastewater from large livestock operations have the potential to negatively affect surface water and groundwater, including the eutrophication of surface waters and harmful algal blooms. In the Western Lake Erie Basin, where there is a high density of animal agriculture, harmful algal blooms have been attributed, in part, to phosphorus loading from dairy manure and fertilizer applications. Liquid lagoon manure produced by dairy operations typically has low nutrient concentrations and high-water content, so transportation costs are high relative to the value of the nutrients when applied to fields. Treatment systems are needed to transform manure into a dewatered product that is more economical to transport greater distances and that slows and (or) reduces the release of nutrients in soil, allowing nutrients to remain available for crop growth. This study was designed to pilot test a treatment solution in the Western Lake Erie Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey and Bowling Green State University field tested a dewatering treatment process (coagulant/polymer mixture) for dairy manure at pilot-scale test plots at The Ohio State University Agricultural Research and Development Center Northwest Agricultural Research Station. Automatic samplers were used to collect samples during 13 baseline and 9 post-manure application rainfall events that resulted in substantial surface runoff and (or) tile flow from October 2015 through early November 2017. Results are reported for three test plots that received liquid lagoon manure (raw manure) and three test plots that received polymer-treated manure (treated manure). Nutrient concentrations and flow volumes in surface runoff and tile flow were determined in baseline and post-manure application rainfall events. Nutrient concentration ranges are reported for 9 baseline and 9 post-manure application events as follows: dissolved reactive phosphorus, less than (<) 0.013−2.16 milligrams per liter (mg/L); nitrate plus nitrite, filtered, 0.32−77 mg/L; ammonia, filtered, <0.05−2.6 mg/L; total phosphorus, <0.01−12.8 mg/L; and total nitrogen, 1.49−77.2 mg/L. Volumes are reported for 6 baseline and 9 post-manure application rainfall events. None of the post-manure application runoff volumes were significantly different by plot or by treatment type (raw manure versus treated manure). Because concentrations alone do not reflect the true effects of different manure treatments, loads and flow-weighted mean concentrations of nutrients during post-manure application rainfall events were compared between plots with treated manure and those with raw manure. Loads of dissolved reactive phosphorus, total phosphorus, nitrate plus nitrite, and total nitrogen were calculated using the U.S. Geological Survey Graphical Constituent Loading and Analysis System. Loads of ammonia were not calculated because many of the ammonia concentrations were below the reporting limit. During the post-manure application period, higher nitrogen loads resulted from tile flow than surface runoff. For phosphorus, the opposite was true in that higher loads resulted from surface runoff than tile flow. Combined loads (surface runoff and tile flow) of dissolved reactive phosphorus were significantly different between raw manure and treated manure plots, but there was no significant difference in combined loads of total phosphorus, nitrate plus nitrite, or total nitrogen between raw manure and treated manure plots. Flow-weighted mean concentrations were calculated for the combined loads for the post-manure application rainfall events. Flow-weighted mean concentrations of dissolved reactive phosphorus and, to a lesser extent, total phosphorus were significantly different between raw manure and treated manure plots. Flow-weighted mean concentrations of nitrate plus nitrite and total nitrogen were not significantly different between raw manure and treated manure plots. The differences in loads and flow-weighted mean concentrations between raw manure and treated manure plots indicate that dissolved reactive phosphorus was likely retained in the soil and hydrological transport was reduced for the plots amended with the treated manure as compared to raw manure. Although confirmation field testing needs to be done, these results indicate that the use of this coagulant/polymer mixture shows potential in helping to reduce flow of dissolved phosphorus from agricultural fields with applied manure.

Ohio↗
USGS2017

The Nitrogen Footprint Tool network: A multi-institution program to reduce nitrogen pollution

Anthropogenic sources of reactive nitrogen have local and global impacts on air and water quality and detrimental effects on human and ecosystem health. This paper uses the nitrogen footprint tool (NFT) to determine the amount of nitrogen (N) released as a result of institutional consumption. The sectors accounted for include food (consumption and upstream production), energy, transportation, fertilizer, research animals, and agricultural research. The NFT is then used for scenario analysis to manage and track reductions, which are driven by the consumption behaviors of both the institution itself and its constituent individuals. In this paper, the first seven completed institution nitrogen footprint results are presented. The institution NFT network aims to develop footprints for many institutions to encourage widespread upper-level management strategies that will create significant reductions in reactive nitrogen released to the environment. Energy use and food purchases are the two largest sectors contributing to institution nitrogen footprints. Ongoing efforts by institutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also help to reduce the nitrogen footprint, but the impact of food production on nitrogen pollution has not been directly addressed by the higher-ed sustainability community. The NFT Network found that institutions could reduce their nitrogen footprints by optimizing food purchasing to reduce consumption of animal products and minimize food waste, as well as reducing dependence on fossil fuels for energy.

Sustainability↗
USGS1960

Case report: Pox in the mourning dove in Maryland

Although trichomoniasis has received attention as a cause of death among mourning doves ( Zenaidura macroura ), ittle work has been done on other diseases of this species. Kossack and Hanson2 reported the occurrence of pox lesions in mourning doves in Illinois. Rosen3 reported that "pigeon pox" had caused a severe mortality in a mourning dove flock near Yreka, Siskiyou County, California. A severe outbreak of pox that occurred in a captive flock of mourning doves at the Patuxent Research Refuge further emphasizes the need for more study of this disease as a cause of dove mortality. Twenty-two mourning doves were live trapped on the Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, in September, 1958. The doves were examined for presence of Trichomonas gallinae and, when found to be free of trichomonads, were made the nucleus of a captive dove colony. A mourning dove that had a small, pink nodule on the left eyelid was captured on the Agricultural Research Center on September 17, 1958. The nodule was excised and the cut surface was treated with tincture of merthiolate. The dove then was added to the dove colony.

Avian Diseases↗
USGS2003

Stream Bank Stability in Eastern Nebraska

Dredged and straightened channels in eastern Nebraska have experienced degradation leading to channel widening by bank failure. Degradation has progressed headward and affected the drainage systems upstream from the modified reaches. This report describes a study that was undertaken to analyze bank stability at selected sites in eastern Nebraska and develop a simplified method for estimating the stability of banks at future study sites. Bank cross sections along straight reaches of channel and geotechnical data were collected at approximately 150 sites in 26 counties of eastern Nebraska. The sites were categorized into three groups based on mapped soil permeability. With increasing permeability of the soil groups, the median cohesion values decreased and the median friction angles increased. Three analytical methods were used to determine if banks were stable (should not fail even when saturated), at risk (should not fail unless saturated), or unstable (should have already failed). The Culmann and Agricultural Research Service methods were based on the Coulomb equation and planar failure; an indirect method was developed that was based on Bishop's simplified method of slices and rotational failure. The maximum angle from horizontal at which the bank would be stable for the given soil and bank height conditions also was computed with the indirect method. Because of few soil shear-strength data, all analyses were based on the assumption of homogeneous banks, which was later shown to be atypical, at least for some banks. Using the Culmann method and assuming no soil tension cracks, 67 percent of all 908 bank sections were identified as stable, 32 percent were at risk, and 1 percent were unstable; when tension cracks were assumed, the results changed to 58 percent stable, 40 percent at risk, and 1 percent unstable. Using the Agricultural Research Service method, 67 percent of all bank sections were identified as stable and 33 percent were at risk. Using the indirect method, 62 percent of all bank sections were identified as stable and 31 percent were at risk; 3 percent were unstable, and 3 percent were outside of the range of the tables developed for the method. For each of the methods that were used, the largest percentage of stable banks and the smallest percentage of at risk banks was for the soil group with the lowest soil permeability and highest median cohesion values. A comparison of the expected stable bank angles for saturated conditions and the surveyed bank angles indicated that many of the surveyed bank angles were considerably less than the maximum expected stable bank angles despite the banks being classified as at risk or unstable. For severely degraded channels along straight reaches this was not expected. It was expected that they would have angles close to the maximum stable angle as they should have been failing from an oversteepened condition. Several explanations are possible. The channel reaches of some study sites have not yet been affected to a significant degree by degradation; study sites were selected throughout individual basins and severe degradation has not yet extended to some sites along upper reaches; and some reaches have experienced aggradation as degradation progresses upstream. Another possibility is that some bank sections have been affected by lateral migration processes, which typically result in shallow bank angles on the inside bend of the channel. Another possibility is that the maximum expected stable bank angles are too steep. The stability methods used were well established and in essential agreement with each other, and there was no reason to question the geometry data. This left non-representative soil data as a probable reason for computed stable bank angles that, at least in some cases, are overly steep. Based on an examination of the cohesion data, to which the stable bank-angle calculations were most sensitive, both vertical and horizontal variability in soil properti

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2006

Long-term dynamics of production, respiration, and net CO 2 exchange in two sagebrush-steppe ecosystems

We present a synthesis of long-term measurements of CO 2 exchange in 2 US Intermountain West sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. The locations near Burns, Oregon (1995–2001), and Dubois, Idaho (1996–2001), are part of the AgriFlux Network of the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Measurements of net ecosystem CO 2 exchange ( F c ) during the growing season were continuously recorded at flux towers using the Bowen ratio-energy balance technique. Data were partitioned into gross primary productivity ( P g ) and ecosystem respiration ( R e ) using the light-response function method. Wintertime fluxes were measured during 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 and used to model fluxes in other winters. Comparison of daytime respiration derived from light-response analysis with nighttime tower measurements showed close correlation, with daytime respiration being on the average higher than nighttime respiration. Maxima of P g and R e at Burns were both 20 g CO 2 ·m −2 ·d −1 in 1998. Maxima of P g and R e at Dubois were 37 and 35 g CO 2 ·m −2 ·d −1 , respectively, in 1997. Mean annual gross primary production at Burns was 1 111 (range 475–1 715) g CO 2 ·m −2 ·y −1 or about 30% lower than that at Dubois (1 602, range 963–2 162 g CO 2 ·m −2 ·y −1 ). Across the years, both ecosystems were net sinks for atmospheric CO 2 with a mean net ecosystem CO 2 exchange of 82 g CO 2 ·m −2 ·y −1 at Burns and 253 g CO 2 ·m −2 ·y −1 at Dubois, but on a yearly basis either site could be a C sink or source, mostly depending on precipitation timing and amount. Total annual precipitation is not a good predictor of carbon sequestration across sites. Our results suggest that F c should be partitioned into P g and R e components to allow prediction of seasonal and yearly dynamics of CO 2 fluxes.

Rangeland Ecology and Management↗
USGS2005

Comparison of methods for estimating ground-water recharge and base flow at a small watershed underlain by fractured bedrock in the Eastern United States

This study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, compared multiple methods for estimating ground-water recharge and base flow (as a proxy for recharge) at sites in east-central Pennsylvania underlain by fractured bedrock and representative of a humid-continental climate. This study was one of several within the USGS Ground-Water Resources Program designed to provide an improved understanding of methods for estimating recharge in the eastern United States. Recharge was estimated on a monthly and annual basis using four methods?(1) unsaturated-zone drainage collected in gravity lysimeters, (2) daily water balance, (3) water-table fluctuations in wells, and (4) equations of Rorabaugh. Base flow was estimated by streamflow-hydrograph separation using the computer programs PART and HYSEP. Estimates of recharge and base flow were compared for an 8-year period (1994-2001) coinciding with operation of the gravity lysimeters at an experimental recharge site (Masser Recharge Site) and a longer 34-year period (1968-2001), for which climate and streamflow data were available on a 2.8-square-mile watershed (WE-38 watershed). Estimates of mean-annual recharge at the Masser Recharge Site and WE-38 watershed for 1994-2001 ranged from 9.9 to 14.0 inches (24 to 33 percent of precipitation). Recharge, in inches, from the various methods was: unsaturated-zone drainage, 12.2; daily water balance, 12.3; Rorabaugh equations with PULSE, 10.2, or RORA, 14.0; and water-table fluctuations, 9.9. Mean-annual base flow from streamflow-hydrograph separation ranged from 9.0 to 11.6 inches (21-28 percent of precipitation). Base flow, in inches, from the various methods was: PART, 10.7; HYSEP Local Minimum, 9.0; HYSEP Sliding Interval, 11.5; and HYSEP Fixed Interval, 11.6. Estimating recharge from multiple methods is useful, but the inherent differences of the methods must be considered when comparing results. For example, although unsaturated-zone drainage from the gravity lysimeters provided the most direct measure of potential recharge, it does not incorporate spatial variability that is contained in watershed-wide estimates of net recharge from the Rorabaugh equations or base flow from streamflow-hydrograph separation. This study showed that water-level fluctuations, in particular, should be used with caution to estimate recharge in low-storage fractured-rock aquifers because of the variability of water-level response among wells and sensitivity of recharge to small errors in estimating specific yield. To bracket the largest range of plausible recharge, results from this study indicate that recharge derived from RORA should be compared with base flow from the Local-Minimum version of HYSEP.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2000

Sleepers River, Vermont: a Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets Program site

The Sleepers River Research Watershed in northeastern Vermont was established by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1959 and is now operated jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), will collaboration from several other Federal Agencies and Universities. The USGS has contributed to the understanding of hydrological processes and added a major biogeochemical cycling research component in the last 10 years of Sleepers River's 40-year history as a field laboratory. The USGS uses hydrologic measurements and chemical and isotopic tracing techniques to determine how water moves from the hillslope to the stream, and what processes cause chemical changes, such as neutralization of acid rain. Research results provide insights on how pollutants move through ecosystems, and how ecosystems may respond to climatic change.

Vermont↗
USGS2020

High-resolution airborne geophysical survey of the Shellmound, Mississippi area

In late February to early March 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey acquired 2,364 line-kilometers (km) of airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric data in the Shellmound, Mississippi study area. The purpose of this survey is to contribute high-resolution information about subsurface geologic structure to inform groundwater models, water resource infrastructure studies, and local decision making. The Shellmound region hosts a managed aquifer recharge (MAR) pilot project, developed by the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The MAR pilot project is investigating the use of bank filtration along the Tallahatchie River as a source for recharge in areas of significant groundwater decline. Direct injection into the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial aquifer (MRVA) occurs about 3 km from the extraction gallery. Understanding the structure of the aquifer, including both shallow and deep confining units, is important for the success of this pilot MAR study and may be even more important for potential future large-scale MAR projects and groundwater model development efforts.

Mississippi↗
USGS2022

Characterization of subsurface conditions and recharge at the irrigated four-plex baseball field, Fort Irwin National Training Center, California, 2018–20

The U.S. Geological Survey performed subsurface and geophysical site characterization of the irrigated four-plex baseball field in the Langford Valley–Irwin Groundwater Subbasin, as part of a research study in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Agricultural Research Service, and the Fort Irwin National Training Center, California. To help meet future demands, the Fort Irwin National Training Center is evaluating the efficacy of gravity-fed drywells to enhance storm-water recharge into the Langford Valley–Irwin Groundwater Subbasin by bypassing fine-grained, less permeable deposits between land surface and the water table. The amount, rate, and location of recharge beneath an irrigated baseball field in the groundwater basin at the Fort Irwin National Training Center is not well understood, so data were collected using physical and geophysical techniques to characterize subsurface materials, geologic controls, and the vertical movement of water through the unsaturated zone to the water table near the drywell at the Fort Irwin National Training Center. Based on the data collected and interpreted from these techniques, several fine-grained deposits were identified. Although these deposits appear to impede the downward movement of water through the unsaturated zone locally, they are not laterally continuous, and water appears to continue to move downward when it reaches the edges of the deposits. These data will help managers evaluate recharge at the site and determine if the use of gravity-fed drywells enhances recharge from surface runoff.

California↗
USGS2010

Perspectives on animal welfare legislation and study considerations for field-oriented studies of raptors in the United States

Concern for the welfare of animals used in research and teaching has increased over the last 50 yr. Animal welfare legislation has resulted in guidelines for the use of animals in research, but the guidelines can be problematic because they focus on animals used in laboratory and agriculture research. Raptor biologists can be constrained by guidelines, restrictions, and oversight that were not intended for field research methods or wild animals in the wild or captivity. Field researchers can be further hampered by not understanding animal welfare legislation, who is subject to oversight, or that oversight is often provided by a committee consisting primarily of scientists who work with laboratory animals. Raptor researchers in particular may experience difficulty obtaining approval due to use of various species-specific trapping and handling methods. We provide a brief review of animal welfare legislation and describe the basic components and responsibilities of an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) in the United States. We identify topics in raptor research that are especially problematic to obtaining IACUC approval, and we provide insight on how to address these issues. Finally, we suggest that all raptor researchers, regardless of legal requirements, abide by the spirit of the animal welfare principles. Failure to do so may bring about further regulatory and permitting restrictions. ?? 2010 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.

Journal of Raptor Research↗
USGS2016

The National Wind Erosion Research Network: Building a standardized long-term data resource for aeolian research, modeling and land management

The National Wind Erosion Research Network was established in 2014 as a collaborative effort led by the United States Department of Agriculture&rsquo;s Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the United States Department of the Interior&rsquo;s Bureau of Land Management, to address the need for a long-term research program to meet critical challenges in wind erosion research and management in the United States. The Network has three aims: (1) provide data to support understanding of basic aeolian processes across land use types, land cover types, and management practices, (2) support development and application of models to assess wind erosion and dust emission and their impacts on human and environmental systems, and (3) encourage collaboration among the aeolian research community and resource managers for the transfer of wind erosion technologies. The Network currently consists of thirteen intensively instrumented sites providing measurements of aeolian sediment transport rates, meteorological conditions, and soil and vegetation properties that influence wind erosion. Network sites are located across rangelands, croplands, and deserts of the western US. In support of Network activities, http://winderosionnetwork.org was developed as a portal for information about the Network, providing site descriptions, measurement protocols, and data visualization tools to facilitate collaboration with scientists and managers interested in the Network and accessing Network products. The Network provides a mechanism for engaging national and international partners in a wind erosion research program that addresses the need for improved understanding and prediction of aeolian processes across complex and diverse land use types and management practices.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, North Dakota↗
USGS2026

Mapping winter cover crops using remote sensing of crop phenology

Winter cover crops (WCC) are an effective agricultural conservation practice for improving soil health and water quality. Several U.S. states have established incentive programs to promote planting WCC between cash crop rotations. In recent years, the area planted with WCC has steadily increased due to these efforts, although the planting area varies among states. Since these programs are largely led by individual counties or state programs, there is no centralized data repository that quantifies the total WCC planted annually or their locations. Therefore, there is a practical need to identify fields that have been planted with WCC, as well as to quantify the total planted area both during and after the growing season. Furthermore, incentive programs often require verification that WCC were planted to release payments to participating growers in a timely manner. Satellite remote sensing time series can provide information on WCC growth status. However, it remains unclear what kind of WCC the remote sensing data detects. For example, separating WCC from weeds and winter commodity crops remains a challenge. Additionally, a binary classification of WCC presence and absence cannot accurately describe the category and performance of the WCC. This paper presents a new remote sensing phenology-based approach to map WCC likelihood. We assessed model predictions of WCC likelihood using WCC planting records and ground observations over fields at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) from 2018 to 2024. Regional WCC maps were assessed using the Maryland Department of Agriculture's records of WCC fields enrolled in the 2019 and 2020 incentive programs. Our results show that the balanced overall accuracy for WCC and non-WCC ranges from 75% to 85% but could exceed 90%, with limited training samples. However, the high accuracy of WCC corresponds with low accuracy for non-WCC due to confusion with weeds and perennial grasses. Early-season detection yields promising results, with overall accuracies comparable to late-season detection. The after-season detection can differentiate between winter cereal grain cash crops and incentive WCC based on the ending date of the growing season. With a small set of WCC samples and management information, the phenology-based mapping approach offers a rapid and scalable solution for mapping WCC over a large region during or after each WCC growing season.

Maryland↗