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K. F. Miller

Publications and source records attributed to K. F. Miller.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2007

U.S. Geological Survey Mentoring Program - Paired for a Powerful Science Future

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) prides itself in its excellence in science. The resource bank of skills and knowledge that is contained within the current employees of the USGS is what makes our science excellent. With an aging workforce, we must ensure that the knowledge and skills represented by those years of experience are passed to new employees. To ensure that this bank of knowledge and experience is not lost and thereby sustain the excellence of our science, the Mentoring Program focuses on intentional mentoring, the deliberate transfer of skills and knowledge. Skills transfer from more experienced employees to those who are less experienced is critical. By placing an emphasis on intentional mentoring, we help to meet the scientific and technical needs of the employees by offering a cost-effective way to gain knowledge and skills necessary to maintain excellence in science. By encouraging and fostering a mentoring atmosphere within the USGS, we are investing in the future of our organization. With improved technical skills, increased job effectiveness, and resulting satisfaction, USGS employees will not only be more invested and engaged, they will also be able to work smarter, thus benefiting from the experience of their mentor.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2001

Investigation of dioxin concentrations in the lower Roanoke River basin, North Carolina, February 26-March 7, 2001

Dioxin is a toxic chemical that, when present in the environment, can cause cancer and birth defects in humans. Dioxin is of particular concern because concentrations of dioxin that were released into the environment many years ago remain a contributing factor to current exposure. Dioxin exposure often occurs in surface-water systems downstream from contaminated sites and is detrimental to aquatic life. For these reasons and because the U.S. Geological Survey has expertise in conducting high-volume dioxin sampling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of North Carolina asked the U.S. Geological Survey to collect water samples in the lower Roanoke River to be analyzed for the presence of dioxin. Water quality of the lower Roanoke River Basin in North Carolina was assessed at eight sites during February 26-March 7, 2001. Water- quality samples were collected for analysis of suspended-sediment and dioxin concentrations; high-volume (750-liter) water samples were collected for dioxin analysis. Discharge measurements were made at or near the high-volume sampling sites. Suspended-sediment sampling and water-quality measurements of specific conductance, pH, water temperature, and dissolved-oxygen concentrations made at each sampling site included multidepth measurements at two cross-section transects and hourly measurements at the point of high-volume sampling. Multidepth measurements were made near the surface, mid-depth, and near the bottom of the water column. These values were averaged for each cross section. During the sampling period, all sites sampled had dioxin concentrations above detection limits (1 part per quintillion) for both suspended and dissolved dioxin. Suspended dioxin ranged from 5.1 to 900 femtograms per liter, and dissolved dioxin values ranged from 0.31 to 41 femtograms per liter. Suspended-sediment concentrations ranged from 1.1 to 14 milligrams per liter. Specific conductance values ranges from 111 to 340 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius. The range of pH values at the sampling sites was from 6.6 to 7.7. Water temperatures ranged from 8.9 to 13 degrees Celsius. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations ranged from 7.3 to 10.9 milligrams per liter.

North Carolina↗
USGS1996

Water-quality data for the Ohio River from New Cumberland Dam to Pike Island Dam, West Virginia and Ohio, May-October 1993

This report contains water-quality data for the Ohio River from river mile 51.1 (3.3 miles upstream from New Cumberland Dam) to river mile 84.0 (0.2 miles upstream from Pike Island Dam) that were collected during the summer and fall of 1993. The data were collected to establish the water quality of the Ohio River and to use in assessing the proposed effects of hydropower development on the water quality of the Ohio River. Water quality was determined by a combination of repeated synoptic field measurements, continuous-record monitoring, and laboratory analyses. Synoptic measurements were made along a longitudinal transect with 18 mid-channel sampling sites; cross-sectional transects of water-quality measurements were made at 5 of these sites. Water-quality measurements also were made at two sites located on the back-channel (Ohio) side of Browns Island. At each longitudinal-transect and back-channel sampling site, measurements were made of specific conductance, pH, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen conentration. Longitudinal-transect and back-channel stations were sampled at four depths (at the surface, about 3.3 feet below the surface, middle of the water column, and near the bottom of the river). Cross-sectional transects consisted of three to four detailed vertical profiles of the same characteristics. Water samples were collected from three depths at the mid-channel vertical profile in each cross-sectional transect and were analyzed for concentrations of phytoplankton photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. Estimates of the depth of light penetration (Secchi-disk transparency) were made at pigment-sampling locations whenever light and river-surface conditions were appropriate. Synoptic sampling usually was completed in 12 hours or less and was repeated 10 times from May through October 1993. Continuous-record monitoring of water quality consisted of hourly measurements of specific conductance, pH, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration, made at a depth of 6.6 feet upstream and downstream of New Cumberland Dam. Continuous monitors were operated from May through October 1993.

Open-File Report↗