Geology topics

Research about Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2020

Modified QuEChERS extraction for the analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using GC × GC-TOFMS

Signs of disease, such as external lesions, have been prevalent in smallmouth bass throughout the Susquehanna River Basin, USA. Previous targeted chemical studies in this system have identified known persistent organic pollutants, but a common explanatory link across multiple affected sites remains undetermined. A fast and robust extraction method that can be applied to young-of-year fish is needed to effectively screen for target and non-target compounds that may be impacting organism health. The quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction methodology was optimized to perform both targeted and non-targeted chemical analyses from a single extraction of whole young-of-year fish. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS) was used for extract analysis. Sample extraction was performed using the solvent ethyl acetate, followed by a two-step cleanup in which samples were frozen for lipid removal and subjected to dispersive solid phase extraction using Florisil. A sample of 21 young-of-year smallmouth bass collected from areas with disease and exhibiting different types of external lesions were evaluated for 233 target compounds. A total of 34 organic contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls, brominated diphenyl ethers, organochlorinated pesticides, and personal care products, were detected. Data from this sample set was then analyzed for non-targets. Using the Fisher ratio method and multivariate analysis, an additional 10 significant features were identified specific to either fish with visible lesions or with no visible disease characteristics.

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USGS2014

Flood-inundation maps for the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 2013

A series of 28 digital flood-inundation maps was developed for an approximate 25-mile reach of the Susquehanna River in the vicinity of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The study was selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) national Silver Jackets program, which supports interagency teams at the state level to coordinate and collaborate on flood-risk management. This study to produce flood-inundation maps was the result of a collaborative effort between the USACE, National Weather Service (NWS), Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), The Harrisburg Authority, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). These maps are accessible through Web-mapping applications associated with the NWS, SRBC, and USGS. The maps can be used in conjunction with the real-time stage data from the USGS streamgage 01570500, Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pa., and NWS flood-stage forecasts to help guide the general public in taking individual safety precautions and will provide local municipal officials with a tool to efficiently manage emergency flood operations and flood mitigation efforts. The maps were developed using the USACE HEC–RAS and HEC–GeoRAS programs to compute water-surface profiles and to delineate estimated flood-inundation areas for selected stream stages. The maps show estimated flood-inundation areas overlaid on high-resolution, georeferenced, aerial photographs of the study area for stream stages at 1-foot intervals between 11 feet and 37 feet (which include NWS flood categories Action, Flood, Moderate, and Major) and the June 24, 1972, peak-of-record flood event at a stage of 33.27 feet at the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pa., streamgage.

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USGS1974

Sediment characteristics of five streams near Harrisburg, Pa., before highway construction

Rainfall, streamfiow, sediment, and turbidity data are being collected as part of a study to evaluate the effects of highway construction on sediment discharge. The study is also designed to determine the effectiveness of different erosion-control measures in reducing sediment discharges. The study area, near Enola, Pa., consists of five adjacent drainage basins, four of which will be crossed by Interstate 81. Ninety percent of the land in each of the basins is in forest or grass. Active farmland accounts for less than 10 percent, and the remainder is in roadways and buildings. The major factor affecting sediment concentrations and discharges was the construction of a one-lane roadway and a 5-acre (2 hm 2 ) farm pond in basin 2. Approximately 100 tons (90 t) of sediment was discharged by the stream as a result of the roadway and pond construction.

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USGS1972

Flood of June 1972 Susquehanna River, Paxton Creek, and Conodoguinet Creek at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

In June 1972, tropical storm Agnes cause severe flooding in Pennsylvania and southern New York. The floods on many major strams were the highest known since the river valleys were settled. Maximum discharges were as much as twice the discharge of a 50-year flood. In central pennsylvania, large areas in Lock Have, Mill Hall, Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Pittston, harrisburg, and in many smaller communities were inundated to depths of several feet. The extent of the flooding shown on the map was delineated by the U.S. Geological Survey from field surveys made soon after the flood. The investigation was conducted in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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USGS1971

Effects of roadway and pond construction on sediment yield near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

This report shows the effects that the construction of half a mile of one-lane roadway during June, July, and August 1970 and construction of a 5-acre pond during August and September 1970, had on sediment concentrations and sediment discharge of a stream draining an area of 0.76 square mile. The effects of the construction are shown by comparing the data collected from the affected basin with data collected from a similar adjacent basin, unaffected by construction. During the pond construction, base-flow sediment concentrations increased from the expected 6 mg/1 (milligrams per liter) to an average of 35 mg/l. Sediment discharge during June through December 1970 attributable to the construction was 55 tons, two-thirds of the amount normally expected during a year.

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