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Research about Maine

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Maine.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
USGS1996

Habitat characteristics of American woodcock nest sites on a managed area in Maine

We measured characteristics of habitat near 89 nests of American woodcock ( Scolopax minor ) and 100 randomly selected points on Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, Calais, Maine, an area managed for woodcock. At nest sites, basal area was lower ( P < 0.001), densities of deciduous saplings were greater ( P < 0.001), densities of coniferous saplings were lower ( P = 0.001), densities of shrub stems were greater ( P = 0.002), and height of trees was shorter ( P = 0.001) than at random sites. Nest sites were closer to openings ( P < 0.001) than were random sites. Nests were in 15 cover types. The aspen ( Populus spp.), tamarack ( Larix laricina ), and alder ( Alnus rugosa ) types were used as nest sites more often than expected in relation to habitat types available at random sites ( P < 0.001). Fifty-eight percent ( n = 89) of nests were in stands of aspen, 11% in alder or tamarack, and 10% in mature second-growth gray birch ( Betula populifolia ) and red maple ( Acer rubrum ). Forty-four percent (n = 89) of the nests were in clearcuts <10 years old. Habitat characteristics around sites of first nests were not different among years ( P > 0.05) or between sites of successful nests and nests destroyed by predators, although the large variances of the variables reduced our power to detect differences. Habitat around sites of renests differed from sites of first nests. Sites around first nests had lower basal area of dead trees ( P = 0.05) and higher stem densities of aspen ( P = 0.03) and cherry saplings ( P = 0.001), and viburnum ( P = 0.05), while renest sites had taller trees ( P = 0.02). The change from nest sites in areas dominated by alders and tree-size gray birch used in 1977-80 to sites dominated by sapling trees, especially aspen, used during 1987-90 suggests that woodcock in the expanding population at the refuge are selecting nest sites created by habitat management since 1979.

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USGS1996

Water resources data, Maine, water year 1995

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State, Federal, and other local governmental agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Maine each year. These data, accumulated during the many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. Water-resources data for the 1995 water year for Maine consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; and water levels of ground-water wells. This report contains discharge records for 46 gaging stations, water-quality data for 12 gaging stations; and water levels for 31 ground-water wells. Additional water data were collected at other sites, not part of the systematic data-collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements.

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USGS1995

Silurian tectonic history of Penobscot Bay region, Maine

Early Paleozoic amalgamation of composite terranes was contemporaneous at widely separated regions that were later accreted to either ancestral North America or to Gondwana as those two continents approached each other. Peri-Gondwanan terranes formed from Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician rocks were amalgamated in the Late Ordovician and Early Silurian to form the Salinic orogenic belt. Salinic orogenic activity involved extensive thrust faulting and metamorphism, large strike-slip faults, and plutonism. In the Penobscot Bay region, Maine, the peri-Gondwanan St. Croix terrane was thrust northwest in the Silurian(?) upon middle amphibolite facies Ordovician and Early Silurian rocks of the Fredericton trough. The strike-slip faults are interpreted to either remain steep until they reach the sole of the thrust sheet or to become listric within the thrust sheet. -from Authors

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USGS1995

Soil-solution chemistry in a low-elevation spruce-fir ecosystem, Howland, Maine

Soil solutions were collected monthly by tension and zero-tension lysimeters in a low-elevation red spruce stand in east-central Maine from May 1987 through December 1992. Soil solutions collected by Oa tension lysimeters had higher concentrations of most constituents than the Oa zero-tension lysimeters. In Oa horizon soil solutions growing season concentrations for SO 4 , Ca, and Mg averaged 57, 43, and 30 μmol L −1 in tension lysimeters, and 43, 28, and 19 μmol L −1 in zero-tension lysimeters, respectively. Because tension lysimeters remove water held by the soil at tensions up to 10 kPa, solutions are assumed to have more time to react with the soil compared to freely draining solutions collected by zero-tension lysimeters. Solutions collected in the Bs horizon by both types of collectors were similar which was attributed to the frequency of time periods when the water table was above the Bs lysimeters. Concentrations of SO 4 and NO 3 at this site were lower than concentrations reported for most other eastern U.S. spruce-fir sites, but base cation concentrations fell in the same range. Aluminum concentrations in this study were also lower than reported for other sites in the eastern U.S. and Ca/Al ratios did not suggest inhibition of Ca uptake by roots. Concentrations of SO 4 , Ca, K, and Cl decreased significantly in both the Oa and Bs horizons over the 56-month sampling period, which could reflect decreasing deposition rates for sulfur and base cations, climatic influences, or natural variation. A longer record of measured fluxes will be needed to adequately define temporal trends in solution chemistry and their causes.

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USGS1995

Water resources data, Maine, water year 1994

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State, Federal, and other local governmental agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Maine each year. These data, accumulated during the many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. Water-resources data for the 1994 water year for Maine consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; water levels of ground-water wells; and precipitation amounts at selected sites. This report contains discharge records for 48 gaging stations, stage records for 1 lake; month-end contents for 15 lakes and reservoirs; water-quality data for 14 gaging stations; water levels for 31 ground-water wells; and daily precipitation totals at 1 site. Additional water data were collected at other sites, not part of the systematic data-collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements.

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USGS1995

Geohydrology, water quality, and conceptual model of the hydrologic system Saco Landfill area, Saco, Maine

A geohydrologic study of the Saco Municipal Landfill in Saco, Maine, was done during 1993-94 to provide a preliminary interpretation of the geology and hydrology needed to guide additional studies at the landfill as part of the Superfund Program. The Saco Landfill, which was active from the early 1960's until 1986, includes three disposal areas on a 90-acre parcel. Sandy Brook, a small perennial stream, flows from north to south through the land-fill between the disposal areas. Discharge of leachate from the disposal areas to aquifers and streams has been documented since 1974. The landfill was declared a Superfund site in 1990 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Multiple lines of evidence are used in this study to indicate areas of ground-water contamination and sources of water flow in Sandy Brook. The geohydrologic system on the east side of Sandy Brook consists of an upper water-table aquifer and a lower aquifer, separated by a thick sequence of glaciomarine silt and clay. Depths to bedrock range from 60 to more than 200 ft (feet), on the basis of data from seismic-refraction studies and drilling. The upper aquifer, which is generally less than 15 ft thick, consists of fine-to medium-grained sand deposited in a shallow postglacial marine environment. The lower aquifer, which was deposited as a series of glaciomarine fans, contains two sediment types: Well-sorted sand and gravel and unsorted sediments called diamict sediments. East of Sandy Brook, the thickness of the lower aquifer ranges from 25 to 100 ft, based on drilling at the landfill. The glaciomarine silts and clays (known as the presumpscot Formation) range from 50 to more than 100 ft thick. West of Sandy Brook, the glaciomarine silt and clay is largely absent, and fractured bedrock is very close to land surface under one of the disposal areas in the northwestern part of the property. The lower aquifer is unconfined in the southwestern side of the study area; bedrock slopes towards the south, and the aquifer thickens to 100 ft at the southwestern end of the study area. Preliminary estimates of mean annual streamflow in Sandy Brook, based on a partial year of continuous record, indicate that runoff increases from approximately 2.1 ft3/s (cubic feet per second) upstream from the landfill to 2.7 ft3/s downstream from the landfill, although the drainage area down-stream is only 11 percent greater than the drainage area upstream. A water-budget estimate based on available streamflow and climatic data indicates that Sandy Brook below the landfill gains about 80 million gallons per year from sources outside the drainage-basin boundary. Possible sources include the lower aquifer north or west of the landfill area and the fractured bedrock northwest of Sandy Brook. Specific conductance of water in Sandy Brook increases downstream from the landfill. In September 1993, specific conductance was 184 liS/cm (microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius) upstream from the landfill and 496 uS/cm downstream from the landfill. Continuous monitoring of specific conductance in Sandy Brook shows that the downstream increase is less during periods of stormflow because of dilution. Electromagnetic terrain-conductivity surveys, results of ground-water chemical analyses, and changes in streamwater quality have been used to identify areas of likely ground-water contamination. The specific conductance of ground water exceeds 2,000 uS/cm in some areas near the landfills. This compares to specific conductances of less than 200 uS/cm in water from most shallow wells that are considered to represent background water quality. Ground water in the upper aquifer east of Sandy Brook and in the lower aquifer west of Sandy Brook has been affected by leachate flowing from the landfill areas. The extent of contamination in bedrock, if any, is unknown. Water levels measured in 16 wells were used to help determine the direction of ground-water flow. The electromagnetic terrain-conduct surveys and stream specific-conductance data sup port the interpretation that water in the upper aqui fer flows radially away from the two disposal areas east of Sandy Brook towards Sandy Brook and other small surface-water bodies in the area. West of Sandy Brook, ground water under the third dis posal area moves in the lower aquifer northeast and southeast towards Sandy Brook, where it discharges to the stream.

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USGS1994

Water resources data, Maine, water year 1993

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State, Federal, and other local governmental agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Maine each year. These data, accumulated during the many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. Water-resources data for the 1993 water year for Maine consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; water levels of ground-water wells; and precipitation amounts at selected sites. This report contains discharge records for 47 gaging stations, stage records for 1 lake; month-end contents for 17 lakes and reservoirs; water-quality data for 12 gaging stations; water levels for 30 ground-water wells; and daily precipitation totals at 1 site. Additional water data were collected at other sites, not part of the systematic data-collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements.

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USGS1992

Water resources data, Maine, water year 1992

The Water Resouces Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State, Federal, and other local governmental agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Maine each year. These data, accumulated during the many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. Water resources data for the 1992 water year for Maine consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; water levels of ground-water wells; and precipitation amounts at selected sites. This report contains discharge records for 49 gaging stations; stage records for 2 lakes; month-end contents for 17 lakes and reservoirs; water-quality data for 12 gaging stations; water levels for 31 ground-water wells; and daily precipitation totals at 1 site. Additional water data were collected at other sites, not part of the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements.

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USGS1991

Survival of postfledging female American black ducks

We equipped 106 hatching-year (HY), female, black ducks ( Anas rubripes ) with transmitters during 1985-87 and monitored survival from late August to mid-December on a lightly hunted area on the Maine-New Brunswick border. The 1985-87 estimate of survival (hunting losses included) was 0.593, and when losses from hunting were censored it was 0.694. Survival in August-September was 0.987; by 31 October survival declined to 0.885, and by 30 November it was 0.718. Most nonhunting mortality was caused by predators (21/41, 53.2%); there were 14 deaths (34.1%) from mammals or unknown predators and 7 (17.1%) from raptors. Hunting caused 13 (31. 7%) deaths. Ducks with lowest mass had the lowest survival. The estimate of survival for postfledging female black ducks, when multiplied with interval survival rates for hunting, winter, and breeding periods, produced an annual survival estimate of 0.262, about 12% lower than that (0.38) based on analysis of banding data.

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USGS1991

Cores from marine geologic features in the western Gulf of Maine

Submerged geologic features located in the western Gulf of Maine between Cape Ann, Massachusetts and New Hampshire (fig. 1), were identified from high-resolution seismic-reflection data collected between 1979 and 1980. The features include the following. (1) A pair of end morained formed during the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from the Gulf of Maine (Oldale, 1985a). (2) A barrier spit and lagoon complex and (3) a paleodelta, both of which formed during a late Wisconsinan to early Holocene low relative sea-level stand (Oldale and others, 1983; Oldale, 1985b). (4) A wave-cut unconformity that was eroded as the sea transgressed to its present position. (5) A surficial sand depost that formed atop the unconformity in middle Holocene time. Vibracores (fig. 2) were taken in 1984 to corroborate the interpretations from the seismic data, to determine the sedimentary texture and structure of the features, to identify the nature of the unconformity, and to obtain material for 14 C dating,

Maine↗
USGS1991

Water resources data, Maine, water year 1991

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State, Federal, and other local governmental agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Maine each year. These data, accumulated during the many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. Water resources data for the 1991 water year for Maine consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; water levels of ground-water wells; and precipitation amounts at selected sites. This report contains discharge records for 51 gaging stations; stage records for 2 lakes; month-end contents for 17 lakes and reservoirs; water levels for 38 ground-water wells; and daily precipitation totals at 1 site. Additional water data were collected at other sites, not part of the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements.

Maine↗