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At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
USGS2025

Salinas Valley integrated hydrologic and reservoir operations models, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California

The area surrounding the Salinas Valley groundwater basin in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties of California is a highly productive agricultural area, contributes significantly to the local economy, and provides a substantial portion of vegetables and other agricultural commodities to the Nation. This region of California provides about half of the Nation’s lettuce, celery, broccoli, and spinach each year. Thus, this agricultural area provides significant volumes of agricultural products not just for California but the entire United States. Changes in population and increased agricultural development, which includes a shift toward more water-intensive crops, and climate variability, have put increasing demand on both surface water and groundwater resources in the valley. This has resulted in water management challenges in the Salinas Valley that are predominantly related to distribution of water supply throughout the basin. Where and when the water is present in the surface and subsurface does not coincide with where and when the water is needed. To deal with the distribution issue, historically water has been used conjunctively in the valley. Conjunctive use is a water management strategy that coordinates surface water and groundwater use to maximize water availability. Groundwater is used throughout the Salinas Valley to meet water demands when surface water supplies are insufficient. Availability of surface water is constrained by climate. Precipitation and streamflow vary seasonally and year to year. Although there are two reservoirs in the Salinas Valley to capture and store water during wet periods, the only conveyance of reservoir water to coastal agricultural areas is the Salinas River. Increasing demand on groundwater and surface water resources throughout the Salinas Valley has resulted in undesirable effects of unsustainable water use, such as surface water depletion, groundwater level declines, storage depletion in the principal aquifers, and seawater intrusion. To address these escalating issues, local communities, water management agencies, and groundwater sustainability agencies are evaluating how to sustainably manage both their surface water and groundwater resources. To meet water demands and reduce undesirable effects of unsustainable water use, continued conjunctive management of surface water and groundwater would ideally incorporate strategies to deal with increases in demand and a variable climate. To evaluate the challenging water management issues in the Salinas Valley, the U.S. Geological Survey, Monterey County Water Resource Agency, and the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency developed a comprehensive suite of models that represent the Salinas Valley Hydrogeologic system called the Salinas Valley System Model. The Salinas Valley Geologic Framework was developed to characterize the subsurface using various topographic and geologic data sources, including information on hydrogeologic units, their surfaces and extents, geologic structures, lithology, and elevations from borehole data and cross sections, as well as details on faults and existing models. The Salinas Valley Watershed Model simulates the entire Salinas River watershed. Monthly surface water inflows into the integrated hydrologic model domain were simulated using the Salinas Valley Watershed Model. The historical model uses historical climate data, water and land use data, and reservoir releases to simulate agricultural operations, including landscape water demands, diversions, and reclaimed wastewater. The operational model adds an embedded reservoir operations framework to the simulation of the historical model that allows specified operational rules to simulate reservoir releases and changes in reservoir storage. The operational model assumes current reservoir operations and constant land use, which differs from historical conditions. Thus, the operational model is a hypothetical baseline model that can be used by local water managers to evaluate and quantify potential benefits of water supply projects. Together, the geologic framework, watershed, historical, and operational models form a tool that can be used to simulate irrigated agriculture and associated reservoir operations of the integrated hydrologic system of the Salinas Valley.

EarthArXiv↗
USGS1997

Water-temperature, specific-conductance, and meteorological data for the Tualatin River basin, Oregon, 1994-95

Water-temperature, air-temperature, specific- conductance, wind-speed, and solar-radiation data are presented from a study conducted in the Tualatin River Basin in northwestern Oregon during 7-month periods from May 1 through November 30, 1994 and May 1 through November 30, 1995. The study was done to assist local and State agencies in understanding temporal and spatial patterns of water temperatures in the river, determining the relation between water temperature and human activities, and developing urban and agricultural management strategies for controlling impacts on stream temperatures. Data were collected at 14 fixed-station continuous monitoring sites located on or near the main stem and major tributaries. Data fromtemperature and specific-conductance sites were collected instantaneously every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour. Wind-speed and solar-radiation data at two sites were averaged every 60 minutes. Wind-speed and solar-radiation data at a third site were averaged every 30 minutes. Water temperature data were also collected during seven synoptic surveys near the two main wastewater-treatment plants. The surveys were conducted during the low-flow period from August to October of 1994 and August to September 1995. During each survey, up to six recording temperature probes were positioned at locations upstream and downstream of plant effluent outlets. The probes collected data every 16 minutes over 48-hour periods.

Oregon↗
USGS2002

Interactions between surface water and ground water and effects on mercury transport in the north-central Everglades

The hydrology of the north-central Everglades was altered substantially in the past century by canal dredging, land subsidence, ground-water pumping, and levee construction. Vast areas of seasonal and perennial wetlands were converted to uses for agriculture, light industry, and suburban development. As the catchment area for the Everglades decreased, so did the sources of water from local precipitation and runoff from surrounding uplands. Partly in response to those alterations, water-resources managers compartmentalized the remaining wetlands in the north-central Everglades into large retention basins, called Water Conservation Areas (WCAs). In spite of efforts to improve how water resources are managed, the result has been frequent periods of excessive drying out or flooding of the WCAs because the managed system does not have the same water-storage capacity as the pre-drainage Everglades. Linked to the hydrological modifications are ecological changes including large-scale invasions of cattail, loss of tree islands, and diminishing bird populations in the Everglades. Complex interactions among numerous physical, chemical, and biological factors are responsible for the long-term degradation of the ecological character of the Everglades.Over the past 15 years, a new set of smaller wetland basins, called Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), have been designed and constructed by water-resources engineers on the former wetlands adjacent to WCAs. The purpose of STAs is to remove excess nutrients from agricultural drainage water prior to its input to WCAs. STAs tend to be about one-tenth the size of a WCA, and they are located on former wetlands on the northwestern side of WCAs on sites that were managed as farmland for much of the twentieth century in an area referred to as the Everglades Agricultural Area, or EAA. The objective of the present investigation was to quantify interactions between surface water and ground water in the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project (ENR), a prototype project for the STAs that began operation in 1994. Determining the effect of ground water on the mercury balance of the ENR treatment wetland was an important additional objective. In order to broaden the relevance of conclusions to all parts of the north-central Everglades, interactions between surface water and ground water and mercury also were investigated in Water Conservation Area 2A (WCA-2A) and, to a lesser extent, in two other WCA basins, WCA-2B and WCA-3A.An important conclusion of this study is that creation of the WCA basins, and accompanying water-resources management, have appreciably increased both recharge and discharge in the north-central Everglades compared with pre-drainage conditions. Recharge and discharge are highest near the northern and northwestern edges of the Everglades, in the relatively small basins such as ENR and the STAs that share borders with both WCA-1 and the EAA. All basins experienced greater increases in recharge relative to discharge, because of the effects that land subsidence and ground-water pumping outside the Everglades had on hydraulic gradients. The highest basin-wide estimate of recharge was measured in ENR, where recharge averaged 0.9 centimeter per day (cm/d) over a 4-year study period. For perspective, that estimate of recharge is the equivalent of 30 percent of pumped surface-water inflows and 230 percent of average daily precipitation in ENR. Ground-water discharge was 10 times smaller than recharge at ENR. The present study estimated a basin-averaged recharge for WCA-2A (0.2 cm/d) that was a factor of 4 smaller than ENR. Although preliminary, that estimate of recharge is 5 times higher than previous estimates (approximately 0.04 cm/d), probably because the newer measurements were able to quantify recharge and discharge at finer spatial and temporal scales. Recharge at WCA-2A is smaller than ENR because WCA-2A has a smaller topographic gradient (3 x 10-5 and 2 x 10-4 in WCA-2A and ENR, respective

Florida↗
USGS1998

Cotton herbicides in the surface waters of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (the Delta)

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting two studies to assess the environmental fate of herbicides used in cotton producing areas of the southeastern United States. The first study is evaluating surface-water quality on a regional basis and relating water quality to land use. The second study is examining the use of Best Management Practices to reduce off-site movement of agricultural chemicals in surface-water runoff. Maximum concentrations of the herbicides fluometuron and norflurazon in samples from surface water in edge-of-field studies were 23 and 7 micrograms per liter, respectively. Also, they were detected in the runoff of nearly every sampled storm for the 1997 water year at concentrations higher than 1.0 microgram per liter. Fluometuron and norflurazon were measured frequently in samples from rivers and streams in cotton producing areas, but the frequency of occurrence and the maximum concentrations were less than those in the edge-of-field studies.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1997

Evaluation of agricultural best-management practices in the Conestoga River headwaters, Pennsylvania: Effects of pipe-outlet terracing on quantity and quality of surface runoff and ground water in a small carbonate-rock basin near Churchtown, Pennsylvania, 1983-89

Terracing effects on surface-runoff and ground- water quantity and quality were investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, during 1983-89 at a 23.1-acre agricultural site in Lancaster County, Pa., as part of the 1982 Rural Clean Water Program. The site, underlain by carbonate rock, was primarily corn and alfalfa fields; the median slope was 6 percent.Normal precipitation is about 42 inches per year. Average annual runoff was 11 percent and ground- water recharge was 37 percent of precipitation.Runoff quantity, suspended-sediment, and nutrient data, ground-water level and nutrient data, and precipitation-quantity data were collected for 21 months prior to, and 58 months after, pipe-outlet terrace construction. Data were analyzed by use of graphical, regression, covariate, cluster, Mann- Whitney Rank Sum test, and double-mass curvetechniques. Terracing changed runoff characteristics. Storm characteristics were similar throughout the study period. However, after terracing, storms producing less than 0.4 inch of precipitation rarely produced runoff. Total-storm discharge as a function of precipitation did not change significantly throughout the range of runoff-producing storms after terracing. Multiple-discharge peaks on hydrographs before terracing did not occur after terracing when hydrographs reflected the stepwisedraining of each terrace through the pipe outlet. After an initial 2-year period of terrace stabilization, suspended-sediment yield in runoff decreased significantly as a function of runoff. This result was expected because terracing decreased runoff energy, and because terrace ponding allowed time for sediment redeposition. Nitrate plus nitrite yields increased proportionally throughout the range of runoff during the post-terracing period relative to the pre- terracing period. After terracing, a combination of increased soil contact time and increased nitrification caused by wetter soils is believed to have increased nitrate concentrations in runoff. No significant change was found in yields of total nitrogen, ammonia plus organic nitrogen, or total phosphorus relative to runoff before and after terracing. Limited data suggest that fine-sediment particles (less than 0.62 micrometers in diameter), which continued to be discharged from the site, transported most of the phosphorus. Terracing did not significantly change the quantity of recharge to the carbonate aquifer. The mean annual water-table altitude did not change after terracing. Nitrate concentrations of ground water increased significantly at four of the site wells after terracing, probably because of increased contact time of the recharge with nutrient-rich soils in ponded terrace water. Qualitative evidence indicates that large decreases in nutrient requirements and nitrogen applications because of a crop change from corn to alfalfa upgradient of two site wells resulted in either no detectable change or a significant decrease in nitrate concentrations of ground water after terracing.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2026

Salinas Valley integrated hydrologic and reservoir operations models, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California

The area surrounding the Salinas Valley groundwater basin in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties of California is a highly productive agricultural area, contributes substantially to the local economy, and provides a substantial portion of vegetables and other agricultural commodities to the Nation. This region of California provides about half of the Nation’s lettuce, celery, broccoli, and spinach each year. Thus, this agricultural area provides substantial volumes of agricultural products not just for California but for the United States. Changes in population and increased agricultural development, which includes a shift toward more water-intensive crops, and climate variability, have put increasing demand on both surface-water and groundwater resources in the valley. This situation has resulted in water management challenges in the Salinas Valley that generally relate to the distribution of the water supply throughout the basin. Where and when the water is present in the surface and subsurface does not coincide with where and when the water is needed. Historically, to deal with the distribution issue, water has been used conjunctively in the valley. Conjunctive use is a water management strategy that coordinates surface-water and groundwater use to maximize water availability. Groundwater is used throughout the Salinas Valley to meet water demands when surface-water supplies are insufficient. The availability of surface water is constrained by climate. Precipitation and streamflow vary seasonally and year to year. Although there are two reservoirs in the Salinas Valley to capture and store water during wet periods, the only conveyance of reservoir water to coastal agricultural areas is the Salinas River. Increasing demand for groundwater and surface-water resources throughout the Salinas Valley has resulted in undesirable effects from unsustainable water use, such as surface-water depletion, groundwater-level declines, storage depletion in the principal aquifers, and seawater intrusion. To address these escalating issues, local communities, water management agencies, and groundwater sustainability agencies are evaluating how to sustainably manage both their surface-water and groundwater resources. To meet water demands and reduce the undesirable effects of unsustainable water use, continued conjunctive management of surface water and groundwater would ideally incorporate strategies to deal with increases in demand and climate variability. To evaluate the challenging water management issues in the Salinas Valley, the U.S. Geological Survey, Monterey County Water Resources Agency, and the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency developed a comprehensive suite of models that represent the Salinas Valley hydrogeologic system called the Salinas Valley System Model. The geologic framework is known as the Salinas Valley Geologic Framework and was developed to characterize the subsurface using various topographic and geologic data sources, including information on hydrogeologic units, their surfaces and extents, geologic structures, lithology, and elevations from borehole data and cross sections, as well as details on faults and existing models. The surface-water model is called the Salinas Valley Watershed Model and simulates the Salinas River watershed. Monthly surface-water inflows into the integrated hydrologic model domain were simulated using the Salinas Valley Watershed Model. The historical model uses historical climate data, water and land use data, and reservoir releases to simulate agricultural operations, including landscape water demands, diversions, and reclaimed wastewater. The operational model adds an embedded reservoir operations framework to the simulation of the historical model that allows specified operational rules to simulate reservoir releases and changes in reservoir storage. The operational model assumes current reservoir operations and constant land use, which differs from historical conditions. Thus, the operational model is a hypothetical baseline model that can be used by local water managers to evaluate and quantify potential benefits of water supply projects. Together, the geologic framework, watershed, historical, and operational models form a tool that can be used to simulate irrigated agriculture and associated reservoir operations of the integrated hydrologic system of the Salinas Valley.

California↗
USGS2014

The 3D Elevation Program: Summary for South Dakota

Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of South Dakota, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management, flood risk management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets. Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and of lower quality and (2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal partners is to acquire consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA; Dewberry, 2011) evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 for the conterminous United States and quality level 5 ifsar data for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios.The new 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

South Dakota↗
USGS2014

The 3D Elevation Program: summary for North Dakota

Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of North Dakota, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management, flood risk management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets. Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and of lower quality and (2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal partners is to acquire consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 for the conterminous United States and quality level 5 ifsar data for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios.The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

North Dakota↗
USGS2001

Stream-water chemistry, nutrients, and pesticides in Town Brook, a headwater stream of the Cannonsville Reservoir Watershed, Delaware County, New York, 1999

Stream-water chemistry was monitored from January 1 through December 31, 1999, in the Town Brook watershed (TBW) in Delaware County, N.Y. to provide a basis for future evaluation of the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in decreasing agricultural nutrient and pesticide leaching to receiving waters. Total runoff from the watershed during 1999 was 664 millimeters (mm). Annual nutrient export (in kilograms per hectare) values were: ammonia (NH 3 ), 0.25; nitrate (NO 3 - ), 4.3; total nitrogen (TN), 10.6; orthophosphate (OP), 0.26; total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), 0.30; and total phosphorus (TP), 1.2 during 1999. Streamwater samples were collected during baseflow, elevated baseflow, and stormflow conditions. Stormflow, which produced the greatest flowweighted mean nutrient concentrations, represented only 41 percent of the annual runoff but accounted from 49 to 68 percent of the annual nutrient export. The highest seasonal flow-weighted mean concentrations were measured during the summer; the highest concentrations occurred during a large storm on July 4, 1999 with a recurrence interval greater than 100 years. The greatest seasonal export of dissolved nutrients (NH 3 , NO 3 - , OP, and TDP) occurred during the winter, whereas the greatest export of TN and TP was during the summer. Most of the TN and TP export during the summer occurred during the July 4 storm. That storm, together with a second large storm on September 16, 1999, accounted for the following percentages of annual export: ammonia, 17 percent; NO 3 - , 21 percent; TN, 45 percent; OP, 21 percent; TDP, 21 percent; and TP, 56 percent. Although these results provide information on the quantity and timing of nutrient export, they do not indicate the nutrient source nor the transport mechanisms by which nutrients are delivered to the stream. Baseflow and stormflow samples were collected for pesticide analyses at the Town Brook watershed outlet from January through July 1999. Eight pesticides and pesticide metabolites (degradation products) were detected in the samples. Four compounds (metolachlor, atrazine, metolachlor ESA, and metolachlor OA) were detected in concentrations greater than 1 micrograms per liter (μg/L) in one or more samples. Two of these compounds.the herbicide metabolites metalochlor ESA and metalochlor OA.were detected in concentrations higher than those of the parent compound metolachlor. Only one sample, collected during the July 4 storm, exceeded New York State surface-water-quality standards for any pesticide (simazine); its concentration of 0.53 μg/L was 0.03 μg/L higher than the New York State standard (0.50 μg/L). No concentrations exceeded Federal water-quality standards. Pesticide and metabolite concentrations were as much as 25 times greater during stormflow than during baseflow. Stormflow pesticide concentrations were indicative of a spring 'flushing', in which stream pesticide concentrations are elevated from concentrations typical during the rest of the year during the first few storms after pesticide application. Pesticides and pesticide metabolites were detected in all stormflow samples. These results illustrate the need to include baseflow and stormflow in pesticide sampling routines. The results of this study emphasize the need for (1) baseflow and stormflow sampling to capture the range of nutrient and pesticide concentrations from agricultural watersheds, and (2) research to define the mechanisms of nutrient and pesticide export in agriculutral watersheds.

New York↗
USGS2002

Factors affecting ground-water exchange and catchment size for Florida lakes in mantled karst terrain

In the mantled karst terrain of Florida, the size of the catchment delivering ground-water inflow to lakes is often considerably smaller than the topographically defined drainage basin. The size is determined by a balance of factors that act individually to enhance or diminish the hydraulic connection between the lake and the adjacent surficial aquifer, as well as the hydraulic connection between the surficial aquifer and the deeper limestone aquifer. Factors affecting ground-water exchange and the size of the ground-water catchment for lakes in mantled karst terrain were examined by: (1) reviewing the physical and hydrogeological characteristics of 14 Florida lake basins with available ground-water inflow estimates, and (2) simulating ground-water flow in hypothetical lake basins. Variably-saturated flow modeling was used to simulate a range of physical and hydrogeologic factors observed at the 14 lake basins. These factors included: recharge rate to the surficial aquifer, thickness of the unsaturated zone, size of the topographically defined basin, depth of the lake, thickness of the surficial aquifer, hydraulic conductivity of the geologic units, the location and size of karst subsidence features beneath and onshore of the lake, and the head in the Upper Floridan aquifer. Catchment size and the magnitude of ground-water inflow increased with increases in recharge rate to the surficial aquifer, the size of the topographically defined basin, hydraulic conductivity in the surficial aquifer, the degree of confinement of the deeper Upper Floridan aquifer, and the head in the Upper Floridan aquifer. The catchment size and magnitude of ground-water inflow increased with decreases in the number and size of karst subsidence features in the basin, and the thickness of the unsaturated zone near the lake. Model results, although qualitative, provided insights into: (1) the types of lake basins in mantled karst terrain that have the potential to generate small and large amounts of ground-water inflow, and (2) the location of ground-water catchments that could be managed to safeguard lake water quality. Knowledge of how ground-water catchments are related to lakes could be used by water-resource managers to recommend setback distances for septic tank drain fields, agricultural land uses, and other land-use practices that contribute nutrients and major ions to lakes.

Florida↗
USGS2008

Spatial and temporal trends in nitrate concentrations in the eastern San Joaquin Valley regional aquifer and implications for fertilizer management

Ground-water withdrawals in the San Joaquin Valley totaled 64 million m 3 /day (19 million ac-ft) in 2000, supplying about 45% of agricultural irrigation demand and about 80% of municipal supply (Hutson et al., 2004). Most of the population and ground-water use are in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, where reliance on ground water is expected to increase as a result of rapid population growth and limited surface water supplies. Protection of ground-water quality for future use requires monitoring and understanding the mechanisms controlling the long-term quality of ground water in the regional aquifer system. Nitrate has been widely detected above background concentrations in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley. Nitrate concentrations (reported as nitrogen in this paper) were above the MCL of 10 mg/L in 24% of domestic wells screened in the shallow part of the aquifer that were sampled during 1993–95 (Dubrovsky et al., 1998) and the Central Valley is one of the top three regions in the state in terms of the number of public drinking-water wells exceeding the MCL for nitrate (California State Water Resources Control Board, 2002). To assess spatial and temporal trends in nitrate concentrations in the eastern San Joaquin Valley and to evaluate the long-term effects of nitrogen fertilizer use on ground-water quality in this region, data were evaluated at multiple spatial scales. Data from regional-scale monitoring networks were used to map the regional occurrence of nitrate and to determine whether shallow ground water containing elevated nitrate is migrating to deeper parts of the aquifer system. At the local scale, mean ground-water ages from analysis of age-dating tracers were combined with concentrations of nitrate to reconstruct nitrate inputs in recharge through time and to compare with estimated nitrogen applications. Ground-water flow and transport simulations of a typical public-supply well screened from about 100 to 400 ft below the water table were used to evaluate long-term concentrations beneath agricultural areas under different nitrogen management scenarios.

California↗
USGS2016

A Unified Cropland Layer at 250-m for global agriculture monitoring

Accurate and timely information on the global cropland extent is critical for food security monitoring, water management and earth system modeling. Principally, it allows for analyzing satellite image time-series to assess the crop conditions and permits isolation of the agricultural component to focus on food security and impacts of various climatic scenarios. However, despite its critical importance, accurate information on the spatial extent, cropland mapping with remote sensing imagery remains a major challenge. Following an exhaustive identification and collection of existing land cover maps, a multi-criteria analysis was designed at the country level to evaluate the fitness of a cropland map with regards to four dimensions: its timeliness, its legend, its resolution adequacy and its confidence level. As a result, a Unified Cropland Layer that combines the fittest products into a 250 m global cropland map was assembled. With an evaluated accuracy ranging from 82% to 95%, the Unified Cropland Layer successfully improved the accuracy compared to single global products.

Data↗
USGS2012

Conflicts between sandhill cranes and farmers in the western United States: evolving issues and solutions

The main conflicts between Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) and farmers in western United States occur in the Rocky Mountain region during migration and wintering periods. Most crop damage by cranes occurs in mature wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), young shoots of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and cereal grains, chilies (Capsicum annuum), and silage corn (Zea mays). Damage is related to proximity of crop fields to roost sites and timing of crane concentrations relative to crop maturity or vulnerability. The evolution of conflicts between farmers and cranes and current solutions are described for two areas of the Rocky Mountains used by staging, migrating, or wintering cranes: Grays Lake, Idaho, and the Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. In both areas, conflicts with growing crane populations were aggravated by losses of wetlands and cropland, proximity of crops to roosts and other wetland areas, changing crop types and practices, and increasing urbanization. At Grays Lake, fall-staging cranes damaged barley fields near an important breeding refuge as well as fields 15-50 km away. In the Middle Rio Grande Valley, migrating and wintering cranes damaged young alfalfa fields, chilies, and silage corn. Solutions in both areas have been addressed through cooperative efforts among federal and state agencies, that manage wetlands and croplands to increase food availability and carrying capacity on public lands, provide hazing programs for private landowners, and strategically target crane hunting to problem areas. Sustaining the success of these programs will be challenging. Areas important to Sandhill Cranes in the western United Sates experience continued loss of habitat and food resources due to urbanization, changes in agricultural crops and practices, and water-use conflicts, which threaten the abilities of both public and private landowners to manage wetlands and croplands for cranes. Conservation of habitats and water resources are important to support crane populations and minimize future conflicts with agriculture.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1992

Description and effects of 1988 drought on ground-water levels, streamflow, and reservoir levels in Indiana

Documentation of the 1988 drought in Indiana was undertaken to aid water-management agencies and planners concerned with periods of below-normal precipitation and their effect on commercial, agricultural, and residential water use. Precipitation, temperature, Palmer Drought Severity Indices, and ground- and surface-water levels from water years 1988 and 1989 were compared to the historical record to evaluate severity, extent, and duration of the 1988 drought in Indiana. Three types of drought-climatological, hydrologic, and agricultural--occurred in most of Indiana during water years 1988 and 1989. The drought began toward the end of calendar year 1987 as annual precipitation decreased to 4.6 inches below the long term mean. By the end of September 1988, statewide precipitation deficits had increased to almost 8 inches below normal. High temperatures during the summer months increased the stress on crops, livestock, and people. Northwest Indiana experienced the second warmest June-August on record. Palmer Drought Severity Indices indicated that a moderate-to-severe drought had occurred in Indiana during most of 1988. Ground-water levels were affected substantially in many areas of the State. Record low-water levels were observed at 12 of the 20 monitoring wells included in this report. A go-day ground-water emergency was declared in parts of northwestern Indiana. Streamflow throughout the State was affected to varying degrees by the drought. Annual mean discharge in some rivers was only slightly less than the mean annual discharge, while others flowed at less than half that value. The effects of low streamflows were felt by many as electric power plants reduced or ceased production and public-water utilities requested conservation measures by their customers. Major reservoirs in the State approached or reached record low levels, causing water supplies as well as recreational activities to be diminished. Most major crops produced in Indiana were affected by the dry conditions. Average yields in 1988 ranged from 50 to 86 percent of 1987 yields.

Indiana↗
USGS2000

Fish communities and their associations with environmental variables, lower San Joaquin River drainage, California

Twenty sites in the lower San Joaquin River drainage, California, were sampled from 1993 to 1995 to characterize fish communities and their associations with measures of water quality and habitat quality. The feasibility of developing an Index of Biotic Integrity was assessed by evaluating four fish community metrics, including percentages of native fish, omnivorous fish, fish intolerant of environmental degradation, and fish with external anomalies. Of the thirty-one taxa of fish captured during the study, only 10 taxa were native to the drainage. Multivariate analyses of percentage data identified four site groups characterized by different groups of species. The distributions of fish species were related to specific conductance, gradient, and mean depth; however, specific conductance acted as a surrogate variable for a large group of correlated variables. Two of the fish community metrics - percentage of introduced fish and percentage of intolerant fish - appeared to be responsive to environmental quality but the responses of the other two metrics - percentage of omnivorous fish and percentage of fish with anomalies - were less direct. The conclusion of the study is that fish communities are responsive to environmental conditions, including conditions associated with human-caused disturbances, particularly agriculture and water development. The results suggest that changes in water management and water quality could result in changes in species distributions. Balancing the costs and benefits of such changes poses a considerable challenge to resource managers.

Environmental Biology of Fishes↗
USGS1998

Water for the Nation: An overview of the USGS Water Resources Division

The Water Resources Division (WRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides reliable, impartial, timely information needed to understand the Nation's water resources. WRD actively promotes the use of this information by decisionmakers to: * Minimize the loss of life and property as a result of water-related hazards such as floods, droughts, and land movement. * Effectively manage ground-water and surface-water resources for domestic, agricultural, commercial, industrial, recreational, and ecological uses. * Protect and enhance water resources for human health, aquatic health, and environmental quality. * Contribute to wise physical and economic development of the Nation's resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

General Information Product↗
USGS2014

The 3D Elevation Program: summary for New York

Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of New York, elevation data are critical for coastal zone management, natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets. Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and of lower quality and (2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal partners is to acquire consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 for the conterminous United States and quality level 5 ifsar data for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

New York↗
USGS2014

The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Mississippi

Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Mississippi, elevation data are critical for infrastructure and construction management, flood risk management, agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, forest resources management, water supply and quality, and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets. Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and of lower quality and (2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal partners is to acquire consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 for the conterminous United States and quality level 5 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios.The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

Mississippi↗