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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

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At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
USGS1994

Neural networks for river flow prediction

The surface‐water hydrographs of rivers exhibit large variations due to many natural phenomena. One of the most commonly used approaches for interpolating and extending streamflow records is to fit observed data with an analytic power model. However, such analytic models may not adequately represent the flow process, because they are based on many simplifying assumptions about the natural phenomena that influence the river flow. This paper demonstrates how a neural network can be used as an adaptive model synthesizer as well as a predictor. Issues such as selecting an appropriate neural network architecture and a correct training algorithm as well as presenting data to neural networks are addressed using a constructive algorithm called the cascade‐correlation algorithm. The neural‐network approach is applied to the flow prediction of the Huron River at the Dexter sampling station, near Ann Arbor, Mich. Empirical comparisons are performed between the predictive capability of the neural network models and the most commonly used analytic nonlinear power model in terms of accuracy and convenience of use. Our preliminary results are quite encouraging. An analysis performed on the structure of the networks developed by the cascade‐correlation algorithm shows that the neural networks are capable of adapting their complexity to match changes in the flow history and that the models developed by the neural‐network approach are more complex than the power model.

Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering↗
USGS2012

Economic impacts of anthropogenic activities on coastlines of the United States

Anthropogenic activities primarily impact coasts by reducing sediment inputs, altering sediment transport processes, and accelerating sediment losses to the offshore. These activities include: sand and gravel extraction, navigation and shore protection works; non-structural shoreline management strategies such as beach nourishment, sand by-passing and beach scraping, dams and flood control works; channel and inlet dredging; subsidence caused by fluid extraction and reduction of carbonate beach material. Although many of these activities have improved the quality of life, they also have had unintended effects on the coast. The issues that arise from human alterations of the coast are common to many coastal regions around the world; this paper draws from several areas of the United States to present an overview and provisional assessment of the economic consequences of anthropogenic activities along the Pacific coast.

Pacific Coast↗
USGS1994

Cenozoic climate and paleogeographic changes in the Pacific region

This special issue represents the proceedings of the symposium, held as part of the 29th International Geological Congress, 1992. Other relevant papers on Cainozoic climate change in Japan are also included. Data is assembled from the Pacific Ocean itself, its marginal seas, in particular the Sea of Japan, and the surrounding coastal states. The palaeoenvironment of the region is reconstructed from the analysis of micropalaeontological, isotopic and stratigraphic data from deep-sea and terrestrial cores. -S.J.Stone

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology↗
USGS2008

Standards and specifications for the calibration and stability of amateur digital cameras for close-range mapping applications

Photogrammetry is concerned with the accurate derivation of spatial and descriptive information from imagery that can be used in several applications such as mapping, DEM generation, orthophoto production, construction planning, environmental monitoring, structural analysis, 3D visualization, and change detection. The type of cameras traditionally used for high accuracy projects were large format analogue cameras. In recent years, however, the use of digital cameras for photogrammetric purposes has become more prevalent. The switch by some users from analogue to digital cameras has been fuelled by the ease of use, decreasing cost, and increasing resolution of digital cameras. Digital photogrammetric cameras can be classified into several categories: line cameras (e.g., ADS40 from Leica Geosystems), large format frame cameras (e.g., DMC TM from Zeiss/Intergraph), and medium to small-format digital cameras. More recently, amateur medium-format digital cameras (MFDC) and small-format digital cameras (SFDC) are being used in photogrammetric activities (e.g., in conjunction with LiDAR systems, smaller flight blocks, and for close-range photogrammetric applications). The continuing development in the capabilities of digital photogrammetry coupled with users’ needs has spawned new markets in photogrammetric mapping with amateur digital cameras. With the wide spectrum of designs for amateur digital cameras, several issues have surfaced, including the method and quality of camera calibration, as well as long-term stability. This paper addresses these concerns and outlines possible solutions. First, we will start by introducing an automated methodology for an in-door camera calibration. The main objective of such a procedure is to provide mapping companies using these cameras with a simple calibration procedure that requires an easy-to-establish test field. The paper will then discuss the concept of how to evaluate camera stability, which will be followed by the introduction of a set of tools for its evaluation. Following the discussion on calibration and stability analysis, the paper will deal with several related questions: How to develop meaningful standards for evaluating the outcome from the calibration procedure; How to develop meaningful standards for evaluating the stability of the involved camera; Is there a flexibility in choosing the stability analysis tool based on the geo-referencing procedure; Can the stability analysis be used for evaluating the equivalency of different distortion models. Finally, experimental results are then provided for two small format digital cameras.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2012

Structural engineering research at the U.S. Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the lead federal agency of the National Earthquake Hazards Research Program (NEHRP) to conduct research related to earth sciences. Therefore, whether it is research on structures or other civil engineering disciplines, the subject matter of such research at USGS must meet NEHRP objectives. The most recent charges for USGS are outlined in the Draft of the NEHRP Strategic Plan (August 2000) which details several research issues on the effects of ground motions on built environment.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2015

Dealing with largemouth bass virus: benefits of multisector collaboration

Largemouth bass virus (LMBV), a recently identified pathogen, affected largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in the southeastern United States beginning in the 1990s. Concern about the impacts of this little-known pathogen on largemouth bass populations, effects on fisheries management, and the need to provide anglers and the media with consistent and accurate information prompted a private organization (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) to invite managers and researchers from state and federal agencies and universities to a series of five annual public workshops beginning in 2000. These workshops provided a mechanism to share information, identify and prioritize action items, and develop consensus information and outreach materials that could be provided to bass anglers and the media. Regionalizing the LMBV issue and collaboration among researchers, managers, and a fishing organization may also have allayed angler and media concerns. The process embodied in these workshops is offered as a successful example of multi-agency, multi-sector collaboration to facilitate information acquisition and guide action to address a regional fisheries management issue.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2024

Social vulnerability and water insecurity in the western US: A systematic review of framings, indicators, and uncertainty

Water insecurity poses a complex challenge for the western United States. Large populations are exposed and susceptible to physical and social factors that can leave them with precarious access to sufficient water supplies. Consideration of social issues by water managers can help ensure equitable supply. However, how social factors affect water insecurity conditions remains unclear. This paper reviews literature on how social vulnerability influences water insecurity in the western United States. Through a meta-analysis, indicators measuring how dimensions of social vulnerability influence water insecurity were classified and hierarchical clustering was used to characterize the relationships among these vulnerability dimensions for the largest water-users—the agricultural and municipal sectors. The study then assessed uncertainty associated with social vulnerability dimensions and their indicators. There is greatest evidence for the influence of demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and exposure. Indicators of these determinants were mainly significant and exacerbated conditions of water insecurity. Evidence for indicators of social dependence and special needs populations was limited, although studies assessing these factors showed significant agreement on their influence on water insecurity. Conceptual framings of social vulnerability and water security determined which indicators were measured, whereas studies of the water-use sectors focused on differing associations of social vulnerability. These findings indicate the importance of recognizing the different contexts posed by water-use sectors and diverse conceptual framings. Further, some determinants such as living conditions remain important but underexplored drivers of a community's experience of water insecurity. Understanding the uncertainty associated with these measures has implications to equitable decision making.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

A compositional multiphase model for groundwater contamination by petroleum products: 2. Numerical solution

In this paper we develop a numerical solution to equations developed in part 1 (M. Y. Corapcioglu and A. L. Baehr, this issue) to predict the fate of an immiscible organic contaminant such as gasoline in the unsaturated zone subsequent to plume establishment. This solution, obtained by using a finite difference scheme and a method of forward projection to evaluate nonlinear coefficients, provides estimates of the flux of solubilized hydrocarbon constituents to groundwater from the portion of a spill which remains trapped in a soil after routine remedial efforts to recover the product have ceased. The procedure was used to solve the one-dimensional (vertical) form of the system of nonlinear partial differential equations defining the transport for each constituent of the product. Additionally, a homogeneous, isothermal soil with constant water content was assumed. An equilibrium assumption partitions the constituents between air, water, adsorbed, and immiscible phases. Free oxygen transport in the soil was also simulated to provide an upper bound estimate of aerobic biodgradation rates. Results are presented for a hypothetical gasoline consisting of eight groups of hydrocarbon constituents. Rates at which hydrocarbon mass is removed from the soil, entering either the atmosphere or groundwater, or is biodegraded are presented. A significant sensitivity to model parameters, particularly the parameters characterizing diffusive vapor transport, was discovered. We conclude that hydrocarbon solute composition in groundwater beneath a gasoline contaminated soil would be heavily weighted toward aromatic constituents like benzene, toluene, and xylene.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2011

Preface to the Focused Issue on the 22 February 2011 Magnitude 6.2 Christchurch Earthquake

The 22 February 2011 magnitude 6.2 Christchurch earthquake, centered southeast of Christchurch, was part of the aftershock sequence that has been occurring since the September 2010 magnitude 7.1 quake near Darfield, 40 km west of the city. The Christchurch earthquake killed more than 180 people, damaged or destroyed more than 100,000 buildings, and is New Zealand's most deadly disaster since the earthquake that struck the Napier and Hastings area on 3 February 1931. This special focused issue of Seismological Research Letters , which I had the fortune to edit, contains a selected set of 19 original technical papers. These papers cover different aspects of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake from seismological, geodetic, geological, and engineering perspectives.

Christchurch↗
USGS1952

The industrial utility of public water supplies in the Mountain States, 1952

The location of industrial plants is dependent on an ample water supply of suitable quality. Information relating to the chemical characteristics of the water supplies is not only essential to the location of many plants but also is an aid in the manufacture and distribution of many commodities. Public water supplies are utilized extensively as a source of supply for many industrial plants, used either as delivered for domestic consumption or with further treatment if necessary to meet specific needs of the plant, such as water· for processing, cooling, and steam generation. The industrial use of water in the United States in 1950 was estimated to be more than 75 billion gallons per day from private sources. In addition, about 6 billion gallons per day was estimated to be taken from public water supplies. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 658, "The industrial utility of public water supplies in the United States, 1932" contains information pertaining to the public water supplies of 670 of the larger cities throughout the United States. This report, which is still in print and being distributed, has filled an important need in the field of water-supply engineering. The demand for more up-to-date information and more extended coverage has led to studies by the Geological Survey for revision of the information contained in the 1932 report. The revised report, which will include data pertaining to public water supplies of more than 1, 200 cities in the United States, will eventually be published as a Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper. However, in order that the information might be available at the earliest possible time, nine preliminary reports are being issued which give data on the ·larger cities in each state. These nine reports are being released as Geological Survey Circulars, each covering a group of states as delineated by the Bureau of Census in taking the census of the population of the country. (See fig. 1). The reports give descriptive information and analytical data for approximately three-fourths of the cities that will be included in the final report for each of the states. This circular is the second of the series and includes data for the States of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The report gives the population (1950) of the city, population supplied, ownership, sources and treatment of supplies, capacity of treatment plants, storage facilities for both raw and finished waters, and chemical analyses of the water for 11 cities in Arizona, 8 in Colorado, 12 in Idaho, 9 in Montana, 8 in Nevada, 9 in New Mexico, 9 in Utah, and 8 in Wyoming. The data for each city are essentially the same as will appear in the complete report for the whole country.

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mex↗
USGS2013

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2011

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Manoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publication dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to fiscal year.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2014

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2012

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaii Manoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all of these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publication dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to a fiscal year.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2015

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2013

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Natural Hazards activity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all of these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publication dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to a fiscal year.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2016

Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2014

The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Natural Hazards activity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa and Hilo, University of Utah, and University of Washington Geophysics Program. This report lists publications from all of these institutions. Only published papers and maps are included here; abstracts presented at scientific meetings are omitted. Publication dates are based on year of issue, with no attempt to assign them to a fiscal year.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1937

Thermal springs in the United States

The earliest extensive studies of thermal springs in the United States were made by physicians. In 1831 Dr. John Bell issued a book entitled "Baths and Mineral Waters" in which he listed 21 spring localities. In the edition of his work published in 1855 the number was increased to 181. The earliest report on a geologic study of thermal springs was that of W. B, Rogers in 1840 on the thermal springs of Virginia. In 1875 G. K. Gilbert published a map and table showing thermal springs in the United States and pointed out that they are present chiefly in the mountainous areas of folded and faulted rocks. Early geologic study of them was principally inspired by the information which they afford at a few places on the deposition of minerals. The relation of hot springs to volcanic action has been studied in the Yellowstone National Park and near Lassen Peak in California. Studies in recent years have been concerned with the source of the water as well as of its heat. All the notable thermal springs in the eastern United States are in the Appalachian Highlands, principally in the region of folded rocks. The Atlantic Coastal Plain contains no appreciably warm springs. In Florida there are large springs whose water rises from a depth of a few hundred feet and is about 5° above the mean annual temperature, but they are not usually classed as thermal. The only warm springs in the great Interior Plains region are at and near Hot Springs, S. Dak., in the vicinity of the Black Hills uplift of crystalline rocks. In the Interior Highlands thermal springs occur only in the Ozark region, the largest group being at Hot Springs, Ark. The Rocky Mountain System includes the Yellowstone National Park, with its world-famous hot springs and geysers (see pis. 7,12), and there are many other hot springs within this great mountainous region. In the Intermontane areas of great lava plains and faulted lava mountains in Utah, Nevada, southern Idaho, and eastern Oregon there are many hot springs, closely associated with the larger faults. In the Pacific Mountain System, including the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada, there are many warm and hot springs, some of which issue in areas of granite, and others in areas of lava. In the Coast Ranges of California many thermal springs issue from different geologic formations. Of the total of more than 1,000 thermal-spring localities listed in this paper more than half are situated in the three States of Idaho, California, and Nevada, each of which contains more than 150 thermal-spring localities. Wyoming, including the Yellowstone National Park, contains more than 100 hot-spring localities. Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico contain several dozen thermal springs each, of which the principal ones are developed as resorts. The other thermal springs are scattered through 12 States, of which Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina contain one spring or group each. More than half of the total number are developed as resorts or used for irrigation or water supply, but many have remained undeveloped because they are not easily accessible.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2002

U.S. Geological Survey spatial data access

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has done a progress review on improving access to its spatial data holdings over the Web. The USGS EROS Data Center has created three major Web-based interfaces to deliver spatial data to the general public; they are Earth Explorer, the Seamless Data Distribution System (SDDS), and the USGS Web Mapping Portal. Lessons were learned in developing these systems, and various resources were needed for their implementation. The USGS serves as a fact-finding agency in the U.S. Government that collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific information about natural resource conditions and issues. To carry out its mission, the USGS has created and managed spatial data since its inception. Originally relying on paper maps, the USGS now uses advanced technology to produce digital representations of the Earth’s features. The spatial products of the USGS include both source and derivative data. Derivative datasets include Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQ), Digital Elevation Models, Digital Line Graphs, land-cover Digital Raster Graphics, and the seamless National Elevation Dataset. These products, created with automated processes, use aerial photographs, satellite images, or other cartographic information such as scanned paper maps as source data. With Earth Explorer, users can search multiple inventories through metadata queries and can browse satellite and DOQ imagery. They can place orders and make payment through secure credit card transactions. Some USGS spatial data can be accessed with SDDS. The SDDS uses an ArcIMS map service interface to identify the user’s areas of interest and determine the output format; it allows the user to either download the actual spatial data directly for small areas or place orders for larger areas to be delivered on media. The USGS Web Mapping Portal provides views of national and international datasets through an ArcIMS map service interface. In addition, the map portal posts news about new map services available from the USGS, many simultaneously published on the Environmental Systems Research Institute Geography Network. These three information systems use new software tools and expanded hardware to meet the requirements of the users. The systems are designed to handle the required workload and are relatively easy to enhance and maintain. The software tools give users a high level of functionality and help the system conform to industry standards. The hardware and software architecture is designed to handle the large amounts of spatial data and Internet traffic required by the information systems. Last, customer support was needed to answer questions, monitor e-mail, and report customer problems.

Journal of Geospatial Engineering↗