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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 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
USGS1986

Estimating nest detection probabilities for white-winged dove nest transects in Tamaulipas, Mexico

Nest transects in nesting colonies provide one source of information on White-winged Dove ( Zenaida asiatica asiatica ) population status and reproduction. Nests are counted along transects using standardized field methods each year in Texas and northeastern Mexico by personnel associated with Mexico's Office of Flora and Fauna, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nest counts on transects are combined with information on the size of nesting colonies to estimate total numbers of nests in sampled colonies. Historically, these estimates have been based on the actual nest counts on transects and thus have required the assumption that all nests lying within transect boundaries are detected (seen) with a probability of one. Our objectives were to test the hypothesis that nest detection probability is one and, if rejected, to estimate this probability.

The Auk↗
USGS2013

Metal prices in the United States through 2010

This report, which updates and revises the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (1999) publication, “Metal Prices in the United States Through 1998,” presents an extended price history for a wide range of metals available in a single document. Such information can be useful for the analysis of mineral commodity issues, as well as for other purposes. The chapter for each mineral commodity includes a graph of annual current and constant dollar prices for 1970 through 2010, where available; a list of significant events that affected prices; a brief discussion of the metal and its history; and one or more tables that list current dollar prices. In some cases, the metal prices presented herein are for some alternative form of an element or, instead of a price, a value, such as the value for an import as appraised by the U.S. Customs Service. Also included are the prices for steel, steel scrap, and iron ore—steel because of its importance to the elements used to alloy with it, and steel scrap and iron ore because of their use in steelmaking. A few minor metals, such as calcium, potassium, sodium, strontium, and thorium, for which price histories were insufficient, were excluded. The annual prices given may be averages for the year, yearend prices, or some other price as appropriate for a particular commodity. Certain trade journals have been the source of much of this price information—American Metal Market, ICIS Chemical Business, Engineering and Mining Journal, Industrial Minerals, Metal Bulletin, Mining Journal, Platts Metals Week, Roskill Information Services Ltd. commodity reports, and Ryan’s Notes. Price information also is available in minerals information publications of the USGS (1880–1925, 1996–present) and the U.S. Bureau of Mines (1926–95), such as Mineral Commodity Summaries, Mineral Facts and Problems, Mineral Industry Surveys, and Minerals Yearbook. In addition to prices themselves, these journals and publications contain information relevant to prices, which has been helpful in the preparation of this publication. Prices in this report have been graphed in 1992 constant dollars to show the effects of inflation as measured by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, a widely used measure of overall inflation in the United States. These prices are not tabulated, but a table of the deflators used is given in an appendix. Constant dollar prices can be used to show how prices that producers receive would have less purchasing power.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2009

CHRONOS architecture: Experiences with an open-source services-oriented architecture for geoinformatics

CHRONOS's purpose is to transform Earth history research by seamlessly integrating stratigraphic databases and tools into a virtual on-line stratigraphic record. In this paper, we describe the various components of CHRONOS's distributed data system, including the encoding of semantic and descriptive data into a service-based architecture. We give examples of how we have integrated well-tested resources available from the open-source and geoinformatic communities, like the GeoSciML schema and the simple knowledge organization system (SKOS), into the services-oriented architecture to encode timescale and phylogenetic synonymy data. We also describe on-going efforts to use geospatially enhanced data syndication and informally including semantic information by embedding it directly into the XHTML Document Object Model (DOM). XHTML DOM allows machine-discoverable descriptive data such as licensing and citation information to be incorporated directly into data sets retrieved by users. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computers & Geosciences↗
USGS2018

Great Lakes coastal fish habitat classification and assessment

Basin-scale assessment of fish habitat in Great Lakes coastal ecosystems would increase our ability to prioritize fish habitat management and restoration actions. As a first step in this direction, we identified key habitat factors associated with highest probability of occurrence for several societally and ecologically important coastal fish species as well as community metrics, using data from the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Framework (GLAHF), Great Lakes Environmental Indicators (GLEI) and Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (CWMP). Secondly, we assessed whether species-specific habitat was threatened by watershed-level anthropogenic stressors. In the southern Great Lakes, key habitat factors for determining presence/absence of several species of coastal fish were chlorophyll concentrations, turbidity, and wave height, whereas in the northern ecoprovince temperature was the major habitat driver for most of the species modeled. Habitat factors best explaining fish richness and diversity were bottom slope and chlorophyll a . These models could likely be further improved with addition of high-resolution submerged macrophytecomplexity data which are currently unavailable at the basin-wide scale. Proportion of invasive species was correlated primarily with increasing maximum observed inorganic turbidity and chlorophyll a . We also demonstrate that preferred habitat for several coastal species and high-diversity areas overlap with areas of high watershed stress. Great Lakes coastal wetland fish are a large contributor to ecosystem services as well as commercial and recreational fishery harvest, and scalable basin-wide habitat models developed in this study may be useful for informing management actions targeting specific species or overall coastal fish biodiversity.

Great Lakes↗
USGS2010

Capability of AVHRR data in discriminating rangeland cover mixtures

A combination of high temporal resolution Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data and high spatial information Map Information Analysis and Display System (MIADS) landuse/landcover data from the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) were used to investigate the feasibility of using the combined dataset for regional evapotranspiration (ET) studies. It was shown that the biweekly maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) composite AVHRR data were capable of discriminating rangelands with different types of trees and shrubs species. AVHRR data also showed a potential to distinguish canopy cover differences within a mix of similar species. The combination of MIADS data and AVHRR data can be used to study temporal dynamics of various cover types for use in regional ET estimates.

International Journal of Remote Sensing↗
USGS1996

Relation of physical and chemical characteristics of streams to fish communities in the Red River of the North basin, Minnesota and North Dakota, 1993-95

Fish community composition was determined at 33 reaches (average length 150 meters) at 22 sites in the Red River of the North Basin during 1994. Sites were selected to represent a range of stream sizes and ecoregions within the basin. Physical and chemical characteristics (classified in data sets of instream habitat, terrestrial habitat, hydrology, and water quality) were determined for various sites for periods ranging from two to 48 years. Instream habitat measurements were made from 1993 through 1995 for 31 reaches at 19 sites. Terrestrial habitat measures of land use/land cover, soils, and riparian zones were determined from a geographical information system coverage for 23 reaches at 14 sites. The geographical information system coverage used data from aerial photographs taken from 1990 and 1991, National Wetlands Inventory data, soils maps from the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture soils data base. Water chemistry data were collected from 14 sites in the basin from 1993 through 1994. Hydrologic variability was determined from U.S. Geological Survey gaging records. Correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and principal components analysis were used to determine representative variables which accounted for the most variation in each data set. The representative variables and the fish community data were analyzed with canonical correspondence analysis to determine the relative effect of each source of environmental influence on fish community composition. Instream habitat, terrestrial habitat, and hydrologic variability were analyzed together. Water chemistry data were analyzed separately due to a lack of corresponding sites. Within the instream habitat data set, measures of habitat volume (channel width and depth) and habitat diversity were most significant in explaining the variability of the fish communities. The amount of nonagricultural land and riparian zone integrity from the terrestrial habitat data set were also useful in explaining fish community composition. Variability of mean monthly discharge and the frequency of high and low discharge events during the three years prior to fish sampling were the most influential of the hydrologic variables.The first two axes of the canonical correspondence analysis accounted for 43.3 percent of the variation in the fish community and 52.5 percent of the variation in the environmental-species relation. Water-quality indicators such as the percent of fine material in suspended sediment, minimum dissolved oxygen concentrations, minimum concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, and the range of concentrations of major ions and nutrients were the variables that were most important in the canonical correspondence analysis of water-quality data with fish. No single environmental variable or data set appeared to be more important than another in explaining variation in the fish community. The environmental factors affecting the fish communities of the Red River of the North are interrelated. For the most part, instream environmental conditions (instream habitat, hydrology, and water chemistry) appear to be more important in explaining variability in fish community composition than factors related to the agricultural nature of the basin.

Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota↗
USGS2019

Flood-inundation maps for Joachim Creek, De Soto, Missouri, 2018

Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.7-mile reach of Joachim Creek, De Soto, Missouri, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the city of De Soto and Jefferson County, Missouri. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Program website at https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/flood-inundation-mapping-fim-program , depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at the USGS streamgage Joachim Creek at De Soto, Missouri (station number 07019500). Near-real-time stages at this streamgage may be obtained on the internet from the USGS National Water Information System at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis or the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service at https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=lsx&gage=desm7 , which also forecasts flood hydrographs at this site (site DESM7). Flood profiles were computed for the stream reach using a one-dimensional model for simulation of water-surface profiles with steady-state (gradually varied) or unsteady-state flow computation options. The model was calibrated by using the theoretical stage-discharge relation at the USGS streamgage Joachim Creek at De Soto, Missouri (station number 07019500), and documented high-water marks from the flood of April 18, 2013. The hydraulic model was then used to compute 10 water surface profiles for flood stages at 1-foot (ft) intervals referenced to the streamgage datum. The profiles ranged from 8.0 ft, or near bankfull, to 17.0 ft, which exceeds the stage that corresponds to the estimated 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability flood (500-year recurrence interval flood). The simulated water-surface profiles were then combined with a geographic information system digital elevation model (derived from light detection and ranging data having a 0.60-ft vertical accuracy and 1.97-ft horizontal resolution) to delineate the area flooded at each water level. The availability of these maps, along with internet information regarding current stage from the USGS streamgage and forecasted high-flow stages from the National Weather Service, will provide emergency management personnel and residents with information that is critical for flood-response activities such as evacuations and road closures and for post-flood recovery efforts.

Missouri↗
USGS1975

Distribution and density of bird species hazardous to aircraft

Only in the past 5 years has it become feasible to map the relative abundance of North American birds. Two programs presently under way and a third that is in the experimental phase are making possible the up-to-date mapping of abundance as well as distribution. A fourth program that has been used successfully in Europe and on a small scale in parts of North America yields detailed information on breeding distribution. The Breeding Bird Survey, sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the Canadian Wildlife Service, involves 2,000 randomly distributed roadside counts that are conducted during the height of the breeding season in all U.S. States and Canadian Provinces. Observations of approximately 1.4 million birds per year are entered on magnetic tape and subsequently used both for statistical analysis of population trends and for computer mapping of distribution and abundance. The National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count is conducted in about 1,000 circles, each 15 miles (24 km) in diameter, in the latter half of December. Raw data for past years have been published in voluminous reports, but not in a form for ready analysis. Under a contract between the U.S. Air Force and the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (in cooperation with the National Audubon Society), preliminary maps showing distribution and abundance of selected species that are potential hazards to aircraft are presently being mapped and prepared for publication. The Winter Bird Survey, which is in its fifth season of experimental study in a limited area in Central Maryland, may ultimately replace the Christmas Bird Count source. This Survey consists of a standardized 8-kilometer (5-mile) route covered uniformly once a year during midwinter. Bird Atlas programs, which map distribution but not abundance, are well established in Europe and are gaining interest in America

Book chapter↗
USGS2000

Ictalurid populations in relation to the presence of a main-stem reservoir in a midwestern warmwater stream with emphasis on the threatened Neosho madtom

Ictalurid populations, including those of the Neosho madtom Noturus placidus , have been monitored in the Neosho River basin since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Neosho madtom as threatened in 1991. The Neosho madtom presently occurs only in the Neosho River basin, whose hydrologic regime, physical habitat, and water quality have been altered by the construction and operation of reservoirs. Our objective was to assess changes in ictalurid densities, habitat, water quality, and hydrology in relation to the presence of a main-stem reservoir in the Neosho River basin. Study sites were characterized using habitat quality as measured by substrate size, water quality as measured by standard physicochemical measures, and indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA) as calculated from stream gauge information from the U.S. Geological Survey. Site estimates of ictalurid densities were collected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annually from 1991 to 1998, with the exception of 1993. Water quality and habitat measurements documented reduced turbidity and altered substrate composition in the Neosho River basin below John Redmond Dam. The effects of the dam on flow were indicated by changes in the short- and long-term minimum and maximum flows. Positive correlations between observed Neosho madtom densities and increases in minimum flow suggest that increased minimum flows could be used to enhance Neosho madtom populations. Positive correlations between Neosho madtom densities and increased flows in the winter and spring months as well as the date of the 1-d annual minimum flow indicate the potential importance of the timing of increased flows to Neosho madtoms. Because of the positive relationships that we found between the densities of Neosho madtoms and those of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus , stonecats Noturus flavus , and other catfishes, alterations in flow that benefit Neosho madtom populations will probably benefit other members of the benthic fish community of the Neosho River.

Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗
USGS2021

Embracing ensemble species distribution models to inform at-risk species status assessments

Conservation planning depends on reliable information regarding the geographic distribution of species. However, our knowledge of species' distributions is often incomplete, especially when species are cryptic, difficult to survey, or rare. The use of species distribution models has increased in recent years and proven a valuable tool to evaluate habitat suitability for species. However, practitioners have yet to fully adopt the potential of species distribution models to inform conservation efforts for information-limited species. Here, we describe a species distribution modeling approach for at-risk species that could better inform U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's species status assessments and help facilitate conservation decisions. We applied four modeling techniques (generalized additive, maximum entropy, generalized boosted, and weighted ensemble) to occurrence data for four at-risk species proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act ( Papaipema eryngii, Macbridea caroliniana, Scutellaria ocmulgee, and Balduina atropurpurea ) in the Southeastern United States. The use of ensemble models reduced uncertainty caused by differences among modeling techniques, with a consequent improvement of predictive accuracy of fitted models. Incorporating an ensemble modeling approach into species status assessments and similar frameworks is likely to benefit survey efforts, inform recovery activities, and provide more robust status assessments for at-risk species. We emphasize that co-producing species distribution models in close collaboration with species experts has the potential to provide better calibration data and model refinements, which could ultimately improve reliance and use of model outputs.

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Caroli↗
USGS2000

Identifying populations potentially exposed to agricultural pesticides using remote sensing and a Geographic Information System

Pesticides used in agriculture may cause adverse health effects among the population living near agricultural areas. However, identifying the populations most likely to be exposed is difficult. We conducted a feasibility study to determine whether satellite imagery could be used to reconstruct historical crop patterns. We used historical Farm Service Agency records as a source of ground reference data to classify a late summer 1984 satellite image into crop species in a three-county area in south central Nebraska. Residences from a population-based epidemiologic study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma were located on the crop maps using a geographic information system (GIS). Corn, soybeans, sorghum, and alfalfa were the major crops grown in the study area. Eighty-five percent of residences could be located, and of these 22% had one of the four major crops within 500 m of the residence, an intermediate distance for the range of drift effects from pesticides applied in agriculture. We determined the proximity of residences to specific crop species and calculated crop-specific probabilities of pesticide use based on available data. This feasibility study demonstrated that remote sensing data and historical records on crop location can be used to create historical crop maps. The crop pesticides that were likely to have been applied can be estimated when information about crop-specific pesticide use is available. Using a GIS, zones of potential exposure to agricultural pesticides and proximity measures can be determined for residences in a study.

Nebraska↗
USGS2015

An overview of the National Earthquake Information Center acquisition software system, Edge/Continuous Waveform Buffer

This document provides an overview of the capabilities, design, and use cases of the data acquisition and archiving subsystem at the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center. The Edge and Continuous Waveform Buffer software supports the National Earthquake Information Center’s worldwide earthquake monitoring mission in direct station data acquisition, data import, short- and long-term data archiving, data distribution, query services, and playback, among other capabilities. The software design and architecture can be configured to support acquisition and (or) archiving use cases. The software continues to be developed in order to expand the acquisition, storage, and distribution capabilities.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1993

Monitoring goals and programs of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service coordinates several surveys that collect information on the population status of migratory birds in North America. The North American Breeding Bird Survey is the primary source of population information on nongame birds during the breeding season, and waterfowl surveys are conducted during breeding and wintering seasons. The surveys are international in scope, based upon research into sampling methods for birds, and used in management of migratory birds. The Service also maintains the Bird Banding Laboratory in cooperation with the Canadan Wildlife Service, and supports demographic monitoring of bird populations.

Book chapter↗
USGS2012

Estimating the benefits of land imagery in environmental applications: a case study in nonpoint source pollution of groundwater

Moderate-resolution land imagery (MRLI) is crucial to a more complete assessment of the cumulative, landscape-level effect of agricultural land use and land cover on environmental quality. If this improved assessment yields a net social benefit, then that benefit reflects the value of information (VOI) from MRLI. Environmental quality and the capacity to provide ecosystem services evolve because of human actions, changing natural conditions, and their interaction with natural physical processes. The human actions, in turn, are constrained and redirected by many institutions and regulations such as agricultural, energy, and environmental policies. We present a general framework for bringing together sociologic, biologic, physical, hydrologic, and geologic processes at meaningful scales to interpret environmental implications of MRLI applications. We set out a specific application using MRLI observations to identify crop planting patterns and thus estimate surface management activities that influence groundwater resources over a regional landscape. We tailor the application to the characteristics of nonpoint source groundwater pollution hazards in Iowa to illustrate a general framework in a land use-hydrologic-economic system. In the example, MRLI VOI derives from reducing the risk of both losses to agricultural production and damage to human health and other consequences of contaminated groundwater.

Book chapter↗
USGS2023

Gains and gaps in knowledge surrounding freshwater mollusk ecosystem services

Ecosystems provide essential services to people including food, water, climate regulation, and aesthetic experiences. Biodiversity can enhance and stabilize ecosystem function and the resulting services natural systems provide. Freshwater mollusks are a diverse group that provide a variety of ecosystem services through their feeding habits (e.g., filter feeding, grazing), top-down and bottom-up effects on food webs, provisioning of habitat, use as a food resource by people, and cultural importance. Research focused on quantifying the direct and indirect ways mollusks influence ecosystem services may help inform policy makers and the public about the value of mollusk communities to society. The Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society highlighted the need to evaluate mollusk ecosystem services in their 2016 National Strategy for the Conservation of Native Freshwater Mollusks, and, while significant progress has been made, considerable work remains across the research, management, and outreach communities. We briefly review the global status of native freshwater mollusks, assess the current state of knowledge regarding their ecosystem services, and highlight recent advances and knowledge gaps to guide further research and conservation actions. Our intention is to provide ecologists, conservationists, economists, and social scientists with information to improve science-based consideration of the social, ecological, and economic value of mollusk communities to healthy aquatic systems.

Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation↗
USGS2014

Thresholds for protecting Pacific Northwest ecosystems from atmospheric deposition of nitrogen: state of knowledge report

The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service manage areas in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington – collectively referred to in this report as the Pacific Northwest - that contain significant natural resources and provide many recreational opportunities. The agencies are mandated to protect the air quality and air pollution-sensitive resources on these federal lands. Human activity has greatly increased the amount of nitrogen emitted to the atmosphere, resulting in elevated amounts of nitrogen being deposited in park and forest ecosystems. There is limited information in the Pacific Northwest about the levels of nitrogen that negatively affect natural systems, i.e., the critical loads. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, with scientific input from the U.S. Geological Survey, have developed an approach for accumulating additional nitrogen critical loads information in the Pacific Northwest and using the data in planning and regulatory arenas. As a first step in that process, this report summarizes the current state of knowledge about nitrogen deposition, effects, and critical loads in the region. It also describes ongoing research efforts and identifies and prioritizes additional data needs.

Idaho;Oregon;Washington↗
USGS1992

The Parkfield earthquake prediction of October 1992; the emergency services response

The science of earthquake prediction is interesting and worthy of support. In many respects the ultimate payoff of earthquake prediction or earthquake forecasting is how the information can be used to enhance public safety and public preparedness. This is a particularly important issue here in California where we have such a high level of seismic risk historically, and currently, as a consequence of activity in 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Humboldt County in April of this year (1992), and in southern California in the Landers-Big Bear area in late June of this year (1992). We are currently very concerned about the possibility of a major earthquake, one or more, happening close to one of our metropolitan areas. Within that context, the Parkfield experiment becomes very important.

Earthquakes & Volcanoes (USGS)↗
USGS2021

Risk-informed levee erosion countermeasure site selection and design in the Sacramento area part 1: Soil sampling, testing, and data processing

USACE partnered with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, United States Geological Survey, and Texas A&M University to evaluate the erodibility of the river banks and levees to inform probabilistic numerical simulations using the Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model (BSTEM). This paper discusses the measurement of the intrinsic erosion and geotechnical properties of the soil for improved BSTEM results and is the first of two parts. Sampling and testing were conducted at select sites to obtain the soil stratigraphy and collect samples for estimation of engineering properties. Soil erodibility was measured using the Erosion Function Apparatus test, the Borehole Erosion Test, the Pocket Erodometer Test, and the mini-Jet Erosion Test. Critical evaluation of previously existing datasets and the collection of these new datasets helped to provide better definition of the range in erosion parameters for improved probabilistic erosion estimates using BSTEM for risk-informed levee erosion countermeasure site selection and design.

California↗