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At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources
USGS2006

Quality-assurance plan for the analysis of fluvial sediment by the U.S. Geological Survey New Mexico Water Science Center Sediment Laboratory

This report describes laboratory procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey New Mexico Water Science Center Sediment Laboratory for the processing and analysis of fluvial-sediment samples for concentration of sand and finer material. The report details the processing of a sediment sample through the laboratory from receiving the sediment sample, through the analytical process, to compiling results of the requested analysis. Procedures for preserving sample integrity, calibrating and maintaining of laboratory and field instruments and equipment used to analyze samples, internal quality assurance and quality control, and validity of the sediment-analysis results also are described. The report includes a list of references cited and a glossary of sediment and quality-assurance terms.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Reducing loss of life and property from disasters: A societal benefit area of the strategic plan for U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS)

Natural and technological disasters, such as hurricanes and other extreme weather events, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and debris flows, wildland and urban-interface fires, floods, oil spills, and space-weather storms, impose a significant burden on society. Throughout the United States, disasters inflict many injuries and deaths, and cost the nation $20 billion each year (SDR, 2003). Disasters in other countries can affect U.S. assets and interests overseas (e.g. the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, which effectively destroyed Clark Air Force Base). Also, because they have a disproportionate impact on developing countries, disasters are major barriers to sustainable development. Improving our ability to assess, predict, monitor, and respond to hazardous events is a key factor in reducing the occurrence and severity of disasters, and relies heavily on the use of information from well-designed and integrated Earth observation systems. To fully realize the benefits gained from the observation systems, the information derived must be disseminated through effective warning systems and networks, with products tailored to the needs of the end users and the general public.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

U.S. Geological Survey Global Seismographic Network - Five-Year Plan 2006-2010

The Global Seismographic Network provides data for earthquake alerting, tsunami warning, nuclear treaty verification, and Earth science research. The system consists of nearly 150 permanent digital stations, distributed across the globe, connected by a modern telecommunications network. It serves as a multi-use scientific facility and societal resource for monitoring, research, and education, by providing nearly uniform, worldwide monitoring of the Earth. The network was developed and is operated through a partnership among the National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov), the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (http://www.iris.edu/hq/programs/gsn), and the U.S. Geological Survey (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/gsn).

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Research Implementation and Quality Assurance Project Plan: An Evaluation of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Technologies for the Detection of Fugitive Contamination at Selected Superfund Hazardous Waste Sites

This project is a research collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eastern Geographic Science Center (EGSC), for the purpose of evaluating the utility of hyperspectral remote sensing technology for post-closure monitoring of residual contamination at delisted and closed hazardous waste sites as defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act [CERCLA (also known as 'Superfund')] of 1980 and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2010

Tools and data acquisition of borehole geophysical logging for the Florida Power and Light Company Turkey Point Power Plant in support of a groundwater, surface-water, and ecological monitoring plan, Miami-Dade County, Florida

Borehole geophysical logs were obtained from selected exploratory coreholes in the vicinity of the Florida Power and Light Company Turkey Point Power Plant. The geophysical logging tools used and logging sequences performed during this project are summarized herein to include borehole logging methods, descriptions of the properties measured, types of data obtained, and calibration information.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2013

Submergence Vulnerability Index development and application to Coastwide Reference Monitoring System Sites and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects

Since its implementation in 2003, the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) in Louisiana has facilitated the creation of a comprehensive dataset that includes, but is not limited to, vegetation, hydrologic, and soil metrics on a coastwide scale. The primary impetus for this data collection is to assess land management activities, including restoration efforts, across the coast. The aim of the CRMS analytical team is to provide a method to synthesize this data to enable multiscaled evaluations of activities in Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. Several indices have been developed to facilitate data synthesis and interpretation, including a Floristic Quality Index, a Hydrologic Index, and a Landscape Index. This document details the development of the Submergence Vulnerability Index, which incorporates sediment-elevation data as well as hydrologic data to determine the vulnerability of a wetland based on its ability to keep pace with sea-level rise. The objective of this document is to provide Federal and State sponsors, project managers, planners, landowners, data users, and the rest of the coastal restoration community with the following: (1) data collection and model development methods for the sediment-elevation response variables, and (2) a description of how these response variables will be used to evaluate CWPPRA project and program effectiveness.

Louisiana↗
USGS2014

Technical implementation plan for the ShakeAlert production system: an Earthquake Early Warning system for the West Coast of the United States

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems can provide as much as tens of seconds of warning to people and automated systems before strong shaking arrives. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners are developing such an EEW system, called ShakeAlert, for the West Coast of the United States. This document describes the technical implementation of that system, which leverages existing stations and infrastructure of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) regional networks to achieve this new capability. While significant progress has been made in developing the ShakeAlert early warning system, improved robustness of each component of the system and additional testing and certification are needed for the system to be reliable enough to issue public alerts. Major components of the system include dense networks of ground motion sensors, telecommunications from those sensors to central processing systems, algorithms for event detection and alert creation, and distribution systems to alert users. Capital investment costs for a West Coast EEW system are projected to be $38.3M, with additional annual maintenance and operations totaling $16.1M—in addition to current ANSS expenditures for earthquake monitoring. An EEW system is complementary to, but does not replace, other strategies to mitigate earthquake losses. The system has limitations: false and missed alerts are possible, and the area very near to an earthquake epicenter may receive little or no warning. However, such an EEW system would save lives, reduce injuries and damage, and improve community resilience by reducing longer-term economic losses for both public and private entities.

California;Oregon;Washington↗
USGS2014

Land processes distributed active archive center product lifecycle plan

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Data System Program worked together to establish, develop, and operate the Land Processes (LP) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) to provide stewardship for NASA’s land processes science data. These data are critical science assets that serve the land processes science community with potential value beyond any immediate research use, and therefore need to be accounted for and properly managed throughout their lifecycle. A fundamental LP DAAC objective is to enable permanent preservation of these data and information products. The LP DAAC accomplishes this by bridging data producers and permanent archival resources while providing intermediate archive services for data and information products.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2015

Collections management plan for the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Data Library

The U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center has created a Data Library to organize, preserve, and make available the field, laboratory, and modeling data collected and processed by Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff. This Data Library supports current research efforts by providing unique, historic datasets with accompanying metadata. The Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center’s Data Library has custody of historic data and records that are still useful for research, and assists with preservation and distribution of marine science records and data in the course of scientific investigation and experimentation by researchers and staff at the science center. The data accession and retention policies employed by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Data Library are based on scientific need and the National Archives and Records Administration standards for Federal records retention. Criteria for inclusion of data and records into the Data Library, the scope of the Data Library holdings, and operating procedures for the management and running of the library are designed to support the research operations of the U.S. Geological Survey. This report explains the roles and detailed responsibilities of library and scientific staff, and provides step-by-step instructions for managing the collections of the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Data Library.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2016

A plan for study of hexavalent chromium, CR(VI) in groundwater near a mapped plume, Hinkley, California, 2016

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Hinkley compressor station, in the Mojave Desert 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, is used to compress natural gas as it is transported through a pipeline from Texas to California. Between 1952 and 1964, cooling water used at the compressor station was treated with a compound containing chromium to prevent corrosion. After cooling, the wastewater was discharged to unlined ponds, resulting in contamination of soil and groundwater in the underlying alluvial aquifer (Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, 2013). Since 1964, cooling-water management practices have been used that do not contribute chromium to groundwater. In 2007, a PG&E study of the natural background concentrations of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), in groundwater estimated average concentrations in the Hinkley area to be 1.2 micrograms per liter (μg/L), with a 95-percent upper-confidence limit of 3.1 μg/L (CH2M-Hill, 2007). The 3.1 μg/L upper-confidence limit was adopted by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) as the maximum background concentration used to map the plume extent. In response to criticism of the study’s methodology, and an increase in the mapped extent of the plume between 2008 and 2011, the Lahontan RWQCB (Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, 2012) agreed that the 2007 PG&E background-concentration study be updated. The purpose of the updated background study is to evaluate the presence of natural and man-made Cr(VI) near Hinkley, Calif. The study also is to estimate natural background Cr(VI) concentrations in the aquifer upgradient and downgradient from the mapped Cr(VI) contamination plume, as well as in the plume and near its margins. The study was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with a technical working group (TWG) composed of community members, the Independent Review Panel (IRP) Manager (Project Navigator, Ltd.), the Lahontan RWQCB, PG&E, and consultants for PG&E.&E.

California↗
USGS2016

Aquatic Trophic Productivity model: A decision support model for river restoration planning in the Methow River, Washington

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed a dynamic food-web simulation model to provide decision support for Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) river restoration projects in the Methow River, Washington. This modeling effort was done to contribute to Reasonable and Prudent Alternative actions 56 and 57of the 2014 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion (FCRPS BO), which calls for exploration of modeling as a means to help evaluate Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed fish response to river restoration efforts. In the Methow River, these species of concern include Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) and UCR summer steelhead ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ). Additionally, the Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) for the Columbia River has identified the need for modeling (Independent Scientific Advisory Board, 2011a)—including models that incorporate food-web dynamics (Independent Scientific Advisory Board, 2011b)—to better understand how restoration and management strategies might enhance salmon and steelhead populations. Dynamic food-web models, even relatively simple ones, can be valuable tools for exploring responses to river restoration. Although these models have rarely been applied to rivers and streams (but see Mcintire and Colby, 1978; Power and others, 1995), they are commonly used for management decisions in terrestrial and ocean ecosystems (Christensen and Pauly, 1993; Evans and others, 2013). One of the main strengths of these models is that they are rooted in the fundamental laws of thermodynamics (that is, mass balance). Moreover, these models can be easily adapted to different contexts by adding or subtracting different species from the web and by mechanistically linking the dynamics of web members to local environmental conditions, such as water temperature, stream discharge, and channel hydraulics (Power and others, 1995; Doyle, 2006). Alternative management actions can then be evaluated by changing these environmental conditions to simulate potential outcomes following restoration. In this report, we outline the structure of a stream food-web model constructed to explore how alternative river restoration strategies may affect stream fish populations. We have termed this model the “Aquatic Trophic Productivity model” (ATP). We present the model structure, followed by three case study applications of the model to segments of the Methow River watershed in northern Washington. For two case studies (middle Methow River and lower Twisp River floodplain), we ran a series of simulations to explore how food-web dynamics respond to four distinctly different, but applied, strategies in the Methow River watershed: (1) reconnection of floodplain aquatic habitats, (2) riparian vegetation planting, (3) nutrient augmentation (that is, salmon carcass addition), and (4) enhancement of habitat suitability for fish. For the third case study, we conducted simulations to explore the potential fish and food-web response to habitat improvements conducted in 2012 at the Whitefish Island Side Channel, located in the middle Methow River.

Washington↗
USGS2017

U.S. Geological Survey National Strong-Motion Project strategic plan, 2017–22

The mission of the National Strong-Motion Project is to provide measurements of how the ground and built environment behave during earthquake shaking to the earthquake engineering community, the scientific community, emergency managers, public agencies, industry, media, and other users for the following purposes: Improving engineering evaluations and design methods for facilities and systems; Providing timely information for earthquake early warning, damage assessment, and emergency response action; and Contributing to a greater understanding of the mechanics of earthquake rupture, groundmotion characteristics, and earthquake effects.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2018

Revised technical implementation plan for the ShakeAlert system—An earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), along with partner organizations, has developed an earthquake early warning (EEW) system called ShakeAlert for the highest risk areas of the United States: namely, California, Oregon, and Washington. The purpose of the system is to reduce the impact of earthquakes and save lives and property by providing alerts to institutional users and the public. Using networks of ground-motion sensors and sophisticated computer algorithms, ShakeAlert can detect an earthquake seconds after it begins, calculate its location and magnitude, and estimate the resulting intensity of shaking. Alerts can then be sent to people and systems that may experience damaging shaking, allowing them to take appropriate protective actions. Depending on the user’s distance from the earthquake, alerts may be delivered before, during, or after the arrival of strong shaking. ShakeAlert is built on the foundation of the sensor networks and data processing infrastructure of the USGS-led Advanced National Seismic System. However, these networks were not originally designed for EEW; old equip­ment needs to be updated and new stations must be added to construct EEW-capable networks. The ShakeAlert data-processing infrastructure includes redundant servers that are geographically distributed at monitoring centers in Seattle, Washington, as well as Menlo Park, Berkeley, and Pasadena in California. Three data-processing layers collect raw ground-motion data from field stations (data layer), analyze these data to estimate the area and intensity of the resulting shaking (production layer), and publish alert products as appropriate for end users (alert layer). The alert layer can support thousands of institutional users and alert redistributors, but the USGS does not have the mission, infrastructure, or expertise to perform public notifications and is therefore recruiting technology enablers from the private sector. Additionally, ShakeAlert will coordinate with both public and private partners to accomplish consistent and ongoing public communication, education, and outreach. The estimated cost of completing the ShakeAlert infrastructure and sensor networks is \$39.4 million and has an estimated annual operation and maintenance cost of \$28.6 million per year. Building a highly reliable data telemetry infrastructure would cost another \$20.5 million and operating this telemetry system would add \$49.8 million per year; however, these costs could be reduced if project partners provide bandwidth on existing systems.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2019

Data management plan for the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center

The primary mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Mission Area is to collect and disseminate reliable, impartial, and timely information needed to understand the water resources of the Nation, including data on streamflow, groundwater, water quality, water use, and availability. Management of data throughout the entire data lifecycle is necessary to meet the mission and maintain the USGS reputation of producing high-quality data as the Nation’s primary earth-science information agency. This document describes the data management procedures of the USGS Washington Water Science Center, including responsibilities of staff and workflow procedures.

Washington↗
USGS2019

Visualizing populations of North American sea ducks: Maps to guide research and management planning

North American sea ducks generally breed in mid- to northern-latitude regions and nearly all rely upon marine habitats for much of their annual cycle. Most sea duck species remained poorly studied until the 1990s when declines were noted in several species and populations. Subsequent research, much of which was funded by the Sea Duck Joint Venture, began in the late 1990s with an emphasis on defining use areas throughout the annual cycle, migration patterns, and determining if there were distinct populations, within species, across North America. These studies relied largely upon satellite telemetry information to identify winter, breeding, and molting areas of sea ducks. New information from band recovery and genetic markers was added, contributing to hypotheses and initial conclusions about population delineation. Information on population units across North America is critical for identifying appropriate scales for evaluating population status and trends through annual monitoring surveys, harvest assessments, habitat protection and measuring effectiveness of management applications. Previous descriptions of population segments were for single species or smaller groups of similar species. Here, we summarize current knowledge on the general distribution and population segments of 13 species of sea ducks in North America by comparing range maps to long-term band recovery, genetic, and satellite telemetry data to inform population delineation assessments and future research. These comparisons show a high degree of consistency in population patterns for most species across the independent data types. These maps provide a foundation for developing new hypothesis-driven research to address remaining knowledge gaps and questions about population differentiation, annual cycle distribution, habitat use, and harvest assessment.

North America↗
USGS1955

Feasibility of ground-water features of the alternate plan for the Mountain Home Project, Idaho: abstract and summary

On the arid Mountain Home Plateau of Idaho more than 400,000 acres of arable land is largely unused except for grazing. The Boise Valley, adjoining on the north, was reclaimed from similar land and irrigated with Boise River water. The productivity of about 100,000 acres of the valley land is lowered or threatened, however, by an ever-rising water table, caused to rise by infiltration of excess irrigation water. Surface drains alleviate the drainage problem but areas of water-logging, alkaline land, and inferior vegetation continue to spread.

Idaho↗