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USGS2025

​​Integrated Hydro-terrestrial Modeling 2.0: Progress and path forward on building a national capability​

Growing societal pressures on U.S. water resources and the challenges inherent in understanding how future water risks may evolve are driving major investments to improve our knowledge of the integrated water cycle. This improved understanding as captured in innovations in our data, knowledge, and modeling capabilities, needs to be accelerated through better integration and coordination across scientific disciplines, programs, and U.S. agencies. The Integrated Hydro-Terrestrial Modeling (IHTM) community holds promise to accelerate the progress required to manage the U.S. water resources sustainably, equitably, and effectively. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates research on the impacts of global change on the water cycle through interagency collaboration. USGCRP agencies and their partners jointly held the IHTM 2.0 workshop for U.S. federal and non-federal scientists and managers in fall 2023, aiming to advance community modeling and integrated water resources management capabilities following open science principles. This workshop focused on developing both national and regional testbeds that employ state-of-the-art modeling approaches to explore gaps and opportunities for improving the representation and extensibility of hydrologic processes and modeling. Integrated regional testbeds in Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, Colorado River Basin, and Gulf Coast/Mississippi regions were proposed to leverage existing investments and seek actionable collaboration on issues such as water extremes, water quality, water use, and urbanization. Collaborations focused on advancing iterative cycles of model development and testing offer a means for regional scale studies to inform national scale modeling applications and yield nationally consistent modeling frameworks that are also locally relevant. This presentation will highlight key takeaways, findings, and future directions for the IHTM community that have been laid out in the IHTM 2.0 workshop report.

Report↗
USGS2006

Estimation of nonpoint-source loads of total nitrogen, total phosphorous, and total suspended solids in the Black, Belle, and Pine River basins, Michigan, by use of the PLOAD model

The Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project partners planned a 3-year assessment study of the surface water in the Lake St. Clair drainage basins in Michigan. This study included water-quality monitoring and analysis, collection of discrete (grab) and automatic water-quality samples, monitoring of bacteria, and the creation of a database to store all relevant data collected from past and future field-data-collection programs. In cooperation with the Lake St. Clair Monitoring Project, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed nonpoint-source loads of nutrients and total suspended solids in the Black, Belle, and Pine River basins. The principal tool for the assessment study was the USEPA’s PLOAD model, a simplified GIS-based numerical program that generates gross estimates of pollutant loads. In this study, annual loads were computed for each watershed using the USEPA’s Simple Method, which is based on scientific studies showing a correlation between different land-use types and loading rates. The two land-use data sets used in the study (representing 1992 and 2001) show a maximum of 0.02-percent change in any of the 15 land use categories between the two timeframes. This small change in land use is reflected in the PLOAD results of the study area between the two time periods. PLOAD model results for the 2001 land-use data include total-nitrogen loads from the Black, Belle, and Pine River basins of approximately 495,599 lb/yr, 156,561 lb/yr, and 121,212 lb/yr, respectively; total-phosphorus loads of 80,777 lb/yr, 25,493 lb/yr, and 19,655 lb/yr, respectively; and total-suspended-solids loads of 5,613,282 lb/yr, 1,831,045 lb/yr, and 1,480,352 lb/yr, respectively. The subbasins in the Black, Belle, and Pine River basin with comparatively high loads are characterized by comparatively high percentages of industrial, commercial, transportation, or residential land use. The results from the PLOAD model provide useful information about the approximate average annual loading rates from the three study basins. In particular, the results identify subbasins with comparatively high loading rates per square mile. This could aid water-resources managers and planners in evaluation of the effectiveness of public expenditures for water-quality improvements, assessment of progress towards achieving established water-quality goals, and planning of preventive actions.

Michigan↗
USGS2002

Magnetic anomaly map of North America

This digital Magnetic Anomaly database and map for the North American continent is the result of a joint effort by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Consejo de Recursos Minerales of Mexico (CRM). The database and map represent a substantial upgrade from the previous compilation of Magnetic Anomaly data for North America, now over a decade old (Committee for the Magnetic Anomaly Map of North America, 1987). This integrated, readily accessible, modern digital database of magnetic anomaly data will be a powerful tool for further evaluation of the structure, geologic processes, and tectonic evolution of the continent and may also be used to help resolve societal and scientific issues that span national boundaries. The North American magnetic anomaly map derived from the digital database provides a comprehensive magnetic view of continental-scale trends not available in individual data sets, helps link widely separated areas of outcrop, and unifies disparate geologic studies. This booklet outlines the data processing and compilation procedures used to produce the magnetic anomaly database and map that accompany this booklet.

Special Map↗
USGS2005

Topographic map of the Coronae Montes region of Mars - MTM 500k -35/087E OMKTT

This map is part of a series of topographic maps of areas of special scientific interest on Mars. The topography was compiled photogrammetrically using Viking Orbiter stereo image pairs. The contour interval is 250 m. Horizontal and vertical control was established using the USGS Mars Digital Image Model 2.0 (MDIM 2.0) and data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA).

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS1998

The Soufriere Hills eruption, Montserrat, British West Indies: Introduction to special section, part 1

The special section on the eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano is a collection of 24 papers that summarises the early scientific work of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. Part 1 of the special section, published in a previous issue of GRL , provided a sampling of the multidisciplinary investigations undertaken at Montserrat. The papers published in Part 1 included an overview of the eruption, investigations on seismicity, ground deformation studies, and petrology. The papers of this issue comprise Part 2 of the special section. These papers also cover a broad spectrum of topics, including various topics in seismology, petrology, pyroclastic flow models, gas chemistry, hydrothermal systems, and tsunami models. In general, papers in Part 1 may be said to be more observational- or data-orientated, and those of Part 2 more model-orientated, but indeed there is much overlap of descriptive material, data, and modelling within the individual contributions. Considered in total the collection presents a representative summary of the scientific effort carried out in Montserrat through much of 1997.

Geophysical Research Letters↗
USGS1965

Resource understanding: a challenge to aerial methods

Aerial survey methods are speeding acquisition of survey data needed to provide and manage the nation's resources. These methods have been applied to topographic mapping for a number of years and the record clearly shows their advantages in terms of cost and speed in contrast to the ground methods that have been historically employed. Limited use is now being made of aerial methods to assist cadastral surveys, in location, acquisition and development of National Parks, in mapping the geology of the nation, in locating and developing water resources, and in surveys of the oceans. It is the purpose of this paper to call attention to these uses and to encourage the scientific community to further refine aerial methods so that their use may be increased and the veracity of data improved.

Photogrammetric Engineering↗
USGS2008

Landsat continuity: Issues and opportunities for land cover monitoring

Initiated in 1972, the Landsat program has provided a continuous record of earth observation for 35 years. The assemblage of Landsat spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions, over a reasonably sized image extent, results in imagery that can be processed to represent land cover over large areas with an amount of spatial detail that is absolutely unique and indispensable for monitoring, management, and scientific activities. Recent technical problems with the two existing Landsat satellites, and delays in the development and launch of a successor, increase the likelihood that a gap in Landsat continuity may occur. In this communication, we identify the key features of the Landsat program that have resulted in the extensive use of Landsat data for large area land cover mapping and monitoring. We then augment this list of key features by examining the data needs of existing large area land cover monitoring programs. Subsequently, we use this list as a basis for reviewing the current constellation of earth observation satellites to identify potential alternative data sources for large area land cover applications. Notions of a virtual constellation of satellites to meet large area land cover mapping and monitoring needs are also presented. Finally, research priorities that would facilitate the integration of these alternative data sources into existing large area land cover monitoring programs are identified. Continuity of the Landsat program and the measurements provided are critical for scientific, environmental, economic, and social purposes. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Landsat; there are no other systems in orbit, or planned for launch in the short-term, that can duplicate or approach replication, of the measurements and information conferred by Landsat. While technical and political options are being pursued, there is no satellite image data stream poised to enter the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive should system failures occur to Landsat-5 and -7.

Remote Sensing of Environment↗
USGS2011

Geomagnetic referencing in the arctic environment

Geomagnetic referencing is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to north-seeking gyroscopic surveys to achieve the precise wellbore positioning essential for success in today's complex drilling programs. However, the greater magnitude of variations in the geomagnetic environment at higher latitudes makes the application of geomagnetic referencing in those areas more challenging. Precise, real-time data on those variations from relatively nearby magnetic observatories can be crucial to achieving the required accuracy, but constructing and operating an observatory in these often harsh environments poses a number of significant challenges. Operational since March 2010, the Deadhorse Magnetic Observatory (DED), located in Deadhorse, Alaska, was created through collaboration between the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and a leading oilfield services supply company. DED was designed to produce real-time geomagnetic data at the required level of accuracy, and to do so reliably under the extreme temperatures and harsh weather conditions often experienced in the area. The observatory will serve a number of key scientific communities as well as the oilfield drilling industry, and has already played a vital role in the success of several commercial ventures in the area, providing essential, accurate data while offering significant cost and time savings, compared with traditional surveying techniques.

Alaska↗
USGS2019

A strategy for defining the reference for land health and degradation assessments

Much of the confusion about the definition of reference conditions for land health and degradation assessments is due to differences in policy and management objectives. Selection of a historic reference where it is not necessary, such as in the definition of future land degradation neutrality, can add significant cost and uncertainty to land management projects that require some knowledge of the current status of the land relative to its potential. This paper (1) provides a review of conditions under which historic reference information is and is not required to meet management and policy objectives, (2) summarizes current approaches to defining the reference for land health and degradation assessments, and (3) presents a protocol, “Describing Indicators of Rangeland Health” (DIRH) for collecting and organizing data that can be used to define a historic reference. This protocol builds on the framework and indicators presented in the “Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health” (IIRH). IIRH uses a combination of scientific and local knowledge to generate soil- and climate-specific assessments of three attributes of land health. It is used in a number of countries. In the United States, data are aggregated over 30,000 locations to provide national assessments.

Ecological Indicators↗
USGS2017

Application of at-site peak-streamflow frequency analyses for very low annual exceedance probabilities

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has investigated statistical methods for probabilistic flood hazard assessment to provide guidance on very low annual exceedance probability (AEP) estimation of peak-streamflow frequency and the quantification of corresponding uncertainties using streamgage-specific data. The term “very low AEP” implies exceptionally rare events defined as those having AEPs less than about 0.001 (or 1 × 10 –3 in scientific notation or for brevity 10 –3 ). Such low AEPs are of great interest to those involved with peak-streamflow frequency analyses for critical infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants. Flood frequency analyses at streamgages are most commonly based on annual instantaneous peak streamflow data and a probability distribution fit to these data. The fitted distribution provides a means to extrapolate to very low AEPs. Within the United States, the Pearson type III probability distribution, when fit to the base-10 logarithms of streamflow, is widely used, but other distribution choices exist. The USGS-PeakFQ software, implementing the Pearson type III within the Federal agency guidelines of Bulletin 17B (method of moments) and updates to the expected moments algorithm (EMA), was specially adapted for an “Extended Output” user option to provide estimates at selected AEPs from 10 –3 to 10 –6 . Parameter estimation methods, in addition to product moments and EMA, include L-moments, maximum likelihood, and maximum product of spacings (maximum spacing estimation). This study comprehensively investigates multiple distributions and parameter estimation methods for two USGS streamgages (01400500 Raritan River at Manville, New Jersey, and 01638500 Potomac River at Point of Rocks, Maryland). The results of this study specifically involve the four methods for parameter estimation and up to nine probability distributions, including the generalized extreme value, generalized log-normal, generalized Pareto, and Weibull. Uncertainties in streamflow estimates for corresponding AEP are depicted and quantified as two primary forms: quantile (aleatoric [random sampling] uncertainty) and distribution-choice (epistemic [model] uncertainty). Sampling uncertainties of a given distribution are relatively straightforward to compute from analytical or Monte Carlo-based approaches. Distribution-choice uncertainty stems from choices of potentially applicable probability distributions for which divergence among the choices increases as AEP decreases. Conventional goodness-of-fit statistics, such as Cramér-von Mises, and L-moment ratio diagrams are demonstrated in order to hone distribution choice. The results generally show that distribution choice uncertainty is larger than sampling uncertainty for very low AEP values.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2017

On the reliability of N‐mixture models for count data

N‐mixture models describe count data replicated in time and across sites in terms of abundance N and detectability p . They are popular because they allow inference about N while controlling for factors that influence p without the need for marking animals. Using a capture–recapture perspective, we show that the loss of information that results from not marking animals is critical, making reliable statistical modeling of N and p problematic using just count data. One cannot reliably fit a model in which the detection probabilities are distinct among repeat visits as this model is overspecified. This makes uncontrolled variation in p problematic. By counter example, we show that even if p is constant after adjusting for covariate effects (the “constant p ” assumption) scientifically plausible alternative models in which N (or its expectation) is non‐identifiable or does not even exist as a parameter, lead to data that are practically indistinguishable from data generated under an N‐mixture model. This is particularly the case for sparse data as is commonly seen in applications. We conclude that under the constant p assumption reliable inference is only possible for relative abundance in the absence of questionable and/or untestable assumptions or with better quality data than seen in typical applications. Relative abundance models for counts can be readily fitted using Poisson regression in standard software such as R and are sufficiently flexible to allow controlling for p through the use covariates while simultaneously modeling variation in relative abundance. If users require estimates of absolute abundance, they should collect auxiliary data that help with estimation of p .

Biometrics↗
USGS2012

Ecosystem services valuation to support decisionmaking on public lands—A case study of the San Pedro River watershed, Arizona

This report details the findings of the Bureau of Land Management–U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystem Services Valuation Pilot Study. This project evaluated alternative methods and tools that quantify and value ecosystem services, and it assessed the tools’ readiness for use in the Bureau of Land Management decisionmaking process. We tested these tools on the San Pedro River watershed in northern Sonora, Mexico, and southeast Arizona. The study area includes the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (managed by the Bureau of Land Management), which has been a focal point for conservation activities and scientific research in recent decades. We applied past site-specific primary valuation studies, value transfer, the Wildlife Habitat Benefits Estimation Toolkit, and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) and Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) models to value locally important ecosystem services for the San Pedro River watershed—water, carbon, biodiversity, and cultural values. We tested these approaches on a series of scenarios to evaluate ecosystem service changes and the ability of the tools to accommodate scenarios. A suite of additional tools were either at too early a stage of development to run, were proprietary, or were place-specific tools inappropriate for application to the San Pedro River watershed. We described the strengths and weaknesses of these additional ecosystem service tools against a series of evaluative criteria related to their usefulness for Bureau of Land Management decisionmaking. Using these tools, we quantified gains or losses of ecosystem services under three categories of scenarios: urban growth, mesquite management, and water augmentation. These results quantify tradeoffs and could be useful for decisionmaking within Bureau of Land Management district or field offices. Results are accompanied by a relatively high level of uncertainty associated with model outputs, valuation methods, and discount rates applied. Further guidance on representing uncertainty and applying uncertain results in decisionmaking would benefit both tool developers and those offices in using ecosystem services to compare management tradeoffs. Decisionmakers and Bureau of Land Management managers at the State-, district-, and field-office level would also benefit from continuing model improvements, training, and guidance on tool use that can be provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Department of the Interior. Tradeoffs were identified in the level of effort needed to parameterize and run tools and the amount and quality of information they provide to the decision process. We found the Wildlife Habitat Benefits Estimation Toolkit, Ecosystem Services Review, and United Nations Environment Programme–World Conservation Monitoring Centre Ecosystem Services Toolkit to be immediately feasible for application by the Bureau of Land Management, given proper guidance on their use. It is also feasible for the Bureau of Land Management to use the InVEST model, but in early 2012 the process of parameterizing the model required resources and expertise that are unlikely to be available in most Bureau of Land Management district or field offices. Application of past primary valuation is feasible, but developing new primary-valuation studies is too time consuming for regular application. Value transfer approaches (aside from the Wildlife Habitat Benefits Estimation Toolkit) are best applied carefully on the basis of guidelines described in this report, to reduce transfer error. The ARIES model can provide useful information in regions modeled in the past (Arizona, California, Colorado, and Washington), but it lacks some features that will improve its usability, such as a generalized model that could be applied anywhere in the United States. Eleven other tools described in this report could become useful as the tools more fully develop, in high-profile cases for which additional resources are available for tool application or in case-study regions where place-specific models have already been developed. To improve the value of these tools in decisionmaking, we suggest scientific needs that agencies such as U.S. Geological Survey can help meet—for instance, development and support of data archives. Such archives could greatly reduce resource needs and improve the reliability and consistency of results. Given the rapid state of evolution in the field, periodic follow-up studies on ecosystem services tools would help to ensure that the Bureau of Land Management and other public land management agencies are kept up to date on new tools and features that bring ecosystem services closer to readiness for use in regular decisionmaking.

Arizona;Sonora↗
USGS2024

Using local monitoring results to inform the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model

The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model (CBWM) has been used as an accounting tool for the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). However, some of the fundamental parameters that underpin the watershed model may not represent local watershed characteristics at all scales. Significant investments have been made by state and local governments, and other local stakeholders, who are interested in validating loads and progress in implementing measures to achieve the pollutant reductions called for in the TMDL through local monitoring data. For the purposes of this STAC workshop, local monitoring is considered any relevant data collected by a local, regional, state, or federal organization that has not been used previously in the development, calibration, or validation of the CBWM. Some of these local monitoring efforts have been collecting data over the past 5-10 years, with some datasets extending back over more than two decades. However, the data and the CBWM are often not directly comparable due to differences in temporal and spatial scales or because the water quality parameters being monitored are not those estimated by the model. Therefore, a Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) workshop was convened to bring together Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) modelers, local and state government stakeholders, and scientists who are monitoring and analyzing local water quality data to recommend ways in which local monitoring data can be used to inform the CBWM, identify gaps between modeled and monitored data, and validate model predictions at the local scale. The workshop, “Using Local Monitoring Results to Inform the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model”, was held in March 2023 to provide insight on the scope of local water quality monitoring efforts within and outside of the Bay watershed that could be used to inform the CBWM. Scientists and managers developed recommendations that could be used by modelers for either calibration or knowledge generation to inform the Phase 7 version of the CBWM currently under development for a 2027 decision by the CBP, recommendations for how local monitoring efforts could be designed or altered to better inform the CBWM, and recommendations for how monitored trends could be used in management. The preliminary presentations for the workshop provided essential background information on the CBWM and data used to parameterize it. This information was the foundation for discussions on existing data gaps, the importance of current local monitoring networks, and best practices for developing future monitoring networks. More information on this STAC-funded effort including workshop presentation slides and recordings can be accessed on the workshop webpage. Confidence in the loading estimates of the CBWM is critical because of its role as the accounting mechanism for measuring progress toward the Bay TMDL’s nutrient and sediment reduction goals. Those who are being asked or required to pay for these reductions, from state and local government managers to farmers, property owners and developers, must have confidence in the scientific validity of the CBWM’s loading estimates or trust in the restoration effort will dissipate. Toward that end, several local entities have invested in extensive urban, suburban, and agricultural monitoring programs to characterize nutrient and sediment loading (among other water quality parameters) at a relatively fine scale (from a few acres to 5 square miles). Monitoring networks outside of the Bay watershed were also included as their relevance and similarities to Bay watershed landscapes, hydrology, and climate conditions can help build the body of knowledge necessary for better parameterization of the CBWM. Local monitoring results could be analyzed for loads and trends for calibration of Phase 7, comparison against trends, informing the structure and parameterization of the model, and potentially in policy evaluation. The effectiveness of management practices at the small watershed scale is a primary question of watershed managers that could be addressed by local monitoring, but to do so study design and statistical techniques may need to be altered if these datasets are intended to inform parameterization of the Bay modeling tools. The partnership would benefit from the redesign of some existing monitoring programs so that they are hypothesis-driven, with fully described inputs, outputs, and practices. New statistical tools could be applied to evaluate the relative importance of various drivers affecting water quality and influenced by hydrogeologic setting and watershed condition.

Chesapeake Bay watershed↗
USGS2022

Water-quality trends in the Delaware River Basin calculated using multisource data and two methods for trend periods ending in 2018

Many organizations in the Delaware River Basin (DRB) monitor surface-water quality for regulatory, scientific, and decision-making purposes. In support of these purposes, over 260,000 water-quality records provided by 8 different organizations were compiled, screened, and used to generate water-quality trends in the DRB. These trends, for periods of record that end in 2018, were generated for 124 sites and up to 16 constituents using 2 trend methods: the Seasonal Kendall Test and the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season model. Seasonal Kendall Tests were performed on all water-quality records to detect monotonic trends in concentration over the period of record and for as many as four additional trend periods (1978–2018, 1998–2018, 2003–18, and 2008–18). The Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season model was applied to water-quality records that passed more stringent screening criteria and was used to detect monontonic and nonmonotonic trends, account for variations in streamflow, and estimate annual concentrations. These two trend methods produced different trend directions less than 1 percent of the time, illustrating general agreement between the methods despite the different approaches and data input requirements. Overall, the changes in concentration for salinity constituents (specific conductance and total dissolved solids), chloride, and sodium were increases; those increases were some of the largest changes observed in the basin, and they occurred at faster rates over time. Total dissolved solids concentration trends at 4 of the 60 sites increased from below to above the level of concern threshold (a secondary drinking water threshold) over the period of record, indicating potentially meaningful degradation in water quality. Nutrient constituent (ammonia, nitrate, orthophosphate, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) concentrations tended to decrease over the period of record, although fewer sites had significant trends and the changes in concentration were smaller compared to the salinity constituents. Total nitrogen and total phosphorus were the only nutrient constituents to have decreasing concentration trends that crossed from above to below the level of concern threshold, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ecoregional nutrient criteria, (EPA, undated c). This finding indicates water-quality improvement at sites with these trends (nine sites with total nitrogen trends and one site with a total phosphorus trend), although many sites were still in exceedance of the level of concern. Trends for total suspended solids and some major ions (calcium, magnesium, potassium) were largely nonsignificant or variable between sites, with no prevalent patterns across the DRB; however, sulfate concentrations decreased at most sites. Cumulative land-surface change within each watershed had a strong positive relation with changes in water-quality concentrations for the salinity constituents and most major ions, but not for the other constituents, indicating that land-surface changes are related to the sources and transport of these constituents. Investigating long-term trends (a decade or longer) in water quality can help the DRB water management community quantify the success of management practices and identify potential threats to water availability.

Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania↗
USGS2011

Thermal profiles for selected river reaches in the Stillaguamish River basin, Washington, August 2011

Datums Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). Abstract Longitudinal profiles of near-streambed temperature were collected for eight river reaches in the Stillaguamish River basin, Washington, during August 2011, to provide information about areas of groundwater discharge to streams. During summer, groundwater discharge can be a source of cold water to streams that regulates warm stream temperatures creating cold-water thermal refugia for native stream biota including salmon and trout. To assess areas of groundwater discharge to streams, temperature was measured using a probe with an internal datalogger towed behind a watercraft moving downstream at ambient stream velocity. The data were referenced to location, concurrently surveyed with a Global Positioning System, during collection of the water temperature data. Data are presented as Microsoft Excel® files consisting of date and time, near-streambed water temperature, and latitude and longitude. Introduction Longitudinal profiles of near-streambed temperatures surveyed at ambient river velocity in a Lagrangian framework provide information about potential areas of groundwater discharge as well as salmonid habitat and thermal refugia (Vaccaro and Maloy, 2006). Longitudinal thermal profiles have previously been surveyed in several rivers in Washington, including the Yakima River and tributaries (Vaccaro and others, 2008) and the Nooksack River (Cox and others, 2005). This report presents eight thermal profiles within the Stillaguamish River basin including parts of the North Fork Stillaguamish River, South Fork Stillaguamish River, Jim Creek, and Pilchuck Creek (fig. 1). This data augments previous investigations of longitudinal temperature variations within the Stillaguamish River and tributaries by thermal infrared radar by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Watershed Sciences, 2002), and may be used as a tool to develop a better understanding of groundwater/surface-water interactions within the Stillaguamish River basin. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this report is to present longitudinal thermal profiles of stream temperature of streams within the Stillaguamish River basin including the North Fork Stillaguamish River, the South Fork Stillaguamish River, Pilchuck Creek, and Jim Creek. This data may be used to determine zones of groundwater discharge and improve understanding of the relation between the groundwater and surface water systems of the Stillaguamish River basin. Description of Study Area The Stillaguamish River basin is in northwestern Washington and is bounded to the east by the Cascade Mountains, to the west by Puget Sound, to the north by the Skagit River basin, and to the south by the Snohomish River basin (fig. 1). The Stillaguamish River basin is characterized by cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Mean annual discharge of the North Fork Stillaguamish River (North Fork Stillaguamish River near Arlington, Washington, USGS gaging station 12167000) for water years 1929-2010 is 1,898 ft 3 /s and mean annual discharge of the South Fork Stillaguamish River (South Fork Stillaguamish River near Granite Falls, Washington gaging station 12161000) for water years 1929-1980 is 1,071 ft 3 /s. Jim Creek is a tributary of the South Fork Stillaguamish River and Pilchuck Creek is a tributary of the mainstem Stillaguamish River. Thermal Profile Survey Continuous water temperature and Global Positioning System (GPS) data were collected at 3-second intervals while drifting downstream at ambient stream velocity in a Lagrangian framework following the method of Vaccaro and Maloy (2006) for Pilchuck Creek between river mile (RM) 0.0 and 3.7 (table 1); the North Fork Stillaguamish River between RM 0.0 and 34.2 (tables 2-5); South Fork Stillaguamish River between RM 17.7 and 33.4 (tables 6-7); and Jim Creek between RM 0.0 and 7.0 (table 8). Profiling at ambient stream velocity in a Lagrangian framework tracks a parcel of water as it moves downstream during the day; departures from the diurnal heating cycle may be due to groundwater input, surface-water inflows, or riparian shading. Continuous temperature was measured using a Solinst® Levelogger LT temperature probe verified by a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) certified thermistor and position data was measured using a Garmin® GPSmap® 60Csx for the eight surveys during August 15-26, 2011. The temperature probe was towed behind a watercraft following the stream thalweg and dragged along the streambed except when in-stream obstacles prevented probe movement downstream. The location of each temperature measurement was determined by relating the time stamp of the GPS data to the temperature data. If a GPS location was not recorded at the same time as a temperature measurement, the location of the temperature measurement was determined by linear interpolation of the two GPS known locations that bracket the time of the temperature measurement. A 0.5-mi gap exists between the beginning of the North Fork Stillaguamish datasets collected on August 18 (table 4) and August 22 (table 5) because of inadequate equilibration of the temperature probe to ambient stream temperature during the initial 0.5 mi of the August 22 survey. Distribution of Information An Excel file of tables 1-8 that include the thermal-profile data for each longitudinal thermal profile is available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/654/ds654_tables.xls. Table 1. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for the Pilchuck Creek (RM 0.0-3.7), August 15, 2011. Table 2. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for the North Fork Stillaguamish River (RM 30.0-34.2), August 16, 2011. Table 3. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for the North Fork Stillaguamish River (RM 17.6-30.0), August 17, 2011. Table 4. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for the North Fork Stillaguamish River (RM 9.5-17.6), August 18, 2011. Table 5. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for the North Fork Stillaguamish River (RM 0.0-9.0), August 22, 2011. Table 6. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for the South Fork Stillaguamish River (RM 25.9-33.4), August 24, 2011. Table 7. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for the South Fork Stillaguamish River (RM 17.7-25.9), August 26, 2011. Table 8. Temperature and Global Positioning System location data for Jim Creek (RM 0.0-7.0), August 25, 2011. References Cited Cox, S.E., Simonds, F.W., Doremus, L., Huffman, R.L., and Defawe, R.M., 2005, Ground water/surface water interactions and quality of discharging ground water in streams of the lower Nooksack River Basin, Whatcom County, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5255, 46 p Vaccaro, J.J., Keys, M.E., Julich, R.J., and Welch, W.B., 2008, Thermal profiles for selected river reaches in the Yakima River basin, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 342 (Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/342/). Vaccaro, J.J., and Maloy, K.J., 2006, A thermal profile method to identify potential ground-water discharge areas and preferred salmonid habitats for long river reaches: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5136, 16 p. Watershed Sciences, LLC, 2002, Aerial surveys in the Stillaguamish and Skagit River Basins-Thermal infrared and color videography: Corvallis, Oreg., Water Sciences, for Washington Department of Ecology, 28 p.

Data Series↗
USGS2012

User’s guide and metada for the PICES Nonindigenous Species Information System

Introduction Welcome to the PICES Nonindigenous Species Information System, a Microsoft Access database that displays the biogeographic distributions, invasion status, vectors, and key life history attributes of the approximately 740 reported nonindigenous species (NIS) in the estuarine and near-coastal habitats of the North Pacific and Hawaii. This database was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey under the auspices of Working Group 21 (Invasive Species) of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PCIES). The PICES database contains the data used to generate the “Atlas of Nonindigenous Marine and Estuarine Species in the North Pacific” (Lee and Reusser, 2012; herein referred to as the “Atlas”). The User’s Guide provides instructions on how to use the PICES database as well as metadata for the database and the Atlas. We note that for most users, the Atlas provides a simpler approach to accessing key information on NIS in the PICES countries than the database, though the database does provide additional information on species and sources as well as allowing users to extract information on specific taxa and/or locations (see Section 4). The PICES database also includes species reported from the PICES Rapid Assessment Surveys (RAS). PICES sponsored four rapid assessment surveys with the objective of quickly characterizing the native, non-native, and cryptogenic species present in different locations. Surveys were sponsored in Dalian, China in 2008, Jeju, Korea in 2009, Newport, Oregon, USA in 2010, and Peter the Great Bay, near Vladivostok and Nakhodka, Russia in 2011 ( http://www.pices.int/publications/pices_press/volume19/v19_n1/pp_30-31_Kobe-WS_f.pdf , http://www.pices.int/publications/pices_press/volume20/v20_n1/pp_26-29_RAS-2011.pdf ). The PICES database contains the RAS species that were made available in time for inclusion. Thus, the database does not capture all the species found in these surveys. In addition, much of the information on the RAS species was provided by the experts conducting the survey, and their distributions, environmental requirements, and life history attributes were not evaluated to the same level of detail by the PICES authors as the North Pacific NIS. In lieu of the more extensive review as conduced with the Atlas species, the information on the RAS species needs to be considered preliminary. Additionally, it is important to use the “Map All Distributions” option (see Section 3.6.6) when mapping their distribution or conducting a query. The general reference for the RAS surveys in the PICES database is “PICES Working Group 21, YEAR SURVEY”. The overall goal of both the database and Atlas was to simplify and standardize the dissemination of distributional, habitat, and life history characteristics of near-coastal and estuarine nonindigenous species. This database provides a means of querying these data and displaying the information in a consistent format. The specific classes of information the database captures include: Regional and global ranges of native and nonindigenous near-coastal and estuarine species at different hierarchical spatial scales. Habitat and physiological requirements of near-coastal and estuarine species. Life history characteristics of near-coastal and estuarine species. Invasion history and vectors for nonindigenous species. This standardized and synthesized data in the database and the Atlas provide the basic information needed to address a number of managerial and scientific needs. Thus, users will be able to: Create a baseline on the extent of invasion by region in order to assess new invasions. Use existing geographical patterns of invasion to gain some insights into potential new invaders. Use existing geographical patters of invasion to gain some insights into mechanisms affecting relative invasibility of different areas. Use life history attributes and environmental requirements of the reported nonindigenous species to evaluate traits of invaders. Understand the potential spread of invaders based on their habitat and environmental requirements. Understand importance of different vectors of introduction of nonindigenous species by region. The data in the Atlas of Nonindigenous Marine and Estuarine Species in the North Pacific (Lee and Reusser, 2012) are up-to-date as of June 2012. Updates to the PICES database were made in September 2012.

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USGS2016

ChemCam activities and discoveries during the nominal mission of the Mars Science Laboratory in Gale crater, Mars

At Gale crater, Mars, ChemCam acquired its first laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) target on Sol 13 of the landed portion of the mission (a Sol is a Mars day). Up to Sol 800, more than 188 000 LIBS spectra were acquired on more than 5800 points distributed over about 650 individual targets. We present a comprehensive review of ChemCam scientific accomplishments during that period, together with a focus on the lessons learned from the first use of LIBS in space. For data processing, we describe new tools that had to be developed to account for the uniqueness of Mars data. With regard to chemistry, we present a summary of the composition range measured on Mars for major-element oxides (SiO 2 , TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , FeO T , MgO, CaO, Na 2 O, K 2 O) based on various multivariate models, with associated precisions. ChemCam also observed H, and the non-metallic elements C, O, P, and S, which are usually difficult to quantify with LIBS. F and Cl are observed through their molecular lines. We discuss the most relevant LIBS lines for detection of minor and trace elements (Li, Rb, Sr, Ba, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Zn). These results were obtained thanks to comprehensive ground reference datasets, which are set to mimic the expected mineralogy and chemistry on Mars. With regard to the first use of LIBS in space, we analyze and quantify, often for the first time, each of the advantages of using stand-off LIBS in space: no sample preparation, analysis within its petrological context, dust removal, sub-millimeter scale investigation, multi-point analysis, the ability to carry out statistical surveys and whole-rock analyses, and rapid data acquisition. We conclude with a discussion of ChemCam performance to survey the geochemistry of Mars, and its valuable support of decisions about selecting where and whether to make observations with more time and resource-intensive tools in the rover's instrument suite. In the end, we present a bird's-eye view of the many scientific results: discovery of felsic Noachian crust, first observation of hydrated soil, discovery of manganese-rich coatings and fracture fills indicating strong oxidation potential in Mars' early atmosphere, characterization of soils by grain size, and wide scale mapping of sedimentary strata, conglomerates, and diagenetic materials.

Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry↗
USGS2015

Diel cycling of trace elements in streams draining mineralized areas: a review

Many trace elements exhibit persistent diel, or 24-h, concentration cycles in streams draining mineralized areas. These cycles can be caused by various physical and biogeochemical mechanisms including streamflow variation, photosynthesis and respiration, as well as reactions involving photochemistry, adsorption and desorption, mineral precipitation and dissolution, and plant assimilation. Iron is the primary trace element that exhibits diel cycling in acidic streams. In contrast, many cationic and anionic trace elements exhibit diel cycling in near-neutral and alkaline streams. Maximum reported changes in concentration for these diel cycles have been as much as a factor of 10 (988% change in Zn concentration over a 24-h period). Thus, monitoring and scientific studies must account for diel trace-element cycling to ensure that water-quality data collected in streams appropriately represent the conditions intended to be studied.

Applied Geochemistry↗