Geology Reports⌕ Search

SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Natural Resource Modelling”

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

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 757 records · Page 42Linked to original sources
USGS2026

Spatio-temporal modeling for assessing geoenergy resources: A workflow applied to gas in place variation in coal beds

The ability to estimate spatio-temporal changes in hydrocarbon reservoir properties and energy resources within pore volumes is essential for optimizing production, reservoir management, geologic energy storage, and safety in underground mining operations. In coal seams, predicting remaining methane gas-in-place (GIP) is critical for quantifying producible gas and improving mine safety and productivity through effective ventilation planning. Although such changes are commonly evaluated using physics-based numerical simulation models, these approaches often require extensive data, calibration effort, and time. This study presents a spatio-temporal geostatistical modeling approach that bridges the gap between purely spatial models and full numerical simulations. The method is applied to a case study of coal seam degasification in the Mary Lee coal group, Black Warrior Basin, Alabama, USA, to estimate GIP evolution over time within a selected mining district. The analysis uses published data from prior natural gas production history-matching of degasification using vertical wells. Empirical spatial and temporal statistics were calculated for reservoir pressure and water saturation, and spatio-temporal variogram models were fitted to experimental variograms. These models provided the structural basis for spatio-temporal kriging, integrated with spatial estimates of time-invariant parameters (porosity, density, and thickness) to estimate GIP. This approach enabled estimation of GIP changes over time, including periods without data. Boxplots of GIP estimates indicated systematic depletion and decreasing spatial variability, reflecting the impacts of degasification. Comparison with cumulative gas production from empirical well records showed approximately 85% agreement based on a relative similarity metric. Spatio-temporal GIP estimates were also used to estimate methane emissions to longwall ventilation systems and compared with reported emissions from the U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, showing similar distributions (≈80%) given data limitations. Overall, this integrated modeling approach provides time-dependent GIP estimates with broader implications for resource assessment applications.

Alabama↗
USGS2019

Understanding the central Great Plains as a coupled climatic-hydrological-human system: Lessons learned in operationalizing interdisciplinary collaboration

This chapter discusses an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary project to understand the interactions of agriculture, climate, and water resources in the Central Great Plains as a coupled natural-human system. We focus on the Smoky Hills Watershed in Kansas, where we gathered socioeconomic, hydrological, and climatic data, along with ecological data on fish species. The project involved substantial stakeholder engagement, which was complicated by post-truth attitudes about climate science and environmental regulation by some groups. We discuss the challenges of team management, stakeholder engagement, and data integration for modeling, notably the incorporation of stakeholder support for environmental policy in the context of extreme climatic events. We conclude by offering a framework for good collaborative practice to manage the complications of crossing boundaries in transdisciplinary research and outreach.

Kansas↗
USGS2021

U.S. Geological Survey 21st-Century science strategy 2020–2030

Today’s Earth system challenges are far more complex and urgent than those that existed in 1879 when the USGS was established. Society’s greatest challenges are directly or indirectly linked to major areas of USGS science. Increased pressures on natural resources continue with consequences for national security, food and water availability, natural disasters, human health, and biodiversity loss. As we look forward 10, 20, and 30 years, our mission will be more important than ever before. A broad but coherent view is required for stewardship of the Nation’s land, water, mineral, energy, and ecosystem resources, which involves complex tradeoffs among multiple, often competing objectives. Increasingly, resource managers and decision makers need “the whole USGS”: integrated multidisciplinary Earth and biological science data, geospatial tools, predictive models, decision-support tools, and the expertise to interpret them. This Science Strategy defines a vision and mission for how we will continue to evolve USGS Science to address these Earth system challenges.

Circular↗
USGS2020

Hydrology of Haskell Lake and investigation of a groundwater contamination plume, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Wisconsin

Haskell Lake is a shallow, 89-acre drainage lake in the headwaters of the Squirrel River, on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation in northern Wisconsin. The lake has long been valued by the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (LDF Tribe) for abundant wild rice and game fish. In recent decades, however, wild rice has mostly disappeared from the lake and the fishery has declined. A petroleum contamination plume discovered in the 1990s in the shallow aquifer upgradient from the northern end of the lake poses a threat to the ecological health of the lake and the aquifer, which is the sole drinking water source for nearby residents and businesses. Understanding of the lake’s hydrology is important to the LDF Tribe as they seek to restore wild rice and maintain the ecological health of the Haskell Lake/Tower Creek watershed. An improved understanding of lithology in the area of the contamination plume, documentation of a contamination pathway from groundwater in the plume source area to Haskell Lake, and an understanding of the plume extent beneath the lake are needed to advance remediation efforts. Evaluation of the fraction of groundwater discharge that is contaminated relative to the overall lake water budget is desired as a first step towards determining the extent of ecological effects from the plume. A cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the LDF Tribe was initiated to quantify the lake water budget and the sources of water to the lake, to provide a rough estimate of the maximum quantity of groundwater discharge to the lake that may be contaminated, and to improve the conceptual understanding of the plume extent and subsurface materials in the area of contamination. The results of this study can help inform natural resource management of the Haskell Lake/Tower Creek watershed, including planned wild rice restoration and cleanup of the contaminant plume. During 2016–17, field data on lake and groundwater levels, gradients, fluxes, and subsurface lithology were collected using a variety of techniques that ranged from basic measurement of water levels and streamflows to distributed temperature sensing, vertical temperature profiling, and several shallow geophysical methods. The data were used to inform a MODFLOW–NWT model that simulated the contributing groundwatershed, including the water budget for Haskell Lake and Tower Creek using the Lake, Streamflow-Routing, and Unsaturated Zone-Flow Packages. Particle tracking with the MODFLOW solution (using MODPATH 6) was used to improve understanding of the downgradient extent of the contamination plume, estimate groundwater flux through the plume area, and delineate the groundwater contributing area (groundwatershed) for the lake/creek system. Linear uncertainty estimates for model results were computed during model parameter estimation using the software package PEST++. Results indicate groundwater discharge along the perimeter of Haskell Lake, with groundwater accounting for about 22 (± 11.5) percent of the lake water budget. Field data and particle tracking results indicate discharge of the entire contamination plume to Haskell Lake. Although the exact locations where contaminated groundwater enters the lake are unknown, the downgradient extent of the plume beneath Haskell Lake is likely limited to within about 700 feet from the shore. Groundwater flux through the plume accounts for at most about 1.4 percent of total groundwater discharge to Haskell Lake, or about 0.3 percent of the lake water budget. Most groundwater discharging to Haskell Lake and Tower Creek originates as terrestrial recharge. A lesser amount originates in or passes through neighboring lakes, including Buckskin, Crawling Stone, Broken Bow, Tippecanoe, and Jerms Lakes, as well as several unnamed kettles. The average age of simulated groundwater discharge to the lake is about 20 years.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1978

Users guide for distributed routing rainfall-runoff model

A computer program of a watershed model for routing urban flood discharges through a branched system of pipes or natural channels using rainfall as input has been developed and documented. The model combines soil-moisture-accounting and rainfall-excess components developed by Dawdy and others (1972) with the kinematic-wave routing method presented by Leclerc and Schaake (1973). (Woodard-USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2025

Preventing overfitting when using tree-based methods for mapping hydrothermal favorability

Ensemble tree-based algorithms are robust tools for estimating sparsely distributed resources with non-linear dependencies (e.g., hydrothermal systems). These algorithms naturally accommodate the threshold conditions necessary to enable and support hydrothermal systems (e.g., having sufficient heat and permeability) and are simpler than many other non-linear machine learning strategies (e.g., artificial neural networks), which is an advantage when working with few labeled examples from which to learn. In previous work, we used eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) to produce regional prediction and uncertainty maps of hydrothermal favorability; however, recent studies suggest that, even when properly applied, XGBoost has some risk of overfitting when there are few labeled examples from which to learn. To evaluate overfitting when constructing hydrothermal favorability maps with tree-based methods, we compare XGBoost with Extremely Randomized Trees (ExtraTrees), another ensemble tree-based algorithm that has the potential to underfit when using few labeled examples. We hold all other modeling parameters constant, resulting in two contrasting favorability maps of conventional geothermal resources for the Great Basin. Our results indicate that ExtraTrees demonstrably reduces overfitting compared with XGBoost. After considering overall performance, we conclude that ExtraTrees provides a more suitable modeling approach than XGBoost for the purposes of conventional hydrothermal resource assessments.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2019

The Value of Data – The Qatar Geologic Mapping Project

The State of Qatar is in a period of rapid development, modernization, and population growth. One of the most important factors influencing the long-term success and sustainability of future development is a comprehensive understanding of the region’s geologic regime, geotechnical conditions, natural resources, and environmental constraints. To obtain this understanding, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) of the State of Qatar has undertaken the Qatar Geological Mapping Project (QGMP). The project was envisioned with the strategic foresight to compile and utilize existing and legacy subsurface data collected as part of its massive infrastructure and development projects as the foundation for developing modern scientific resources including geologic maps, digital thematic maps, and a 3-dimensional geological model of the Doha metropolitan area. Recently, the MME, in consultation with Gannett Fleming, Inc. (GF) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) concluded the data collection and analysis phase (Phase I) of the two-phase QGMP. Phase I included: the development of a comprehensive geotechnical relational database populated with data digitized from more than 13,000 subsurface data logs; a detailed data quality analysis and distribution assessment; an extensive gap analysis and needs assessment; and careful design of the geologic mapping and subsurface investigation programs for the next phase of the project.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2022

Permeability of methane hydrate-bearing sandy silts in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico (Green Canyon Block 955)

Permeability is one of the most crucial properties governing fluid flow in methane hydrate reservoirs. This paper presents a comprehensive permeability analysis of hydrate-bearing sandy silt pressure-cored from Green Canyon Block 955 (GC 955) in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico. We developed an experimental protocol to systematically characterize the transport and petrophysical properties in pressure cores. The in situ effective permeability ranges from 0.1 md (1.0 × 10 −16 m 2 ) to 2.4 md (2.4 × 10 −15 m 2 ) in these natural sandy silts cores with hydrate occupying 83%–93% of the pore space. When hydrate dissociates from these cores, the measured intrinsic permeability ( k 0 ) is 0.3 md (3.0 × 10 −16 m 2 ) to 9.3 md (9.3 × 10 −15 m 2 ); these results are affected by fines migration during hydrate dissociation. We analyzed samples reconstituted from these sandy silts and found k 0 to range from ∼12 md (∼1.2 × 10 −14 m 2 ) to ∼41 md (∼4.1 × 10 −14 m 2 ). The water relative permeabilities ( k rw ) of GC 955 pressure cores are large relative to other natural pressure cores from offshore Japan, offshore India, and onshore Alaska. These k rw values are also higher than predicted by current conceptual relative permeability models where hydrate fills the pores or coats the grains of the sediments. This fundamental conundrum requires further study. Our work provides essential parameters to reservoir simulation models seeking to predict hydrate formation in geological systems, evaluate the gas production potential, and explore the best way to produce this energy resource in sandy silt reservoirs.

Louisiana↗
USGS2012

National assessment of hurricane-induced coastal erosion hazards--Gulf of Mexico

Sandy beaches provide a natural barrier between the ocean and inland communities, ecosystems, and resources. However, these dynamic environments move and change in response to winds, waves, and currents. During a hurricane, these changes can be large and sometimes catastrophic. High waves and storm surge act together to erode beaches and inundate low-lying lands, putting inland communities at risk. A decade of USGS research on storm-driven coastal change hazards has provided the data and modeling capabilities to identify areas of our coastline that are likely to experience extreme and potentially hazardous erosion during a hurricane. This report defines hurricane-induced coastal erosion hazards for sandy beaches along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastline. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticated hydrodynamic models to predict how the coast will respond to the direct landfall of category 1-5 hurricanes. Hurricane-induced water levels, due to both surge and waves, are compared to beach and dune elevations to determine the probabilities of three types of coastal change: collision (dune erosion), overwash, and inundation. As new beach morphology observations and storm predictions become available, this analysis will be updated to describe how coastal vulnerability to storms will vary in the future.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2005

Monitoring-well network and sampling design for ground-water quality, Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming

The Wind River Indian Reservation, located in parts of Fremont and Hot Springs Counties, Wyoming, has a total land area of more than 3,500 square miles. Ground water on the Wind River Indian Reservation is a valuable resource for Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe tribal members and others who live on the Reservation. There are many types of land uses on the Reservation that have the potential to affect the quality of ground-water resources. Urban areas, rural housing developments, agricultural lands, landfills, oil and natural gas fields, mining, and pipeline utility corridors all have the potential to affect ground-water quality. A cooperative study was developed between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Wind River Environmental Quality Commission to identify areas of the Reservation that have the highest potential for ground-water contamination and develop a comprehensive plan to monitor these areas. An arithmetic overlay model for the Wind River Indian Reservation was created using seven geographic information system data layers representing factors with varying potential to affect ground-water quality. The data layers used were: the National Land Cover Dataset, water well density, aquifer sensitivity, oil and natural gas fields and petroleum pipelines, sites with potential contaminant sources, sites that are known to have ground-water contamination, and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System sites. A prioritization map for monitoring ground-water quality on the Reservation was created using the model. The prioritization map ranks the priority for monitoring ground-water quality in different areas of the Reservation as low, medium, or high. To help minimize bias in selecting sites for a monitoring well network, an automated stratified random site-selection approach was used to select 30 sites for ground-water quality monitoring within the high priority areas. In addition, the study also provided a sampling design for constituents to be monitored, sampling frequency, and a simple water-table level observation well network.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS1997

Evaluation of drawdown and sources of water in the Mississippi River alluvium caused by hypothetical pumping, Muscatine, Iowa

A study was conducted to evaluate drawdown and volumetric changes in sources of water in the Mississippi River alluvium caused by hypothetical pumping. A steady-state, ground-water flow model was constructed for a previous study to simulate February 1993 hydrologic conditions, which were assumed to be an acceptable estimate of the ground-water system at equilibrium. The flow model was modified for this study to simulate six hypothetical pumping scenarios: five pumping scenarios to simulate hypothetical pumping at five pumping scenario sites, and a total pumping scenario to simulate cumulative hypothetical pumping from the five pumping scenario sites. The evaluation of drawdown for the six hypothetical pumping scenarios indicates that hypothetical pumping causes simulated drawdown that varies from about 10 ft to greater than 50 ft relative to February 1993 conditions at the five hypothetical pumping scenario sites. The simulated drawdown is less than half of the estimated saturated thickness of the alluvium during February 1993 at these sites. The primary sources of water (inflows) to the alluvium needed to balance the increased ground-water withdrawals (outflows) caused by hypothetical pumping are a combination of increased river leakage and decreased leakage to Muscatine Slough. Compared to February 1993 conditions, larger inflow rates occur as river leakage from the Mississippi River for the six hypothetical pumping scenarios. However, smaller outflow rates to Muscatine Slough compared to February 1993 conditions indicate that an important source of water for hypothetical pumping is ground-water discharge that would have become streamflow in the slough. Increased pumping at the hypothetical pumping scenario sites could affect long-term water quality and hydrology in the study area. The greater amounts of river leakage might affect overall ground-water quality in the alluvium. The lesser amounts of ground water being discharged to streamflow could have a long-term impact on the hydrology of the slough and adjacent wetland areas. The simplified steady-state flow model does not account for dynamic (transient) conditions (natural or development-related). The steady-state model does not indicate time needed to reach new equilibrium conditions. Attaining equilibrium might take many years and is complicated by varying climatic and hydrologic conditions; noncontinuous pumping and pumping that is cycled among well fields; and changing and seasonally varying irrigation pumpage.

Illinois, Iowa↗
USGS2010

Water-the Nation's Fundamental Climate Issue A White Paper on the U.S. Geological Survey Role and Capabilities

Of all the potential threats posed by climatic variability and change, those associated with water resources are arguably the most consequential for both society and the environment (Waggoner, 1990). Climatic effects on agriculture, aquatic ecosystems, energy, and industry are strongly influenced by climatic effects on water. Thus, understanding changes in the distribution, quantity and quality of, and demand for water in response to climate variability and change is essential to planning for and adapting to future climatic conditions. A central role of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with respect to climate is to document environmental changes currently underway and to develop improved capabilities to predict future changes. Indeed, a centerpiece of the USGS role is a new Climate Effects Network of monitoring sites. Measuring the climatic effects on water is an essential component of such a network (along with corresponding effects on terrestrial ecosystems). The USGS needs to be unambiguous in communicating with its customers and stakeholders, and with officials at the Department of the Interior, that although modeling future impacts of climate change is important, there is no more critical role for the USGS in climate change science than that of measuring and describing the changes that are currently underway. One of the best statements of that mission comes from a short paper by Ralph Keeling (2008) that describes the inspiration and the challenges faced by David Keeling in operating the all-important Mauna Loa Observatory over a period of more than four decades. Ralph Keeling stated: 'The only way to figure out what is happening to our planet is to measure it, and this means tracking changes decade after decade and poring over the records.' There are three key ideas that are important to the USGS in the above-mentioned sentence. First, to understand what is happening requires measurement. While models are a tool for learning and testing our understanding, they are not a substitute for observations. The second key idea is that measurement needs to be done over a period of many decades. When viewing hydrologic records over time scales of a few years to a few decades, trends commonly appear. However, when viewed in the context of many decades to centuries, these short-term trends are recognized as being part of much longer term oscillations. Thus, while we might want to initiate monitoring of important aspects of our natural resources, the data that will prove to be most useful in the next few years are those records that already have long-term continuity. USGS streamflow and groundwater level data are excellent examples of such long-term records. These measured data span many decades, follow standard protocols for collection and quality assurance, and are stored in a database that provides access to the full period of record. The third point from the Keeling quote relates to the notion of ?poring over the records.? Important trends will not generally jump off the computer screen at us. Thoughtful analyses are required to get past a number of important but confounding influences in the record, such as the role of seasonal variation, changes in water management, or influences of quasi-periodic phenomena, such as El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). No organization is better situated to pore over the records than the USGS because USGS scientists know the data, quality-assure the data, understand the factors that influence the data, and have the ancillary information on the watersheds within which the data are collected. To fulfill the USGS role in understanding climatic variability and change, we need to continually improve and strengthen two of our key capabilities: (1) preserving continuity of long-term water data collection and (2) analyzing and interpreting water data to determine how the Nation's water resources are changing. Understanding change in water resources

Circular↗
USGS2010

An approach for modeling sediment budgets in supply-limited rivers

Reliable predictions of sediment transport and river morphology in response to variations in natural and human-induced drivers are necessary for river engineering and management. Because engineering and management applications may span a wide range of space and time scales, a broad spectrum of modeling approaches has been developed, ranging from suspended-sediment "rating curves" to complex three-dimensional morphodynamic models. Suspended sediment rating curves are an attractive approach for evaluating changes in multi-year sediment budgets resulting from changes in flow regimes because they are simple to implement, computationally efficient, and the empirical parameters can be estimated from quantities that are commonly measured in the field (i.e., suspended sediment concentration and water discharge). However, the standard rating curve approach assumes a unique suspended sediment concentration for a given water discharge. This assumption is not valid in rivers where sediment supply varies enough to cause changes in particle size or changes in areal coverage of sediment on the bed; both of these changes cause variations in suspended sediment concentration for a given water discharge. More complex numerical models of hydraulics and morphodynamics have been developed to address such physical changes of the bed. This additional complexity comes at a cost in terms of computations as well as the type and amount of data required for model setup, calibration, and testing. Moreover, application of the resulting sediment-transport models may require observations of bed-sediment boundary conditions that require extensive (and expensive) observations or, alternatively, require the use of an additional model (subject to its own errors) merely to predict the bed-sediment boundary conditions for use by the transport model. In this paper we present a hybrid approach that combines aspects of the rating curve method and the more complex morphodynamic models. Our primary objective was to develop an approach complex enough to capture the processes related to sediment supply limitation but simple enough to allow for rapid calculations of multi-year sediment budgets. The approach relies on empirical relations between suspended sediment concentration and discharge but on a particle size specific basis and also tracks and incorporates the particle size distribution of the bed sediment. We have applied this approach to the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam (GCD), a reach that is particularly suited to such an approach because it is substantially sediment supply limited such that transport rates are strongly dependent on both water discharge and sediment supply. The results confirm the ability of the approach to simulate the effects of supply limitation, including periods of accumulation and bed fining as well as erosion and bed coarsening, using a very simple formulation. Although more empirical in nature than standard one-dimensional morphodynamic models, this alternative approach is attractive because its simplicity allows for rapid evaluation of multi-year sediment budgets under a range of flow regimes and sediment supply conditions, and also because it requires substantially less data for model setup and use.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2023

Considering pollinators' ecosystem services in the remediation and restoration of contaminated lands: Overview of research and its gaps

The concept of ecosystem services provides a useful framework for understanding how people are affected by changes to the natural environment, such as when a contaminant is introduced (e.g., oil spills, hazardous substance releases) or, conversely, when contaminated lands are remediated and restored. Pollination is one example of an important ecosystem service; pollinators play a critical role in any functioning terrestrial ecosystem. Other studies have suggested that consideration of pollinators' ecosystem services could lead to better remediation and restoration outcomes. However, the associated relationships can be complex, and evaluation requires synthesis from numerous disciplines. In this article, we discuss the possibilities for considering pollinators and their ecosystem services when planning remediation and restoration of contaminated lands. To inform the discussion, we introduce a general conceptual model of how pollinators and the ecosystem services associated with them could be affected by contamination in the environment. We review the literature on the conceptual model components, including contaminant effects on pollinators and the direct and indirect ecosystem services provided by pollinators, and identify information gaps. Though increased public interest in pollinators likely reflects increasing recognition of their role in providing many important ecosystem services, our review indicates that many gaps in understanding—about relevant natural and social systems—currently impede the rigorous quantification and evaluation of pollinators' ecosystem services required for many applications, such as in the context of natural resource damage assessment. Notable gaps include information on non-honeybee pollinators and on ecosystem services beyond those benefitting the agricultural sector. We then discuss potential research priorities and implications for practitioners. Focused research attention on the areas highlighted in this review holds promise for increasing the possibilities for considering pollinators' ecosystem services in the remediation and restoration of contaminated lands.

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management↗
USGS2020

Conceptual framework and approach for conducting a geoenvironmental assessment of undiscovered uranium resources

This report presents a novel conceptual framework and approach for conducting a geologically based environmental assessment, or geoenvironmental assessment, of undiscovered uranium resources within an area likely to contain uranium deposits. The framework is based on a source-to-receptor model that prioritizes the most likely contaminant sources, contaminant pathways, and affected environmental media for three common uranium extraction methods—open pit or underground mining with milling and in situ recovery (ISR). Data on regional geology, hydrology, and climate, as well as historical uranium mining and milling records are used to estimate the probable amounts of waste rock, tailings, wastewater, surface land disturbance, and subsurface aquifer disturbance for likely mining methods. Constituents of concern that might take the form of leachates, dust, radon, and sediments formed by chemical and physical weathering are also identified in the geoenvironmental assessment. Finally, areas where constituents of concern are likely to occur and persist in air, land, surface water, and groundwater are indicated by the potential for dispersion of dust by wind, accumulation of radon because of air stagnation, dispersion of sediments and wastewater by runoff, and infiltration of wastewater or leachates with consideration of the likely mobility of contaminants in surface water and groundwater. The geoenvironmental assessment output can be summarized in the following primary products: (1) a descriptive geoenvironmental model; (2) maps and statistics of variables that indicate the potential for constituents of concern to occur and persist in air, land, surface water, and groundwater within a tract that is geologically permissive for the occurrence of uranium; and (3) tables providing estimated or indicated quantities of waste rock, tailings, wastewater, dust, and radon emissions that could be associated with undiscovered uranium resources, if extracted, for each permissive tract. The uranium geoenvironmental assessment could help natural resource managers to prioritize and (or) identify (1) important potential contaminant pathways, (2) management practices required depending on the types of constituents that could be of concern, (3) areas for response in the event of accidental release, and (4) future directions for study. Furthermore, indicators of rock and water volumes potentially associated with an undiscovered uranium deposit may be evaluated to make quantitative comparisons of water required for uranium production or potential waste products generated during uranium extraction from areas permissive for uranium resource occurrence throughout the United States.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS1979

Plan of study for the northern Great Plains regional aquifer-system analysis in parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming

The Northern Great Plains, an area of about 250,000 square miles in parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, is underlain by an accumulation of sediments eroded from the Black Hills and from mountains to the west. Principal aquifers are areally extensive beds of sandstone within these sedimentary rocks, some at great depths. Anticipated future water needs dictate that available ground-water supplies be evaluated for management of this natural resource. The U.S. Geological Survey has started (1978) a 4-year study of the Northern Great Plains aquifer system. The objective of this study is to define availability and quality of ground water and to predict the effects of using this resource. To achieve this objective, the ground-water system will be described in terms of spatial distribution, hydraulics, geology, and geochemistry. Once described, the ground-water system will be simulated by mathematical models that will be used to define responses of the system to various management alternatives and assumed development patterns.

Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming↗
USGS2023

Assessing environmental oil spill based on fluorescence images of water samples and deep learning

Measuring oil concentration in the aquatic environment is essential for determining the potential exposure, risk, or injury for oil spill response and natural resource damage assessment. Conventional analytical chemistry methods require samples to be collected in the field, shipped, and processed in the laboratory, which is also rather time-consuming, laborious, and costly. For rapid field response immediately after a spill, there is a need to estimate oil concentration in near real time. To make the oil analysis more portable, fast, and cost effective, we developed a plug-and-play device and a deep learning model to assess oil levels in water using fluorescent images of water samples. We constructed a 3D-printed device to collect fluorescent images of solvent-extracted water samples using an iPhone. We prepared approximately 1,300 samples of oil at different concentrations to train and test the deep learning model. The model comprises a convolutional neural network and a novel module of histogram bottleneck block with an attention mechanism to exploit the spectral features found in low-contrast images. This model predicts the oil concentration in weight per volume based on fluorescence image. We devised a confidence interval estimator by combining gradient boosting and polymodal regressor to provide a confidence assessment of our results. Our model achieved sufficient accuracy to predict oil levels for most environmental applications. We plan to improve the device and iPhone application as a near-real-time tool for oil spill responders to measure oil in water.

Journal of Environmental Informatics↗
USGS2019

Economic Impacts of Restoration in National Parks

The National Park Service’s (NPS) Resource Protection Branch (RPB) works with parks under the authority of the System Unit Resource Protection Act (SURPA) and the Oil Pollution Act, among others, to conduct damage assessment and restoration activities for NPS resources that have been injured. Funds used for restoration support jobs in local economies across the Nation. This report demonstrates the economic impacts associated with RPB-administered restoration projects through an analysis of small-scale (less than $1,000,000 spent per project) and large-scale (more than $1,000,000 spent per project) projects. Using a national-level economic input-output model, direct and secondary jobyears, labor income, value added, and total economic output were estimated for a sample of restoration projects; impacts from these sampled projects were used to estimate average economicimpacts-per-million-dollars-spent on RPB restoration. In 2017 RPB administered 49 small-scale projects; expenditures for these projects ranged in cost from $200 to $800,000 and totaled $1,686,000 ($923,000 in cultural resource projects, $618,000 in natural resource projects, and $145,000 in facilities projects). Based on the economic-impacts-per million estimates, small-scale RPB projects were found to support an estimated total of 29 job-years, $1,963,000 in labor income, $2,690,000 in value added, and $4,458,000 in total economic output within the national economy in 2017. Economic impacts were also calculated for two large-scale projects: one a $3,900,000 (2017$) hillside stabilization project and the other a $5,574,000 (2017$) ferries (two) fabrication project.

Report↗