SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Review Report”

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

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 955 records · Page 53Linked to original sources

USGS2014

The role of genetics in chronic wasting disease of North American cervids

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a major concern for the management of North American cervid populations. This fatal prion disease has led to declines in populations which have high CWD prevalence and areas with both high and low infection rates have experienced economic losses in wildlife recreation and fears of potential spill-over into livestock or humans. Research from human and veterinary medicine has established that the prion protein gene ( Prnp ) encodes the protein responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Polymorphisms in the Prnp gene can lead to different prion forms that moderate individual susceptibility to and progression of TSE infection. Prnp genes have been sequenced in a number of cervid species including those currently infected by CWD (elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose) and those for which susceptibility is not yet determined (caribou, fallow deer, sika deer). Over thousands of sequences examined, the Prnp gene is remarkably conserved within the family Cervidae; only 16 amino acid polymorphisms have been reported within the 256 amino acid open reading frame in the third exon of the Prnp gene. Some of these polymorphisms have been associated with lower rates of CWD infection and slower progression of clinical CWD. Here we review the body of research on Prnp genetics of North American cervids. Specifically, we focus on known polymorphisms in the Prnp gene, observed genotypic differences in CWD infection rates and clinical progression, mechanisms for genetic TSE resistance related to both the cervid host and the prion agent and potential for natural selection for CWD-resistance. We also identify gaps in our knowledge that require future research.

Prion↗

USGS2005

Surface water-quality and water-quantity data from selected urban runoff-monitoring sites at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Commerce City, Colorado, water years 1988-2004

The U.S. Geological Survey has monitored the quality and quantity of streamflow at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) northeast of Denver, Colorado, since the early 1990s in cooperation with the U.S. Army. This report, prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, documents existing surface-water-quality conditions on the RMA. All RMA water-quality data for the Irondale Gulch and First Creek Basins adjacent to and on the RMA were reviewed. Where applicable, water-quality data were compared to State standards established by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. At both the Havana Interceptor below 56th Avenue gaging station and the Uvalda Interceptor below 56th Avenue gaging station, all of the dissolved-oxygen concentrations met the State standard requiring at least 5.0 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of dissolved oxygen for the protection of aquatic life. In contrast, the dissolved-oxygen concentrations at the Peoria Interceptor below 56th Avenue gage commonly were less than 5.0 mg/L. Excluding one suspect concentration of 1.6 mg/L, the dissolved-oxygen concentrations for the First Creek Basin ranged from 4.2 to 12.6 mg/L. Excluding the one suspect value, three dissolved-oxygen concentrations failed to meet the State standard of 5.0 mg/L at the First Creek below Buckley Road site. At the Peoria Interceptor below 56th Avenue site, all pH values were within the range specified by the State standard (6.50-8.99). Results of seven sampling events at the Havana Interceptor below 56th Avenue gaging station indicated a pH greater than or equal to 9 (pH values of 9 or greater exceed the upper limit of the standard). No sampling events indicated a pH less than 6.50. Results from one sampling event at the Uvalda Interceptor below 56th Avenue indicated pH values outside the range specified by the State standard. The concentrations obtained for chloride, magnesium, and sodium generally were below 200 mg/L at all three Irondale Gulch monitoring stations for the entire period of record, but there were a few sampling events at each of these sites where much higher concentrations for these analytes were obtained. The median concentrations for calcium, magnesium, and sodium generally were higher at the First Creek below Buckley Road site than in the three Irondale Gulch sites, while the 90th percentile and maximum concentrations for magnesium and sodium generally were higher at the three Irondale Gulch sites than at the First Creek below Buckley Road site. The urban runoff flowing onto the RMA had low concentrations and few, if any, detections for most organic contaminants. Part of the reason for low detections of organic contaminants may be in how the samples are collected. The existing surface-water sampling program was not designed specifically to target storm runoff and therefore does not characterize water quality for all hydrologic regimes, most notably storm runoff. As a result, the existing data may not adequately represent potential contaminant transport onto the RMA. In addition, during stormwater-runoff events, the sites examined for this report frequently are subject to sharp increases in discharge, and just as quickly the discharge rapidly recedes. These types of transient flow events make water-quality sampling difficult, and none of the sites have a safe place to sample the higher flows that occur in any given year. As a result, most of the surface-water-quality samples were collected after the flow had decreased substantially from the peak flow, which may have transported much of the chemical contaminant load through the system. Thus, little is known about the water quality during the critical initial stormwater-runoff period when contaminants are most likely to be mobilized and transported through the stormwater conveyances past the locations where gaging stations are located.

Colorado↗

USGS2018

Development of a domestic earthquake alert protocol combining the USGS pager and FEMA Hazus systems

The U.S. Geological Survey’s PAGER automated alert system provides rapid (10-20 min) loss estimates in terms of ranges of fatalities and economic impact for all significant earthquakes around the globe. In contrast, FEMA’s Hazus software, which is currently operated manually by FEMA personnel internally within several hours of any large domestic earthquake, provides more detailed loss information quantified in terms of physical damage to the building stock, as well as a broad range of social and economic consequences estimated at a much higher spatial resolution (census-tract level). Hazus was originally designed for FEMA’s mitigation planning, but has been used of late for post-earthquake situational awareness. While the quick alerts generated automatically by the PAGER system are a suitable way to initially identify consequences for earthquakes, there remains a need to provide detailed loss information for facilitating a wider array of post-earthquake decisions among emergency managers. As such, we have developed a prototype summary product that takes advantage of the benefits of both these loss models for significant domestic earthquakes. The signature product, a new twoPAGER report, will serve as a supplement to the widely deployed standard onePAGER product for all significant domestic earthquakes. Page one is the standard, automated PAGER alert content, with summary alert levels for overall fatality and economic loss estimates, as well as summary content on recent earthquakes, structure vulnerability, and historical secondary hazards. As soon as the Hazus run using the most up-to-date version of the USGS ShakeMap is completed and reviewed by both agencies, the second alert page will be generated and delivered via the USGS website as an update. This second page will contain a summary of the more comprehensive Hazus model results, including spatially distributed estimates of: affected population, economic impact, non-fatal injuries, displaced households, and damage to structures (including potential building safety evaluation requirements). This enhancement does not affect the timeliness and the importance of the initial (onePAGER) alerting content for significant earthquakes; however, the twoPAGER report will provide more detailed, damage and loss/impact content for the Nation in the critical hours following a damaging earthquake.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2004

Gold concentrations in abiotic materials, plants, and animals: A synoptic review

Gold (Au) is ubiquitous in the environment and mined commercially at numerous locations worldwide. It is also an allergen that induces dermatitis in sensitive individuals. Gold concentrations were comparatively elevated in samples collected near gold mining and processing facilities, although no data were found for birds and non-human mammals. Maximum gold concentrations reported in abiotic materials were 0.001 μg L -1 in rainwater; 0.0015 μgL -1 in seawater near hydrothermal vents vs. <0.00004–0.0007 μg L -1 elsewhere; 5.0 μg kg -1 dry weight (DW) in the Earth's crust; 19.0 μg L -1 in a freshwater stream near a gold mining site; 440 μg kg -1 DW in atmospheric dust near a high traffic road; 843 μg kg -1 DW in alluvial soil near a Nevada gold mine vs. <29 μg kg -1 DW premining; 2.53 mg kg -1 DW in snow near a Russian smelter vs. <0.35 mg kg -1 DW at a reference site; 4.5 mg kg -1 DW in sewage sludge; 28.7 mg kg -1 DW in polymetallic sulfides from the ocean floor; and 256.0 mg kg -1 DW in freshwater sediments near a gold mine tailings pile vs. <5 μg kg -1 DW prior to mining. In plants, elevated concentrations of 19 μg Au kg -1 DW were reported in terrestrial vegetation near gold mining operations vs. <4 μg kg -1 DW at a reference site; 37 μg kg -1 DW in aquatic bryophytes downstream from a gold mine; 150 μg Au kg -1 DW in leaves of beans grown in soil containing 170 μg kg -1 DW; up to 1.06 mg kg -1 DW in algal mats of rivers receiving gold mine wastes; and 0.1–100 mg kg -1 DW in selected gold accumulator plants. Fish and aquatic invertebrates contained 0.1–38.0 μg Au kg -1 DW. In humans, gold concentrations up to 1.1 μg L -1 were documented in urine of dental technicians vs. 0.002–0.85 μg L -1 in reference populations; 2.1 μg L -1 in breast milk, attributed to gold dental fillings and jewelry of mothers; 1.4 mg kg -1 DW in hair of goldsmiths vs. a normal range of 6–880 μg kg -1 DW; 2.39 mg L -1 in whole blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving gold thiol drugs to reduce inflammation (chrysotherapy) vs. a normal range of 0.2–2.0 μg L -1 ; and 60.0 to 233.0 mg kg -1 fresh weight (FW) in kidneys of rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing active chrysotherapy vs. <42.0 mg kg -1 FW kidney 140 months posttreatment.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment↗

USGS2007

Yellowstone grizzly bear investigations: Annual report of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, 2006

The contents of this Annual Report summarize results of monitoring and research from the 2006 field season. The report also contains a summary of nuisance grizzly bear ( Ursus arctos horribilis ) management actions. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) continues to work on issues associated with counts of unduplicated females with cubs-of- the-year (COY). These counts are used to establish a minimum population size, which is then used to establish mortality thresholds for the Recovery Plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 1993). After considerable delays due to programming issues, a computer program that defines the rule set used by Knight et al. (1995) to differentiate unique family groups was development and tested in 2005 and 2006. Simulations using observations of collared females with COY were randomly sampled to generate datasets of observations of random females with COY. These datasets were then run though the simulations program to test the accuracy of the rules. Data are currently being summarized. This project has been completed and a manuscript was submitted to the Journal of Wildlife Management. The grizzly bear recovery plan (USFWS 1993) established human-caused mortality quotas. We used the latest information on reproduction and survival to estimate population trajectory in the same simulation model originally used by Harris (1984). A Wildlife Monographs was published in 2006. Additionally, the study team, in cooperation with several quantitative experts, reassessed how population size is indexed and how sustainable mortality rates are established. A draft report was presented to the Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee in spring 2005. It was published as part of the USFWS Delisting Rule (Federal Register Vol. 70, No. 221, Nov. 17, 2005, 69853–69884) and subjected to public comment. This workshop document can be found at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/grizzly/yellowstone.htm. During the summer of 2006, a second workshop was held to address public comment and professional peer review. The result of this workshop was a supplement to the 2005 workshop document. This supplement can be found at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/grizzly/yellowstone.htm under the link Revised Methods to Estimate Population Size and Sustainable Mortality Limits. Results of those estimates are provided in Appendix A. Our project addressing the potential application of stable isotopes and trace elements to quantify consumption rates of whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis ) and cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki ) by grizzly bears was completed. Our manuscript on consumption rates of whitebark pine was published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology 81:763-770. Results of the mercury studies were also published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology 82:493–501. Copies can be found on the IGBST website http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/igbst-home.htm. Based upon this work, we submitted a proposal to analyze all historic tissue samples from grizzly bears in the ecosystem. That proposal was funded and samples have been sent to a lab for isotopic analysis. We hope to have those results in early 2008. Results of DNA hair snaring work conducted on Yellowstone Lake were submitted and published in the Journal Ursus (Haroldson et al. 2005). Results of this study conducted from 1997–2000 showed a decline in fish use by grizzly bears when compared to earlier work conducted by Reinhart (1990) in 1985–1987. As a consequence, the IGBST submitted a proposal to the National Park Service and received 3 years funding to repeat that work. This project began in 2007. There are 2 graduate students and several field technicians working on the program. We completed the final field season in Grand Teton National Park evaluating habitat use both temporally and spatially between grizzly and black bears ( Ursus americanus ). We continue to use GPS technology that incorporates a spread spectrum communication system. Spread spectrum allows for transfer of stored GPS locations from the collar to a remote receiving station. Results of the 2006 field season are reported here. We plan to complete the final report in late 2007. We continued to monitor the health of whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) in cooperation with the Greater Yellowstone Whitebark Pine Monitoring Working Group. A summary of the 2006 monitoring is also presented (Appendix B). The IGBST uses counts of winter-killed ungulates to index spring carcass abundance for grizzly bears. Likewise, we use wier counts and stream surveys to index cutthroat trout abundance. We ask Dr. Steve Cherry, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University-Bozeman, to review the protocols and make recommendations for improving them. That review and recommendations are presented in Appendix C. Finally, the state of Wyoming, following recommendations from the Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee and the IGBST, launched the Bear Wise Community Effort. The focus is to minimize human/bear conflicts, minimize human-caused bear mortalities associated with conflicts, and safeguard the human community. Results of these efforts are detailed in Appendix D. The annual reports of the IGBST summarize annual data collection. Because additional information can be obtained after publication, data summaries are subject to change. For that reason, data analyses and summaries presented in this report supersede all previously published data. The study area and sampling techniques are reported by Blanchard (1985), Mattson et al. (1991 a), and Haroldson et al. (1998).

Idaho, Montana, Wyoming↗

USGS1966

Geological Survey Research 1966, Chapter A

'Geological Survey Research 1966' is the seventh annual review of the econamic and scientific work of the U.S. Geological Survey. As in previous years the purpose of the volume is to make available promptly to the public the highlights of Survey investigations. This year the volume consists of 4 chapters (A through D) of Professional Paper 550. Chapter A contains a summary of significant results, and the remaining chapters are made up of collections of short technical papers. Many of the results summarized in chapter A are discussed in greater detail in the short papers or in reports listed in 'Publications in Fiscal Year 1966,' beginning on page A265. The tables of contents for chapters B through D are listed on pages A259-A264. Numerous Federal, State, county, and municipal agencies listed on pages A211-A215 cooperated financially with the Geological Survey during fiscal 1966 and have contributed significantly to the results reported here. They are identified where appropriate in the short technical papers that have appeared in Geological Survey Research and in papers published cooperatively, but generally are not identified in the brief statements in chapter A. Many individuals on the staff of the Geological Survey have contributed to 'Geological Survey Research 1966.' Reference is made to only a few. Frank W. Trainer, Water Resources Division, was responsible for organizing and assembling chapter A and for critical review of papers in chapters B-D, assisted by Louis Pavlides, Geologic Division. Marston S. Chase, Publications Division, was in charge of production aspects of the series, assisted by Jesse R. Upperco in technical editing, and William H. Elliott and James R. Hamilton in planning and preparing illustrations. The volume for next year, 'Geological Survey Research 1967,' will be published as chapters af Professional Paper 5715. Previous volumes are listed below, with their series designations. Gealagical Survey Research 1960-Prof. Paper 400 Gealagical Survey Research 1961-Prof. Paper 424 Gealagical Survey Research 1962-Prof. Paper 450 Gealagical Survey Research 1963-Prof. Paper 475 Gealagical Survey Research 1964-Prof. Paper 501 Gealagical Survey Research 1965-Prof. Paper 525

Professional Paper↗

USGS2015

The fate of cyanide in leach wastes at gold mines: an environmental perspective

This paper reviews the basic chemistry of cyanide, methods by which cyanide can be analyzed, and aspects of cyanide behavior that are most relevant to environmental considerations at mineral processing operations associated with gold mines. The emphasis is on research results reported since 1999 and on data gathered for a series of U.S. Geological Survey studies that began in the late 1990s. Cyanide is added to process solutions as the CN − anion, but ore leaching produces numerous other cyanide-containing and cyanide-related species in addition to the desired cyanocomplex of gold. These can include hydrogen cyanide (HCN); cyanometallic complexes of iron, copper, zinc, nickel, and many other metals; cyanate (CNO − ); and thiocyanate (SCN − ). The fate of these species in solid wastes and residual process solutions that remain once gold recovery activities are terminated and in any water that moves beyond the ore processing facility dictates the degree to which cyanide poses a risk to aquatic organisms and aquatic-dependent organisms in the local environment. Cyanide-containing and cyanide-related species are subject to attenuation mechanisms that lead to dispersal to the atmosphere, chemical transformation to other carbon and nitrogen species, or sequestration as cyanometallic precipitates or adsorbed species on mineral surfaces. Dispersal to the atmosphere and chemical transformation amount to permanent elimination of cyanide, whereas sequestration amounts to storage of cyanide in locations from which it can potentially be remobilized by infiltrating waters if conditions change. From an environmental perspective, the most significant cyanide releases from gold leach operations involve catastrophic spills of process solutions or leakage of effluent to the unsaturated or saturated zones. These release pathways are unfavorable for two important cyanide attenuation mechanisms that tend to occur naturally: dispersal of free cyanide to the atmosphere and sunlight-catalyzed dissociation of strong cyanometallic complexes, which produces free cyanide that can then disperse to the atmosphere. The widest margins of environmental safety will be achieved where mineral processing operations are designed so that time for offgassing, aeration, and sunlight exposure are maximized in the event that cyanide-bearing solutions are released inadvertently.

Applied Geochemistry↗

USGS2010

Earthquakes of the Holocene

Geologic studies of earthquakes involve mapping of coseismic surface faulting and secondary deformation from historical events, trenching and geomorphic analysis to define the timing and size of past earthquakes, and investigations of fault zone structure and geometry in both unconsolidated sediments and bedrock. This research is now being referred to as paleoseismology, seismic geology, and earthquake geology. Since the mid-1970s, it has led to some of the most exciting and important contributions to the understanding of earthquake behavior in space and time [Hanks, 1985; Allen, 1986]. The present report is the first of what is hoped will become a regularly contributed summary of the geologic aspects of the study of earthquakes.

Reviews of Geophysics↗

USGS2016

Review and synthesis: Changing permafrost in a warming world and feedbacks to the Earth System

The permafrost component of the cryosphere is changing dramatically, but the permafrost region is not well monitored and the consequences of change are not well understood. Changing permafrost interacts with ecosystems and climate on various spatial and temporal scales. The feedbacks resulting from these interactions range from local impacts on topography, hydrology, and biology to complex influences on global scale biogeochemical cycling. This review contributes to this focus issue by synthesizing its 28 multidisciplinary studies which provide field evidence, remote sensing observations, and modeling results on various scales. We synthesize study results from a diverse range of permafrost landscapes and ecosystems by reporting key observations and modeling outcomes for permafrost thaw dynamics, identifying feedbacks between permafrost and ecosystem processes, and highlighting biogeochemical feedbacks from permafrost thaw. We complete our synthesis by discussing the progress made, stressing remaining challenges and knowledge gaps, and providing an outlook on future needs and research opportunities in the study of permafrost–ecosystem–climate interactions.

Environmental Research Letters↗

USGS2016

Supporting diverse data providers in the open water data initiative: Communicating water data quality and fitness of use

Shared, trusted, timely data are essential elements for the cooperation needed to optimize economic, ecologic, and public safety concerns related to water. The Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI) will provide a fully scalable platform that can support a wide variety of data from many diverse providers. Many of these will be larger, well-established, and trusted agencies with a history of providing well-documented, standardized, and archive-ready products. However, some potential partners may be smaller, distributed, and relatively unknown or untested as data providers. The data these partners will provide are valuable and can be used to fill in many data gaps, but can also be variable in quality or supplied in nonstandardized formats. They may also reflect the smaller partners' variable budgets and missions, be intermittent, or of unknown provenance. A challenge for the OWDI will be to convey the quality and the contextual “fitness” of data from providers other than the most trusted brands. This article reviews past and current methods for documenting data quality. Three case studies are provided that describe processes and pathways for effective data-sharing and publication initiatives. They also illustrate how partners may work together to find a metadata reporting threshold that encourages participation while maintaining high data integrity. And lastly, potential governance is proposed that may assist smaller partners with short- and long-term participation in the OWDI.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗

USGS2008

Earthquake Rate Model 2 of the 2007 working group for California earthquake probabilities, magnitude-area relationships

The Working Group for California Earthquake Probabilities must transform fault lengths and their slip rates into earthquake moment-magnitudes. First, the down-dip coseismic fault dimension, W, must be inferred. We have chosen the Nazareth and Hauksson (2004) method, which uses the depth above which 99% of the background seismicity occurs to assign W. The product of the observed or inferred fault length, L, with the down-dip dimension, W, gives the fault area, A. We must then use a scaling relation to relate A to moment-magnitude, Mw. We assigned equal weight to the Ellsworth B (Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities, 2003) and Hanks and Bakun (2007) equations. The former uses a single logarithmic relation fitted to the M=6.5 portion of data of Wells and Coppersmith (1994); the latter uses a bilinear relation with a slope change at M=6.65 (A=537 km2) and also was tested against a greatly expanded dataset for large continental transform earthquakes. We also present an alternative power law relation, which fits the newly expanded Hanks and Bakun (2007) data best, and captures the change in slope that Hanks and Bakun attribute to a transition from area- to length-scaling of earthquake slip. We have not opted to use the alternative relation for the current model. The selections and weights were developed by unanimous consensus of the Executive Committee of the Working Group, following an open meeting of scientists, a solicitation of outside opinions from additional scientists, and presentation of our approach to the Scientific Review Panel. The magnitude-area relations and their assigned weights are unchanged from that used in Working Group (2003).

Open-File Report↗

USGS2006

Arsenic, Boron, and Fluoride Concentrations in Ground Water in and Near Diabase Intrusions, Newark Basin, Southeastern Pennsylvania

During an investigation in 2000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) of possible contaminant releases from an industrial facility on Congo Road near Gilbertsville in Berks and Montgomery Counties, southeastern Pennsylvania, concentrations of arsenic and fluoride above USEPA drinking-water standards of 10 ?g/L and 4 mg/L, respectively, and of boron above the USEPA health advisory level of 600 ?g/L were measured in ground water in an area along the northwestern edge of the Newark Basin. In 2003, the USEPA requested technical assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to help identify sources of arsenic, boron, and fluoride in the ground water in the Congo Road area, which included possible anthropogenic releases and naturally occurring mineralization in the local bedrock aquifer, and to identify other areas in the Newark Basin of southeastern Pennsylvania with similarly elevated concentrations of these constituents. The USGS reviewed available data and collected additional ground-water samples in the Congo Road area and four similar hydrogeologic settings. The Newark Basin is the largest of the 13 major exposed Mesozoic rift basins that stretch from Nova Scotia to South Carolina. Rocks in the Newark Basin include Triassic through Jurassic-age sedimentary sequences of sandstones and shales that were intruded by diabase. Mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin are associated with alteration zones bordering intrusions of diabase and also occur as strata-bound replacement deposits of copper and zinc in sedimentary rocks. The USGS review of data available in 2003 showed that water from about 10 percent of wells throughout the Newark Basin of southeastern Pennsylvania had concentrations of arsenic greater than the USEPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ?g/L; the highest reported arsenic concentration was at about 70 ?g/L. Few data on boron were available, and the highest reported boron concentration in well-water samples was 60 ?g/L in contrast to concentrations over 5,000 ?g/L in the Congo Road area. Although concentrations of fluoride up to 4 mg/L were reported for a few well-water samples collected throughout the Newark Basin, about 90 percent of the samples had concentrations of 0.5 mg/L or less. The USGS sampled 58 wells primarily in 5 areas in the Newark Basin, southeastern Pennsylvania, from February 2004 through April 2005 to identify other possible areas of elevated arsenic, boron, and fluoride and to characterize the geochemical environment associated with elevated concentrations of these constituents. Sampled wells included 12 monitor wells at an industrial facility near Congo Road, 45 private-supply wells in Berks, Montgomery, and Bucks Counties, and 1 private-supply well near Dillsburg, York County, an area where elevated fluoride in ground water had been reported in the adjacent Gettysburg Basin. Wells were sampled in transects from the diabase through the adjacent hornfels and into the unaltered shales of the Brunswick Group. Field measurements were made of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and specific conductance. Samples were analyzed in the laboratory for major ions, nutrients, total organic carbon, dissolved and total concentrations of selected trace elements, and boron isotopic composition. Generally, the ground water from the 46 private-supply wells had relatively neutral to alkaline pH (ranging from 6.1 to 9.1) and moderate concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Most water samples were of the calcium-bicarbonate type. Concentrations of arsenic up to 60 ?g/L, boron up to 3,950 ?g/L, and fluoride up to 0.70 mg/L were measured. Drinking-water standards or health advisories (for constituents that do not have standards established) were exceeded most frequently (about 20 percent of samples) for arsenic and boron and less frequently (6 percent or less of samples) for total iron, manganese, sulfate, nitrate, lead, molybdenum, and strontium. In water from 12 monitor

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS1985

National water summary 1984: Hydrologic events, selected water-quality trends, and ground-water resources

Water year 1984 was a year of extreme hydrologic conditions. For the third consecutive year, precipitation and resulting runoff were well above long-term averages in most of the Nation and as much as 400 percent above average in the Southwest. National flood damages during the year were the third highest in a 10-year period (1975-84) an estimated $3.5 to $4 billion. In many of the larger river systems, monthly stream discharges were above normal, as they have been for the last 2 water years, and, with the exception of a few reservoir systems, end-of-month reservoir storage also remained above normal. The Great Salt Lake reached its highest level since 1873 as a result of these conditions. During a 9.6-foot rise from September 1982 to July 1984, the area of the lake expanded by 600 square miles (an increase of 35 percent), resulting in an estimated $212 million in damages to recreational facilities and industrial installations built on the exposed lake bed during former lower levels. Other lake levels in closed basins of the Western United States also have risen over the past few years, thereby flooding communities, recreational facilities, and agricultural lands. In contrast to this predominant pattern of wet conditions, several areas of the country, mainly west Texas and Hawaii, have experienced persistent droughts. Most recently, very dry conditions existed in parts of northern Montana. These hydrologic conditions and 100 specific events are reviewed in the "Hydrologic Conditions and Water-Related Events, Water Year 1984" part of the 1984 National Water Summary .

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS2011

Pathogens and diseases of freshwater mussels in the United States: Studies on bacterial transmission and depuration

Unionid mussels are recognized as important contributors to healthy aquatic ecosystems, as well as bioindicators of environmental perturbations. Because they are sedentary, filter feeding animals and require hosts (i.e., fishes) to transform embryonic glochidia, mussels are susceptible to direct adverse environmental parameters, and indirect parameters that restrict the timely presence of the host(s). Their numbers have declined in recent decades to a point that this fauna is regarded as one of the most imperiled in North America. The most significant threat to populations of native unionids in recent years has been the introduction and spread of zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha. Many federal and state agencies, and private interests are now engaged in mussel conservation efforts, including collecting selected imperiled species from impacted rivers and lakes and propagating them at refuges for future population augmentations. One essential consideration with mussel propagation and their intensive culture at refugia is the prevention of pathogen introductions and control of diseases. Currently, there are few reports of etiological agents causing diseases among freshwater mussels; however, because of increased observations of mussel die-offs in conjunction with transfers of live animals between natural waters and refugia, disease problems can be anticipated to emerge. This review summarizes research to develop bacterial isolation techniques, study pathogen transmission between fish and mussels, identify causes of seasonal mussel die-offs, and develop non-destructive methods for pathogen detection. These efforts were done to develop disease preventative techniques for use by resource managers to avoid potential large-scale disease problems in restoration and population augmentation efforts among imperiled populations.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2015

Biological responses to climate impacts with a focus on Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN)

This chapter reviews the responses to climate change on the 367 Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN) identified by the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee (NEFWDTC), technical experts from states’ natural resource agencies (Appendix 3.1). These species were chosen based on their conservation status, listing in SWAPs, and the percentage of their range that occurs in the Northeast. The objectives of this chapter are to: summarize how regional biodiversity has already responded and is expected to respond to climate change; summarize information on specific RSGCN species responses to climate change to date and anticipated under future scenarios; characterize the greatest uncertainties about how biodiversity and RSGCN species will respond to climate change in the future; and highlight where other factors are expected to exacerbate the effects of climate change. This information was obtained through a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature, primarily using the ISI Web of Knowledge to search for papers on each species related to “climate”, “temperature”, or “precipitation”. Although we undoubtedly missed some sources, the following allows us to review some of the ways climate change will affect regional species of conservation concern

Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ma↗

USGS2021

Ambystoma opacum (marbled salamander). Atypical nest sites

The discovery of inconspicuous nests in secretive species not only expands knowledge but can reveal previously unknown behaviors and ecological consequences of those behaviors. Marbled salamanders exhibit the unusual strategy of laying their eggs terrestrially under cover. Here we report multiple occurrences of A. opacum nesting inside logs, which may be atypical for this species.

Herpetological Review↗

USGS1982

Habitat Suitability Index Models: Yellow warbler

Habitat preferences of the yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia) are described in this publication. It is one of a series of Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models and was developed through an analysis of available information on the species-habitat requirements of the species. Habitat use information is presented in a review of the literature, followed by the development of an HSI model, designed for use in impact assessment and habitat management activities.

FWS/OBS↗

USGS1995

Cerro Prieto geothermal field, Mexico; chemical analyses and other data for 58 samples collected in 1977-1979

This report releases the results of selected chemical analyses by the USGS of fluids collected from geothennal power production wells at the Cerro Prieto Geothennal Field, Mexico. Cerro Prieto, the world's largest producing hot-water geothennal field, is located 32 km southeast of Mexicali, Baja California. Comision Federal de Electricidad de Mexico (CFE) gave permission for, and assisted in, sample collection. Data collection and reported analyses was made by the U.S. Geological Survey. Data collected in 1977 and 1978 where published previously by Ball and Jenne (1983) which was about half the data given here. This report also includes samples collected in 1979 which were not previously released. These activities, including this data release, are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. Analyses given in the following section were made by James W. Ball and E.A. Jenne. The data have been reviewed with the assistance of Cathy Janik, USGS, Menlo Park. Some, but not all, details from Ball and Jenne (1983) concerning collection, and preservation and analytical procedures are repeated here. Nehring and Trusdell (1977) also provide an outline of some of the issues involved in the difficult task of collecting samples from geothermal wells. The initial intent of the study was to provide basic data for use in determining how these fluids should be managed either in disposal or in reinjection. Some of the hot, corrosive brines were separated as two-phase (water and steam) samples under pressure using a coiled condenser tube submerged in an ice/water mixture (called "condensed" samples). It is not known if these were total flow samples. Other samples were collected from the brine sampling valve of the separators (called "flashed" samples). Analyses given in the following section area sorted by (1) well number, (2) date, and (3) sample type(s). Analysis was by a Spectraspan III d.c. argon plasma emission spectrometer with a Spectraject III torch (Ball and Jenne, 1983). Elements were determined in two groups using interchangeable cassettes. Group one included B, Mn, Cu, Zn, Si, Zr, Be, Mn, Sr, Ti, Ca, Fe, Ba, K, Na, Rb, and Al. Group two included As, Se, Bi, Zn, Cd, Sb, Cu, Ni, Hg, Mo, Co, Cr, Fe, V, Tl, Li, and Pb. Ball and Jenne (1983) noted that analysis of B, Ca, Mg, Ba, and Sr generally gave precise results. Movement of the plasma or grating was observed to affect sensitivity over short time periods even while the instrument was carefully standardized and optimized. Sensitivity was also a function of sample concentration. All samples at the time of analysis contained a white precipitate (perhaps colloidal silica) thus the reported concentrations may not accurately represent the concentrations present at the time of collection (Ball and Jenne, 1983). Additional details about specific elements are given in the section on "Evaluation of data" (Bliss, this volume) following the data table.

Open-File Report↗