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At least 1,099 records · Page 61Linked to original sources
USGS2014

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) activities at the Department of the Interior

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is responsible for protecting and managing the natural resources and heritage on almost 20% of the land in the United States. The DOI’s mission requires access to remotely sensed data over vast lands, including areas that are remote and potentially dangerous to access. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) technology has the potential to enable the DOI to be a better steward of the land by: (1) Improving natural hazard forecasting and the analysis of the impacts. (2) Improving the understanding of climate change to better plan for likely impacts. (3) Developing precipitation and evaporation forecasting to better manage water resources. (4) Monitoring Arctic ice change and its impacts on ecosystems, coasts, and transportation. (5) Increasing safety and effectiveness of wildland fire management. (6) Enhancing search and rescue capabilities. (7) Broadening the abilities to monitor environmental or landscape conditions and changes. (8) Better understanding and protecting the Nation’s ecosystems. The initial operational testing and evaluations performed by the DOI have proven that UAS technology can be used to support many of the Department’s activities. UAS technology provides scientists a way to look longer, closer and more frequently at some of Earth’s most remote areas—places that were previously too dangerous or expensive to monitor in detail. The flexibility of operations and relative low cost to purchase and operate Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) enhances the ability to track long-term landscape and environmental change. The initial testing indicates the operational costs are approximately 10% of traditional manned aircraft. In addition, users can quickly assess landscape-altering events such as wildland fires, floods and volcanoes. UAS technology will allow the DOI to do more with less and in the process enhance the Department’s ability to provide unbiased scientific information to help stakeholders make informed decisions. It will also provide a digital baseline record that can be archived and used when monitoring future events or conditions. One possible future scenario has scientists carrying sUAS into the field allowing quick deployment and operation to observe the environment or for emergency response. This scenario could also include a persistent monitoring capability provided by a UAS that can stay airborne over a small geographic area for days or weeks, or possibly longer. While the DOI focus is on sUAS, the Department recognizes that larger UAS systems will also play a role in meeting its mission. The Department anticipates meeting long-duration or specialized acquisition commitments, such as state or national aerial photography, by collaboration with other agencies or through commercial contracts. Even though the DOI continues to evaluate UAS and sensor technology to meet the Department’s mission, some of its bureaus are already moving towards an operational capability. The authors fully anticipate that by 2020 UAS will emerge as one of the primary platforms for DOI remote sensing applications.

Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing↗
USGS2017

Climate change and alpine stream biology: progress, challenges, and opportunities for the future

In alpine regions worldwide, climate change is dramatically altering ecosystems and affecting biodiversity in many ways. For streams, receding alpine glaciers and snowfields, paired with altered precipitation regimes, are driving shifts in hydrology, species distributions, basal resources, and threatening the very existence of some habitats and biota. Alpine streams harbour substantial species and genetic diversity due to significant habitat insularity and environmental heterogeneity. Climate change is expected to affect alpine stream biodiversity across many levels of biological resolution from micro- to macroscopic organisms and genes to communities. Herein, we describe the current state of alpine stream biology from an organism-focused perspective. We begin by reviewing seven standard and emerging approaches that combine to form the current state of the discipline. We follow with a call for increased synthesis across existing approaches to improve understanding of how these imperiled ecosystems are responding to rapid environmental change. We then take a forward-looking viewpoint on how alpine stream biologists can make better use of existing data sets through temporal comparisons, integrate remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technologies, and apply genomic tools to refine knowledge of underlying evolutionary processes. We conclude with comments about the future of biodiversity conservation in alpine streams to confront the daunting challenge of mitigating the effects of rapid environmental change in these sentinel ecosystems.

Biological Reviews↗
USGS2025

The US EPA’s National Nutrient Inventory: Critical shifts in US nutrient pollution sources from 1987 to 2017

Efforts to constrain the negative environmental impacts of excess nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are costly and challenging, due in part to inconsistent reporting of nutrient sources at temporal and spatial scales relevant for local decision making. To meet this challenge, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Nutrient Inventory provides estimates of major agricultural, urban, atmospheric, and natural nutrient fluxes for the contiguous United States at county and HUC12 scales annually from 1987 (from 1950 for agriculture) to 2017. Since the late 1980s, total N emissions and atmospheric N deposition have declined 22% and 15%, respectively, despite increased agricultural emissions. Over the same period, municipal wastewater N and P loads remained largely stable, despite population increases, through wastewater treatment upgrades and the phaseout of phosphorus-containing detergents. Improved agricultural efficiency allowed for dramatic increases in agricultural production and crop harvest since 1987 (∼25% for N and P), with little change in surplus nutrients left on fields. Overall, a combination of innovative technologies and management has stemmed or even decreased major sources of nutrient pollution to the environment over the last several decades, representing an important shift that, if continued, may contribute to improved air, land, and water quality and human health.

contiguous United States↗
USGS2005

Development of property-transfer models for estimating the hydraulic properties of deep sediments at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho

Because characterizing the unsaturated hydraulic properties of sediments over large areas or depths is costly and time consuming, development of models that predict these properties from more easily measured bulk-physical properties is desirable. At the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, the unsaturated zone is composed of thick basalt flow sequences interbedded with thinner sedimentary layers. Determining the unsaturated hydraulic properties of sedimentary layers is one step in understanding water flow and solute transport processes through this complex unsaturated system. Multiple linear regression was used to construct simple property-transfer models for estimating the water-retention curve and saturated hydraulic conductivity of deep sediments at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The regression models were developed from 109 core sample subsets with laboratory measurements of hydraulic and bulk-physical properties. The core samples were collected at depths of 9 to 175 meters at two facilities within the southwestern portion of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory-the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, and the Vadose Zone Research Park southwest of the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. Four regression models were developed using bulk-physical property measurements (bulk density, particle density, and particle size) as the potential explanatory variables. Three representations of the particle-size distribution were compared: (1) textural-class percentages (gravel, sand, silt, and clay), (2) geometric statistics (mean and standard deviation), and (3) graphical statistics (median and uniformity coefficient). The four response variables, estimated from linear combinations of the bulk-physical properties, included saturated hydraulic conductivity and three parameters that define the water-retention curve. For each core sample,values of each water-retention parameter were estimated from the appropriate regression equation and used to calculate an estimated water-retention curve. The degree to which the estimated curve approximated the measured curve was quantified using a goodness-of-fit indicator, the root-mean-square error. Comparison of the root-mean-square-error distributions for each alternative particle-size model showed that the estimated water-retention curves were insensitive to the way the particle-size distribution was represented. Bulk density, the median particle diameter, and the uniformity coefficient were chosen as input parameters for the final models. The property-transfer models developed in this study allow easy determination of hydraulic properties without need for their direct measurement. Additionally, the models provide the basis for development of theoretical models that rely on physical relationships between the pore-size distribution and the bulk-physical properties of the media. With this adaptation, the property-transfer models should have greater application throughout the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and other geographic locations.

Idaho↗
USGS2006

Opportunities and Needs for Mobile-Computing Technology to Support U.S. Geological Survey Fieldwork

To assess the opportunities and needs for mobile-computing technology at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), we conducted an internal, Internet-based survey of bureau scientists whose research includes fieldwork. In summer 2005, 144 survey participants answered 65 questions about fieldwork activities and conditions, technology to support field research, and postfieldwork data processing and analysis. Results suggest that some types of mobile-computing technology are already commonplace, such as digital cameras and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, whereas others are not, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and tablet-based personal computers (tablet PCs). The potential for PDA use in the USGS is high: 97 percent of respondents record field observations (primarily environmental conditions and water-quality data), and 87 percent take field samples (primarily water-quality data, water samples, and sediment/soil samples). The potential for tablet PC use in the USGS is also high: 59 percent of respondents map environmental features in the field, primarily by sketching in field notebooks, on aerial photographs, or on topographic-map sheets. Results also suggest that efficient mobile-computing-technology solutions could benefit many USGS scientists because most respondents spend at least 1 week per year in the field, conduct field sessions that are least 1 week in duration, have field crews of one to three people, and typically travel on foot about 1 mi from their field vehicles. By allowing researchers to enter data directly into digital databases while in the field, mobile-computing technology could also minimize postfieldwork data processing: 93 percent of respondents enter collected field data into their office computers, and more than 50 percent spend at least 1 week per year on postfieldwork data processing. Reducing postfieldwork data processing could free up additional time for researchers and result in cost savings for the bureau. Generally, respondents support greater use of mobile-computing technology at the USGS and are interested in training opportunities and further discussions related to data archiving, access to additional digital data types, and technology development.

Circular↗
USGS2026

A conceptual framework and methods for studying the connectivity of fishes

Connectivity is a multifaceted concept that has important implications for the management and conservation of marine and freshwater fishes. We developed a conceptual framework that encompasses multiple, interrelated categories of connectedness, including landscape (e.g., structural, functional) connectivity and ecological (e.g., trophic, genetic, demographic) connectivity, that together shape the flow of organisms, energy and information across ecosystems. We also synthesised six key methods that can be used to study connectivity of fishes: (1) telemetry, including satellite, acoustic, radio and passive integrated transponders (PIT), (2) mark-recapture, (3) environmental tracers, including stable isotopes and otolith-microchemistry, (4) genetics, (5) community structure analysis and (6) emerging technologies and tools (e.g., remote sensing and artificial intelligence). For each method, we describe the categories of connectivity it can assess and provide real-world examples where they have been effectively used. We also identify limitations of each method. This article highlights the diverse and evolving toolbox of methods used to assess fish connectivity, underscoring the need for continued collaboration, innovation and integration of new approaches to refine our understanding and address remaining challenges in this critical area of aquatic ecology and fisheries management.

Fish and Fisheries↗
USGS2018

A snapshot of women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers

Introduction The term “STEM” has been used to group together the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to describe education and professions related to these fields. The professional fields connected to STEM education are thought of as engineering, medicine, and computer technology. Yet these professional fields are merely the tip of the iceberg. Numerous opportunities in these fields encompass environmental research. The possibilities range from predicting the next earthquake to saving polar bears from extinction to developing a vaccine for salmon measles. The science of natural systems is complex and often requires people from a variety of fields of expertise to make headway with a solution. To that end, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has long recognized the need for a diversity of STEM expertise to address the Nation’s environmental research needs and the vision to facilitate integration of these fields. We are team builders! In this book, we point out the many facets of research carried out by USGS STEM scientists in an effort to show career options and pathways not typically pursued. The women portrayed were selected by USGS associate and regional directors as representative of particular fields and to inspire future generations.

Circular↗
USGS2013

Integrated synoptic surveys using an autonomous underwater vehicle and manned boats

Traditional surface-water surveys are being combined with autonomous technology to produce integrated surveys of bathymetry, water quality, and velocity in inland lakes and reservoirs. This new technology provides valuable, high-resolution, integrated data that allow a systems-based approach to understanding common environmental problems. This fact sheet presents several example applications of integrated surveys within inland lakes and coastal Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.

Lake Erie, Lake Michigan↗
USGS1985

Total chemical management in photographic processing

The mission of the U. S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center is to produce high-quality photographs of the earth taken from aircraft and Landsat satellite. In order to meet the criteria of producing research-quality photographs, while at the same time meeting strict environmental restrictions, a total photographic chemical management system was installed. This involved a three-part operation consisting of the design of a modern chemical analysis laboratory, the implementation of a chemical regeneration system, and the installation of a waste treatment system, including in-plant pretreatment and outside secondary waste treatment. Over the last ten years the result of this program has yielded high-quality photographs while saving approximately 30,000 per year and meeting all Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restrictions.

Journal of Imaging Technology↗
USGS1997

Biology of the Rio Grande border region : A bibliography

This bibliography includes 1,913 references to the literature of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo del Norte). The specific geographic area covered extends 100 km on either side of the river from Elephant Butte Dam in New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico. The bibliography focuses on the biological literature, divided into major subject areas, and also includes supporting literature from the physical and environmental sciences.

Rio Grande (Rio Bravo del Norte)↗
USGS2018

Nanomaterials in the environment: Behavior, fate, bioavailability, and effects—An updated review

The present review covers developments in studies of nanomaterials (NMs) in the environment since our much cited review in 2008. We discuss novel insights into fate and behavior, metrology, transformations, bioavailability, toxicity mechanisms, and environmental impacts, with a focus on terrestrial and aquatic systems. Overall, the findings were that: 1) despite substantial developments, critical gaps remain, in large part due to the lack of analytical, modeling, and field capabilities, and also due to the breadth and complexity of the area; 2) a key knowledge gap is the lack of data on environmental concentrations and dosimetry generally; 3) substantial evidence shows that there are nanospecific effects (different from the effects of both ions and larger particles) on the environment in terms of fate, bioavailability, and toxicity, but this is not consistent for all NMs, species, and relevant processes; 4) a paradigm is emerging that NMs are less toxic than equivalent dissolved materials but more toxic than the corresponding bulk materials; and 5) translation of incompletely understood science into regulation and policy continues to be challenging. There is a developing consensus that NMs may pose a relatively low environmental risk, but because of uncertainty and lack of data in many areas, definitive conclusions cannot be drawn. In addition, this emerging consensus will likely change rapidly with qualitative changes in the technology and increased future discharges.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1980

A summary report of the regional geology, environmental geology, OCS resource appraisal, petroleum potential, and operational considerations in the area of proposed lease sale 73, offshore California

This report reviews geological, geophysical and technological data pertinent to proposed Lease Sale 73. Under consideration is the entire continental margin of California that is bounded on the west by the 2500 meter isobath. This area encompasses the whole of the southern California Borderland, the continental shelves of central and northern California, and the upper part of the continental slope from Mexico on the south to Oregon on the north. The area includes both leased and unleased tracts and lies adjacent to highly productive coastal basins of central and northern California . Because the geology of the south and north parts of this large area differ, they are considered separately in this report.

California↗
USGS2019

Evaluating the role of Farm Bill conservation program participation in conserving America’s grasslands

Grasslands are one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the world and the majority of the grassland ecosystem in the United States is privately owned and used for agriculture. Conversion of grasslands to row crops is expanding, fueled by commodity price increases, technological improvements, and agricultural policy. The U.S. government primarily uses voluntary incentive-based conservation programs to address the environmental impacts of agriculture and encourage conservation on private land. To investigate the utility of these programs to conserve grasslands, we surveyed private landowners in the Plains and Prairie Pothole Ecoregion (PPPE), one of America’s most at-risk grassland areas, about their land use, environmental attitudes and values, and reasons for or against participating in a Farm Bill conservation program. Agricultural landowners with large land holdings, who value hunting, and have positive environmental values, attitudes, and behaviors, were more likely to participate in a program. Financial considerations and a desire for autonomy limited participation. While program participants had less land in grass than nonparticipants and were more likely to convert planted grass to row crops and/or remove wetlands, they were also less likely to convert virgin sod to row crops. These findings signal the need for additional research and tools other than FBCPs to conserve the PPPE grasslands.

Land Use Policy↗
USGS1981

Chemical analysis of 45 Maryland coal samples

This report is part of a continuing program by the U.S. Geological Survey, State Geological Surveys, and the Coal Analysis Section of the U.S. Department of Energy to provide chemical data on the composition of important coal beds of the United States of America. Such data are useful in determining the economic value of a coal, environmental effects of coal mining and coal use, and the adaptability of a coal to cleaning and to other technological processes of coal treatment and usage.

Maryland↗
USGS2001

Seabird tissue archival and monitoring project: Protocol for collecting and banking seabird eggs

Archiving biological and environmental samples for retrospective analysis is a major component of systematic environmental monitoring. The long-term storage of carefully selected, representative samples in an environmental specimen bank is an important complement to the real-time monitoring of the environment. These archived samples permit: The use of subsequently developed innovative analytical technology that was not available at the time the samples were archived, for clear state-of-art identification an~ quantification of analytes of interest, The identification and quantification of analytes that are of subsequent interest but that were not of interest at the time the samples were archived, and The comparison of present and past analytical techniques and values, providing continued credibility of past analytical values, and allowing flexibility in environmental monitoring programs. Seabirds, including albatrosses, pelicans, cormorants, terns, kittiwakes, murres, guillemots, and puffins spend most of their lives at sea and have special adaptations for feeding in the marine environment, including the ability to excrete the excess salt obtained from ingesting seawater. Many species nest in dense groups (colonies) on steep, precipitous sea-cliffs and headlands. Seabirds are long-lived and slow to mature. They occupy high positions in the marine food web and are considered sensitive indicators for the marine environment (prey includes krill, small fish, and squid). Breeding success, timing of nesting, diets, and survival rates may provide early indications of changing environmental conditions (e.g., see Hatch et aI., 1993). Chemical analysis of seabird tissues, including egg contents, can be particularly useful in determining whether contaminants (and potential biological effects) associated with human industrial activities, such as offshore petroleum and mineral exploration and development, are accumulating in marine environments. The collection and archival of seabird tissues over a period of several years will be a resource for future analyses, providing samples that can be used to determine historical baseline contaminant levels.

Report↗
USGS2012

Environmental fate model for ultra-low-volume insecticide applications used for adult mosquito management

One of the more effective ways of managing high densities of adult mosquitoes that vector human and animal pathogens is ultra-low-volume (ULV) aerosol applications of insecticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses models that are not validated for ULV insecticide applications and exposure assumptions to perform their human and ecological risk assessments. Currently, there is no validated model that can accurately predict deposition of insecticides applied using ULV technology for adult mosquito management. In addition, little is known about the deposition and drift of small droplets like those used under conditions encountered during ULV applications. The objective of this study was to perform field studies to measure environmental concentrations of insecticides and to develop a validated model to predict the deposition of ULV insecticides. The final regression model was selected by minimizing the Bayesian Information Criterion and its prediction performance was evaluated using k -fold cross validation. Density of the formulation and the density and CMD interaction coefficients were the largest in the model. The results showed that as density of the formulation decreases, deposition increases. The interaction of density and CMD showed that higher density formulations and larger droplets resulted in greater deposition. These results are supported by the aerosol physics literature. A k -fold cross validation demonstrated that the mean square error of the selected regression model is not biased, and the mean square error and mean square prediction error indicated good predictive ability.

Science of the Total Environment↗
USGS2007

Effects of Regulation and Technology on End Uses of Nonfuel Mineral Commodities in the United States

The regulatory system and advancement of technologies have shaped the end-use patterns of nonfuel minerals used in the United States. These factors affected the quantities and types of materials used by society. Environmental concerns and awareness of possible negative effects on public health prompted numerous regulations that have dramatically altered the use of commodities like arsenic, asbestos, lead, and mercury. While the selected commodities represent only a small portion of overall U.S. materials use, they have the potential for harmful effects on human health or the environment, which other commodities, like construction aggregates, do not normally have. The advancement of technology allowed for new uses of mineral materials in products like high-performance computers, telecommunications equipment, plasma and liquid-crystal display televisions and computer monitors, mobile telephones, and electronic devices, which have become mainstream products. These technologies altered the end-use pattern of mineral commodities like gallium, germanium, indium, and strontium. Human ingenuity and people?s demand for different and creative services increase the demand for new materials and industries while shifting the pattern of use of mineral commodities. The mineral commodities? end-use data are critical for the understanding of the magnitude and character of these flows, assessing their impact on the environment, and providing an early warning of potential problems in waste management of products containing these commodities. The knowledge of final disposition of the mineral commodity allows better decisions as to how regulation should be tailored.

Scientific Investigations Report↗