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Archiving, processing, and disseminating ASTER products at the USGS EROS Data Center

The U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center archives, processes, and disseminates Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data products. The ASTER instrument is one of five sensors onboard the Earth Observing System's Terra satellite launched December 18, 1999. ASTER collects broad spectral coverage with high spatial resolution at near infrared, shortwave infrared, and thermal infrared wavelengths with ground resolutions of 15, 30, and 90 meters, respectively. The ASTER data are used in many ways to understand local and regional earth-surface processes. Applications include land-surface climatology, volcanology, hazards monitoring, geology, agronomy, land cover change, and hydrology. The ASTER data are available for purchase from the ASTER Ground Data System in Japan and from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center in the United States, which receives level 1A and level 1B data from Japan on a routine basis. These products are archived and made available to the public within 48 hours of receipt. The level 1A and level 1B data are used to generate higher level products that include routine and on-demand decorrelation stretch, brightness temperature at the sensor, emissivity, surface reflectance, surface kinetic temperature, surface radiance, polar surface and cloud classification, and digital elevation models. This paper describes the processes and procedures used to archive, process, and disseminate standard and on-demand higher level ASTER products at the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center.

Conference Paper↗

Synthesis of geophysical data (phase V, deliverable 55)

Aeromagnetic and radiometric data were used to map shallow Precambrian basement lithology and structure and determine the depth to magnetic basement, which in most cases, corresponds to the depth to crystalline basement of interest for mineral exploration. These depths, along with those determined from gravity data, help identify basins with hydrologic potential. In addition, the magnetic data were used to identify buried Precambrian rocks of unknown affinity.

Open-File Report↗

Records of wells and chemical analyses of ground water in Hand and Hyde counties, South Dakota

Well and chemical groundwater data contained in three tables were collected during a 4-year study started in 1972 to determine the geology and water resources of Hand and Hyde Counties, South Dakota. Physical, hydrologic, and geologic data for 2,729 wells and test holes have been entered into computer storage in the Groundwater Site Inventory File of the U.S. Geological Survey 's National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System WATSTORE. Water quality data from 300 chemical analyses has been stored in the Water Quality File of WATSTORE and is computer printed int he chemical analyses table by aquifer. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Streamflow and water-quality data for Little Clearfield Creek basin, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, December 1987 - November 1988

Streamflow and water quality data were collected throughout the Little Clearfield Creek basin, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, from December 1987 through November 1988, to determine the existing quality of surface water over a range of hydrologic conditions. This data will assist the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources during its review of coal mine permit applications. A water quality station near the mouth of Little Clearfield Creek provided continuous record of stream stage, pH, specific conductance, and water temperature. Monthly water quality samples collected at this station were analyzed for total and dissolved metals, nutrients, major cations, and suspended sediment concentrations. Seventeen partial record sites, located throughout the basin, were similarly sampled four times during the study. Streamflow and water quality data obtained at these sites during a winter base flow, a spring storm event, a low summer base flow, and a more moderate summer base flow also are presented. (Author 's abstract)

Open-File Report↗

Records of wells and chemical analyses of ground water in Deuel and Hamlin counties, South Dakota

Well and chemical groundwater data contained in three tables were collected during a 5-year study started in 1971 to determine the geology and water resources of Deuel and Hamlin Counties, South Dakota. Physical, hydrologic, and geologic data for 3,228 wells and test holes have been entered into computer storage in the Ground-Water Site Inventory File of the U.S. Geological Survey 's National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE). The well tables in the report are computer printouts from WATSTORE. Water quality data from 564 chemical analyses have been stored in the Water-Quality File of WATSTORE and is computer printed in the chemical analyses table by aquifer. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Assessing the feasibility of satellite-based thresholds for hydrologically driven landsliding

Elevated soil moisture and heavy precipitation contribute to landslides worldwide. These environmental variables are now being resolved with satellites at spatiotemporal scales that could offer new perspectives on the development of landslide warning systems. However, the application of these data to hydro-meteorological thresholds (which account for antecedent soil moisture and rainfall) first need to be evaluated with respect to proven, direct measurement-based thresholds that use rain gauges and in situ soil moisture sensors. Here, we compare ground-based hydrologic data to overlapping satellite-based data before, during, and after a recent season of widespread shallow landsliding in the San Francisco Bay Area (California, USA). We then explore how the remotely sensed information could be used to empirically define hypothetical thresholds for shallow landsliding. We find that the ground-based thresholds developed with a single monitoring station show superior performance because the in situ soil saturation data better reflect the gravity-dominated subsurface flow conditions that are characteristic of hillslopes during the rainy season. Although the satellite-based thresholds can identify most of the landslide days, they include a greater number of false alarms due to overestimates of soil moisture between major storm events. To avoid the type of false alarms that are characteristic of our satellite-based thresholds, further post-processing of the near-surface hydrologic response data to better reflect gravity-dominated drainage should be integrated into satellite-based model outputs. Our results encourage further deployment of ground stations in landslide-prone terrain and cautious exploration of satellite-based hydro-meteorological thresholds where in situ networks are nonexistent.

California↗

Streamflow and water-quality data for Meadow Run basin, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, December 1987 - November 1988

Streamflow and water-quality data were collected throughout the Meadow Run basin, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, from December 7, 1987 through November 15, 1988, to determine the prevailing quality of surface water over a range of hydrologic conditions. This data will assist the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources during its review of coal-mine permit applications. A water-quality station near the mouth of Meadow Run provided continuous-record of stream stage, pH, specific conductance, and water temperature. Monthly water-quality samples collected at this station were analyzed for total and dissolved metals, nutrients, major cations and anions, and suspended-sediment concentrations. Fourteen partial-record sites, located throughout the basin, were similarly sampled four times during the study. Streamflow and water-quality data obtained at these sites during a winter base flow, a spring rainfall event, a summer rainfall event, and a low summer base flow also are presented.

Open-File Report↗

Summary appraisals of the nation's ground-water resources – Great Basin region

Ground-water withdrawals by wells in the Great Basin Region were about 1.1 million acre-feet (1,360 cubic hectometres) in 1970. Most of these withdrawals were from 87 of the 234 hydrographic areas in the region. Withdrawals ranged from about 1,000 acre-feet (1.2 cubic hectometres) to more than 100,000 acre-feet (123 cubic hectometres). Jordan Valley, which includes Salt Lake City, had the largest withdrawal, about 115,000 acre-feet (142 cubic hectometres). An appraisal of the regional ground-water resource indicates the region could sustain an annual net pumpage of about 2.6 million acre-feet (3,200 cubic hectometres). Larger withdrawals could be sustained if only part of the pumped water was used consumptively, if conflicts with existing surface-water rights are resolved, and if extensive treatment, artificial recharge, and reuse of water prove feasible. Ground water stored in the upper 100 feet (30 metres) of saturated deposits of the valley ground-water reservoirs is estimated to be on the order of 300 million acre-feet (370,000 cubic hectometres). Total ground-water storage probably exceeds several billion acre-feet; however, much of this could not be developed within economic feasibility expected over the next several decades. Only a few areas of the Great Basin Region have been studied in detail sufficient to enable adequate design of an areawide groundwater development. These areas already have been developed. As of 1973 data for broadly outlining the ground-water resources of the region had been obtained. However, if large-scale planned development is to become a reality, a program for obtaining adequate hydrologic and related data would be a prerequisite. Ideally, the data should be obtained in time to be available for the successively more intensive levels of planning required to implement developments.

California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming↗

1:2,000,000-scale Hydrologic Units of the United States

This data set has been superseded by huc2m. This file contains hydrologic unit boundaries and codes for the conterminous United States along with Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was revised for inclusion in the National Atlas of the United States of America, and updated to match the streams file created by the USGS National Mapping Division (NMD) for the National Atlas of the United States of America. For the most current data and information relating to hydrologic unit codes (HUCs) please see http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/huc.html. The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is the most current data available for watershed delineation. See http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/water/watersheds/dataset

Report↗

Historical legacies, information and contemporary water science and management

Hydrologic science has largely built its understanding of the hydrologic cycle using contemporary data sources (i.e., last 100 years). However, as we try to meet water demand over the next 100 years at scales from local to global, we need to expand our scope and embrace other data that address human activities and the alteration of hydrologic systems. For example, the accumulation of human impacts on water systems requires exploration of incompletely documented eras. When examining these historical periods, basic questions relevant to modern systems arise: (1) How is better information incorporated into water management strategies? (2) Does any point in the past (e.g., colonial/pre-European conditions in North America) provide a suitable restoration target? and (3) How can understanding legacies improve our ability to plan for future conditions? Beginning to answer these questions indicates the vital need to incorporate disparate data and less accepted methods to meet looming water management challenges.

Water↗

Hydrologic, Water-Quality, Sediment Transport, and Bulk Atmospheric-Deposition Data, Guanella Pass Area, Colorado, October 1, 1994, through September 30, 1997

The hydrology and water quality of streams and lakes in the Guanella Pass area could be affected by the proposed reconstruction of the existing road over Guanella Pass between Georgetown and Grant, Colo. Data were collected during water years 1995 through 1997 (October 1, 1994, through September 30, 1997) that describe the preconstruction hydrology, water quality, sediment transport, and bulk atmospheric deposition in the Guanella Pass study area with most data being collected primarily during water years 1996-97. Data were collected at 17 stream sites, 7 road-runoff sites, 10 ground-water sites, 3 lake sites, 1 reservoir site, 2 snow-precipitation sites, and 4 bulk atmospheric-deposition sites. Data include onsite measurements of streamflow, specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, barometric pressure, and dissolved oxygen; concentrations of major ions, nutrients, and trace elements; organic carbon and trace organic compounds; suspended-sediment concentration and particle-size analyses; field measurement and depth profiles, and chlorophyll concentrations in lakes and reservoirs; trace element, nutrient, and trace organic (semi-volatiles, PCBs, and insecticides) analyses of lake and reservoir bottom sediment; and bulk atmospheric deposition rates of solids. Daily values for streamflow, maximum and minimum water temperature, specific conductance, and suspended sediment were computed at seven streamflow-monitoring stations located along South Clear Creek, Leavenworth Creek, Duck Creek, Geneva Creek, and Deer Creek.

Open-File Report↗

Drainage areas of New York streams, by river basins; a stream gazetteer; Part 1, Data compiled as of October 1980

Hydrologic studies concerned with surface water require geographic data of several types, among which are stream length and size of drainage area from which runoff is contributed. This gazetteer presents all drainage-area data on New York streams that were available as of October 1980. The information is grouped by river basin, and each section consists of two lists. The first gives sites alphabetically by stream name and includes the body of water to which the stream is tributary, county in which the site is located, drainage area above the mouth, coordinates of the topographic quadrangle on the State index map , and the Geological Survey site number. The second list presents site information by U.S. Geological Survey site number (downstream order along the main stream) and includes drainage area, distance of measurement site above the mouth, and location by latitude and longitude. Data were compiled from published and unpublished sources, all of which are available for inspection at the U.S. Geological Survey in Albany, N.Y. Also included are updated values on several river basins that have been redelineated and whose drainage areas have been recomputed and retabulated since 1977. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah

Data obtained during a hydrologic reconnaissance in 1975-77 in the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal area of Utah were correlated with existing long-term data. Maps were prepared showing average precipitation, average streamflow, stream temperature, ground- and surface-water quality, sediment yield, and geology. Recommendations were made for additional study and suggested approaches for continued monitoring in the coal areas. During the 1931-75 water years, the minimum discharges for the five major streams that head in the area ranged from about 12,000 to 26,000 acre-feet per year, and the maximum discharges ranged from about 59,000 to 315,000 acre-feet per year. Correlations indicate that 3 years of low-flow records at stream sites in the Wasatch Plateau would allow the development of relationships with long-term sites that can be used to estimate future low-flow records within a standard error of about 20 percent. Most water-quality degradation in streams occurs along the flanks of the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs. In the uplands, dissolved-solids concentrations generally ranged from less than 100 to about 250 milligrams per liter, and in the lowlands the concentrations ranged from about 250 to more than 6,000 milligrams per liter. In the lowland areas, the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale appears to have the most potential for subsurface development of water of suitable chemical quality for human consumption. Three wells in the Ferron yielded water with dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from about 650 to 1,230 milligrams per liter.

Utah↗

What is a picture worth? A history of remote sensing

Remote sensing is the use of electromagnetic energy to measure the physical properties of distant objects. It includes photography and geophysical surveying as well as newer techniques that use other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The history of remote sensing begins with photography. The origin of other types of remote sensing can be traced to World War II, with the development of radar, sonar, and thermal infrared detection systems. Since the 1960s, sensors have been designed to operate in virtually all of the electromagnetic spectrum. Today a wide variety of remote sensing instruments are available for use in hydrological studies; satellite data, such as Skylab photographs and Landsat images are particularly suitable for regional problems and studies. Planned future satellites will provide a ground resolution of 10–80 m. Remote sensing is currently used for hydrological applications in most countries of the world. The range of applications includes groundwater exploration determination of physical water quality, snowfield mapping, flood-inundation delineation, and making inventories of irrigated land. The use of remote sensing commonly results in considerable hydrological information at minimal cost. This information can be used to speed-up the development of water resources, to improve management practices, and to monitor environmental problems.

Hydrological Sciences Bulletin↗

Hydrologic Derivatives for Modeling and Analysis—A new global high-resolution database

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a new global high-resolution hydrologic derivative database. Loosely modeled on the HYDRO1k database, this new database, entitled Hydrologic Derivatives for Modeling and Analysis, provides comprehensive and consistent global coverage of topographically derived raster layers (digital elevation model data, flow direction, flow accumulation, slope, and compound topographic index) and vector layers (streams and catchment boundaries). The coverage of the data is global, and the underlying digital elevation model is a hybrid of three datasets: HydroSHEDS (Hydrological data and maps based on SHuttle Elevation Derivatives at multiple Scales), GMTED2010 (Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010), and the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission). For most of the globe south of 60°N., the raster resolution of the data is 3 arc-seconds, corresponding to the resolution of the SRTM. For the areas north of 60°N., the resolution is 7.5 arc-seconds (the highest resolution of the GMTED2010 dataset) except for Greenland, where the resolution is 30 arc-seconds. The streams and catchments are attributed with Pfafstetter codes, based on a hierarchical numbering system, that carry important topological information. This database is appropriate for use in continental-scale modeling efforts. The work described in this report was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center.

Data Series↗

Audiomagnetotelluric data, Taos Plateau Volcanic Field, New Mexico

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a series of multidisciplinary studies of the San Luis Basin as part of the Geologic framework of the Rio Grande Basins project. Detailed geologic mapping, high-resolution airborne magnetic surveys, gravity surveys, audiomagnetotelluric surveys, and hydrologic and lithologic data are being used to better understand the aquifers. This report describes a regional east-west audiomagnetotelluric sounding profile acquired in late July 2009 across the Taos Plateau Volcanic Field. No interpretation of the data is included.

New Mexico↗

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

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

Louisiana↗

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah

Data obtained during a hydrologic reconnaissance in 1975-77 in the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area of Utah were correlated with existing long-term data. Maps were prepared showing average precipitation, average streamflow, stream temperature, ground- and surface-water quality, sediment yield, and geology. Recommendations were made for additional study and suggested approaches for continued monitoring in the coalfields areas. moDuring the 1931-75 water years, the minimum discharges for the five major streams that head in the area ranged from about 12,000 to 26,000 acre-feet per year, and the maximum discharges ranged from about 59,000 to 315,000 acre-feet per year. Correlations indicate that 3 years of low-flow records at stream sites in the Wasatch Plateau would allow the development of relationships with long-term sites that can be used to estimate future low-flow records within a standard error of about 20 percent. Most water-quality degradation in streams occurs along the flanks of the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs. In the uplands, dissolved-solids concentrations generally ranged from less than 100 to about 250 milligrams per liter, and in the lowlands, the concentrations ranged from about 250 to more than 6,000 milligrams per liter. Most springs in the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs discharge from the Star Point Sandstone or younger formations, and the water generally contains less than about 1,000 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids. The discharges of 65 springs ranged from about 0.2 to 200 gallons per minute. The Blackhawk Formation, which is the principal coal-bearing formation, produces water in many of the mines. The dissolved-solids concentration in water discharging from springs and mines in the Blackhawk ranged from about 60 to 800 milligrams per liter. In the lowland areas, the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Maneos Shale appears to have the most potential for subsurface development of water of suitable chemical quality for human consumption. Three wells in the Ferron yielded water with dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from about 650 to 1,230 milligrams per liter.

Utah↗