Geology Reports⌕ Search

SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Natural Resources Report”

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

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

At least 1,585 records · Page 88Linked to original sources
USGS2011

Design of forest bird monitoring for strategic habitat conservation on Kaua'i Island, Hawai'i

This report was commissioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The purpose was to develop a monitoring program for Kaua`i forest birds in the USFWS Strategic Habitat Conservation and adaptive management frameworks. Monitoring within those frameworks is a tool to assess resource responses to management and conservation actions, and through an iterative learning process improve our understanding of species recovery, effective management, and knowledge gaps. This report provides only the monitoring component of both frameworks, and we apply the monitoring program to the East Alaka`i Protective Fence Project. The East Alaka`i Protective Fence Project is a joint project by the USFWS, State of Hawai`i Division of Forest and Wildlife, Kaua`i Watershed Alliance, and The Nature Conservancy to restore and preserve an 809 ha area of native forest bird habitat through fencing, and ungulate and weed control. The primary purpose of the project is to restore and preserve the habitat that will in turn support abundant and resilient bird populations. This report contains: A monitoring program specifically developed to track bird distribution, density and demography, and habitat for the East Alaka`i Protective Fence Project; A review of the Kaua`i forest bird surveys; A description of the current status and trends of Kaua`i forest birds; An assessment and evaluation of the current surveys; A monitoring program developed to sample bird distribution, density and demography, and habitat at three general levels of spatial scale. Without the management components described in the East Alaka`i Protective Fence Project and the Revised Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Forest Birds (USFWS 2006) the bird monitoring recommended in this report is little better than surveillance (i.e., monitoring without a link to management). If, however, the proposed management actions are implemented in conjunction with the recommended bird monitoring, then this monitoring program will identify population changes in a timely manner and facilitate identification of the proximate causes of population changes.

Hawaii↗
USGS2012

Assessment of potential additions to conventional oil and gas resources in discovered fields of the United States from reserve growth, 2012

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated volumes of technically recoverable, conventional petroleum resources that have the potential to be added to reserves from reserve growth in 70 discovered oil and gas accumulations of the United States, excluding Federal offshore areas. The mean estimated volumes are 32 billion barrels of crude oil, 291 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 10 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2018

Williston Basin groundwater availability, United States and Canada

The Williston Basin contains important oil and gas resources for the Nation. Freshwater supplies are limited in this semiarid area, and oil and gas development can require large volumes of freshwater. Groundwater is the primary source of water for many water users in the Williston Basin, so to better understand these resources, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed the groundwater availability in this area. The final phase of this assessment included a computer model that simulates how groundwater flows in the aquifer systems and simulates how changes in water use and natural conditions may affect the water resources. These results provide a tool for land and water-resource managers to determine how water can be used for multiple purposes in the Williston Basin. For additional information about this assessment and more in-depth descriptions and results, see Long and others (2018).

Williston Basin↗
USGS1994

Detailed study of irrigation drainage in and near wildlife management areas, west-central Nevada, 1987-90. Part C. Summary of irrigation-drainage effects on water quality, bottom sediment, and biota

This report presents a summary of the detailed scientific study of Stillwater Wildlife Management Area and other nearby wetlands in west-central Nevada during 1987-90. The work was funded by the National Irrigation Water Quality Program of the U.S. Department of the Interior with the overall objectives of determining (1) the extent, magnitude, and effects of selected water-quality constituents associated with irrigation drainage on fish, wildlife, and human health, and (2) the sources and exposure pathways that cause contamination where adverse effects are documented. Much of the information in this report was summarized from two previously published interpretive reports that were completed to fulfill study objectives. Where applicable, data for the study area from other published sources also were utilized. The results of these studies indicate that the aquatic biota in natural wetlands of the Carson Desert are adversely affected by hydrological and geochemical sources and processes in the Newlands Irrigation Project area. Reactions between water and naturally occurring minerals in the shallow alluvial aquifer increase concentrations of potentially toxic constituents in ground water that eventually enters the wetlands. Once in the wetlands, these constituents are furhter concentrated by evaporation and transpiration. Water from some agricultural drains that enter Stillwater WMA was acutely toxic to aquatic organisms. The drains in the agricultural areas, which eventually discharge to the wetlands, were also implicated as sites of uptake of selenium and mercury by aquatic organisms.

Nevada↗
USGS2024

Introduction and methods of analysis for peak streamflow trends and their relation to changes in climate in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin

Flood-frequency analysis, also called peak-flow frequency or flood-flow frequency analysis, is essential to water resources management applications including critical structure design and floodplain mapping. Federal guidelines for doing flood-frequency analyses are presented in a U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods Report known as Bulletin 17C. A basic assumption within Bulletin 17C is that for drainage basins without major hydrologic alterations, statistical properties of the distribution of annual peak streamflows (peak flows) are stationary; that is, the mean, variance, and skew are constant. The stationarity assumption has been widely accepted within the flood-frequency community; however, a better understanding of long-term climatic persistence and concerns about potential climate change and land-use change has caused a reexamination of the stationarity assumption. Flood-frequency analyses that do not incorporate observed trends and abrupt changes may result in a poor representation of the true flood risk. Bulletin 17C does not offer guidance for incorporating nonstationarities when estimating floods, and it describes a need for studies that incorporate changing climate or basin characteristics. In response to this need and a history of concern regarding nonstationarity peak flows in the region, this study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Departments of Transportation of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; and the North Dakota Department of Water Resources, to assess potential nonstationarity in peak flows in the north-central United States. This chapter summarizes the methods used to detect hydroclimatic changes in peak-flow data in the study region. A wide range of analyses and statistical approaches are applied to document the primary mechanisms controlling floods and characterize temporal changes in hydroclimatic variables and peak flow. Four periods were selected for analysis of peak flow, daily streamflow, and climate data. The periods are (1) a 100-year period, 1921–2020; (2) a 75-year period, 1946–2020; (3) a 50-year period, 1971–2020; and (4) a 30-year period, 1991–2020. The climate data consist of monthly time series estimates of temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, actual evapotranspiration, snowfall, soil moisture storage, snow water equivalent, and runoff on a 3.1-mile by 3.1-mile grid for the conterminous United States. Statistical and graphical analyses were used to investigate potential changes in hydrology and climate. The starting point for these analyses was the initial data analysis of peak flow described in Bulletin 17C, which includes plotting the peak flow and checking for autocorrelation, monotonic trends, and changes points. Analyses were added to examine additional features in the data. To examine potential causal drivers of changes, the climate data were analyzed graphically and statistically. Results are provided in a U.S. Geological Survey data release. The study limitations are documented for users of the results.

Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Mon↗
USGS1999

Environmental setting of the Willamette basin, Oregon

The Willamette Basin, Oregon, is one of more than 50 large river basins and aquifer systems (referred to as study units) across the United States where the status and trends of water quality and the factors controlling water quality are being studied by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The 12,000-square-mile Willamette Basin Study Unit consists of the Willamette and Sandy River Basins, which are tributary to the Columbia River. The Willamette River is the 13th largest in the conterminous United States in terms of discharge and is the largest of all major United States rivers in terms of discharge per square mile of drainage area. The environmental setting of a study unit includes all natural and human related, land based factors that have the potential to influence the physical, chemical, and/or biological quality of its surface and ground water resources. For the Willamette Basin, these include primarily ecoregions, hydrogeology, climate, hydrology, land use/land cover, and crop types.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1999

Water Budget of East Maui, Hawaii

Ground-water recharge is estimated from six monthly water budgets calculated using long-term average rainfall and streamflow data, estimated pan-evaporation and fog-drip data, and soil characteristics. The water-budget components are defined seasonally, through the use of monthly data, and spatially by broad climatic and geohydrologic areas, through the use of a geographic information system model. The long-term average water budget for east Maui was estimated for natural land-use conditions. The average rainfall, fog-drip, runoff, evapotranspiration, and ground-water recharge volumes for the east Maui study area are 2,246 Mgal/d, 323 Mgal/d, 771 Mgal/d, 735 Mgal/d, and 1,064 Mgal/d, respectively.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1999

Effectiveness of streambank-stabilization techniques along the Kenai River, Alaska

The Kenai River in southcentral Alaska is the State's most popular sport fishery and an economically important salmon river that generates as much as $70 million annually. Boatwake-induced streambank erosion and the associated damage to riparian and riverine habitat present a potential threat to this fishery. Bank-stabilization techniques commonly in use along the Kenai River were selected for evaluation of their effectiveness at attenuating boatwakes and retarding streambank erosion. Spruce trees cabled to the bank and biodegradable man-made logs (called 'bio-logs') pinned to the bank were tested because they are commonly used techniques along the river. These two techniques were compared for their ability to reduce wake heights that strike the bank and to reduce erosion of bank material, as well as for the amount and quality of habitat they provide for juvenile chinook salmon. Additionally, an engineered bank-stabilization project was evaluated because this method of bank protection is being encouraged by managers of the river. During a test that included 20 controlled boat passes, the spruce trees and the bio-log provided a similar reduction in boatwake height and bank erosion; however, the spruce trees provided a greater amount of protective habitat than the bio-log. The engineered bank-stabilization project eroded less during nine boat passes and provided more protective cover than the adjacent unprotected natural bank. Features of the bank-stabilization techniques, such as tree limbs and willow plantings that extended into the water from the bank, attenuated the boatwakes, which helped reduce erosion. These features also provided protective cover to juvenile salmon.

Alaska↗
USGS1967

Trends in ground-water levels in Wisconsin through 1966

The water supplies of Wisconsin are the State's most valuable natural resource. Although the State has abundant water supplies to maintain the perennial flow of most streams, and to sustain large increases in municipal, agricultural, and industrial use in many areas, the available supply is not distributed equally throughout the State, either areally or in time. Intelligent development of all water resources depends on knowledge of the occurrence, distribution and movement of water, the amount of discharge to and from a region, the interrelationship of ground and surface water, and the quantity and quality of the water available.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1905

Twenty-Sixth Annual Report of the Director of the United States Geological Survey, 1904-1905

Introduction Remarks on the work of the year Branches of work The United States Geological Survey was created in 1879 for the purpose—as its name implies—of examining and reporting on the geologic structure and mineral resources and products of the national domain. To the adequate description of geologic formations and structure cartography is essential, and Congress early recognized this fact by making appropriations for the preparation of a geologic map of the United States. The topographic base map, in order to show with sufficient precision the relations of the geologic formations and the intricacies of the structure, must have a rather large scale and present considerable detail. No such map of this country existed in 1879, and its preparation was immediately begun. The waters of the country are of vast importance, and in a broad sense may be regarded as one of its greatest mineral resources. Hence, in the evolution of the work of the Survey, and especially in view of the great importance of the subject to the irrigation interests, Congress early began making appropriations for ascertaining the amount and quality of the surface and underground waters and when, in 1902, the service for the reclamation of arid lands was organized, that work naturally was placed in the hands of the Secretary of the Interior and by him intrusted to the Director of the Survey. The three great branches of work carried on by the Geological Survey are, therefore, the geologic, the topographic, and the hydrographic, and with these, more especially the latter, is conjoined the Reclamation Service ; publication and administration constitute necessary auxiliary branches. Along these great lines the work of the Survey has progressed without essential variation for many years. The changes made have been due to normal expansion rather than to radical departure in object or plan. State cooperation During the last fiscal year, State cooperation, as explained in previous reports, continued. Arrangements for cooperation in geologic work were made with five States, the total amount contributed by them being about \$8,000, and arrangements for cooperative topographic surveys were made with eleven States, the amount available for such surveys being thus increased by more than \$100,000. Reclamation service The work of the Reclamation Service during the last fiscal year was advanced as rapidly as was thought consistent with thoroughness and accuracy. Actual construction is now in progress on eight projects, as follows : Salt River, Arizona; Truckee-Carson, Nevada; Hondo, New Mexico ; Uncompahgre Valley, Colorado; Minidoka, Idaho; Belle Fourche, South Dakota ; North Platte, Wyoming and Nebraska ; and Shoshone, Wyoming. Proposals were received for work on the Laguna dam, Yuma project, California and Arizona; Huntley project, Montana, and the Fort Buford project, North Dakota and Montana. In several other States operations are at a point where advertisements for bids only await the removal of certain legal obstacles, the settlement of international difficulties, or the termination of delays on the part of local organizations or individuals. The organization of the body of men constituting the personnel of the Reclamation Service, whose field of operations covers so large a territory, though necessarily difficult, has been satisfactorily accomplished, and precedents have been established along approved lines. The general allotment of funds has been made with a view to the greatest benefit to the greatest number, and from the broad standpoint of the welfare of the country as a whole. One of the important features in the evolution of the irrigation work is the development of power, which the numerous dams and, drops in canals make possible. Plans were made to transmit the power being developed in many sections of the arid regions, by means of electricity, to points more or less distant, there to be used for raising underground waters, pumping waters lying above the line of gravity canals, or for various other purposes, and attention was also given to the character of the soils and of the water to be used upon them, the materials used in the construction of the works, and numerous other details incident to reclamation by irrigation. Coal-testing plant Under two special appropriations of \$30,000 each, carried by the urgent deficiency bill approved February 18, 1904, and the general deficiency bill approved April 27, 1904, the Director of the Geological Survey was authorized to construct and operate at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition a plant for testing the coals and lignites of the United States, in order to determine their fuel values and the most economic method of their utilization for different purposes, it being provided that all testing machinery and all coals and lignites to be tested 'should be contributed free of charge to the Government. For carrying out the provisions of these acts the Director appointed a committee, consisting of Edward W. Parker, Joseph A. Holmes, and Marius R. Campbell, to direct the construction and operation of the plant. This committee received the heartiest cooperation from the manufacturers of such equipment as was needed for the installation of the plant, from the railroad companies in freight concessions and transportation for the experts and their assistants, and from the coal operators in the furnishing of coal in carload lots for testing purposes. Although the utmost expedition was used in the construction of the plant, it was not until the first of September that the testing work actually began. Between the first of September and the close of the exposition 65 carload samples of coal for testing purposes were received, and the results of the investigation were published in a preliminary report issued as Geological Survey Bulletin No. 261. The coals tested were received from 17 States and Territories, and much valuable information regarding the best uses to which the different coals may be put was obtained. One of the most important facts developed during this investigation is the possibility of utilizing the vast lignite resources of the West in the manufacture of producer gas, it having been shown that a higher grade of this gas can be obtained from lignite than from ordinary bituminous and anthracite coal. The investigation also showed that the slack or fine coal produced at the dry, noncoking bituminous coal mines of the middle West, large quantities of which are now being wasted, can be profitably utilized by briquetting.

Annual Report↗
USGS2020

Hydraulic fracturing induced seismicity

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is a technique that is used for extracting petroleum resources from impermeable host rocks. In this process, fluid injected under high pressure causes fractures to propagate. This technique has been transformative for the hydrocarbon industry, unlocking otherwise stranded resources; however, environmental concerns make HF controversial. One concern is HF‐induced seismicity, since fluids driven under high pressure also have the potential to reactivate faults. Controversy has inevitably followed these HF‐induced earthquakes, with economic and human losses from ground shaking at one extreme and moratoriums on resource development at the other. Here, we review the state of knowledge of this category of induced seismicity. We first cover essential background information on HF along with an overview of published induced earthquake cases to date. Expanding on this, we synthesize the common themes and interpret the origin of these commonalities, which include recurrent earthquake swarms, proximity to well bore, rapid response to stimulation, and a paucity of reported cases. Next, we discuss the unanswered questions that naturally arise from these commonalities, leading to potential research themes: consistent recognition of cases, proposed triggering mechanisms, geologically susceptible conditions, identification of operational controls, effective mitigation efforts, and science‐informed regulatory management. HF‐induced seismicity provides a unique opportunity to better understand and manage earthquake rupture processes; overall, understanding HF‐induced earthquakes is important in order to avoid extreme reactions in either direction.

Reviews of Geophysics↗
USGS2010

Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center--providing comprehensive earth science for complex societal issues

Minerals in the environment and products manufactured from mineral materials are all around us and we use and come into contact with them every day. They impact our way of life and the health of all that lives. Minerals are critical to the Nation's economy and knowing where future mineral resources will come from is important for sustaining the Nation's economy and national security. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resources Program (MRP) provides scientific information for objective resource assessments and unbiased research results on mineral resource potential, production and consumption statistics, as well as environmental consequences of mining. The MRP conducts this research to provide information needed for land planners and decisionmakers about where mineral commodities are known and suspected in the earth's crust and about the environmental consequences of extracting those commodities. As part of the MRP scientists of the Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center (WMERSC or 'Center' herein) coordinate the development of national, geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral-resource databases and the migration of existing databases to standard models and formats that are available to both internal and external users. The unique expertise developed by Center scientists over many decades in response to mineral-resource-related issues is now in great demand to support applications such as public health research and remediation of environmental hazards that result from mining and mining-related activities. Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center Results of WMERSC research provide timely and unbiased analyses of minerals and inorganic materials to (1) improve stewardship of public lands and resources; (2) support national and international economic and security policies; (3) sustain prosperity and improve our quality of life; and (4) protect and improve public health, safety, and environmental quality. The MRP supports approximately 40 USGS research specialists who utilize cooperative agreements with universities, industry, and other governmental agencies to support their collaborative research and information exchange. Scientists of the WMERSC study how and where non-fuel mineral resources form and are concentrated in the earth's crust, where mineral resources might be found in the future, and how mineral materials interact with the environment to affect human and ecosystem health. Natural systems (ecosystems) are complex - our understanding of how ecosystems operate requires collecting and synthesizing large amounts of geologic, geochemical, biologic, hydrologic, and meteorological information. Scientists in the Center strive to understand the interplay of various processes and how they affect the structure, composition, and health of ecosystems. Such understanding, which is then summarized in publicly available reports, is used to address and solve a wide variety of issues that are important to society and the economy. WMERSC scientists have extensive national and international experience in these scientific specialties and capabilities - they have collaborated with many Federal, State, and local agencies; with various private sector organizations; as well as with foreign countries and organizations. Nearly every scientific and societal challenge requires a different combination of scientific skills and capabilities. With their breadth of scientific specialties and capabilities, the scientists of the WMERSC can provide scientifically sound approaches to a wide range of societal challenges and issues. The following sections describe examples of important issues that have been addressed by scientists in the Center, the methods employed, and the relevant conclusions. New directions are inevitable as societal needs change over time. Scientists of the WMERSC have a diverse set of skills and capabilities and are proficient in the collection and integration of

Circular↗
USGS1985

Ground-water data for the alluvial, buried channel, Basel Pleistocene and Dakota aquifer in west-central Iowa

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the availability, quantity and quality of groundwater from three principal aquifers in West-Central Iowa, the alluvial, buried channel, Basal Pleistocene and the Dakota aquifers. Specific objectives were to: (1) determine the location, extent and the nature of these aquifers; (2) evaluate the occurrence and movement of groundwater, including the sources of recharge and discharge; (3) estimate the quantities of water stored in the aquifers; (4) estimate the potential yields of wells tapping the aquifers; (5) estimate the water use; and (6) describe the chemical quality of the groundwater. This report is the compilation of the data collected during the investigation and has the purpose of providing a reference for an interpretive report describing groundwater resources and a bedrock topography map of the study area.

Iowa↗
USGS2009

Coal and peat in the sub-Saharan region of Africa: alternative energy options?

Increased energy demand as a result of growth in population, trends to sedentation and urbanization, and the desire for improvement in living standards, coupled with apparent climatic changes, are reducing fuelwood availability and contributing to deforestation and desertification in the sub‐Saharan countries. In 14 of those countries, the transport, industrial, and electric power generation sectors are all dependent on imported petroleum products for their energy needs with resultant balance of trade and debt‐servicing problems. Coal and peat are essentially unused and in some cases unknown in sub‐Saharan Africa. However, they might comprise valuable alternative energy sources in some or all of the developing nations of the region. The eleven countries considered in this appraisal reportedly contain coal and peat. On the basis of regional geology, another five countries might also contain coal‐bearing rocks. If the resource potential is adequate, coal and peat might be utilized in a variety of ways including substituting for fuelwood, generating electricity, supplying process heat for local industry and increasing agricultural productivity.

Natural Resources Forum↗
USGS1985

Mission, goals, and authorities of the U.S. Geological Survey, June 1985

We live in a society which depends on natural resources. Our high standard of living requires use of the land, water, and mineral endowment of the Earth. In using these resources, we may affect our environment and alter our options for land and resource use in the future. How can we ensure an adequate supply of this natural wealth in the future? In what ways are we irreversibly altering our natural environment? How can we avoid undesirable or unacceptable side effects of man's use of the land and prevent or mitigate earth-related hazards? To respond to these and other similar questions, knowledge about the Earth, its structure, its resources, and its dynamics is essential.

Report↗
USGS2013

Geology, sequence stratigraphy, and oil and gas assessment of the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System, San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado: Chapter 5 in Total petroleum systems and geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the San Juan Basin Province, exclusive of Paleozoic rocks, New Mexico and Colorado

The Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System (TPS) in the San Juan Basin Province contains a continuous gas accumulation in three distinct stratigraphic units deposited in genetically related depositional environments: offshore-marine shales, mudstones, siltstones, and sandstones of the Lewis Shale, and marginal-marine shoreface sandstones and siltstones of both the La Ventana Tongue and the Chacra Tongue of the Cliff House Sandstone. The Lewis Shale was not a completion target in the San Juan Basin (SJB) in early drilling from about the 1950s through 1990. During that time, only 16 wells were completed in the Lewis from natural fracture systems encountered while drilling for deeper reservoir objectives. In 1991, existing wells that penetrated the Lewis Shale were re-entered by petroleum industry operators in order to fracture-stimulate the Lewis and to add Lewis gas production onto preexisting, and presumably often declining, Mesaverde Group production stratigraphically lower in the section. By 1997, approximately 101 Lewis completions had been made, both as re-entries into existing wells and as add-ons to Mesaverde production in new wells. Based on recent industry drilling and completion practices leading to successful gas production from the Lewis and because new geologic models indicate that the Lewis Shale contains both source rocks and reservoir rocks, the Lewis Shale TPS was defined and evaluated as part of this U.S. Geological Survey oil and gas assessment of the San Juan Basin. Gas in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System is produced from shoreface sandstones and siltstones in the La Ventana and Chacra Tongues and from distal facies of these prograding clastic units that extend into marine rocks of the Lewis Shale in the central part of the San Juan Basin. Reservoirs are in shoreface sandstone parasequences of the La Ventana and Chacra and their correlative distal parasequences in the Lewis Shale where both natural and artificially enhanced fractures produce gas. The Lewis Continuous Gas Assessment Unit (AU 50220261) is thought to be self-sourced from and self-sealed by marine shales and mudstones deposited within the Lewis Shale that enclose clastic parasequences in the La Ventana and Chacra Tongues. The gas resource is thought to be a continuous accumulation sourced from the Lewis Shale throughout the depositional basin. In the Lewis Continuous Gas Assessment Unit (AU 50220261), for continuous gas resources, there is an F95 of 8,315.22 billion cubic feet of gas (BCFG) and an F5 of 12,282.31 BCFG, with a mean value of 10,177.24 BCFG. There is an F95 of 18.08 million barrels of natural gas liquids (MMBNGL) and an F5 of 47.32 MMBNGL, with a mean of 30.53 MMBNGL.

Colorado;New Mexico↗
USGS2010

Forecasting the effects of land-use and climate change on wildlife communities and habitats in the lower Mississippi Valley

Landscape patterns and processes reflect both natural ecosystem attributes and the policy and management decisions of individual Federal, State, county, and private organizations. Land-use regulation, water management, and habitat conservation and restoration efforts increasingly rely on landscape-level approaches that incorporate scientific information into the decision-making process. Since management actions are implemented to affect future conditions, decision-support models are necessary to forecast potential future conditions resulting from these decisions. Spatially explicit modeling approaches enable testing of different scenarios and help evaluate potential outcomes of management actions in conjunction with natural processes such as climate change. The ability to forecast the effects of changing land use and climate is critically important to land and resource managers since their work is inherently site specific, yet conservation strategies and practices are expressed at higher spatial and temporal scales that must be considered in the decisionmaking process.

Fact Sheet↗