http://pubs.usgs.gov New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey - Publications that have been added in the last 7 days. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/sim/sim3037 Linhart, S. M.; Lund, K. D. (2008), Scientific Investigations Map 3037. <br /> <br /> The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, conducted bathymetric surveys on seven lakes in Iowa during 2005 (Arrowhead Pond, Central Park Lake, Lake Keomah, Manteno Park Pond, Lake Miami, Springbrook Lake, and Yellow Smoke Lake). The surveys were conducted to provide the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with information for the development of total maximum daily load limits, particularly for estimating sediment load and deposition rates. The bathymetric surveys provide a baseline for future work on sediment loads and deposition rates for these lakes. All of the lakes surveyed in 2005 are man-made lakes with fixed spillways. Bathymetric data were collected using boat-mounted, differential global positioning system, echo depth-sounding equipment, and computer software. Data were processed with commercial hydrographic software and exported into a geographic information system for mapping and calculating area and volume. Lake volume estimates ranged from 47,784,000 cubic feet (1,100 acre-feet) at Lake Miami to 2,595,000 cubic feet (60 acre-feet) at Manteno Park Pond. Surface area estimates ranged from 5,454,000 square feet (125 acres) at Lake Miami to 558,000 square feet (13 acres) at Springbrook Lake. 2008-09-13 SIM Scientific Investigations Map http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/sir20085015 Arnold, Terri L.; Warner, Kelly L.; Groschen, George E.; Caldwell, James P.; Kalkhoff, Stephen J. (2008), Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5015. <br /> <br /> The glacial aquifer system in the United States is a large (953,000 square miles) regional aquifer system of heterogeneous composition. As described in this report, the glacial aquifer system includes all unconsolidated geologic material above bedrock that lies on or north of the line of maximum glacial advance within the United States. Examining ground-water quality on a regional scale indicates that variations in the concentrations of major and minor ions and some trace elements most likely are the result of natural variations in the geologic and physical environment. Study of the glacial aquifer system was designed around a regional framework based on the assumption that two primary characteristics of the aquifer system can affect water quality: intrinsic susceptibility (hydraulic properties) and vulnerability (geochemical properties). The hydrochemical regions described in this report were developed to identify and explain regional spatial variations in ground-water quality in the glacial aquifer system within the hypothetical framework context. Data analyzed for this study were collected from 1991 to 2003 at 1,716 wells open to the glacial aquifer system. Cluster analysis was used to group wells with similar ground-water concentrations of calcium, chloride, fluoride, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulfate, and bicarbonate into five unique groups. Maximum Likelihood Classification was used to make the extrapolation from clustered groups of wells, defined by points, to areas of similar water quality (hydrochemical regions) defined in a geospatial model. Spatial data that represented average annual precipitation, average annual temperature, land use, land-surface slope, vertical soil permeability, average soil clay content, texture of surficial deposits, type of surficial deposit, and potential for ground-water recharge were used in the Maximum Likelihood Classification to classify the areas so the characteristics of the hydrochemical regions would resemble the ... 2008-09-13 SIR Scientific Investigations Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr20081268 Journey, Celeste A.; Abrahamsen, Thomas A. (2008), Open-File Report 2008-1268. <br /> <br /> The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Spartanburg Water System, conducted three spatial surveys of the limnological conditions in Lake William C. Bowen (Lake Bowen) and Municipal Reservoir #1 (Reservoir #1), Spartanburg County, South Carolina, during August to September 2005, May 2006, and October 2006. The surveys were conducted to identify spatial distribution and concentrations of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, common trophic state indicators (nutrients, transparency, and chlorophyll a), algal community structure, and stratification of the water column at the time of sampling. Screening tools such as the Carlson trophic state index, total nitrogen to total phosphorus ratios, and relative thermal resistance to mixing were used to help compare data among sites and among seasons. Water-column samples were collected at two depths at each selected site: a near-surface sample collected above a 1-meter depth and a lake-bottom sample collected at a depth of 2.5 to 7 meters, depending on the depth at the site. The degree of stratification of the water column was demonstrated by temperature-depth profiles and computed relative thermal resistance to mixing. Seasonal occurrence of thermal stratification (August to September 2005; May 2006) and de-stratification (October 2006) was evident in the depth profiles of water temperature in Lake Bowen. The most stable water-column (highest relative thermal resistance to mixing) conditions occurred in Lake Bowen during the August to September 2005 survey. The least stable water-column (destratified) conditions occurred in Lake Bowen during the October 2006 survey and Reservoir #1 during all three surveys. Changes with depth in dissolved oxygen (decreased with depth to near anoxic conditions in the hypolimnion), pH (decreased with depth), and specific conductance (increased with depth) along with thermal stratification indicated Lake Bowen was exhibiting characteristics common to both mesotrophic and eutrophic condi... 2008-09-13 OFR Open-File Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ds/ds341 Brigham, Mark E.; Duris, Joseph W.; Wentz, Dennis A.; Button, Daniel T.; Chasar, Lia C. (2008), Data Series 341. <br /> <br /> Field and analytical methods, mercury and ancillary water-quality data, and associated quality-control data are reported for eight streams in Oregon, Wisconsin, and Florida from 2002 to 2006. The streams were sampled as part of a U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program study of mercury cycling, transport, and bioaccumulation in urban and nonurban stream ecosystems that receive mercury predominantly by way of atmospheric deposition. 2008-09-13 DS Data Series http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr20081255 Beman, Joseph E. (2008), Open-File Report 2008-1255. <br /> <br /> The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25 to 40 miles wide. The basin is defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompass the structural Rio Grande Rift within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin are currently (2007) obtained solely from ground-water resources. An increase of about 20 percent in the population from 1990 to 2000 also resulted in an increased demand for water. A network of wells was established to monitor changes in ground-water levels throughout the basin from April 1982 through September 1983. This network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly in 1983. Currently (2007), the network consists of 131 wells and piezometers. This report presents water-level data collected by U.S. Geological Survey personnel at 131 sites through water-year 2007. Data from five sites (Sites 9, 10, 31, 71 and 78) were not measured during the 2007 water-year, but are included in this report because recent data are useful for comparison and (or) data have been collected that will be included in the water-year 2008 report. 2008-09-13 OFR Open-File Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/fs/fs20083066 Geological Survey (U.S.) (2008), Fact Sheet 2008-3066. <br /> <br /> The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched Terra, the Earth Observing System's (EOS) flagship satellite platform on December 18, 1999. The polar-orbiting Terra contains five remote sensing instruments, which enable the scientific study and analyses of global terrestrial processes and manifestations of global change. One of the five instruments is the multispectral Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), which is built in Japan by a consortium of government, industry, and research groups. It has three spectral bands in the visible near-infrared region (VNIR), six bands in the shortwave infrared region (SWIR), and five bands in the thermal infrared region (TIR), with 15-, 30-, and 90-meter ground resolutions, respectively. This combination of wide spectral coverage and high spatial resolution allows ASTER to discriminate among a wide variety of surface materials. The VNIR subsystem also has a backward-viewing telescope for high-resolution (15-meter) stereoscopic observation in the along-track direction, which facilitates the generation of digital elevation models (DEM). 2008-09-11 FS Fact Sheet http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr20081280 Wood, Nathan (2008), Open-File Report 2008-1280. <br /> <br /> The Pacific Risk Management 'Ohana (PRiMO) is a network of partners and stakeholders involved in the development, delivery, and communication of risk management-related information, products, and services across the Pacific Ocean (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Services Center, 2008). One PRiMO-related project is the NOAA National Climatic Data Center's Integrated Data and Environmental Applications (IDEA) Center's Pacific Region Integrated Climatology Information Products (PRICIP) initiative, which seeks to improve the understanding of patterns and trends of storm frequency and intensity ('storminess') within the Pacific region and to develop a suite of integrated information products that can be used by emergency managers, mitigation planners, government agencies, and other decision-makers (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Integrated Data and Environmental Applications Center, 2008a). One of the PRICIP information products is a historical storm 'event anatomy', which includes a summary of sector-specific socioeconomic impacts associated with a particular event, as well as information about the event and its climatological context. The intent of an event anatomy is to convey the causes of an extreme storm event and the associated impacts in a format that users can understand. The event anatomies also are intended to familiarize users with the in-place and remotely sensed products typically employed to track and forecast weather and climate. The first event anatomy developed as a prototype and hosted on the PRICIP portal is for Hurricane 'Iniki (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Integrated Data and Environmental Applications Center, 2008b), a Category 3-4 hurricane that made landfall on the south coast of Kaua'i Island on September 11, 1992, with estimated maximum sustained winds of more than 140 mph and gusts as high as 175 mph. Storm-surge inundation occurred on the southern and northeastern coast of Kaua'i ... 2008-09-11 OFR Open-File Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr20081275 Hart, Jan; Drost, Charles (2008), Open-File Report 2008-1275. <br /> <br /> We conducted a baseline inventory for avian species at Manzanar National Historic Site, Inyo County, Calif., from 2002 to 2005. Under the guidelines of the Mojave Network Biological Inventory Program, the primary objectives for this study were to (1) inventory and document the occurrence of avian species at Manzanar, with the goal of documenting at least 90 percent of the species present; (2) provide a geographic information system (GIS)-referenced list of sensitive species occurring at Manzanar that are rare, on Federal or State lists, or otherwise worthy of special consideration; and (3) enter all species data into the National Park Service NPSpecies database. Survey methods included general area searches, variable circular plot point-count censusing, nocturnal surveys, and nest searching. During 13 year-round survey sessions, we documented the occurrence of 132 bird species at Manzanar and confirmed breeding by 19 of these. Based on our findings, as well as review of the literature and searches for records of species occurrence, we estimate inventory completeness for regularly occurring bird species at Manzanar to be near 90 percent. No sensitive species on Federal or State lists were found. The distribution and relative abundance of common bird species at this site is now well enough known to begin development of a monitoring protocol for this group. 2008-09-11 OFR Open-File Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ds/ds363 Curran, Christopher A.; Konrad, Christopher P.; Dinehart, Randal L.; Moran, Edward H. (2008), Data Series 363. <br /> <br /> The removal of two dams from the mainstem of the Elwha River is expected to cause a broad range of changes to the river and nearby coastal ecosystem. The U.S. Geological Survey has documented aspects of the condition of the river to allow analysis of ecological responses to dam removal. This report documents the bank topography, river bathymetry, and current velocity data collected along the lower 0.5 kilometer of the Elwha River, May 15-17, 2006. This information supplements nearshore and beach surveys done in 2006 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound program near the Elwha River delta in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington. 2008-09-11 DS Data Series http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/sir20085108 Schnoebelen, Douglas J. (2008), Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5108. <br /> <br /> Nutrients and pesticides are water-quality topics of concern in Iowa. Nitrate concentrations in the Cedar River and other streams in Iowa are among the highest in the Nation. A 12-mile reach of the Cedar River upstream from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is identified on the Total Maximum Daily Load list for nitrate impairment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, pesticide concentrations in water samples from alluvial aquifers in Iowa have been ranked as some of the largest in the Nation. The Cedar River, like many rivers with alluvium, affects the alluvial aquifer that is used as a municipal water supply for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A continuing challenge for the Cedar Rapids Water Department is to provide drinking water that meets all drinking-water regulations; this is made more of a challenge because of the high (often over 10 milligrams per liter) nitrate concentrations in the Cedar River and the presence of other potential chemicals of concern, such as pesticides. An alluvial wetland proved useful in improving water quality. Samples from observation wells completed in the alluvial wetland near the municipal well field had nitrate concentrations that were four to six times lower when compared to river or upland sites; however, iron and manganese concentrations in samples from observation wells in the wetland areas were an order of magnitude higher when compared to the river or an upgradient well. Biological and chemical reduction processes were determined to mobilize inorganic constituents in accordance with physical chemistry principles. Generally, selected pesticides and two pesticide degradates of atrazine that were sampled for in alluvial wetland wells remained relatively unchanged, and indicated only a slight decrease in concentration compared to the Cedar River water samples. Pesticides were not detected above regulatory limits in any of the observation wells; however, one sample from the Cedar River had an atrazine detection at 4.5 micrograms per... 2008-09-11 SIR Scientific Investigations Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/fs/fs20083061 Geological Survey (U.S.) (2008), Fact Sheet 2008-3061. <br /> <br /> The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is an instrument that collects remotely sensed data used by scientists for monitoring, modeling, and assessing the effects of natural processes and human actions on the Earth's surface. The continual calibration of the MODIS instruments, the refinement of algorithms used to create higher-level products, and the ongoing product validation make MODIS images a valuable time series (2000-present) of geophysical and biophysical land-surface measurements. Carried on two National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites, MODIS acquires morning (EOS-Terra) and afternoon (EOS-Aqua) views almost daily. Terra data acquisitions began in February 2000 and Aqua data acquisitions began in July 2002. Land data are generated only as higher-level products, removing the burden of common types of data processing from the user community. MODIS-based products describing ecological dynamics, radiation budget, and land cover are projected onto a sinusoidal mapping grid and distributed as 10- by 10-degree tiles at 250-, 500-, or 1,000-meter spatial resolution. Some products are also created on a 0.05-degree geographic grid to support climate modeling studies. All MODIS products are distributed in the Hierarchical Data Format-Earth Observing System (HDF-EOS) file format and are available through file transfer protocol (FTP) or on digital video disc (DVD) media. Versions 4 and 5 of MODIS land data products are currently available and represent 'validated' collections defined in stages of accuracy that are based on the number of field sites and time periods for which the products have been validated. Version 5 collections incorporate the longest time series of both Terra and Aqua MODIS data products. 2008-09-11 FS Fact Sheet http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/sir20085159 Coombs, Michelle L.; McGimsey, Robert G.; Browne, Brandon L. (2008), Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5159. <br /> <br /> Gareloi Volcano (178.794 degrees W and 51.790 degrees N) is located on Gareloi Island in the Delarof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands, about 2,000 kilometers west-southwest of Anchorage and about 150 kilometers west of Adak, the westernmost community in Alaska. This small (about 8x10 kilometer) volcano has been one of the most active in the Aleutians since its discovery by the Bering expedition in the 1740s, though because of its remote location, observations have been scant and many smaller eruptions may have gone unrecorded. Eruptions of Gareloi commonly produce ash clouds and lava flows. Scars on the flanks of the volcano and debris-avalanche deposits on the adjacent seafloor indicate that the volcano has produced large landslides in the past, possibly causing tsunamis. Such events are infrequent, occurring at most every few thousand years. The primary hazard from Gareloi is airborne clouds of ash that could affect aircraft. In this report, we summarize and describe the major volcanic hazards associated with Gareloi. 2008-09-11 SIR Scientific Investigations Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/sir20085129 Hoblitt, Richard P.; Orr, Tim R.; Castella, Frederic; Cervelli, Peter F. (2008), Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5129. <br /> <br /> Lists of important volcano-monitoring disciplines usually include seismology, geodesy, and gas geochemistry. Visual monitoring - the essence of volcanology - is usually not mentioned. Yet, observations of the outward appearance of a volcano provide data that is equally as important as that provided by the other disciplines. The eye was almost certainly the first volcano monitoring-tool used by early man. Early volcanology was mostly descriptive and was based on careful visual observations of volcanoes. There is still no substitute for the eye of an experienced volcanologist. Today, scientific instruments replace or augment our senses as monitoring tools because instruments are faster and more sensitive, work tirelessly day and night, keep better records, operate in hazardous environments, do not generate lawsuits when damaged or destroyed, and in most cases are cheaper. Furthermore, instruments are capable of detecting phenomena that are outside the reach of our senses. The human eye is now augmented by the camera. Sequences of timed images provide a record of visual phenomena that occur on and above the surface of volcanoes. Photographic monitoring is a fundamental monitoring tool; image sequences can often provide the basis for interpreting other data streams. Monitoring data are most useful when they are generated and are available for analysis in real-time or near real-time. This report describes the current (as of 2006) system for real-time photograph acquisition and transmission from remote sites on Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes to the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). It also describes how the photographs are archived and analyzed. In addition to providing system documentation for HVO, we hope that the report will prove useful as a practical guide to the construction of a high-bandwidth network for the telemetry of real-time data from remote locations. 2008-09-11 SIR Scientific Investigations Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/ofr/ofr20071440 Artan, Guleid A.; Asante, Kwabena; Smith, Jodie; Pervez, Shahriar; Entenmann, Debbie; Verdin, James P.; Rowland, James (2008), Open-File Report 2007-1440. <br /> <br /> The monitoring of wide-area hydrologic events requires the manipulation of large amounts of geospatial and time series data into concise information products that characterize the location and magnitude of the event. To perform these manipulations, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), with the cooperation of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), have implemented a hydrologic modeling system. The system includes a data assimilation component to generate data for a Geospatial Stream Flow Model (GeoSFM) that can be run operationally to identify and map wide-area streamflow anomalies. GeoSFM integrates a geographical information system (GIS) for geospatial preprocessing and postprocessing tasks and hydrologic modeling routines implemented as dynamically linked libraries (DLLs) for time series manipulations. Model results include maps that depicting the status of streamflow and soil water conditions. This Users Manual provides step-by-step instructions for running the model and for downloading and processing the input data required for initial model parameterization and daily operation. 2008-09-11 OFR Open-File Report http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/fs/fs20083081 Geological Survey (U.S.) (2008), Fact Sheet 2008-3081. <br /> <br /> Researchers at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center's Columbia River Research Laboratory, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, sought to better understand upstream and downstream passage of white sturgeon at dams. A study at The Dalles Dam provided the opportunity to compare two fish ladders; one that passes sturgeon upstream to one that does not, to determine if subtle differences in construction result in better passage of white sturgeon. Researchers conducted a study using a combination of acoustic and radio telemetry technologies to obtain information on juvenile and adult white sturgeon near The Dalles Dam, with the objectives of characterizing the distribution and movements of white sturgeon in the immediate vicinity of the dam and to determine timing and routes of upstream and downstream passage. 2008-09-11 FS Fact Sheet