USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center

USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

Eastern Geographic Science Center

Science

Previous
· News
· Features

EGSC Home

USGS Employees Only
EGSC Internal Site

Previous News

Please check back regularly to learn about the interesting activities our team is involved with:

| 2012 | 2011| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |

November 2012

EGSC Scientist Lectures Graduate Remote Sensing Students. On November 26, 2012, USGS research geographer Terry Slonecker will share more than 25 years of photo/imagery interpretation experience with graduate students in Dr. Barry Haack’s Geography 412, Aerial Photography Interpretation class at George Mason University. Aerial photo interpretation is a process for extracting information from imagery that has been taught since World War I. Although sometimes overshadowed by automated image processing, the role of the human analyst is still a critical component of extracting information from remotely sensed data. Slonecker has worked with the U.S. Air Force, the intelligence community, the U.S. EPA, and has been an expert witness on photo interpretation for the Federal Government on several occasions. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist Lectures Graduate Remote Sensing Students. Terry Slonecker will lecture George Mason University students on November 13, 2012, on remote sensing of oil spills and the detection of fugitive hydrocarbons in the environment. He will show results of laboratory spectroscopy, hyperspectral remote sensing, microwave, and other forms of detection of hydrocarbons in the environment. Slonecker will also share results from his experiences with Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

Web Portal for FEMA Available Now. In cooperation with FEMA Region IV, the EGSC Web-based GIS Decision Support Tools project has developed a Web portal for FEMA’s Coastal Flood Loss Atlas. The portal provides an interactive map viewer that allows users to access estimates of storm surge and resulting physical, economic, and social impacts along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts. The Web portal can be accessed at http://lcat.usgs.gov/cfla/ . For best performance either the Firefox or the Chrome web browsers are recommended. (Contact: Paul Hearn, phearn@usgs.gov, 703-648-6287)

USGS Journal Article Bureau Approved. “Estimating the Extent of Impervious Surface and Turf Cover Across Large Regions,” written by Peter Claggett, Fred Irani, and Renee Thompson was recently Bureau approved. This paper describes work that will inform the development of State Watershed Implementation Plans to comply with the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load pollution limits as required through the Clean Water Act. The methods described improve regional estimates of impervious surface and turf grass areas and can be adapted and applied to other regions such as the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico that are also experiencing non-point source pollution problems. This paper will go into a special issue of the Journal of American Water Resources Association dedicated to the Bay Total Maximum Daily Load. (Contact: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771)

USGS OFR Bureau Approved. EGSC scientist David Donato has received approval for an Open-File report titled, "Computing Maximum-Likelihood Estimates for Parameters of the NDMMF." The report presents the mathematical expressions implemented in custom USGS software, which has been used in a study of the precision of the National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish. This report makes USGS computational work open for independent verification and accessible for further development in future studies. This work has implications for human and wildlife health and for ecosystems science. (Contact: David Donato, didonato@usgs.gov, 703-648-5772)

USGS T&M Report Bureau Approved. EGSC scientist John W. Jones has received approval for a Techniques & Methods report titled, “Landsat Surface Reflectance Quality Assurance Extraction." The report provides detailed instructions for the extraction of information about cloud cover, shadows and other complex data quality parameters that are encoded in prototype Climate Data Records (satellite images calibrated to ground surface reflectance). These CDRs are part of an on-going Land Remote Sensing Program initiative to produce Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) using the Landsat Archive. Once in production the Landsat CDRs and ECVs will facilitate improved process modeling, environmental monitoring and resource management. Numerous collaborators for instruction "beta testing" and report production were drawn from Reston, Rolla, and Sioux Falls. (Contact: John W. Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

October 2012

NY Times Reporter Requests Interview with EGSC scientist. Theo Emery, a reporter working with the New York Times, has requested an interview on Friday, November 2, 2012, with EGSC scientist Dr. Terry Slonecker regarding the chemical weapons contamination and cleanup activity in the area of American University, known as Spring Valley. The American University, in northwest Washington, D.C., was used by the U.S. Army for chemical weapons development and testing during World War I and the legacy of that work is still being remediated to this day. Slonecker previously worked on the early research and remediation of this area utilizing historical aerial photography and was instrumental in the discovery and removal of several serious environmental threats as an EPA employee. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Geographer to Present for Climate and Land Use Change Program Scientist. Laura Snyder will be presenting “Combining GIS and Remote Sensing Applications to Map the Complex Fiord System that Underlies Alaska's Bering Glacier,” for Dr. Bruce Molnia, USGS CLU, at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting & Exposition on November 7, 2012 in Charlotte, NC. Their paper is in the “GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in Environment and Engineering Geology” session. (Contact: Bruce Molnia, bmolnia@usgs.gov, 703-648-4120 and Laura Snyder, lsnyder@usgs.gov, 703-648-5139)

EGSC Scientist to Provide Seminar at UMBC. EGSC Dr. Dianna Hogan will give a seminar for the Geography and Environmental Systems Department at University Maryland, Baltimore County on November 28, 2012. The title of her presentation is "Novel Urban Stormwater Management: The Clarksburg, MD Research Project," and will discuss the USGS project looking at the efficiency of different stormwater management protocols for providing water quality and quantity control in suburban watersheds. (Contact: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703-648-7240)

USGS T&M Report Bureau Approved. EGSC scientist David Donato has received approval for a Techniques and Methods report titled "Computing Ordinary Least-Squares Parameter Estimates for the National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish." This report describes a computational technique that substantially decreases the computational time required for fitting parameters to the National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish (NDMMF). Improved computational techniques and software are essential if the NDMMF is to be used with very large datasets. This work has implications for human and wildlife health and for ecosystems science. (Contact: David Donato, didonato@usgs.gov, 703-648-5772)

(Back to Top)

USGS Fact Sheet Bureau Approved. EGSC scientists Dr. John W. Jones and Annette Hall have received approval for a Fact Sheet titled, “Wetland fire remote sensing research—The Greater Everglades Example." The Fact Sheet explains how the USGS is using the Landsat archive to gain insights into post-fire land cover dynamics in wetland environments, improve Greater Everglades fire management databases, and develop spatially and temporally explicit fire scar data for habitat and hydrologic modeling in the Everglades. (Contact: John W. Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543 and Annette Hall, ahall@usgs.gov, 703-648-4805)

USGS OFR Bureau Approved. EGSC scientists Peter Claggett and Renee Thompson have received approval for an Open-File report titled, "Proceedings of the Workshop on Alternative Futures: Accounting for Growth in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed September 15, 2011." The authors hosted a workshop that provided a forum for identifying and discussing policies and assumptions for use in creating regionally consistent alternative future land-use scenarios. The alternatives scenarios will help to inform how planning can potentially be used as a primary Best Management Practice by identifying land-use policies and other planning actions that can be taken to minimize future increases in nutrients and sediments associated with the spatial pattern and intensity of land development. (Contact: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771 or Renee Thompson, rthomson1@usgs.gov, 410-267-5749)

EGSC Scientist to Present Seminar at City College of New York. In support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Youth and student Pathways programs, EGSC scientist Terry Slonecker will travel to New York City on November 1, 2012, to present a seminar to students at the City College of New York. He will present research on hyperspectral remote sensing of environmental contaminants and will highlight his recent imaging spectroscopy experiences with Superfund and hazardous waste sites, phytoremediation, and other forms of landscape disturbance. For the past several years, the USGS Internship Program at City College of New York and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez has sought to recruit high achieving undergraduate and graduate students in order to create a pool of highly qualified graduates for the USGS workforce. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

USGS EGSC and Indiana WSC Collaborate. Paul Hearn and Ami Rahav, EGSC, have begun a collaborative project with Moon Kim, Hydrologist, of the USGS Indiana WSC to develop a methodology to rapidly deliver flood inundation maps and flood loss estimates over the Web to emergency responders and local planners when lack of either time or resources preclude the delivery of these products by standard means. The goal of the project is to deliver lower-resolution but still useful flood inundation and loss analyses in a few hours and at a much lower cost than current conventional methods. (Contact: Paul Hearn, 703-648-6287, phearn@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist to Present Stormwater Management Research Findings. Dr. J.V. Loperfido will present results from his and Dr. Dianna Hogan’s research examining the effect of stormwater management strategy on water quantity and water quality in small urban watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The presentation will take place on December 12, at the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center in Baltimore, MD. (Contact: J.V. Loperfido, 703-648-5134, jloperfido@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist Interviewed by Hydroscience and Engineering Research Magazine. Dr. J.V. Loperfido was interviewed on October 10, 2012, for a story describing his experiences as a research physical scientist in the EGSC and as graduate student in the University of Iowa’s IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering’s research magazine. The magazine will be published and available online in winter of 2012-13. (Contact: J.V. Loperfido, 703-648-5134, jloperfido@usgs.gov)

USGS OFR Bureau Approved. EGSC scientists Terry Slonecker, Lesley Milheim, Cory Roig-Silva, and others have received approval for a potentially highly visible report titled "Landscape Consequences of Natural Gas Extraction in Greene and Tioga Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004 - 2010." The report focuses on the two Pennsylvania counties by documenting disturbance patterns and developing a set of standard landscape metrics that characterize various aspects of the landscape impacted by development associated with well pads and their impoundments, roads, and pipelines. Public release is anticipated in November. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, 703-648-4289, tslonecker@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist Presents at the Hydrology Applications Joint Mission Tutorial for SMAP with GPM, GRACE-FO & SWOT. Dean Hively, EGSC, will be presenting “Monitoring Evapotranspiration from Irrigated Lands Using Remotely Sensed Data: On-farm Validation in the Mississippi River Floodplain” at a unique joint tutorial (workshop). At this event, participants will explore collaborative opportunities for future use of Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO), and Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) data with existing satellite observation capabilities. This effort will create a platform for joint mission research, prepare users for future mission data, identify collaborators for pre-launch efforts and identify topics where remote sensing data can help improve operational products used for policy, management and decision-making in water resource management. The speakers are affiliated with USGS, NASA, MIT, Ohio State University, and Tennessee Tech. Further information can be found at http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/science/workshops/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=136&newsTypeID=2. (Contact: Dean Hively, 301-504-9031, whively@usgs.gov)

EGSC Assists with the Watershed Experience Field Trip for Kids. The Watershed Experience Field Trip (formerly known as the “Beaver Pond” field trip) will be held on Friday, October 12, 2012. It is an annual event held for approximately 135, 7th-grade science students from Langston Hughes Middle School located in Reston, Virginia. The emphasis is on using watersheds as a science theme which integrates well with the Fairfax County Public Schools middle-school science curriculum. The field trip has been conducted as a partnership since 1992 among USGS, Reston Association, Langston Hughes Middle School. (Overall Lead: Marty Gurtz, megurtz@usgs.gov, 703-648-5113; EGSC Contact: Janet Tilley, jtilley@usgs.gov, 703-648-4801)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Scientist Attends Partnership Meeting. On October 3, 2012, EGSC Physical Scientist David Strong will be attending an Anacostia Urban Waters Partnership meeting in Washington, DC. This meeting will include participants from multiple federal agencies and local stakeholders, including NPS, USFWS, EPA, DC Department of the Environment, Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership, Anacostia Watershed Society, and the Anacostia Community Museum. David has been working on the Anacostia Mapping Application Partnership Tool since February 2011, and is continuing to add data and refine its functionality as needed. On October 23 and 24, 2012, David will be attending the Urban Waters National Training Workshop, also in Washington, DC. (Contact: David Strong, dstrong@usgs.gov, 703-648-6193)

EGSC Scientist to Present Invited Lecture to Pennsylvania Conservation Group. On October 10, 2012, Terry Slonecker, EGSC, will travel to Somerset, Pennsylvania to present some of the preliminary results of his team’s research on Landscape Disturbance resulting from hydrocarbon extraction in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region. The first in a series of landscape disturbances reports was recently released that details the drill pads, roads, pipelines, and other disturbance that results from Marcellus Shale and coal-bed extraction of methane and other hydrocarbons. The Laurel Highlands Conservation Coalition is a group of about 60 non-profit conservation organizations in Pennsylvania that advocate and monitor conservation, sustainable communities, energy, and climates issues. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC West Nile Virus website recognized. The HORSE.com refers to the USGS Disease Maps website (http://diesasemaps.usgs.gov) in an article titled, “Nationwide West Nile Case Count Continues to Rise.” The Disease Maps website is hosted by EGSC as part of a decade-long interagency relationship with CDC. The HORSE.com URL is, http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=20720 (Contact: Cassandra Ladino, ccladino@usgs.gov, 703-648-6188)

September 2012

USGS West Nile Virus Website Featured as USGS Top Story. The USGS West Nile Virus website developed by the EGSC was featured as a USGS Top Story due to this year’s outbreak of West Nile virus. The EGSC in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been providing maps tracking the weekly spread of West Nile virus each year since 2000. This year’s maps have been more important than ever, serving as a primary source of public information and having been featured in several media outlets across the country. (Contact: Cassandra Ladino, ccladino@usgs.gov, 703-648-5650)

EGSC Geographer Presented Tracking Healthy Watersheds Initiative at the 2012 Chesapeake Watershed Forum. EGSC Geographer John Wolf presented an overview of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Tracking Healthy Watersheds initiative at the Chesapeake Watershed Forum on September 30, 2012, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The presentation focused on the Bay Program Partners’ criteria for identifying “healthy watersheds,” an assessment of their distribution throughout the Chesapeake basin, their current degree of protection, and threats to their health from development pressures. (John Wolf, jwolf@usgs.gov, 410-267-5739).

New Raster Functionality Brings Real-Time Dynamic Visual Analysis to Web Browser. On September 5, 2012, John Aguinaldo and Cassandra Ladino presented their project, "OpenLayers HTML5 Canvas Raster Class," during a Community for Data Integration FY12 funded projects demonstration Webinar. The project was funded in order to collaborate with OpenGeo (maintainers of the OpenLayers Javascript mapping library) to add new client-side raster analysis functionality to the OpenLayers library. The new raster analysis functionality is designed to fulfill many requirements of EGSC and USGS web mapping applications and brings exciting real-time dynamic visual analysis to the web browser for the first time. OpenGeo's Chief Technical Officer, Tim Schaub, also assisted during the presentation to explain the technical details of the new functionality as well as answer technical questions. (Contact: John Aguinaldo, jagui@usgs.gov, 703-648-5650)

August 2012

EGSC scientist W. Dean Hively participated in the Earth Resources Observation and Science-National Research Program Workshop. The workshop, Remote Sensing of Water Resources, was held in Sioux Fall, SD, September 19-20, 2012. Dr. Hively is part of an EGSC project team coordinated by Dr. John Jones that has been working on mapping irrigation water use in Arkansas and Georgia using Landsat imagery and climate data. Dr. Hively's presentation, titled “Monitoring Evapotranspiration from Irrigated Lands Using Remotely Sensed Data: On-farm Validation in the Mississippi River Floodplain,” detailed current progress on using well-head pump monitoring data to validate remote sensing data products. (Contact: Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Scientist W. Dean Hively Presented a Talk at the Smith Creek, VA Showcase Watershed Partnership Meeting. The meeting was held September 13, 2012. Dr. Hively’s talk was titled, “Remote Sensing Opportunities in Smith Creek: Rapid Verification of Conservation Practices.” He presented results of wintertime cropland ground cover analysis based on Landsat and SPOT satellite imagery, in the context of conservation program management and landscape analysis of water quality. (Contact: Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

Invitation to Participate in a Chesapeake Bay Program Advisory Committee. Quentin Stubbs, EGSC, was recently invited to serve on a Steering Committee for the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program, Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC). STAC provides scientific and technical guidance to the Chesapeake Bay Program on measures to restore and protect the Bay. Since its creation in December 1984, STAC has worked to enhance scientific communication and outreach throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond. The committee will be hosting a workshop on the restoration of coastal habitat complexes in the spring of 2013. Further information can be found at http://www.chesapeake.org/stac/ (Contact: Quentin Stubbs, qstubbs@usgs.gov, 410-267-9853)

Chesapeake Bay Program Releases Nontidal Water Quality Monitoring Website. The USGS Chesapeake Bay Program announced the release of the newly redesigned website developed by the Eastern Geographic Science Center to deliver water quality loads and trends information. The new website, http://cbrim.er.usgs.gov/, is meant to enhance and expedite delivery of the annual loads and trends information and contains previously unavailable features such as an interactive map and several options for down loading data. (Contact: Cassandra Ladino, ccladino@usgs.gov, 703-648-6188)

Advanced Remote Sensing Team Received ‘Fourier Transform Infrared’ Training. On Wednesday, August 15, the EGSC Advanced Remote Sensing Team received training on the USGS Nicolet Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer located at the National Center. The FTIR capability is new to EGSC and comes as part of a laboratory space agreement between EGSC and the Eastern Minerals and Environmental Resources Science Center. FTIR spectrometers measure reflectance and emittance in the mid- and long-wave portion of the thermal infrared spectrum and are important bench science capabilities for emerging overhead remote sensing systems such as SEBASS, HyspIRI and ASTER. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Geographer presentedd Goal Team Collaboration Prototype to Chesapeake Bay Program Management Board. EGSC Geographer John Wolf provided a demonstration of how ChesapeakeStat could be used to facilitate ecosystem management at the Chesapeake Bay Program Management Board meeting on August 2, 2012. The example featured the Harris Creek Oyster Restoration Blueprint, along with geospatial data for water quality, important habitats, watershed health, and Chesapeake stewardship layers. The ChesapeakeStat example was developed, in part, to address the Management Board’s interest in “using technology to provide a more visual, GIS-based representation of locations being discussed” at their meetings. (Contact: John Wolf, 410-267-5739, jwolf@usgs.gov)

USGS OFR Bureau Approved. EGSC scientists Terry Slonecker, Lesley Milheim, Cory Roig-Silva, and others received approval for an OFR, "Landscape Consequences of Natural Gas Extraction in Bradford and Washington Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004 - 2010." The report focuses on the two PA counties and develops a set of standard landscape metrics that characterize various aspects of the landscape impacted by disturbance associated with well pads and their associated impoundments, roads, and pipelines. This is the first a several reports that will look at other counties in the state. The report should be publicly available in early August. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

(Back to Top)

Two new SCEP Students Working with Eastern Geographic Science Center. The EGSC welcomed two new SCEP students in June: Dan Jones (master’s student at University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Stephanie Sparkman (master’s student at George Mason University). Both students are contributing to an ongoing project to study the effects of suburban land use spatial patterns and stormwater best management practices on flow, nutrients, and sediment entering streams. Dan is leading an analysis of the use of LiDAR information to understand topographic and hydrologic changes in developing watersheds in Maryland, assisting with development of the project webpage, and conducting field and lab work. Stephanie is heading up the collection and analysis of economic cost-benefit data to assess the use of novel stormwater management practices. (Contact: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703 648-7242; and J.V. Loperfido, jloperfido@usgs.gov, 703-648-5134)

July 2012

USGS and the SilvaCarbon Program Hosted a Technical Training Workshop Series for Ten Participants from Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The SilvaCarbon Program is an interagency, international effort to provide U.S. science, innovation and technical expertise to assist developing countries in monitoring and managing forest and terrestrial carbon. These workshops are in cooperation with the Global Earth Observation Forest Carbon Tracking task for the use of remote sensing for forest monitoring. The first workshop was held at the USGS - EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from July 30 to August 5, 2012 and provided participants with exposure to different types of remote sensing data and the opportunity to download data that aided them in managing forests in their respective countries. The second workshop at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, immediately followed from August 6-17, 2012. It built on the EROS workshop by providing lectures and practical exercises in the use of remote sensing data, giving participants hands-on experience with the data they acquired at EROS. Susan Hazlett, EGSC, is coordinating the SilvaCarbon-sponsored workshops, which follow a series of very successful workshops at EROS and in South and Central America coordinated by Sylvia Wilson, also from EGSC. For more information on the SilvaCarbon Program, visit the website at www.silvacarbon.org. (Contact: Susan Hazlett, shazlett@usgs.gov, 703-648-5138)

EGSC Scientist Co-Hosting Global Policy Forum and Working Group. Dianna Hogan co-hosted a Global Policy Forum on July 30 and a Working Group on August 1 and 2 as part of the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) Conference in Portland, Oregon. The Global Policy Forum was an open discussion that engaged academic, NGO, and government representatives in addressing key issues related to a biodiversity and ecosystem services trends assessment, being developed in response to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) July 2011 report on Sustaining Environmental Capital: Protecting Society and the Economy. The Working Group will develop a paper outlining key issues that need to be addressed in the biodiversity and ecosystem services trends assessment, building on the results from (1) the Global Policy Forum, held at the ESP conference on Monday, July 30; (2) a workshop on the topic for U.S. governmental stakeholders held at the Department of the Interior on May 9, 2012, in Washington, DC; and (3) a policy forum on ecosystem services convened by the National Ecosystem Services Partnership (NESP) and A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES) on May 8, 2012, in Washington, DC. (Contact: Dianna Hogan, 703-648-7240, dhogan@usgs.gov)

USGS Land Remote Sensing Program Conducted a Climate Data Records and Essential Climate Variables Project Meeting. John W. Jones, EGSC Research Geographer, participated in the meeting, in Sioux Falls, SD, July 30-August 2, 2012, and lead a presentation on cradle-to-grave development of the USGS surface water extent Essential Climate Variables to include discussions of algorithms and calibration/validation. (Contact: John W. Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

(Back to Top)

Southeast Region Geographer Discussed Remote Sensing Research with Northeast Region Hydrologists, Biologists and Geologists. John W. Jones, Research Geographer with the Eastern Geographic Science Center (EGSC) presented satellite and LiDAR-based remote sensing research focused on hydrology and climate science while visiting the Connecticut Water Science Center (CTWSC) in East Hartford, CT, on June 29, 2012. Seminar/webinar participants gathered by CTWSC Hydrologist David Bjerklie included hydrologists, biologists and geologists from not only the CTWSC, but from the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Water Science Centers as well. Meeting participants agreed to jointly pursue mutual research interests and external funding opportunities to provide new test areas for USGS remote sensing research and foster greater use of remote sensing technology in northeastern science and resource management. Contact: John Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov. (Contact: John Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

EGSC Scientist to Brief EPA Inspector General. On July 17, 2012, EGSC Scientist Terry Slonecker briefed Arthur Elkins, Jr., the Inspector General (IG) at the Washington D.C., EPA Headquarters. Slonecker and EGSC's Gary Fisher have been working for several years on a collaborative research project with the EPA IG office to evaluate the use of traditional and advanced remote sensing technologies for hazardous waste monitoring. Especially important has been the utilization of hyperspectral imagery and its ability to detect fugitive contaminated hazardous waste sites. Slonecker and Fisher have utilized hyperspectral imagery from the Civil Air Patrol's ARCHER system (Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance), along with X-Ray Fluorescence technology, and field sampling to detect unusual disposal activity, hydrocarbon contamination, leachate releases and heavy metals at several sites. This work is on-going. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

June 2012

EGSC Scientist Presented at NEON Meeting. Terry Slonecker provided a presentation at the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Meeting at the EROS Data Center on June 28 and 29, 2012. NEON is a National Science Foundation funded project designed to study climate and land use change and the effects of invasive species. NEON will rely heavily on overhead monitoring and hyperspectral image analysis. Dr. Slonecker's presentation title was "Hyperspectral Monitoring of Fugitive Contaminants." (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist Invited to Outline Strategy. W. Dean Hively spoke to the Chesapeake Bay Program's Agricultural Conservation Practice Verification Working Group on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, Annapolis, MD. Dr. Hively was asked to outline a strategy for ensuring full reporting of Federal conservation practice implementation data for farmland within the six states that make up the Chesapeake Bay watershed. (Contact: Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

(Back to Top)

New EGSC Fact Sheet Published. Urbanization results in elevated stormwater runoff, greater and more intense streamflow, and increased delivery of pollutants to local streams and downstream aquatic systems such as the Chesapeake Bay. Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) are used to mitigate these effects of urban land use by retaining large volumes of stormwater runoff (water quantity) and removing pollutants in the runoff (water quality). A Fact Sheet authored by J.V. Loperfido and Dianna Hogan (both with the EGSC) describes research aimed to understand how the spatial pattern and connectivity of stormwater BMPs affect water quantity and water quality in urban areas.

EGSC Scientist W. Dean Hively Participated, by Webinar, in the USGS WaterSMART ACF Focus Area Team Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia on June 5, 2012. Dr. Hively is part of an EGSC project team coordinated by Dr. John Jones, that has been working on mapping irrigation water use in Arkansas and Georgia using Landsat imagery and climate data. Site-specific estimates of evapotranspiration at field level for various locations, crop types, and image dates are being evaluated using well-head pumping data provided by collaborating farmers. Dr. Hively's presentation detailed current progress and supported discussion among collaborators regarding next steps in integrating results into larger scale modeling of surface and ground water fluxes in the Georgia landscape. (Contact: W. Dean Hively, 301-504-9031, whively@usgs.gov)

USGS Scientists Resume Training of Afghanistan Geological Survey. Drs. Barry Haack and Terry Slonecker of EGSC, along with Dr. Bernard Hubbard of Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center, have resumed a remote sensing training program with members of the Afghanistan Geological Survey. The majority of the training is being conducted by video conference for the Afghan scientists in Kabul, and involves basic and advanced remote sensing applications. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, 703-648-4289, tslonecker@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist Led Inter-agency Discussion on Landscape Effects of Marcellus Shale Development. As the lead Bureau author for the "Landscape Effects" Chapter of the USGS Draft “Marcellus Shale Science Plan,” Terry Slonecker presented and facilitated a discussion at a meeting of inter-agency scientists held in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on June 5 and 6, 2012. The goal of the meeting was to address the development of a comprehensive inter-agency plan and was sponsored by the USGS Northeast Region. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, 703-648-4289, tslonecker@usgs.gov)

May 2012

EGSC Scientist Interviewed for “EarthSky” Podcast Series. NASA invited Peter Claggett was interviewed for an NPR podcast discussing the importance of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and its condition. Peter will emphasize the invaluable role Landsat satellite imagery plays and how he supplements it to represent changes in the Bay’s urban environment. (Contact: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771)

(Back to Top)

Several EGSC Scientists Participated in the Chesapeake Bay Modeling Symposium 2012. On May 21 and 22, 2012, Peter Claggett, David Donato, and Renee Thompson hosted a session titled, “Modeling Alternative Future Land-Cover and Land-Use Scenarios to Inform Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts,” that was intended for both modelers and managers who make use of model results in decision making. This session covered current and future work in land-change modeling (LCM) in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The session emphasized the role of LCM in understanding the potential drivers of land change in the Bay watershed and the role of loosely coupling LCM and watershed models for quantifying the impacts of land-use planning on nutrient and sediment loads to the Bay. The session also introduced the USGS National Land Change Modeling Framework consisting of a set of open-source software tools and standards for building customized regional LCMs. Presentations ranged from detailed descriptions of models, data, and software to broad discussions of planning and policy relevance. Presenters also explained how they developed and apply scenarios in modeling alternative futures for the Watershed. Cassandra Ladino participated in the poster session of this symposium and conducted live demonstrations of USGS Chesapeake Bay Decision Support Tools. (Contacts: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771 and Cassandra Ladino, cladino@usgs.gov, 703-648-6188)

EGSC Researcher Gives “Lightening” Talk. On May 15, 2012, Peter Claggett gave a 5-minute lightning talk and participated on a panel discussion at Maryland's 2012 Land Conservation Conference hosted by the Maryland Environmental Trust held in Columbia Maryland. The title of his talk was "Assessing the Vulnerability of Forests to Urbanization." Peter discussed his previous published work on vulnerability assessment and provided ideas for future improved methods for assessing vulnerability to urbanization. (Contact: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771)

EGSC Scientist to Attend Federal Partners Meeting on Marcellus Shale Research. On June 4 and 5, the USGS Northeastern Region hosted a meeting of Federal agencies on research related to Marcellus shale development. USGS has provided a draft research plan and EGSC scientists have provided a key chapter in this plan titled "Landscape Effects" that reflects work already underway on the mapping of disturbance and forest condition as a result of natural gas development. In addition to USGS, Federal agencies that attended included, BLM, COE, DOE, HUD, EPA, FEMA, FERC, FHA, FWS, NRC, NPS, NRS, NWS, OEMM and USDA. The goal of the meeting, to be held in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, was to develop federal research plans for the study of the effects of natural gas development, especially as related to the Marcellus Shale and hydrofracturing. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Geographer Kicked off Chesapeake Bay Program Decision Support Tool Inventory Effort. John Wolf coordinated the assembly of an inventory of Decision Support Tools for the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) ChesapeakeStat Development Team. He presented the project to the joint meeting of the CBP Goal Team Coordinators and Indicators Workgroup on March 22, and the CBP Science, Technical Analysis and Reporting Team on March 29. The now complete (in the spring 2012), the ChesapeakeStat website serves as a portal into Decision Support Tools in use or in development by the Bay Program partners. (Contact: John Wolf, jwolf@usgs.gov, 410-267-5739)

EGSC Geographer Coordinating the Geospatial Requirements for the Chesapeake Bay Program Metadata Catalog. John Wolf has the lead (working with EPA and their contractor Innovate!, Inc.) on developing requirements for the geospatial components of the CBP Metadata Catalog. The Metadata Catalog is one of the key components of the CBP Data Enterprise target architecture. It will function as a repository for documentation that describes data sets and services made accessible through CBP’s Data Hub and ChesapeakeStat (stat.chesapeakebay.net) applications. The CBP Metadata Catalog will feed the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Dataset Gateway (EDG - https://edg.epa.gov/metadata/catalog/main/home.page), Data.gov (http://www.data.gov/) (via the EDG), and the Geospatial Platform (http://www.geoplatform.gov/home/). (Contact: John Wolf, jwolf@usgs.gov, 410-267-5739)

EGSC Staff Attends USGS Leadership Intensive. John Wolf and Coral Roig-Silva participated in the USGS Leadership Intensive course April 11 and 12, 2012 in Reston, Virginia. (Contact: John Wolf, jwolf@usgs.gov, 410-267-5739 and Coral Roig-Silva, croig@usgs.gov, 703-648-5121)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Scientists Contribute to the 2012 Chesapeake Modeling Symposium. The following scientists spoke at this event May 21-22, 2012. • Peter Claggett, David Donato, Fred Irani, Quentin Stubbs, and Renee Thompson, will give a joint presentation “Current Land-Change Modeling in Support of the Chesapeake Bay Program.”
• David Donato presents with Claire Jantz and Scott Drzyzga, both affiliated with Shippensburg University, “After 15 years with the SLEUTH model, what we’ve learned and where we’re headed.”
• Cassandra Ladino poster session and live demo’s of USGS Chesapeake Bay Decision Support Tools
(Cassandra Ladino, ccladino@usgs.gov)

EGSC Participated in International Wetland Conference. The 9th INTECOL International Wetlands Conference was held jointly with the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Conference June 4 - 8 in Orlando, Florida. The mission of the conference was to review advances in the physical, biogeochemical, and social sciences related to wetlands, to provide integrated solutions for sustainable management of wetland resources in a complex world, and to facilitate professional relationships at regional to international scales. John Jones organized and chaired three consecutive Advanced Remote Sensing sessions on (1) Wetland Mapping, (2) RADAR for Water & Biomass Characterization, and (3) Monitoring Techniques. He also presented "Tracking Everglades Fire Scar Vegetation Recovery through Archival Landsat Image Interpretation" in a session titled "Fire: Shaping Wetlands from Nutrients to Wildlife". Dianna Hogan presented "Estimating the Cumulative Ecological Effect of Local Scale Landscape Changes in South Florida" in the Water, Climate and Landscapes of the Greater Everglades session. (Contacts: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703-648-7204; John Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

April 2012

EGSC Scientist Presented to International Delegation. On April 24th, Peter Claggett presented "Factoring Land Use Change into the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Effort" to a delegation of Indonesian government representatives as part of the “Indonesia One Map Study” workshop was being held in Reston April 23-25, 2012. The talk focused on the role of land change monitoring and modeling to ensure the long-term maintenance of Bay water quality and to quantify water quality improvements achievable through land use planning and land conservation. (Contact: Peter Claggett, 410-267-5771, pclaggett@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist Attended STAC Meeting on Marcellus Shale Research. Lesley Milheim attended the Chesapeake Bay Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) workshop on "Exploring the Environmental Effects of Shale Gas Development in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed", in State College PA on April 11-12, 2012. The objectives of the workshop were to 1) review and synthesize the research available regarding the environmental effects of shale gas development, 2) identify the environmental effects that shale gas development may pose to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed relative to Bay water quality, and 3) identify and prioritize future research needs relative to shale gas development and Bay water quality. A team of EGSC scientists is currently working on publishing geospatial research relating to the landscape effects of Marcellus Shale development. (Contact: Lesley Milheim, lmilheim@usgs.gov, 703-648-7230)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Assisting in DOI "Big Dipper" Cloud Hosting Procurement Effort. EGSC ran a small cloud pilot last year for the Civil Applications Committee (CAC) Global Fiducials Program (GFP) in coordination with OpenGeo who administered the Amazon Cloud service. Due to this cloud pilot effort, this past January, the CAC GFP project was accepted as one of only ten participants in the Federal Geographic Data Committee's Geocloud-II pilot project (Doug Nebert, proof of concept) in coordination with the General Services Administration and Health and Human Services. The goal of Geocloud-II is to define the process with which Federal agencies can properly procure, architect, secure, and certify cloud services. From the EGSC's work with Geocloud-II, Doug Nebert recommended the EGSC Geocloud-II participants; John Aguinaldo and Ami Rahav, to directly assist a new DOI 5-year cloud procurement effort nicknamed "Big Dipper." Big Dipper expects to have a selection of easy to procure web and cloud hosting packages to be made available this September. Aguinaldo and Rahav are working directly with DOI contractors from McKinsey & Company who are helping prepare DOI's request for proposals and have provided details on the various web hosting architectures that are representative of a wide variety of USGS web sites and applications. (Contact: John Aguinaldo, jagui@usgs.gov, 703-648-5650)

EGSC Scientist Presented to European Geological Survey Visitors. On April 17-19, Officials from Shell Oil and the European Geological Survey visited USGS to learn more about and discuss shale gas research at the Geological Survey. Presentations will include USGS energy, water, geology, and policy experts and will include a presentation on the Landscape Effects that are being quantified by EGSC. After a day of meetings and discussions the group will travel to the Pennsylvania Water Science Center in Wellsboro, PA, and visit hydraulic fracturing and associated natural gas infrastructure sites first hand. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist Guest Lectured at George Mason University. On April 4, 2012, USGS research geographer Terry Slonecker shared more than 25 years of imagery and remote sensing experience with graduate students in Dr. Barry Haack’s Geography 597, Remote Sensing class at George Mason University. Slonecker’s presentation included a range of remote sensing activities from aerial photo interpretation, multispectral image processing and advanced laboratory and imaging spectroscopic (hyperspectral) methods. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

March 2012

EGSC Scientist Selected 2nd Time for ‘USGS Science Pick.’ John Jones, Research Geographer, contributed to the Science Pick article “Many Forests Feeling the Heat from Climate Change.” The article was also featured on the U.S. Global Change Research Program Science blog. Science Picks are a tool for the media, and are intended for the general public. They offer basic science information and are written to be as intriguing as possible for the general public. Further information about John’s Phenology research can be found at http://egsc.usgs.gov/shenandoah.html . (Contact: John Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703.648.5543)

EGSC Student Awarded 2012 Student of the Year. Brianna Hammond, a student employee since May 2011, received an award on March 26, 2012, from the Pennsylvania State University Multicultural Engineering Program, “In recognition of her superior leadership qualities and dedication to our office." Brianna worked with EGSC scientists, Dianna Hogan and JV Loperfido, provided GIS, field, and laboratory support for the "Understanding the Effects of Stormwater Management Practices on Water Quality and Flow" project. (Contacts: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703-648-7240; JV Loperfido, jloperfido@usgs.gov, 703 648-5134)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Invited Update Bay State Conservationists. EGSC scientist W. Dean Hively was invited by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to speak to the biweekly meeting of Chesapeake Bay State Conservationists on March 29th, by teleconference. He provided a progress update on USGS coordination of the aggregation and transfer of farmland agricultural conservation data from USDA agencies (National Resource Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency) to the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program. This work has been made possible by Sec. 1619 Conservation Cooperator Agreements signed between the USGS and the USDA agencies. Tracking of conservation practice implementation supports multi-agency water quality management objectives in the Chesapeake Bay Region, including small watersheds analysis conducted by USGS scientists under the USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Plan. (Contact: W. Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

"Real-time" SNP Weather Data Station is Back On-line!! The USGS operates seven weather stations within forested areas of the Shenandoah National Park that USGS personnel must frequently visit to download recorded data, maintain and repair instrumentation due to damage by wildlife and extreme environmental conditions. Following repeated unsuccessful attempts to revive the system, John Jones (EGSC), Cindy Cunningham (GAM Program Office) and Alan Williams (NPS) identified a faulty component and successfully restored real-time transmission on March 13, 2012. In addition, they discovered that a different weather station had been damaged by a falling tree during a recent high wind event. This second station was both restored to active data collection and enabled for real-time weather data transmission and will soon be featured along with the first on the Shenandoah Phenology site. The data collected by these stations are being combined with satellite and ground based imagery for climate, hydrology and habitat research. (Contact: John Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

EGSC Scientist Submits NASA Proposal. Terry Slonecker, EGSC, as part of a interdisciplinary team led by Prasad Thenkabail of Western Geographic Science Center, recently submitted a proposal to NASA titled, “Water Productivity Modeling and Mapping of Eight Major World Crops through Extensive in-situ, Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer, MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator, and other Hyperspectral-Vegetation Indices, Hyperspectral Narrowbands, and Broadbands Data." The proposal was in response to the NASA HyspIRI RFP (11-HYSPIRI11-000) and models agricultural water use from various spectral, hyperspectral and hyperspatial sensors. It also involves hyperspectral research and data collection that mimics the data characteristics of the proposed HyspIRI hyperspectral satellite system. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

Journal Article Published. Scientists from Eastern Geographic Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center, National Park Service, and the University of New Mexico have a paper accepted for publication in the journal Environmental Management. The citation follows:
(Contact: Dianna Hogan dhogan@usgs.gov, 703 648-7240)

EGSC Invited to Speak to the Bay Agriculture Working Group. EGSC scientist W. Dean Hively was invited to speak to the Chesapeake Bay Program's Agricultural Working Group on March 8th, in Annapolis, MD. He provided a progress update on USGS coordination of the aggregation and transfer of farmland agricultural conservation data from USDA agencies (National Resource Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency) to the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program. This work has been made possible by Sec. 1619 Conservation Cooperator Agreements signed between the USGS and the USDA agencies. Tracking of conservation practice implementation supports multi-agency water quality management objectives in the Chesapeake Bay Region, including small watersheds analysis conducted by USGS scientists under the USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Plan. (Contact: W. Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

(Back to Top)

Reston PhenoCam Website Goes Live. A new website (http://egsc.usgs.gov/RestonPhenoCam.html) has been created to allow anyone to enjoy the images collected every half hour by a camera pointed north toward the Reston Town Center from the roof of the USGS National Center. This "PhenoCam" is one of two cameras operated by the EGSC as part of research aimed at developing satellite based landscape phenology metrics. Supported by the USA-National Phenology Network, the Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program and the Land Remote Sensing Program, the site will also serve animations of the PhenoCam imagery, recent browse images of the Landsat Path/Row covering the National Center and canopy hemispherical photography periodically collected by project personnel. (Contact: John W. Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

EGSC Awarded Funds to Work with the Open Source Web Mapping Organization OpenGeo. Casandra Ladino and John Aguinaldo submitted a proposal to the USGS Community for Data Integration asking for continued funding to support a growing partnership between the EGSC and OpenGeo and to improve the OpenLayers web map library with HTML5 functionality. It was one of fourteen proposals funded and will expand the web mapping expertise within the USGS. (Contact: Cassandra Ladino, ccladino@usgs.gov, 703-648-6188)

EGSC Scientists to Serve on OSTP Panel. John Jones and Terry Slonecker were selected as surface water and consumptive water use subject matter experts for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) National Earth Observation (NEO) Portfolio Assessment for the Water Resources Societal Benefit Area. This assessment identified, implement and update NEO priorities and form the basis of a 10-year remote sensing plan for consideration by the White House and OMB as funding plans for future satellite missions, in situ observations and data networks are formulated. Participation in this effort crossed Science Centers as Prasad Thenkabail (Flagstaff) also served as a consumptive water use subject matter expert. (Contacts: John Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543; Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

February 2012

EGSC Scientist Invited to be a Part of a Careers Panel. Dianna Hogan served on a women’s careers panel at the 13th Annual Girl Power Conference on Saturday, May 5, 2012, at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Girl Power is a substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion program for at risk girls between the ages of 10 – 15 years old that combines weekly educational groups, service learning projects and enrichment activities that promote community leadership. Organizers anticipatedover 150 girls will be in the audience where some will be asking the panelists questions about how they became interested in their careers. (Contact: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703 648-7240)

EGSC Scientist Invited to Participate in Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee workshop. Dianna Hogan will participate in The Chesapeake Bay Program’s STAC workshop on March 7-8, 2012 in Buckeystown, MD. The workshop title is “Beneficial Effects of Healthy Watersheds on Pollutant Fate and Transport.” (Contact: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703 648-7240)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Scientists Contribute to the Chesapeake Bay Workshop. The USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Workshop will be held on March 14 – 15, at the USGS National Center in Reston, VA. The workshop will include sessions on each of the major Chesapeake Bay Science Goals and feature panel discussions with scientists working on particular topics.
(Contacts: Paul Hearn, phearn@usgs.gov, 703-648-6287; Cassandra Ladino, ccladino@usgs.gov, 703-648-6188; Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703-648-7240; J.V. Loperfido, jloperfido@usgs.gov, 703-648-5134 )

Media Interest in Land-change Modeling. After David Donato’s (EGSC) illustrated poster presentation at AAG in New York, February 24, 2012, he was interviewed by a reporter from Earth Magazine (http://www.earthmagazine.org/ ). She was particularly interested in our work in land-change modeling. Donato explained that in the Southwestern Louisiana study area the work in land-change modeling was motivated by the need to assess current and future vulnerability of the population and built environment to coastal hazards. He referred her to Jonathan Smith, Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program for more information on USGS land-change science and explained that Jeff Danielson had organized the session to elicit ways the USGS can better support customers with elevation and elevation-derived data. He also mentioned our efforts to foster a land-change modeling framework in open-source software. (Contact: David Donato, didonato@usgs.gov, 703-648-5772)

Presentation Given to FEMA National Geospatial Working Group. On February 22, 2012, Paul Hearn, John Aguinaldo, Dave Strong, and Ami Rahav, of the Eastern Geographic Science Center Web-based GIS Decision Support Tools project, presented to the FEMA working group. The presentation, which was attended remotely by approximately 40 FEMA personnel, demonstrated a recently developed Web Application Service (WAS) that integrates HAZUS flood loss analyses with a USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Portal. The FEMA National Geospatial Working Group is composed of geospatial specialists responsible for hazards related data sharing and partnering with State and local agencies. The new WAS, which was developed jointly with FEMA Region IV, will support local flood risk mitigation and response efforts by providing detailed spatial forecasts (at the census block level) of displaced population and losses to buildings, vehicles, and local agriculture. (Contact: Paul Hearn, phearn@usgs.gov, 703-648-6287)

EGSC Scientists submit TESNAR Proposal. EGSC scientists, Terry Slonecker, Barry Haack, and Cory Roig-Silva recently submitted a proposal to the USGS Technical Training in Support of Native American Relations (TESNAR), FY12 RFP. The proposal was titled "Remote Sensing of Hazardous Waste on Tribal Lands" and is designed to be a 3 day training course on the use of various remote sensing tools, including aerial photographs, multispectral satellite imagery and hyperspectral systems, for the discovery and monitoring of hazardous waste. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Scientist partners with EPA on Hydrofracking Proposal. Terry Slonecker of EGSC recently teamed with Jim Wickham of EPA on an internal EPA/ORD proposal to study the landscape effects of natural gas development on water quality in the Mid-Atlantic region. The proposed study would spatially correlate the landscape disturbance data being developed at EGSC with EPA 303 (d) data on impaired streams. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientists submit NSF Proposal. Barry Haack, George Mason University and EGSC visiting scientist, and Terry Slonecker, EGSC were part of a team of scientists that recently submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation entitled, "Hyperspectral Detection of Fugitive Heavy Metals in Soils from Mining and Smelters: Missouri Case Study." The proposed research seeks to utilize hyperspectral data to identify and map fugitive heavy metals, especially lead, in Missouri where decades of smelting have left a legacy of residual contamination in the soils and on the landscape. Visible Near InfraRed and Thermal InfraRed hyperspectral data will be used to evaluate signatures of metal contamination from both vegetation and soils. Scientists from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are collaborators and the work will be supported by the USEPA and ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances & disease Registry). (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

Input from Local Stakeholders. IMMAGE (Internet-based Mapping, Modeling, and Analysis for the Greater Everglades) was developed to aid local planners and government agencies in SE Florida in assessing the impact of sea level rise on water supply, inland flooding, habitat, and potential damage from hurricane storm surge. On January 17th, 2012, Paul Hearn, David Strong (EGSC), and Eric Swain, (Fla/WSC), conducted a half day meeting in Ft. Lauderdale to demonstrate the IMMAGE website, and obtain input from local stakeholders. (Contact: Paul Hearn, phearn@usgs.gov, 703-648-6287)

Four EGSC Scientists Present Their Research at Annual Meeting. EGSC Scientists are presenting their research at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference in New York City, NY, February 24-28, 2012.
(Contact: Dave Kirtland, dakirtland@usgs.gov, 703-648-4712)

January 2012

(Back to Top)

EGSC scientists participate in Ecosystem Services Workshop. J.V. Loperfido and Dianna Hogan of EGSC will participate in a workshop titled, “Evaluating Hydrologic Models to Support Management of Freshwater Ecosystem Services” in Annapolis, MD on February 6th and 7th, 2012. The workshop will be hosted by researchers, Dr. Margaret Palmer and Dr. Lisa Wainger, with their postdoctoral researchers Dr. Catherine Febria and Dr. Ben Koch from the University of Maryland. Loperfido and Hogan will present their research investigating the effects of land use/land cover and stormwater management on water quality in the Clarksburg Special Protection Area, located in Montgomery County, Maryland. Both will contribute to strategic planning of research being conducted by University of Maryland in collaboration with EGSC investigating ecosystem production functions. (Contact: J.V. Loperfido, jloperfido@usgs.gov, 703-648-5134; Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703-648-7240)

Modeling Alternative Future Land-Cover and Land-Use Scenarios to Inform Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts. This session, planned by Peter Claggett, EGSC, was designed for both modelers and managers who make use of model results in decision making will be held at the Chesapeake Modeling Symposium 2012 in Annapolis, MD, May 21, 2012. It will cover current and future work in land-change modeling (LCM) in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and emphasize the role of LCM in understanding the potential drivers of land change in the Bay watershed and the role of loosely coupling LCM and watershed models for quantifying the impacts of land-use planning on nutrient and sediment loads to the Bay. Additionally, it will also introduce the USGS National Land Change Modeling Framework consisting of a set of open-source software tools and standards for building customized regional LCMs. Presentations may range from detailed descriptions of models, data, and software to broad discussions of planning and policy relevance. Presenters are encouraged to explain how they develop or apply scenarios in modeling alternative futures for the Watershed. In order to be as inclusive as possible, this session is inviting participation in four different formats: one or two invited presentations (25-minutes each), oral presentations (15 minutes each), illustrated posters (three minutes each), and standard poster presentations. Following the presentations there will be a one-hour, moderated, audio-recorded session to encourage open discussion on the topics covered in the session focused on eliciting ideas for further LCM refinements. Submissions deadline is March 15, 2012, to Peter Claggett. Notification of abstract acceptance will be March 30, 2012. Further information can be found at http://www.chesapeakemeetings.com/CheMS2012/. (Contact: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771)

EGSC Scientists Attend Landcarbon Scenarios Workshop. Steve Kambly and Terry Slonecker of EGSC recently attended a USGS Climate and Land Use Change workshop on future land cover scenarios cosponsored by the USGS LandCarbon and Land Cover Trends Scenarios teams. Individual teams evaluated various population, economic, and environmental futures based on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios. The focus was on the Eastern Region using EPA level 1, 2, and 3 ecoregions as a geographic framework. (Contact: Steve Kambly, skambly@usgs.gov, 704-648-5094; Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist to Lecture George Mason University Hyperspectral Students. On February 21, 2012, EGSC scientist Terry Slonecker will be a guest lecturer in the George Mason University Special Topics Graduate class on Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Applications. His presentation will focus on hyperspectral imagery applications in the U.S. Geological Survey and will include examples of research relating to soil carbon, climate change, invasive species, heavy metals and hazardous waste. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

(Back to Top)

Remote Sensing Research Project Meeting. Terry Slonecker of EGSC is part of an interdisciplinary USGS team of scientists that recently received funding to investigate the use of hyperspectral imagery and bathymetric lidar to map invasive species and substrate in the Delaware Water Gap and the Delaware Scenic River National Parks. An initial project meeting will take place at the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Foundation, in Harrisburg Pennsylvania on January 26, 2012. The Project Team is led by John Young of the Leetown Science Center and the project is funded by the WaterSmart program. Funding will be used to secure imagery from the Civil Air Patrol's Archer hyperspectral system and the USGS Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar system. Collaborators include the National Park Service and the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Foundation. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Represented by Several Researchers at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference in New York, New York. During the week of February 24-28, 2012, the following EGSC researchers will be presenting the following:
(Contact: Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

EGSC Scientist named to George Mason University Affiliated Research Faculty. Terry Slonecker has been approved as an affiliated member of the research faculty at George Mason University (GMU). Under this appointment, he will interact with GMU researchers, have access to GMU facilities, and seek funding for joint research proposals. He will also lecture and serve of graduate degree committees as appropriate. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, 703-648-4289, tslonecker@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist to Attend USGS Marcellus Shale Writing Group Meeting. Terry Slonecker, Research Geographer, will attend a meeting of the USGS Marcellus Shale Writing Group on January 9-11, 2012, at the Pennsylvania Water Science Center in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. An EGSC research team has been mapping and evaluating the landscape disturbance and the combined effects of natural gas development and infrastructure in East Coast areas and has been tasked to write a "Landscape Effects" chapter for the USGS Comprehensive Plan to Assess the Environmental Effects of Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction. The report is due to Northeast Regional Executive Dave Russ in January and will be part of budget negotiations for USGS research on this critical, contemporary energy topic. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, 703-648-4289, tslonecker@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist Attended DLR Meeting. Terry Slonecker of EGSC attended a meeting with Bruce Quirk and members of the USGS Land Remote Sensing and International Affairs Offices with Gunter Schreier of the German Space Agency, DLR. Topics included remote sensing program updates, national and international data sharing policies and potential hyperspectral research collaborations with Germany's EnMAP program. EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) is a German hyperspectral satellite mission designed to provide high quality hyperspectral image data on a timely and frequent basis and is scheduled for launch in 2015. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, 703-648-4289, tslonecker@usgs.gov)

(Back to Top)

December 2011

Remote Sensing Research Proposal Funded. Terry Slonecker of EGSC is part of an interdisciplinary team of scientists that recently received funding from the USGS WaterSmart Program to investigate the use of hyperspectral imagery and bathymetric lidar to map invasive species and substrate in the Delaware Water Gap and the Delaware Scenic River National Parks. Funds will be used to secure imagery from the Civil Air Patrol's Archer hyperspectral system and the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar system. Collaborators include the National Park Service, and the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Foundation. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC and SPCMSC Team Up to Initiate a Lidar Levee Mapping Initiative for Storm Surge Flood Protection in Coastal Louisiana. A new collaboration between the EGSC and SPCMSC (St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center) sponsored by the Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) and aimed at capturing highly detailed mapping of south Louisiana's critically important levees has been launched. This initiative has been organized by the CMGP's Northern Gulf of Mexico Project and will rely upon the National Geospatial Program's National Geospatial Technical Operations Center to acquire airborne lidar derived topography for levees across a broad region in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. John Barras, EGSC, will convene an associated Louisiana Levee Mapping Summit with representatives of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana and appropriate parish levee district managers at the end of January 2012. The SPCMSC's Lidar Project is devising the analytical methods needed to distill lidar maps into levee monitoring products that are a high priority for end-users responsible for protecting and restoring Louisiana's wetlands and human population. The Lidar Levee Mapping Program that is to result will enable Parish Levee Managers to satisfy a new mandate that requires levee monitoring on a 3 year repeat cycle (cite mandate). (Contact: John Barras, jbarras@usgs.gov, 225-342-3949)

EGSC Scientist to Present New Methods on Estimating the Extent of Turf Grass. Peter Claggett will be presenting via conference call to the Chesapeake Bay Program's Forestry Workgroup on December 7, 2011 on "Estimating the Area of Turf Grass in the Bay Watershed." The presentation will cover new methods for estimating the extent of turf grass (e.g., lawns) at the regional scale and report results which are about 50 percent higher than estimates based on National Land Cover Database alone. (Contact: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771)

EGSC Scientist to Present Integrating Land Use Planning/Management Issues with Goals to Sustain Fisheries. On December 20th, Peter Claggett will be presenting at the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, on "Projecting human population change and nutrient pollution hotspots within the Chesapeake Bay watershed." (Contact: Peter Claggett, pclaggett@usgs.gov, 410-267-5771)

(Back to Top)

November 2011

New EGSC Publication on Wetland Elevation Model Development. Obtaining accurate sub-water elevation measurements is particularly challenging in heterogeneously vegetated wetland environments. Technology originally employed by the USGS nearly 5 decades ago was adapted for GPS and applied to collect highly accurate elevation data across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Region. These data are being used for hydrodynamic modeling, operational digital elevation modeling for Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) applications (see http://sofia.usgs.gov/eden/), experimental elevation model development and other wetland restoration science. An article describing the instrument and the operational elevation modeling process that was co-authored by John Jones, Greg Desmond, Charles Henkle (retired), and Robert Glover (all with the EGSC) can be accessed via: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01431161.2010.533212.

EGSC Physical Scientist Dr. W. Dean Hively attended the annual Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Networking Forum, held in Hershey, PA, Nov 14-16, 2011. This meeting, hosted by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network, brought together 60 state, federal, and private partners working on agricultural conservation projects within the Chesapeake Bay region. Discussion centered on manure to energy conversion, conservation compliance, and conservation implementation. Dr. Hively presented a poster titled "Remote sensing of winter vegetation to promote adaptive conservation management on Chesapeake Bay farmlands" that received considerable interest from the audience, and was invited to follow up meetings to present his research results in several venues, including soil conservation districts in VA, PA, MD, and to the Chesapeake Bay Program agricultural working group. (Contact: Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

EGSC Scientist presents to visiting students. On November 18, 2011, EGSC scientist Terry Slonecker made a presentation on "Remote Sensing of Environmental Disturbance" to 18 students visiting from Gettysburg College. The students were all from a remote sensing class and were especially interested in how USGS acquires, processes, analyzes, and utilizes remote sensing data for environmental issues. Slonecker's presentation covered remote sensing of hazardous waste, landscape disturbance, invasive species, and Superfund site monitoring. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Scientist to participate in the Climate Change in the Caribbean: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Conference. On November 15-16 2011, the Department of Natural Resources of Puerto Rico, together with state and federal agencies will celebrate the Climate Change Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The conference consists of one day of lectures and one day for discussion on planning and management, society and economy and ecology in relation to climate change. http://www.drna.gobierno.pr/oficinas/arn/recursosvivientes/costasreservasrefugios/pmzc/cc-conference/climate-change-in-the-caribbean-2011-puerto-rico-and-the-u-s-virgin-islands (Contact: Coral Roig-Silva, croig@usgs.gov, 703-648-5121)

Greater Atlanta Geomorphology and Hydrology Research Conference December 3, 2011. The 4th Annual Greater Atlanta Geomorphology and Hydrology Research Conference will take place on December 3rd in Athens Georgia. Co-Chaired by Amber Ignatius (EGSC/UGA Geography), David Leigh (UGA Geography), and Katie Price (US EPA), this one-day conference provides an opportunity for Atlanta and Southeast region scientists from the academic, government, and private sectors to meet and stay informed of each other’s geomorphology and hydrology work. Last year over 40 participants attended, originating from 4 major campuses, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and several local professional organizations. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, research professionals, and members of the public are all encouraged to attend. (Contact: Amber Ignatius, arignatius@usgs.gov)

EGSC Scientist to Guest Lecture at George Mason University. On November 30, 2011, USGS research geographer Terry Slonecker will share more than 25 years of photo/imagery interpretation experience with graduate students in Dr. Barry Haack’s Geography 412, Aerial Photography Interpretation class at George Mason University. Aerial photo interpretation is a process for extracting information from imagery that has been taught since World War I. Although sometimes overshadowed by automated image processing, the role of the human analyst is still a critical component of extracting information from remotely sensed data. Slonecker has worked with the U.S. Air Force, the intelligence community, the U.S. EPA, and has been an expert witness on photo interpretation for the Federal Government on several occasions. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist to Present at PECORA 18 Symposium. Terry Slonecker will present an abstract and oral presentation at the 18th PECORA Symposium, to be held on November 14-17, 2011, at the Hilton Washington Dulles Hotel, Herndon, Virginia. Slonecker's presentation will be titled "Remote Sensing of Environmental Disturbance" and will highlight EGSC remote sensing research related to detection of hazardous waste, fugitive hydrocarbon releases, landscape effects of natural gas development, and invasive species monitoring. The Pecora Symposium, named after former USGS Director William Pecora, was established by the USGS and NASA in the 1970s as a forum to: (1) foster the exchange of scientific information and results derived from applications of remotely sensed data to a broad range of land-based resources; and (2) provide a forum for discussing ideas, policies, and strategies concerning land remote sensing. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, 703-648-4289, tslonecker@usgs.gov)

EGSC Geographer to Present at EPA Regional Geospatial Conference. Chesapeake Bay Program staff geographer John Wolf will present ChesapeakeStat on November 16, 2011, at the 2011 EPA Region III Geospatial Conference in Philadelphia. Mr. Wolf’s presentation will focus on the geospatial technologies employed by ChesapeakeStat and its capabilities to help with decision making for the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort. Further information about ChespeakeStat can be found at http://stat.chesapeakebay.net/ (Contact: John Wolf, 410-267-5739, jwolf@usgs.gov)

(Back to Top)

October 2011

EGSC Mendenhall Scientist Featured on University Home Page. University of Iowa, College of Engineering, posted a story about Dr. J.V. Loperfido’s graduate research as the main photo feature “Making a Difference in Water Quality” on their website. Learn more at http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/. (Contact: JV Loperfido, jloperfido@usgs.gov, 703-648-5134) EGSC Scientist Lectured at George Mason University. EGSC scientist Dr. Dianna Hogan gave a lecture for a graduate level Wetland Ecology and Management class at George Mason University on November 1, 2011. The title of her presentation, "Stormwater Best Management Practices Providing Wetland Function in Developed Landscapes," included topics from her own graduate studies along with recent USGS projects looking at the efficiency of different stormwater management protocols for providing water quality and quantity control in suburban watersheds. (Contact: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703-648-7240)

New EGSC Publication. Dr. Terry Slonecker, a remote sensing scientist in the EGSC recently published a peer-reviewed Book Chapter titled: Chapter 23, Analysis of the Effects of Heavy Metals on Vegetation Hyperspectral Reflectance Properties. This chapter appears in the newly released book Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation. and is located at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/books/details/9781439845370/.
(Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

New EGSC Publication. Dr. W. Dean Hively recently published a paper relating nutrient and herbicide fate to landscape characteristics in 15 sub-watersheds in the Choptank River basin, Maryland. Using high resolution imagery and land-use data, examination of landscape metrics and water quality data showed that Nitrate-N was positively correlated with percent agriculture and negatively with percent forest. There was increased denitrification in the poorly drained uplands due to hydric soils, and springtime herbicide concentrations were correlated positively with percent forest.
(Contact: W. Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

(Back to Top)

Media Interest Generated from October Science Pick. As a result of USGS Research Geographer John Jones’ Science Pick, “How Will Climate Change Impact Leaf Fall? And What You Can Do to Help!” the following media coverage has occurred to date:
(John W. Jones, Reston, VA, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

USGS Scientists Submit NASA Proposal. USGS scientist, Terry Slonecker, participated as part of a research team that recently submitted a proposal to the NASA SERVIR Program. SERVIR, a Regional Visualization and Monitoring System, helps government officials, managers, scientists, researchers, students, and the general public make decisions by providing Earth observations and predictive models based on data from orbiting satellites. The proposal is titled “Agricultural Cropland Area Database (ACAD) and Water Productivity Modeling and Mapping of Four Major World Crops in the NASA SERVIR Asian Countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, using Satellite Sensor Data Fusion.” This research will model and monitor cropland efficiency and water use, utilizing satellite observations and spatial modeling and attempts to develop a database and decision support system to avert 21 century famine in this developing part of the world. The team is led by Dr Prasad Thenkabail of the USGS Western Geographic Science Center. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

USGS Represented at Symposium Sponsored by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Beltsville Area Research Center and University of Maryland. On October 20th, Physical Scientist W. Dean Hively, USGS, will be participating in the first annual Trends in Agriculture Fall Symposium. Dr. Hively will present a poster titled "Remote Sensing of Winter Vegetation to Promote Adaptive Conservation Management on Chesapeake Bay Farmlands" that will provide an overview of the geospatial toolkits that he has developed to support the evaluation of winter cover crop performance in the agricultural landscape. This work supports the objectives of the 2011 USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Plan, developed in response to the Executive Order for Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. Further information about this symposium can be found at http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=21762.(Contact: W. Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

(Back to Top)

Journal Article in Press. Scientists from Eastern Geographic Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center, National Park Service, and the University of New Mexico have a paper accepted for publication in Environmental Management. The paper should be in an issue within the next couple of months. The citation is as follows:
(Contact: Dianna Hogan, dhogan@usgs.gov, 703 648-7240)

South Lakes High School Student Joins the EGSC Team. A high school student will be gaining practical experience by working with Eastern Geographic Science Center staff throughout the school year as part of the school’s career employment program. In addition to performing administrative duties, he will assist the scientists with various geographic information systems related activities, generate animations, and create podcasts of the various weekly seminars. (Contact: Brenda Gollaher, bgollaher@usgs.gov, 703-648-7456)

New Journal Article Published. “Using Remote Sensing and Imagery Exploitation to Monitor the Dynamics of East Timbalier Island, LA: 2000–2010” was published on October 3, 2011. James C. Thomas, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, served as lead author and was assisted by EGSC co-authors Gary Fisher, Kim Angeli, Douglas Wheeler, Robert Glover, and others. The citation follows:
(Contact: Gary Fisher, gbfisher@usgs.gov, 703-648-5126)

EGSC Scientist to Lecture at George Mason University. Terry Slonecker will lecture a graduate Geospatial Informatics seminar at George Mason University on October 26, 2011. The title of his presentation will be "Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Applications at the USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center," and will include recent and emerging projects including detecting contamination at EPA Superfund sites, fugitive heavy metals, contaminants related to Marcellus Shale Gas extraction and long term monitoring of the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. (Contact: Terry Slonecker, tslonecker@usgs.gov, 703-648-4289)

(Back to Top)

EGSC Scientist Invited to Collaborate with USGS Climate Connections. Climate Connections Episode 3 in Puerto Rico is scheduled for release around October 26, 2011. This is a video series where USGS scientists answer the public's questions about climate change. For the upcoming episode, EGSC scientist Coral Roig-Silva answered a question about ‘why there has been so much rain lately in Puerto Rico?’ Other questions in this episode are about solar storms, overall climate change impacts to Puerto Rico, and whether we will see polar bears or other species on the island. It will be forthcoming on http://www.youtube.com/user/usgs. (Contact: Coral Roig-Silva, croig@usgs.gov, 703-648-5121)

Middle School Science Olympiads Focus on USGS Topographic Map Use Skills. The Science Olympiad (SO) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing male, female, and minority interest in science, creating a technologically-literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers. One category in the Earth Science theme for the 2012 SO event named "Road Scholar" is focused on map use skills with heavy emphasis on USGS topographic maps (http://soinc.org/road_scholar_b). The Luther Jackson Middle School SO Road Scholar teams will be meeting with Dr. John Jones (USGS Research Geographer) the evening of October 26, 2011, for in-depth discussion and training regarding USGS topographic map use, geodesy and cartography in preparation for their competition this year. (Contact: John Jones, jwjones@usgs.gov, 703-648-5543)

Published and Available Journal Article. Dean Hively, a remote sensing scientist in the Eastern Geographic Science center recently published a peer-reviewed journal article on the use of hyperspectral imagery to map soil properties in tilled agricultural fields. This article summarizes the unique ability of hyperspectral imaging systems to synoptically measure soil content, particle size distribution, and 15 agronomically important elements such as carbon, aluminum and iron with a high degree of accuracy. The article appears in the journal "Applied and Environmental Soil Science" and can be accessed as an open source publication at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aess/2011/358193/. The citation follows:
(Contact: Dean Hively, whively@usgs.gov, 301-504-9031)

Support in Vietnam Provided - Research on Climate Change and Sustainable Management of Rivers and Deltas. ESGS scientists Coral Roig-Silva and Visiting Scientist Barry Haack, and National Wetlands Research Center scientist Cindy Thatcher will be traveling to Viet Nam in late October to present a three day hands-on workshop with ERDAS IMAGINE on ‘Radar Remote Sensing for Resource Assessment.’ The workshop will be hosted by the Dragon Institute at Can Tho University. The USGS will provide this training and technical support as part of the Forecast Mekong Project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Lower Mekong Initiative. The goals of Forecast Mekong include supporting research on climate change and sustainable management of deltas and large rivers through building partnerships with local universities. (Barry Haack, Reston, VA, bhaack@usgs.gov, 703-648-5136)

(Back to Top)

September 2011

USGS Geographer Receives Bronze Medal Award. John Wolf was among the recipients for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III Bronze Medal Award for 2010/2011. As a member of the ChesapeakeStat and BayTAS (select TMDL Tracking) Teams, John was recognized for "outstanding accomplishments in creating and launching highly effective, geographically enabled public tools designed to track Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Total Maximum Daily Load implementation progress." The awards ceremony took place on September 13, 2011, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (John C Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-4632)

Book Chapter Now on SOFIA. Chapter 16 "The Use of Historical Charts and Photographs in Ecosystem Restoration: Examples from the Everglades Historical Air Photo Project" was written by Thomas J. Smith III, Ginger Tiling-Range, John Jones, Paul Nelson, Ann Foster and Karen Balentine. It was originally published in the book "Landscapes Through the Lens-Aerial Photographs and Historic Environment," and was edited by David C. Cowley, Robin A. Standring, and Matthew J. Abicht, © Oxbow Books 2010. With permission from the publishers, the chapter is now posted at the South Florida Information Access web site . (John Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

USGS Hosts an Alternative Futures Workshop. The Alternative Futures: Accounting for Growth in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed workshop was held all day on September 15, 2011, at the USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. County, Regional Planners, State Agency Representatives, select non-government organizations, and academic participants attended. This workshop provided a forum for identifying and discussing policies and assumptions for use in creating regionally consistent alternative future land-use scenarios.

The alternatives scenarios will be designed to inform how planning can be used as a primary Best Management Practice by identifying land-use policies and other planning actions that can be taken to minimize future increases in nutrients and sediments associated with the spatial pattern and intensity of land development. The Chesapeake Bay Program Office will run these scenarios through the watershed model to quantify the differences in loadings achieved through implementation of land-use policies and to help assess the uncertainty associated with the current trend forecast.

Ultimately, this workshop was intended to provide jurisdictions with information that can be used to better account for growth in their Watershed Implementation Plans. In addition, information generated at the workshop may help to improve the sensitivity of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s suite of models to land use change and land use planning. (Renee Thompson, 410-267-5743 and Peter Claggett, 410-267-5771, both Annapolis, MD)

Journal Article Accepted with the Anticipated Publishing Month December 2011. NOAA, USGS, and Lockheed Martin scientists worked together to publish a journal article “Using Remote Sensing and Imagery Exploitation to Monitor the Dynamics of East Timbalier Island, Louisiana (USA) – 2000 to 2010.” It was recommended for publication in Geocarto International with the following preliminary citation:
(Gary B. Fisher, 703-648-5126)

(Back to Top)

August 2011

Research Geographer Presented at University of Georgia. John W. Jones, Eastern Geographic Science Center, presented an overview of the Biophysical Remote Sensing Project at the University of Georgia Geography Department Colloquium on Tuesday, August 30, 2011. Co-sponsored by the student chapter of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, John's presentation also included a discussion of career paths in Federal science research, State environmental protection, and private industry geospatial analysis based on his own experiences. Other activities surrounding this presentation included remote sensing fieldwork in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint watershed in support of Southeast Regional Application Project and Land Remote Sensing Program Essential Climate Variable development research. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Urban Waters Analysis Tool Demonstrated. On July 21, 2011, EGSC Physical Scientist David Strong demonstrated the Anacostia Mapping Application Partnership Tool (MAPT) at the Urban Waters National Training Workshop in Arlington, Virginia. The MAPT is a web mapping application under development to be used in prioritizing locations to be targeted for restoration as part of the Anacostia Urban Waters Initiative pilot project. The map shows demographic data, USGS NLCD data, and project work sites from multiple agencies, including NPS, USFWS, EPA, and USGS itself. The MAPT frame work may be used for similar web maps at other Urban Waters Initiative pilots around the country. (David Strong, Reston, VA, 703-648-6193)

(Back to Top)

July 2011

New Journal Article Available. Research Geologist Robert Morton, St. Pete Coastal and Marine Science Center, and Research Geographer John Barras, EGSC, recently published an article in the Journal of Coastal Research titled “A Half-Century Record of Storm-Generated Features from Southern Louisiana.” (John Barras, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-342-3949)

Abstract Accepted for PECORA 18 Conference. The abstract "Remote Sensing of Environmental Disturbance" submitted by Terry Slonecker, Gary Fisher, Lesley Milheim, Coral Roig-Silva, and Cindy Thatcher was accepted for presentation at the 18th William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium. The theme of the symposium was “Forty Years of Earth Observations: Understanding a Changing World." The presentation was held on Thursday, November 17, 2011 and will highlight EGSC remote sensing research on the Gulf oil spill, mapping land change due to Marcellus Shale gas extraction, and hyperspectral monitoring of hazardous waste. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Land Remote Sensing Program Review at Nature Preserve. The Land Remote Sensing Program EGSC review was held at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve on July 19. The 725 acre preserve is a research and education facility located approximately 20 miles northwest of the USGS National Center in Reston along Goose Creek, a Virginia-designated Scenic River. Owned and operated by Loudoun County and supported by an active non-profit organization, Bansheereeks, the preserve contains examples of numerous key Piedmont habitat types. The nature preserve serves as an algorithm development and testing site for the EGSC Biophysical Remote Sensing Project (BRSP). At the time of the meeting, collection of airborne hyperspectral imagery took place to demonstrate the EGSC Advanced Remote Sensing Project's on-going collaboration with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Concurrent with the meeting, BRSP summer interns collected vegetation and water data using project-developed protocols. A demonstration of the USGS Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system was completed. The mobile terrain lidar system being collaboratively developed by the Alabama Water Science Center, the Coastal Marine Geology Program, and the EGSC was also on hand. Following project-specific discussions, the meeting concluded with a visit to the Leesburg Executive Airport to view the EAARL system, the CAP airplane, and remote sensing instrument. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

EGSC Geographer Presents GeoDesign Prototype at ESRI User Conference. On July 12th, EGSC Chesapeake Bay Program Staff John Wolf co-presented “Leveraging GeoDesign for Place-based Conservation and Restoration Assessments” with National Park Service colleague Andy Fitch at the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) annual International User Conference in San Diego, California. The Chesapeake Bay GeoDesign prototype demonstrates how ESRI’s ArcGIS Server and related technologies can be leveraged to evaluate the effectiveness of best management practices on a project-by-project basis to anyone with access to a web browser. (John C. Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

New Summer Intern. Ian Fitz-James is a senior engineering student at Virginia Tech. He assisted the Web-based GIS tools project to develop a Web-based HAZUS flood loss assessment module for USGS's Flood Inundation Initiative. (Paul Hearn, Reston, VA, 703-648-6287)

EGSC Scientist Presented at the Science for Citizens Seminar. On July 28th, Dean Hively presented “Geospatial Tools for Increasing On-farm Performance of Winter Cover Crops.” The talk was at the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program headquarters, Annapolis MD. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

(Back to Top)

June 2011

EGSC Scientists Provided Training in Afghanistan. Barry Haack, visiting scientist from George Mason University, and Terry Slonecker, EGSC, traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan in early August to provide basic and advanced remote sensing training to the Afghanistan Geological Society. Training involved satellite and hyperspectral imaging science and focused on the unique mineral resources of Afghanistan. The training was sponsored by the USGS Office of International Affairs. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Five Biophysical Remote Sensing Project Interns. A total of 5 (3 returning and 2 new) interns will contribute to the EGSC's Biophysical Remote Sensing Project (BRSP) this summer.
These students also conducted field work that supplements BRSP vegetation and surface water databases and contributes to their graduate research. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Journal Article Bureau Approved. The article “Using Remote Sensing and Imagery Exploitation to Monitor the Dynamics of East Timbalier Barrier Island, Louisiana (USA)— 2000 to 2010,” by James P. Thomas, Gary B. Fisher, Lisbeth A. Chandler, Kim M. Angeli, Douglas J. Wheeler, Robert P. Glover, Elizabeth J. Schenck-Gardner, Steven R. Wiles, Carolyn F. Lindley, and Michael B. Peccini, has been submitted for a special issue of the Geocarto International journal. It is anticipated to be published by November 2011 and will present research which has utilized remote sensing to quantify physical or biological phenomena on barrier islands. The authors are affiliated with NOAA, USGS, and Lockheed Martin. (Gary Fisher, Reston, VA, 703-648-5126)

Land Cover Analysis Tool Demonstrated. On June 1, 2011, EGSC Physical Scientist David Strong demonstrated a web map application showing various projects and data collection sites in the Anacostia River basin to an audience of federal and local agency representatives at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The web map is to be used in prioritizing locations to be targeted for work as part of the Anacostia Urban Waters Initiative pilot project. In addition to other data, this application allows users to quickly locate, display, and download data from the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD), including the recently developed NLCD Change Product, which displays changes in land cover between 1992 and 2001. (David Strong, Reston, VA, 703-648-6193)

EGSC Research Geographer Presented at a Special Forum on the Chesapeake Bay. On June 9, 2011, Peter Claggett presented “Land Use History and Change in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed” for a course called "Case Studies in Sustainability." This event was organized by the Executive Master of Natural Resources - Leadership for Sustainability program at VaTech's Northern Virginia campus in Falls Church. (Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

(Back to Top)

New STEP Student Worked with Scientists Over the Summer at the Eastern Geographic Science Center. The EGSC welcomed a new STEP student to its staff. Brianna Hammond joined EGSC on May 16, 2011, and became fully engaged in field work, lab work, and GIS analyses for a project to study the effects of suburban land use spatial patterns and stormwater best management practices on nutrients and sediment entering streams. Brianna also attended and helped to run an Ecosystem Services Economics workshop. (Dianna Hogan and JV Loperfido, both Reston, VA)

ChesapeakeStat Enhancements Launched. The Chesapeake Bay Program launched several new features and content areas on the ChesapeakeStat website on Monday, June 6, 2011. The site now includes detailed programmatic content (for goals, current efforts, management strategies, and performance assessment elements) on the submerged aquatic vegetation and agriculture topics as well as a dynamic mapping interface for tidal, non-tidal, land cover, and bay grass monitoring data. EGSC Geographer, John Wolf, coordinated the development and/or assembly of geospatial content for each of these enhancement areas. (John Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

Article Published in IEEE Journal. EGSC Geographer Terry Slonecker published an article in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observation and Remote Sensing titled "The Use of Historical Imagery in the Remediation of an Urban Hazardous Waste Site." This article details the use of historical imagery of the area surrounding American University, its use as a chemical weapons test and development area during World War I, and the correlation between features derived from historical aerial photos and current remedial cleanup activities.

The citation follows:
(Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

USGS Open-File Report Published. EGSC Geographer Terry Slonecker recently published a report titled “An Evaluation of Traditional and Emerging Remote Sensing Technologies for the Detection of Fugitive Contamination at Selected Superfund Hazardous Waste Sites.” The objective of this investigation was to explore the efficacy of remote sensing as a technology for post-closure monitoring of hazardous waste sites as defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–510, 42 U.S.C. §9601 et seq.), known for creating the Superfund. Five delisted Superfund sites in Maryland and Virginia were imaged with a hyperspectral sensor and visited for collection of soil, water, and spectral samples and inspection of general site conditions. This report evaluates traditional and hyperspectral imagery and field spectroscopic measurement techniques in the characterization and analysis of fugitive (anthropogenic, uncontrolled) contamination at previously remediated hazardous waste disposal sites.

The citation follows:
(Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Chapter Approved for Publication. EGSC scientist Dean Hively received Bureau approval for a co-authored book chapter, “Advances in spectroscopic methods for quantifying soil carbon” by James B Reeves, III (Corresponding Author), Gregory W. McCarty, Francisco Calderon, and W. Dean Hively. The book, Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, edited by Mark A. Liebig, Ronald F. Follett, and Alan J. Franzluebbers, Elsevier Press, is scheduled for publication later this year. Dr. Hively’s co-authors are all with the Agricultural Research Service, USDA. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD,301-504-9031)

(Back to Top)

May 2011

EGSC Scientist to Attend Marcellus Shale Planning Meeting. Terry Slonecker of EGSC attended an internal USGS planning meeting on Marcellus Shale activities on May 26, 2011. The meeting was held at the Pennsylvania Water Science Center in New Cumberland, and was focused on developing an assessment framework to investigate the anticipated cumulative effects of shale gas extraction. Terry lead the discussion on geospatial data needs and presented the preliminary results of landscape disturbance research that is being conducted at the EGSC. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Research Proposal Submitted to Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative. Terry Slonecker was part of a USGS research team that recently submitted a proposal to the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative. The proposed research involves mapping newly constructed roads and other landscape disturbances related to energy development in the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative. Shale-gas and wind energy development are important factors in landscape alteration in this region. Other members of the team include Alisa Coffin (lead), James Diffendorfer, Mark Drummond, and Steven Garman, all from the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center. Results from this research will be used as part of a national assessment of the ecological consequences of landscape disturbance related to energy development. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist Attended the HyspIRI Conference. Terry Slonecker attended the NASA HyspIRI conference at Goddard Space Flight Center on May 17-18, 2011. HyspIRI is a planned hyperspectral satellite mission that includes two instruments mounted on a satellite in Low Earth Orbit: (1) an imaging spectrometer measuring from the visible to short wave infrared and (2) a multispectral thermal infrared imager. The mission was recommended in the recent National Research Council Decadal Survey requested by NASA, NOAA, and USGS. The mission is currently at the study stage and the focus of this symposium is New Possibilities for Science with HyspIRI. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Dr. Rachel Muir Gave an EGSC Weekly Seminar on “Biodiversity-Understanding the Tapestry of Life.” Dr. Muir is the Science Advisor for the NE Area and former national coordinator for imperiled species research for USGS. On May 18, 2011, she presented the basic concepts of biodiversity, which is the variety of life on Earth in all its forms. Species, genetic biodiversity, and the diversity of biological communities and ecosystems were discussed in the context of their importance to providing ecosystem services necessary for human well being. The status of global biodiversity, as well as specific research activities conducted by USGS, were also addressed. (Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

ASPRS Films Interview. Dr. John W. Jones, a Research Geographer in the EGSC, was interviewed for inclusion in the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) film archive during his attendance of the ASPRS annual meeting in Milwaukee Wisconsin, May 1-5, 2011. The ASPRS Films project “began as a proposal to document the history of the ASPRS” and “the legacy of prominent members." Small pieces of individual archive interviews are combined to produce short vignettes on particular topics in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Science. The producers of the Film Archive are from the Public Broadcasting System and excerpts from ASPRS interviews have been included in the highly acclaimed Penn State Public Broadcasting Geospatial Revolution Project, the first four episodes of which can be found at (http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/). (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Science for Citizens Seminar. Dr. Dean Hively (EGSC) gave a seminar at the Chesapeake Bay Program headquarters, Annapolis Maryland, on May 26, 2011. The subject of the talk was "Geospatial tools for increasing on-farm performance of winter cover crops." The seminar discussed current progress by the USGS, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and Maryland Department of Agriculture in developing operational remote sensing and data management toolkits that can be used by Soil Conservation Districts and conservation cost-share programs on an annual basis to measure, report, and increase the water quality benefits associated with winter cover crops on working farms throughout the region. The goal of the Science for Citizens seminars, which follow each monthly Science Technical Results Team meeting, are to provide concise, thought-provoking ideas relating to Chesapeake Bay science and management. Short presentations (15 minutes maximum length) are immediately followed by a lunchtime discussion of the topics raised by the presenter. The discussions are summarized and posted along with a pdf version of the seminar slides. The seminars are captured on video and posted for web access at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies, Integration and Application Network. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

On-site Tour. At the request of Dr. Daryl Lund for USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), scientists with the Choptank River Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) conducted an on-site tour of research activities, which included work on farmland, wetlands, and poultry barn buffer areas. Dr. Dean Hively (EGSC) has been a member of the Choptank CEAP team for five years and presented research on remote sensing of winter cover crops, as well as coordinated a tour stop at the Talbot County Soil Conservation District, where geospatial toolkits for cover crop data management have been beta tested over the past year. The tour took place on May 23, 2011, and attendees included officials from USDA-NRCS, USDA-ARS (Agricultural Research Service) national program staff, and the State Conservationist for the State of Maryland. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

Article in Emergency Management Magazine Reports Federal Agencies Working with Communities to Provide a Web-based Tool for Flood Risk Mitigation and Response. The article, “Project Could Lead to Real-Time Flood Risk Data on the Web,” was released on April 29, 2011, and describes how the USGS is working with FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Weather Service, and local communities to develop a new Web-based tool to assist with flood risk planning and response. The tool combines USGS flood inundation mapping technology with FEMA's HAZUS flood loss estimation technology to provide local emergency managers with online map-based estimates of damage from potential flooding. (Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-6287)

(Back to Top)

April 2011

EGSC and LSC Scientists Submit National Park Service Proposal. Scientists Terry Slonecker, EGSC, and John Young, Leetown Science Center (LSC), submitted a research proposal to the National Park Service’s Servicewide Combined Call. They are part of an interagency team that submitted a proposal, titled "Mapping aquatic vegetation of the Delaware River: Investigation of hyperspectral remote sensing and bathymetric lidar to evaluate species composition, in-stream habitats, and emerging threats in the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area." This proposed research will investigate the use of hyperspectral imagery to map the invasive freshwater diatom known as didymo (Didymosphenis geminata) and utilize bathymetric lidar to provide detailed characterization of the riverine habitats of both Delaware River National Parks. Emerging threats that may be related to natural gas extraction and human development in the Parks' watersheds will also be investigated. Cooperators include the National Park Service, the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientists Participated in Land Cover Trends Meeting at EROS Data Center. Steve Kambly and Terry Slonecker of EGSC traveled to the EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls South Dakota, during the week of April 4, to discuss future directions of the USGS Land Cover Trends Program. For over 10 years this Program has sampled 10- by 10-km multi-temporal land cover data across the U.S., focused on understanding the rates, trends, and causes of land use and cover change. As the Program nears completion, its focus now turns to research in analyzing consequences of the landscape trends identified and what that may mean for states, ecoregions, DOI lands, and other jurisdictions. (Steve Kambly, Reston, VA, 703-648-5094)

Retired EGSC Scientist Dr. Lee De Cola Receives ESRI Recognition. Retired Eastern Geographic Science Center scientist Lee De Cola is the recipient of the 2011 ESRI Award for Best Scientific Paper in Geographic Information Systems for his paper, “A Network Representation of Raster Land-Cover Patches,” which appeared in the January 2010 issue of Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing. The USGS will accept the award on Dr. De Cola’s behalf at the annual meeting of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in Milwaukee, May 2011. Lee’s paper, which was supported by the Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program of the Climate and Land Use Mission Area, presents a graph theoretic approach to modeling and analyzing land cover. (Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

New USGS Journal Article in PNAS “Users as Essential Contributors to Spatial Cyberinfrastructures.” Barbara Poore’s, article edited by Michael Goodchild, University of California-Santa Barbara, is now available in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, v. 108, no. 14. In this article, Dr. Poore suggests that “spatial cyberinfrastructure development tends to overemphasize technologies to the neglect of critical social and cultural issues on which adoption depends. Spatial cyberinfrastructures will have a higher chance of success if users of many types, including nonprofessionals, are made central to the development process.” (Barbara Poore, St. Petersburg, FL, 727-803-8747, ext. 3095)

EGSC Scientist Attended New Climate Change Vulnerability Class. Terry Slonecker of EGSC attended the first-ever class on Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, offered by the National Wildlife Federation in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The class was held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, May 10-12, 2011, and has been designed to help guide conservation and resource practitioners understand essential elements in the design of climate change adaptation plans. Specifically, it provides guidance on identifying species or habitats most likely to be affected by projected changes, and understanding why these resources are likely to be vulnerable. Vulnerability assessments are a critical tool in undertaking any climate change planning or implementation. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Weekly Seminar on ChesapeakeStat - Tracking Progress Towards Achieving the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load. John Wolf of EGSC gave an overview of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, describe the Chesapeake Bay Tracking and Accountability System (BayTAS), and the visualization of BayTAS data via ChesapeakeStat. The Chesapeake Bay TMDL is essentially the “pollution diet” for the Bay, and establishes limits for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment that must be achieved for 92 segments of the Bay to reach water quality standards. BayTAS is the tracking and accountability system that will be used to track progress in nutrient and sediment reductions within each of the 92 segments for implementing the TMDL over the next 15 years. BayTAS tracks both point sources (waste loads) and non-point sources (loads) of pollution. ChesapeakeStat is being used to visualize BayTAS content for load and waste load allocations and progress at multiple geographic scales. (John Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5736)

Public Access Planning Meeting with Commonwealth of Virginia. John Wolf, EGSC, traveled to Richmond with Heather Bennett and John Davy, both with National Park Service, to meet with Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation representatives on data availability, needs, opportunities, and tracking requirements. This was a continuation in a series of meetings between federal and state agencies to discuss the Chesapeake Bay Public Access Plan required by the Chesapeake Executive Order, and strategies needed to track progress toward the Executive Order Goal of establishing 300 new public access sites by 2025. Meetings previously held included the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation, the Natural Resources, and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission on March 14, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on March 15, 2011. (John Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5736)

(Back to Top)

March 2011

EGSC Represented by Several Researchers at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington. During the week of April 12-16, 2011, the following EGSC researchers presented:

(Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

USGS Briefed on Land Use Data Used to Inform Chesapeake Total Maximum Daily Load. On March 1 and 2, 2011, Peter Claggett briefed the Chesapeake Bay Program Forestry Workgroup (multi-agency) led by the USFS and the Maryland Department of Environment-GIS Workgroup. He information about the USGS developed land use dataset created to inform state and local watershed implementation plans. The draft methodology used by USGS to create the land use dataset was reviewed by the Chesapeake Bay Scientific & Technical Advisory Committee and by USGS in August 2010. It is being prepared for final review. (Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

USGS Hosted Webinar to Show the Value of the Riparian Mapping Tool. On March 15, 2011, the USGS briefed the Farm Service Agency on a new tool for classifying impervious surfaces and riparian vegetation using aerial photography from the USDA-National Agriculture Imagery Program. (Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

USGS Scientists Presented at the 2011 Coastal GeoTools Conference. Coastal GeoTools is the conference series that focuses on the technical information needs of the nation’s coastal programs. During the week of March 21-24, 2011, the conference focused on building the Digital Coast, a Web platform that provides access to geospatial data, tools, and technical training. John Wolf, Peter Claggett, and Renee Thompson presented at the annual Coastal GeoTools Conference. Wolf presented “ChesapeakeStat;” Claggett presented “Mapping Developed Land Use vs. Land Cover in Support of Large Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Projects;” and Thompson presented “Modeling Alternative Infill and Redevelopment Scenarios in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.” (Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

Agricultural Data to be Incorporated into ChesapeakeStat. On March 30, 2011, John Wolf presented information about the ChesapeakeStat to the Chesapeake Bay Program Agriculture Workgroup. His goal was to acquire agricultural data from this group to incorporate into ChesapeakeStat. Further information can be found on the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Workgroup page. (John Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

Updated Chesapeake Bay Public Access Geospatial Data Base Under Development. During the week of March 14th, John Wolf traveled to Harrisburg, Pa. and Annapolis, Maryland, to work with the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to update the Chesapeake Bay Program Public Access data base. The updated data base will be used to support the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order Strategy to Increase Public Access to the Bay and its tributaries by adding 300 new access sites by 2025. Further information about the Executive Order Public Access can be found at http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/file.axd?file=2010%2f5%2fChesapeake+EO+Strategy+Executive+Summary.pdf. (John Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

EGSC briefed the U.S. Department of the Interior on web-based Applications Designed to Support Chesapeake Watershed Conservation. On March 4, 2011, Paul Hearn briefed DOI about a prototype web application to support land conservation efforts in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. EGSC has been developing the Chesapeake Land Conservation Priority System in a joint effort with the U.S. National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide Federal and State agencies and non-government organizations with improved tools to evaluate existing protected lands and identify new lands for preservation. (Paul Hearn, Reston, VA, 703-648-6287)

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Data to be Incorporated into ChesapeakeStat. On March 2, 2011, John Wolf presented ChesapeakeStat to the Chesapeake Bay Program Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Workgroup. His goal was to acquire submerged aquatic vegetation data from this group to incorporate into the ChesapeakeStat (http://stat.chesapeakebay.net). Further information about this workgroup can be found at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/committee_savworkgroup_info.aspx?menuitem=52967. (John Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

EGSC Provides Support to the Interior Operations Center in the Realm of Geospatial Requirements. Mark Brooks and Gary Fisher, EGSC, have been working on alternating days to support the geospatial requirements of the DOI Office of Emergency Management, Interior Operations Center (IOC). During the last few weeks at the IOC, Brooks and Fisher have produced several map products showing the fissure that had formed as a result of the eruption activity on Kilauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the status of the tsunami in Japan as it spread across the Pacific Ocean toward Hawaii and the West Coast. They also assessed data layers that are available to create map products depicting oil and gas resources available in the United States and printed several map products showing American Indian Tribal Lands and DOI assets. (Gary Fisher, Reston, VA, 703-648-5126)

New Paper Published. On March 28, 2011, USGS Open-File report 2011-1068 was published titled, “Graphic Products Used in the Evaluation of Traditional and Emerging Remote Sensing Technologies for the Detection of Fugitive Contamination at Selected Superfund Hazardous Waste Sites.” This report shows the hyperspectral imagery and soil sampling results that were used in the formal EPA study, which should be published shortly. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Workshop on Intellectual Property Issues and Geographic Data in the Internet Era. Barbara Poore, EGSC, with Puneet Kishor, Creative Commons, organized a workshop on intellectual property issues and geographic data in the internet era was held at the Law and the GeoWeb workshop at the AAG Conference. The workshop took place on April 11, 2011, on the campus of Microsoft Research in the city of Redmond, WA and was co-sponsored by Seattle Washington, the Association of American Geographers, USGS, and Creative Commons. Speakers from federal, state, and local government agencies, commercial geospatial companies such as Google and Microsoft, the National Research Council, and Creative Commons were featured. The workshop was streamed live over the Internet. (Barbara Poore, St. Petersburg, FL, 727-803-8747, ext. 3095)

Media Wants to Know If Spring is Arriving Earlier in DC. John Metcalfe, ABC7 Weather Blogger, was directed to the EGSC Shenandoah website by Bob Ryan, Senior Meteorologist, ABC 7. Metcalfe talked at length with the lead for this, John Jones, who then directed him to Jake Weltzin, U.S. National Phenology Network lead. The resulting article can be found at http://www.tbd.com/blogs/weather/2011/03/is-spring-arriving-earlier-in-d-c--9068.html. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Media Wants to Know “What are the Most Recent Estimate of (Published) Annual Rate of Land Loss Along the Louisiana Shores?” Kim Barker a reporter with ProPublica, a nonprofit organization in New York, quoted John Barras, EGSC, in finding the most recent published estimate of land loss along the coastal shores of Louisiana. Barras provided Barker with the following published fact “the current annual rate of land loss in coastal LA from 1985 to 2006 is equal to 39.2 ± 7.6 square kilometers per year (15.1 ± 3.8 square miles/year). (John Barras, Baton Rouge, LA, 225.298.5481 ext. 3213)

Sampling equipment redeployed in Clarksburg, Maryland and Difficult Run, Virginia watersheds. On March 14 and 15, Dianna Hogan and John “JV” Loperfido redeployed the field sampling equipment in Clarksburg and Difficult Run for our Best Management Practices study. They removed it over the winter to prevent damage from icing and are hoping to catch a storm soon. (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

March 25, 2011 – EGSC Seminar on Lidar Remote Sensing. Dr. Samsung Lim, Associate Professor, Director of Research Planning and Development, School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, presented an EGSC seminar on “Full Waveform Lidar Remote Sensing.” Forest inventory applications was emphasized. (Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

March 30, 2011 – EGSC Weekly Seminar on Coastal Research Applications of Lidar Remote Sensing. On March 30, 2011, Dr. John Brock, USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program, presented technical aspects and uses of lidar technology and how it is used by his program. (John Brock, Reston, VA, 703-648-6053)

March 30, 2011 - Presentation on ChesapeakeStat to the Chesapeake Bay Program Agricultural Work Group. Doreen Vetter, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and John Wolf, EGSC, provided an overview of the developing ChesapeakeStat decision support and communication tool that was officially debuted in 2010 at the Chesapeake Bay Program Executive Council (EC) Meeting. In preparation for the next EC Meeting later this year, information on agriculture workgroup goals, spotlighted projects, and partnership programs across the Bay watershed was featured. The tool development team presented the initial ideas for the agricultural section at this meeting to get their input and suggestions, and will return for the May workgroup meeting to present an updated version prior to the EC release. (John C. Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

EGSC Scientists Submit NSF Proposal. Barry Haack, George Mason University and EGSC visiting scientist, and Terry Slonecker, EGSC were part of a team of scientists that submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation entitled, "Hyperspectral Detection of Fugitive Heavy Metals in Soils from Mining and Smelters: Missouri Case Study." The proposed research seeks to utilize hyperspectral data to identify and map fugitive heavy metals, especially lead, in Missouri where decades of smelting have left a legacy of fugitive contamination in the soils and on the landscape. Visible Near InfraRed and Thermal InfraRed hyperspectral data will be used to evaluate signatures of metal contamination from both vegetation and soils. Scientists from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are collaborators and the work will be supported by the USEPA and ATSDR. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Represented at the Soil and Water Conservation Society 2011 Annual Conference. Dean Hively’s colleagues at the USDA/Agricultural Research Service organized a symposium at the Soil & Water Conservation Society 66th Annual International Conference, July 17-20, 2011, that focused on environmental research results from the Choptank River study area, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. This symposium brought together researchers from the USDA Choptank River Conservation Effects Assessment Project, the Horn Point Marine Laboratory, EGSC, and the USGS Maryland Water Science Center to provide a synthesis of findings focused on sources, transformations, and transport of nutrients and pesticides in the Eastern Shore landscape. Dr. Hively discussed his collaborative project with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, which combines satellite remote sensing of vegetation dynamics with privacy protected farm conservation data to provide a distributed analysis of winter cover crop performance in the farm landscape. This conference was designed to raise awareness to recent developments in the science and art of natural resource conservation and environmental management on working lands. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

EGSC Mendenhall Post-Doc Honored at Graduate Research Awards Ceremony. Dr. J.V. Loperfido was invited to the Graduate Research Award Ceremony on March 25, 2011, at the University of Iowa to receive a Graduate Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award for his research titled, "High-frequency sensing of Clear Creek water quality: mechanisms of dissolved oxygen and turbidity dynamics, and nutrient transport." Currently, J.V. is collaborating with EGSC scientist, Dr. Dianna Hogan, to investigate the effects of stormwater management strategy on the export of nutrients and sediments from urban watersheds. (J.V. Loperfido, Reston, VA, 703-648-5134)

Available Now - The Next Generation of Conservation Leaders Featured on DOI Youth Page. Cory Roig-Silva, an EGSC Physical Scientist who was recently converted from the Student Career Experience Program upon receipt of her master’s degree, was invited to create a profile for the “Youth Profiles” page at the DOI Youth Page. Please visit this page and select “Youth Profiles” to see what these young people are working on. (Cory Roig-Silva, Reston, VA, 703-648-5121)

February 2011

Eastern Geographic Science Center Strengthens Communication with Virginia Tech.

(John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

New Member of EGSC. Coral (Cory) Roig-Silva, formerly an EGSC SCEP at the Caribbean Water Science Center, has joined the EGSC team in Reston. Cory recently completed her Masters degree in Geology with a thesis on the "Geology and Structure of the North Boqueron Bay - Punta Montalva Fault System." She accepted a full-time term position in Reston and is working with Terry Slonecker, Lesley Milheim, Gary Fisher and others on issues related advanced remote sensing and the consequences of land cover change. Welcome Cory! ( Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Upcoming EGSC Seminar on HSI Monitoring of Hazardous Waste. On February 2, 2011, Terry Slonecker presented a seminar summarizing the results of two years of remote sensing research related to post-closure monitoring of Superfund hazardous waste sites. In cooperation with the EPA Office of Inspector General, EGSC scientists have been evaluating traditional and emerging remote sensing technologies for monitoring hazardous waste sites that have been remediated and deleted from the Superfund National Priorities List. Hyperspectral Imagery from the Civil Air Patrol's ARCHER (Advanced Realtime Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance) system was acquired over five sites in Maryland and Virginia. Hyperspectral imagery and analysis along with X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) technology proved to be important capabilities in determining site status, anomaly detection of on-site disposal activity, fugitive hydrocarbon identification and metals in soils. A manuscript is currently in review Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Book Chapter Bureau Approved. "Chapter 25: Analysis of the Effects of Heavy Metals on Vegetation Hyperspectral Reflectance Properties," by Terry Slonecker has been Bureau approved. It is anticipated the chapter will appear in a book titled "Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Vegetation" late in 2011. It was edited by Dr. Prasad Thenkabail of the USGS Western Geographic Science Center. Taylor and Francis is the intended publisher. Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

Journal Article Bureau Approved. “Use of airborne hyperspectral imagery to map soil parameters in tilled agricultural fields,” by W. Dean Hively, Gregory W. McCarty, James B. Reeves III, Megan W. Lang, Robert A. Oesterling and Stephen P. Delwiche has been Bureau approved. The work will be published in a special issue of the Applied and Environmental Soil Science journal. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

Journal Article Bureau Approved. “Herbicide Metabolite Reveals Agricultural Nitrate-N Fate and Transport at Watershed Scales,” by Gregory W. McCarty, Cathleen J. Hapeman, Clifford P. Rice, W. Dean Hively, Laura L. McConnell, Ali M. Sadeghi, Megan W. Lang, Thomas R. Fisher, David R. Whitall, Andrew K. Leight, Krystyna Bialek and Peter Downey has been Bureau approved. The manuscript has been submitted to the journal Science. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

USGS Open-File Report Bureau Approved and Published. “Shenandoah National Park Phenology Project-Weather Data Collection, Description, and Processing,” by John W. Jones, Danielle Aiello, and Jesse Osborne has been Bureau approved. It is ready to be released but is not yet available in the Publications Warehouse (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Journal Article Bureau Approved and submitted to Journal of Total Environment. “Relating nutrient and herbicide fate with landscape features and characteristics of 15 subwatersheds in the Choptank River watershed,” by W. Dean Hively and others has been Bureau approved (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

USGS Participation in Chesapeake Bay Restoration Accountability System. EGSC Geographer John Wolf coordinated the development of the web reporting tool for tracking progress toward achieving the Bay's "pollution diet." On January 29, 2011 the Chesapeake Bay Program's Performance Management Tool "ChesapeakeStat" (http://stat.chesapeakebay.net/) presented goals and progress information for the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Public presentation of this information was required as a result of the settlement agreement for the lawsuit between the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (John C. Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

EGSC Scientist Served as Conference Program Coordinator. Research Scientist Dianna Hogan served as Program Coordinator for the ACES (A Community on Ecosystem Services) conference held December 6 – 9, 2010 in the Gila River Indian Community, Arizona. In addition, Dr. Hogan served as a Tools session moderator, and presented her work “Water Quality Ecosystem Services in the Urban Environment” as part of the Urban session. (Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

Journal Article Published (available on-line December 2010) in Applied Geography. “Landscape unit based digital elevation model development for the freshwater wetlands within the Arthur C. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Southeastern Florida,” by Zhixiao Xie, Zhongwei Liu, John W. Jones, Aaron L. Higer, and Pamela A. Telis. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

January 2011

December 2010

Upcoming Society of Wetland Scientists Joint Regional Meeting, Abstract Deadline January 10, 2011. The South Atlantic Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists are planning a joint conference March 7-8, 2011, in Reston, Virginia, at the USGS National Center. The conference theme is Wetlands, Water Resources, and People and we are putting together a program that will include and integrate people from diverse specialties in wetlands and aquatic resources. Abstracts are due January 10, 2011. Additional information can be found at http://www.sws.org/regional/midatlantic/.(Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

EGSC Scientist Served as Conference Program Coordinator. Research Scientist Dianna Hogan served as Program Coordinator for the ACES (A Community on Ecosystem Services) conference held December 6 – 9, 2010 in the Gila River Indian Community, Arizona. In addition, Dr. Hogan served as a Tools session moderator, and presented her work “Water Quality Ecosystem Services in the Urban Environment” as part of the Urban session. (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

October 2010

The USGS Works Toward Providing Enhanced Geographic Support for the 2020 Census. U.S. Geological Survey is meeting with the U.S. Census Bureau in Denver, Colorado, November 1-2, 2010, to discuss potential areas of collaboration in research and development between the two agencies for updating The National Map and provide enhanced geographic support for the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau has proposed the Geographic Support System (GSS) Initiative which will research anticipated future directions of addressing, and investigate the use of hand-held devices in the field, developing technologies such as volunteered geographic data, geospatial data exchange and integration, and geospatial data quality measurement. Barbara Poore, Eastern Geographic Science Center, has been invited to participate on a GSS Initiative working group on developing technologies, and she will be a contributor to the Denver meeting. (Barbara Poore, St. Petersburg, FL, 727-803-8747, ext. 3095)

New Map Viewer for USGS Flood Inundation Maps and HAZUS Flood Loss Assessment Available for Albany, Georgia. As part of a USGS nationwide effort to develop a Real Time Flood Inundation Mapping initiative, the Eastern Geographic Science Center (EGSC) has developed a prototype Web-based flood inundation mapping viewer for the city of Albany, Georgia (http://lcat.usgs.gov/albany). In cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), EGSC has also developed an accompanying Web-based flood loss estimation module, which incorporates output from HAZUS, FEMA's hazards loss estimation software. The prototype displays maps of flood inundation generated from a USGS hydraulic model, which are then used as input for the HAZUS loss estimates. (Paul Hearn, Reston, VA, 703-648-6287)

U.S. Department of State and the Government of Indonesia Requested Assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey. On October 26, 2010, the Merapi Volcano, located on the island of Java, Indonesia erupted. As a result, over 300,000 people were evacuated from the vicinity of the volcano. The U.S. Department of State and the government of Indonesia requested assistance and support from the USGS at the beginning of the eruption. USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center personnel located at the Advanced Systems Center have been providing remote sensing analysis and interpretive products to the Indonesian Center for Volcanic and Geologic Hazard Mitigation via the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program located at the Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington. This on-going response includes coordination with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the USAID - Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, the Pacific Command in Hawaii, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. (Ron Keeler, Reston, VA, 703-648-7896)

EGSC's Peter Claggett, EGSC, Joined Scott Phillips, USGS Chesapeake Bay Coordinator, PresentED at the USGS Public Lecture Series. The Chesapeake Bay has long been a place for DC area residents to escape city stress and relax. However, the 17 million people in the Bay watershed have contributed to its decline over the past several decades. But a new optimism has spread among scientists and managers working to restore the Bay. On October 6, 2010 at 7:00 pm, Scott Phillips and Peter Claggett discussed new science and cooperation that are being applied to restore the Nation's largest estuary and its watershed. About the Public Lecture Series... (Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

April 2010

USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center Gets the Word Out About Their Research: Several EGSC Researchers Presented at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The Association of American Geographers (AAG) is a scientific and educational society founded in 1904. Its 10,000 members share interests in the theory, methods, and practice of geography and geographic education. The AAG holds annual meetings and regional events and publishes a newsletter, journals, and books. The association supports and recognizes its members through its grants and awards programs. (Dave Kirtland , Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

(Back to Top)

March 2010

A Crowd of 60 Terminals, Including Maryland’s Secretary of Agriculture, Listens to Live Broadcast from EGSC Researcher. On Feb 25, 2010, Physical Scientist, Dean Hively of the USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center, presented a webinar to the Pennsylvania State Agriculture and Environment Center's web series: "Manure Du Jour: Serving Pennsylvania's Best Practices on Animal Agriculture, Water Quality and Air Quality." This presentation, titled "Integrating Winter Cover Crops with Successful Farming Systems: adaptive management tools to increase benefits for farm and environment" documents the development of cutting edge geospatial adaptive management tools for conservation practice implementation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. (Dean Hively,, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

USGS Participates in Workshop on the Usability of Geographic Information. What makes geographic information usable for a wide range of stakeholders from scientists, to government decision makers, to the general public? Does it depend on the information itself or on the way it is presented? How are new participatory internet technologies impacting the way maps and geographic data are used and shared? The workshop on the "Usability of Geographic Information," sponsored by Great Britain's Ordnance Survey, the University of Nottingham, and the University College London brought together researchers from Europe and the United States to discuss these issues. For this event, March 24, 2010, Barbara Poore, USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center, presented her research on new forms of metadata for geographic social media. (Barbara Poore, St. Petersburg, FL, 727-803-8747 x 3095)

February 2010

Eastern Geographic Science Center Student Presented at 26th Annual Symposium on Caribbean Geology. Coral Roig-Silva of the Eastern Geographic Science Center presented “Active Faulting in Southwest Puerto Rico” at the 26th Annual Symposium on Caribbean Geology: Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Geological Hazards Study and Mitigation February 24-27, 2010, at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. This presentation documents Ms. Roig-Silva’s thesis work relating to new discoveries about geologic hazards in southwest Puerto Rico, which may represent higher earthquake risks than previously believed. (Coral Roig-Silva , Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, 787-749-4346, ext. 368)

January 2010

EGSC Publishes New Open-file Report, Cited as the Following. Dianna Hogan, Greg Arthaud, Malka Pattison, Roger Sayre, and Carl Shapiro, Developing an Analytical Framework—Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision Making—Proceedings of a Workshop: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report-2009-1259, p. 1-6. (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

USGS was Invited to Become Principal Member of the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability. In December 2009, the USGS was invited to become a Principal Member of the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS). SERPPAS works to prevent encroachment around military lands, encourage compatible resource-use decisions, and improve coordination among regions, states, communities, and military services throughout the southeast U.S. The Eastern Geographic Science Center has been providing technical support to SERPPAS for the last 2 years through a project to model land cover change and population growth in eastern North Carolina. Jess Weaver will serve as Principal for USGS. (Paul Hearn, Reston, VA, 703-648-6287)

(Back to Top)

EGSC worked with Geography-Earth Science Department, Shippensburg University and the Woods Hole Research Center. to publish the journal article: Jantz, C., Goetz, S., Donato, D., and Claggett, P., 2010 (January), Designing and Implementing a Regional Urban Modeling System Using the SLEUTH Cellular Urban Model: Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, v.34, no. 1, p. 1-16. (David Donato, Reston, VA, 703-648-6287; AND Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

Mayfield Intermediate School in Manassas, Virginia, Invited USGS Researchers to Talk About Effects of Land Use and Suburban Stormwater Runoff. Eastern Geographic Science Center scientists, Dianna Hogan and Paul Hearn, talked to 60, 5th grade students at Mayfield Intermediate School in Manassas, Virginia, on Friday, January 29, 2010. Dianna and Paul focused on discussing the effects of land use and suburban stormwater runoff on the health of receiving streams and the Chesapeake Bay. (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

New land cover data available for the entire Chesapeake Bay. The Eastern Geographic Science Center is Using New Land Cover Data to Better Understand How the Bay Watershed’s Land is Changing and to Relate Those Changes to Trends in the Bay’s Health. EGSC is in the process of interpreting and publishing statistics on the extent, type and patterns of land cover change from 1984-2006 in the Bay watershed, major tributaries and counties. The data can be downloaded at: ftp://ftp.chesapeakebay.net/Gis/CBLCD_Series/. (Fred Irani, 410-267-9845 or Peter Claggett, 410-267-5771, Annapolis, MD)

Mendenhall Postdoctoral Researcher Works with the Eastern Geographic Science Center. EGSC is welcoming a new Mendenhall postdoctoral research scientist to its staff. JV Loperfido started his postdoctoral work on January 11, 2010, and is studying the effects of the spatial patterns of suburban land use and stormwater Best Management Practices on nutrients and sediment entering streams. (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA,703-648-7240)

EGSC assists the USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program. Ron Keeler of the Eastern Geographic Science Center is assisting John Pallister of the USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program by providing information derived from satellite data regarding the current eruption at Nevado del Huila, Colombia. The information is combined with other data from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory and the Colombian Institute of Geology & Minerals (INGEOMINAS). The current dome building activity began on 23 November 2009 and continues to threaten the population along the Rio Paez. (Ron Keeler, Reston, VA, 703-648-7896)

Crowdsourcing The National Map. Barbara Poore, USGS, Eastern Geographic Science Center, Saint Petersburg, Florida helped organize a workshop on volunteered geographic information January 12-13, 2010, in Herndon, Virginia. This workshop explored how citizen mapmakers might contribute to The National Map, the USGS’ source for topographic information for the nation. The emergence of the Internet and social networking technologies have allowed volunteer amateur mapmakers to collaborate or “crowdsource” online maps that are beginning to rival maps made by professionals in government and the commercial sector. The USGS is in the process of developing a new business plan for effective and efficient incorporation of volunteered geographic information into The National Map given the rapidly changing technical landscape and the mandates for more transparency in government. USGS managers met with representatives from other federal agencies, and the private and non-profit sectors that have initiated successful citizen science, volunteered geographic data, or crowdsourced projects, and with university researchers who have studied these issues. Presentations were made by the Office of Science and Technology Policy and by leaders of successful projects such as Open Street Map, the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, the Library of Congress’ Flicker project, and Wikipedia. More information can be found at the workshop web page, and workshop results will be posted there. (Barbara Poore, Saint Petersburg, FL, 727-803-8747 x3095)

(Back to Top)

November 2009

Briefing to Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and Gettysburg College. Will Stettner (Head Quarters, Geospatial Information Office) and John Jones (Eastern Geographic Science Center) provided briefings on topographic mapping and remote sensing to 5 representatives of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and 22 Senior-level remote sensing students from Gettysburg College on Wednesday, November 18, in Reston, VA. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Visualization and Collaboration Discussions with Virginia Tech. Tom Cecere (HQ - Geography), Steve Hammond (HQ – Geospatial Information Office), and John Jones (Eastern Geographic Science Center) were provided briefings on Virginia Tech Geography Department and Computer Science Department advanced research regarding situational response visualization technology and geospatial technology applications to emergency planning and recovery. John also visited with the Geography Department Chair and select faculty to discuss collaborative research, intern educational opportunities and top student recruitment for potential term employment. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Chantilly High School Student to Work with the EGSC Team. A high school student will be working with Eastern Geographic Science Center throughout the school year as part of their career employment program. She will focus on making the EGSC web pages more dynamic and appealing to the public as well as working with various scientists to make their posters visually compliant. (Janet Tilley, Reston, VA, 703-648-4801)

EGSC scientist Briefs 30 State Legislators and Others at the Chesapeake Bay Commission’s Quarterly Meeting. On November 13, 2009, Dean Hively, Eastern Geographic Science Center, spoke for 30 minutes at the Chesapeake Bay Commission's quarterly meeting, discussing adaptive management of winter cover crops for water quality. There were about 30 state legislators in attendance. (Dean Hively, Beltsville, MD, 301-504-9031)

EGSC Scientist Participates in the Great American Teach-In. Barbara Poore of the EGSC participated in the Great American Teach-In at Davidsen Middle School in Hillsborough County, Florida. This event took place on Wednesday, November 18, 2009. The teach-in coincided with Geography Awareness week and Barbara discussed maps and GIS applications with sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students. (Barbara Poore, St. Petersburg, FL., 727-803-8747 ext. 3095)

EGSC Scientist Gives Seminar at George Mason University. Dianna Hogan presented a seminar entitled “Stormwater Wetlands as Best Management Practices in Developed Landscapes" on November 3, 2009 for the graduate level Wetlands Management and Ecology class at George Mason University. The presentation discussed previous and ongoing work by EGSC and their EPA and county partners on better understanding the ability of stormwater BMPs to mitigate environmental effects of changing land use. (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

(Back to Top)

October 2009

EGSC Researchers Participated in USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Workshop. Ten scientists from the Eastern Geographic Science Center (EGSC) -- Peter Claggett, Lee DeCola, David Donato, Paul Hearn, Dean Hively, Dianna Hogan, Fred Irani, Dave Kirtland, Cassandra Mullinix, and Renee Thompson -- participated in the USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Workshop held October 26 – 28 at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV.

Three presentations were provided:
Four poster presentations were provided:
The purpose of the workshop was to provide updates on USGS Chesapeake Bay science themes and projects, share examples of how USGS information improved management of the Bay ecosystem, and discuss potential new directions in USGS Chesapeake Bay science in response to Executive Order 13508 - Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. (Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

EGSC Journal Article Published. The open access Journal Article titled "An Automated Imagery Orthorectification Pilot" by Terry Slonecker EGSC, Brad Johnson and Joe McMahon, has been published in the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing.
(Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

ARCHER Data collections successful. Hyperspectral Imagery data collections have been accomplished for Eastern Geographic Science Center by the Civil Air Patrol for sites in Roanoke, Salem and Winchester, Virginia. Two additional sites in Maryland are scheduled for October 29, 2009. Fifteen sites in Pennsylvania are currently being planned with the Pennsylvania Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist to Attend Joint Space Team Meeting. Terry Slonecker, EGSC, will attend the Joint Space Team Meeting on October 28, 2009. The meeting will be held at the Remote Sensing and Plasma Physics Division of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. The meeting will include presentations on passive microwave radiometry, coastal hyperspectral imagery applications, a tour of the Naval Research Lab's hyperspectral calibration facilities and space plasma simulations. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

EGSC Scientist Attends the GSA Annual Meeting. Coral Roig-Silva attended the Geological Society of America meeting, October 18-21, 2009, in Portland, Oregon. She gave an oral presentation and poster on "The Northern Boquerón Bay-Punta Montalva Fault Zone; a through going active fault system in southwestern Puerto Rico." (Coral Roig-Silva, Guaynabo, PR)

The Shenandoah National Park Phenology Project was Selected as One of the October USGS Science Picks and was Written as Follows:

October 16-17, 2009, Workshop will be Hosted by U.S. Geological Survey, Chesapeake Bay Program, James Madison University, and the Smithsonian Institute. Scientists from the USGS and the Chesapeake Bay Program are collaborating with James Madison University and the Smithsonian Institution Conservation and Research Center on planning for a workshop on the land use history of the Shenandoah Valley. Scientists, planners, and local stakeholders will explore techniques for measuring land cover and land cover trends, and particularly in understanding the role of landscape change in water quality and habitat. The workshop will explore such issues as understanding past and future landscapes, comparing cultural uses of the land, and trade-offs between development and environment. An important goal is developing a policy-relevant research agenda for land geographic science in the Shenandoah Valley. (Lee De Cola, Reston, VA, 703-648-4178)

EGSC Scientists to Speak at the Northeast Region Advanced Technologies Workshop. Three EGSC Scientists will speak at the Northeast Region Advanced Technologies Workshop at the Leetown Science Center, October 7-8, 2009. Highlighting advanced modeling and remote sensing techniques they develop and employ in their research; Peter Claggett will speak on landscape model development, John Jones will illustrate field and lab-based technologies in geographic research and Terry Slonecker will highlight field and lab-based hyperspectral technologies. (Peter Claggett, 410-267-5771; (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

September 2009

EGSC welcomes Barry Haack, George Mason University, as a Visiting Scientist. Dr. Haack is supporting the Land Remote Sensing Program in operational land remote sensing and collaborating with EGSC scientists on remote sensing projects. He is a Professor of Geographic and Cartographic Sciences and a Graduate Program Director for the Department of Geography at George Mason University where his primary teaching responsibilities and research activities are in aerial photo interpretation, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS). His primary research interests are the application of remote sensing technologies and GIS in developing countries.

Recent publications and activities of Dr. Haack since joining EGSC follow:
(Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

ARCHER Hyperspectral Imager Update. The existing Interagency Agreement with the US Air Force/Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was recently modified to include sites in Pennsylvania. The first collect of hyperspectral imagery under this agreement using the CAP Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance (ARCHER) system was accomplished in Roanoke, Virginia on September 24, 2009. Anyone interested in learning more about this agreement and ARCHER should contact Dave Kirtland at 703-648-4712.

EGSC Collaborative Phenocam Improvements and Climate Research. John W. Jones met with Stephan de Wekker, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia (UVA) and Alan Williams, Ecologist with the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) to inspect and test the new installation of the USGS SNP Phenology Webcam. The camera has been relocated to the UVA tower to increase capacity, improve reliability, and allow for collaborative data collection and analysis. The UVA installation collects data on carbon/energy fluxes and aerosols that will be useful for EGSC remote sensing-based model development. The EGSC collects ground meteorological data throughout the Park and conducts vegetation and terrain characterization studies that will be useful for UVA boundary layer dynamics research and environmental science instruction. (John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Eastern Geographic Science Center Remote Sensing Scientists to Visit U.S. Department of Agriculture. Several senior scientists from the EGSC will travel to the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Maryland, on September 24, 2009, to discuss emerging remote sensing research for land surface characterization. Dave Kirtland, Paul Hearn, Peter Claggett, John W. Jones, and Terry Slonecker will discuss advanced remote sensing techniques, land change modeling, web-bases decision support tools, and land cover dynamics for process modeling with the ARS staff. (Dave Kirtland, Reston, VA, 703-648-4712)

EGSC Researcher Briefs a Research Center on Four New Datasets for the Chesapeake Bay and Their Monitoring Change in Riparian Forests. On September 21, 2009, Peter Claggett, Eastern Geographic Science Center, briefed researchers at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland, on "Multi-scale Land Change Monitoring in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed." The briefing included a discussion of four new Landsat-derived land cover datasets for the Chesapeake Bay watershed (1984, 1992, 2001, and 2006) and their work on monitoring change in riparian forests using a combination of Landsat-derived land cover data, aerial imagery, and a stratified sampling design. (Peter Claggett, Reston, VA, 410-267-5771)

USGS Briefs Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Chesapeake Bay Information Management Strategy. USGS Chesapeake Bay Program Staff geographer John Wolf briefed representatives of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Tahoe Integrated Information Management System (TIIMS), the California Tahoe Conservancy, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and USFS, USGS, and USEPA Tahoe Representatives on the current state and direction of Chesapeake Bay Program information management and accountability tools on September 14, 2009. TIIMS was modeled after the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Chesapeake Information Management System in the early 2000’s, and shares many similar monitoring, modeling, mapping and web information management challenges. TIIMS representatives followed up with a briefing to EPA’s Annual GIS Workgroup meeting on September 15, 2009. (John C. Wolf, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5739)

August 2009

August 11, 2009, Workshop Hosted by EGSC with External Partners. Dianna Hogan, EGSC, along with her partners from Montgomery County Department of Environmental Planning, USEPA Landscape Ecology Branch, and USGS Maryland Water Science Center will be hosting a workshop, "Clarksburg Integrated Ecological Study," to provide a review of ongoing work and focus future research efforts. More about their previous workshop... (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

August 5, 2009, EGSC Scientist to Present at Civil Applications Committee Meeting. Terry Slonecker has been invited to present "The Basics of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing" to the Civil Application Committee at their August meeting. The presentation will review the history and development of hyperspectral technology, discuss new and planned sensors for acquiring data, and review applications of the technology in geography as well as a number of industries. (Terry Slonecker, Reston, VA, 703-648-4289)

July 2009

New Peer-Reviewed Publication. Dianna Hogan, USGS-Eastern Geographic Science Center, and Mark Walbridge, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, recently published an article called, Recent Land Cover History and Nutrient Retention in Riparian Wetlands. in the journal, Environmental Management. (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

April 2009

New Peer-Reviewed Publication. John W. Jones, USGS-Eastern Geographic Science Center, and Taylor Jarnagin, USEPA- Landscape Ecology Branch, recently published an article in the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering called, Evaluation of a Moderate Resolution, Satellite-Based Impervious Surface Map Using an Independent, High-Resolution Validation Data Set. ( John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

USGS Public Lecture Series. EGSC's John Jones gave the first USGS public lecture as part of a new series to communicate science in action. A video of his talk, Knee-high to Bird's Eye. Multi-scale Remote Sensing of Vegetation Dynamics, is available at the USGS Multimedia Gallery. ( John W. Jones, Reston, VA, 703-648-5543)

Sally Ride Festival. Allison Paraham and Juan Rivera-Santiago of the EGSC represented the USGS at the Sally Ride Science Festival that was held at George Mason University on one of those very hot Saturdays in April. Paraham and Rivera-Santiago talked about careers in science, at the USGS. The audience was estimated to be between 400-500 girls 5th-8th grade girls, parents, and teachers. (Janet Tilley, Reston, VA, 703-648-4801)

(Back to Top)

May 2008

Mapping and Monitoring Land Resource Change Conference for the State of Kentucky. May 20-21, 2008, USGS scientists presented on regional land change modeling at the University of Kentucky as part of a conference on Mapping and Monitoring Land Resource Change. With a unique focus on landscape change, this conference may serve as a prototype on how to integrate landscape change information into the decision-making processes of local governments and state resource agencies. USGS was a conference co-sponsor for this event and anticipates replicating it in Mid-Atlantic region in 2010. Peter Claggett presented the Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model as an example of the type of regional urban growth modeling that could be replicated for Kentucky and neighboring states in the Ohio River Basin. More information....
( Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

Workshop on Coupling Land Change with Water Quality Models. May 13-14, 2008, USGS hosted a workshop on Coupling Land Change with Water Quality Models at the 2008 Chesapeake Modeling Symposium in Annapolis, Maryland. Feedback from the workshop highlighted new activities to promote community land change modeling in the Chesapeake Region. USGS scientists and their partners from regional academic institutions discussed the need for creating a Chesapeake Land Data Repository, hosting an annual meeting on land cover change modeling, and the development of global and national scenarios of land cover change due to macro-scale drivers of change (e.g., increases in oil prices, biofuel development, and increased urban migration). More information.... ( Peter Claggett, Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

February 2008

Land Use, Stormwater Runoff, and Best Management Practices Presentation for the Clarksburg Civic Association. February 25, 2008, USGS scientist Dianna Hogan, and Montgomery County scientists Keith Van Ness and Richard Gee were invited to present on land use, stormwater runoff, Best Management Practices (BMPs), and receiving stream health to the Clarksburg Civic Association in Maryland. The civic association wanted to raise awareness, ask questions about environmental and land use issues, and inspire action in their community with stream cleanups and property management to promote stream health. More information.... (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

December 2007

Integrated Ecological Study Workshop. On Friday, December 14, 2007, Dr. Hogan, USGS, co-sponsored the Clarksburg Integrated Ecological Study Workshop with Keith Van Ness, Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Environmental Protection. The purpose of this workshop was to review the integrated studies being done in Clarksburg, Maryland, with a focus on increasing research collaboration and planning the direction of future research efforts. More information.... (Dianna Hogan, Reston, VA, 703-648-7240)

August 2007

USGS Scientists Help Document Land Cover Change in the North Cascades. USGS scientists Tamara Wilson, Christopher Soulard, and Steve Kambly visited the North Cascades ecoregion, August 20-24, to document land cover change. This data will help identify the forces behind land cover change, understand the ecoregion’s characteristics, and interpret satellite imagery and aerial photography to determine land cover change from 1973 to 2000. More information... (Steve Kambly, Reston, VA, 703-648-5094)

USGS scientist, Peter Claggett, Recently Met with Hedrick Smith Productions, Inc., for a PBS Documentary on the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound Restoration Efforts. Mr. Claggett provided an overview of urban development trends in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and discussed the relationships between forest and farmland loss, impervious surfaces and erosion to water quality in the Bay. The PBS documentary provides an opportunity to highlight the contribution of USGS research towards improving the quality of life of residents in the Mid-Atlantic region. More information...
(Peter Claggett , Annapolis, MD, 410-267-5771)

(Back to Top)

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey | DOI Inspector General
URL: http://egsc.usgs.gov/archivehighlights.html
Page Contact Information: Web Administrator
Page Last Modified: Monday, 14-Jan-2013 17:35:49 EST