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Research about North Dakota

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including North Dakota.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
USGS1973

Ground-water basic data for Griggs and Steele Counties, North Dakota

The objectives of the hydrologic investigation in Griggs and Steele Counties, N. Dak. (fig. 1) were to: (1) determine the location, extent, and nature of the major aquifers; (2) evaluate the occurrence and movement of ground water, including recharge and discharge; (3) estimate the quantities of water stored in the aquifers; (4) estimate the potential yields of wells tapping the major aquifers; and (5) determine the chemical quality of the ground water.

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USGS1972

Techniques for establishing local breeding populations of wood ducks

A study was conducted on the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge in east-central North Dakota to further evaluate a technique for establishing nesting wood ducks ( Aix sponsa ) by releasing propagated birds and installing nest houses. No wood duck nesting had been recorded previously in the area. During May-July 1968, 253 ducklings, hand-reared at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center near Jamestown, North Dakota, were released when 9 to 16 days old into a 0.5-acre enclosure on the refuge, where they grew to flight stage and departed. Seventy-eight nest houses were installed in August on the refuge. About 76 percent of the ducks survived until late September, when southward migration began. The first-year band recovery rate by hunters of 4.7 percent was comparable to that of wild immature wood ducks. Most recoveries occurred between North Dakota and Minnesota in the north and Texas and Louisiana in the south. There were 16 nesting attempts, which produced 175 ducklings, by homing female wood ducks in the boxes in 1969. The number of nesting attempts increased to 34 in 1970, with a production of 311 ducklings.

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USGS1972

Observation of nighttime feeding behavior of ducks

A night vision scope was used during 1969-71 to study the nighttime feeding behavior of ducks on prairie wetlands of south-central North Dakota. Adult and immature ducks were observed feeding between 9:00 PM and 4:00 AM, predominantly on midges (Chironomidae) and mayflies (Ephemeroptera). The emergence pattern of these insects appeared to be a major factor influencing duck activity and feeding behavior at night.

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USGS1972

Ground-water resources of Benson and Pierce Counties, north-central North Dakota

The purpose of this investigation is to provide information about the ground-water resources in Benson and Pierce Counties that is sufficient for planning the safe and intelligent development of water supplies for irrigation, domestic, stock, industrial, and municipal purposes. The investigation is part of a statewide program to determine the location and extent of ground-water aquifers; to evaluate the occurrence and movement of ground water within the aquifers, including sources of recharge and discharge; to determine potential yields to wells developed in the aquifers; and to determine the chemical quality of ground water. Benson and Pierce Counties cover an area of 2,512 square miles in north-central North Dakota. This study, which began in July 1967 and was completed in June 1971, was made cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey, the North Dakota State Water Commission, the North Dakota Geological Survey, and the Benson and Pierce Counties Water Management Districts. This interim report presents only the major conclusions of the study.

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USGS1972

Hydrologic investigations of prairie potholes in North Dakota, 1959-68

A prairie pothole is a depression in the prau1e, capable of storing water, that is the result of glacial processes. Years ago, there were many hundreds of thousands of prairie potholes in the North-Central United States, but large numbers of them have been drained for agricultural use. This report is limited to studies of prairie potholes in the eastern part of the glaciated northern Great Plains region in North Dakota-a rolling upland area covered with glacial drift, called the Coteau du Missouri. Potholes are wetlands that are the primary breeding area of migratory waterfowl in the United States. If production of waterfowl is to continue, suitable wetlands must be maintained, and even new wetlands created to offset those destroyed for agricultural use. The initial stage of the Garrison Diversion Unit calls for a normal annual diversion from Garrison Reservoir of 60,000 acre-feet of water for this purpose. Many prairie potholes contain large amounts of emergent aquatic vegetatjon known as hydrophytes. Determining the loss of water by transpiration from emergent hydrophytes was one of the major objectives of the present study of the hydrology of prairie potholes. Other hydrologic factors were studied later, but the first part of the study was devoted almost exclusively to the determination of evaporation and transpiration losses at groups of potholes in Ward, Stutsman, and Dickey Counties. The mass-transfer method was used, and by determining the variation in the mass-transfer coefficient throughout a season, the losses by evaporation and transpiration were determined separately. Separate determinations were accomplished by relating the emergent height and the moisture content of the hydrophytes to the rate of transpiration, as determined by the mass-transfer coefficient. Seasonal evaporation from the study potholes clear of vegetation was found to very nearly equal the generalized evaporation values published by the U.S. Weather Bureau. The effect of hydrophytes in potholes was twofold: their presence reduced evaporation from the water surfaces; and, at the height of the growing season, their transpiration rate, added to the reduced evaporation rate, frequently was greater than the evaporation rate from potholes clear of vegetation. Net seepage outflow from potholes was generally very small-less than 0.01 foot per day per unit of water surface. This rate of seepage was not insignificant, however, because it often amounted to more than one-fourth of the total seasonal .loss of water from a pothole. The source of water supplying the evapotranspiration losses was primarily precipitation on the water surface of a pothole pond. Augmenting this supply was basin inflowoverland flow, flow in channels, and seepage inflow. Of these, overland flow was estimated to have been the largest by far; direct observations were not possible. Basin inflow was very erratic; it depended on combinations of events, such as antecedent soil moisture and rainfall intensity, or depth of snow at time of melting and concurrent rainfall. The occurrences of these combinations were such that, for a given season (October-March or April-September), the total basin inflow generally showed little relation to total precipitation. The greatest inflows were associated with late snowmelt flowing over frozen ground. Following the evapotranspiration study, the effects of ground-water movement were investigated. All the study potholes were located in areas of glacial till in order to reduce the effect of seepage in the mass-transfer computations. Accordingly, ground-water movement was not a major factor in the water budget of the study potholes; however, it could be, in potholes located in areas of outwash sands and gravels, and in potholes in glacial till with only temporary ponds. Also, the direction of ground-water movement has a controlling effect on the water quality of a pothole pond. Where there is no seepage outflow or overflow, there is no mechanism for the removal of dissolved solids brought to the pond by basin inflow. Such potholes are saline-some even more so than sea water. Conversely, potholes that receive no seepage inflow generally contain fresh water and are usually not permanent. All conditions between these two extremes were found. The permanence of water in a pothole (the extent to which the water body is permanent) and its quality were found to have a direct and significant relation to the species of vegetation that grows under those conditions. In fact, the species of vegetation are excellent indicators of water quality and permanence, and the report contains a table listing the common species used as indicators and the conditions that they indicate. Many other facets of the hydrology of prairie potholes were investigated to ensure that no major factor was ignored, and the investigation results are described briefly.

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USGS1971

Waterfowl nesting on interstate highway right-of-way in North Dakota

We studied 630 acres of roadside along 23 miles of Interstate 94 in Stutsman County, North Dakota, to assess wildlife values of highway rights-of-way. We found 422 duck nests that had an overall success of 57 percent in 1968, 1969, and 1970. Mammalian predators were responsible for 85 percent of the destroyed nests. To test the effect of mowing on duck nest initiation and success, alternate 1-mile blocks of the study area were not mowed in the fall of 1968. In 1969 and 1970, significantly more ducks chose unmowed vegetation in preference to mowed vegetation for nest sites. Mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ), pintails ( A. acuta ), and gadwalls ( A. strepera ) were especially responsive to unmowed vegetation. Success of duck nests in unmowed vegetation was 62 percent compared with 51 percent in mowed vegetation. Sixteen percent of the nests were unhatched by July 5, the beginning mowing date previously recommended by the North Dakota Highway Department. Wildlife killed by traffic did not increase when half the mile blocks were unmowed, and no significant difference was observed in buildup of snow between mowed and unmowed blocks in the winter of 1968-69. Of 182 motorists interviewed in the study area, 82 percent had not noticed the unmowed rights-of-way. We strongly recommend no mowing of ditch bottoms or back slopes, minimal mowing of inslopes, and no mowing before July 20 to enhance waterfowl nesting and to reduce maintenance costs of highway rights-of-way in duck-producing regions.

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USGS1971

Ground-water resources of Walsh County, northeastern North Dakota

This investigation is part of a statewide program to determine the location, extent, and nature of the ground-water reservoirs (aquifers); to evaluate the occurrence and movement of ground water within these aquifers, including the sources and areas of recharge and discharge; to estimate the potential yields of wells tapping the major aquifers; and to determine the chemical quality of the ground water.

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USGS1971

Preliminary geologic map of the Dengate quadrangle, Morton County, North Dakota

The Dengate quadrangle is an area of approximately 51 square miles in western Morton County, southwestern North Dakota. The quadrangle is about 40 miles west of Bismarck, the State capitol (fig. 1) and about 3.5 miles east of Glen Ullin (population 1,087). Interstate Highway 94,U.S. Highway 10, and the Northern Pacific Railroad cross the northern part of the area in an east-west direction. The Dengate quadrangle is one of a group of 14 adjoining 71/2-minute quadrangles (fig. 1) that are being mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey to furnish a basis for classification of lands withdrawn by the Federal Government pending classification for coal, and to contribute to the geologic map atlas of the United States. Most of the fieldwork for the Dengate quadrangle was done during the late summers and early autumns of 1965 and 1966. During the summer of 1966, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a drilling program in the Dengate and nearby quadrangles (Smith, 1970) to gather information on the existence, thickness, and depth of lignite beds in withdrawn Federal lands. Two of the holes drilled are in the Dengate quadrangle.

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USGS1971

Thermal study of the Missouri River in North Dakota using infrared imagery

Studies of infrared imagery obtained from aircraft at 305- to 1,524- meter altitudes indicate the feasibility of monitoring thermal changes attributable to the operation of thermal-electric plants and storage reservoirs, as well as natural phenomena such as tributary inflow and ground-water seeps, in large rivers. No identifiable sources of ground-water inflow below t he surface of the river could be found in the imagery. The thermal patterns from the generating plants and the major tri butary inflow are readily apparent in imagery obtained from an altitude of 305 meters. Though the patterns are generally discernible in the imagery from 1,067-meter and 1,524-meter altitudes, there is not sufficient ground resolution to make any but the most general qualitative analyses. The quality of the imagery varied with land-water temperature relations as well as with instrument properties. Portions of the tape-recorded imagery were processed in a color-coded quantization to enhance the displays and to attach quantitative significance to the data. Apparent radiant temperature computations from the 305-meter imagery were generally within l° Celsius of ground-truth data. The study indicates a marked decrease in water temperature in the Missouri River prior to early fall and a moderate increase in temperature in late fall because of the Lake Sakakawea impoundment. At the present time, thermal additions generated by the powerplants have little effect on the temperature regimen of the Missouri River at high rates of river discharge.

North Dakota↗
USGS1971

Application of remote sensing techniques for appraising changes in wildlife habitat

An attempt was made to investigate the potential of airborne, multispectral, line scanner data acquisition and computer-implemented automatic recognition techniques for providing useful information about waterfowl breeding habitat in North Dakota. The spectral characteristics of the components of a landscape containing waterfowl habitat can be detected with airborne scanners. By analyzing these spectral characteristics it is possible to identify and map the landscape components through analog and digital processing methods. At the present stage of development multispectral remote sensing techniques are not ready for operational application to surveys of migratory bird habitat and other such resources. Further developments are needed to: (1) increase accuracy; (2) decrease retrieval and processing time; and (3) reduce costs.

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