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At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
USGS2008

Application of Wind Fetch and Wave Models for Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects

Models based upon coastal engineering equations have been developed to quantify wind fetch length and several physical wave characteristics including significant height, length, peak period, maximum orbital velocity, and shear stress. These models, developed using Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS 9.2 Geographic Information System platform, were used to quantify differences in proposed island construction designs for three Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects (HREPs) in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District (Capoli Slough and Harpers Slough) and St. Louis District (Swan Lake). Weighted wind fetch was calculated using land cover data supplied by the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) for each island design scenario for all three HREPs. Figures and graphs were created to depict the results of this analysis. The difference in weighted wind fetch from existing conditions to each potential future island design was calculated for Capoli and Harpers Slough HREPs. A simplistic method for calculating sediment suspension probability was also applied to the HREPs in the St. Paul District. This analysis involved determining the percentage of days that maximum orbital wave velocity calculated over the growing seasons of 2002-2007 exceeded a threshold value taken from the literature where fine unconsolidated sediments may become suspended. This analysis also evaluated the difference in sediment suspension probability from existing conditions to the potential island designs. Bathymetric data used in the analysis were collected from the LTRMP and wind direction and magnitude data were collected from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2014

Permafrost-associated gas hydrate: is it really approximately 1% of the global system?

Permafrost-associated gas hydrates are often assumed to contain ∼1 % of the global gas-in-place in gas hydrates based on a study26 published over three decades ago. As knowledge of permafrost-associated gas hydrates has grown, it has become clear that many permafrost-associated gas hydrates are inextricably linked to an associated conventional petroleum system, and that their formation history (trapping of migrated gas in situ during Pleistocene cooling) is consistent with having been sourced at least partially in nearby thermogenic gas deposits. Using modern data sets that constrain the distribution of continuous permafrost onshore5 and subsea permafrost on circum-Arctic Ocean continental shelves offshore and that estimate undiscovered conventional gas within arctic assessment units,16 the done here reveals where permafrost-associated gas hydrates are most likely to occur, concluding that Arctic Alaska and the West Siberian Basin are the best prospects. A conservative estimate is that 20 Gt C (2.7·1013 kg CH4) may be sequestered in permafrost-associated gas hydrates if methane were the only hydrate-former. This value is slightly more than 1 % of modern estimates (corresponding to 1600 Gt C to 1800 Gt C2,22) for global gas-in-place in methane hydrates and about double the absolute estimate (11.2 Gt C) made in 1981.26

Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data↗
USGS2007

Recommendations for a barrier island breach management plan for Fire Island National Seashore, including the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness Area, Long Island, New York

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers, New York District is developing engineering plans, including economic costs and benefits, for storm damage reduction along an 83 mile stretch of the coastal barrier islands and beaches on the south shore of Long Island, NY from Fire Island Inlet east to the Montauk Point headland. The plan, expected to include various alternatives for storm protection and erosion mitigation, is referred to as the Fire Island to Montauk Point Reformulation Plan (FIMP). These plans are expected to follow the Corps of Engineers’ Environmental Operating Principles striving for long term environmental sustainability and balance between environmental protection and protection of human health and property. Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS), a 19,579 acre unit of the National Park System includes a 32 mile long coastal barrier island located within the FIMP project area. A seven-mile section of the park, Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness Area, is also a designated Federal Wilderness Area. The FIIS includes not only the barrier island and sand dunes, but also several islands, sand flats and wetlands landward of the barrier, submerged parts of Great South Bay shoreface, extending approximately 4,000 feet into the bay with the inner shelf region extending approximately 1,000 feet seaward of the Fire Island shoreline. The Fire Island barrier islands, a sand-starved system dominated by highly dynamic processes, are struggling to maintain their integrity in the face of sea-level rise and storms. Adding to the dilemma is that development on the barriers and the mainland has increased greatly during the past 50 years. As such, managers and decision makers in federal agencies, state agencies and local governments are challenged to balance tradeoffs between protection of lives and property, public access and long term conservation of natural habitats and processes and the plants and animals that depend on these habitats. National Park Service (NPS) policy stipulates that natural coastal processes be maintained to the greatest extent possible and not be impeded so as to conserve landforms, habitats and natural ecosystem resources that reply on the landforms and processes for long-term sustainability of the national park. Storms and associated processes such as waves, tides, currents and relative sea-level change are critical elements for the formation and evolution of these barrier islands, sand dunes, back-barrier sand flats and lagoons and vegetated wetlands. Processes such as wave run-up, overwash and barrier beaching, which occur during elevated storm surge are all necessary processes in enabling the efficient transfer of sediments, nutrients and marine water from the Atlantic Ocean across barriers and into Great South Bay. A large body of scientific data and information published over the past 50 years shows that such transfers of sediment and water from the ocean to the bays are essential for the long-term maintenance of the barrier island and back-bay systems and their biologically diverse habitats an d ecosystems. Current relative sea-level rise (~12 in/century) is chronic and pervasive in driving Long Island coastal change and with the likelihood of accelerating sea level rise in the near future, coastal hazards such as erosion, inundation, and storm surge flooding will increase, with corresponding increased risk to life and property on both Fire Island and on the mainland. In addition, the cumulative effects over the past century and more, both direct and indirect, of human impacts on the Long Island coast have altered the barrier beach and dunes and sediment transport processes. These impacts have likely increased the potential for breaching and increased risk to life and property on the coast and the mainland. Examples of direct impacts are: the stone jetties at Moriches, Shinnecock, and Fire Island tidal inlets and groin field structures at Westhampton that alter littoral processes, armoring and erosion-control stabilization of the headlandds such as the Montauk Point headlands, and deepening of navigation channels by dredging through the tidal inlets and in the bays. Indirect impacts that have a bearing on decisions to deal with breaching are: high-risk development of the barrier islands and low-lying areas of the mainland vulnerable to flooding, and the dredging of nearshore sand shoals for beach nourishment. The NPS strives to employ a coastal management framework for decision making that is based on assessment of the physical and ecological properties of the shoreline as well as human welfare and property. In order to protect developed areas of Fire Island and the mainland from loss of life, flooding, and other economic and physical damage, the NPS will likely need to consider allowing artificial closure of some breaches within the FIIS under certain circumstances. The decision by the NPS to allow breaches to evolve naturally and possibly close or to allow artificially closing breaches is based on four criteria: 1. Volumes of sediment transported landward and exchange of water and nutrients; 2. Elevated water levels and flooding risk to mainland life and property; 3. Engineering processes of artificial closure; and 4. Economic costs and benefits of artificial closure. This report for breach management presents protocols which specify when breach closures within the FIIS might be desirable and necessary, as well as provides recommendations for structural breach closure engineering operations which are indented to minimize negative impacts to the natural wilderness values and cultural resources within the FIIS, particularly the Otis Pike Wilderness Area. The goal of the plan is to strike a balance between protecting natural resources and allowing natural processes to operate and avoiding loss of life and excessive property damage.

New York↗
USGS1991

Stress magnitudes in the crust: constraints from stress orientation and relative magnitude data

The World Stress Map Project is a global cooperative effort to compile and interpret data on the orientation and relative magnitudes of the contemporary in situ tectonic stress field in the Earth's lithosphere. The intraplate stress field in both the oceans and continents is largely compressional with one or both of the horizontal stresses greater than the vertical stress. The regionally uniform horizontal intraplate stress orientations are generally consistent with either relative or absolute plate motions indicating that plate-boundary forces dominate the stress distribution within the plates. Current models of stresses due to whole mantle flow inferred from seismic topography models predict a general compressional stress state within continents but do not match the broad-scale horizontal stress orientations. The broad regionally uniform intraplate stress orientations are best correlated with compressional plate-boundary forces and the geometry of the plate boundaries. -from Authors

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A:↗
USGS2016

Seasonal electrical resistivity surveys of a coastal bluff, Barter Island, North Slope Alaska

Select coastal regions of the North Slope of Alaska are experiencing high erosion rates that can be attributed in part to recent warming trends and associated increased storm intensity and frequency. The upper sediment column of the coastal North Slope of Alaska can be described as continuous permafrost underlying a thin (typically less than 1–2 m) active layer that responds variably to seasonal thaw cycles. Assessing the temporal and spatial variability of the active layer and underlying permafrost is essential to better constrain how heightened erosion may impact material fluxes to the atmosphere and the coastal ocean, and how enhanced thaw cycles may impact the stability of the coastal bluffs. In this study, multi-channel electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was used to image shallow subsurface features of a coastal bluff west of Kaktovik, on Barter Island, northeast Alaska. A comparison of a suite of paired resistivity surveys conducted in early and late summer 2014 provided detailed information on how the active layer and permafrost are impacted during the short Arctic summer. Such results are useful in the development of coastal resilience models that tie together fluvial, terrestrial, climatic, geologic, and oceanographic forcings on shoreline stability.

Alaska↗
USGS2010

Aviation response to a widely dispersed volcanic ash and gas cloud from the August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi, Alaska, USA

The extensive volcanic cloud from Kasatochi's 2008 eruption caused widespread disruptions to aviation operations along Pacific oceanic, Canadian, and U.S. air routes. Based on aviation hazard warnings issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Meteorological Service of Canada, air carriers largely avoided the volcanic cloud over a 5 day period by route modifications and flight cancellations. Comparison of time coincident GOES thermal infrared (TIR) data for ash detection with Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) ultraviolet data for SO 2 detection shows congruent areas of ash and gas in the volcanic cloud in the 2 days following onset of ash production. After about 2.5 days, the area of SO 2 detected by OMI was more extensive than the area of ash indicated by TIR data, indicating significant ash depletion by fall out had occurred. Pilot reports of visible haze at cruise altitudes over Canada and the northern United States suggested that SO 2 gas had converted to sulfate aerosols. Uncertain about the hazard potential of the aging cloud, airlines coped by flying over, under, or around the observed haze layer. Samples from a nondamaging aircraft encounter with Kasatochi's nearly 3 day old cloud contained volcanic silicate particles, confirming that some fine ash is present in predominantly gas clouds. The aircraft's exposure to ash was insufficient to cause engine damage; however, slightly damaging encounters with volcanic clouds from eruptions of Reventador in 2002 and Hekla in 2000 indicate the possibility of lingering hazards associated with old and/or diffuse volcanic clouds.

Alaska↗
USGS2025

Continuous stream discharge, salinity, and associated data collected in the lower St. Johns River and its tributaries, Florida, 2022

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, deepened the St. Johns River channel in Jacksonville, Florida, to accommodate larger, fully loaded cargo vessels. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, monitored stage, discharge, and (or) water temperature and salinity at 26 continuous data collection sites in the St. Johns River and its tributaries. This report contains information collected during the 2022 water year, from October 2021 to September 2022. Data at each site were compared for the length of the project and on a yearly basis to show the annual variability of discharge and salinity. The countywide annual rainfall for the 2022 water year was above the average yearly rainfall in four of the five counties. Annual mean discharge at 8 of the 10 tributary monitoring sites was lower for the 2022 water year than for the 2021 water year, and the annual mean flow at Broward River below Biscayne Boulevard near Jacksonville, Florida (USGS site number 02246751), was the lowest recorded at that site over the 7 years of data collection. The annual mean discharge for each of the main-stem sites was lower for the 2022 water year than for the 2021 water year. Among the tributary sites, annual mean salinity was highest at Clapboard Creek above Buckhorn Bluff near Jacksonville, Fla. (USGS site number 302657081312400), the site closest to the Atlantic Ocean, and was lowest at Durbin Creek near Fruit Cove, Fla. (USGS site number 022462002), the site farthest from the ocean, for all years. Annual mean salinity data from the main-stem sites indicate that salinity decreased with distance upstream from the ocean, which was expected. Annual mean salinity at all monitoring locations was higher for the 2022 water year than the 2021 water year, except at St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff near Satsuma, Fla. (USGS site number 02244040) and St. Johns River at Dancy Point near Spuds, Fla. (USGS site number 294213081345300), which remained the same. St. Johns River Shands Bridge near Green Cove Springs, Fla. (USGS site number 295856081372301) and Durbin Creek near Fruit Cove, Fla. (USGS site number 022462002) had the highest annual mean salinities at their respective sites since data collection began.

Florida↗
USGS1995

Sea level change: lessons from the geologic record

Rising sea level is potentially one of the most serious impacts of climatic change. Even a small sea level rise would have serious economic consequences because it would cause extensive damage to the world's coastal regions. Sea level can rise in the future because the ocean surface can expand due to warming and because polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers can melt, increasing the ocean's volume of water. Today, ice caps on Antarctica and Greenland contain 91 and 8 percent of the world's ice, respectively. The world's mountain glaciers together contain only about 1 percent. Melting all this ice would raise sea level about 80 meters. Although this extreme scenario is not expected, geologists know that sea level can rise and fall rapidly due to changing volume of ice on continents. For example, during the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago, continental ice sheets contained more than double the modem volume of ice. As ice sheets melted, sea level rose 2 to 3 meters per century, and possibly faster during certain times. During periods in which global climate was very warm, polar ice was reduced and sea level was higher than today.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2008

Surface temperatures of the Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic Ocean: Implications for future climate

The Mid-Pliocene is the most recent interval in the Earth's history to have experienced warming of the magnitude predicted for the second half of the twenty-first century and is, therefore, a possible analogue for future climate conditions. With continents basically in their current positions and atmospheric CO 2 similar to early twenty-first century values, the cause of Mid-Pliocene warmth remains elusive. Understanding the behaviour of the North Atlantic Ocean during the Mid-Pliocene is integral to evaluating future climate scenarios owing to its role in deep water formation and its sensitivity to climate change. Under the framework of the Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) sea surface reconstruction, we synthesize Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic studies by PRISM members and others, describing each region of the North Atlantic in terms of palaeoceanography. We then relate Mid-Pliocene sea surface conditions to expectations of future warming. The results of the data and climate model comparisons suggest that the North Atlantic is more sensitive to climate change than is suggested by climate model simulations, raising the concern that estimates of future climate change are conservative.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A:↗
USGS2013

Thermokarst and thaw-related landscape dynamics -- an annotated bibliography with an emphasis on potential effects on habitat and wildlife

Permafrost has warmed throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere since the 1980s, with colder permafrost sites warming more rapidly (Romanovsky and others, 2010; Smith and others, 2010). Warming of the near-surface permafrost may lead to widespread terrain instability in ice-rich permafrost in the Arctic and the Subarctic, and may result in thermokarst development and other thaw-related landscape features (Jorgenson and others, 2006; Gooseff and others, 2009). Thermokarst and other thaw-related landscape features result from varying modes and scales of permafrost thaw, subsidence, and removal of material. An increase in active-layer depth, water accumulation on the soil surface, permafrost degradation and associated retreat of the permafrost table, and changes to lake shores and coastal bluffs act and interact to create thermokarst and other thaw-related landscape features (Shur and Osterkamp, 2007). There is increasing interest in the spatial and temporal dynamics of thermokarst and other thaw-related features from diverse disciplines including landscape ecology, hydrology, engineering, and biogeochemistry. Therefore, there is a need to synthesize and disseminate knowledge on the current state of near-surface permafrost terrain. The term "thermokarst" originated in the Russian literature, and its scientific use has varied substantially over time (Shur and Osterkamp, 2007). The modern definition of thermokarst refers to the process by which characteristic landforms result from the thawing of ice-rich permafrost or the melting of massive ice (van Everdingen, 1998), or, more specifically, the thawing of ice-rich permafrost and (or) melting of massive ice that result in consolidation and deformation of the soil surface and formation of specific forms of relief (Shur, 1988). Jorgenson (2013) identifies 23 distinct thermokarst and other thaw-related features in the Arctic, Subarctic, and Antarctic based primarily on differences in terrain condition, ground-ice volume, and heat and mass transfer processes. Typical Arctic thermokarst landforms include thermokarst lakes, collapsed pingos, sinkholes, and pits. Thermokarst is differentiated from thermal erosion, which refers to the erosion of the land surface by thermal and mechanical processes (Mackay, 1970; van Everdingen, 1998). Typical thermal erosional features include thermo-erosional gullies. Thermal abrasion is further differentiated from thermokarst and thermal erosion by association with the reworking of ocean, river, and lake bluffs (Are, 1988). Typical thermo-abrasion features include erosional niches at the base of bluffs. Thermal denudation is another distinct term that refers to the effect of incoming solar energy on the thaw of frozen slopes and permafrost bodies that subsequently become transported downhill by gravity (Shur and Osterkamp, 2007). Active layer detachment slides and thaw slumps are typical thermal denudation features. Shur and Osterkamp (2007) noted that these various transport processes may occur together with thermokarst or in instances that would not be considered thermokarst. This compilation of references regarding thermokarst and other thaw-related features is focused on the Arctic and the Subarctic. References were drawn from North America as well as Siberia. English-language literature mostly was targeted, with 167 references annotated in version 1.0; however, an additional 28 Russian-language references were taken from Shur and Osterkamp (2007) and are provided at the end of this document. This compilation may be missing key references and inevitably will become outdated soon after publication. We hope that this document, version 1.0, will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive compilation of thermokarst and permafrost-terrain stability references, and that it will be updated continually over the coming years.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2026

Continuous stream discharge, salinity, and associated data collected in the lower St. Johns River and its tributaries, Florida, 2023

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, deepened the St. Johns River channel in Jacksonville, Florida, to accommodate larger, fully loaded cargo vessels. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, monitored stage, discharge, and (or) water temperature and salinity at 26 continuous data collection sites in the St. Johns River and its tributaries. This report contains information collected during the 2023 water year, from October 2022 to September 2023. Data at each site were compared for the length of the project, 8 years so far, and on a yearly basis to show the annual variability of discharge and salinity. The countywide annual rainfall for the 2023 water year was below the average yearly rainfall in four of the five counties. Annual mean discharge at 9 of the 10 tributary monitoring sites was lower for the 2023 water year than for the 2022 water year, and the annual mean flow at Broward River below Biscayne Boulevard near Jacksonville, Florida (USGS site number 02246751), was the lowest recorded at that site for the 8 years of data collection. The annual mean discharge for each of the main-stem sites was higher for the 2023 water year than for the 2022 water year and was above the average for the 8 years of data collected so far. Among the tributary sites, annual mean salinity was highest at Clapboard Creek above Buckhorn Bluff near Jacksonville, Fla. (USGS site number 302657081312400), the site closest to the Atlantic Ocean, and was lowest at Durbin Creek near Fruit Cove, Fla. (USGS site number 022462002), the site farthest from the ocean, for all years. Annual mean salinity data from the main-stem sites indicate that salinity decreased with distance upstream from the ocean, which was expected. Annual mean salinity for the 2023 water year was higher than or equal to that of the 2022 water year for all main-stem and tributary sites, except at St. Johns River at Dancy Point near Spuds, Fla. (USGS site number 294213081345300), which was lower. Three main-stem monitoring stations (USGS site numbers 295856081372301, 02245340, and 301057081414800) and six tributary monitoring stations (USGS site numbers 300803081354500, 022462002, 301204081434900, 02246459, 02246518, and 02246804) either had the highest annual mean salinities or tied with the highest annual mean salinities at their respective sites since data collection began.

Florida↗
USGS2006

An overview of the global variability in radiated energy and apparent stress

a global study of radiated seismic energies ER and apparent stresses τ a reveals systematic patterns. earthquakes with the highest apparent stress occur in regions of intense deformation and rupture strong lithosphere. in oceanic settings, these are strike-slip earthquakes (τ a up to 27 Mpa) occurring intraplate or at evolving ends of transform faults. at subduction zones and intracontinental settings, these are strike slip earthquakes with τ a up to 7 Mpa. normal-fault earthquakes exhibit a more complex pattern. higher τ a ’s (up to5Mpa) are found for intraslab events at depths from 35 to 70 km that occur near zones of intense deformation such as a sharp slab bend or the juncture of colliding slabs. lower τ a ’s (< 1 Mpa) are found for normal-fault earthquakes at the outer rise and outer trench wall or deep in flat warm slabs. the lowest average τ a (0.3 Mpa) is found for thrust-fault earthquakes at subduction zones. the variation of average apparent stress with tectonics suggests a relationship with lithospheric strength and fault maturity. Mature faults, such as plate boundaries that have experienced large cumulative slip, appear to have low strength and tend to yield earthquakes with low apparent stresses. immature faults, in contrast, are stronger and yield high apparent stresses because either they are the result of fresh-rock fracture or at least their cumulative fault slip is quite small. these results have implications of use to the seismic engineering community because ER and its magnitude counterpart Me are reliable indicators of the potential for damaging ground motion.

Book chapter↗
USGS2021

Advances in the use of lampricides to control sea lampreys in the Laurentian Great Lakes, 2000–2019

The periodic application of chemical lampricides that selectively kill larval sea lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus ) in their nursery habitats remains a primary component of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s (GLFC) Sea Lamprey Control Program in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Lampricides include 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and niclosamide, the 2-aminoethanol salt of 2′, 5-dichloro-4′-nitrosalicylanilide, which may be used as an additive to TFM during stream treatments, or alone in a granular, bottom-release formulation to target sea lamprey larvae in deepwater environments where dilution would render TFM ineffective. During the early 1990s, the GLFC identified lampricide reduction targets in response to societal concerns with pesticide use, rising lampricide costs, and promising research into alternative controls. By 1999, the GLFC’s control agents, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), had reduced TFM use by 36%. However, without effective alternative methods to compensate for increasing larval and juvenile production, sea lamprey abundance and lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) marking rates rose throughout the Great Lakes. Beginning in the early 2000s, the GLFC and its control agents responded to burgeoning sea lamprey populations by implementing measures to advance the use of lampricides, which included: 1) assessing and controlling sea lamprey larvae that survived treatment; 2) enhancing treatment efficacy; 3) developing new technology to effectively treat larval populations that inhabit deepwater environments; 4) increasing operational capacity to treat more tributaries and lentic areas at shorter intervals; and, 5) conducting large-scale and targeted treatment strategies. When comparing lampricide use between the decades of 1990–1999 and 2010–2019, significant increases occurred in the mean number of treatments and amounts of TFM and niclosamide applied annually. Concurrent with these actions, researchers undertook studies to identify factors that erode lampricide treatment efficiency, elucidate physiological mode of action, and investigate lethal and sub-lethal impacts of lampricide exposure on aquatic organisms. By integrating new operational tactics and strategies with advances in science and technology, the GLFC, DFO, and USFWS, with support from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have achieved unprecedented suppression of sea lampreys and reduction in lake trout marking in the Great Lakes. However, emerging challenges potentially threaten the future use of lampricides.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS2013

Evaluation of the behavior and movement patterns of adult coho salmon and steelhead in the North Fork Toutle River, Washington, 2005-2009

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens severely affected the North Fork Toutle River (hereafter Toutle River), Washington, and threatened anadromous salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations in the basin. The Toutle River was further affected in 1989 when a sediment retention structure (SRS) was constructed to trap sediments in the upper basin. The SRS completely blocked upstream volitional passage, so a fish collection facility (FCF) was constructed to trap adult coho salmon (O. kisutch) and steelhead (O. mykiss) so they could be transported upstream of the SRS. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has operated a trap-and-haul program since 1989 to transport coho salmon and steelhead into tributaries of the Toutle River, upstream of the SRS. Although this program has allowed wild coho salmon and steelhead populations to persist in the Toutle River basin, the trap-andhaul program has faced many challenges that may be limiting the effectiveness of the program. We conducted a multi-year evaluation during 2005–2009 to monitor tagged fish in the upper Toutle River to provide information on the movements and behavior of adult coho salmon and steelhead, and to evaluate the efficacy of the FCF. Radio-tagged coho salmon and steelhead were released: (1) in Toutle River tributaries to evaluate the behavior and movements of fish released as part of the trap-and-haul program; (2) between the FCF and SRS to determine if volitional upstream passage through the SRS spillway was possible; (3) in the sediment plain upstream of the SRS to determine if volitional passage through the sediment plain was possible; and (4) downstream of the FCF to evaluate the efficacy of the structure. We also deployed an acoustic camera in the FCF to monitor fish movements near the entrance to the FCF, and in the fish holding vault where coho salmon and steelhead are trapped. A total of 20 radio-tagged coho salmon and 10 radio-tagged steelhead were released into Alder and Hoffstadt Creeks, the locations where trap-and-haul fish were released during 2005–2006. None of the tagged fish left the tributaries where they were released, but four radio tags were detected near the release sites, and it was not possible to determine if this was because the transmitters were regurgitated, or if some of the tagged fish had died. The results from this portion of the study indicated that trap-and-haul fish remain in the tributaries where they can spawn, but the trap-and-haul process is labor-intensive, and handling stress and mortality could occur. Tagged-fish releases upstream of the FCF showed that the SRS spillway was a complete migration barrier for all coho salmon and most steelhead. We released a total of 20 radio-tagged coho salmon and 23 radio-tagged steelhead during 2005–2007. No tagged coho salmon passed upstream through the SRS spillway, whereas 13 percent of the radio-tagged steelhead did migrate upstream through the structure. Radio-tagged coho salmon and steelhead that did not pass upstream remained in the FCF–SRS reach for an average of 7.5 and 16.1 d, respectively, before moving downstream. These data show that trap-and-haul releases of fish immediately upstream of the FCF would not be beneficial to coho salmon and steelhead populations in the system. Releasing tagged fish into the sediment plain was only moderately successful for coho salmon, but a large percentage of tagged steelhead moved upstream through the sediment plain to areas where spawning could presumably occur. During 2005–2009, we released 47 tagged coho salmon and 65 tagged steelhead into the sediment plain. Only 28 percent of the coho salmon were later detected upstream of the sediment plain, and the highest percentage of the release group (62 percent) never left the sediment plain. However, 69 percent of the steelhead moved upstream through the sediment plain and entered Toutle River tributaries or remained in the mainstem Toutle River where spawning could presumably occur. Adult steelhead can survive freshwater spawning, outmigrate to the ocean, and then return to spawn in successive years; 12 percent of the tagged steelhead successfully moved downstream of the FCF after the spawning period, and 5 percent of the tagged steelhead returned to the FCF a year after they were originally tagged. Evaluations at the FCF showed that the structure was not efficient at collecting adult salmon. During 2008–2009, 9 radio-tagged coho salmon and 11 radio-tagged steelhead were released to observe behavior near the facility and to estimate the recapture rate in the FCF. None of the tagged coho salmon were recaptured and only 27 percent of the tagged steelhead were recaptured. Additionally, we observed fish behavior at the FCF with an acoustic camera and found that relatively large numbers (>100 fish/sampling period) of adult salmon entered the FCF but similar numbers of fish exited during these periods as well. This suggested that the efficacy of the FCF was low. Our study was limited by the number of fish that could be handled each year and the number of transmitters that could be purchased annually, but our evaluations provided the first empirical data on adult salmon behavior and movement patterns in the Toutle River since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Since the completion of this work, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has altered the SRS spillway and sediment plain; however, our results do provide information to assist fishery managers tasked with the complex management of wild salmon populations in the Toutle River. Future evaluations of juvenile and adult salmon behavior and movement likely will be required to effectively manage these populations in this complex system.

Washington↗
USGS1979

Palladium, platinum, and rhodium concentrations in mafic and ultramafic rocks from the Kizildag and Guleman areas, Turkey, and the Faryab and Esfandagheh-Abdasht areas, Iran

The Kizildag and Guleman areas, Turkey, and the Faryab and Esfandagheh-Abdasht areas, Iran, have produced chromite from ophiolite complexes consisting of harzburgite tectonite, dunite tectonite containing chromitite, pyroxenite, wehrlite, and gabbro. Forty-six samples from these complexes were analyzed in order to investigate the possibility of platinum-group metals being present that could be produced as byproducts. The results, however, indicate concentrations of palladium, platinum, and rhodium ranging up to 46 ppb (parts per billion), 55 ppb, and 24 ppb, respectively. The concentration levels and ratios of these metals are similar to other alpine ultramafic bodies that have been analyzed by modern analytical techniques. Ten samples from massive sulfide deposits in the Gunes and Ergani-Maden areas, Turkey, and the Sheikh Ali mine, Iran, were analyzed also. The results of the analysis suggests a low potential for byproduct palladium, platinum, and rhodium production in these ophiolite-associated massive sulfide deposits. The four ultramafic and mafic areas in Turkey and Iran under consideration have, and are, producing in 1978 chromite from podiform chromitites in alpine-type complexes. Because of the known association of chromitites and platinum-group metals, a collection of chromitites was made to check their palladium, platinum, and rhodium content to determine if economic concentrations might exist. Also, inasmuch as such rocks are thought to represent parts of the oceanic crust and upper mantle, data on platinum-group elements from these rocks can provide information to design geochemical models for the distribution of these elements. During the field excursions of the CENTO Working Group on Volcanic and Intrusive Rocks and Their Associated Ore Deposits, the Kizildag and Gunes areas, Turkey, were sampled in 1974 and the Guleman area, Turkey; Faryab and Esfandagheh-Abdasht areas, Iran, were sampled in 1975. In addition, samples of massive sulfide ores from the Ergani-Maden area, Turkey, were also collected for analysis, and the results included here. In this report the geologic framework of these areas is briefly examined as a background for interpreting the concentrations of palladium, platinum, and rhodium in the chromitites and ultramafic and mafic rocks. Comparisons of these analyses with analyses from other areas containing similar rocks show few differences in concentration or proportions of these three platinum-group metals.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Toward production from gas hydrates: Current status, assessment of resources, and simulation-based evaluation of technology and potential

Gas hydrates (GHs) are a vast energy resource with global distribution in the permafrost and in the oceans. Even if conservative estimates are considered and only a small fraction is recoverable, the sheer size of the resource is so large that it demands evaluation as a potential energy source. In this review paper, we discuss the distribution of natural GH accumulations, the status of the primary international research and development (R&D) programs, and the remaining science and technological challenges facing the commercialization of production. After a brief examination of GH accumulations that are well characterized and appear to be models for future development and gas production, we analyze the role of numerical simulation in the assessment of the hydrate-production potential, identify the data needs for reliable predictions, evaluate the status of knowledge with regard to these needs, discuss knowledge gaps and their impact, and reach the conclusion that the numerical-simulation capabilities are quite advanced and that the related gaps either are not significant or are being addressed. We review the current body of literature relevant to potential productivity from different types of GH deposits and determine that there are consistent indications of a large production potential at high rates across long periods from a wide variety of hydrate deposits. Finally, we identify (a) features, conditions, geology and techniques that are desirable in potential production targets; (b) methods to maximize production; and (c) some of the conditions and characteristics that render certain GH deposits undesirable for production. Copyright ?? 2009 Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2004

Formation, evolution, and stability of coastal cliffs: Status and trends

The Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council recently reviewed the U.S. Geological Survey's Coastal and Marine Geology (USGS-CMG) program. One of the Board's primary recommendations was that CMG prepare comprehensive assessments of the nation's coastal and marine regions, drawing on expertise not only from within the USGS, but also from outside agencies and academic institutions. In response to that recommendation, this report assesses the status and trends of coastal cliffs along the shorelines of the conterminous United States and the Great Lakes. By "status" is meant the present distribution and character of coastal cliffs, as well as their current relevance to social issues such as coastal development. By "trends" is meant the changes in status caused by both geological forces and human activities. Coastal cliffs are steep escarpments at the coastline. They commonly form during times of rising sea level, such as the present, as the shoreline advances landward and erodes the elevated landmass. Coastal cliffs are a common landform, particularly on the west, northeast, and Great Lakes coasts of the United States, as well as within large estuaries. The land adjacent to coastal cliffs has been heavily developed along much of the coast, particularly in urban areas where the natural instability and progressive retreat of the cliffs pose a threat to life and property. Coastal land is permanently lost when coastal cliffs collapse and retreat landward, which is an important national issue in coastal planning, management, and engineering. The content of this report was derived from the personal expertise of the authors and from the extensive scientific literature concerned with coastal cliffs. As a report to the Nation, it is intended for a broad audience. Both topical and regional aspects are presented. It is important to recognize that the emphasis of this report is on the geology of coastal cliffs; engineering, land-use, and regulatory issues are addressed only where there is a clear link to the geologic nature of coastal cliffs. The editors appreciate the thorough and careful review of the entire manuscript by Alan Trenhaile and Laura Moore. Their editing, comments, and questions greatly improved the content and clarity of the final report.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2020

Mariana serpentinite mud volcanism exhumes subducted seamount materials: Implications for the origin of life

The subduction of seamounts and ridge features at convergent plate boundaries plays an important role in the deformation of the overriding plate and influences geochemical cycling and associated biological processes. Active serpentinization of forearc mantle and serpentinite mud volcanism on the Mariana forearc (between the trench and active volcanic arc) provides windows on subduction processes. Here, we present (1) the first observation of an extensive exposure of an undeformed Cretaceous seamount currently being subducted at the Mariana Trench inner slope; (2) vertical deformation of the forearc region related to subduction of Pacific Plate seamounts and thickened crust; (3) recovered Ocean Drilling Program and International Ocean Discovery Program cores of serpentinite mudflows that confirm exhumation of various Pacific Plate lithologies, including subducted reef limestone; (4) petrologic, geochemical and paleontological data from the cores that show that Pacific Plate seamount exhumation covers greater spatial and temporal extents; (5) the inference that microbial communities associated with serpentinite mud volcanism may also be exhumed from the subducted plate seafloor and/or seamounts; and (6) the implications for effects of these processes with regard to evolution of life.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A:↗