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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
USGS2017

Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection

Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is a powerful tool for tackling many of the challenges faced in the field of conservation biology. We describe the two interwoven paths by which citizen science can improve conservation efforts, natural resource management, and environmental protection. The first path includes building scientific knowledge, while the other path involves informing policy and encouraging public action. We explore how citizen science is currently used and describe the investments needed to create a citizen science program. We find that: Citizen science already contributes substantially to many domains of science, including conservation, natural resource, and environmental science. Citizen science informs natural resource management, environmental protection, and policymaking and fosters public input and engagement. Many types of projects can benefit from citizen science, but one must be careful to match the needs for science and public involvement with the right type of citizen science project and the right method of public participation. Citizen science is a rigorous process of scientific discovery, indistinguishable from conventional science apart from the participation of volunteers. When properly designed, carried out, and evaluated, citizen science can provide sound science, efficiently generate high-quality data, and help solve problems.

Biological Conservation↗
USGS2001

The search for reliable aqueous solubility (Sw) and octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) data for hydrophobic organic compounds; DDT and DDE as a case study

The accurate determination of an organic contaminant’s physico-chemical properties is essential for predicting its environmental impact and fate. Approximately 700 publications (1944–2001) were reviewed and all known aqueous solubilities (S w ) and octanol-water partition coefficients (K ow ) for the organochlorine pesticide, DDT, and its persistent metabolite, DDE were compiled and examined. Two problems are evident with the available database: 1) egregious errors in reporting data and references, and 2) poor data quality and/or inadequate documentation of procedures. The published literature (particularly the collative literature such as compilation articles and handbooks) is characterized by a preponderance of unnecessary data duplication. Numerous data and citation errors are also present in the literature. The percentage of original S w and K ow data in compilations has decreased with time, and in the most recent publications (1994–97) it composes only 6–26 percent of the reported data. The variability of original DDT/DDE S w and K ow data spans 2–4 orders of magnitude, and there is little indication that the uncertainty in these properties has declined over the last 5 decades. A criteria-based evaluation of DDT/DDE S w and K ow data sources shows that 95–100 percent of the database literature is of poor or unevaluatable quality. The accuracy and reliability of the vast majority of the data are unknown due to inadequate documentation of the methods of determination used by the authors. [For example, estimates of precision have been reported for only 20 percent of experimental S w data and 10 percent of experimental K ow data.] Computational methods for estimating these parameters have been increasingly substituted for direct or indirect experimental determination despite the fact that the data used for model development and validation may be of unknown reliability. Because of the prevalence of errors, the lack of methodological documentation, and unsatisfactory data quality, the reliability of the DDT/ DDE S w and K ow database is questionable. The nature and extent of the errors documented in this study are probably indicative of a more general problem in the literature of hydrophobic organic compounds. Under these circumstances, estimation of critical environmental parameters on the basis of S w and K ow (for example, bioconcentration factors, equilibrium partition coefficients) is inadvisable because it will likely lead to incorrect environmental risk assessments. The current state of the database indicates that much greater efforts are needed to: 1) halt the proliferation of erroneous data and references, 2) initiate a coordinated program to develop improved methods of property determination, 3) establish and maintain consistent reporting requirements for physico-chemical property data, and 4) create a mechanism for archiving reliable data for widespread use in the scientific/regulatory community.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2019

Use of set blanks in reporting pesticide results at the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory, 2001-15

Executive Summary Background .—Pesticide results from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) are used for water-quality assessments by many agencies and organizations. The USGS is committed to providing data of the highest possible quality to the consumers of its data. A cooperator’s inquiries about specific pesticide detections in water revealed potential laboratory contamination issues for some results. Consequently, the USGS conducted an extensive evaluation of potential low-level contamination related to processing or analysis of water-quality samples at NWQL for 21 pesticide compounds of interest to the cooperator. This is the most comprehensive study of NWQL pesticide quality-control (QC) results to date. Purpose and scope .—The purpose of this study was to document protocols used by the NWQL to censor pesticide results and to determine the effects of laboratory contamination—as determined from detections in laboratory set blanks—on pesticide detections in groundwater and surface-water samples. More than 30,000 pesticide results from 113 selected batches of samples (2 percent or less of total batches) analyzed by the NWQL during the 15 years from 2001 to 2015 were reviewed. All laboratory results from the selected batches, including results from environmental (surface water and groundwater) and QC (set-blank, blind-blank, and blind-spike) samples, were evaluated. The study includes results for 21 pesticide compounds analyzed in groundwater and surface-water samples collected across the United States. Eleven pesticide compounds were analyzed by a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method and 10 compounds by a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method. Objectives and methods .—The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the characteristics of laboratory contamination over time, (2) compare distributions of pesticide results in set blanks with distributions in environmental samples, (3) evaluate the potential for false-positive and false-negative reporting of results, and (4) evaluate the effects of reevaluating historical pesticide results using 2017 compound identification protocols on detections of pesticides in groundwater and surface-water samples. The 113 instrument batches selected for this study contained detections of one or more of the 21 pesticide compounds in set blanks or were among those batches with the highest pesticide detection frequencies in set blanks. As a result, the dataset for this study was targeted toward pesticides and batches with laboratory contamination. The objectives were addressed by statistically comparing environmental and set-blank results; computing moving averages of set-blank detection frequencies to identify periods of episodic contamination; and using summary statistics, tabular summaries, and graphical approaches, such as time-series plots and cumulative distribution functions. Results .— Objective 1 : Laboratory contamination, as determined by pesticide detections in set blanks, was found in 13 percent of set-blank results from the 113 targeted batches included in this study (as compared to 6 percent of set-blank results from all 7,620 batches analyzed during the study period). It is estimated that 92 percent of the laboratory contamination during the study period was episodic, meaning that it occurred during discrete periods of time. All 21 of the targeted pesticide compounds had periods of episodic contamination, with most episodes ranging in duration from about 1 to 8 months. The remaining 8 percent of laboratory contamination was random or from a known source (deterministic). Objective 2 : For some compounds, graphs of cumulative distribution functions of the entire distributions of set-blank and environmental samples overlap, suggesting that there is no difference in the distributions of the two types of samples. However, time-series graphs show that detections in set blanks often occur at different times (sometimes separated by years) than detections in environmental samples, indicating clear differences in those distributions, and indicating the importance of evaluating the timing of detections in all sample types. For most compounds detected in set-blank and environmental samples, detection frequencies were significantly greater in set blanks than in groundwater or surface-water samples ( p <0.05). There are several explanations for this finding, including that the 113 batches of samples chosen for this study targeted batches with detections in set blanks or that detections in set-blank samples were historically determined with less stringent identification criteria than for environmental samples (groundwater and surface-water samples). Objective 3 : The false-positive and false-negative rates from blind samples submitted during the study period by the USGS Quality Systems Branch generally were less than 1 and 5 percent, respectively, for the 21 pesticides. The only compound with a false-positive rate greater than 1 percent was flumetsulam (2.6 percent), indicating that there is a higher likelihood of flumetsulam being reported as a detection when it is not present in an environmental sample compared with the reporting of other compounds. Objective 4 : Altogether, for data in targeted batches, NWQL would have reported 0.1 percent of results from groundwater samples and 1.4 percent of results from surface-water samples differently if 2017 identification protocols were applied to historical pesticide results. In most of these cases, detections observed in historical results would change to nondetections. The small percentages of changes that would occur if historical data were reevaluated indicate that historical protocols used by the NWQL to identify detections in environmental samples were robust and produced results that are predominantly consistent with current [2017] practices. Conclusions .—The NWQL produces high-quality pesticide results at environmentally relevant concentrations. NWQL identification protocols and censoring practices are largely effective at minimizing the reporting of false-positive and false-negative results. Laboratory contamination, when it occurred, tended to occur in episodes; thus, evaluating the timing and magnitude of detections in set blanks relative to detections in environmental samples was determined to be an important consideration for analysis of environmental results. Because NWQL censoring practices do not address all types and occurrences of laboratory contamination, options for additional censoring practices are provided for data users with more specific or stringent data-quality objectives. The methods used to analyze the 21 compounds for this report can similarly be applied to all 173 pesticide compounds that were analyzed by the NWQL during the same time period. This study also has helped to identify potential improvements in reporting USGS data, such as conducting more frequent review of set-blank datasets.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2010

North American osprey populations and contaminants: Historic and contemporary perspectives

Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ) populations were adversely affected by DDT and perhaps other contaminants in the United States and elsewhere. Reduced productivity, eggshell thinning, and high DDE concentrations in eggs were the signs associated with declining osprey populations in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The species was one of the first studied on a large scale to bring contaminant issues into focus. Although few quantitative population data were available prior to the 1960s, many osprey populations in North America were studied during the 1960s and 1970s with much learned about basic life history and biology. This article reviews the historical and current effects of contaminants on regional osprey populations. Breeding populations in many regions of North America showed post-DDT-era (1972) population increases of varying magnitudes, with many populations now appearing to stabilize at much higher numbers than initially reported in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the magnitude of regional population increases in the United States between 1981 (first Nationwide Survey, ∼8,000 pairs), when some recovery had already occurred, 1994 (second survey, ∼14,200), and 2001 (third survey, ∼16,000–19,000), or any other years, is likely not a simple response to the release from earlier contaminant effects, but a response to multi-factorial effects. This indirect “contaminant effects” measurement comparing changes (i.e., recovery) in post-DDT-era population numbers over time is probably confounded by changing human attitudes toward birds of prey (shooting, destroying nests, etc.), changing habitats, changing fish populations, and perhaps competition from other species. The species' adaptation to newly created reservoirs and its increasing use of artificial nesting structures (power poles, nesting platforms, cell towers, channel markers, offshore duck blinds, etc.) are two important factors. The timing of the initial use of artificial nesting structures, which replaced declining numbers of suitable trees at many locations, varied regionally (much later in the western United States and Mexico). Because of the increasing use of artificial nesting structures, there may be more ospreys nesting in North America now than ever before. Now, with the impact of most legacy organic contaminants (DDT, other organochlorine [OC] pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls [PCB], polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins [PCDD], polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF]) greatly reduced or eliminated, and some osprey populations showing evidence of stabilizing, the species was proposed as a Worldwide Sentinel Species for evaluating emerging contaminants. Several emerging contaminants are already being studied, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and perfluorinated acids and sulfonate compounds (PFC). The many advantages for continued contaminant investigations using the osprey include a good understanding of its biology and ecology, its known distribution and abundance, and its ability to habituate to humans and their activities, which permits nesting in some of the potentially most contaminated environments. It is a top predator in most ecosystems, and its nests are relatively easy to locate and study with little researcher impact on reproductive success.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Pa↗
USGS2018

Cracking the code of biodiversity responses to past climate change

How individual species and entire ecosystems will respond to future climate change are among the most pressing questions facing ecologists. Past biodiversity dynamics recorded in the paleoecological archives show a broad array of responses, yet significant knowledge gaps remain. In particular, the relative roles of evolutionary adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, and dispersal in promoting survival during times of climate change have yet to be clarified. Investigating the paleo-archives offers great opportunities to understand biodiversity responses to future climate change. In this review we discuss the mechanisms by which biodiversity responds to environmental change, and identify gaps of knowledge on the role of range shifts and tolerance. We also outline approaches at the intersection of paleoecology, genomics, experiments, and predictive models that will elucidate the processes by which species have survived past climatic changes and enhance predictions of future changes in biological diversity.

Trends in Ecology and Evolution↗
USGS2009

Osprey: Worldwide sentinel species for assessing and monitoring environmental contamination in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries

In the United States, many fish and wildlife species have been used nationwide to monitor environmental contaminant exposure and effects, including carcasses of the bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ), the only top avian predator regularly used in the past. Unfortunately, bald eagles are sensitive to investigator intrusion at the nest. Thus, the osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ) is evaluated as a potential sentinel species for aquatic ecosystems. Several characteristics support the choice of the osprey as a sentinel species, including: (1) fish-eating diet atop the aquatic food web, (2) long-lived with strong nest fidelity, (3) adapts to human landscapes (potentially the most contaminated), (4) tolerates short-term nest disturbance, (5) nests spatially distributed at regular intervals, (6) highly visible nests easily located for study, (7) ability to accumulate most, if not all, lipophilic contaminants, (8) known sensitivity to many contaminants, and (9) nearly a worldwide distribution. These osprey traits have been instrumental in successfully using the species to understand population distribution, abundance, and changes over time; the effects of various contaminants on reproductive success; how contaminants in prey (fish on biomass basis) contribute to egg concentrations (i.e., biomagnification factors); and spatial residue patterns. Data summarized include nesting population surveys, detailed nesting studies, and chemical analyses of osprey egg, organ, blood, and feather samples for contaminants that bioaccumulate and/or biomagnify in aquatic food webs; and biochemical evaluations of blood and various organs. Studies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and elsewhere have shown the osprey to be a useful sentinel species for monitoring selected environmental contaminants, including some emerging contaminants in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and estuaries.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Pa↗
USGS1998

Immunological disorders associated with polychlorinated biphenyls and related halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon compounds

This review characterizes immunological disorders in fish associated with the widespread environmental contaminants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and related halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs). Special attention is devoted to comparing the sensitivity of fish species, identifying sensitive immunological endpoints and postulating mechanisms of action.

Book chapter↗
USGS2014

Potential environmental effects of pack stock on meadow ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada, USA

Pack and saddle stock, including, but not limited to domesticated horses, mules, and burros, are used to support commercial, private and administrative activities in the Sierra Nevada. The use of pack stock has become a contentious and litigious issue for land management agencies in the region inter alia due to concerns over effects on the environment. The potential environmental effects of pack stock on Sierra Nevada meadow ecosystems are reviewed and it is concluded that the use of pack stock has the potential to influence the following: (1) water nutrient dynamics, sedimentation, temperature, and microbial pathogen content; (2) soil chemistry, nutrient cycling, soil compaction and hydrology; (3) plant individuals, populations and community dynamics, non-native invasive species, and encroachment of woody species; and (4) wildlife individuals, populations and communities. It is considered from currently available information that management objectives of pack stock should include the following: minimise bare ground, maximise plant cover, maintain species composition of native plants, minimise trampling, especially on wet soils and stream banks, and minimise direct urination and defecation by pack stock into water. However, incomplete documentation of patterns of pack stock use and limited past research limits current understanding of the effects of pack stock, especially their effects on water, soils and wildlife. To improve management of pack stock in this region, research is needed on linking measurable monitoring variables (e.g. plant cover) with environmental relevancy (e.g. soil erosion processes, wildlife habitat use), and identifying specific environmental thresholds of degradation along gradients of pack stock use in Sierra Nevada meadows.

Rangeland Journal↗
USGS2016

Anticipating environmental and environmental-health implications of extreme storms: ARkStorm scenario

The ARkStorm Scenario predicts that a prolonged winter storm event across California would cause extreme precipitation, flooding, winds, physical damages, and economic impacts. This study uses a literature review and geographic information system-based analysis of national and state databases to infer how and where ARkStorm could cause environmental damages, release contamination from diverse natural and anthropogenic sources, affect ecosystem and human health, and cause economic impacts from environmental-remediation, liability, and health-care costs. Examples of plausible ARkStorm environmental and health concerns include complex mixtures of contaminants such as petroleum, mercury, asbestos, persistent organic pollutants, molds, and pathogens; adverse physical and contamination impacts on riverine and coastal marine ecosystems; and increased incidences of mold-related health concerns, some vector-borne diseases, and valley fever. Coastal cities, the San Francisco Bay area, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, parts of the Central Valley, and some mountainous areas would likely be most affected. This type of screening analysis, coupled with follow-up local assessments, can help stakeholders in California and disaster-prone areas elsewhere better plan for, mitigate, and respond to future environmental disasters.

Natural Hazards Review↗
USGS2023

Conservation at the nexus of niches: Multidimensional niche modeling to improve management of Prairie Chub

Objective A central challenge in applied ecology is understanding how organisms are spatially and temporally distributed and how management might be tailored to maintain or restore species distributions. The niche concept is central to understanding species distributions, but the diversity of niche definitions requires that multiple dimensions be considered. For example, the Grinnellian niche concept focuses on environmental conditions that allow species to persist, the Eltonian niche concept stresses the influence of biotic interactions, and the fundamental niche concept considers both abiotic and biotic environmental features to define spaces that organisms could occupy. Methods We combined abiotic ( A ), biotic ( B ), and movement ( M ) information (collectively, BAM model) to map the multidimensional niche of Prairie Chub Macrhybopsis australis , a regionally endemic freshwater fish currently under review for listing under the Endangered Species Act. We estimated A using remotely sensed environmental riverscape variables, B using the spatial distribution of a hybridization zone between Prairie Chub and Shoal Chub M. hyostoma , and M using data from a mark–recapture study. Result The BAM model estimated the spatial extent of multiple niches, including the Grinnellian ( A ; extent = 944 km of river), Eltonian ( B ; 2974 km), and fundamental niche (overlap of A + B ; 645 km) niches. When A , B , and M components were combined, the estimated extent of the Prairie Chub niche was 645 km. Conclusion Our work shows that the realized, multidimensional niche of Prairie Chub includes medium to large rivers with high habitat connectivity in the upper–middle Red River basin upstream of the distribution of Shoal Chub. The current Prairie Chub distribution could be maintained by preventing further habitat fragmentation and maintaining the environmental gradient separating Prairie Chub from Shoal Chub. Expansion of the species distribution may be possible through restoration of longitudinal fluvial connectivity.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS2017

Interactions among invasive plants: Lessons from Hawai‘i

Most ecosystems have multiple-plant invaders rather than single-plant invaders, yet ecological studies and management actions focus largely on single invader species. There is a need for general principles regarding invader interactions across varying environmental conditions, so that secondary invasions can be anticipated and managers can allocate resources toward pretreatment or postremoval actions. By reviewing removal experiments conducted in three Hawaiian ecosystems (a dry tropical forest, a seasonally dry mesic forest, and a lowland wet forest), we evaluate the roles environmental harshness, priority effects, productivity potential, and species interactions have in influencing secondary invasions, defined here as invasions that are influenced either positively (facilitation) or negatively (inhibition/priority effects) by existing invaders. We generate a conceptual model with a surprise index to describe whether long-term plant invader composition and dominance is predictable or stochastic after a system perturbation such as a removal experiment. Under extremely low resource availability, the surprise index is low, whereas under intermediate-level resource environments, invader dominance is more stochastic and the surprise index is high. At high resource levels, the surprise index is intermediate: Invaders are likely abundant in the environment but their response to a perturbation is more predictable than at intermediate resource levels. We suggest further testing across environmental gradients to determine key variables that dictate the predictability of postremoval invader composition.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2003

USGS Alaska Tissue Archival Projects: An update on FY02 activities

The banking of environmental specimens under cryogenic conditions for future retrospective analysis has been recognized for many years as an important part of environmental monitoring programs. Since 1987, the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project (AMMTAP) has been collecting tissue samples from marine mammals for archival in the National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NBSB) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. The USGS, Alaska Biological Science Center (ABSC), the NOAA Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources (NMFS), and the NIST conduct this partnership project, which began under the Mineral Management Service (MMS) Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program. MMS remains the primary client agency for the AMMTAP providing programmatic guidance and review. The purpose of the project is to collect tissue samples from Alaska marine mammals and to store these specimens under the best conditions so that they can be analyzed for environmental contaminants and other constituents. A substantial part of the sample collection is from Arctic species and, since most of the animals sampled are from Alaska Native subsistence harvests, the project relies on cooperation and collaboration with several Alaska Native organizations and local governmental agencies. Although a substantial amount of recent research has been conducted on contaminants in Alaskan marine mammals, few data exists on colonial seabirds nesting in Alaska. Like marine mammals, seabirds are an important group of upper trophic level marine organisms with a potential for accumulating lipophilic contaminants and are identified by MMS as species of interest for monitoring activities. More than 95% of the seabirds breeding in the continental United States nest at colonies in the Bering and Chukchi seas and Gulf of Alaska (see USFWS 1992). Realizing the value of colonial seabirds in environmental monitoring and the lack of recent data from Alaskan seabird colonies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS-AMNWR), the U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division (USGS-BRD), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated the Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) in 1998. The project was designed as a 100-year-long program to monitor long-term trends in environmental quality by collecting eggs at nesting colonies using standardized protocols, banking the egg contents under conditions that ensure chemical stability during long-term (decadal) storage, and analyzing subsamples of the stored material to establish baseline levels for persistent bioaccumulative contaminants (e.g., chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, mercury).

Conference Paper↗
USGS2016

A review of precipitation and temperature control on seedling emergence and establishment for ponderosa and lodgepole pine forest regeneration

The persistence of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine forests in the 21st century depends to a large extent on how seedling emergence and establishment are influenced by driving climate and environmental variables, which largely govern forest regeneration. We surveyed the literature, and identified 96 publications that reported data on dependent variables of seedling emergence and/or establishment and one or more independent variables of air temperature, soil temperature, precipitation and moisture availability. Our review suggests that seedling emergence and establishment for both species is highest at intermediate temperatures (20 to 25 &deg;C), and higher precipitation and higher moisture availability support a higher percentage of seedling emergence and establishment at daily, monthly and annual timescales. We found that ponderosa pine seedlings may be more sensitive to temperature fluctuations whereas lodgepole pine seedlings may be more sensitive to moisture fluctuations. In a changing climate, increasing temperatures and declining moisture availability may hinder forest persistence by limiting seedling processes. Yet, only 23 studies in our review investigated the effects of driving climate and environmental variables directly. Furthermore, 74 studies occurred in a laboratory or greenhouse, which do not often replicate the conditions experienced by tree seedlings in a field setting. It is therefore difficult to provide strong conclusions on how sensitive emergence and establishment in ponderosa and lodgepole pine are to these specific driving variables, or to investigate their potential aggregate effects. Thus, the effects of many driving variables on seedling processes remain largely inconclusive. Our review stresses the need for additional field and laboratory studies to better elucidate the effects of driving climate and environmental variables on seedling emergence and establishment for ponderosa and lodgepole pine.

Forest Ecology and Management↗
USGS2017

Critical mineral resources of the United States—An introduction

Many changes have taken place in the mineral resource sector since the publication by the U.S. Geological Survey of Professional Paper 820, “United States Mineral Resources,” which is a review of the long-term United States resource position for 65 mineral commodities or commodity groups. For example, since 1973, the United States has continued to become increasingly dependent on imports to meet its demands for an increasing number of mineral commodities. The global demand for mineral commodities is at an alltime high and is expected to continue to increase, and the development of new technologies and products has led to the use of a greater number of mineral commodities in increasing quantities to the point that, today, essentially all naturally occurring elements have several significant industrial uses. Although most mineral commodities are present in sufficient amounts in the earth to provide adequate supplies for many years to come, their availability can be affected by such factors as social constraints, politics, laws, environmental regulations, land-use restrictions, economics, and infrastructure. This volume presents updated reviews of 23 mineral commodities and commodity groups viewed as critical to a broad range of existing and emerging technologies, renewable energy, and national security. The commodities or commodity groups included are antimony, barite, beryllium, cobalt, fluorine, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, indium, lithium, manganese, niobium, platinum-group elements, rare-earth elements, rhenium, selenium, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, vanadium, and zirconium. All these commodities have been listed as critical and (or) strategic in one or more of the recent studies based on assessed likelihood of supply interruption and the possible cost of such a disruption to the assessor. For some of the minerals, current production is limited to only one or a few countries. For many, the United States currently has no mine production or any significant identified resources and is largely dependent on imports to meet its needs. As a result, the emphasis in this volume is on the global distribution and availability of each mineral commodity. The environmental issues related to production of each mineral commodity, including current mitigation and remediation approaches to deal with these challenges, are also addressed. This introductory chapter provides an overview of the mineral resource classifications, terms, and definitions used in this volume. A review of the history of the use and meaning of the term “critical” minerals (or materials) is included as an appendix to the chapter.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2011

Applying definitions of “asbestos” to environmental and “low-dose” exposure Levels and health effects, particularly malignant mesothelioma

Although asbestos research has been ongoing for decades, this increased knowledge has not led to consensus in many areas of the field. Two such areas of controversy include the specific definitions of asbestos, and limitations in understanding exposure-response relationships for various asbestos types and exposure levels and disease. This document reviews the current regulatory and mineralogical definitions and how variability in these definitions has led to difficulties in the discussion and comparison of both experimental laboratory and human epidemiological studies for asbestos. This review also examines the issues of exposure measurement in both animal and human studies, and discusses the impact of these issues on determination of cause for asbestos-related diseases. Limitations include the lack of detailed characterization and limited quantification of the fibers in most studies. Associated data gaps and research needs are also enumerated in this review.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Pa↗
USGS2000

Water quality in alluvial aquifers of the southern Rocky Mountains Physiographic Province, upper Colorado River basin, Colorado, 1997

Water-quality samples were collected in the summer of 1997 from 45 sites (43 wells and 2 springs) in selected alluvial aquifers throughout the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province of the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The objective of this study was to assess the water-quality conditions in selected alluvial aquifers in the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province. Alluvial aquifers are productive aquifers in the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province and provide for easily developed wells. Water-quality samples were collected from areas where ground water is used predominantly for domestic or public water supply. Twenty-three of the 45 sites sampled were located in or near mining districts. No statistical differences were observed between the mining sites and sites not associated with mining activities for the majority of the constituents analyzed. Water samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, trace elements, radon-222, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, bacteria, and methylene blue active substances. In addition, field parameters consisting of water temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and alkalinity were measured at all sites. Specific conductance for the ground-water sites ranged from 57 to 6,650 microsiemens per centimeter and had higher concentrations measured in areas such as the northwestern part of the study unit. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 0.1 to 6.0 mg/L (milligrams per liter) and had a median concentration of 2.9 mg/L. The pH field values ranged from 6.1 to 8.1; about 4 percent of the sites (2 of 45) had pH values outside the range of 6.5 to 8.5 and so did not meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant level standard for drinking water. About 5 percent (2 of 43) of the samples exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended turbidity value of 5 nephelometric turbidity units; one of these samples was from a monitoring well. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant levels for dissolved solids, sulfate, iron, and manganese were exceeded at some of the sites. Higher dissolved-solids concentrations were detected where sedimentary rocks are exposed, such as in the northwestern part of the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province. The dominant water compositions for the sites sampled are calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate. However, sites in areas where sedimentary rocks are exposed and sites located in or near mining areas show more sulfate-dominated waters. Nutrient concentrations were less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards. Only one site had a nitrate concentration greater than 3.0 mg/L, a level indicating possible influence from human activities. No significant differences among land-use/land-cover classifications (forest, rangeland, and urban) for drinking-water wells (42 sites) were identified for dissolved-solids, sulfate, nitrate, iron or manganese concentrations. Radon concentrations were higher in parts of the study unit where Precambrian rocks are exposed. All radon concentrations in ground water exceeded the previous U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed maximum contaminant level for drinking water, which has been withdrawn pending further review. Pesticide detections were at concentrations below the reporting limits and were too few to allow for comparison of the data. Eight volatile organic compounds were detected at six sites; all concentrations complied with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards. Total coliform bacteria were detected at six sites, but no Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) was detected. Methylene blue active substances were detected at three sites at concentrations just above the reporting limit. Overall, the water quality in the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province is suitable for most uses, but natural and human factors affect the water quality.

Colorado↗
USGS2011

Book review: Rogue waves in the ocean

Rogue Waves in the Ocean (2009) is a follow-on text to Extreme Ocean Waves (2008) edited by Pelinovsky and Kharif, both published by Springer. Unlike the earlier text, which is a compilation of papers on a variety of extreme waves that was the subject of a scientific conference in 2007, Rogues Waves in the Ocean is written, rather than edited, by Kharif, Pelinovsky, and Slunyaev and is focused on rogue waves in particular. The book consists of six chapters covering 216 pages. As the subject matter of each chapter is distinct, references appear at the end of each chapter rather than at the end of the book. The preface shows how each of the chapters relates to the larger study of rogue waves. The result is a book with a nice mix of eyewitness observations, physical theory, and statistics. Review info: Rogue Waves in the Ocean. Advances in Geophysical and Environmental Mechanics and Mathematics. B y Christian Kharif, Efim Pelinovsky and Alexey Slunyaev, 2009. ISBN: 978-3540884187, xiii, 216 pp.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗
USGS2015

Geomicrobial interactions with arsenic and antimony

Although arsenic and antimony are generally toxic to life, some microorganisms exist that can metabolize certain forms of these elements. Some can use arsenite or stibnite as potential or sole energy sources, whereas others can use aresenate and antimonite (as was discovered only recently) as terminal electron acceptors. Still other microbes can metabolize arsenic and antimony compounds to detoxify them. These reactions are important from a geomicrobial standpoint because they indicate that a number of microbes contribute to arsenic and antimony mobilization or immobilization in the environment and play a role in arsenic and antimony cycles. Recent reviews include five on prokaryotes and arsenic metabolism, a review with an arsenic perspective on biomining, and a series on environmental antimony, including one about antimony and its interaction with microbiota.

Book chapter↗