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At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
USGS2007

U.S. Geological Survey input-data form and operational procedure for the assessment of conventional petroleum accumulations: Chapter 25 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California

The U.S. Geological Survey model for undiscovered conventional accumulations is designed to aid in the assessment of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (collectively called petroleum) resources. Conventional accumulations may be described in terms of discrete fields or pools localized in structural and stratigraphic traps by the buoyancy of oil or natural gas in water. Conventional accumulations are commonly bounded by a down-dip water contact. The assessment model requires estimates of the number and sizes of undiscovered conventional accumulations. Technically recoverable petroleum resources from undiscovered conventional accumulations are calculated by statistically combining probability distributions of the estimated number and sizes of undiscovered accumulations, along with associated risks and coproduct ratios. Probabilistic estimates of petroleum resources are given for oil in oil accumulations, gas (associated/dissolved) in oil accumulations, natural gas liquids in oil accumulations, gas (nonassociated) in gas accumulations, and total liquids (oil and natural gas liquids) in gas accumulations.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2022

A geospatial knowledge graph prototype for national topographic mapping

Knowledge graphs are a form of database representation and handling that show the potential to better meet the challenges of data interoperability, semi-automated information reasoning, and information retrieval. Geospatial knowledge graphs (GKG) have at their core specialized forms of applied ontology that provide coherent spatial context to a domain of information including non-spatial attributes. This paper discusses research toward the development of a prototype GKG based on national topographic databases of geospatial feature instances, attributes, properties, metadata, and annotations. The challenges are to capture and represent geographic semantics inherent in the source data, to align such graph models with standards where possible, to test logical computations, and to visualize the data using a cartographic user interface. Data integration from outside sources was tested through SPARQL and GeoSPARQL queries. Called the MapKB, the approaches applied in this prototype use a number of software components to build a system architecture aligned with those objectives and are composed entirely of free and open-source software. The system and ontology design were validated through reasoning and competency questions. Technical aspects of the prototype software succeeded, but customization was found to be needed for user-based design.

International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remo↗
USGS2023

State of the science and decision support for measuring suspended sediment with acoustic instrumentation

Acoustic instrumentation can be used to provide time-series and discrete estimates of suspended-sediment concentration, load, and sediment particle sizes in fluvial systems, which are essential for creating informed solutions to many sediment-related environmental, engineering, and land management concerns. Historically, scientists have developed relations between suspended sediment characteristics and other parameters, most commonly streamflow, to estimate sediment information when physical sediment samples cannot be collected. Approaches using streamflow can have substantial accuracy limitations because of hysteresis effects, giving rise to the use of more direct surrogate approaches such as acoustic methods. Interagency efforts in recent years have advanced the testing, methods development, operational guidelines, and training on acoustic methods for measuring suspended sediment. Scientists interested in using these methods are faced with many decisions on the type of application and deployment: horizontal profiling, vertical profiling, or point acoustic instruments; single or multifrequency instruments; continuous or discrete sediment measurements; and fixed or mobile instrument deployments. To promote cost-effective, accurate, and high-resolution fluvial sediment data for the Nation, the interagency Sediment Acoustic Leadership Team (SALT) develops technical guidance and training for using acoustic instruments to measure aquatic sediment. Even though acoustic instrumentation has been used successfully to measure suspended-sediment characteristics throughout the world, some deployments have been unsuccessful because of limited technical guidance and selection of an inappropriate method. To guide decisions on method selection, the SALT has compiled the state of the science for the main types of acoustics-based suspended-sediment measurement methods in development, testing, and use, and has created a flowchart to guide method selection.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1985

MONITORING THE EARTH - TOO MANY PLAYERS?

Remote sensing from satellites provides a unique tool to measure the parameters of the Earth on a worldwide scale. A number of organizations are currently engaged in, or proposing to embark on, worldwide measurement/monitoring programs. Program objectives vary in type and complexity, including a form of technical library and an ambitious experiment to validate algorithms to derive land surface climatological parameters. Modeling and understanding the Earth as an integrated system is an immense undertaking and will require at least as many measurements as currently acquired. Development of a long-term program of Earth system monitoring/modeling, such as the International Global Change Program proposed by the International Council of Scientific Unions, could provide the necessary focus and structure for effective international coordination and cooperation.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2018

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the West Greenland-East Canada Province, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the West Greenland-East Canada Province as part of the USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal program. The province lies in the offshore area between western Greenland and eastern Canada and includes Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Lancaster Sound, and Nares Strait west of, and including, part of Kane Basin. A series of major tectonic events led to the formation of several distinct structural domains that are the geologic basis for defining five assessment units (AU ) in the province, all of which are within the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS). Potential petroleum source rocks within the TPS include strata of Ordovician, Lower and Upper Cretaceous, and Paleogene ages. The five AUs defined for this study—the Eurekan Structures AU, Northwest Greenland Rifted Margin AU, Northeast Canada Rifted Margin AU, Baffin Bay Basin AU, and the Greater Ungava Fault Zone AU— encompass the entire province and were assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable resources. The estimated mean volumes of undiscovered resources for the West GreenlandEast Canada Province are 10.7 billion barrels of oil, 75 trillion cubic feet of gas, and 1.7 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. For the part of the province that is north of the Arctic Circle, the estimated mean volumes of these undiscovered resources are 7.3 billion barrels of oil, 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.1 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2000

Data and applications for study of the water cycle in Africa

There are a number data set development, data dissemination, and applications activities at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that contribute to the study of the water cycle in Africa. Some of these stem from global change research initiatives, while others are the result of technical assistance provided to international development and humanitarian assistance projects. Data themes include topography and related hydrological derivatives, land cover, satellite rainfall estimates, and vegetation indices. Some data sets are USGS products, while others originate from cooperating agencies like NASA and NOAA and are distributed secondarily. In Africa, applications include agrometeorological estimates, drought and flood monitoring. Many of the data sets are available to the user community without charge by internet, or at cost of reproduction on CDROM and tape media.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2015

Biological responses to climate impacts with a focus on Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN)

This chapter reviews the responses to climate change on the 367 Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN) identified by the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee (NEFWDTC), technical experts from states’ natural resource agencies (Appendix 3.1). These species were chosen based on their conservation status, listing in SWAPs, and the percentage of their range that occurs in the Northeast. The objectives of this chapter are to: summarize how regional biodiversity has already responded and is expected to respond to climate change; summarize information on specific RSGCN species responses to climate change to date and anticipated under future scenarios; characterize the greatest uncertainties about how biodiversity and RSGCN species will respond to climate change in the future; and highlight where other factors are expected to exacerbate the effects of climate change. This information was obtained through a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature, primarily using the ISI Web of Knowledge to search for papers on each species related to “climate”, “temperature”, or “precipitation”. Although we undoubtedly missed some sources, the following allows us to review some of the ways climate change will affect regional species of conservation concern

Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ma↗
USGS2000

Geologic assessment of coal in the Colorado Plateau: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah

This CD-ROM set contains a geologic assessment of coal deposits of the Colorado Plateau region and new resource estimates for selected assessment units within the Colorado Plateau. Original resource estimates (in-place resources before production) for the 12 priority assessment units of the Colorado Plateau exceed one half trillion short tons of coal in beds greater than 1 ft thick and under less than 6,000 ft of overburden. The coal is high quality and low sulfur, and a portion of these resources will provide future energy production for the Nation. Disc 1, in Portable Document Format, contains results of the assessment in summary and (or) technical reports for 12 priority coal assessment units in the Colorado Plateau and also contains an ArcView Data Publisher project, which is an interactive geographic information system of digital data collected during the assessment. Disc 2 contains stratigraphic data bases for seven of the priority coal assessment areas within the Colorado Plateau region and an ArcView project identical to the ArcView Data Publisher project on disc 1 except that it retains some of the functionality that is disabled in the ArcView Data Publisher program.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah↗
USGS2006

Model weights and the foundations of multimodel inference

Statistical thinking in wildlife biology and ecology has been profoundly influenced by the introduction of AIC (Akaike?s information criterion) as a tool for model selection and as a basis for model averaging. In this paper, we advocate the Bayesian paradigm as a broader framework for multimodel inference, one in which model averaging and model selection are naturally linked, and in which the performance of AIC-based tools is naturally evaluated. Prior model weights implicitly associated with the use of AIC are seen to highly favor complex models: in some cases, all but the most highly parameterized models in the model set are virtually ignored a priori. We suggest the usefulness of the weighted BIC (Bayesian information criterion) as a computationally simple alternative to AIC, based on explicit selection of prior model probabilities rather than acceptance of default priors associated with AIC. We note, however, that both procedures are only approximate to the use of exact Bayes factors. We discuss and illustrate technical difficulties associated with Bayes factors, and suggest approaches to avoiding these difficulties in the context of model selection for a logistic regression. Our example highlights the predisposition of AIC weighting to favor complex models and suggests a need for caution in using the BIC for computing approximate posterior model weights.

Ecology↗
USGS2007

Regional Studies of the Potwar Plateau Area, Northern Pakistan

The papers in this volume are products of a cooperative program between the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), sponsored by the Government of Pakistan and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The focus of the program, the Coal Resources Exploration and Assessment Program (COALREAP), was to explore and assess Pakistan?s indigenous coal resources. As part of COALREAP, GSP and USGS geologists conducted regional geologic studies from 1988 to 1991 of the coal-bearing areas in the Potwar region of northern Pakistan. A reference section was selected from which to obtain faunal and floral analyses. The composite sections at Nammal Pass and Nammal Dam served as the basis for this regional reference. Although this Bulletin 2078 is being released in 2007, the writing and technical reviews were completed in 1993, and the chapters reflect the work done until that time. During the long production process for the Bulletin, which ultimately resulted in the oversize plates being digitized, the scientific content of the chapters was not changed, and most reports published since 1993 were not cited. A change in the age of the Patala Formation is discussed below [in the full preface], but the age discussions and illustrations in the chapters were not updated.

Bulletin↗
USGS2020

Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well: Technical results

The Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well was drilled in December 2018 to confirm that a seismically-identified location within the western Prudhoe Bay Unit might be suitable for extended-duration scientific production testing. The well tested two primary targets: the deeper Unit B is highly favorable due to optimal reservoir temperature and minimal observed risk for direct communication with permeable, hydrate-free water-bearing zones. The shallower Unit D provides a secondary target and opportunity to assess additional scientific and operational issues.

Alaska↗
USGS2009

In-Flight performance of MESSENGER's Mercury dual imaging system

The Mercury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, launched in August 2004 and planned for insertion into orbit around Mercury in 2011, has already completed two flybys of the innermost planet. The Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) acquired nearly 2500 images from the first two flybys and viewed portions of Mercury's surface not viewed by Mariner 10 in 1974-1975. Mercury's proximity to the Sun and its slow rotation present challenges to the thermal design for a camera on an orbital mission around Mercury. In addition, strict limitations on spacecraft pointing and the highly elliptical orbit create challenges in attaining coverage at desired geometries and relatively uniform spatial resolution. The instrument designed to meet these challenges consists of dual imagers, a monochrome narrow-angle camera (NAC) with a 1.5?? field of view (FOV) and a multispectral wide-angle camera (WAC) with a 10.5?? FOV, co-aligned on a pivoting platform. The focal-plane electronics of each camera are identical and use a 1024??1024 charge-coupled device detector. The cameras are passively cooled but use diode heat pipes and phase-change-material thermal reservoirs to maintain the thermal configuration during the hot portions of the orbit. Here we present an overview of the instrument design and how the design meets its technical challenges. We also review results from the first two flybys, discuss the quality of MDIS data from the initial periods of data acquisition and how that compares with requirements, and summarize how in-flight tests are being used to improve the quality of the instrument calibration. ?? 2009 SPIE.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2024

The interplay of future solar energy, land cover change, and their projected impacts on natural lands and croplands in the US

Projections for deep decarbonization require large amounts of solar energy, which may compete with other land uses such as agriculture, urbanization, and conservation of natural lands. Existing capacity expansion models do not integrate land use land cover change (LULC) dynamics into projections. We explored the interaction between projected LULC, solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment, and solar impacts on natural lands and croplands by integrating projections of LULC with a model that can project future deployment of solar PV with high spatial resolution for the conterminous United States. We used scenarios of LULC projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios from 2010 to 2050 and two electricity grid scenarios to model future PV deployment and compared those results against a baseline that held 2010 land cover constant through 2050. Though solar PV's overall technical potential was minimally impacted by LULC scenarios, deployed PV varied by −16.5 to 11.6 % in 2050 from the baseline scenario. Total land requirements for projected PV were similar to other studies, but measures of PV impacts on natural systems depended on the underlying land change dynamics occurring in a scenario. The solar PV deployed through 2050 resulted in 1.1 %–2.4 % of croplands and 0.3 %–0.7 % of natural lands being converted to PV. However, the deepest understanding of PV impacts and interactions with land cover emerged when the complete net gains and losses from all land cover change dynamics, including PV, were integrated. For example, one of the four LULC projections allows for high solar development and a net gain in natural lands, even though PV drives a larger percentage of natural land conversion. This paper shows that integrating land cover change dynamics with energy expansion models generates new insights into trade offs between decarbonization, impacts of renewables, and ongoing land cover change.

conterminous United States↗
USGS2017

Economics, helium, and the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve: Summary and outlook

In 2017, disruptions in the global supply of helium reminded consumers, distributors, and policy makers that the global helium supply chain lacks flexibility, and that attempts to increase production from the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve (the FHR) may not be able to compensate for the loss of one of the few major producers in the world. Issues with U.S. and global markets for helium include inelastic demand, economic availability of helium only as a byproduct, only 4–5 major producers, helium’s propensity to escape earth’s crust, an ongoing absence of storage facilities comparable to the FHR, and a lack of consequences for the venting of helium. The complex combination of these economic, physical, and regulatory issues is unique to helium, and determining helium’s practical availability goes far beyond estimating the technically accessible volume of underground resources. Although most of these issues have been analyzed since helium was recognized to be a valuable mineral commodity in the early 1900s, very few economic models have been developed that adequately consider the unique characteristics of helium and helium markets. In particular, there is a notable lack of recent empirical work to estimate the responsiveness of helium demand, supply, prices, and trade patterns to the ongoing drawdown and sale of helium reserves stored in the FHR. In general, existing models of helium either do not account for an oligopoly controlling supply, or they do not evaluate potential helium extraction and storage programs based on an intertemporal maximization of the value of the resource. Such models could be of very limited use to decision makers. This review found only one working paper with a helium market model that has incorporated both of these vital considerations. That and other economic studies along similar lines could be very useful in helping inform current helium policy discussions and decisions.

Natural Resources Research↗
USGS2022

Critical ShakeCast lifeline users and their response protocols

ShakeCast is a US Geological Survey (USGS) software application that automatically retrieves ShakeMap shaking estimates and performs analyses using fragility functions for buildings and lifelines. The ShakeCast system aims to identify which facilities or lifeline segments are most likely impacted by an earthquake—and thus which ones should be prioritized for inspection and response—and sends notifications to responders in the minutes after an event. By focusing inspection efforts on the most damage-susceptible facilities in the severely shaken areas, ShakeCast can improve critical lifeline inspection prioritization and reduce response time in the aftermath of a significant earthquake. Overviews and technical specifications of the ShakeCast system and software have been presented at earlier conferences; here we discuss ShakeCast users and their response protocols to provide further insight into the use of the ShakeCast system. We focus on case histories of ShakeCast users who are responsible for monitoring and response for critical infrastructure. We emphasize the inventory, fragility, and notification issues pertinent to these users, their efforts in developing protocols for post-earthquake inspections, and response.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2026

Advancing monitoring approaches to enhance tidal Chesapeake Bay habitat assessment for submerged aquatic vegetation, water clarity, chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen

Water quality monitoring capacity has been declining for the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) at a time when information needs are growing, and data gaps exist to address critical decision-support for managers. The CBP Scientific Technical Assessment and Reporting Team is leading a Principal’s Staff Committee requested gap analyses toward understanding support needed to improve water quality monitoring and analysis programming. Advanced technologies and alternative monitoring approaches in the form of satellite-based measurements, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) algorithms for data interpretation, continuous water quality in-situ sensor arrays, and community science efforts offer a growing portfolio of valuable opportunities for expanding data collections and analysis program capacities. However, since 1985, each of these options are examples of growing opportunities to enhance water quality assessments yet has seen limited adoption into elements of Chesapeake Bay water quality monitoring programs. Where new technologies have been adopted (e.g., shallow water continuous water quality monitoring), such temporally rich data streams have supported Bay health insights yet had limited use in regulatory water quality criteria assessment. This Scientific Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) supported workshop provided the ideal forum for engaging our CBP partnership regarding the maturity of new and evolving monitoring and analysis capacities to address program information needs while appreciating limitations with adopting new tools and approaches. Improving natural resources monitoring efficiency and effectiveness will expand the scientific and technical foundations for making robust, strategic choices on decisions for CBP Partnership community-based priorities, policies, and management actions. Workshop findings and recommendations reflect progress in science, technology, and analyses addressing long-standing programmatic limitations in data collection and analysis capacities. State-of-the-science updates highlighted in the workshop span the spectrum of efforts representing improvements, successes, remaining challenges toward operationalizing protocols, and guidance toward research, or adoption and implementation by monitoring programs.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia↗
USGS1984

RESEARCH FOR THE USGS DIGITAL CARTOGRAPHY PROGRAM.

The U. S. Geological Survey National Mapping Division (NMD) has been conducting research and development in digital cartography since the early seventies. Since 1977 there has been an acceleration of activities associated with establishing a National Digital Cartographic Data Base (NDCDB). The NMD Office of Research is primarily responsible for fundamental and applied research together with systems development and technical standards to support the digital cartographic program. Three phases of development have been defined - the current system, an optimum system that can be built with current technology, and a future system that could be defined after some basic research is completed. Some of the current projects related to automated data capture, editing, coding, and structuring are described together with a perspective on future directions. The overall rationale is to develop a very large integrated system that will support a NDCDB and lead toward operational geographic information systems.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2009

Producing fired bricks using coal slag from a gasification plant in indiana

Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is a promising power generation technology which increases the efficiency of coal-to-power conversion and enhances carbon dioxide concentration in exhaust emissions for better greenhouse gas capture. Two major byproducts from IGCC plants are bottom slag and sulfur. The sulfur can be processed into commercially viable products, but high value applications need to be developed for the slag material in order to improve economics of the process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the technical feasibility of incorporating coal slag generated by the Wabash River IGCC plant in Indiana as a raw material for the production of fired bricks. Full-size bricks containing up to 20 wt% of the coal slag were successfully produced at a bench-scale facility. These bricks have color and texture similar to those of regular fired bricks and their water absorption properties met the ASTM specifications for a severe weathering grade. Other engineering properties tests, including compressive strength tests, are in progress.

Conference Paper↗