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USGS2010

Radiative forcing over the conterminous United States due to contemporary land cover land use change and sensitivity to snow and interannual albedo variability

Satellite-derived land cover land use (LCLU), snow and albedo data, and incoming surface solar radiation reanalysis data were used to study the impact of LCLU change from 1973 to 2000 on surface albedo and radiative forcing for 58 ecoregions covering 69% of the conterminous United States. A net positive surface radiative forcing (i.e., warming) of 0.029 Wm −2 due to LCLU albedo change from 1973 to 2000 was estimated. The forcings for individual ecoregions were similar in magnitude to current global forcing estimates, with the most negative forcing (as low as −0.367 Wm −2 ) due to the transition to forest and the most positive forcing (up to 0.337 Wm −2 ) due to the conversion to grass/shrub. Snow exacerbated both negative and positive forcing for LCLU transitions between snow-hiding and snow-revealing LCLU classes. The surface radiative forcing estimates were highly sensitive to snow-free interannual albedo variability that had a percent average monthly variation from 1.6% to 4.3% across the ecoregions. The results described in this paper enhance our understanding of contemporary LCLU change on surface radiative forcing and suggest that future forcing estimates should model snow and interannual albedo variation.

Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences↗

USGS2012

Heat-flow data and their relation to observed geothermal phenomena near Klamath Falls, Oregon

Two holes were drilled to depths of about 180 m in the Lower Klamath Lake basin south of Klamath Falls, Oregon, to obtain heat flow data and to provide estimates of the thermal conductivity of the valley fill. Twenty-nine thermal conductivity determinations on eight cores give a mean conductivity of 1.82 mcal/cm s °C (0.75 W/m °K). Curvature in the upper 50 m of both terriperature profiles indicates a decrease in surface temperature of about 1.8°C, presumably resulting frorn reclamation of what was marshland in the early part of this century. A surprisingly low heat flow of 0.3 HFU (1 HFU = 10 −6 cal/cm 2 s = 41.8 mW/m 2 ) was measured at site LS near the center of the basin. At site OC-1, 7 km east of LS and 2 km from the Klamath Hills geothermal zone, the heat flow was 1.44 HFU, also a low value in this setting. Temperature profiles in 15 unused water wells in the area had linear gradients ranging from 47° to 170°C/km. The corresponding lower limits of heat flow (conductivities measured at the two heat flow sites being used) range from 0.8 to 3.1 HFU. These variations in heat flow evidently are caused by temperature variations in a convecting system within the near-surface volcanic rocks and do not provide firm constraints on the nature of heat sources at depth.

Journal of Geophysical Research↗

USGS2012

Well bore breakouts and in situ stress

The detailed cross-sectional shape of stress induced well bore breakouts has been studied using specially processed ultrasonic borehole televiewer data. Breakout shapes are shown for a variety of rock types and introduce a simple elastic failure model which explains many features of the observations. Both the observations and calculations indicate that the breakouts define relatively broad and flat curvilinear surfaces which enlarge the borehole in the direction of minimum horizontal compression. Refs.

Journal of Geophysical Research↗

USGS2001

Mars Global Surveyor observations of Martian fretted terrain

The Martian fretted terrain between latitudes 30° and 50°N and between 315° and 360°W has been reexamined in light of new Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data from Mars Global Surveyor. Much of the terrain in the 30°–50° latitude belt in both hemispheres has a characteristic stippled or pitted texture at MOC (1.5 m) scale. The texture appears to result from partial removal of a formerly smooth, thin deposit as a result of sublimation and deflation. A complex history of deposition and exhumation is indicated by remnants of a former, thicker cover of layered deposits. In some hollows and on some slopes, particularly those facing the pole, are smooth textured deposits outlined by an outward facing escarpment. Throughout the study area are numerous escarpments with debris flows at their base. The escarpments typically have slopes in the 20°–30° range. At the base of the escarpment is commonly a deposit with striae oriented at right angles to the escarpment. Outside this deposit is the main debris apron with a surface that typically slopes 2°–3° and complex surface textures suggestive of compression, sublimation, and deflation. The presence of undeformed impact craters indicates that the debris flows are no longer forming. Fretted valleys contain lineated fill and are poorly graded. They likely form from fluvial valleys that were initially like those elsewhere on the planet but were subsequently widened and filled by the same mass-wasting processes that formed the debris aprons. Slope reversals indicate that downvalley flow of the lineated fill is minor. The ubiquitous presence of breaks in slope formed by mass wasting and the complex surface textures that result from mass wasting, deflation, and sublimation decreases the recognizability of the shorelines formerly proposed for this area.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS2025

Crustal structure along and surrounding the Hawaiian Islands: Volcanic island construction across scarred oceanic crust

The Hawaiian Ridge is a classic example of an intraplate volcanic island chain emplaced on oceanic lithosphere. We seek to constrain both the deformation from island loading around the Hawaiian Ridge and the influence of the oceanic lithosphere, including the Molokaʻi fracture zone (MFZ), on off-axis volcanic emplacement. To examine these processes, we conducted a marine geophysical experiment in 2018 that included the acquisition of eight multichannel seismic reflection lines and used a 6,600 in 3 tuned air gun array and an ultra-long hydrophone streamer cable towed behind R/V Marcus G. Langseth across and around the southern Hawaiian Ridge. We image both the top of igneous oceanic crust and the Moho, and we observe significant variations in regional crustal structure and thickness variations, Moho characteristics, the locations of the buried MFZ, and the flexure of the Pacific oceanic lithosphere under the Hawaiian Ridge. We observe up to ∼4.5 km of deflection of the igneous oceanic crust in response to the volcanic load with sediment thickness increasing to ∼3–3.4 km near the ridge but not correlating with the deflection. A systematic difference in igneous oceanic crustal thickness is found north (average ∼5.2 km) and south (average ∼5.9 km), of the MFZ that also correspond to changes in Moho characteristics. The MFZ itself is associated with the largest crustal thickness variations (∼3.7–7.6 km). Magma ascent through these different crustal regions may account for some variations of magmatic flux to the surface along the Hawaiian Ridge.

Hawaii↗

USGS1998

Classification of surface types using SIR-C/X-SAR, Mount Everest Area, Tibet

Imaging radar is a promising tool for mapping snow and ice cover in alpine regions. It combines a high-resolution, day or night, all-weather imaging capability with sensitivity to hydrologic and climatic snow and ice parameters. We use the spaceborne imaging radar-C/X-band synthetic aperture radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) to map snow and glacial ice on the rugged north slope of Mount Everest. From interferometrically derived digital elevation data, we compute the terrain calibration factor and cosine of the local illumination angle. We then process and terrain-correct radar data sets acquired on April 16, 1994. In addition to the spectral data, we include surface slope to improve discrimination among several surface types. These data sets are then used in a decision tree to generate an image classification. This method is successful in identifying and mapping scree/talus, dry snow, dry snow-covered glacier, wet snow-covered glacier, and rock-covered glacier, as corroborated by comparison with existing surface cover maps and other ancillary information. Application of the classification scheme to data acquired on October 7 of the same year yields accurate results for most surface types but underreports the extent of dry snow cover.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS1999

Late 20th century increase in South Pole snow accumulation

A compilation of the 37-year history of net accumulation at the South Pole [ Mosley-Thompson et al ., 1995] suggests an increase in net annual accumulation since 1965. This record is sporadic and its quality is compromised by spatially restricted observations and nonsystematic measurement procedures. Results from a new, spatially extensive network of 236 accumulation poles document that the current 5-year (1992–1997) average annual net accumulation at the South Pole is 84.5 ± 8.9 mm water equivalent (w.e.). This accumulation rate reflects a 30% increase since the 1960s when the best, although not optimal, records indicate that it was 65 mm w.e. Identification of two prominent beta radioactivity horizons (1954/1955 and 1964/1965) in six firn cores confirms an increase in accumulation since 1965. Viewed from a longer perspective of accumulation provided by ice cores and a snow mine study, the net accumulation of the 30-year period, 1965–1994, is the highest 30-year average of this millennium. Limited data suggest this recent accumulation increase extends beyond the South Pole region and may be characteristic of the high East Antarctic Plateau. Enhanced accumulation over the polar ice sheets has been identified as a potential early indicator of warmer sea surface temperatures and may offset a portion of the current rise in global sea level.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗

USGS2019

Laboratory experiments of volcanic ash resuspension by wind

Fresh volcanic eruption deposits tend to be loose, bare, and readily resuspended by wind. Major resuspension events in Patagonia, Iceland, and Alaska have lofted ash clouds with potential to impact aircraft, infrastructure, and downwind communities. However, poor constraints on this resuspension process limit our ability to model this phenomenon. Here, we present laboratory experiments measuring threshold shear velocities and emission rates of resuspended ash under different environmental conditions, including relative humidity of 25–75% and simulated rainfall with subsequent drying. Eruption deposits were replicated using ash collected from two major eruptions: the 18 May 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, in Alaska's Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Samples were conditioned in a laboratory chamber and prepared with bulk deposit densities of 1,300–1,500 kg/m 3 . A control sample of dune sand was included for comparison. The deposits were subjected to different wind speeds using a modified PI‐SWERL® instrument. Under a constant relative humidity of 50% and shear velocities 0.4–0.8 m/s, PM 10 emission by resuspension ranged from 10 to >100 mg·m −2 ·s −1 . Addition of liquid water equivalent to 5 mm of rainfall had little lasting effect on Mount St. Helens wind erosion potential, while the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes deposits exhibited lower emissions for at least 12 days. The results indicate that particle resuspension due to wind erosion from ash deposits potentially exceeds that of most desert surfaces and approaches some of the highest emissions ever measured.

Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres↗

USGS2019

Three-dimensional basin and fault structure from a detailed seismic velocity model of Coachella Valley, Southern California

The Coachella Valley in the northern Salton Trough is known to produce destructive earthquakes, making it a high seismic hazard area. Knowledge of the seismic velocity structure and geometry of the sedimentary basins and fault zones is required to improve earthquake hazard estimates in this region. We simultaneously inverted first P wave travel times from the Southern California Seismic Network (39,998 local earthquakes) and explosions (251 land/sea shots) from the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project to obtain a 3-D seismic velocity model. Earthquakes with focal depths ≤10 km were selected to focus on the upper crustal structure. Strong lateral velocity contrasts in the top ~3 km correlate well with the surface geology, including the low-velocity (<5 km/s) sedimentary basin and the high-velocity crystalline basement rocks outside the valley. Sediment thickness is ~4 km in the southeastern valley near the Salton Sea and decreases to <2 km at the northwestern end of the valley. Eastward thickening of sediments toward the San Andreas fault within the valley defines Coachella Valley basin asymmetry. In the Peninsular Ranges, zones of relatively high seismic velocities (~6.4 km/s) between 2 to 4 km depth may be related to Late Cretaceous mylonite rocks or older inherited basement structures. Other high-velocity domains exist in the model down to 9 km depth and help define crustal heterogeneity. We identify a potential fault zone in Lost Horse Valley unassociated with mapped faults in Southern California from the combined interpretation of surface geology, seismicity, and lateral velocity changes in the model.

California↗

USGS2003

Sources of global warming of the upper ocean on decadal period scales

Recent studies find global climate variability in the upper ocean and lower atmosphere during the twentieth century dominated by quasi-biennial, interannual, quasi-decadal and interdecadal signals. The quasi-decadal signal in upper ocean temperature undergoes global warming/cooling of ???0.1??C, similar to that occuring with the interannual signal (i.e., El Nin??o-Southern Oscillation), both signals dominated by global warming/cooling in the tropics. From the National Centers for Environmental Prediction troposphere reanalysis and Scripps Institution of Oceanography upper ocean temperature reanalysis we examine the quasi-decadal global tropical diabetic heat storage (DHS) budget from 1975 to 2000. We find the anomalous DHS warming tendency of 0.3-0.9 W m-2 driven principally by a downward global tropical latent-plus-sensible heat flux anomaly into the ocean, overwhelming the tendency by weaker upward shortwave-minus-longwave heat flux anomaly to drive an anomalous DHS cooling tendency. During the peak quasi-decadal warming the estimated dissipation of DHS anomaly of 0.2-0.5 W m-2 into the deep ocean and a similar loss to the overlying atmosphere through air-sea heat flux anomaly are balanced by a decrease in the net poleward Ekman heat advection out of the tropics of 0.4-0.7 W m-2. This scenario is nearly the opposite of that accounting for global tropical warming during the El Nin??o. These diagnostics confirm that even though the global quasi-decadal signal is phase-locked to the 11-year signal in the Sun's surface radiative forcing of ???0.1 W m-2, the anomalous global tropical DHS tendency cannot be driven by it directly.

Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans↗

USGS2007

Bora event variability and the role of air-sea feedback

A two-way interacting high resolution numerical simulation of the Adriatic Sea using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) and Coupled Ocean/ Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS??) was conducted to improve forecast momentum and heat flux fields, and to evaluate surface flux field differences for two consecutive bora events during February 2003. (COAMPS?? is a registered trademark of the Naval Research Laboratory.) The strength, mean positions and extensions of the bora jets, and the atmospheric conditions driving them varied considerably between the two events. Bora 1 had 62% stronger heat flux and 51% larger momentum flux than bora 2. The latter displayed much greater diurnal variability characterized by inertial oscillations and the early morning strengthening of a west Adriatic barrier jet, beneath which a stronger west Adriatic ocean current developed. Elsewhere, surface ocean current differences between the two events were directly related to differences in wind stress curl generated by the position and strength of the individual bora jets. The mean heat flux bias was reduced by 72%, and heat flux RMSE reduced by 30% on average at four instrumented over-water sites in the two-way coupled simulation relative to the uncoupled control. Largest reductions in wind stress were found in the bora jets, while the biggest reductions in heat flux were found along the north and west coasts of the Adriatic. In bora 2, SST gradients impacted the wind stress curl along the north and west coasts, and in bora 1 wind stress curl was sensitive to the Istrian front position and strength. The two-way coupled simulation produced diminished surface current speeds of ???12% over the northern Adriatic during both bora compared with a one-way coupled simulation. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans↗

USGS2001

The roughness of natural terrain: A planetary and remote sensing perspective

We examine the various methods and parameters in common use for quantifying and reporting surface topographic "roughness." It is shown that scale-dependent roughness parameters are almost always required, though not widely used. We suggest a method of standardizing the parameters that are computed and reported so that topographic data gathered by different workers using different field techniques can be directly and easily intercompared. We illustrate the proposed method by analyzing topographic data from 60 different surfaces gathered by five different groups and examine the information for common features. We briefly discuss the implications of our analysis for studies of planetary surface roughness, lander safety, and radar remote sensing modeling and analysis.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS1998

Estimation of Mars radar backscatter from measured surface rock populations

Reanalysis of rock population data at the Mars Viking Lander sites has yielded updated values of rock fractional surface coverage (about 0.16 at both sites, including outcrops) and new estimates of rock burial depths and axial ratios. These data are combined with a finite difference time domain (FDTD) numerical scattering model to estimate diffuse backscatter due to rocks at both the Lander 1 (VL1) and Lander 2 (VL2) sites. We consider single scattering from both surface and subsurface objects of various shapes, ranging from an ideal sphere to an accurate digitized model of a terrestrial rock. The FDTD cross-section calculations explicitly account for the size, shape, composition, orientation, and burial state of the scattering object, the incident wave angle and polarization, and the composition of the surface. We calculate depolarized specific cross sections at 12.6 cm wavelength due to lossless rock-like scatterers of about 0.014 at VL1 and 0.023 at VL2, which are comparable to the measured ranges of 0.019–0.032 and 0.012–0.018, respectively. We also discuss the variation of the diffuse cross section as the local angle of incidence, θ i , changes. Numerical calculations for a limited set of rock shapes indicate a marked difference between the angular backscattering behavior of wavelength-scale surface and subsurface rocks: while subsurface rocks scatter approximately as a cosine power law, surface rocks display a complex variation, often with peak backscattering at high incidence angles (θ i = 70°–75°).

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS2009

Climatic effects of 30 years of landscape change over the Greater Phoenix, Arizona, region: 1. Surface energy budget changes

This paper is part 1 of a two-part study that evaluates the climatic effects of recent landscape change for one of the nation's most rapidly expanding metropolitan complexes, the Greater Phoenix, Arizona, region. The region's landscape evolution over an approximate 30-year period since the early 1970s is documented on the basis of analyses of Landsat images and land use/land cover (LULC) data sets derived from aerial photography (1973) and Landsat (1992 and 2001). High-resolution, Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), simulations (2-km grid spacing) are used in conjunction with consistently defined land cover data sets and associated biophysical parameters for the circa 1973, circa 1992, and circa 2001 time periods to quantify the impacts of intensive land use changes on the July surface temperatures and the surface radiation and energy budgets for the Greater Phoenix region. The main findings are as follows: since the early 1970s the region's landscape has been altered by a significant increase in urban/suburban land area, primarily at the expense of decreasing plots of irrigated agriculture and secondarily by the conversion of seminatural shrubland. Mean regional temperatures for the circa 2001 landscape were 0.12??C warmer than the circa 1973 landscape, with maximum temperature differences, located over regions of greatest urbanization, in excess of 1??C. The significant reduction in irrigated agriculture, for the circa 2001 relative to the circa 1973 landscape, resulted in dew point temperature decreases in excess of 1??C. The effect of distinct land use conversion themes (e.g., conversion from irrigated agriculture to urban land) was also examined to evaluate how the most important conversion themes have each contributed to the region's changing climate. The two urbanization themes studied (from an initial landscape of irrigated agriculture and seminatural shrubland) have the greatest positive effect on near-surface temperature, increasing maximum daily temperatures by 1??C. Overall, sensible heat flux differences between the circa 2001 and circa 1973 landscapes result in a 1 W m -2 increase in domain-wide sensible heating, and a similar order of magnitude decrease in latent heating, highlighting the importance of surface repartitioning in establishing near-surface temperature trends. In part 2 of this study, we address the role of the surface budget changes on the mesoscale dynamics/thermodynamics, in context of the large-scale environment. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗

USGS1977

Borehole geophysical investigations in the south Texas uranium district

Contrasts of electrical properties between uranium deposits and their host rocks in South Texas are subtle. In places where deposits are small or deep, conventional geophysical well-logging techniques and hole-to-hole measurements may be the only practical method to detect changes in rock properties associated with the occurrence of uranium ore deposits. Two separate ore-producing areas in South Texas were chosen for studying borehole geophysical techniques applied to uranium-exploration problems. Extensive measurements of physical properties were made on cores and taken from holes where electrical-resistivity, induced-polarization and gamam-ray logs were run. These analyses show that: (1) induced-polarization anomalies are caused by a change in pyrite content and clay-sized material content and (2) resistivity anomalies are associated with a change in clay-sized material content and cementation. In addition to conventional borehole techniques, hole-to-hole induced-polarization and resistivity tests were made in South Texas. These measurements were made by placing a current source down one hole and a receiver cable down an adjacent hole whose separation ranged from 30 to 300 m and hole depths varied from 80 to 270 m. These tests show that hole-to-hole measurements can be used to detect changes in physical properties, associated with uranium ore, that occur between boreholes. Hole-to-hole measurements provide a link between surface measurements and well logs and can minimize the amount of drilling needed to locate an ore deposit. Accordingly, borehole geophysics will become an increasingly important evaluation tool as mineral exploration goes deeper.

Texas↗

USGS2009

Projected changes in atmospheric heating due to changes in fire disturbance and the snow season in the western Arctic, 2003–2100

In high latitudes, changes in climate impact fire regimes and snow cover duration, altering the surface albedo and the heating of the regional atmosphere. In the western Arctic, under four scenarios of future climate change and future fire regimes (2003–2100), we examined changes in surface albedo and the related changes in regional atmospheric heating due to: (1) vegetation changes following a changing fire regime, and (2) changes in snow cover duration. We used a spatially explicit dynamic vegetation model (Alaskan Frame-based Ecosystem Code) to simulate changes in successional dynamics associated with fire under the future climate scenarios, and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model to simulate changes in snow cover. Changes in summer heating due to the changes in the forest stand age distributions under future fire regimes showed a slight cooling effect due to increases in summer albedo (mean across climates of −0.9 W m −2 decade −1 ). Over this same time period, decreases in snow cover (mean reduction in the snow season of 4.5 d decade −1 ) caused a reduction in albedo, and a heating effect (mean across climates of 4.3 W m −2 decade −1 ). Adding both the summer negative change in atmospheric heating due to changes in fire regimes to the positive changes in atmospheric heating due to changes in the length of the snow season resulted in a 3.4 W m −2 decade −1 increase in atmospheric heating. These findings highlight the importance of gaining a better understanding of the influences of changes in surface albedo on atmospheric heating due to both changes in the fire regime and changes in snow cover duration.

Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences↗

USGS2021

Drivers of methane flux differ between lakes and reservoirs, complicating global upscaling efforts

Methane is an important greenhouse gas with growing atmospheric concentrations. Freshwater lakes and reservoirs contribute substantially to atmospheric methane concentrations, but the magnitude of this contribution is poorly constrained. Uncertainty stems partially from whether the sites currently sampled represent the global population as well as incomplete knowledge of which environmental variables predict methane flux. Thus, determining the main drivers of methane flux across diverse waterbody types will inform more accurate upscaling approaches. Here we use a new database of total, diffusive, and ebullitive areal methane emissions from 313 lakes and reservoirs (ranging in surface area from 6 m 2 to 5,400 km 2 ) to identify the best predictors of methane emission. We found that the best predictors of methane emission differed by waterbody type (lakes vs. reservoirs), and that ecosystem morphometric variables (e.g., surface area and maximum depth) were more important predictors in lakes whereas metrics of autochthonous production (e.g., chlorophyll a ) were more important in reservoirs. We also found that productivity strongly predicted methane ebullition, whereas ecosystem morphometry and waterbody type were more important predictors of diffusive methane flux. Finally, we identify several knowledge gaps that limit upscaling efforts. First, we need more methane emission measurements in small reservoirs, large lakes, and both natural and artificial ponds. Additionally, more accurate upscaling efforts require improved global information about waterbody surface area, waterbody type (lake vs. reservoir), ice phenology, and the distribution of productivity‐related predictor variables such as total phosphorus, DOC, and chlorophyll a .

Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences↗

USGS2020

Surface methane concentrations along the mid-Atlantic bight driven by aerobic subsurface production rather than seafloor gas seeps

Relatively minor amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, are currently emitted from the oceans to the atmosphere, but such methane emissions have been hypothesized to increase as oceans warm. Here, we investigate the source, distribution, and fate of methane released from the upper continental slope of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bight, where hundreds of gas seeps have been discovered between the shelf-break and ~1600 m water depth. Using physical, chemical, and isotopic analyses, we identify two main sources of methane in the water column: seafloor gas seeps and in situ aerobic methanogenesis which primarily occurs at 100 – 200 m depth in the water column. Stable isotopic analyses reveal that water samples collected at all depths were significantly impacted by aerobic methane oxidation, the dominant methane sink in this region, with more than 50% of the methane being oxidized, on average. Due to methane oxidation in the deeper water column, below 200 m depth, surface concentrations of methane are influenced more by methane sources found near the surface (0 – 10 m depth) and in the subsurface (10 - 200 m depth), rather than seafloor emissions at greater depths.

Atlantic margin↗