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At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
USGS2021

Peak streamflow determinations in Nevada: A cooperative program with the USGS and Nevada Department of Transportation

Background Floods are one of the most costly and frequent natural disasters in Nevada. For example, the 1997 New Year’s flood has been estimated to have caused more than $1 billion in damage across northern Nevada (Truckee River Flood Management Authority, 2017). In 2014, more than 2 miles of Interstate 15 in southern Nevada was heavily damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Norbert combined with monsoonal rains (Sutko, 2015). Flooding in Nevada is highly variable in cause and the season of the year. Flooding can be caused by snowmelt, rain on snow, and flash flooding during thunderstorms. Peak streamflow estimates are critical for planning by government agencies; designation of flood zones; and design of infrastructure including culverts, bridges, and roadways. In order to provide accurate estimates of flood frequencies, long-term data collection of peak streamflows would be needed because the accuracy of estimates improves with longer datasets.

Nevada↗
USGS2021

Maryland and Landsat

Maryland, called “America in Miniature,” encompasses nearly every geographical feature in the United States except a desert. Water dominates the State, whose borders run along much of Chesapeake Bay. The bay is the country’s largest estuary, where freshwater from watershed tributaries mingles with the ocean’s saltwater and teems with life. The Chesapeake Bay faces threats from erosion, pollution, rising sea levels, and natural disasters. Because the Chesapeake Bay is prominent in Maryland’s history, economy, natural diversity, and way of life, protecting its waters and ecosystems is a priority for the State. Landsat imagery helps with a number of these efforts. Maryland also has a special relation with Landsat satellites; the USGS manages their flight operations out of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.

Maryland↗
USGS2022

Missouri and Landsat

Missouri, one of only two States that borders eight different States, lies in the heart of the United States. Distinguished by its farm fields and forests, substantial rivers and lakes, and cities filled with culture and industry, the “Show Me State” has abundant beauty and a long history of connecting the East and the West. The Pony Express, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, and California Trail all began in Missouri. The land and the people of Missouri contribute to its resiliency. Landsat data provide important tools for Missourians to protect their landscapes and waterways and enhance their economy under a variety of circumstances, from fast-arising natural disasters to longer-term environmental phenomena. Here are several ways that Landsat data benefit Missouri.

Missouri↗
USGS2022

2022 Emergency Assistance Act — USGS recovery activities

The Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 117-43) was enacted on September 30, 2021. The U.S. Geological Survey received $26.3 million in supplemental funding to repair and replace facilities and equipment, collect high-resolution elevation data, and complete scientific assessments to support direct recovery and rebuilding decisions in areas affected by declared disasters—earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods—that occurred between 2019 and 2021.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2022

North Dakota and Landsat

The State of North Dakota once did not figure prominently in the Nation’s economy. The sparsely populated State supported food production, and hunters and anglers were drawn to its lakes, rivers, and wide-open spaces, but its economy was overshadowed by that of other States. However, the State and its prairie expanses recently rocketed from an economic afterthought to a national energy leader with the soaring production of oil and natural gas in the Bakken oil patch. The Bakken development has been transformative for North Dakota’s landscapes in myriad ways. It has boosted economic output, drawn thousands of new residents to cities like Williston and Watford City, and led to a proliferation of oil and gas pads. In the past two decades, North Dakota experienced other major changes, such as the expansion of the depressional wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region on the eastern side of the State. These critical breeding areas for waterfowl, which stretch across Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Canada, are home to more than 50 percent of North America’s migratory birds. Changes from oil and gas production, urban development, and wetland resurgence can all be tracked over time using the unparalleled Earth observation record of the U.S. Geological Survey Landsat data archive. Its 50-year record of repeat imagery also aids in the monitoring, cataloging, and management of cropland, invasive insect species, and natural or human-made disaster recovery. Here are just a few examples of the benefits offered to North Dakota by the Landsat Program.

North Dakota↗
USGS2022

Database of biodiversity, habitat, and aquatic-resource quantification tools used in market-based conservation — 2022 update

Market-based conservation makes use of economic incentives to promote actions that avoid, minimize, or compensate for detrimental effects on natural resources and the environment. Examples of market-based conservation mechanisms include aquatic-resource (such as, streams, wetlands, and estuaries) compensatory mitigation, conservation banking, habitat exchanges, and payments for ecosystem services. A critical component in the operation of these market-based conservation mechanisms is the methods (hereafter referred to as “quantification tools”) used to assess existing (sometimes referred to as “baseline”) or potential site conditions. Quantification tools are used to assign values to the benefits provided by preservation, restoration, or enhancement actions, as well as the negative effects of human activities (for example, infrastructure development, energy extraction, and anthropogenic disasters). In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published a database describing the attributes of 69 quantification tools developed for United States conservation markets. The database focused on tools used for species-based mitigation, payments for ecosystem services, and ecolabel programs (Chiavacci and Pindilli, 2020). Recently, the USGS, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, revised the original database by updating the existing tool information, adding newly developed tools, and broadening the scope to include tools developed for compensatory mitigation under the Clean Water Act Section 404 Regulatory Program.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2023

Flood warning toolset for the Sabinal River near Utopia, Texas

Introduction Floods are one of the most frequent and expensive natural disasters that occur across the United States. Rapid, high-water events that occur in local areas—flash floods—are especially difficult for emergency managers to predict and provide advance warning to the public, and insufficient data can hamper postflood recovery efforts. Central Texas is hilly, and it is known as a “flash flood alley” because of its high-intensity rains, shallow soils, and steep terrain, all of which combined can result in loss of life and property damage. For example, the flash flood event during July 2002 claimed 12 lives in central Texas, including 1 in the town of Utopia, which is on the east bank of the Sabinal River in a flash-flood-prone area along the Balcones Escarpment. During the flood event, the peak discharge recorded on July 5, 2002, at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage 08198000 Sabinal River near Sabinal, Tex. (hereinafter referred to as the “Sabinal gage”), was 108,000 cubic feet per second (corresponding to a stream stage [also called gage height] of 33.74 feet). To put the 2002 flood into context, during a typical year the median daily discharge in the Sabinal River at the Sabinal gage is only about 23 cubic feet per second. In 2021, the USGS, in cooperation with the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District and the Texas Water Development Board, developed a flood warning toolset for the Sabinal River near Utopia. This study builds on earlier USGS flood work on the Medina River in Bandera County. The newly developed toolset consists of a newly installed USGS streamgage to collect continuous stream stage data (streamgage 08197970 Sabinal River at Utopia, Tex.; hereinafter referred to as the “Utopia gage”) 13 miles upstream from the Sabinal gage, a hydraulic model developed for the Sabinal River near Utopia, and an online library of digital flood-inundation maps referenced to the stream stage at the Utopia gage.

Texas↗
USGS2023

Comparison of earthquake early warning systems and the national volcano early warning system at the U.S. Geological Survey

Introduction Every year in the United States, natural hazards threaten lives and livelihoods, resulting in thousands of casualties and billions of dollars in damage. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Mission Area works with many partners to monitor, assess, and research a wide range of natural hazards, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These efforts aim to enhance community preparedness, response, and resilience. The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP) provides earthquake monitoring and notifications, assesses seismic hazards, and conducts targeted research to reduce the risk of earthquake hazards nationwide. The USGS Volcano Hazards Program (VHP) delivers forecasts, warnings, and information about volcanic hazards based on proactive monitoring of the nation’s active volcanoes and scientific understanding of volcanic processes. The VHP also conducts targeted research on volcanic processes and creates hazards assessments that inform the level of monitoring required at each of the nation’s active volcanoes. Earthquake and volcano early warning systems are essential to disaster risk reduction: they can save lives and reduce property damage by quickly distributing messages and warnings to communities in harm’s way.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2024

The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting the Kansas Economy

Introduction High-resolution elevation data for Kansas inform decision making to improve the State’s economy. Existing elevation data coverage is used to support State water planning initiatives, facilitate infrastructure management, and improve resilience to natural disasters. The expanding availability of current and more accurate elevation data helps better support natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, flood risk management, water supply planning, infrastructure and construction management, and geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation. Critical applications that meet the State’s management needs depend on light detection and ranging (lidar) data that provide a highly detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the Earth’s surface and aboveground features. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with Federal, State, Tribal, U.S. territorial, and local agencies to acquire consistent lidar coverage at quality level 2 or better to meet the many needs of the Nation and Kansas. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Kansas is shown in figure 1. 3DEP baseline lidar data include quality level 2 or better, 1-meter or better digital elevation models, and lidar point clouds, and must meet the Lidar Base Specification version 1.2 ( https://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec ) or newer requirements. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment identified user requirements and conservatively estimated that availability of lidar data would result in at least $14.41 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top nine Kansas business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2.

Kansas↗
USGS2024

The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting the Texas economy

Introduction High-resolution elevation data for Texas inform decision making to improve the State’s economy. Existing elevation data coverage is used to improve resiliency to natural disasters, manage energy infrastructure, and assess natural resources. The expanding availability of current and more accurate elevation data helps better support natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, coastal zone management, and identification of features of interest or concern, such as archaeological and historic sites. Critical applications that meet the State’s management needs depend on light detection and ranging (lidar) data that provide a highly detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the Earth’s surface and aboveground features. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with Federal, State, Tribal, U.S. territorial, and local agencies to acquire consistent lidar coverage at quality level 2 or better to meet the many needs of the Nation and Texas. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Texas is shown in figure 1. 3DEP baseline lidar data include quality level 2 or better, 1-meter or better digital elevation models, and lidar point clouds, and must meet the Lidar Base Specification version 1.2 ( https://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec ) or newer requirements. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment identified user requirements and conservatively estimated that availability of lidar data would result in at least $53.1 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top 10 Texas business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2.

Texas↗
USGS2025

The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Connecticut's economy

Introduction Connecticut has a diverse, largely forested landscape characterized by hills and low mountains in the Western Upland, hills in the Eastern Upland, ridges and broad valleys in the Central Lowland, and many beaches and harbors along the coast of Long Island Sound. Connecticut is manufacturing and service focused, ranking almost highest among the 50 States in the United States in personal income per capita. Due to Connecticut’s dense population, many people, especially the approximately 60 percent living near the coast, may be affected by climate-driven disasters. High-quality elevation data can inform the activities of many nongovernmental organizations and municipal and academic entities statewide, resulting in substantial economic impact. Government at the State and local levels relies on these data to support regulatory permitting, resource and infrastructure management, and various engineering and planning-level analyses. Critical applications that meet the State’s management needs depend on light detection and ranging (lidar) data that provide a highly detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the Earth’s surface and aboveground features. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey in partnership with Federal, State, Tribal, U.S. territorial, and local agencies to acquire consistent lidar coverage at quality level 2 or better to meet the many needs of the Nation and Connecticut. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Connecticut is shown. 3DEP baseline lidar data include quality level 2 or better, 1-meter or better digital elevation models, and lidar point clouds, and must meet the Lidar Base Specification version 1.2 or newer requirements. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment identified user requirements and conservatively estimated that availability of lidar data would result in at least $4.40 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top 10 Connecticut business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown.

Connecticut↗
USGS2010

Utah Science Activities, Update 2010

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior, serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. The USGS has become a world leader in the natural sciences thanks to our scientific excellence and responsiveness to society's needs. This newsletter describes some of the current and recently completed USGS earth-science activities in Utah. As an unbiased, multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, and water, we are dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the landscape, our natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us. Learn more about our goals and priorities for the coming decade in the USGS Science Strategy at http://www.usgs.gov/science_strategy/ .

General Information Product↗
USGS2014

Coastal storm monitoring in Virginia

Coastal communities in Virginia are prone to flooding, particularly during hurricanes, nor’easters, and other coastal low-pressure systems. These weather systems affect public safety, personal and public property, and valuable infrastructure, such as transportation, water and sewer, and electric-supply networks. Local emergency managers, utility operators, and the public are tasked with making difficult decisions regarding evacuations, road closures, and post-storm recovery efforts as a result of coastal flooding. In coastal Virginia these decisions often are made on the basis of anecdotal knowledge from past events or predictions based on data from monitoring sites located far away from the affected area that may not reflect local conditions. Preventing flood hazards, such as hurricane-induced storm surge, from becoming human disasters requires an understanding of the relative risks that flooding poses to specific communities. The risk to life and property can be very high if decisions about evacuations and road closures are made too late or not at all.

Virginia↗
USGS2017

Central Plains Water Science Center bookmark

The U.S. Geological Survey Central Plains Water Science Center, serving the states of Kansas and Nebraska, has collected and interpreted hydrologic information for more than a century. Data collected include streamflow and gage height, reservoir content, water quality and water quantity, suspended sediment, and groundwater levels. Interpretative hydrologic studies are completed on national, regional, statewide, and local levels and cooperatively funded through partnerships with these agencies. The U.S. Geological Survey provides impartial scientific information to describe and understand the health of our ecosystems and environment; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. These collected data are in the National Water Information System (Kansas: https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/en/ and Nebraska: https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/en/ ), and all results are documented in reports that also are online (Kansas: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/kswsc and Nebraska: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nebraska-water-science-center/publications ).

General Information Product↗
USGS2017

Science programs in Kansas

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a non-regulatory Earth science agency within the Department of the Interior that provides impartial scientific information to describe and understand the health of our ecosystems and environment; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. The USGS cooperates with Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies in Kansas to deliver long-term data in real-time and interpretive reports describing what those data mean to the public and resource management agencies. USGS science programs in Kansas provide real-time groundwater monitoring at more than 19 locations; streamflow monitoring at more than 216 locations; water-quality and trends in the Little Arkansas and Kansas Rivers; inflows and outflows of sediment to/from reservoirs and in streams; harmful algal bloom research in the Kansas River, Milford Lake, and Cheney Reservoir; water-quantity and water-quality effects of artificial groundwater recharge for the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery project near Wichita, Kansas; compilation of Kansas municipal and irrigation water-use data statewide; the occurrence, effects, and movement of environmental pesticides, antibiotics, algal toxins, and taste-and-odor compounds; and funding to the Kansas Water Resources Research Institute to further research and education through Kansas universities.

Kansas↗
USGS1988

Flood of May 26-27, 1984 in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The greatest flood disaster in the history of Tulsa, Oklahoma occurred during 8 hours from 2030 hours May 26 to 0430 hours May 27, 1984, as a result of intense rainfall centered over the metropolitan area. Storms of the magnitude that caused this flood are not uncommon to the southern great plains. Such storms are seldom documented in large urban areas. Total rainfall depth and rainfall distribution in the Tulsa metropolitan area during the May 26-27 storm were recorded by 16 recording rain gages. This report presents location of recording rain gages with corresponding rainfall histograms and mass curves, lines of equal rainfall depth (map A), and flood magnitudes and inundated areas of selected streams within the city (map B). The limits of the study areas (fig. 1) are the corporate boundaries of Tulsa, an area of about 185 square miles. Streams draining the city are: Dirty Butter, Coal, and Mingo Creeks which drain northward into Bird Creek along the northern boundary of the city; and Cherry, Crow, Harlow, Joe Haikey, Fry, Vensel, Fred, and Mooser Creeks which flow into the Arkansas River along the southern part of the city. Flooding along Haikey, Fry, Fred, Vensel, and Mooser Creeks was not documented for this report. The Arkansas River is regulated by Keystone Dam upstream from Tulsa (fig. 1). The Arkansas River remained below flood stage during the storm. Flooded areas in Tulsa (map B) were delineated on the topographic maps using flood profiles based on surveys of high-water marks identified immediately after the flood. The flood boundaries show the limits of stream flooding. Additional areas flooded because of overfilled storm drains or by sheet runoff are not shown in this report. Data presented in this report, including rainfall duration and frequency, and flood discharges and elevations, provide city officials and consultants a technical basis for making flood-plain management decisions.

Hydrologic Atlas↗
USGS1989

Map showing 1983 landslides in Utah

The State of Utah sustained direct damages from landslides and flooding in excess of $400 million during approximately three months in the spring of 1983. These disastrous events were declared national disaster areas (Anderson and others, 1985).

Utah↗
USGS1999

Maps Showing Locations of Damaging Landslides Caused by El Nino Rainstorms, Winter Season 1997-98, San Francisco Bay Region, California

Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. Reports of landsliding began in early January 1998 and continued throughout the winter and spring. On February 9, President Clinton declared all 10 counties eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance. In April and May of 1998, personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a field reconnaissance in the area to provide a general overview of landslide damage resulting from the 1997-98 sequence of El Nino-related storms. Seven scientists from the USGS Landslide Hazards Program based in Reston, Virginia; Golden, Colorado; and Menlo Park, California; and five scientists from the USGS Geologic Mapping Program?s San Francisco Bay Mapping Team based in Menlo Park, California, cooperated in the landslide-damage assessments. The assessments were done for 10 counties in the Bay area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma. USGS Maps in this series include: MF-2325-A (Napa County), MF-2325-B (Alameda County), MF-2325-C (Marin County), MF-2325-D (Santa Cruz County), MF-2325-E (Contra Costa County), MF-2325-F (Sonoma County), MF-2325-G (San Francisco City and County), MF-2325-H (San Mateo County), MF-2325-I (Solano County), MF-2325-J (Santa Clara County). In addition to USGS scientists providing data from the field evaluation, each of the counties, many consultants, and others cooperated fully in providing the landslide-damage information compiled here.

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗