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At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources
USGS2015

Landsat—Earth observation satellites

Since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth’s land surface, providing data that serve as valuable resources for land use/land change research. The data are useful to a number of applications including forestry, agriculture, geology, regional planning, and education. Landsat is a joint effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA develops remote sensing instruments and the spacecraft, then launches and validates the performance of the instruments and satellites. The USGS then assumes ownership and operation of the satellites, in addition to managing all ground reception, data archiving, product generation, and data distribution. The result of this program is an unprecedented continuing record of natural and human-induced changes on the global landscape.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2003

Regional sediment budget of the Columbia River littoral cell, USA: Analysis of bathymetric- and topographic-volume change

In this Open-File Report we present calculations of changes in bathymetric and topographic volumes for the Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and Columbia River entrances and the adjacent coasts of North Beach, Grayland Plains, Long Beach, and Clatsop Plains for four intervals: pre-jetty - 1920s (Interval 1), 1920s - 1950s (Interval 2), 1950s - 1990s (Interval 3), and 1920s 1990s (Interval 4). This analysis is part of the Southwest Washington Coastal Erosion Study (SWCES), the goals of which are to understand and predict the morphologic behavior of the Columbia River littoral cell on a management scale of tens of kilometers and decades. We obtain topographic Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data from a joint project by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) and bathymetric data from the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), USGS, and the DOE. Shoreline data are digitized from T-Sheets and aerial photographs from the USC&GS and National Ocean Service (NOS). Instead of uncritically adjusting each survey to NAVD88, a common vertical land-based datum, we adjust some surveys to produce optimal results according to the following criteria. First, we minimize offsets in overlapping surveys within the same era, and second, we minimize bathymetric changes (relative to the 1990s) in deep water, where we assume minimal change has taken place. We grid bathymetric and topographic datasets using kriging and triangulation algorithms, calculate bathymetric-change surfaces for each interval, and calculate volume changes within polygons that are overlaid on the bathymetric-change surfaces. We find similar morphologic changes near the entrances to Grays Harbor and the Columbia River following jetty construction between 1898 and 1916 at the Grays Harbor entrance and between 1885 and 1913 at the Columbia River entrance. The inlets and inner deltas eroded and the outer deltas moved offshore and accreted. The adjacent coasts experienced accretion over alongshore distances of tens of kilometers. North of the Grays Harbor entrance along North Beach and north of the Columbia River entrance along Long Beach the shoreface and the beach-dune complex mainly prograded, whereas south of the Grays Harbor entrance along Grayland Plains and south of the Columbia River entrance along Clatsop Plains the beach-dune complex above -10 m NAVD88 prograded and the shoreface between approximately -30 m and -10 m NAVD88 eroded. In the decades following jetty construction, the rates of erosion and accretion at the entrances decreased and the centers of deposition along the adjacent coasts moved away from the entrances. The rates of change have decreased, suggesting the systems are approaching dynamic equilibrium. Exceptions to this behaviour are the accretion of the beach-dune complex of Long Beach, the erosion of Cape Shoalwater, and the northward migration of the Willapa Bay ebb-tidal delta during all intervals. The net shoreline advance of Long Beach increases from 0.28 m/yr in pre-jetty conditions to 3.78 m/yr during Interval 4. The erosion of Cape Shoalwater and the northward migration of the Willapa Bay ebb-tidal delta are related to the northern migration of the Willapa Bay North Channel. Volume changes at the Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and Columbia River entrances and the Columbia River estuary are balanced against losses and gains due to littoral transport and sand supply from the Columbia River. Based on these sediment balances, we infer the following pathways: sand that eroded from the inlets and inner deltas at the Grays Harbor and Columbia River entrances moved offshore and northward to accrete the outer deltas and the beaches to the north; sand from the south flank of the Grays Harbor delta and shelf along Grayland Plains moved onshore to accrete the beach dune complex of Grayland Plains and moved northward to maintain accretion of the outer delta and the beach-dune complex of North Beach; sand that eroded from the south flank of the Columbia River delta and shelf along Clatsop Plains contributed to the accretion of the beach-dune complex of Clatsop Plains and the Columbia River outer delta. The net volume change for Interval 1 and 3 at the Grays Harbor entrance and for Interval 1 at the Columbia River entrance is erosion, whereas the net change for the other intervals is accretion. For the entire CRLC, there is a net loss of 185 Mm 3 for Interval 1, a net gain of 357 Mm 3 for Interval 2, and a net gain of 187 Mm 3 for Interval 3. These imbalances can be the result of incomplete bathymetric coverage of the bays and shoreface, uncertainties in the adjustments of vertical tidal datums, inconsistencies in the bathymetric data, and uncertainties in the sediment supply of the Columbia River.

Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2021

Understanding collaborative governance from a communication network perspective: A case study of the Atlantic Salmon recovery framework

Atlantic salmon populations in Maine remain critically low despite extensive hatchery supplementation and habitat improvement efforts. In 2000, the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment was listed as Endangered under the ESA with joint listing authority shared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Because, regulators, and tribal, federal and state managers operate with independent authorities, recovery decisions depend upon effective communication and coordination among groups. Using a mixed-methods approach, we surveyed (n = 41) and interviewed (n = 28) members of the Atlantic Salmon Recovery Framework (ASRF), the joint governance structure responsible for Atlantic salmon management in Maine. We used survey results to examine the communication between members of ASRF through communication network analysis. While there is a relatively high network density for individual communication (56 %), connections are decentralized, a characteristic that can be incompatible with some organizational structures. Challenges reported by members fit into three general categories; i. slow and ineffective decision-making, ii. confusion surrounding leadership and accountability, and iii. low adaptive capacity. Despite these challenges, participants reported a commitment to maintaining a collaborative governance structure and a long history of inter-organizational relationships. This introspective effort has led to a reorganization effort to optimize communication pathways.

Maine↗
USGS2008

The need for a national LIDAR dataset

On May 21st and 22nd 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Association of American State Geologists (AASG) hosted the Second National Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) Initiative Strategy Meeting at USGS Headquarters in Reston, Virginia. The USGS is taking the lead in cooperation with many partners to design and implement a future high-resolution National Lidar Dataset. Initial work is focused on determining viability, developing requirements and specifi cations, establishing what types of information contained in a lidar signal are most important, and identifying key stakeholders and their respective roles. In February 2007, USGS hosted the fi rst National Lidar Initiative Strategy Meeting at USGS Headquarters in Virginia. The presentations and a published summary report from the fi rst meeting can be found on the Center for Lidar Information Coordination and Knowledge (CLICK) Website: http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov. The fi rst meeting demonstrated the public need for consistent lidar data at the national scale. The goals of the second meeting were to further expand on the ideas and information developed in the fi rst meeting, to bring more stakeholders together, to both refi ne and expand on the requirements and capabilities needed, and to discuss an organizational and funding approach for an initiative of this magnitude. The approximately 200 participants represented Federal, State, local, commercial and academic interests. The second meeting included a public solicitation for presentations and posters to better democratize the workshop. All of the oral presentation abstracts that were submitted were accepted, and the 25 poster submissions augmented and expanded upon the oral presentations. The presentations from this second meeting, including audio, can be found on CLICK at http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/national_lidar_2008.php. Based on the presentations and the discussion sessions, the following points were emphasized throughout the meeting

Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing↗
USGS1994

Historical and potential scour around bridge piers and abutments of selected stream crossings in Indiana

Historical scour data were collected by means of geophysical techniques and used to evaluate the scour-computation procedures recommended by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and 12 other pub- lished pier-scour equations. Geophysical data were collected at 10 bridges in Indiana. For this evaluation it was assumed that the historical scour measured by use of geophysical techniques was associated with the peak historical discharge. The hydraulic conditions for the peak historical discharge were estimated by use of a model that computes water-surface profiles. For the evaluation, the results of the contraction and pier-scour equations were combined to determine a computed bed elevation, which was compared to the minimum historical bed elevation at the upstream end of the piers estimated from the geophysical data. None of the pier-scour equations accurately represented the historical scour at all of the study sites. On the basis of the limited data presented, the Federal Highway Administration procedures provided a combination of accuracy and safety, required by design equations, equal to or better than the other equations evaluated. The potential scour was com- puted according to the procedures recommended by the Federal Highway Administration. At two bridges, the procedures overpredicted historical scour by more than 10 feet, and at two other bridges, the proce- dure underpredicted historical scour by more than 5 ft therefore, the potential-scour computations need to be verified by additional data and sediment-transport modeling. Computed abutment scour appeared to be excessive at about half of the sites.

Indiana↗
USGS2007

The geology of Six Mile Reef, eastern Long Island Sound

Digital terrain models, which can be produced from multibeam bathymetric data, are ordered arrays of depths for a number of sea-floor positions sampled at regularly spaced intervals. These models provide valuable base maps for marine geological interpretations that help define the variability of the sea floor (one of the primary controls of benthic habitat diversity), improve our understanding of the processes that control the distribution and transport of bottom sediments and the distribution of benthic habitats, and provide a detailed framework to guide and assist future research, monitoring, and management activities. The bathymetry interpreted herein was processed from data collected by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessels during hydrographic surveys H11361 and H11252. These surveys mapped roughly 156 km² of sea floor in the vicinity of Six Mile Reef, an area of eastern Long Island Sound where the sea floor is characterized by fields of large sand waves and an east-west decreasing gradient of bottom tidal-current speeds (fig. 1). Interpretations of the bathymetry are supplemented by concurrently collected seismic reflection data, as well as archived historic seismic profiles, sediment samples and bottom photography collected as part of a long-standing geologic mapping partnership between the State of Connecticut and the U.S. Geological Survey (fig. 2). The purpose of this digital report is 1) to provide the acoustic data layers produced during the above mentioned surveys, 2) to use them to describe the sea-floor character and bedform morphologies near Six Mile Reef, and 3) to relate these descriptions to ongoing processes and sedimentary environments.

Connecticut, New York↗
USGS1955

Some thorium prospects, Lemhi Pass area, Beaverhead County, Montana

The Last Chance group> Brown Bear and Shady Tree claims in Beaverhead County, Mont., were explored for thorium under a Defense Minerals Exploration Administration Contract in 1951 and 1952. The project was undertaken to explore northwest-trending moderately to steep dipping, thorite-bearing quartz-barite-hematite veins. The veins are wall-rock replacements and fissure fillings in faults and shears that cut rocks of the Precambrian Belt series. Recurrent movement along the faults has intense fractured the veins. Quartz iron-oxide minerals, and thorite have been deposited in these fractures. The iron oxides and thorite are intimately associated and were among the last minerals deposited. Because no rare earth or uranium minerals have been found in the veins, it is thought that the small amounts of these elements reported in the analyses must substitute for thorium in the thorite. Under the D. M. E. A. contract the Last Chance vein was traced on surface for a distance of about 1,300 feet; the thickness ranges from about 35 feet to a few inches. Two diamond drill holes cut the vein 240 and 290 feet below the outcrop.

Trace Elements Memorandum↗
USGS1986

Distributed information system (water fact sheet)

During 1982-85, the Water Resources Division (WRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) installed over 70 large minicomputers in offices across the country to support its mission in the science of hydrology. These computers are connected by a communications network that allows information to be shared among computers in each office. The computers and network together are known as the Distributed Information System (DIS). The computers are accessed through the use of more than 1500 terminals and minicomputers. The WRD has three fundamentally different needs for computing: data management; hydrologic analysis; and administration. Data management accounts for 50% of the computational workload of WRD because hydrologic data are collected in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific trust territories. Hydrologic analysis consists of 40% of the computational workload of WRD. Cost accounting, payroll, personnel records, and planning for WRD programs occupies an estimated 10% of the computer workload. The DIS communications network is shown on a map. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1997

Stream Stability and Scour Assessments at Bridges in Massachusetts

In 1989, the Federal Highway Administration mandated that every state establish a program to evaluate the vulnerability to floods of all bridges over water. The Massachusetts Highway Department entered into a cooperative effort with the U.S. Geological Survey to comply with this mandate. Geomorphic and hydraulic characteristics were collected and were used to assess the processes that affect stream stability and current scour problems and potential near 2,361 bridge sites in Massachusetts. As a result of these assessments, the Massachusetts Highway Department will prioritize the bridge inventory for action regarding scour safety. A data base was prepared that includes the geomorphic and hydraulic data collected during field assessments. In addition to the data base, this report includes the historical development of the bridge scour program, the methods used for data collection during assessments, the methods used for quality assurance and quality control, and how the data base was digitally formatted to be presented on a CD-ROM. A user's guide provides assistance in the use of this electronic data base and report.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2024

Special topic—Unoccupied aircraft systems

Introduction Unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) increasingly support volcano monitoring and eruption response activities in the United States and abroad (James and others, 2020). Advances in UAS platforms and miniaturization of sensors over the past decade have expanded the use of this technology for a wide range of applications within volcanology (Jordan, 2019; James and others, 2020). UAS can greatly enhance existing ground-, aerial-, and satellite-based observation and in situ monitoring networks at volcanoes by providing new avenues for data collection in terms of access, resolution, and timing. UAS can collect data in difficult and hazardous environments, reducing risk to occupied aircraft and (or) ground crews; support the generation of dense time series of data through frequent, low-cost, high-resolution surveys; and provide real-time, on-demand measurements at volcanic systems for indicators such as gas, thermal output, and topographic change without the need to wait for contracted aerial flight services or satellite orbit intervals. During the 2018 response to the Kīlauea eruption on the Island of Hawaiʻi, UAS were used extensively and successfully to monitor, track, investigate, and (or) warn of ongoing volcanic activity (fig. L1; Neal and others, 2019). Throughout the eruption, the UAS team was able to provide data products rapidly to emergency managers for situational awareness and to scientists for quantitative hazard assessment (Diefenbach and others, 2018). Over the course of 4 months, more than 1,200 UAS missions were flown and yielded critical data that included (1) live video to emergency operations centers in Hilo and Honolulu for situational awareness; (2) gas emission rates, compositions, and concentrations; (3) repeat nadir videos over sections of the lava channel to support measurements of lava effusion rate; (4) oblique videos for hazards assessment and outreach; and (5) photogrammetry surveys to create very high-resolution topographic models and orthophoto mosaics (Diefenbach and others, 2018). In coming years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program (VHP) plans to expand its fleet of UAS, associated sensors, and remote pilots to enhance volcano monitoring and response capabilities. Currently (2023), USGS operational capabilities are restricted to small class UAS (sUAS; less than [<] 55 pounds) that are limited in range, payload capacity, and flight duration. Additionally, USGS-piloted platforms are restricted to the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Aviation Services approved fleet, which includes a limited number of small and medium multi-rotor aircraft and vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing aircraft ( https://www.doi.gov/aviation/uas/fleet ). Each type of platform has advantages and disadvantages. Small rotor-wing quadcopters are fast to deploy, can be carried in a backpack, and are highly maneuverable, but are typically only equipped with a small camera and have a minimal flight range. Medium rotor-wing hexacopters can carry larger payloads (< 20 kilograms [kg]) and varied sensors, but, with the drawback of minimal flight time (<30 minutes), they typically have similar range capabilities to their smaller counterparts and are not as easily deployable. Fixed-wing platforms provide relatively long endurance (<60 minutes) and range and, with the vertical take-off and landing capabilities, can launch and land in relatively small spaces; however, they have less maneuverability and hovering capability than the rotor-wing platforms. Although the 2018 Kīlauea response showed the benefit of the current UAS fleet, all platforms have limited range [<10 kilometers (km)], such that operators must be stationed relatively close to the region of interest. To expand UAS monitoring capabilities, VHP staff have been working closely with industry partners and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop a next-generation UAS for volcano monitoring (Kern and others, 2020). This ruggedized, mid-range (>20 km), multiparametric (gas and photogrammetry) UAS has been developed to meet volcano monitoring needs, particularly at less accessible, more dangerous stratovolcanoes. It is expected in the coming years that additional UAS platforms with new and smaller sensors will expand our capabilities to meet the Nation’s volcano monitoring objectives.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS1984

Sediment transport by irrigation return flows in four small drains within the DID-18 drainage of the Sulphur Creek basin, Yakima County, Washington, April 1979 to October 1981

Suspended sediment, water discharges, and water temperatures were monitored in four small drains in the DID-18 basin of the Sulphur Creek basin, a tributary to the Yakima River, Washington. Water outflow, inflow, and miscellaneous sites were also monitored. The information was used to evaluate the effectiveness of management practices in reducing sediment loads in irrigated areas. This study was one of seven Model Implementation Plan projects selected by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to demonstrate the effectiveness of institutional and administrative implementation of management plans. Sediment discharges from the four basins could not be correlated with changes in management practices, because Imhoff Cone readings collected for the study showed no statistical differences between the three irrigation seasons. However, one drain acted as a sink for sediment where more lands were sprinkler irrigated; this drain had a smaller proportion of row crops than did the other three drains. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2001

Ground-water hydrology of Dugway Proving Ground and adjoining area, Tooele and Juab counties, Utah

Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a U.S. Department of Defense chemical, biological, and explosives testing facility in northwestern Utah. The facility includes about 620 mi 2 in Tooele County. The town of Dugway, referred to as English Village, is the administrative headquarters for the military facility, the primary residential area, and community center. The English Village area is located at the southern end of Skull Valley and is separated from the Fries area by a surface-water divide. Most of the facility is located just to the west of Skull Valley in Government Creek Valley, Dugway Valley, and the Great Salt Lake Desert (fig. 1).

Utah↗
USGS2010

Landsat: A Global Land-Imaging Project

Across nearly four decades since 1972, Landsat satellites continuously have acquired space-based images of the Earth's land surface, coastal shallows, and coral reefs. The Landsat Program, a joint effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was established to routinely gather land imagery from space; consequently, NASA develops remote-sensing instruments and spacecraft, then launches and validates the satellites. The USGS then assumes ownership and operation of the satellites, in addition to managing all ground-data reception, archiving, product generation, and distribution. The result of this program is a visible, long-term record of natural and human-induced changes on the global landscape.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS1908

The geology and ore deposits of the Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho

The area commonly known as the Coeur d'Alene district (although for purposes of record and administration it has been divided into a number of local mining districts) is situated, so far as its productive part is concerned in Shoshone County, in that narrow portion of Idaho which extends northward between the States of Washington and Montana to the international boundary. It lies almost entirely upon the western slope of Coeur d'Alene Mountains, a broad and rather complex member of the North American Cordillera.

Idaho;Montana;Washington↗
USGS1996

Evaluation of scour at selected bridge sites in Indiana

Twenty bridge sites in Indiana were evaluated to determine: the extent of scour during floods, streambed stability, the maximum historical scour, and estimates of potential scour. Historical scour data were collected by means of geophysical methods and used to evaluate the scour-computation procedures recommended by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and 13 other published pier-scour equations. Hydraulic conditions for the peak historical discharges were estimated by use of WSPRO, a water-surface profile computation model. Depth soundings were made periodically at all of the sites and during flooding at some sites. These data indicate that scour may not totally be a function of discharge or depth but is influenced greatly by debris on piers.

Indiana↗
USGS2018

U.S. Geological Survey - Virginia Department of Transportation: Bridge scour pilot study

Background Cost effective and safe highway bridge designs are required to ensure the long-term sustainability of Virginia’s road systems. The streamflows that, over time, scour streambed sediments from bridge piers inherently affect bridge safety and design costs. To ensure safety, bridge design must anticipate streambed scour at bridge piers over the lifespan of a bridge. Until recently Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidance provided only for scour estimates of granular, noncohesive, highly erosive material yielding overestimates of scour potential in instances when streambed materials offer some resistance to scour. This study seeks to estimate stream power and streambed scour for these more resistive sites, with bridge piers potentially established in cohesive soil or erodible rock. This new knowledge may provide significant construction cost savings while ensuring design and construction of safe highway bridges.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2000

Geographic Information for Analysis of Highway Runoff-Quality Data on a National or Regional Scale in the Conterminous United States

Spatial data are important for interpretation of water-quality information on a regional or national scale. Geographic information systems (GIS) facilitate interpretation and integration of spatial data. The geographic information and data compiled for the conterminous United States during the National Highway Runoff Water-Quality Data and Methodology Synthesis project is described in this document, which also includes information on the structure, file types, and the geographic information in the data files. This 'geodata' directory contains two subdirectories, labeled 'gisdata' and 'gisimage.' The 'gisdata' directory contains ArcInfo coverages, ArcInfo export files, shapefiles (used in ArcView), Spatial Data Transfer Standard Topological Vector Profile format files, and meta files in subdirectories organized by file type. The 'gisimage' directory contains the GIS data in common image-file formats. The spatial geodata includes two rain-zone region maps and a map of national ecosystems originally published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; regional estimates of mean annual streamflow, and water hardness published by the Federal Highway Administration; and mean monthly temperature, mean annual precipitation, and mean monthly snowfall modified from data published by the National Climatic Data Center and made available to the public by the Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University. These GIS files were compiled for qualitative spatial analysis of available data on a national and(or) regional scale and therefore should be considered as qualitative representations, not precise geographic location information.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1978

Application of hydraulic and hydrologic data in urban stormwater management

Techniques are described for using flood-insurance study information from the Federal Insurance Administration to analyze flood plain management alternatives. A method of developing rating curves which relate flood discharge to flood elevation is explained. Graphical methods of determining urban flood discharges are used in conjunction with rating curves to develop flood profiles resulting from future urban development. The graphical techniques were compared with standard step-backwater computations for two storms and errors were less than 0.5 foot, which are well within acceptable limits.

Open-File Report↗