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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS1999

Deep Aquifer Remediation Tools (DARTs): A new technology for ground-water remediation

P otable ground-water supplies throughout the world are contaminated or threatened by advancing plumes containing radionuclides, metals, and organic compounds. Currently (1999), the most widely used method of ground-water remediation is a combination of extraction, ex-situ treatment, and discharge of the treated water, commonly known as pump and treat. Pump-and-treat methods are costly and often ineffective in meeting long-term protection standards (Travis and Doty, 1990; Gillham and Burris, 1992; National Research Council, 1994). This fact sheet describes a new and potentially cost-effective technology for removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from ground water. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is currently exploring the possibilities of obtaining a U.S. Patent for this technology.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2004

Fort Collins Science Center: Aquatic Systems and Technology Applications

Land and water management agencies are responsible for restoring and conserving our nation's natural resources. However, they face increasing, often competing demands for those resources, which can result in alteration or loss of critical riverine, riparian, wetland, and terrestrial habitats. Land and resource managers may be in federal, state, or local government, but all have the same need for quantitative, objective, science-based information that helps them plan, manage, and conserve the natural resources within their purview. The Aquatic Systems and Technology Applications Branch (ASTA) of the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) encompasses a wide variety of studies, investigations, and activities that are related to providing tools and capabilities for natural resource managers. ASTA's mission is to provide managers with credible science-based information on the interrelationships among the physical, chemical, aquatic, and biological natural resources in river basins for resource management decision-making. Branch goals are to: develop and apply specific models and analysis tools for resource management issues, identify habitat and biological linkages in river corridor environments, design and evaluate specific water quality improvement features, define economic measures for natural resource benefits, investigate altered flow regime effects on native fish populations, characterize sediment transport effects in river corridor environments, and utilize advanced technology to evaluate landscape-scale changes in river basins.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2011

Using terrestrial light detection and ranging (lidar) technology for land-surface analysis in the Southwest

Emerging technologies provide scientists with methods to measure Earth processes in new ways. One of these technologies--ultra-high-resolution, ground-based light detection and ranging (lidar)--is being used by USGS Western Geographic Science Center scientists to characterize the role of wind and fire processes in shaping desert landscapes of the Southwest United States.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2015

A case study of data integration for aquatic resources using semantic web technologies

Use cases, information modeling, and linked data techniques are Semantic Web technologies used to develop a prototype system that integrates scientific observations from four independent USGS and cooperator data systems. The techniques were tested with a use case goal of creating a data set for use in exploring potential relationships among freshwater fish populations and environmental factors. The resulting prototype extracts data from the BioData Retrieval System, the Multistate Aquatic Resource Information System, the National Geochemical Survey, and the National Hydrography Dataset. A prototype user interface allows a scientist to select observations from these data systems and combine them into a single data set in RDF format that includes explicitly defined relationships and data definitions. The project was funded by the USGS Community for Data Integration and undertaken by the Community for Data Integration Semantic Web Working Group in order to demonstrate use of Semantic Web technologies by scientists. This allows scientists to simultaneously explore data that are available in multiple, disparate systems beyond those they traditionally have used.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2016

USGS lidar science strategy—Mapping the technology to the science

Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) utilizes light detection and ranging (lidar) and enabling technologies to support many science research activities. Lidar-derived metrics and products have become a fundamental input to complex hydrologic and hydraulic models, flood inundation models, fault detection and geologic mapping, topographic and land-surface mapping, landslide and volcano hazards mapping and monitoring, forest canopy and habitat characterization, coastal and fluvial erosion mapping, and a host of other research and operational activities. This report documents the types of lidar being used by the USGS, discusses how lidar technology facilitates the achievement of individual mission area goals within the USGS, and offers recommendations and suggested changes in direction in terms of how a mission area could direct work using lidar as it relates to the mission area goals that have already been established.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2012

LIDAR & SASW technologies for geotechnical earthquake engineering

Geotechnical engineering methods are validated through comparison of field‐data of surface deformations and sub‐surface state properties. Recent advances in non‐invasive surface imaging and sub‐surface stiffness characterization allow us to rapidly and inexpensively map these spatial and physical properties in two and three dimensions. In this paper, we discuss new technologies used at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), ground‐based LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) used to create ultra high‐resolution three‐dimensional digital terrain models, and surface wave methods used to characterize soil stiffness properties. The power of LIDAR technology in earthquake engineering is its ability to rapidly capture the extremely high detail of failure morphologies, to view them in orientations not previously possible, and to permanently archive them for the engineering research community. The power of surface wave methods, like Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW), is their ability to non‐invasively and rapidly characterize the stiffness of the ground, to be relatively lightweight and efficient in deployment; and to accurately profile difficult materials such as gravely deposits and stiff soils where conventional methods are not practical. Three active‐source SASW systems used by the USGS are described here, a single‐source harmonic wave vibration system; a large parallel‐array harmonic wave source system; and a seafloor harmonic wave source system. LIDAR and SASW methods allow researchers to directly relate detailed surface damage with the shear wave velocity properties of the ground. LIDAR imagery and movies, and SASW datasets can be viewed at http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/geotech.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2007

Nanotechnology - An emerging technology

The science of nanotechnology is still in its infancy. However, progress is being made in research and development of potential beneficial properties of nanomaterials that could play an integral part in the development of new and changing uses for mineral commodities. Nanotechnology is a kind of toolbox that allows industry to make nanomaterials and nanostructures with special properties. New nanotechnology applications of mineral commodities in their nanoscale form are being discovered, researched and developed. At the same time, there is continued research into environmental, human health and safety concerns that inherently arise from the development of a new technology. Except for a few nanomaterials (CNTs, copper, silver and zinc oxide), widespread applications are hampered by processing and suitable commercial-scale production techniques, high manufacturing costs, product price, and environmental, and human health and safety concerns. Whether nanotechnology causes a tidal wave of change or is a long-term evolutionary process of technology, new applications of familiar mineral commodities will be created. As research and development continues, the ability to manipulate matter at the nanoscale into increasingly sophisticated nanomaterials will improve and open up new possibilities for industry that will change the flow and use of mineral commodities and the materials and products that are used.

Mining Engineering↗
USGS1993

Integration of environmental simulation models with satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems technologies: case studies

Environmental modelers are testing and evaluating a prototype land cover characteristics database for the conterminous United States developed by the EROS Data Center of the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Nebraska Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies. This database was developed from multi temporal, 1-kilometer advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) data for 1990 and various ancillary data sets such as elevation, ecological regions, and selected climatic normals. Several case studies using this database were analyzed to illustrate the integration of satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems technologies with land-atmosphere interactions models at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. The case studies are representative of contemporary environmental simulation modeling at local to regional levels in global change research, land and water resource management, and environmental simulation modeling at local to regional levels in global change research, land and water resource management and environmental risk assessment. The case studies feature land surface parameterizations for atmospheric mesoscale and global climate models; biogenic-hydrocarbons emissions models; distributed parameter watershed and other hydrological models; and various ecological models such as ecosystem, dynamics, biogeochemical cycles, ecotone variability, and equilibrium vegetation models. The case studies demonstrate the important of multi temporal AVHRR data to develop to develop and maintain a flexible, near-realtime land cover characteristics database. Moreover, such a flexible database is needed to derive various vegetation classification schemes, to aggregate data for nested models, to develop remote sensing algorithms, and to provide data on dynamic landscape characteristics. The case studies illustrate how such a database supports research on spatial heterogeneity, land use, sensitivity analysis, and scaling issues involving regional extrapolations and parameterizations of dynamic land processes within simulation models.

Pecora 12 Symposium↗
USGS1999

Radiotracking large wilderness mammals: Integration of GPS and Argos technology

We tested 30 prototype global positioning system (GPS) radiocollars on brown bears ( Ursus arctos ) over a 3-year period on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Collars were of 2 design types: GPS with an Argos (Argos Data collection and Location System) satellite uplink ( n= 19) and GPS unites where the data were stored on board ( n =10) for retrieval at a later date. All units also contained a conventional VHF (very high frequency) transmitter and weighed 1.7 kg. GPS-Argos united obtained 10-82% of expected GPS fixes, and fix rate declined significantly ( P <0.05) with time after deployment. Argos uplink success (proportion of successful transmissions of stored data) was linearly related to GPS fix rate ( r =0.91, P <0.001). Store-on-board units obtained significantly more successful fixes when compared with the GPS-Argos units ( t =-4.009, P <0.001). Fix success rate for deployed store-on-board collars ranged from 13-96%; because of the increased number of attempted fixes per day, these collars obtained fixes on 97% of days deployed. Accuracy of the GPS units was less than predicted by the NAVSTAR GPS technology using the course acquisition code. Reduced accuracy was likely a result of the proportion of 2-dimensional versus 3-dimensional fixes obtained, although we could not determine this statistic from recorded data. Increased overstory closure was the only variable measured that partially explained the reduced likelihood of a successful fix. Stem density, stem diameter, and overstory height measured within 3 m of the collar did not affect fix success. GPS fix success rates for collars attached to bears varied more and were lower than fix rates for stationary collars placed in various vegetation types, suggesting that the bear, terrain, and movement all influence both fix and uplink success rate. Application of this new technology to grizzly and brown bear research and comparisons to studies with moose ( Alces alces ) are discussed.

Alaska↗
USGS1999

Radio-tracking large wilderness mammals: integration of GPS and Argos technologies

We tested 30 prototype global positioning system (GPS) radiocollars on brown bears ( Ursus arctos ) over a 3-year period on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Collars were of 2 design types: GPS units with an Argos (Argos Data collection and Location System) satellite uplink ( n = 19) and GPS units where the data were stored on board ( n = 10) for retrieval at a later date. All units also contained a conventional VHF (very high frequency) transmitter and weighed 1.7 kg. GPS-Argos units obtained 10-82% of expected GPS fixes, and fix rate declined significantly ( P < 0.05) with time after deployment. Argos uplink success (proportion of successful transmissions of stored data) was linearly related to GPS fix rate ( r = 0.91, P < 0.001). Storeon-board units obtained significantly more successful fixes when compared with the GPS-Argos units ( t = -4.009, P < 0.001). Fix success rate for deployed store-on-board collars ranged from 13-96%; because of the increased number of attempted fixes per day, these collars obtained fixes on 97% of days deployed. Accuracy of the GPS units was less than predicted by the NAVSTAR GPS technology using the course acquisition code. Reduced accuracy was likely a result of the proportion of 2-dimensional versus 3-dimensional fixes obtained, although we could not determine this statistic from recorded data. Increased overstory closure was the only variable measured that partially explained the reduced likelihood of a successful fix. Stem density, stem diameter, and overstory height measured within 3 m of the collar did not affect fix success. GPS fix success rates for collars attached to bears varied more and were lower than fix rates for stationary collars placed in various vegetation types, suggesting that the bear, terrain, and movement all influence both fix and uplink success rate. Application of this new technology to grizzly and brown bear research and comparisons to studies with moose ( Alces alces ) are discussed.

Alaska↗
USGS2004

Seismographs, sensors, and satellites: Better technology for safer communities

In the past 25 years, our ability to measure, monitor, and model the processes that lead to natural disasters has increased dramatically. Equally important has been the improvement in our technological capability to communicate information about hazards to those whose lives may be affected. These innovations in tracking and communicating the changes-floods, earthquakes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions-in our dynamic planet, supported by a deeper understanding of earth processes, enable us to expand our predictive capabilities and point the way to a safer future. ?? 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technology in Society↗
USGS2025

Potential for hydroacoustic technology to describe physical habitat for imperilled native freshwater mussels

The lack of information on what constitutes suitable habitat for native freshwater mussels can limit restoration efforts. While many species reside in silt–sand–gravel substrates, species such as the Spectaclecase ( Cumberlandia monodonta ) and Salamander ( Simpsonaias ambigua ) mussels are thought to be associated with rock structures (e.g., wing dams and rock outcrops) in rivers. Our objective was to assess if hydroacoustic technology could be used to quantify physical habitat features for C. monodonta and S. ambigua . Multibeam echosounder, acoustic Doppler current profiler, sidescan sonar and underwater videography were used to quantify water depth, substrate hardness, bed roughness and bed slope of the riverbed, water velocity, shear velocity and the degree of rock clustering at six sites in the Saint Croix River, Minnesota. The sites varied in type of rock structures and relative abundances of both species. The strength of the associations among physical habitat features and mussel abundance was weak; R 2 values were typically < 0.5. However, species-specific differences in microhabitat were observed. For example, C. monodonta was typically observed at sites with higher velocity and shear velocity compared to S. ambigua . Mussel abundance was greatest at sites that contained crevices of sand surrounded by boulders and bedrock. Future refinements in hydroacoustic methods and post-processing computations could improve predictions. Information on habitat features from occupied and unoccupied sites could help resource managers characterize existing occupied habitats, identify potential reintroduction areas and implement restoration programmes.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS2025

Assessing shifting technology in genetic monitoring of the North American plains bison Federal conservation herds

Human expansion is a major driver of both declining wildlife abundance and the contraction of species’ distributions, increasing the risk of genetic erosion and the need for genetic monitoring. Rapidly advancing technology has expanded the types of genetic data that are available for wildlife conservation. However, inferences from different genetic markers could result in different management decisions and, thus, must be considered carefully. Rebounding from near extinction in the early 1900s, the majority of North American plains bison ( Bison bison bison ) are managed as small and isolated herds. Microsatellite-based analyses have been used to inform management of the US Federal bison conservation herds since the early 2000s. Transitioning from monitoring with tens of multiallelic loci (e.g., microsatellite loci) to thousands of biallelic loci (e.g., single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) could increase genotyping efficiency and improve the precision of population genetic inference but would require an understanding of the inferential differences between genetic marker types. We compared microsatellite-based measures of genetic diversity, differentiation, and population structure for 20 bison conservation herds (17 Federal, 1 Tribal, 2 Canadian) to inference from SNP-based analyses for the Tribal herd and 15 of the Federal herds. Data from both genetic marker types found that all herds have remarkably high genetic diversity given the severity of the bottleneck from which these populations recovered, and that population structure was consistent with founding histories. Importantly, SNPs had greater power to describe differences in genetic diversity and groups of related herds, but only if analyses are based on 250 or more loci. Overall, we found that microsatellite and SNP data can provide comparable conservation insight, but SNPs must be carefully selected to ensure continuity in genetic monitoring and to achieve the increased precision in genetic diversity and differentiation among herds that we observed in this study.

Conservation Genetics↗
USGS2017

Global trends in mineral commodities for advanced technologies

The U.S. Geological Survey National Minerals Information Center (NMIC) is the U.S. Government agency tasked with the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information on the production, consumption, import, export, and other measures of the flows of non-fuel mineral commodities of importance to the U.S. economy and national security. The NMIC and its agency predecessors have maintained a database of this information, collected and published annually, dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Time series analysis of annual information from the NMIC provides the opportunity to identify trends in the supply chains of the minerals and metals which are increasingly in demand for advanced technologies. The identification of trends in data for net import reliance, country concentration of production, global demand, price volatility, and other measures, when combined with world governance indicators, can be used to focus attention on individual mineral commodities where supply chain restrictions may develop. Specific examples for U.S. net import reliance, global tantalum primary mining, and mineral criticality screening are presented to illustrate the utility of time series analysis of trends in mineral commodity supply and demand, the types of data required, and the limitations of currently available information.

Natural Resources Research↗
USGS1993

Geological and technological assessment of artificial reef sites, Louisiana outer continental shelf

This paper describes the general procedures used to select sites for obsolete oil and gas platforms as artificial reefs on the Louisiana outer continental shelf (OCS). The methods employed incorporate six basic steps designed to resolve multiple-use conflicts that might otherwise arise with daily industry and commercial fishery operations, and to identify and assess both geological and technological constraints that could affect placement of the structures. These steps include: (1) exclusion mapping; (2) establishment of artificial reef planning areas; (3) database compilation; (4) assessment and interpretation of database; (5) mapping of geological and man-made features within each proposed reef site; and (6) site selection. Nautical charts, bathymetric maps, and offshore oil and gas maps were used for exclusion mapping, and to select nine regional planning areas. Pipeline maps were acquired from federal agencies and private industry to determine their general locations within each planning area, and to establish exclusion fairways along each pipeline route. Approximately 1600 line kilometers of high-resolution geophysical data collected by federal agencies and private industry was acquired for the nine planning areas. These data were interpreted to determine the nature and extent of near-surface geologic features that could affect placement of the structures. Seismic reflection patterns were also characterized to evaluate near-bottom sedimentation processes in the vicinity of each reef site. Geotechnical borings were used to determine the lithological and physical properties of the sediment, and for correlation with the geophysical data. Since 1987, five sites containing 10 obsolete production platforms have been selected on the Louisiana OCS using these procedures. Industry participants have realized a total savings of approximately US $1 500 000 in salvaging costs by converting these structures into artificial reefs. ?? 1993.

Ocean and Coastal Management↗
USGS2015

The role of water in unconventional in situ energy resource extraction technologies

Global trends toward developing new energy resources from lower grade, larger tonnage deposits that are not generally accessible using “conventional” extraction methods involve variations of subsurface in situ extraction techniques including in situ oil shale retorting , hydraulic fracturing of petroleum reservoirs, and in situ recovery of uranium. Although these methods are economically feasible and perhaps result in a smaller above-ground land-use footprint, there remain uncertainties regarding potential subsurface impacts to groundwater. This chapter provides an overview of the role of water in these technologies and the opportunities and challenges for water reuse and recycling.

Book chapter↗
USGS2008

GIS technology and models for assessing landslide hazard and risk

Advances in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology and the mathematical/statistical tools for modelling and simulation have led to the growing application of quantitative techniques in many areas of the earth sciences. Few disciplines have embraced these developments more enthusiastically than the study of landslide hazards. Because the shape of the land surface plays a fundamental role in landslide processes, much of this new work has been driven by the increasing availability of digital elevation models (DEMs) and the software to manipulate them. As a result, investigators worldwide are devising spatial models to forecast slope instability in efforts to keep landslide hazards from becoming landslide disasters. The methods range from empirical and heuristic to statistical and physically-based. Despite nearly a quarter-century of progress, e.g. since Carrara (1983) , and a veritable “cottage industry” of current DEM-based hazard mapping, many of these spatial predictions either are based on unsuitable data or are not properly modelled.

Geomorphology↗