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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 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources
USGS2012

Comparison of index velocity measurements made with a horizontal acoustic Doppler current profiler

The State of Illinois' annual withdrawal from Lake Michigan is limited by a U.S. Supreme Court decree, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for monitoring flows in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) near Lemont, Illinois as a part of the Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District. Every 5 years, a technical review committee consisting of practicing engineers and academics is convened to review the U.S. Geological Survey's streamgage practices in the CSSC near Lemont, Illinois. The sixth technical review committee raised a number of questions concerning the flows and streamgage practices in the CSSC near Lemont and this report provides answers to many of those questions. In addition, it is the purpose of this report to examine the index velocity meters in use at Lemont and determine whether the acoustic velocity meter (AVM), which is now the primary index velocity meter, can be replaced by the horizontal acoustic Doppler current profiler (H-ADCP), which is currently the backup meter. Application of the AVM and H-ADCP to index velocity measurements in the CSSC near Lemont, Illinois, has produced good ratings to date. The site is well suited to index velocity measurements in spite of the large range of velocities and highly unsteady flows at the site. Flow variability arises from a range of sources: operation of the waterway through control structures, lockage-generated disturbances, commercial and recreational traffic, industrial withdrawals and discharges, natural inflows, seiches, and storm events. The influences of these factors on the index velocity measurements at Lemont is examined in detail in this report. Results of detailed data comparisons and flow analyses show that use of bank-mounted instrumentation such as the AVM and H-ADCP appears to be the best option for index velocity measurement in the CSSC near Lemont. Comparison of the rating curves for the AVM and H-ADCP demonstrates that the H-ADCP is a suitable replacement for the AVM as the primary index velocity meter in the CSSC near Lemont. A key component to Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting is the USGS gaging station on the CSSC near Lemont, Illinois. The importance of this gaging station in monitoring withdrawals from Lake Michigan has made it one of the most highly scrutinized gaging stations in the country. Any changes in streamgaging practices at this gaging station requires detailed analysis to ensure the change will not adversely affect the ability of the USGS to accurately monitor flows. This report provides a detailed analysis of the flow structure and index velocity measurements in the CSSC near Lemont, Illinois, to ensure that decisions regarding the future of this streamgage are made with the best possible understanding of the site and the characteristics of the flow.

Illinois↗
USGS2024

Power analysis of water quality of standing water bodies in the Pacific Island Network, 2009–2017

The National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Division (IMD) aims to provide data on park ecosystems' health to guide management decisions. Since 2007, NPS IMD has monitored water quality in marine areas, streams, anchialine pools, wetlands, and lakes in the Pacific Island Network (PACN) national parks. To maintain long-term monitoring program efficiency, protocols are reviewed and revised every 10 years based on trend analyses, including new power analyses for significant sampling regime changes. This report focuses on standing water bodies, evaluating statistical power across different sampling intensities to detect water quality trends and anomalies. It covers 10 areas with a varying number of sample stations. Data from 2009–2017 for nine water quality parameters were examined, and statistical power was assessed by using linear regression and Wilcoxon two-sample tests with 80% power and a Type I error rate of 0.05. Results show that higher sampling effort and larger effect sizes increase the power to detect changes, although power varies by parameter and site due to differences in mean and variance. The analysis results may be used to devise optimal sampling strategies, including balancing the number of sample sites and sampling frequency. Periodic evaluations and adaptive strategies are essential for maintaining statistical power and for the long-term management of the PACN water quality monitoring program, especially in the context of climate change.

Hawaii↗
USGS2006

Scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Kennebec County, Maine

This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maine Water Science Center as the deliverable for scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Kennebec County, Maine, under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inter-Agency Agreement Number HSFE01-05-X-0018. This section of the report explains the objective of the task and the purpose of the report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine State Planning Office Floodplain Management Program, began scoping work in 2005 for Kennebec County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Kennebec County (efforts were made to not duplicate those of pre-scoping completed in March 2005), documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) Database or its successor with information gathered during the scoping process. The average age of the FEMA floodplain maps in Kennebec County, Maine is 16 years. Most of these studies were in the late 1970's to the mid 1980s. However, in the ensuing 20-30 years, development has occurred in many of the watersheds, and the characteristics of the watersheds have changed with time. Therefore, many of the older studies may not depict current conditions nor accurately estimate risk in terms of flood heights. The following is the scope of work as defined in the FEMA/USGS Statement of Work: Task 1: Collect data from a variety of sources including community surveys, other Federal and State Agencies, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) State Coordinators, Community Assistance Visits (CAVs) and FEMA archives. Lists of mapping needs will be obtained from the MNUSS database, community surveys, and CAVs, if available. FEMA archives will be inventoried for effective FIRM panels, FIS reports, and other flood-hazard data or existing study data. Best available base map information, topographic data, flood-hazard data, and hydrologic and hydraulic data will be identified. Data from the Maine Floodplain Management Program database also will be utilized. Task 2: Contact communities in Kennebec County to notify them that FEMA and the State have selected them for a map update, and that a project scope will be developed with their input. Topics to be reviewed with the communities include (1) Purpose of the Flood Map Project (for example, the update needs that have prompted the map update); (2) The community's mapping needs; (3) The community's available mapping, hydrologic, hydraulic, and flooding information; (4) target schedule for completing the project; and (5) The community's engineering, planning, and geographic information system (GIS) capabilities. On the basis of the collected information from Task 1 and community contacts/meetings in Task 2, the USGS will develop a Draft Project Scope for the identified mapping needs of the communities in Kennebec County. The following items will be addressed in the Draft Project Scope: review of available information, determine if and how e

Open-File Report↗
USGS2019

Mapping research on hydropower and sustainability in the Brazilian Amazon: Advances, gaps in knowledge and future directions

In the last twenty years, multiple large and small hydroelectric dams have begun to transform the Amazonian region, spawning a growing volume of academic research across diverse disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields. In this article, we offer a critical review of recent research related to hydropower and sustainability with a focus on the Brazilian Amazon. We revisit the sustainability concept to include the contribution of various knowledge fields and perspectives for understanding, managing and making decisions about social-ecological systems transformed by dams. We conducted a literature review in Web of Science of academic publications centered in the past 5 years (2014–2019), on diverse aspects of hydropower planning, construction, operation and monitoring in the Brazilian Amazon. We present results of a co-occurrence network analysis of publications, highlighting bridging fields, network disconnections, and opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Finally, we report recent advances in the understanding and management of social-ecological systems in Amazonian watersheds, including biophysical, socio-economic, governance and development processes linked to hydropower planning and implementation. This review identifies knowledge gaps and future research directions, highlighting opportunities for improved communication among scientists, practitioners, decision-makers, indigenous peoples and local communities.

Amazon↗
USGS1982

Test and calibration of the Digital World-Wide Standardized Seismograph

During the past decade there has been steady progress in the modernization of the global seismograph network operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The World-Wide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN) has been augmented by new stations with advanced instrumentation, including the Seismic Research Observatories (SRO) and the modified High-Gain Long-Period (ASRO) stations. One goal in the modernization effort has been to improve signal resolution in the long-period band. A second goal has been to generate a global digital data base to support contemporary computer-based analysis and research. In 1976, a Panel on Seismograph Networks was established by the Committee on Seismology of the National Academy of Sciences to review progress in network seismology and recommend actions that would lead to an improved global data base for seismology. One recommendation in the Panel report (Engdahl, 1977) called for upgrading selected WWSSN stations by the installation of digital recorders. This was viewed as an economical way of expanding the digital network, which had proven itself to be a very promising new tool for earthquake and explosion research. Funds for the development and assembly of 15 digital recorders were provided to the USGS by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and an ad Inoc panel of scientists was convened by the Committee on Seismology to advise the USGS on the selection of stations to be upgraded and on data recording requirements, A total of 19 digital World-Wide Standardized Seismograph (DWWSS) systems will be operational when all are installed. The additional systems were made available through purchase by the USGS and other organizations; for example, the University of Bergen purchased and installed a DWWSS-type recorder and agreed to furnish the USGS with the data. A list of operational and planned DWWSS network stations is given in Table 1.1. As one might expect, the digital recorder turned out to be somewhat more sophisticated than the original concept. It was decided to record three components of long-period data continuously, three components of intermediateperiod data in an event mode, and the vertical-component short-period data in and event mode (with the capability of adding short-period horizontal channels in the future). Special amplifiers were developed for use with the WWSS seismometers, and a 16-bit fixed-point analog-to-digital converter was chosen to provide increased resolution (as opposed to a 16-bit gain-ranged encoder). The microprocessor-based digital recording systems were developed and assembled at the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (ASL) and ASL-based technicians began installation at WWSSN stations in 1980. The current and proposed locations of the DWWSSN stations, together with other stations in the Global Digital Seismograph Network (GDSN), are shown on the map in Figure 1.1. A system was operated at Albuquerque for about 18 months, serving as a test bed for evaluation studies. Although the network hardware has been available for some time, the installation of the DWWSSN has proceeded slowly. The National Science Foundation supported installation of six stations and the USGS is funding installation of most of the others; however, the network completion date is conjectural because of funding uncertainties. The DWWSSN stations are supported with supplies and technical assistance from ASL (subject to availability of funds). Data recorded on magnetic tapes are mailed to ASL where they are reviewed for quality, then merged with other GDSN station data on the network-day tapes. Hoffman (1980) provides a description of the network-day tape format. Zirbes and Buland (1981) have developed and published user software for reading and interpreting the day tapes. This report will serve several purposes. One is to provide nominal system transfer functions and calibration information that are needed in the analysis of DWWSSN data. A second purpose is to report on an evaluation of operating characteristics (calibration stability, noise levels, and linearity) that may limit the usefulness of the data and to determine if modifications may be needed to improve the data. It is not an exhaustive study in this respect. We continue to depend mostly on data user feedback to point out deficiencies and we solicit comments whenever anomalies are observed in the data.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2003

The effects of summer flow augmentation on the migratory behavior and survival of juvenile Snake River fall Chinook salmon. Annual report 2003

This report summarizes results of research activities conducted in 2002 and years previous to aid in the management and recovery of fall chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Columbia River basin. The report is divided into self-standing chapters. For detailed summaries, we refer the reader to the abstracts given on the second page of each chapter. The Annual Reporting section includes information provided to fishery managers in-season and post-season, and it contains a detailed summary of life history and survival statistics on wild Snake River fall chinook salmon juveniles for the years 1992-2002. Peer-review publication remains a high priority of this research project, and it insures that our work meets high scientific standards. The Bibliography of Published Journal Articles section provides citations for peer-reviewed papers coauthored by personnel of project 199102900 that were written or published from 1998 to 2003.

Report↗
USGS2017

Sediment source fingerprinting as an aid to catchment management: A review of the current state of knowledge and a methodological decision-tree for end-users

The growing awareness of the environmental significance of fine-grained sediment fluxes through catchment systems continues to underscore the need for reliable information on the principal sources of this material. Source estimates are difficult to obtain using traditional monitoring techniques, but sediment source fingerprinting or tracing procedures, have emerged as a potentially valuable alternative. Despite the rapidly increasing numbers of studies reporting the use of sediment source fingerprinting, several key challenges and uncertainties continue to hamper consensus among the international scientific community on key components of the existing methodological procedures. Accordingly, this contribution reviews and presents recent developments for several key aspects of fingerprinting, namely: sediment source classification, catchment source and target sediment sampling, tracer selection, grain size issues, tracer conservatism, source apportionment modelling, and assessment of source predictions using artificial mixtures. Finally, a decision-tree representing the current state of knowledge is presented, to guide end-users in applying the fingerprinting approach.

Journal of Environmental Management↗
USGS1993

Quality assurance plan for the collection and processing of sediment data by the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division

The U.S. Geological Survey sediment data quality assurance plan identifies and explains required quality assurance and suggested quality control practices. The approach is to subdivide the process for obtaining sediment data into 3 parts: (1) field, (2) office, and (3) laboratory operations. The report also summarizes recommended goals for each subcategory. The quality assurance and quality control practices are described by stating the minimum acceptable activities that a district should conduct. For example, the plan describes field calibration of thermometers and standards used to calibrate a thermometer. The plan also proposes corrective actions if the quality control procedures identify a problem. The plan describes the formal reports prepared by a district that describe the completeness of sediment data and presents an evaluation of data obtained by the quality assurance program. Also described in the plan are the external (non-district) reviews that are needed to examine district sediment operations for conformity with district quality assurance plans and national quality assurance programs.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1988

Waterfowl Management Handbook

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Service's most recent mandate for management of migratory waterfowl, and recent legislation such as the Farm Bill all underscore the need for a single source of information about the management of waterfowl and their habitat. Much of this information exists in scientific papers, unpublished reports, or has never been recorded, and thus is not readily accessible by waterfowl managers. A prototype handbook was developed in 1987 and critiqued by 38 reviewers who provided suggestions on style and substance as well as topics for inclusion. The assistance of these reviewers, who included Federal and State wildlife managers, Federal and State biologists, and scientists in the United States and Canada, is most gratefully acknowledged. This product differs from most Fish and Wildlife Leaflets. It will be issued as a series of chapters over the next several years, each with a unique number, designed to be inserted in an accompanying looseleaf binder.

Fish and Wildlife Leaflet↗
USGS1912

Report of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Hawaiian Volcano Research Association

The First Report of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is a collection of nine papers. The first provides details of the founding of the Observatory and the second reviews Kīlauea volcanic activity between 1909 and 1911. The next two papers detail the work of the Observatory by Frank Perret and E.S. Shepherd, who both arrived at Kīlauea in the summer of 1911. The third paper focuses on Perret's observations of the eruption within Halema'uma'u, a crater within Kīlauea summit caldera, and includes six weekly articles he wrote for local newspapers. The fourth paper is an account of the first successful attempt to measure the temperature of lava in Halema'uma'u. The next three papers are summaries of Halema'uma'u activity spanning the time after Frank Perret left in the Fall of 1911 to April 3, 1912. The last two papers are brief reports on Mauna Loa.

Report of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory↗