Final report of the Polar Research Program strategies workshop
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The state of the Colorado River ecosystem in Grand Canyon: A report of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center 1991-2004
This report is an important milestone in the effort by the Secretary of the Interior to implement the Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992 (GCPA; title XVIII, secs. 1801-1809, of Public Law 102-575), the most recent authorizing legislation for Federal efforts to protect resources downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. The chapters that follow are intended to provide decision makers and the American public with relevant scientific information about the status and recent trends of the natural, cultural, and recreational resources of those portions of Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area affected by Glen Canyon Dam operations. Glen Canyon Dam is one of the last major dams that was built on the Colorado River and is located just south of the Arizona-Utah border in the lower reaches of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, approximately 15 mi (24 km) upriver from Grand Canyon National Park (fig. 1). The information presented here is a product of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP), a federally authorized initiative to ensure that the primary mandate of the GCPA is met through advances in information and resource management. The U.S. Geological Survey`s (USGS) Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) has responsibility for the scientific monitoring and research efforts for the program, including the preparation of reports such as this one.
Arizona↗
Endangered bird species: Report on whooping crane research and management--1974
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Bulletin of the International Council for Bird Pre↗
Final technical report: US-Japan joint research on improving evaluation methods for site amplification and underground structures
We provide the final non-interpretive report with an extended due date of 31 January 2023 describing Project 2019-W05, which was designed to characterize seismic site conditions at strong motion (SM) earthquake recording stations in southern California for the research period of 1 April 2019–31 March 2022 (Figure 1). In this report, we briefly show examples of processed field recorded data from site characterization surveys performed at each of the seven SM stations within this study (Figures 2–8). .jp/dspace/?locale=en
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Regional lists of plant species that occur in wetlands: data base user's guide
The Data Base List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands (LIST) currently contains records for 6,728 plant species. Each record provides information on nomenclature, plant characteristics and lifeforms, distribution, and frequency of occurrence in wetlands. The List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands, developed to supplement the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States (Cowardin et al. 1979), underwent an intensive review by field botanists across the country. This review was coordinated by national and regional interagency wetland plant list review panels composed of representatives from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Soil Conservation Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Initial and updated versions of the Data Base List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands are available in hardcopy (Reed 1986, 1988). Regional lists are available as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report Series 88(26.126.13). State lists are available as National Ecology Research Center Report Series 88(18.01-18.50). The computerized data base tracks and documents indicator assignments made by regional interagency review panels and facilitates generation of reports. This user's guide describes the format and contents of the LIST Data Base. The Data Base is available on 5-1/4" floppy disks in ASCII format for use with a data base management system on an IBM PC/XT/AT compatible computer. The LIST Data Base was developed using the QUICKTEXT Data Base Management System (Osborn and Strong 1984). Use of QUICKTEXT with the LIST Data Base is strongly recommended. Instructions for loading LIST into QUICKTEXT are included in this user's guide. Other data base management systems capable of handling variable length fields can be used by individuals familiar with these software packages. LIST distribution disks are available for 13 regions (Table 1). QUICKTEXT (course QT100--Data Base Management Techniques) and regional subsets of the LIST Data Base (distributed as self-tutorial courses, Table 1) are available through the Office of Conference Services, Colorado State University.
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A survey of image processing developments in support of remote sensing
New algorithm developments for image processing (IP) will occur throughout the 1980's, resulting from evolution in computer hardware and sensors as well as continuing research. This report will describe the areas of algorithm development that are occurring in applications, research, and operational environments. Included is an overview of image processing activities at institutions which are generally regarded as leaders in IP algorithm development and implementation. Finally, this report addresses directions in IP algorithm development that are being proposed for the EROS Data Center (EDC). The major applications of IP at EDC are developed for use in the processing, analysis, and extraction of remote sensing information from Landsat and aircraft data (platforms).
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A workshop model simulating fate and effect of drilling muds and cuttings on benthic communities
Oil and gas exploration and production at marine sites has generated concern over potential environmental impacts resulting from the discharge of spent drilling muds and cuttings. This concern has led to a broad array of publicly and privately sponsored research. This report described a cooperative modeling effort designed to focus information resulting from this research through construction of explicit equations that simulate the potential impacts of discharge drilling fluids (muds) and cuttings on marine communities. The model is the result of collaboration among more than 30 scientists. The principal cooperating organizations were the E.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Minerals Management Service, the Offshore Operators Committee, and the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. The overall simulation model can be conceptualized as three connected submodels: Discharge and Plume Fate, Sediment Redistribution, and Benthic Community Effects. On each day of simulation, these submodels are executed in sequence, with flows of information between submodels. The Benthic Community Effects submodel can be further divided into sections that calculate mortality due to burial, mortality due to toxicity, mortality due to resuspension disturbance, and growth of the community. The model represents a series of seven discrete 1-m 2 plots at specified distances along a transect in one direction away from a discharge point. It consists of coupled difference equations for which parameter values can easily be set to evaluate different conditions or to examine the sensitivity of output to various assumptions. Sets of parameter values were developed to represent four general cases or scenarios: (1) a shallow (5 m), cold environment with ice cover during a substantial fraction of the year, such as might be encountered in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska; (2) a shallow (20 m), temperate environment, such as might be encountered in the Gulf of Mexico; (3) a deeper (80 m), temperate environment, such as might be encountered in the Gulf of Mexico; and (4) a very deep (1,000 m) environment, such as might be encountered on the Atlantic slope. The focus of the modeling effort was on the connection of a reasonable representation of physical fate to the biological responses of populations, rather than on highly detailed representations of individual processes. For example, the calculations of physical fate are not as detailed as those in the recently published model of Brandsma et al. (1983). The value of the model described herein is in the broad scope of processes that are explicitly represented and linked together. The model cannot be considered to produce reliable predictions of the quantitative impacts of discharged drilling fluids and cuttings on biological populations at a particular site. Limitations of the model in predicting integrated fate and effects can be traced to three general areas: level of refinement of the algorithms used in the model; lack of understanding of the processes determining fate and effects; and parameter and data values. Despite the limitations, several qualitative conclusions concerning both potential impacts and the importance of various remaining data gaps can be drawn from the modeling effort. These include: (1) Simple, unequivocal conclusions about fate and effects across geographical regions and drilling operations are difficult, if not misleading, due to the large amount of variability in characteristics of discharged materials (e.g., oil content and toxicity), discharge conditions (e.g., duration of drilling operations), physical environments (e.g., water depth, current direction, and sediment disturbance regimes), and biological communities (e.g., intrinsic growth rates). Different combinations of these characteristics can result in substantial differences in simulated environmental fate and biological effects. For examples, simulated recovery in some high-energy environments occurs within months after the cessation of discharge operations, even at heavily impacted sites, whereas simulated recover in some low-energy environments takes years at heavily impacted sites. <2) Considerable difficulties remain in the reliable extrapolation of results from laboratory toxicity experiments to predictions of population effects in the field. (3) The volume of material discharged and duration of operations in the production drilling operations simulated by the model are sufficient to produce substantial simulated biological impacts at some plots, both in terms of differences from a control plot during the period of discharge operations, and in terms of the recovery period following the perturbations. Evaluation of the significance of potential effects involves the following factors: • Definition of a specific spatial and temporal reference frame (e.g., What is the natural variation? Is 1 year to be considered a "long" or "short" time? Is 50 m to be considered a "large" or "trivial" distance? • Consideration of rare or unique resources and particularly sensitive biotic assemblages. • Consideration of the potential for long term, cumulative effects. Some of these aspects are clearly beyond the scope of this modeling efforts (e.g., the model does not simulate the long term fate of resuspended material). The model does, however, contain an internal "reference frame" by comparison to simulated behavior at a control plot. The model, in general, simulates substantial "natural" variation at the reference or control plots, both over time, due to sediment disturbance events in medium to high energy environments, and over space, due to geographically varying conditions, such as water depth and current regime.
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Recovering individual-level spatial inference from aggregated binary data
Binary regression models are commonly used in disciplines such as epidemiology and ecology to determine how spatial covariates influence individuals. In many studies, binary data are shared in a spatially aggregated form to protect privacy. For example, rather than reporting the location and result for each individual that was tested for a disease, researchers may report that a disease was detected or not detected within geopolitical units. Often, the spatial aggregation process obscures the values of response variables, spatial covariates, and locations of each individual, which makes recovering individual-level inference difficult. We show that applying a series of transformations, including a change of support, to a bivariate point process model allows researchers to recover individual-level inference for spatial covariates from spatially aggregated binary data. The series of transformations preserves the convenient interpretation of desirable binary regression models that are commonly applied to individual-level data. Using a simulation experiment, we compare the performance of our proposed method under varying types of spatial aggregation against the performance of standard approaches using the original individual-level data. We illustrate our method by modeling individual-level probability of infection using a data set that has been aggregated to protect an at-risk and endangered species of bats. Our simulation experiment and data illustration demonstrate the utility of the proposed method when access to original non-aggregated data is impractical or prohibited.
Northeast and Midwest United States↗
Bedrock geologic map of the Old Lyme quadrangle, New London and Middlesex Counties, Connecticut
The bedrock geology of the Old Lyme quadrangle consists of Neoproterozoic and Permian gneisses and granites of the Gander and Avalon terranes, Silurian metasedimentary rocks of the Merrimack terrane, and Silurian to Devonian metasedimentary rocks of uncertain origin. The Avalon terrane rocks crop out within the Selden Neck block, and the Gander terrane rocks crop out within the Lyme dome. The Silurian to Devonian rocks crop out between these two massifs. Previous mapping in the Old Lyme quadrangle includes the work by Lawrence Lundgren, Jr. Lundgren's work provides an excellent resource for rock descriptions and detailed modal analyses of rock units that will not be duplicated in this current report. New research that was not covered in detail by Lundgren is the focus of this report and includes (1) evaluation of the rocks in the core of the Lyme dome in an effort to subdivide units in this area; (2) structural analysis of foliations and folds in and around the Lyme dome; (3) geochronology of selected units within the Lyme dome; and (4) analysis of joints and the fracture properties of the rocks.
Connecticut↗
Reconnaissance investigation of Caribbean extreme wave deposits — Preliminary observations, interpretations, and research directions
This report presents an overview of preliminary geological investigations and recommended future research activities in the Caribbean region pertaining to coastal hazards with an emphasis on establishing tsunami risk for U.S. territories. Fieldwork was conducted in March 2006 on the islands of Bonaire, Puerto Rico, and Guadeloupe to evaluate the stratigraphic records of extreme wave deposits as possible indicators of paleotsunami recurrence. Morphological, sedimentological, and stratigraphic evidence indicate that shore-parallel coral rubble deposits composed of coarse clasts and sand that are 10s of meters wide and several meters thick are depositional complexes that have accumulated for a few centuries or millennia, and are not entirely the result of one or a few tsunamis as previously reported. The origins of boulder fields on elevated rock platforms of the Caribbean islands are more complicated than the origins of ridge complexes because boulder fields can be constructed by either storm waves or tsunamis. What is needed now for more conclusive interpretations is a systematic sedimentological approach to deposit analysis and a set of criteria for distinguishing between coarse clast storm and tsunami deposits. Assembling more field data from other Caribbean islands, analyzing stratigraphic deposits on Puerto Rico and Bonaire, and investigating boulder field deposits resulting from a historical tsunami can accomplish this. Also needed are improved sediment transport models for coarse clasts that can be used to estimate the competence and capacity of tsunamis and storms waves and to determine whether a deposit likely was created by a tsunami or extreme storm. Improved models may also be useful for reconstructing the magnitude of extreme wave events.
Puerto Rico↗
Communicating with wildland interface communities during wildfire
An inter-agency research team studied communications during the small Bridge Fire in southern California, as well the before-, during-, and post-fire communications of an extreme fire event (Old and Grand Prix Fires) in the same area in the fall of 2003. This “quick-response” research showed that pre-fire communication planning was particularly effective for small fire events, and parts of such planning - especially the inter-agency coordination through the establishment and work of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce [MAST] – proved invaluable for the large fire event. Information seeking by the affected public relied on locally convenient sources during the small fire. Neighbors and friends were contacted; emergency frequency radio scanners were monitored; posted information was sought; and local call-in lines were utilized. Often, personal contacts were made where fire fighters could be contacted either directly or indirectly through family members. The information being sought was primarily about the precise location and severity, size, and direction of spread of the fire. This was keyed to the concern as to whether communities and personal homes were likely to be threatened. Effective community networks included the local fire department, the local water board, and established Fire Safe Councils [FSCs] which served as liaisons between the communities and the fire incident management team. During the Old Fire and Grand Prix Fire complex, levels of threat were much higher, over a much longer period of time, and required prolonged evacuation displacement. With widespread evacuation of many communities, many of the local informal networks were disrupted: FSCs were scattered over a multi-state area; persons with personal knowledge of the fires were difficult to find–but in some instances were discovered. Attempts by fire officials to control the quality of fire information being disseminated were sometimes viewed by the at-risk public as delays in the flow of information. Local residents’ needs were for “real-time” information that was also placespecific; generalized information was of little value. Assistance by news media (radio, TV, newspapers) in disseminating needed fire information was mixed. Regional TV and newspapers were perceived as very often being inaccurate (e.g. newscasters who did not know from where they were reporting, and communities wrongly listed as burned out), and focused on “entertaining” their major audiences in Los Angeles or San Diego rather than trying to report accurate information to mountain community residents. One local radio station was lauded for taking its community service obligation seriously and providing local residents with timely and verified information, and a couple of private websites were also cited as providing critical information. There are times when the flow of information tends to get disrupted, especially when transitioning from one fire Incident Management Team [IMT] to another, or from active fire fighting to post fire recovery and protection. The primary recommendation for fire management that comes from this triangulation on communication before, during, and after wildland interface fires is to “inform the network.” With changes in communication technology, the public has multiple channels to explore to discover the information they need, and they will not be put off by what they perceive as information delays. To increase the likelihood that the public will discover real, accurate, and timely information it is critical to disseminate information from the Incident Management Team as broadly as possible through multiple information channels. The at-risk public is seeking real time information; the key is to have accurate information readily available. A second recommendation is to respond positively to groups trying to provide a local information function for both fire fighting and for media reporting. The research team heard multiple reports of inaccuracies in regional news media reporting. Fire crews could have benefited from more local information on community defensibility and accessibility for fire fighting equipment. An FSC network in southern California is attempting to establish this kind of functional local-information network. The pre-event preparation represented by the MAST was critical to effective handling of these fire events. More findings and recommendations are presented at the end of the report.
Open-File Report↗
The history of Patuxent: America’s wildlife research story
This report, based on a symposium held on October 13, 2011, at the National Wildlife Visitor Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, MD, documents the history of the Patuxent Research Refuge and the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, collectively known as Patuxent. The symposium was one of the many activities occurring at that time to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Patuxent Research Refuge in 1936. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is located at the refuge, and the research center director, Dr. Gregory J. Smith, with great enthusiasm, personally supervised all aspects of the celebration. The symposium was coordinated by Dr. Matthew C. Perry, the editor of this report, with Dr. Smith’s strong support. The refuge and the research center have been essentially synonymous for the almost 80 years of their history.
Circular↗
Semantically supported linked data mapping
Semantic technology based on the Resource Description Framework (RDF) modeling environment has introduced new data management capabilities that can lead to innovative cartographic techniques. This report describes research toward more semantically expressive linked geospatial data mapping, topics of research, and an avenue for further international collaboration.
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Bibliography of publications from the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey began the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program in 1982 to study, in an interdisciplinary atmosphere, the fate and effects of toxic substances in the environment. The objective of the Program is to provide the earth-science information needed to prevent or mitigate contamination of the Nation's ground and surface waters. To achieve this goal, research is conducted in four categories--focused field investigations of contaminated sites, additional research on toxic substances hydrology, development of methods to study or sample contaminated waters, and investigations of nonpoint sources of contamination. This report contains citations of reports on research conducted under the auspices of the Program from the beginning of the Program through the end of 1993.
Open-File Report↗
Research and development program for outer continental shelf oil and gas operations, report for fiscal year 1978
This report summarizes the contract research program in support of the Geological Survey's Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas operations. The program is technological, though certain environmental investigations are being conducted as a necessary adjunct. The program manager provides a focal point for communicating with the research community in both the university system and private industry as well as with Federal agencies. Interaction is needed not only with. other Government agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy, but within the Geological Survey itself. USGS engineers and scientists are in a unique position to contribute to the success of the program by their specialized knowledge and experience in the many aspects of offshore operations such as marine geology, seismology and petroleum engineering. This document describes the program and reports on the research, development, and evaluation which are being undertaken.
Open-File Report↗
Integrating Stakeholders and Users into the Geography Discipline's Research Process
Future research priorities of Geography emphasize the discipline's leadership role in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in multidisciplinary and integrated research on human and environmental systems and how these systems are interrelated and respond to change Geography's research priorities also emphasize providing science that is usable to society and creating decision support products applicable to given customer problems. To achieve these goals, we must understand the relationship between our research and our customer, and how to integrate the customer into the research process. This report details the elements of the research process that help achieve the degree of stakeholder involvement necessary to ensure a successful end-product. It offers suggestions that can help researchers better understand stakeholders and customers and involve them in the research process more effectively, while preserving the integrity of the science. Its aim is to help researchers understand the problems and challenges faced by our customers and communicate the ways in which Geography can help address their problems. Adopting these guidelines can improve the efficiency of the research process and lead to higher quality output. We will be able to conduct better research because we will have an improved understanding of the research problem and the stakeholders involved. This report covers a broad range of topics, from identifying and communicating with stakeholders and users, to the use of language, to how to effectively present scientific information to the user. It does not offer a 'one size fits all' method. Instead, perhaps only specific sections are suitable for a given project and customers, depending on project scope and needs. This report is based on the objectives of Geography's strategic plan, U. S. Geological Survey's strategic plan, and Department of Interior's strategic plan. Section 2 of these guidelines describes the purpose of the research process in Geography and the need for better user involvement in the process. Section 3 explains how to conduct a stakeholder analysis. Section 4 explains how to conduct a user-needs assessment.
Open-File Report↗
Annual Report for 2003 Wild Horse Research and Field Activities
As stated in the Wild Horse Fertility Control Field Trial Plan, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has an immediate need for a safe, effective contraceptive agent to assist in the management of the large number of wild horses on western rangelands. The BLM and the U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Discipline (USGS/BRD) are testing the immunocontraceptive agent Porcine Zonae Pellucida (PZP) in field trials with three free-roaming herds of western wild horses. Extensive research has already been conducted on the safety, efficacy, and duration of PZP applications in both domestic and feral horses on eastern barrier islands and in some select trials I with wild horses in Nevada managed by the BLM. However, significant questions remain concerning the effects of I PZP application at the population level in the wild, as well as effects at the individual level on behavior, social structure, and harem dynamics of free-ranging animals. These questions are best answered with field trials on wild horse herds under a tight research protocol. The ultimate goal is to provide the BLM with the protocols and information necessary to begin using fertility control to regulate population growth rates in wild horse herds on a broader scale. Fertility control is intended to assist the conventional capture, removal, and adoption process as a I means of controlling excess numbers of wild horses and burros, and to greatly reduce the adoption costs and numbers of animals handled. Fertility control is not intended to totally replace the removal and adoption process. The USGSIBRD began assisting the BLM with field trials of immunocontraceptive fertility control of wild horses in early 2001. The first PZP treatments were applied during gathers at the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range in September 2001, and the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range, Colorado, in July 2002. At those gathers, 5 horses were treated in the Pryor Mountain WHR, and 23 were treated in the Little Book Cliffs WHR with PZP. These initial treatments were followed by booster injections in 2002. The second injection is required in order to raise, and I maintain, the titer levels of mares high enough to be considered contracepted. By the end of 2002, 13 horses on the Pryor Mountain WHR had received both injections, as had 11 horses in the Little Book Cliffs WHR. In 2003, intensive research efforts were carried out by the USGSIBRD at three field locations; Pryor Mountain WHR, Little I Book Cliffs WHR, and McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Management Area. The work at these sites during this I calendar year included treatment of wild horse mares with PZP in the Pryor herd and Little Book Cliffs herd, development and implementation of behavioral research to investigate potential affects of PZP treatment, continued tracking of demography and foal production in all three herds, and early phases of investigating aerial population estimation survey techniques. Detailed descriptions of these research topics can be found in the Wild Horse and Burro Management Strategic Research Plan and the Wild Horse Fertility Control Field Trial Plan. Field work in 2003 was conducted by USGSIBRD and BLM staff with the assistance of many dedicated individuals. See I Acknowledgments for more details. This report is meant to highlight the activities of the 2003 field season, as well as to provide a general overview of the data collected. More in-depth data analysis will be conducted following the conclusion of each I phase of the research project, and in many cases will not be possible until several seasons of data are collected.
Open-File Report↗
Recent advances in statistical methods for the estimation of sediment and nutrient transport in rivers
This paper reviews advances in methods for estimating fluvial transport of suspended sediment and nutrients. Research from the past four years, mostly dealing with estimating monthly and annual loads, is emphasized. However, because this topic has not appeared in previous IUGG reports, some research prior to 1990 is included. The motivation for studying sediment transport has shifted during the past few decades. In addition to its role in filling reservoirs and channels, sediment is increasingly recognized as an important part of fluvial ecosystems and estuarine wetlands. Many groups want information about sediment transport [ Bollman , 1992]: Scientists trying to understand benthic biology and catchment hydrology; citizens and policy-makers concerned about environmental impacts (e.g. impacts of logging [ Beschta , 1978] or snow-fences [ Sturges , 1992]); government regulators considering the effectiveness of programs to protect in-stream habitat and downstream waterbodies; and resource managers seeking to restore wetlands.
Reviews of Geophysics↗