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At least 1,297 records · Page 72Linked to original sources
USGS2003

Precipitation-Runoff Simulations of Current and Natural Streamflow Conditions in the Methow River Basin, Washington

Management of the water resources of the Methow River Basin is changing in response to the listing of three species of fish under the Endangered Species Act and the Washington State-legislated watershed-planning process. This report describes the construction and calibration of an enhanced precipitation-runoff model for the Methow River Basin and evaluates the model as a predictive tool for assessing the current and natural streamflow conditions. This study builds upon a previous precipitation-runoff model for the Methow River Basin and validates the current model using a new, more extensive streamflow data network. The major enhancement was the simulation of current flow conditions with the addition of irrigation diversions, returns, and application. The Geographic Information System Weasel characterized the physical properties of the basin and the Modular Modeling System, using the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System, simulated the hydrologic flow. Streamflow was simulated for water years 1992-2001 to calibrate the model to measured streamflows. A sensitivity analysis was completed using nonlinear regression to determine hydrologic parameters pertinent to the modeling results. Simulated and measured streamflow generally showed close agreement, especially during spring runoff from snowmelt. Low-flow or baseflow periods, most restrictive to fish habitation, were simulated reasonably well yet possessed the most uncertainty. Simulations of annual mean streamflow as a percentage of measured annual mean streamflow for the 10-year calibration period at six of the seven streamflow-gaging stations ranged from -35.2 to +26.2 percent, with 65 percent of the simulated values within 15 percent. One station was intentionally calibrated to over-simulate discharge (simulated discharge greater than measured discharge) in order to compensate for observed channel losses not simulated by the model. Simulation of water years 1960-2001 demonstrated great variability in monthly streamflow statistics. The simulated mean monthly flows for 11 streamflow-gaging stations were an average of 2.5 percent higher for water years 1992-2001 than for the entire simulation period. If water year 2001, an extreme drought year, is omitted, simulated mean monthly flows for the 11 streamflow-gaging stations were an average of 9.0 percent higher than for the entire simulation period. The calibrated model also examined the effects of irrigation-canal seepage on streamflow. Irrigation-canal seepage contributed to streamflow throughout the year, with the greatest effect during the irrigation season. Management of the water resources of the Methow River Basin is changing in response to the listing of three species of fish under the Endangered Species Act and the Washington State-legislated watershed-planning process. This report describes the construction and calibration of an enhanced precipitation-runoff model for the Methow River Basin and evaluates the model as a predictive tool for assessing the current and natural streamflow conditions. This study builds upon a previous precipitation-runoff model for the Methow River Basin and validates the current model using a new, more extensive streamflow data network. The major enhancement was the simulation of current flow conditions with the addition of irrigation diversions, returns, and application. The Geographic Information System Weasel characterized the physical properties of the basin and the Modular Modeling System, using the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System, simulated the hydrologic flow. Streamflow was simulated for water years 1992-2001 to calibrate the model to measured streamflows. A sensitivity analysis was completed using nonlinear regression to determine hydrologic parameters pertinent to the modeling results. Simulated and measured streamflow generally showed close agreement, especially during spring runoff from snowmelt. Low-flow or baseflow periods, most restrictive to fish habitation

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1997

Water quality variability in San Francisco Bay, Some gGeneral lessons from 1996 sampling: 1996 annual report, San Francisco estuary regional monitoring program for trace substances

This report describes the results from the 1996 Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances (RMP). It is the fourth Annual Report from the RMP which began in 1993 and attempts to synthesize the most obvious data patterns from the last four years. This report includes data from Base Program monitoring activities, as well as results of Pilot and Special Studies conducted or completed in 1996. Additionally, several articles contributed by RMP investigators and others, are included. These articles provide perspective and insight on important contaminant issues identified by the RMP. This summary addresses which kinds of pollutants measured by the RMP appear to be at levels that warrant concern, what kinds of trends may be discerned, and which stations have consistently shown elevated contaminant levels. The goals or general objectives of the RMP are: 1. To obtain high quality baseline data describing the concentrations of toxic and potentially toxic trace elements and organic contaminants in the water and sediment of the San Francisco Estuary. 2. To determine seasonal and annual trends in chemical and biological water quality in the San Francisco Estuary. 3. To continue to develop a data set that can be used to determine long-term trends in the concentrations of toxic and potentially toxic trace elements and organic contaminants in the water and sediments of the San Francisco Estuary. 4. To determine whether water quality and sediment quality in the Estuary at large are in compliance with objectives established by the Basin Plan (the regulatory planning document used by the Regional Water Quality Control Board). 5. To provide a database on water and sediment quality in the Estuary which is compatible with data being developed in other ongoing studies, including wasteload allocation studies and model development, sediment quality objectives development, in-bay studies of dredged material disposal, Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) water quality studies, primary productivity studies, local effects biomonitoring programs, and state and federal mussel watch programs.

California↗
USGS1997

Nitrogen and phosphorus loading from drained wetlands adjacent to Upper Klamath and Agency lakes, Oregon

Upper Klamath Lake and the connecting Agency Lake constitute a large, shallow lake in south-central Oregon that the historical record indicates has likely been eutrophic since its discovery by non-Native Americans. In recent decades, however, the lake has had annual occurrences of near-monoculture blooms of the blue-green alga Aphanizomenon flos-aquae that are thought to be a result of accelerated eutrophication. In 1988, two sucker species endemic to the lake, the Lost River sucker ( Deltistes luxatus ) and the shortnose sucker ( Chasmistes brevirostris ), were listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and it has been proposed that their decline is due to the poor water quality associated with extremely long and productive algal blooms. It has also been proposed that the effluent drained from wetlands has contributed to accelerated eutrophication. Since the turn of century, most of the wetlands adjacent to Upper Klamath Lake have been drained for agriculture--cultivation of crops and grazing of cattle. Wetland areas were reclaimed from the lake by building dikes to isolate them from the lake, constructing a series of drainage ditches, and installing pumps to drain the water and maintain a lowered water table. A consequence of lowering the water table is the increased ability of air and oxygenated water to move through the subsurface and facilitate the rapid aerobic decomposition of the peat soils. Nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, are then liberated, leach into adjacent ditches, and are subsequently pumped to the lake or its tributaries. The rate of peat decomposition may be related to the time since drainage and the type of agricultural land use. On lands cultivated for crops, farming practices, such as disking and furrowing, could enhance the movement of air and oxygenated water, resulting in a rapid rate of decomposition. In contrast, on grazed lands, the compaction of soils by cattle probably inhibits the movement of air and oxygenated water and results in a slower rate of decomposition relative to drained wetlands used for the cultivation of crops. This report presents the results of a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation whose overall objective was to determine the nutrient loading to Upper Klamath Lake from adjacent drained wetlands. Nutrient loading from drained wetlands was estimated using two independent techniques. The first method involved the measurement of the quantity and quality of water discharged by pumps draining the wetlands. The second method was used to estimate the initial (before drainage) and present-day nutrient mass of the organic soils within the drained wetlands and to calculate the change (or loss) in nutrient mass. In an effort to estimate the nutrient contributions from the water pumped off selected drained wetlands adjacent to Upper Klamath Lake, annual loads and yields of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were estimated from concentration data and the volume of water pumped during the water year. In general, there was little variation among sites or among years in the annual total nitrogen (median load of about 18 tons per year and median yield of about 8 pounds per acre per year) or the annual total phosphorus (median load of about 3 tons per year and median yield of about 2 pounds per acre per year) contributions. The sum of the annual loads of nitrogen and phosphorus calculated for each of the pumping stations in 1995 was 80 tons per year and 15 tons per year, respectively. In 1995, soil-coring activities were undertaken to ascertain the nature and extent of the organic soils in the drained and undrained wetlands. The present-day nutrient mass was calculated for each drained wetland using the nutrient content (concentration) and the present-day peat mass. The initial nutrient mass prior to drainage was estimated for each drained wetland by using the initial nutrient content (assumed to be equal to the nutrient content of the undrained wetlands) and the initial peat mass as determined using the amount of accumulated decomposition residue. The cumulative loss of nutrient mass since drainage was calculated as the change between initial and present-day nutrient mass for each drained area. The cumulative yield of total nitrogen and total phosphorus loss from the organic soils of individual wetlands since drainage ranged from 3,000 to 70,000 pounds per acre and from 0 to 1,300 pounds per acre, respectively. For all the drained wetlands sampled, the cumulative nitrogen and phosphorus loss since drainage totaled 250,000 tons and 4,300 tons, respectively. This represents about 30 percent and 22 percent of the mass of nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively, that initially existed in the organic soils. The loss of nutrients from the drained wetlands is considered to be a maximum estimate of the possible contribution of nutrients to Upper Klamath Lake from the peat soils of the drained wetlands sampled. However, not all the nutrients released by the soils are discharged to the lake. Nutrients lost from the peat soils of the drained wetlands may have been taken up by crops and harvested or consumed by grazing cattle. In addition, nitrogen can be lost to the atmosphere by denitrification and the volatilization of ammonia; phosphorus may be bound to adjacent soil layers by adsorption. The annual nutrient loss for the period 1994–95 was calculated using a first-order rate law to describe nutrient loss since drainage began. For individual drained wetlands, the yield of nitrogen and phosphorus lost from the organic soils for the period 1994–95 ranged from 27 to 540 pounds per acre per year and from 0 to 15 pounds per acre per year, respectively. The total mass of nitrogen and phosphorus loss during this period was 3,000 tons per year and 60 tons per year, respectively, for all drained wetlands that were sampled. The yield and mass of nutrient loss determined in this fashion reflect what might be expected on the basis of time-averaged or longterm contributions of nutrients to the lake and do not reflect the specific conditions existing during the period 1994–95. The results of this study could be useful in helping to prioritize which drained wetlands may provide the greatest benefits with regard to reducing nutrient loads to the lake if restoration or land-use modifications are instituted. Recent acquisition and planned restoration of drained wetland areas at the Wood River and Williamson River North properties may produce significant reduction in the quantity of nutrients released by the decomposition of peat soils of these areas. If the water table rises to predrainage levels, the peats soils may become inundated most of the year, resulting in the continued long-term storage of nutrients within the peat soils by reducing aerobic decomposition. The maximum benefit, in terms of decreasing potential nutrient loss due to peat decomposition, could be the reduction of total nitrogen and total phosphorus loss to about one-half that of the 1994–95 annual loss estimated for all the drained wetlands sampled for this study.

Oregon↗
USGS2003

Earthquake recordings from the 2002 Seattle Seismic Hazard Investigation of Puget Sound (SHIPS), Washington state

This report describes seismic data obtained during the fourth Seismic Hazard Investigation of Puget Sound (SHIPS) experiment, termed Seattle SHIPS . The experiment was designed to study the influence of the Seattle sedimentary basin on ground shaking during earthquakes. To accomplish this, we deployed seismometers over the basin to record local earthquakes, quarry blasts, and teleseisms during the period of January 26 to May 27, 2002. We plan to analyze the recordings to compute spectral amplitudes at each site, to determine the variability of ground motions over the basin. During the Seattle SHIPS experiment, seismometers were deployed at 87 sites in a 110-km-long east-west line, three north-south lines, and a grid throughout the Seattle urban area (Figure 1). At each of these sites, an L-22, 2-Hz velocity transducer was installed and connected to a REF TEK Digital Acquisition System (DAS), both provided by the Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) of the Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS). The instruments were installed on January 26 and 27, and were retrieved gradually between April 18 and May 27. All instruments continuously sampled all three components of motion (velocity) at a sample rate of 50 samples/sec. To ensure accurate computations of amplitude, we calibrated the geophones in situ to obtain the instrument responses. In this report, we discuss the acquisition of these data, we describe the processing and merging of these data into 1-hour long traces and into windowed events, we discuss the geophone calibration process and its results, and we display some of the earthquake recordings.

Washington↗
USGS2017

Overview of avian toxicity studies for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 establishes liability for injuries to natural resources because of the release or threat of release of oil. Assessment of injury to natural resources resulting from an oil spill and development and implementation of a plan for the restoration, rehabilitation, replacement or acquisition of natural resources to compensate for those injuries is accomplished through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. The NRDA process began within a week of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on April 20, 2010. During the spill, more than 8500 dead and impaired birds representing at least 93 avian species were collected. In addition, there were more than 3500 birds observed to be visibly oiled. While information in the literature at the time helped to identify some of the effects of oil on birds, it was not sufficient to fully characterize the nature and extent of the injuries to the thousands of live oiled birds, or to quantify those injuries in terms of effects on bird viability. As a result, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed various assessment activities to inform NRDA injury determination and quantification analyses associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including avian toxicity studies. The goal of these studies was to evaluate the effects of oral exposure to 1–20 ml of artificially weathered Mississippi Canyon 252 oil kg bw -1 day -1 from one to 28 days or one to five applications of oil to 20% of the bird's surface area. It was thought that these exposure levels would not result in immediate or short-term mortality but might result in physiological effects that ultimately could affect avian survival, reproduction and health. These studies included oral dosing studies, an external dosing study, metabolic and flight performance studies and field-based flight studies. Results of these studies indicated changes in hematologic endpoints including formation of Heinz bodies and changes in cell counts. There were also effects on multiple organ systems, cardiac function and oxidative status. External oiling affected flight patterns and time spent during flight tasks indicating that migration may be affected by short-term repeated exposure to oil. Feather damage also resulted in increased heat loss and energetic demands. The papers in this special issue indicate that the combined effects of oil toxicity and feather effects in avian species, even in the case of relatively light oiling, can significantly affect the overall health of birds.

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety↗
USGS2005

Regional economic effects of current and proposed management alternatives for Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed under a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). The CCP must describe the desired future conditions of a Refuge and provide long range guidance and management direction to achieve Refuge purposes. Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located 27 miles northeast of Aberdeen, South Dakota, is in the process of developing a range of management goals, objectives, and strategies for the CCP. The CCP for Sand Lake NWR must contain an analysis of expected effects associated with current and proposed Refuge management strategies. Special interest groups and local residents often criticize a change in Refuge management, especially if there is a perceived negative impact to the local economy. Having objective data on income and employment impacts may show that these economic fears are drastically overstated. Quite often, residents do not realize the extent of economic benefits a Refuge provides to a local community; yet at the same time overestimate the impact of negative changes. Spending associated with Refuge recreational activities such as wildlife viewing and hunting can generate considerable tourism activity for the regional economy. Refuge personnel typically spend considerable amounts of money purchasing supplies in the local lumber and hardware stores, repairing equipment and purchasing fuel at the local service stations, as well as reside and spend their salaries in the community. The purpose of this study was to provide the economic analysis needed for the Sand Lake NWR CCP by evaluating the regional economic impacts associated with the Sand Lake NWR Draft CCP management strategies. For Refuge CCP planning, an economic impact analysis describes how current (No Action Alternative) and proposed management activities (alternatives) affect the local economy. This type of analysis provides two critical pieces of information: (1) it illustrates a refuge’s contribution to the local community; and (2) it can help in determining whether local economic effects are or are not a real concern in choosing among management alternatives. Sand Lake NWR is currently managed to improve and maintain habitat for nesting and resting waterfowl and other migratory birds, such as diving and puddle ducks, geese, grebes, herons, egrets, gulls, and terns. There are three alternatives evaluated in the draft CCP. Alternative 1, the No Action alternative, would continue Refuge management at current levels and would not involve extensive restoration of cropland, grassland, and wetland habitat or improvements to roads, interpretive, and administrative facilities. No new funding or staff levels would occur and programs would follow the same direction, emphasis, and intensity as they do at present. Alternative 2 would maximize the biological potential of the refuge for species of grassland-nesting birds. This would be accomplished through intense management of upland habitat for nesting migratory birds, minimal management for resident species, and minimization of public use that may interfere with migratory bird production. The third alternative takes an integrated approach, with management practices that would serve to maximize the biological potential of Sand Lake for migratory birds. This report first provides a description of the local community and economy near the Refuge. An analysis of current and proposed management strategies that could affect the local economy is then presented. The Refuge management activities of economic concern in this analysis are Refuge personnel staffing and Refuge spending within the local community, and spending in the local community by Refuge visitors.

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge↗
USGS2005

Monitoring-well network and sampling design for ground-water quality, Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming

The Wind River Indian Reservation, located in parts of Fremont and Hot Springs Counties, Wyoming, has a total land area of more than 3,500 square miles. Ground water on the Wind River Indian Reservation is a valuable resource for Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe tribal members and others who live on the Reservation. There are many types of land uses on the Reservation that have the potential to affect the quality of ground-water resources. Urban areas, rural housing developments, agricultural lands, landfills, oil and natural gas fields, mining, and pipeline utility corridors all have the potential to affect ground-water quality. A cooperative study was developed between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Wind River Environmental Quality Commission to identify areas of the Reservation that have the highest potential for ground-water contamination and develop a comprehensive plan to monitor these areas. An arithmetic overlay model for the Wind River Indian Reservation was created using seven geographic information system data layers representing factors with varying potential to affect ground-water quality. The data layers used were: the National Land Cover Dataset, water well density, aquifer sensitivity, oil and natural gas fields and petroleum pipelines, sites with potential contaminant sources, sites that are known to have ground-water contamination, and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System sites. A prioritization map for monitoring ground-water quality on the Reservation was created using the model. The prioritization map ranks the priority for monitoring ground-water quality in different areas of the Reservation as low, medium, or high. To help minimize bias in selecting sites for a monitoring well network, an automated stratified random site-selection approach was used to select 30 sites for ground-water quality monitoring within the high priority areas. In addition, the study also provided a sampling design for constituents to be monitored, sampling frequency, and a simple water-table level observation well network.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2023

Silver carp herding: A telemetry evaluation of efficacy and implications for design and application

Removal of invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix is a primary control action in North America. Strong avoidance responses to underwater sound and electricity have been shown to facilitate herding and mass removal of these fish. We conducted a telemetry study on a closed population of Silver Carp (i.e., 10 telemetered fish) to assess fine-scale movement responses to herding stimuli. Two herding boats traveled along bank-to-bank transects through the study area (longitudinal progression rate = 0.37 m/s) emitting sound and electricity (“combination technique”) or no added stimuli (“control”). The combination technique was most effective in terms of increasing fish presence (2.2 x the control) in the refuge-zones when herding had concluded and effective range (i.e., fish reaction distance; 1.6 x the control) relative to the herding boats. Fish median (~1 m/s) and maximum (~2 m/s) swimming velocity was relatively stable across fixed effects, except for the negative influence of water depth on maximum velocity. Water depth also exhibited a negative effect on fish reaction distance. Our results suggest effective range of the combination technique was conservatively 200 m (~20 dB re 1 μPa > ambient level) when accounting for water depth in the study area. Herding deployments less than 1 m/s (longitudinal progression) could control fish passing and maintain fish movements towards an intended location. Information provided herein can serve to assist planning, design, and application of herding efforts used to manage, control, and remove these invasive fish.

Kentucky↗
USGS2014

Natural flow regimes of the Ozark-Ouachita Interior Highlands region

Natural flow regimes represent the hydrologic conditions to which native aquatic organisms are best adapted. We completed a regional river classification and quantitative descriptions of each natural flow regime for the Ozark–Ouachita Interior Highlands region of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. On the basis of daily flow records from 64 reference streams, seven natural flow regimes were identified with mixture model cluster analysis: Groundwater Stable, Groundwater, Groundwater Flashy, Perennial Runoff, Runoff Flashy, Intermittent Runoff and Intermittent Flashy. Sets of flow metrics were selected that best quantified nine ecologically important components of these natural flow regimes. An uncertainty analysis was performed to avoid selecting metrics strongly affected by measurement uncertainty that can result from short periods of record. Measurement uncertainties (bias, precision and accuracy) were assessed for 170 commonly used flow metrics. The ranges of variability expected for select flow metrics under natural conditions were quantified for each flow regime to provide a reference for future assessments of hydrologic alteration. A random forest model was used to predict the natural flow regimes of all stream segments in the study area based on climate and catchment characteristics, and a map was produced. The geographic distribution of flow regimes suggested distinct ecohydrological regions that may be useful for conservation planning. This project provides a hydrologic foundation for future examination of flow–ecology relationships in the region. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗
USGS2016

Community disruptions and business costs for distant tsunami evacuations using maximum versus scenario-based zones

Well-executed evacuations are key to minimizing loss of life from tsunamis, yet they also disrupt communities and business productivity in the process. Most coastal communities implement evacuations based on a previously delineated maximum-inundation zone that integrates zones from multiple tsunami sources. To support consistent evacuation planning that protects lives but attempts to minimize community disruptions, we explore the implications of scenario-based evacuation procedures and use the California (USA) coastline as our case study. We focus on the land in coastal communities that is in maximum-evacuation zones, but is not expected to be flooded by a tsunami generated by a Chilean earthquake scenario. Results suggest that a scenario-based evacuation could greatly reduce the number of residents and employees that would be advised to evacuate for 24–36 h (178,646 and 159,271 fewer individuals, respectively) and these reductions are concentrated primarily in three counties for this scenario. Private evacuation spending is estimated to be greater than public expenditures for operating shelters in the area of potential over-evacuations ($13 million compared to $1 million for a 1.5-day evacuation). Short-term disruption costs for businesses in the area of potential over-evacuation are approximately $122 million for a 1.5-day evacuation, with one-third of this cost associated with manufacturing, suggesting that some disruption costs may be recouped over time with increased short-term production. There are many businesses and organizations in this area that contain individuals with limited mobility or access and functional needs that may have substantial evacuation challenges. This study demonstrates and discusses the difficulties of tsunami-evacuation decision-making for relatively small to moderate events faced by emergency managers, not only in California but in coastal communities throughout the world.

Natural Hazards↗
USGS2006

The Pu'u ‘O’o‐Kupaianaha eruption of Kilauea

Kilauea is nearing the 10th year of its most voluminous rift zone eruption in the last 2 centuries. Lava flows have covered 75 km 2 to depths as great as 25 m and have added almost 1.2 km 2 of new land to the island. These flows have devastated downslope communities and have provided a painful tutorial for local government in planning for and living with volcanic hazards [ Heliker and Wright , 1991]. At the same time, the accessibility and longevity of this eruption have provided a unique opportunity for quantitative studies requiring long‐term observations. This article briefly summarizes these studies, which are directed at a better understanding of eruption mechanics, lava‐flow field emplacement, and the plumbing system of Kilauea.

Hawaii↗
USGS2016

Salmon and steelhead in the White Salmon River after the removal of Condit Dam–Planning efforts and recolonization results

Condit Dam, at river kilometer 5.3 on the White Salmon River, Washington, was breached in 2011 and completely removed in 2012. This action opened habitat to migratory fish for the first time in 100 years. The White Salmon Working Group was formed to create plans for fish salvage in preparation for fish recolonization and to prescribe the actions necessary to restore anadromous salmonid populations in the White Salmon River after Condit Dam removal. Studies conducted by work group members and others served to inform management decisions. Management options for individual species were considered, including natural recolonization, introduction of a neighboring stock, hatchery supplementation, and monitoring natural recolonization for some time period to assess the need for hatchery supplementation. Monitoring to date indicates that multiple species and stocks of anadromous salmonids are finding and spawning in the now accessible and recovering habitat.

Washington↗
USGS2017

Multidirectional abundance shifts among North American birds and the relative influence of multifaceted climate factors

Shifts in species distributions are major fingerprint of climate change. Examining changes in species abundance structures at a continental scale enables robust evaluation of climate change influences, but few studies have conducted these evaluations due to limited data and methodological constraints. In this study, we estimate temporal changes in abundance from North American Breeding Bird Survey data at the scale of physiographic strata to examine the relative influence of different components of climatic factors and evaluate the hypothesis that shifting species distributions are multidirectional in resident bird species in North America. We quantify the direction and velocity of the abundance shifts of 57 permanent resident birds over 44 years using a centroid analysis. For species with significant abundance shifts in the centroid analysis, we conduct a more intensive correlative analysis to identify climate components most strongly associated with composite change of abundance within strata. Our analysis focus on two contrasts: the relative importance of climate extremes vs. averages, and of temperature vs. precipitation in strength of association with abundance change. Our study shows that 36 species had significant abundance shifts over the study period. The average velocity of the centroid is 5.89 km·yr −1 . The shifted distance on average covers 259 km, 9% of range extent. Our results strongly suggest that the climate change fingerprint in studied avian distributions is multidirectional. Among 6 directions with significant abundance shifts, the northwestward shift was observed in the largest number of species ( n = 13). The temperature/average climate model consistently has greater predictive ability than the precipitation/extreme climate model in explaining strata‐level abundance change. Our study shows heterogeneous avian responses to recent environmental changes. It highlights needs for more species‐specific approaches to examine contributing factors to recent distributional changes and for comprehensive conservation planning for climate change adaptation.

Global Change Biology↗
USGS1970

Taunton River basin

The Taunton River, emptying into an arm of Narragansett Bay at Fall River, drains 528 square miles of interior southeastern Massachusetts. The Taunton River basin is separated from the basins of short streams draining to the coast by low divides on the east, south, and southwest. On the west and north, the basin is bordered by the Ten Mile, Charles, Neponset, and Weymouth River basins. Principal tributaries of the lower Taunton River are Segreganset, Threemile, Mill, Assonet, Nemasket, and Winnetuxet Rivers. The upper part of the basin is drained by the Canoe, Wading, and Rumford Rivers which empty into Mill and Threemile Rivers and by the Matfield and Town Rivers which unite to form the Taunton River. This report presents in tabular form selected records of wells, test wells, and borings collected during a study of the basin from 1966 to 1968 in cooperation with the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission, and during earlier studies. This report is released in order to make available to the public and to local, state, and federal agencies basic ground-water information that may aid in planning water-resources development. Basic records contained in this report will complement an interpretative report on the Taunton River basin to be released at a later date.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2001

Citizen knowledge and perception of black-tailed prairie dog management: Report to respondents

What do citizens know about black-tailed prairie dogs, and where do they get their information? When management decisions need to be made regarding an animal such as the black-tailed prairie dog, an understanding of the species and its relationship to humans is necessary. This includes knowing the biology of the animal, where it lives, and how it interacts with other animals. But it is equally important for those making decisions about the species to understand citizens’ knowledge and perceptions so managers can effectively communicate with the public and help the public participate in planning and decision making activities. Unfortunately, what is known about public knowledge, perception, and preferences concerning prairie dog management is limited to data from only a few areas. This study attempts to answer the question: What do people in the short-grass prairie region of the United States know and think about black-tailed prairie dogs? In the summer of 2000, we sent a survey by mail to citizens of rural, urban, and suburban counties in the short-grass prairie region of the United States. This area includes all or part of 11 states: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming (see Figure 1, p. 4). A total of 1933 citizens completed the survey for a 56% response rate (Table 1). This report provides a summary of the answers for all the questions in the survey. (Extra copies of this report can be downloaded from our website: http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/seias.) The results show that although people do not believe prairie dogs are a big environmental issue, they favor a balanced approach when dealing with such problems. When asked about their views on environmental policy, respondents reported being more conservative than liberal: 40% reported slightly conservative or conservative environmental views, 24% reported moderate environmental views, and 19% reported slightly liberal or liberal environmental views. Ninteen percent (19%) said they did not know or had not thought about their environmental values. When asked how important black-tailed prairie dogs are compared to other environmental problems, 69% said they are less important than other issues or not an issue at all. Thirty one percent (31%) said prairie dogs are about the same or more important than other issues.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Values and attitudes of National Wildlife Refuge managers and biologists; Report to respondents

The issues affecting natural resource management, the society in which natural resource management occurs, natural resource agency personnel, and the publics they serve have changed in recent decades. Previous studies of Refuge professionals in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) have revealed that employees lack strong commitment to the current organizational structure, were frustrated with the lack of communication within the agency and felt there was a need for strong leadership (PEER 1998, 1999). These results prompted the authors to have further questions about refuge management in the Fish and Wildlife Service. What do employees value about their agency? Is there a difference in values between refuge managers and biologists and if so, what are those differences and what influences those differences? Recently, there has been speculation that changes in society and the demographic makeup of natural resource professionals has caused a paradigm shift for natural resource management (Ballard 2002; Brown and Harris 1992abc, 2000; Maestas 2002). But, there has been little work assessing the values, attitudes or behaviors of natural resource professionals to determine if a paradigm shift is really occurring. Most of the work in the field of values, attitudes, and behaviors has focused on the public and their interaction with environmental management issues; such as, endangered species management (Lybecker et al. 2002; Solomon 1998), human-wildlife conflict (Baker and Fritsch 1997; Chase et al. 1999; Jones and Thomas 1999; Mankin et al. 1999), changes in hunting or trapping regulations (Loker et al. 1998; Manfredo et al. 1999; Whittaker and Torres 1998), or management of public lands (Badalamente et al. 2000). The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the values and attitudes refuge employees have toward natural resources. The goal was to survey National Wildlife Refuge professionals about natural resource management. We surveyed Refuge Managers and Refuge Biologists (n=480) at staffed U.S. National Wildlife Refuges in the contiguous 48 states in the fall of 200 1. We used a modified Dillman design, resulting in a 68% response rate. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine and compare the environmental values of refuge managers and biologists at selected refuges and (2) assess attitudes about various institutional factors (public involvement and planning). Analyses of data revealed that these managers and biologists did not differ substantially in terms of their environmental values. Refuge professionals were supportive of public involvement in planning and management, but hoped to maintain management authority throughout the process. Professionals were skeptical concerning the applicability of long term planning, but were generally supportive of the planning process. Attitudes toward the Service were conflicting: professionals felt that the Service needed to provide better leadership and direction, but that the Refuge System needed to assert its autonomy and independence from the rest of the Service.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1955

Quality of water of the Colorado River, 1925-40

The study of the quality of water of the Colorado River and its tributaries has been a continuing one since 1925. The data so obtained have been useful in the planning and construction of dams and reservoirs, the utilization of the water within the basin, and in planning the economy of areas outside of the basin, partially or wholly dependent on the diversion or importation of water from the Colorado River or its tributaries. Much chemical quality data of the Colorado River and its tributaries collected during the period from 1925 to 1940 have not been published in detail. The purpose of this report is to make available for consultation and ready reference those previously unpublished data collected for the period 1925 to 1940, mainly between 1930 and 1940. Included among these data are many detailed chemical analyses of composites of daily samples and single samples of the Colorado River and its main tributaries and less detailed analyses of many other samples. In a few instances, for continuity of the record, analyses are included that have been published in Survey reports. Discussions of the quality of water of the Colorado River basin either in published reports or in mimeograph form are available; therefore, this report will include only tabulated data. Data obtained for the period 1925 to 1930 for the most part were published in three Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers, 596-B, 636-A, and 638-D, all out of print. Summary data for the streams in the Colorado River basin for the period 1925 to 1943 were published in U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 970, "Quality of surface waters of the United States, 1943". These summaries consist mainly of annual weighted averages of chemical analyses, dissolved-solids loads, and extremes of dissolved solids and hardness. Analyses of samples from Lake Mead are available in a series of reports, "Lake Mead Density Currents Investigations", by the Bureau of Reclamation /1937 -1940, Vols. I and ll; 1940 -1946; Vol. III/. Data on the suspended sediment in the Colorado River for the period 1925-1941 were published in 1947, in U.S. Geological Survey Water -Supply Paper 998. Since 1940 results of water-quality investigations in the Colorado River basin have been published in the annual U.S. Geological Survey reports, "Quality of surface waters of the United States".

Colorado River↗
USGS1982

An application of a vulnerability index to oil spill modeling in the Gulf of Mexico

An analysis was made of the relative impact to the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico from proposed Federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing activity. An oil spill trajectory model was coupled with a land segment vulnerability characterization to predict the risks to the shoreline. Such a technique allows spatial and temporal variability in oil spill sensitivity to be represented and combined with the likelihood of oil spill contact to specific coastal segments in the study area. Predicted relative impact was greatest along the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Useful information is provided for environmental impact analysis, as well as oil spill response planning.

Open-File Report↗