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At least 1,423 records · Page 79Linked to original sources
USGS2001

Effects of regulation on L-moments of annual peak streamflow in Texas

Several techniques exist to estimate annual peak-streamflow frequency for streamflows that have recurrence intervals ranging from 2 to 500 years for natural (unregulated) drainage basins in Texas. Unfortunately, such techniques have limited applicability in regulated basins. There are numerous regulated basins throughout Texas, which has more than 7,000 dams that are identified by Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission permits. The effects on annual peak streamflow from reservoirs created by these dams range from negligible to the complete suppression of the flood hydrograph; also, reservoirs can artificially create flood-like hydrographs. The large number of reservoirs and their widespread distribution in Texas necessitate an assessment of flood characteristics in regulated basins. Therefore, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation, conducted a study of the effects of regulation on L-moments of annual peak streamflow in Texas. For this report, the State was divided into three regions. Four regression equations to estimate the L-moments of natural annual peak-streamflow data for ungaged sites were derived for each region from data for 367 streamflow-gaging stations in natural basins. The explanatory variables in the equations are contributing drainage area, basin shape factor, and stream slope. The effects of regulation on the L-moments of annual peak-streamflow data were determined by analysis of maximum and normal storage-capacity data from reservoirs for 96 streamflow-gaging stations in variously regulated basins. The results indicate that as potential flood storage (defined by the difference between total maximum and normal capacity) in a basin increases, the mean annual peak streamflow decreases nonlinearly. Evidence strongly indicates (despite contrary expectation) that the higher L-moments (coefficient of L-variation, L-skew, and L-kurtosis) are unaffected by regulation.

Texas↗
USGS1961

Floods in Pennsylvania, frequency and magnitude

This report outlines a method of determining the magnitude of floods having frequencies up to 50 years for any stream in Pennsylvania except regulated streams and streams whose drainage basins are smaller than 10 square miles. On the main stems of the Schuylkill, Delaware, Susquehanna, and Chemung Rivers the magnitude of floods can be determined for frequencies up to 100 years. Six composite frequency curves show the relation of the mean annual flood to floods having recurrence interval up to 50 to 100 years. Curves for fourteen hydrologic areas show the variation of mean annual flood with drainage area. This report explains how to select the proper curves for any chosen point in the State and how to compute a flood-frequency curve for that point. A tabulation of peak gage heights and discharges for most gaging stations in the State is included. In general, the tabulations contain all peaks above a specific base discharge, although for some stations only annual peaks are shown.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1980

Effect of delayed reporting of band recoveries on survival estimates

Brownie et al. (U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv., Resource Publ. 131, 1978) presented 14 models based on an array of explicit assumptions for the study of survival in avian populations. These methods are replacing the life table methods previously used to estimate survival rates (e.g., Burnham and Anderson, J. Wildl. Manage. , 43: 356-366, 1979). The new methods allow survival or recovery rates, or both, to be constant, time-specific, or time- and age-specific. In studies to estimate survival rates for birds the data are often from recoveries of birds shot or found dead during the hunting season and reported to the Bird Banding Laboratory by sportsmen, conservation agency employees, or the general public. This note examines the bias in estimating annual survival due to a proportion of the recoveries being incorrectly reported a year late. Specifically, a few recoveries each year of, for example, adult male American Widgeon ( Anas americana ) banded in California are reported as being recovered in year i + 1 when in fact they were actually recovered the previous year i. Delayed reporting might typically be caused by people finding a band in their health clothing in the fall of the year and, being embarrassed about their failure to report the band when it was taken, report it a year late not mentioning the actual year of recovery. Heuristically, delayed reporting should bias estimated annual survival rates upwards because it appears from the data that the birds corresponding to the "delayed" recoveries actually lived an additional year.

Journal of Field Ornithology↗
USGS2000

U. S. Geological Survey Middle Rio Grande basin study: Proceedings of the Fourth annual workshop, Albuquerque, New Mexico, February 15-16, 2000

This volume contains a collection of short papers that document some of the conclusions and results of on-going investigations related to ground-water resources of the Middle Rio Grande Basin, New Mexico. These results, and additional project reports, were presented at the Fourth Annual Middle Rio Grande Basin workshop convened in Albuquerque during February 2000. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey and the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources as a forum for public presentation and discussion of multidisciplinary studies conducted during the previous 4 years. This considerable body of work was undertaken to improve the scientific understanding of factors that control ground-water availability and quality, and to explore land-surface characteristics that have affected the development and use of this valley that currently supports a population in excess of 600,000.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Streamflow Simulations and Percolation Estimates Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool for Selected Basins in North-Central Nebraska, 1940-2005

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Upper Elkhorn, Lower Elkhorn, Upper Loup, Lower Loup, Middle Niobrara, Lower Niobrara, Lewis and Clark, and Lower Platte North Natural Resources Districts, used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to simulate streamflow and estimate percolation in north-central Nebraska to aid development of long-term strategies for management of hydrologically connected ground and surface water. Although groundwater models adequately simulate subsurface hydrologic processes, they often are not designed to simulate the hydrologically complex processes occurring at or near the land surface. The use of watershed models such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, which are designed specifically to simulate surface and near-subsurface processes, can provide helpful insight into the effects of surface-water hydrology on the groundwater system. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was calibrated for five stream basins in the Elkhorn-Loup Groundwater Model study area in north-central Nebraska to obtain spatially variable estimates of percolation. Six watershed models were calibrated to recorded streamflow in each subbasin by modifying the adjustment parameters. The calibrated parameter sets were then used to simulate a validation period; the validation period was half of the total streamflow period of record with a minimum requirement of 10 years. If the statistical and water-balance results for the validation period were similar to those for the calibration period, a model was considered satisfactory. Statistical measures of each watershed model's performance were variable. These objective measures included the Nash-Sutcliffe measure of efficiency, the ratio of the root-mean-square error to the standard deviation of the measured data, and an estimate of bias. The model met performance criteria for the bias statistic, but failed to meet statistical adequacy criteria for the other two performance measures when evaluated at a monthly time step. A primary cause of the poor model validation results was the inability of the model to reproduce the sustained base flow and streamflow response to precipitation that was observed in the Sand Hills region. The watershed models also were evaluated based on how well they conformed to the annual mass balance (precipitation equals the sum of evapotranspiration, streamflow/runoff, and deep percolation). The model was able to adequately simulate annual values of evapotranspiration, runoff, and precipitation in comparison to reported values, which indicates the model may provide reasonable estimates of annual percolation. Mean annual percolation estimated by the model as basin averages varied within the study area from a maximum of 12.9 inches in the Loup River Basin to a minimum of 1.5 inches in the Shell Creek Basin. Percolation also varied within the studied basins; basin headwaters tended to have greater percolation rates than downstream areas. This variance in percolation rates was mainly was because of the predominance of sandy, highly permeable soils in the upstream areas of the modeled basins.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS1972

Records of water-level measurements in wells in the Oklahoma panhandle, 1971-72

Investigations of the ground-water resources of the Oklahoma panhandle by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board includes collection of water-level records; the systematic collection of these records began in 1937. Records of many shallow wells were compiled in 1937 and periodic measurements were made in a few wells until 1966. Owing to the heavy development of irrigation during the 1960's (fig. 1) an expanded network of observation wells established in Texas County in 1966 and in Beaver and Cimarron Counties in 1967; measurement of water levels have been made on an annual basis since those times. This report contains water-level records for the period 1971-72 and the water-level change for the period 1966-72 in Texas County, and for the period 1967-72 in Beaver and Cimarron Counties. At the present time (1972) the annual observation-well network includes 521 wells, of which 97 are in Beaver County, 203 are in Cimarron County, and 221 are in Texas County. These data provide an index to available ground-water supplies; they will be useful in planning and studying water resources development; and they will serve as a framework of data for the detailed hydrologic investigation now in progress in the panhandle.

Oklahoma↗
USGS1978

Use of Landsat data to assess waterfowl habitat quality

This report is a discussion of the feasibility of using Landsat data to generate information of value for effective management of migratory waterfowl. Effective management of waterfowl includes regulating waterfowl populations through hunting regulations and habitat management. This report examines the ability to analyze annual production by monitoring the number of breeding and brood ponds that are present, and the ability to assess waterfowl habitat based on the various relationships between ponds and the surrounding upland terrain types. The basic conclusions of this report are that: 1) Landsat data can be used to improve estimates of pond numbers which may be correlated with duck production; and 2) Landsat data can be used to generate information on terrain types which subsequently can be used to assess relative waterfowl habitat quality.

Report↗
USGS2022

Effect of repeated fire on annual brome invasion at Badlands National Park

Prescribed fire is used to combat exotic plant species in mixed-grass prairie of Northern Great Plains parks. However, prescribed fires rarely occur at a frequency likely to maintain any gains against exotic species. The unusual circumstance of experimental plots being burned twice in 2 years provides a unique opportunity to investigate the effect of more frequent fire on invasive annual brome grasses. I established 40 plots on Sheep Mountain Table at Badlands National Park in 2015 to examine the relative effectiveness of prescribed fire alone or in combination with imazapic (an herbicide) application or with native seeding. Ten of the 40 plots were controls, with no experimental treatment; the remainder were burned with a prescribed fire in November 2016, and the herbicide and seeding treatments were applied soon thereafter to 10 plots each. In the 2018 growing season, annual brome abundance remained lower in the burned plots than in the controls, but monitoring by the National Park Service’s Northern Great Plains Fire Effects programs suggests that, by 5 years (or perhaps earlier) following a prescribed fire, annual brome abundance will return to its pre-fire level. Repeated fires may prevent this return if they sufficiently reduce the annual brome seedbank or produce conditions less conducive to annual brome growth (reduced litter layer or increased competition, for example). All plots in this experiment burned as part of a larger prescribed fire in fall 2018. This extension of the original study measures plant community composition (to species level) in the experimental plots (original control and burn only) after the 2018 prescribed fire; this report provides the results from the fourth growing season after that fire.

South Dakota↗
USGS2024

Population and spatial dynamics of desert bighorn sheep in Grand Canyon during an outbreak of respiratory pneumonia

Introduction: Terrestrial species in riverine ecosystems face unique constraints leading to diverging patterns of population structure, connectivity, and disease dynamics. Desert bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis nelsoni ) in Grand Canyon National Park, a large native population in the southwestern USA, offer a unique opportunity to evaluate population patterns and processes in a remote riverine system with ongoing anthropogenic impacts. We integrated non-invasive, invasive, and citizen-science methods to address questions on abundance, distribution, disease status, genetic structure, and habitat fragmentation. Methods: We compiled bighorn sightings collected during river trips by park staff, commercial guides, and private citizens from 2000–2018 and captured bighorn in 2010–2016 to deploy GPS collars and test for disease. From 2011–2015, we non-invasively collected fecal samples and genotyped them at 9–16 microsatellite loci for individual identification and genetic structure. We used assignment tests to evaluate genetic structure and identify subpopulations, then estimated gene flow and recent migration to evaluate fragmentation. We used spatial capture-recapture to estimate annual population size, distribution, and trends after accounting for spatial variation in detection with a resource selection function model. Results and discussion: From 2010–2018, 3,176 sightings of bighorn were reported, with sightings of 56–145 bighorn annually on formal surveys. From 2012–2016, bighorn exhibiting signs of respiratory disease were observed along the river throughout the park. Of 25 captured individuals, 56% were infected by Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae , a key respiratory pathogen, and 81% were recently exposed. Pellet sampling for population estimation from 2011–2015 yielded 1,250 genotypes and 453 individuals. We detected 6 genetic clusters that exhibited mild to moderate genetic structure ( F ST 0.022–0.126). The river, distance, and likely topography restricted recent gene flow, but we detected cross-river movements in one section via genetic recaptures, no subpopulation appeared completely isolated, and genetic diversity was among the highest reported. Recolonization of one large stretch of currently empty habitat appears limited by the constrained topology of this system. Annual population estimates ranged 536–552 (95% CrI range 451–647), lamb:ewe ratios varied, and no significant population decline was detected. We provide a multi-method sampling framework useful for sampling other wildlife in remote riverine systems.

Arizona↗
USGS2002

Records of northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, occurrences in North Dakota during the Twentieth Century

The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a common bird in the southern United States that has been expanding its breeding range into the northern United States and southern Canada. During the twentieth century, there were 128 reports of Northern Mockingbird occurrences in North Dakota, including 106 reports during the breeding season (15 April to 31 August) and 22 during the nonbreeding season (1 September to 14 April). The species has been largely absent from North Dakota from January through mid-April. Prior to the 1930s, there was only one record (1916) of the Northern Mockingbird in the state. Observations of Northern Mockingbirds in North Dakota increased markedly between the 1930s and 1990s. On average, there were 0.3 reports of mockingbirds per year in 1931-1940, 0.6 in 1941-1950, 1.1 in 1951-1960, 1.6 in 1961-1970, 2.4 in 1971-1980, 2.3 in 1981-1990, and 4.5 in 1991-2000. The species has been observed in North Dakota nearly annually since 1958. At least six reports during the twentieth century included evidence of nesting (nests or dependent young). Based on mockingbird records during the twentieth century, we designate the current status of the Northern Mockingbird in North Dakota as a rare spring migrant, rare summer visitant, casual nester, and a casual fall and winter visitant.

Canadian Field-Naturalist↗
USGS2002

Records of Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, occurrences in North Dakota during the twentieth century

The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a common bird in the southern United States that has been expanding its breeding range into the northern United States and southern Canada. During the twentieth century, there were 128 reports of Northern Mockingbird occurrences in North Dakota, including 106 reports during the breeding season (15 April to 31 August) and 22 during the nonbreeding season (1 September to 14 April). The species has been largely absent from North Dakota from January through mid-April. Prior to the 1930s, there was only one record (1916) of the Northern Mockingbird in the state. Observations of Northern Mockingbirds in North Dakota increased markedly between the 1930s and 1990s. On average, there were 0.3 reports of mockingbirds per year in 1931-1940, 0.6 in 1941-1950, 1.1 in 1951-1960, 1.6 in 1961-1970, 2.4 in 1971-1980, 2.3 in 1981-1990, and 4.5 in 1991-2000. The species has been observed in North Dakota nearly annually since 1958. At least six reports during the twentieth century included evidence of nesting (nests or dependent young). Based on mockingbird records during the twentieth century, we designate the current status of the Northern Mockingbird in North Dakota as a rare spring migrant, rare summer visitant, casual nester, and a casual fall and winter visitant.

Canadian Field-Naturalist↗
USGS2007

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1957 quarterly administrative reports

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaii↗
USGS2007

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1958 quarterly administrative reports

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaii↗
USGS2007

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1959 quarterly administrative reports

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaii↗
USGS2007

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1960 quarterly administrative Reports

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaii↗
USGS2007

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1961 quarterly administrative reports

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaii↗
USGS2007

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1962 quarterly administrative reports

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaii↗