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USGS2010

Rocky Mountain snowpack physical and chemical data for selected sites, 2009

The Rocky Mountain Snowpack program established a network of snowpack-sampling sites in the Rocky Mountain region from New Mexico to Montana to monitor the chemical content of snow and to understand the effects of regional atmospheric deposition. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; Teton County, Wyoming; and others, collected and analyzed snowpack samples annually for 48 or more sites in the Rocky Mountain region during 1993-2009. Sixty-three snowpack-sampling sites were sampled once each in 2009 and data are presented in this report. Data include acid-neutralization capacity, specific conductance, pH, hydrogen ion concentrations, dissolved concentrations of major constituents (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, ammonium, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate), dissolved organic carbon concentrations, snow-water equivalent, snow depth, total mercury concentrations, and ionic charge balance. Quality-assurance data for field and laboratory blanks and field replicates for 2009 also are included.

Data Series↗

USGS1995

Atrazine in surface water and relation to hydrologic conditions within the Delaware River Basin Pesticide Management Area, Northeast Kansas, July 1992 through December 1994

Since about 1960, atrazine has been used as an effective pre- and postemergent herbicide in the production of corn and grain sorghum. Atrazine is a triazine-class herbicide and was the most frequently detected herbicide in surface water of the lower Kansas River Basin of southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas (Stamer and Zelt, 1994). Approximately 95 percent of the atrazine applied in the United States is used in corn and grain-sorghum production, predominately in the Mississippi River Basin where about 82 percent of the Nation's corn acreage is planted (CIBA-GEIGY Corp., 1992). Until recent changes in product labeling, atrazine commonly was applied at relatively high rates to control weeds around commercial and industrial areas and along railroad right-of-ways. Crop yields have increased during the last 40 years due in part to the use of herbicides in reducing weed growth and competition for moisture and nutrients. However, concern on the part of water suppliers, health officials, and the public also has increased regarding the safe and responsible use of herbicides. One issue is whether the widespread use of atrazine may pose a potential threat to public-water supplies in areas where the herbicide is used because of its ability to easily dissolve in water and its possible effects on the health of humans and aquatic life.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2022

Mortality associated with extreme heat in Washington State: The historical and projected public health burden

Extreme heat is one of the most important pathways illustrating the connection between climate and human health, and climate change is expected to exacerbate this public health issue. This study first used a case-crossover analysis to characterize the historical (1980–2018) association between summertime heat and non-traumatic mortality in Washington State. A separate analysis was conducted for each of the state’s ten climate divisions to produce distinct exposure–response curves expressing odds of mortality as a function of humidex. Stratified analyses were used to assess the impact of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and select causes of death, and the reported results are pooled across all divisions using meta-analysis. The historical heat–mortality relationship was combined with climate projections to estimate the impact of climate change on heat-related deaths in 2030, 2050, and 2080 under two warming scenarios. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals of mortality at the 99th percentile of humidex compared to the 50th percentile did not include the null value in four climate divisions (E Olympic Cascade Foothills, NE Olympic San Juan, Northeastern, and Puget Sound Lowlands). The statewide odds of mortality are 8% higher (6%, 10%) on 99th percentile days compared to 50th percentile days, driven primarily by an OR of 1.09 (1.06, 1.11) in the Puget Sound Lowlands. Risk is higher for women than men and for Blacks than Whites. Risk increases with age and for diabetic, circulatory, cardiovascular, ischemic, cerebrovascular, and respiratory deaths. The 95% confidence intervals of projected heat-attributable mortality did not overlap with zero in three climate divisions (E Olympic Cascade Foothills, NE Olympic San Juan, and Puget Sound Lowlands). In these three divisions, the average percent increase in heat-attributable mortality across both warming scenarios is 35%, 35%, and 603% in 2030, 2050, and 2080, respectively. This research is the most extensive study of heat-related mortality in Washington to date and can help inform public health initiatives aiming to improve present and future health outcomes in the state.

Washington↗

USGS2025

An enigmatic wild passerine mortality event in the eastern United States

The ability to rapidly respond to wildlife health events is essential. However, such events are often unpredictable, especially with anthropogenic disturbances and climate-related environmental changes driving unforeseen threats. Many events also are short-lived and go undocumented, making it difficult to draw on lessons learned from past investigations. We report on the response to a mortality event observed predominantly in wild passerines in the eastern United States. The event began in May 2021 when wildlife rehabilitators and private citizens reported large numbers of sick and dead juvenile birds, mostly presenting as single cases with neurologic signs and/or ocular and periocular lesions. Early efforts by rehabilitators, veterinarians, state and federal wildlife agencies, and universities helped gather public reports and fuel rapid responses by government agencies. Collective efforts included live bird and carcass collections; submission to diagnostic laboratories and evaluation; information sharing; and coordinated messaging to stakeholders and interested parties. Extensive diagnostic evaluations failed to identify a causative pathogen or other etiology, although congruent results across laboratories have helped drive further investigation into alternative causes, such as nutritional deficiencies. This report highlights the strengths of a multi-agency, interdisciplinary investigation while exposing the need for an operational framework with approaches and resources dedicated to wildlife health.

eastern United States↗

USGS1995

The strategy for improving water-quality monitoring in the United States; final report of the Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality; technical appendices

The Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM) prepared this report in collaboration with representatives of all levels of government and the private sector. The report recommends a strategy for nationwide water-quality monitoring and technical monitoring improvements to support sound water-quality decisionmaking. The strategy is intended to achieve a better return on public and private investments in monitoring, environmental protection, and natural resources management. It is also designed to expand the base of information useful to a variety of users at multiple geographic scales. Institutional and technical changes are needed to improve water-quality monitoring and to meet the full range of monitoring requirements. Monitoring must be incorporated as a critical element of program planning, implementation, and evaluation. The strategy includes recommendations in many key elements, such as the development of goal-oriented monitoring and indicators, institutional collaboration, and methods comparability. Initial actions have been taken to implement the strategy. Several Federal agencies have jointly purchased and shared remotely sensed land-cover information needed for water assessment. Major agency data systems are using common data-element names and reference tables that will ensure easy sharing of data. A number of States have held meetings with collectors of water information to initiate statewide monitoring strategies. New monitoring guidance has been developed for Federal water-quality grants to States. Many State offices have changed monitoring programs to place emphasis on priority watersheds and to improve assessment of water quality. As the competition increases for adequate supplies of clean water, concerns about public health and the environment escalate, and more demands are placed on the water information infrastructure. To meet these demands, the collaborative approach has already produced benefits, which will continue to grow as the recommendations are implemented

Open-File Report↗

USGS2011

Rocky Mountain snowpack physical and chemical data for selected sites, 2010

The Rocky Mountain Snowpack program established a network of snowpack-sampling sites in the Rocky Mountain region, from New Mexico to Montana, to monitor the chemical content of snow and to understand the effects of regional atmospheric deposition on freshwater systems. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; Teton County, Wyoming; and others, annually collected and analyzed snow-pack samples at 48 or more sites in the Rocky Mountain region during 1993-2010. Sixty-three snowpack-sampling sites were each sampled once in 2010, and those data are presented in this report. Data include acid-neutralization capacity, specific conductance, pH, hydrogen ion concentrations, dissolved concentrations of major constituents (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, ammonium, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate), dissolved organic carbon concentrations, snow-water equivalent, snow depth, total mercury concentrations, and ionic charge balance. Quality-assurance data for field and laboratory blanks and field replicates for 2010 also are included.

Rocky Mountains↗

USGS2007

Cooperative water-resources monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

As part of the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project, this report describes numerous cooperative water-resources monitoring efforts conducted in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin over the last 100 years. Cooperative monitoring is a tool used to observe and record changes in water quantity and quality over time. This report describes cooperative efforts for monitoring streamflows and flood magnitudes, past and present water-quality conditions, significant human-health threats, and flow-regime changes that are the result of changing land use. Water-resources monitoring is a long-term effort that can be made cost-effective by leveraging funds, sharing data, and avoiding duplication of effort. Without long-term cooperative monitoring, future water-resources managers and planners may find it difficult to establish and maintain public supply, recreational, ecological, and esthetic water-quality goals for the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin.

Michigan↗

USGS2000

Field guide to malformations of frogs and toads: with radiographic interpretations

In 1995, students found numerous malformed frogs on a field trip to a Minnesota pond. Since that time, reports of malformed frogs have increased dramatically. Malformed frogs have now been reported in 44 states in 38 species of frogs, and 19 species of toads. Estimates as high as 60% of the newly metamorphosed frog populations have had malformations at some ponds (NARCAM, ’99). The wide geographic distribution of malformed frogs and the variety of malformations are a concern to resource managers, research scientists and public health officials. The potential for malformations to serve as a signal of ecosystem disruption, and the affect this potential disruption might have on other organisms that share those ecosystems, has not been resolved. Malformations represent an error that occurred early in development. The event that caused the developmental error is temporally distant from the malformation we see in the fully developed animal. Knowledge of normal developmental principles is necessary to design thoughtful investigations that will define the events involved in abnormal development in wild frog populations. Development begins at the time an egg is fertilized and progresses by chemical communication between cells and cell layers. This communication is programmed through gene expression. Malformations represent primary errors in development, errors in chemical communication or translation of genetic information. Deformations arise later in development and usually result from the influence of mechanical factors (such as amputation) that alter shape or anatomy of a structure that has developed normally. The occurrence and the type of malformations are influenced by the type of error or insult as well as the timing of the error (the developmental stage at which the error occurred). The appearance of the malformation can therefore provide clues that suggest when the error may have occurred. If the malformation is an incomplete organ, such as an incomplete limb, the factor or insult acted during a susceptible period prior to organ completion. Although defining the anatomy of the malformed metamorphosed frog can give us an idea of the approximate window during which the developmental insult was initiated, and might even suggest the type of insult that may have occurred, the morphology of the malformation does not define the cause. To define causes and mechanisms of frog malformations we need to use well designed investigations that are different from traditional tests used in acute toxicity or disease pathogenicity studies. When investigating malformations in metamorphosed frogs, we are looking at the affect of exposure to an agent that occurred early in tadpole development. Therefore investigations to determine causes of malformations need to look at agents that are present in the tadpoles or their environments at these early developmental times. Laboratory experiments need to expose embryos and tadpoles to suspect agents at appropriate developmental stages and look at acute results, such as toxicity and death, as well as following the developmental process to completion to determine the impact of the agent on the developing tadpole and the fully developed frog. This means holding animals past metamorphic climax to assure that the anatomy and physiology of the adult have developed normally. As we look at field collections of abnormal frogs, we need to keep in mind that these collections reflect survivors only. We are looking at malformations that were not fatal to tadpoles. We cannot assume that because we do not collect other malformations, they did not exist. More work needs to be done on the developing tadpole, in the field and in the laboratory, to better elucidate the range, frequency, character and causes of anuran malformations.

Biological Science Report↗

USGS2013

Relationships between the health of Alaska Native communities and our environment -- phase 1, exploring and communicating

Alaska Natives depend on local natural resources for nutritional and, for many, spiritual health. As a result, public health in Alaska is strongly influenced by the relationship between people and their surrounding physical, chemical, and biological environments. Alaska is vast with diverse wildlife and plant communities that are valued as subsistence foods (fig. 1). These resources are supported by equally diverse ecosystems and their underpinning landforms and geologies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is attempting to integrate physical, chemical, and biological information to better describe current (2013) environments and project scenarios for the future. Integrating ecological data into the public health dialogue is challenging for the more than 280 rural communities of Alaska. This fact sheet reviews a recent USGS effort, the Geographic Information System (GIS) Native Health Project, to better incorporate scientific information into such dialogue.

Alaska↗

USGS2005

National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program Report to Congress: An integrated assessment

Acid deposition, more commonly known as acid rain, occurs when emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) react in the atmosphere (with water, oxygen, and oxidants) to form various acidic compounds. These acidic compounds then fall to earth in either a wet form (rain, snow, and fog) or a dry form (gases, aerosols, and particles). Prevailing winds transport the acidic compounds hundreds of miles, often across state and national borders. At certain levels the acidic compounds, including small particles such as sulfates and nitrates can cause many negative human health and environmental effects. While ecosystems are subject to many stresses, including land-use changes, climate change, and variations in hydrologic and meteorologic cycles, the scientific literature has clearly demonstrated that these pollutants can: • Degrade air quality, • Impair visibility, • Damage public health, • Acidify lakes and streams, • Harm sensitive forests, • Harm sensitive coastal ecosystems, and • Accelerate the decay of building materials, paints, and cultural artifacts such as buildings, statues, and sculptures. Title IV was passed by Congress as part of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments to reduce emissions of SO 2 and NO x from fossil fuel-burning power plants in order to protect ecosystems suffering damage from acid deposition and to improve air quality. At the same time, the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) was asked to periodically assess and report to Congress on the implementation of the Acid Rain Program, recent scientific knowledge surrounding acid deposition and its effects, and the reduction in acid deposition necessary to prevent adverse ecological effects. This NAPAP Report focuses primarily on emission reductions from power plants, both in terms of assessing past reductions under the Acid Rain Program and in projecting the ecological effects of additional reductions of SO 2 and NO x . It should be noted that power generation currently contributes approximately 69% of the SO 2 emissions and 22% of the NO x emissions nationwide. This contribution is decreasing as emissions from power generation continue to decrease, making the other sources of these pollutants more prominent. Modeling suggests that even if SO 2 emissions from power generation were reduced to zero, some lakes and streams would remain acidic due to acid deposition. However, there are several other regulations that reduce emissions of SO 2 and NO x from these non-power generation sources, such as the Tier II mobile source standards, the Heavy Duty Diesel standards, and the Clean Air Non-Road Diesel Rule, that have also been promulgated since 1990. These regulations, primarily designed to bring counties into attainment with fine particle and ozone air quality standards, also incidentally reduce emissions that contribute to acid deposition. Implementation of Title IV has successfully and substantially reduced emissions of SO 2 and NO x from power generation at a significantly lower cost than expected: • In 2002, SO 2 emissions were 10.2 million tons, 35% lower than 1990 emissions and 40% lower than 1980 emissions.* • In 2002, NO x emissions were 4.5 million tons, 33% lower than 1990 emissions. In addition, SO 2 emissions from all sources have decreased by 32% since 1990 and emissions of NO x from all sources have decreased by 12% since 1990. Power generating sources continue to close in on the goal of reducing power plant SO 2 emissions from 1980 levels by 50% (to 8.95 million tons) as required by the 1990 Clean Air Act. Power generating sources have also exceeded the goal of a two million ton reduction in NO x emissions from projected 2000 levels as required by the 1990 Clean Air Act. These emission reductions have contributed to measurable improvements in air quality, reductions in acid deposition, and the beginnings of recovery of acid-sensitive waters in some areas: • SO2 concentrations in the atmosphere (a precursor to fine particles and acid deposition) have decreased since 1990. Average annual SO2 concentrations in the Northeast in 2000–2002 were 40% lower than they were in 1989–1991, concentrations in the mid-Atlantic were 30% lower, concentrations in the Southeast were 35% lower, and concentrations in the Midwest were 45% lower. • Sulfate concentrations in the atmosphere (a major component of fine particles, especially in the East) have decreased since 1990 as well. Average annual sulfate concentrations in the Northeast and Midwest in 2000–2002 were approximately 30% lower than they were in 1989–1991, and concentrations in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast were 25% lower. • Wet sulfate deposition, a major component of acid rain, has also decreased since 1990. Average annual sulfate deposition in the Northeast in 2000–2002 was 40% lower than it was in 1989–1991, deposition in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest was 35% lower, and deposition in the Southeast was 25% lower. • Wet nitrate deposition has not decreased regionally from historical levels because of the relatively moderate NO x reduction from power plants and the continuing large contribution (over 50% of total NOx emissions) from other sources of NO x such as vehicles and nonroad vehicles. • Although visibility has begun to improve in some parts of the U.S., there is still significant impairment of visibility in many national parks and other Class I areas throughout the U.S. • Acid neutralizing capacity is beginning to rise in some surface waters in the Northeast, including lakes in the Adirondack Mountains (see graphic below). This is an indication that recovery from acidification is occurring in those areas.

Report to Congress↗

USGS2021

Overview and methodology for a study to identify fecal contamination sources using microbial source tracking in seven embayments on Long Island, New York

Between June 2018 and July 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to analyze water quality in seven embayments on Long Island, New York, for a study to examine fecal contamination using microbial source tracking. This report documents the approach, methodology, and quality-assurance data used in the study. All samples and field data were collected in accordance with U.S. Geological Survey National Field Manual procedures. Samples were analyzed for host-specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) markers, fecal coliform bacteria, inorganic and total organic nitrogen, and stable isotopes of nitrate and ammonium. Samples for quality control were collected for microbiological analyses at a rate of 1 per 20 environmental samples. A total of 14 blank and 15 replicate samples were collected for DNA markers, 52 sequential field replicates were analyzed by the Public Environmental Health Laboratory of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the New York State Department of Conservation Marine Laboratory for fecal coliform, and 7 blank and 7 replicate samples were collected to be analyzed for nutrients. Results from quality-control samples collected throughout the course of the study confirmed that sampling procedures were adequate and did not disqualify any data from analysis.

New York↗

USGS1987

Water-quality data-collection activities in Colorado and Ohio; Phase II, Evaluation of 1984 field and laboratory quality-assurance practices

Serious questions have been raised by Congress about the usefulness of water-quality data for addressing issues of regional and national scope and, especially, for characterizing the current quality of the Nation's streams and ground water. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey has undertaken a pilot study in Colorado and Ohio to (1) determine the characteristics of current (1984) water-quality data-collection activities of Federal, regional, State, and local agencies, and academic institutions; and (2) determine how well the data from these activities, collected for various purposes and using different procedures, can be used to improve our ability to answer major broad-scope questions, such as: A. What are (or were) natural or near-natural water-quality conditions? B. What are existing water-quality conditions? C. How has water quality changed, and how do the changes relate to human activities? Colorado and Ohio were chosen for the pilot study largely because they represent regions with different types of waterquality concerns and programs. The study has been divided into three phases, the objectives of which are: Phase I--Inventory water-quality data-collection programs, including costs, and identify those programs that met a set of broad criteria for producing data that are potentially appropriate for water-quality assessments of regional and national scope. Phase II--Evaluate the quality assurance of field and laboratory procedures used in producing the data from programs that met the broad criteria of Phase I. Phase III--Compile the qualifying data and evaluate the adequacy of this data base for addressing selected water-quality questions of regional and national scope. Water-quality data are collected by a large number of organizations for diverse purposes ranging from meeting statutory requirements to research on water chemistry. Combining these individual data bases is an appealing and potentially cost-effective way to attempt to develop a data base adequate for regional or national water-quality assessments. However, to combine data from diverse sources, field and laboratory procedures used to produce the data need to be equivalent and need to meet specific qualityassurance standards. It is these factors that are the focus of Phase II, which is described in this report. In the first phase of this study, an inventory was made of all public organizations and academic institutions that undertook water-quality data-collection activities in Colorado and Ohio in 1984. Water-quality programs identified in Phase I were tested against a set of broad screening criteria. A total of 44 waterquality programs in Colorado and 29 programs in Ohio passed the Phase-I screen and were examined in Phase II. These programs accounted for an estimated 165,000 analyses in Colorado and 76,300 analyses in Ohio for 20 selected constituents and properties. Although qualifying programs included both surface- and ground-water sampling, they emphasized surface waters and produced few groundwater analyses (3,660 for Colorado and 470 for Ohio). For Phase II, information about field and laboratory qualityassurance practices was provided by each organization and its supporting laboratories through questionnaires. This information was evaluated against a set of specific criteria for field and laboratory practices. The criteria were developed from guidelines published by public agencies and professional organizations such as the American Public Health Association, the U.Sc, Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Each of the eight criteria that comprise the Phase-II screen fall into one of two major categories--field practices or laboratory practices.

Colorado, Ohio↗

USGS1996

U. S. Geological Survey programs in Wisconsin

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has served as the Nation’s principal collector, repository, and interpreter of earth science data for more than a century. In this capacity, the USGS in Wisconsin works in partnership with State, county, municipal public works departments, public health agencies, water and sanitation districts, Indian agencies, and other Federal agencies. This Fact Sheet describes some of the current USGS activities in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin↗

USGS2009

Preliminary geologic map of the Laredo, Crystal City–Eagle Pass, San Antonio, and Del Rio 1° x 2° quadrangles, Texas, and the Nuevo Laredo, Ciudad Acuña, Piedras Negras, and Nueva Rosita 1° x 2° quadrangles, Mexico

The purpose of this map is to provide an integrated, bi-national geologic map dataset for display and analyses on an Arc Internet Map Service (IMS) dedicated to environmental health studies in the United States-Mexico border region. The IMS web site was designed by the US-Mexico Border Environmental Health Initiative project and collaborators, and the IMS and project web site address is http://borderhealth.cr.usgs.gov/. The objective of the project is to acquire, evaluate, analyze, and provide earth, biologic, and human health resources data within a GIS framework (IMS) to further our understanding of possible linkages between the physical environment and public health issues. The geologic map dataset is just one of many datasets included in the web site; other datasets include biologic, hydrologic, geographic, and human health themes.

Laredo, Crystal City–Eagle Pass, San Antonio, and ↗

USGS2017

Spatial variability of harmful algal blooms in Milford Lake, Kansas, July and August 2015

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) tend to be spatially variable vertically in the water column and horizontally across the lake surface because of in-lake and weather-driven processes and can vary by orders of magnitude in concentration across relatively short distances (meters or less). Extreme spatial variability in cyanobacteria and associated compounds poses unique challenges to collecting representative samples for scientific study and public-health protection. The objective of this study was to assess the spatial variability of cyanobacteria and microcystin in Milford Lake, Kansas, using data collected on July 27 and August 31, 2015. Spatially dense near-surface data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, nearshore data were collected by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and open-water data were collected by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. CyanoHABs are known to be spatially variable, but that variability is rarely quantified. A better understanding of the spatial variability of cyanobacteria and microcystin will inform sampling and management strategies for Milford Lake and for other lakes with CyanoHAB issues throughout the Nation. The CyanoHABs in Milford Lake during July and August 2015 displayed the extreme spatial variability characteristic of cyanobacterial blooms. The phytoplankton community was almost exclusively cyanobacteria (greater than 90 percent) during July and August. Cyanobacteria (measured directly by cell counts and indirectly by regression-estimated chlorophyll) and microcystin (measured directly by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] and indirectly by regression estimates) concentrations varied by orders of magnitude throughout the lake. During July and August 2015, cyanobacteria and microcystin concentrations decreased in the downlake (towards the outlet) direction. Nearshore and open-water surface grabs were collected and analyzed for microcystin as part of this study. Samples were collected in the uplake (Zone C), midlake (Zone B), and downlake (Zone A) parts of the lake. Overall, no consistent pattern was indicated as to which sample location (nearshore or open water) had the highest microcystin concentrations. In July, the maximum microcystin concentration observed in each zone was detected at a nearshore site, and in August, maximum microcystin concentrations in each zone were detected at an open-water site. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment uses two guidance levels (a watch and a warning level) to issue recreational public-health advisories for CyanoHABs in Kansas lakes. The levels are based on concentrations of microcystin and numbers of cyanobacteria. In July and August, discrete water-quality samples were predominantly indicative of warning status in Zone C, watch status in Zone B, and no advisories in Zone A. Regression-estimated microcystin concentrations, which provided more thorough coverage of Milford Lake ( n =683–720) than discrete samples ( n =21–24), generally indicated the same overall pattern. Regardless of the individual agencies sampling approach, the overall public-health advisory status of each zone in Milford Lake was similar according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment guidance levels.

Kansas↗

USGS2012

USGS Environmental health science strategy: providing environmental health science for a changing world: Public review release

America has an abundance of natural resources. We have bountiful clean water, fertile soil, and unrivaled national parks, wildlife refuges, and public lands. These resources enrich our lives and preserve our health and wellbeing. These resources have been maintained because of our history of respect for their value and an enduring commitment to their vigilant protection. Awareness of the social, economic, and personal value of the health of our environment is increasing. The emergence of environmentally driven diseases caused by environmental exposure to contaminants and pathogens is a growing concern worldwide. New health threats and patterns of established threats are affected by both natural and anthropogenic changes to the environment. Human activities are key drivers of emerging (new and re-emerging) health threats. Societal demands for land and natural resources, a better quality of life, improved economic prosperity, and the environmental impacts associated with these demands will continue to increase. Natural earth processes, climate trends, and related climatic events will add to the environmental impact of human activities. These environmental drivers will influence exposure to disease agents, including viral, bacterial, prion, and fungal pathogens, parasites, natural earth materials, toxins and other biogenic compounds, and synthetic chemicals and substances. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) defines environmental health science broadly as the interdisciplinary study of relations among the quality of the physical environment, the health of the living environment, and human health. The interactions among these three spheres are driven by human activities, ecological processes, and natural earth processes; the interactions affect exposure to contaminants and pathogens and the severity of environmentally driven diseases in animals and people. This definition provides USGS with a framework for synthesizing natural science information from across the Bureau and providing it to environmental, natural resource, agricultural, and public-health managers. The USGS is a Federal science agency with a broad range of natural science expertise relevant to environmental health. USGS provides scientific information and tools as a scientific basis for management and policy decision making. USGS specializes in science at the environment-health interface, by characterizing the processes that affect the interaction among the physical environment, the living environment, and people, and the resulting factors that affect ecological and human exposure to disease agents. This report describes a 10-year strategy that encompasses the portfolio of USGS environmental health science. It summarizes national environmental health priorities that USGS is best suited to address, and will serve as a strategic framework for USGS environmental health science goals, actions, and outcomes for the next decade. Implementation of this strategy is intended to aid coordination of USGS environmental health activities and to provide a focal point for disseminating information to stakeholders. The "One Health" paradigm advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2011), and the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA, 2008), among others, is based on a general recognition that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are inextricably linked. Thus, successful efforts to protect that health will require increased interdisciplinary research and increased communication and collaboration among the broader scientific and health community. This strategy is built upon that paradigm. The vision, mission, and five cornerstone goals of the USGS Environmental Health Science Strategy were developed with significant input from a wide range of stakeholders. Vision - The USGS is a premier source of the environmental health science needed to safeguard the health of the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. Mission - The mission of USGS in environmental health science is to contribute scientific information to environmental, natural resource, agricultural, and public-health managers, who use that science to support sound decision making. USGS provides the science to: - Goal 1: Identify, prioritize, and detect contaminants and pathogens of emerging environmental concern. - Goal 2: Reduce the impact of contaminants on the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. - Goal 3: Reduce the impact of pathogens on the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. - Goal 4: Discover the complex interactions and combined effects of exposure to contaminants and pathogens. - Goal 5: Prepare for and respond to environmental impacts and related health threats of natural and anthropogenic disasters. Goals 1 through 4 are intended to provide science to address environmental health threats in a logical order, from informing prevention and preparedness, to supporting systematic management response to environmental health issues. Goal 4 addresses the interaction among contaminants and pathogens, an issue of emerging concern in environmental health science. Goal 5 acknowledges the fact that natural and anthropogenic disasters can cause immediate and prolonged adverse environmental health threats. This strategy proposes that USGS take the following strategic science actions to achieve each of the five goals of this strategy: Goal 1: Identify, prioritize, and detect contaminants and pathogens of emerging environmental concern. - Strategic Science Action 1. - Prioritize contaminants and pathogens of emerging concern to guide research, detection, and management activities. - Strategic Science Action 2. - Conduct surveillance and monitoring to provide early warning of emerging health threats. - Strategic Science Action 3. - Develop approaches and tools that identify vulnerable environmental settings, ecosystems, and species. Goal 2: Reduce the impact of contaminants on the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. - Strategic Science Action 1. - Systematically characterize the sources, occurrence, transport and fate of environmental contaminants to guide efforts to manage and mitigate contamination. - Strategic Science Action 2. - Evaluate the threats of contamination on the health of the environment, fish, wildlife, and people, and inform the associated management and protection efforts. - Strategic Science Action 3. - Characterize potential human exposure to support establishment of health-based standards or guidelines and contamination-reduction efforts. Goal 3: Reduce the impact of pathogens on the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. - Strategic Science Action 1. - Determine the biotic and abiotic factors that control the ecology of infectious diseases affecting natural populations of aquatic and terrestrial species and potential transmission to other animals and humans. - Strategic Science Action 2. - Establish how natural and anthropogenic environmental changes affect the distribution and severity of infectious diseases in natural populations of aquatic and terrestrial species and potential transmission to other animals and humans. - Strategic Science Action 3. - Develop surveillance systems to identify changing patterns of disease activity in priority geographic areas. Goal 4: Discover the complex interactions and combined effects of exposure to contaminants and pathogens. - Strategic Science Action 1. - Identify how exposure to one class of disease agents (contaminants or pathogens) can make an organism more susceptible to effects from exposure to the other class of disease agents. - Strategic Science Action 2. - Implement interdisciplinary studies that characterize the effects of combined exposure to pathogens and contaminants. Goal 5: Prepare for and respond to the environmental impacts and related health threats of natural and anthropogenic disasters. - Strategic Science Action 1. - Establish a formal interdisciplinary science capability to rapidly assess the environmental health risks associated with disasters. - Strategic Science Action 2. - Enhance methods to anticipate, prepare for, and identify environmental, ecological, and related health impacts of future disasters. This strategy is one of seven USGS science strategies developed concurrently: - Climate and Land Use Change - Core Science Systems - Ecosystems - Energy and Mineral Resources - Environmental Health - Natural Hazards - Water. This strategy describes how USGS will address the highest priority environmental health issues facing the Nation. The ultimate intended outcome of this science strategy is prevention and reduction of adverse impacts to the quality of the environment, the health of our living resources, and human health. Communication with, and receiving input from, partners and stakeholders regarding their science needs is essential for successful implementation of this strategy. It is incumbent on USGS to reach out to all stakeholders to ensure that USGS efforts are focused on the highest priority environmental health issues and that products are provided in the most timely and usable form to all those who can use them. USGS must reach out to the scientific community, internally and externally, to ensure that our efforts are integrated with and take full advantage of the activities of others.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2008

Monitoring indicators of harmful cyanobacteria in Texas

Harmful algal blooms can occur when certain types of microscopic algae grow quickly in water, forming visible patches that might harm the health of the environment, plants, or animals. In freshwater, species of Cyanobacteria (also known as bluegreen algae) are the dominant group of harmful, bloom-forming algae. When Cyanobacteria form a harmful algal bloom, potential impairments include restricted recreational activities because of algal scums or algal mats, potential loss of public water supply because of taste and odor compounds (for example, geosmin), and the production of toxins (for example, microcystin) in amounts capable of threatening human health and wildlife.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2016

Estimating the economic impacts of ecosystem restoration—Methods and case studies

Federal investments in ecosystem restoration projects protect Federal trusts, ensure public health and safety, and preserve and enhance essential ecosystem services. These investments also generate business activity and create jobs. It is important for restoration practitioners to be able to quantify the economic impacts of individual restoration projects in order to communicate the contribution of these activities to local and national stakeholders. This report provides a detailed description of the methods used to estimate economic impacts of case study projects and also provides suggestions, lessons learned, and trade-offs between potential analysis methods. This analysis estimates the economic impacts of a wide variety of ecosystem restoration projects associated with U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) lands and programs. Specifically, the report provides estimated economic impacts for 21 DOI restoration projects associated with Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration cases and Bureau of Land Management lands. The study indicates that ecosystem restoration projects provide meaningful economic contributions to local economies and to broader regional and national economies, and, based on the case studies, we estimate that between 13 and 32 job-years 4 and between $2.2 and $3.4 million in total economic output 5 are contributed to the U.S. economy for every $1 million invested in ecosystem restoration. These results highlight the magnitude and variability in the economic impacts associated with ecosystem restoration projects and demonstrate how investments in ecosystem restoration support jobs and livelihoods, small businesses, and rural economies. In addition to providing improved information on the economic impacts of restoration, the case studies included with this report highlight DOI restoration efforts and tell personalized stories about each project and the communities that are positively affected by restoration activities. Individual case studies are provided in appendix 1 of this report and are available from an online database at https://www.fort.usgs.gov/economic-impacts-restoration .

Open-File Report↗