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The Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program of the U.S. Geological Survey expanded threefold during fiscal year 1978. The program funded nearly 300 projects in the areas of earthquake hazards, earthquake prediction, induced seismicity, and global seismology. Brief summaries of each project are presented in this report, along with highlights of the major accomplishments within each research area.
Under the National Land Imaging Requirements (NLIR) Project, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is developing a functional capability to obtain, characterize, manage, maintain and prioritize all Earth observing (EO) land remote sensing user requirements. The goal is a better understanding of community needs that can be supported with land remote sensing resources, and a means to match needs with appropriate solutions in an effective and efficient way. The NLIR Project is composed of two components. The first component is focused on the development of the Earth Observation Requirements Evaluation System (EORES) to capture, store and analyze user requirements, whereas, the second component is the mechanism and processes to elicit and document the user requirements that will populate the EORES. To develop the second component, the requirements elicitation methodology was exercised and refined through a pilot project conducted from June to September 2013. The pilot project focused specifically on applications and user requirements for moderate resolution imagery (5–120 meter resolution) as the test case for requirements development. The purpose of this summary report is to provide a high-level overview of the requirements elicitation process that was exercised through the pilot project and an early analysis of the moderate resolution imaging user requirements acquired to date to support ongoing USGS sustainable land imaging study needs. The pilot project engaged a limited set of Federal Government users from the operational and research communities and therefore the information captured represents only a subset of all land imaging user requirements. However, based on a comparison of results, trends, and analysis, the pilot captured a strong baseline of typical applications areas and user needs for moderate resolution imagery. Because these results are preliminary and represent only a sample of users and application areas, the information from this report should only be used to indicate general user needs for the applications covered. Users of the information are cautioned that use of specific numeric results may be inappropriate without additional research. Any information used or cited from this report should specifically be cited as preliminary findings.
The Midcontinent Strategic and Critical Minerals Project was a broad investigation into the mineral-resource potential of the northern Midcontinent region of the United States. One product of the project is a folio of 10 sets of maps and one set of cross sections, all at a scale of 1:1,000,000, showing several subsurface geologic aspects of the region. This report summarizes the history of the multi-state cooperative project and the general content of the 11 map publications, and gives a visual sense of the scope and content of the folio through page-size samples of each of the map products.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Region VI of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the Osage Nation presented three 3-day workshops, in June-August 2007, entitled ?Introduction to Field Water-Quality Methods for the Collection of Metals.? The purpose of the workshops was to provide instruction to tribes within USEPA Region VI on various USGS surface-water measurement methods and water-quality sampling protocols for the collection of surface-water samples for metals analysis. Workshop attendees included members from over 22 tribes and pueblos. USGS instructors came from Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Georgia. Workshops were held in eastern and south-central Oklahoma and New Mexico and covered many topics including presampling preparation, water-quality monitors, and sampling for metals in surface water. Attendees spent one full classroom day learning the field methods used by the USGS Water Resources Discipline and learning about the complexity of obtaining valid water-quality and quality-assurance data. Lectures included (1) a description of metal contamination sources in surface water; (2) introduction on how to select field sites, equipment, and laboratories for sample analysis; (3) collection of sediment in surface water; and (4) utilization of proper protocol and methodology for sampling metals in surface water. Attendees also were provided USGS sampling equipment for use during the field portion of the class so they had actual ?hands-on? experience to take back to their own organizations. The final 2 days of the workshop consisted of field demonstrations of current USGS water-quality sample-collection methods. The hands-on training ensured that attendees were exposed to and experienced proper sampling procedures. Attendees learned integrated-flow techniques during sample collection, field-property documentation, and discharge measurements and calculations. They also used enclosed chambers for sample processing and collected quality-assurance samples to verify their techniques. Benefits of integrated water-quality sample-collection methods are varied. Tribal environmental programs now have the ability to collect data that are comparable across watersheds. The use of consistent sample collection, manipulation, and storage techniques will provide consistent quality data that will enhance the understanding of local water resources. The improved data quality also will help the USEPA better document the condition of the region?s water. Ultimately, these workshops equipped tribes to use uniform sampling methods and to provide consistent quality data that are comparable across the region.
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A report summarizing the major findings of an ongoing study of a nitrogen-rich septage-effluent plume in Orleans, Massachusetts has been published. The study is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Watershed Management, with additional support from the Cape Cod Commission. The report describes the history of the septage-effluent plume in the coastal aquifer and the results of baseline water-quality, sediment, and vegetation monitoring in Namskaket Marsh and Namskaket Creek, the expected discharge areas for the effluent plume. Namskaket Marsh has been recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and Namskaket Creek, which flows through the marsh, has been designated as an Outstanding Resource Water. Peter Weiskel, U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist and principal author of the report, said that discharge of effluent from the treatment facility since February 1990 has resulted in a plume of nitrogen-rich (10 to 40 milligrams of nitrogen per liter) ground water that is travelling at about 0.4 feet per day westward and northwestward toward Namskaket Marsh and Cape Cod Bay. Seepage zones near the marsh-upland boundary and the bottoms of Namskaket Creek and tributaries are the most likely discharge areas for the effluent plume. High rates of ground-water discharge (averaging 0.30 gallon per square foot per hour) have been measured in these zones during the ebb-tide. Measurements of nitrate uptake by sediments in these zones indicate considerable potential for nitrate removal during plume discharge through these zones. The marsh vegetation is dominated by Phragmites australis (common reed) in the seepage zone near the upland boundary, and by Spartina patens (salt-meadow grass) in the interior areas of the marsh. Further study is required to (1) continue mapping the progress of the plume toward the marsh and creek, (1) define the potential nitrogen-removal capacity of the marsh, and (3) monitor the possible future effects of the plume on the water quality and vegetation of the marsh.
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No abstract available at this time
The methods used to obtain universal cover coefficient (Kc) values for a non-tidal restored wetland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta, US, during the summer of the year 2002 and to investigate possible differences during changing wind patterns are described. A micrometeorological tower over the wetland was established to quantify actual evapotranspiration (ETa) rates and surface energy fluxes for water and energy budget analysis. The eddy-covariance (EC) system was used to measure the surface energy budget data in the period from May 23 to November 6, 2002. The results show that K c values should be lower during westerly than northerly wind events during the midseason period due to the reduced vapor pressure deficit.
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No abstract available at this time
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Project descriptions and lists of hydrologic-data stations are presented to show the status of the U.S. Geological Survey water-resources studies in South Dakota. (USGS)
The Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program of the U.S. Geological Survey was initiated in 1978 as a result of specifications of the appropriations bill of the 95th Congress, prompted by the 1977 drought. The purpose of this program is to define the regional hydrology and geology and to establish a framework of background information of geology, hydrology, and geochemistry of the Nation's important aquifer systems. This information is critically needed to develop an understanding of ground-water flow systems, and to support better ground-water resources management. As of 1984, investigations of seven regional aquifer systems were completed, nine regional aquifer systems were still being studied, and three new studies were started. This report summarizes the status of each investigation of the regional aquifer systems under the program from 1978 through 1984. The nature of the summaries differs somewhat from study to study. For those studies which either have been completed or are near completion, summaries of results are presented. For projects that are not near completion or have just been started, discussions may be brief and focus on problem issues or hydrogeologic conditions All reports resulting from the study as of 1984 are listed at the end of each summary. A list of project chiefs and their offices is also included in the report for those who are interested in obtaining additional information.
The determination of in situ stresses along deep vertical profiles was declared a key issue for two scientific deep drilling projects: the German Continental Deep Drilling Project (KTB) situated in northeast Bavaria in an area of complex variscian thrust tectonics and the CAJON PASS Project, located only about 4 km from the San Andreas Fault Zone In southern California. In the KTB project 7 successful hydrofrac stress measurements could be completed in a 4 km deep pilot hole between 0.8 to 3.0 km. At the Cajon Pass site a series of 23 hydrofrac stress measurements was performed in 2 wells between 0.9 to 3.5 km.
To assess changes in substrate conditions and the efficacy of artificially placed substrates at select sites on the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, completed repeat bathymetric, velocimetric, and underwater videography surveys. Collectively, three project sites throughout the Kootenai River make up the Substrate Enhancement Pilot Project (SEPP), an effort intended to improve spawning and egg incubation viability at locations identified to be aquatic habitat limited for the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). Following the placement of coarse substrates at each site, bathymetric, velocimetric, and underwater videography data were collected from 2012 to 2022 to assess the role of deposition and erosion on maintaining suitable white sturgeon spawning and incubation substrates. Minimal erosion and deposition occurred at all Substrate Enhancement Pilot Project sites, according to interannual and intra-annual net volumetric changes between bathymetric surveys. Depending on the timing of bathymetric surveys relative to the annual peak streamflow conditions, isolated locations of deposition or erosion were observed at each site and the potential for deposition or erosion was supported by measured mean depth-averaged velocities. This study concluded that variability of deposition and scour were common at each site throughout the monitoring period and may be attributed to fluctuations in streamflow. Repeat bathymetric, underwater videography, and velocity mapping surveys were used to verify the interstitial spaces and surfaces of substrates at each SEPP site remained free of fine sediments for intervals longer than a year but were susceptible to deposition between high streamflow events.