The WFRC began in the Great Depression as an effort to understand and control the fish diseases that limited the success of hatcheries founded to mitigate the Grand Coulee Dam's destruction of salmon runs in the Columbia River basin. As environmental issues grew more complex and the effects of terrestrial ecology on marine ecology became better understood, the WFRC expanded with a multidisciplinary approach that now draws on the expertise of ecologists, microbiologists, and geneticists as well as fisheries biologists and other scientists. Its six laboratories – in Seattle; on Marrowstone Island and in the Columbia River Gorge, Wash., in Klamath Falls and Newport, Ore., and in Reno, Nev. – provide the technical information that natural resource managers need to ensure the continued survival of fish and fish populations in the western United States. Because food webs, aquatic communities, and ecosystems know no borders, WFRC research is relevant worldwide.

"The WFRC has a proud tradition of solving problems that negatively impact aquatic ecosystems," said WFRC Center Director Jill Rolland. "Working here is both an honor and a responsibility that our employees take seriously."

But it all started in 1935, when the appropriately named biologist Frederic F. Fish was tapped by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to found a dedicated lab in the basement of their Seattle laboratory – a "hospital for fish," as an article in a 1939 issue of Newsweek dubbed the novel project. Important discoveries emerged from Fish’s lab from the start.

"These discoveries became the basis for the hatchery operations needed to ensure the continued survival of economically important fish and fish populations both in the United States and abroad," Wedemeyer said.

WFRC research toward recovery plans for endangered species has led to the successful establishment of self-sustaining fish populations in U.S. desert aquatic ecosystems. Other projects have proven critical to the continued survival of Pacific salmon and sturgeon populations throughout the U.S. portion of the Columbia River basin in five Western states. The Center was part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service until 1996, when it came under the aegis of the USGS.

WFRC's history of innovation continues. Since 2008, the Coast Salish Nation and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community have partnered with WFRC on the Coast Salish Tribal Water Quality Project, which blends science and Coast Salish cultural practices to study water quality and its effects on an ecosystem that supports orcas, salmon and other culturally important species. WFRC scientists are studying fish populations and ecosystems within the Elwha River Restoration Project, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. Others are developing acoustic imaging techniques to safely monitor the endangered Delta smelt, whose status is an ecological bellwether for a region critical to California's economy. Still others are developing strategies to fight the ecological and economic damage wrought by invasive aquatic species introduced into U.S. waters in the ballast tanks of ocean-going ships. WFRC is an International Reference Laboratory for the World Organization of Animal Health in Paris, and its scientists assist more than 170 WOAH member countries to establish effective fish disease control programs. 

The publication "Seventy-Five Years of Science: The Story of the Western Fisheries Research Center 1935-2010" is available online. Video of Wedemeyer talking about WFRC is available here.

The national use analysis is based on methods developed by USGS to estimate annual county-level pesticide use for agricultural crops grown throughout the conterminous United States. Pesticide-use data compiled from proprietary surveys of farm operations were used in conjunction with annual harvested-crop acreage reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to calculate use rates for each crop and year.  For California, use estimates were obtained directly from annual California Department of Pesticide Regulation Pesticide Use Reports.

"These nationally complete and consistent, county-level use estimates are vital for USGS water-quality models that estimate pesticide concentrations in streams and rivers. In addition, long-term annual data is essential for interpreting water-quality trends," said Wes Stone, an author of the reports.

The new pesticide-use estimates were tested and found to be consistent with national use estimates by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and with comparable statewide estimates for selected years and crops by the USDA. The USDA data on pesticide use, which are based on systematic regional surveys for selected years and crops, enabled vital quality assurance of the new estimates.

Gail Thelin, senior author of the report on estimation methods, noted, "When evaluated statistically, USGS estimates agree with estimates from other sources for comparable years, pesticides, and states. That consistency supports the reliability of the comprehensive and long-term assessment of use patterns and trends that is now available through this study." 

Complete results of the USGS analysis of pesticide use are provided in three products:

Documentation of Methods:  "Estimation of annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 1992–2009": U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5009  

National County-Level Data for 459 Pesticides:  "Estimated annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 1992–2009": U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 752 

National Maps and Trend Graphs

For about one month, an airplane operated under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey will be making low-level flights over a 1000-square-mile area centered over Spokane and including parts of eastern Washington and western Idaho.

Starting around May 18, anyone observing the low-flying plane should not be alarmed if they see it fly over or pass below the horizon. The airplane is operated by experienced pilots who are specially trained for low-level flying.

The survey is designed to measure the magnetic field of the earth, which is related to geologic and hydrologic units that lie below the land surface. It is part of an ongoing USGS program to identify hidden geologic features, such as changes in rock types, ultimately providing a better understanding of the geology and hydrology of the area. For example, the survey may help map shallow faults responsible for a sequence of small earthquakes that occurred during the summer and fall of 2001 inside Spokane city limits.

The airplane is operated by EDCON-PRJ of Lakewood, Colorado, which is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure flights are safe and in accordance with U.S. law.

Phenology is the study of recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, especially their timing and relationships with weather and climate. Assessing the severity and impacts of such extreme climatic events, either in the past or as they happen, requires consistent indicators of variability and change that can be mapped both nationally and historically. 

The USA National Phenology Network provides a suite of "spring indices" based on the accumulated warmth needed to end dormancy and initiate growth in many native and cultivated plants. These complex, evidence-based algorithms can be calculated for any weather station that records daily maximum and minimum temperatures. Spring indices are independently validated using historical observations of leafing and flowering in lilac and honeysuckle nationwide. 

The historical trend of spring indices suggests that the 2012 growing season advanced as much as 20-30 days in the East and Midwest from the 1900-2012 long-term mean.  

"The results of this study clearly demonstrate the great importance of long-term monitoring of natural processes. A long record allows us to identify patterns of change that we might otherwise miss," said Suzette Kimball, acting USGS Director. 

Today the response of vegetation to temperature and precipitation can be readily observed across wide areas by Earth-observing satellites at intervals of only a few days. USGS scientist Julio Betancourt, a co-author of the study, noted, "Indicators such as spring indices and satellite-based evaluations of vegetation growth will become essential tools for assessing climate variability and change and their impacts." 

Satellite data show that the cumulative effects of the unusually early 2012 spring were most pronounced across the Corn Belt, the western Great Lakes region, and the northeastern U.S. 

The beneficial effects of spring's quick start in 2012 were subsequently offset by a late spring frost and summer drought. In fact, the unusually early spring combined with late frosts in April to produce a so-called "false spring" that damaged fruit trees across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions. 

The study appears in EOS, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. 

Learn more 

• USA National Phenology Network 
• Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI) 
• USGS Climate and Land Use Change Programs 
• USGS Ecosystems Programs

The affected Iowa streamgages will be discontinued beginning this Friday because of a five-percent sequestration-related budget cut to the USGS National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP). Of the 35 NSIP-funded streamgages in Iowa, 22 of which are fully funded by NSIP, the USGS Iowa Water Science Center selected the following three for shutdown:

• West Fork Cedar River at Finchford, Iowa (66 years of record)
• Des Moines River at Humboldt, Iowa (47 years of record)
• East Fork 102 River at Bedford, Iowa (29 years of record)

"It was difficult to make a selection that minimized all concerns, but these three Iowa streamgages will be shut down because they have comparatively short records, limited impacts on partner organizations, and their discontinuation is least likely to affect public safety," said USGS hydrologist Jon Nania.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), local communities may receive less accurate river flood forecasts and less advanced notice of flooding due to the shutdown of these streamgages. Communities that may be impacted include Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Fort Dodge, Finchford, and Bedford, Iowa, and Maryville, Mo. 

"Streamgages like these help communities understand how and when to prepare for floods," said Jeff Zogg, a NWS Senior Hydrologist in Des Moines. "In some past floods, the peak streamflows measured by these gages have contributed several feet to the downstream crests."

Streamgages collect critical streamflow and water availability data that are used by organizations nationwide to predict and address drought and flood conditions. The USGS and over 850 federal, state, and local agencies cooperatively fund the USGS streamgaging network, which consists of over 8,000 streamgages.

The USGS will discontinue operation of no more than 200 streamgages nationwide due to budget cuts as a result of sequestration. Additional streamgages may be affected if partners reduce their funding to support USGS streamgages. The USGS is working to identify which streamgages will be impacted and will post this information online as it becomes available.

More information about streamgaging in Iowa is available on the USGS Iowa Water Science Center website. 

More information about NWS flood forecasts and warnings is available on the NWS Des Moines website, and on Facebook and Twitter @NWSDesMoines.

US Topo maps now have a crisper, cleaner design - enhancing readability of maps for online and printed use. Map symbols are easier to read over the digital aerial photograph layer whether the imagery is turned on or off. Improvements to symbol definitions (color, line thickness, line symbols, area fills), layer order, and annotation fonts are additional features of this supplemental release. Users can now adjust the transparency for some features and layers to increase visibility of multiple competing layers.

This new design is launched on new US Topo quadrangles for Kentucky (671 maps) and Tennessee (694 maps), which replace the first edition US Topo maps for those states. The replaced maps will be added to the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection and are also available for free download from The National Map and the USGS Map Store website. 

"The new Kentucky and Tennessee US Topo maps demonstrate our commitment to improving the product design to meet our users’ needs", said Mark DeMulder, Director of the USGS National Geospatial Program. "I encourage you to download these maps, compare them against the previous US Topo map and drop us your comments on the US Topo map product. Your input is important to us."

US Topo maps are updated every three years, with the initial round completed last September. Maps for Hawaii are currently in production with Alaska production starting later this year.

Re-design enhancements and new features:

• Crisper, cleaner design improves online and printed readability while retaining the look and feel of traditional USGS topographic maps
• New functional road classification schema has been applied
• A slight screening (transparency) has been applied to some features to enhance visibility of multiple competing layers
• Updated free fonts that support diacritics
• New PDF Legend attachment
• Metadata formatted to support multiple browsers
• New shaded relief layer for enhanced view of the terrain
• Military installation boundaries, post offices and cemeteries

US Topo maps are created from geographic datasets in The National Map, and deliver visible content such as high-resolution aerial photography, which was not available on older paper-based topographic maps. The new US Topo maps provide modern technical advantages that support wider and faster public distribution and on-screen geographic analysis tools for users.

The new digital electronic topographic maps are delivered in GeoPDF image software format and may be viewed using Adobe Reader, available as a no cost download.

For more information, go to: http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/

Scientists have returned from a 15‑day research expedition in the northern Gulf of Mexico with the best high-resolution seismic data and imagery ever obtained of sediments with high gas hydrate saturations.

The expedition and the data and imagery collected resulted from long-standing cooperation between the U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This collaboration aims to advance scientific understanding of gas hydrates, an important potential future energy resource.

 Gas hydrates are ice-like substances formed when certain gases combine with water at specific pressures and temperatures. Deposits of gas hydrates are widespread in marine sediments beneath the ocean floor and in sediments within and beneath permafrost areas, where pressure-temperature conditions keep the gas trapped in the hydrate structure. Methane is the gas most often trapped in these deposits, making gas hydrates a potentially significant source for natural gas around the world.

"This expedition represents a significant milestone," said USGS Energy Resources Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce. "The data and imagery provide insight into the entire petroleum system at each location, including the source of gas, the migration pathways for the gas, the distribution of hydrate-bearing sediments, and the traps that hold the hydrate and free gas in place. The USGS has a globally recognized research effort studying gas hydrates in settings around the world, and this project combines our unique expertise with that of other agencies to advance research on this potential future energy resource." 

The recently completed expedition was planned jointly by USGS, DOE, and BOEM, and was executed by USGS.  Using low-energy seismic sources, USGS scientists collected details about the nature of the gas hydrate reservoirs and about geologic features of the sediment between the reservoirs and the seafloor. The new data also provide information about how much gas hydrate exists in a much broader area than can be determined from using standard industry seismic data, which is typically designed to image much deeper geologic units.

"Understanding the nature and setting of deepwater gas hydrates is central to the National Methane Hydrates R&D Program, which is led by DOE and managed by Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory," said Christopher Smith, DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy. "Over the past 8 years, research carried out under this program has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of methane hydrates, their role in nature, and their potential as a future energy resource. This success is largely due to an unprecedented level of cooperation among federal agencies, industry, national laboratories, and academic institutions."

"The high-resolution nature of the data acquired through this interagency project will uniquely inform the BOEM effort to assess the resource potential of gas hydrates on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf," said Renee Orr, Chief, Strategic Resources Office, BOEM.

The data were collected at two locations in the Gulf of Mexico where the three federal agencies partnered with an industry consortium to conduct a drilling expedition in 2009. That expedition discovered gas hydrate filling between 50 and 90 percent of the available pore space between sediment grains in sandy layers in the subsurface. These reservoirs are expected to be representative of the 6,700 trillion cubic feet of gas that BOEM estimates is housed in gas hydrates in sand-rich reservoirs in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The new data are being used to refine estimates of the nature, distribution, and concentration of gas hydrate in the vicinity of the 2009 drill sites. This will help assess how useful specialized seismic data may be to estimating hydrate saturations in deepwater sediments.

In coming years, the three agencies will continue their collaborative investigation of gas hydrates in the northern Gulf of Mexico and other locations across the world.

Learn more about USGS research on gas hydrates and energy at locations around the world.

Stars show the locations of seismic surveys conducted to image previously-identified deepwater gas hydrate deposits in the northern Gulf of Mexico on the research ship Pelican during a cruise in April and May 2013. (Larger image)

This high-resolution image was collected during a seismic cruise to study locations with high concentrations of gas hydrate in the northern Gulf of Mexico in April and May 2013. The data were collected at the Walker Ridge location, where 2009 drilling at the site of the well (shown in red revealed) the distribution of gas hydrates and methane gas in the sediments. The water depth at the well is 6562 feet, and the red and blue colors shown within the image correspond to sediment layers, which mostly dip westward. Sand layers with high concentrations of gas hydrate are marked, but hydrate also occurs elsewhere in this sedimentary section. (Larger image)

The new study builds upon a previous USGS snowpack investigation which showed that, until the 1980s, the northern Rocky Mountains experienced large snowpacks when the central and southern Rockies experienced meager ones, and vice versa. Yet, since the 1980s, there have been simultaneous snowpack declines along the entire length of the Rocky Mountains, and unusually severe declines in the north. 

The new study has teased apart and quantified the different influences of winter temperature, spring temperature, and precipitation on historic snowpack variations and trends in the region. To distinguish those varying influences, the researchers implemented a regional snow model that uses inputs of monthly temperature and precipitation data from 1895 to 2011.

"Each year we looked at temperature and precipitation variations and the amount of water contained within the snowpack as of April," said USGS scientist Greg Pederson, the lead author of the study. "Snow deficits were consistent throughout the Rockies due to the lack of precipitation during the cool seasons during the 1930s – coinciding with the Dust Bowl era.  From 1980 on, warmer spring temperatures melted snowpack throughout the Rockies early, regardless of winter precipitation. The model in turn shows temperature as the major driving factor in snowpack declines over the past thirty years."

Runoff from Rocky Mountain winter snowpack accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the annual water supply for more than 70 million people living in the western U.S., and is influenced by factors such as the snowpack’s water content, known as snow water equivalent, and the timing of snowmelt.

The timing of snowmelt affects not only when water is available for crop irrigation and energy production from hydroelectric dams, but also the risk of regional floods and wildfires. Earlier and faster snowmelt could have repercussions for water supply, risk management, and ecosystem health in western watersheds.

Regional snowpack accumulation is highly sensitive to variations in both temperature and precipitation over time. Patterns and sources of these variations are difficult to discern due to complex mountain topography, the different influence of Pacific Ocean climate, like La Niña and El Niño, on winter precipitation in the northern versus southern and central Rockies, and the brevity and patchiness of detailed snow records. 

In the study, the regional snow model used by Pederson and his USGS colleagues Julio Betancourt and Greg McCabe allows estimation of snow water and cover variability at different latitudes and elevations during the last century regardless of the absence of direct and long-term observations everywhere. Recent snowpack variations also were evaluated in the context of snowpack evidence from tree-rings, allowing the scientists to compare recent observations to measurements from the past 800 years.

McCabe, co-author of the study, explains that "recent springtime warming also reduced the extent of snow cover at low to middle elevations where temperature has had the greatest impact."

"Both natural variability in temperature and anthropogenic warming have contributed to the recent snowpack decline, though disentangling their influences exactly remains elusive." Betancourt said,

"Regardless of the ultimate causes, continuation of present snowpack trends in the Rocky Mountains will pose difficult challenges for watershed management and conventional water planning in the American West." 

The study, "Regional patterns and proximal causes of the recent snowpack decline in the Rocky Mountains," is available from Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. 

"This news is the latest example of how the Department of the Interior's policy of unrestricted access and free distribution of Landsat satellite imagery to the public fosters innovation and mutual awareness of environmental conditions around the globe," said Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. "The 40-year archive of Landsat images of every spot on earth is a treasure trove of scientific information that can form the basis for a myriad of useful applications by commercial enterprises, government scientists and managers, the academic community, and the public at large."

Other commercial products, such as ESRI's Change Matters, also utilize Landsat imagery, providing data for a deeper geographic understanding of the changing world.

Landsat data can assist a broad range of specialists in managing the world's food, water, forests, and other natural resources for a growing world population. The Landsat images contain many layers of data collected at different points along the visible and invisible light spectrum. Consequently, they can show where vegetation is thriving and where it is stressed, where droughts are occurring, where wildland fire is a danger, and where erosion has altered coastlines or river courses.

Landsat satellites provide a view as broad as 12,000 square miles per scene while describing land cover in pixels the size of a baseball diamond. From a distance of more than 400 miles above the earth surface, a single Landsat scene can record the condition of hundreds of thousands of acres of grassland, agricultural crops, or forests.

"With its long-term historical record of the entire globe and widely recognized high quality of data, Landsat is valued all over the world as the gold standard of land observation," said Castle.

Ready access to authoritative Landsat images provides a reliable common record of Earth conditions that advances the mutual understanding of environmental challenges by citizens, researchers, and decision makers around the globe.

USGS and NASA have distinct roles in the Landsat program. NASA develops remote-sensing instruments and spacecraft, launches satellites, and validates their performance. The USGS then assumes ownership and operation. For example, USGS will operate the newest satellite in the Landsat series – Landsat 8 – starting on May 30, 2013, following a successful launch from the Vandenberg AFB on February 11, 2013.

For More Information

• See the USGS website for more information on Landsat and to view the entire image gallery
• See today's Google Blog to learn about Google's announcement, the Google Earth Engine and how to explore the new global, zoomable time-lapse map as part of TIME Magazine's new TIMElapse project
• Read the Time Magazine article TIME and Space
• For another example of the application of Landsat imagery, go to ESRI's Change Matters
• Learn more about NASA and the Landsat Program 

Disclaimer: Any use of trade, firm or product names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.  No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the Department of the Interior or the U.S. Government as to the accuracy and functioning of the commercial software programs cited in this news release, and the U.S. Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the Landsat satellite imagery and data employing these software programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced the members of a newly created federal advisory committee who will provide guidance about the Interior Department's climate change adaptation science initiatives.

Water quality experts have been noting in recent years that nitrate trends in streams and rivers do not match their expectations based on reduced regional use of nitrogen-based fertilizer.  The long travel times of groundwater discharge, like those documented in this study, have previously been suggested as the likely factor responsible for these observations.

"This study provides direct evidence that nitrate can take decades to travel from recharge at the land surface to discharge in streams," said Jerad Bales, acting USGS Associate Director for Water. "This is an important finding because long travel times will delay direct observation of the full effect of nutrient management strategies on stream quality." 

Rivers and streams are fed by both groundwater held in underground aquifers and surface water from precipitation runoff. In low streamflow conditions, groundwater sources take a larger role. 

In this study, USGS scientists closely examined surface and ground waters at seven study sites from across the nation to determine the portion of stream nitrate derived from groundwater. They found that most of the nitrate observed in streams located in groundwater-dominated watersheds was derived from groundwater sources. To determine the time it takes groundwater to reach a stream in a groundwater-dominated watershed, an age dating tracer study was conducted in the Tomorrow River in central Wisconsin. The findings indicated that decades-old nitrate-laden water was currently discharging to this stream. Consequently, base flow nitrate concentrations in this stream may be sustained for decades to come, regardless of current and future practices. 

The slow release of groundwater nitrate to streams may also affect the water quality of large rivers. For example, increases in nitrate concentrations during low and moderate flows in large rivers in the Mississippi River Basin have been observed to be greater than or comparable to increases in nitrate concentrations during high flows. (See USGS website, Nitrate in the Mississippi River and its tributaries, 1980 to 2008.) These findings also suggest that increasing nitrate concentrations in groundwater are having a substantial effect on nitrate concentrations in rivers and nitrate transport to the Gulf of Mexico. Because nitrate moves slowly through groundwater to rivers, the full effect of management strategies designed to reduce nitrate movement to these rivers may not be seen for many years.

Citation 

"Vulnerability of Streams to Legacy Nitrate Sources"
Anthony J. Tesoriero, John H. Duff, David A. Saad, Norman E. Spahr, and David M. Wolock
Environmental Science & Technology; April 16, 2013 

Learn more 

• USGS Circular 1350: Nutrients in the Nation's Streams and Groundwater 
• Nitrate in the Mississippi River and Its Tributaries, 1980 to 2008: Are We Making Progress? (USGS)
• Article and supplemental material in Environmental Science & Technology   
• Nutrient Flux for the Mississippi River Basin and Sub-basins (USGS)

"The May 18, 1980, eruption and subsequent smaller eruptions of Mount St. Helens are reminders that Washington state has five active volcanoes within its borders and is vulnerable to the multiple hazards associated with volcanic eruptions," said John Ewert, Scientist-in-Charge of the U.S. Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington.  “We are striving to improve our monitoring and forecasting capabilities at other hazardous Cascade volcanoes."

Volcano Awareness Month is an opportunity for the state's residents to become familiar with volcano risk within their communities and to take steps that reduce potential effects on people and property. Safety officials and educators are encouraged to discuss the hazards of volcanoes in their communities. Information about volcanoes and their hazards in Washington state are posted on the USGS CVO website. Volcano response measures are highlighted on the Washington State Emergency Management Division's website.

For Volcano Awareness Month in 2013, the USGS introduces a new publication entitled, "Mount St. Helens, 1980 to Now—What’s Going On?”.

Mount St. Helens seized the attention of the world on May 18, 1980 when the largest historical landslide on Earth and a powerful explosive eruption reshaped the volcano, created its distinctive crater, and dramatically modified the surrounding landscape.  Fifty-seven people died during that eruption, and more than $1 billion in damages occurred.  Quieter eruptions during 1980-1986, and again in 2004-2008 built lava domes within the crater.  Scientists at the USGS and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network maintain a dense monitoring network on Mount St. Helens and other Cascade volcanoes.

This new six-page publication, USGS Fact Sheet 2013-3014, uses text, photos, graphics, and links to dramatic video clips to summarize eruptive events of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008, and the continuing long-term effects of those eruptions.  Additional video links provide overviews of monitoring Mount St. Helens, volcano preparedness for the public, and information about the silent forces beneath us that create volcanic eruptions within the Cascade Range.  Paper copies of the publication are available from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, and from the visitor facilities at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

"The accurate flow data from the USGS is an essential part of NWS flood forecasts and warnings," said Jeff Zogg, NWS Senior Service Hydrologist. "Even small errors can negatively impact flood forecasts." 

The National Weather Service uses USGS streamgaging information for flood forecasting.  When flooding is frequent, the NWS stays in constant contact with the USGS. The USGS streamgaging network is the principal source of data used by the NWS to develop flood forecasts because of the stage and discharge information they provide. 

The USGS operates 150 gages in Iowa that collect both stage and discharge information.

A reliable flood forecast, and subsequent warnings, requires a current source of stage, discharge, and precipitation data. NWS flood forecasts are based on river models that provide estimates of how a river will respond to rainfall. River stage and discharge data provided by USGS gaging stations are essential components of these river models and flood forecasts. 

"The USGS places the utmost importance on the high quality and consistency of its streamgage network," said Kevin Richards, Director of the USGS Iowa Water Science Center. "Streamflow information is used in countless ways by government agencies, private industries, and the general public."

In addition to routine discharge measurements made at USGS streamgages, the USGS made 34 additional flood measurements once the rivers started rising in mid-April. With the forecasts calling for additional rain and snow over the next week, USGS scientists will be making extra measurements and checking equipment to assure the information is available for decision makers.

The real-time streamgaging information is available on the USGS Iowa website. Access current flood and high flow conditions across the country by visiting the USGS WaterWatch website.

Receive instant, customized updates about water conditions in your area via text message or email by signing up for USGS WaterAlert. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The U.S. Geological Survey today released an analysis of the Watts Branch of the Anacostia River in Prince Georges County, Md. and Washington, D.C. that documents how restoration work on this urban tributary has had a substantial impact on the local economy, directly or indirectly accounting for 45 jobs, $2.6 million in local labor income and $3.4 million in value added to the local D.C. metropolitan area in 2011. 

"The USGS study confirms the value of re-greening our urban landscapes around the nation," said David J. Hayes, Deputy Secretary of the Interior. "Restoring one of the most degraded urban streams in the Anacostia watershed while also addressing sewage infrastructure benefited a struggling local economy, provided an improved park and green space for residents, and enhanced wildlife habitat. Restoring a stream is helping restore a community and demonstrates the power of partnerships." 

The Anacostia watershed is one of the priority areas for interagency cooperation in both President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative and the Urban Waters Federal Partnership. 

D.C. and federal agencies formed the Watts Branch restoration partnership in 2010 to restore a segment of one of the most urbanized watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. Completed in 2011, the restoration project was funded largely by the District of Columbia's Department of Environment and also carried out by the Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington Water and Sewer and several local organizations. 

The partnership has addressed both environmental degradation and sewage infrastructure needs of the Watts Branch, which originates in the Capitol Heights area of Prince George's County, flowing almost 5 miles to the Anacostia, which drains to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. 

The analysis, conducted by USGS economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Elizabeth Myrick, found that restoring Watts Branch had a substantial impact on the local economy. The restoration directly accounted for 26 jobs and more than $1.5 million in local labor income including salaries, wages and benefits and $1.5 million in local value added (the contribution of expenditures to Gross Domestic Product). Moreover, the restoration indirectly supported an additional 19 jobs, providing an additional $1.1 million in labor income and $1.9 in value added to the local economy. Restoring Watts Branch contributed more than $3 million to a struggling local economy. 

"This restoration project shows the fiscal and transformative power of re-greening urban areas—supporting local jobs, upgrading infrastructure, and helping improve the local economy," said Hayes, noting that the Watts study is one of a number of case studies on the impact of restoration projects in other parts of the country.  "With a roughly $2 trillion backlog in infrastructure needs nationwide, our country has a tremendous opportunity to advance both economic and environmental goals through other restoration projects." 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners not only restored the eroded stream channel, which was depositing nearly 1,500 tons of sediment into the Anacostia watershed each year, but also relocated and improved sewer lines to address and prevent future sewage leaks. Infrastructure and environmental restoration improved water quality, increased floodplain storage, reduced erosion and improved in-stream habitat to support fish like American eel, alewife and American shad. Local residents regained a beautiful urban stream, and habitat along the stream also improved for birds such as warblers, barred owls and great blue herons, to name just a few. 

Moreover, local communities have seen utility and street upgrades. A local nonprofit, Washington Parks and People, has begun using Watts Branch as an outdoor classroom to prepare an emerging workforce for jobs in urban and community forestry. 

"The Watt's Branch restoration turned a degraded stream into an urban sanctuary within an underserved community," the analysis concluded. 

President Obama's America’s Great Outdoors Initiative is a conservation agenda for the 21^st century. It underscores how urban parks and community green spaces can contribute to the social, physical, economic and emotional health of America's communities.  The Anacostia is one of the priority areas chosen under America’s Great Outdoors. 

The Anacostia River Watershed also is one of the original pilot project areas of the interagency Urban Waters Federal Partnership led by EPA. Through this partnership, the Interior Department and 10 other federal departments work to reconnect urban areas—particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed—with their waterways through improved collaboration. 

Android and iPhone users can now use their mobile devices as digital topo maps, leveraging USGS maps together with the power of GPS to zoom in on their precise location while hiking, biking, running, or any other activity that benefits from precision navigation. The type of data that are available includes USGS imagery and topographic maps from The National Map, as well as road and contour layers.  

Currently, two Android applications are using USGS data, OruxMaps (http://www.oruxmaps.com/index_en.html) and AlpineQuest (http://alpinequest.psyberia.net/). These apps include USGS services in the list of available online maps.

For users that may be navigating in an area that is outside of cell phone coverage, Mobile Atlas Creator (http://mobac.sourceforge.net/) is allowing users of this desktop application to build small "mobile atlases" with USGS data. These "mobile atlases" can be built over any area of interest at multiple scales, and when completed, the small file is moved to the phone. The "mobile atlases" enable GPS applications on both iPhone and Android mobile devices. By storing this small amount of data on the phone, these "mobile atlases" ensure the topographic data is available even when cell coverage is not.

Users of mobile devices can use USGS data on their GPS-enabled phones to track their adventure or workout. This capability is new, and promises to increase awareness and use of USGS data and services, as well as increase demand for US Topos.

To use TNM data on your Android device:

1. Install either OruxMaps or AlpineQuest via Google Play App Store. 
2. USGS TNM data is available through these two applications as a dynamic, online layer. 
3. Switch map sources to view either TNM Topo or Satellite data through the application. 
4. OruxMaps manual available online in PDF format.
5. More information on Alpine Quest is available online.

To use TNM data on your iOS device:

1. Install Galileo on your iPhone or iPad via iTunes App Store.
2. Build offline map file(s) on MOBAC (instructions below).
3. Move files to iPad or iPhone.

To build map files that will allow an Android or iPhone to use USGS TNM data when data connectivity is not available:

1. Download the MOBAC desktop application (Mobile Atlas Builder). 
2. Unzip the downloaded file, and activate the "Mobile Atlas Creator.exe" file. 
3. Users can then indicate the mobile application they are using (Galileo, AlpineQuest, etc) , and highlight an area of interest to build an offline map file. 
4. Select the appropriate scales.
5. Select "Create Atlas", and move resulting folder (and map data) to the appropriate folder on the mobile phone.
6. More information on using MOBAC is available through the "Quick Start Manual".

The USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is continuing to work with mobile developers, to ensure our data are available to the public.

Disclaimer: Any use of trade, firm or product names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.  No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS or the U.S. Government as to the accuracy and functioning of the commercial software programs cited in this Technical Announcement, and the U.S. Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the USGS National Map Topographic Data employing these software programs.

USGS TNM Topographic Data as viewed in AlpineQuest. (Larger image)	USGS TNM Topographic Data as viewed in OruxMaps. (Larger image)	Mobile Atlas Creator (MOBAC) about to create a USGS TNM Topographic "atlas" of various scales. (Larger image)