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Publications

Products (journal articles, reports, fact sheets) authored by current and past scientists are listed below. Please check the USGS Pubs Warehouse for other USGS publications.

Filter Total Items: 1913

Saturn's dynamic D ring Saturn's dynamic D ring

The Cassini spacecraft has provided the first clear images of the D ring since the Voyager missions. These observations show that the structure of the D ring has undergone significant changes over the last 25 years. The brightest of the three ringlets seen in the Voyager images (named D72), has transformed from a narrow,
Authors
M.M. Hedman, J.A. Burns, M.R. Showalter, C.C. Porco, P. D. Nicholson, A.S. Bosh, M.S. Tiscareno, R. H. Brown, B. J. Buratti, K. H. Baines, R. Clark

Characterization of flood sediments from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and potential implications for human health and the environment Characterization of flood sediments from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and potential implications for human health and the environment

The flooding in the greater New Orleans, La., area that resulted from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005 left behind accumulations of sediments up to many centimeters thick on streets, lawns, parking lots, and other flat surfaces (fig. 1). During the flood dewatering and subsequent cleanup, there were concerns that these sediments might contain pathogens and...
Authors
Geoffrey S. Plumlee, William T. Foreman, Dale W. Griffin, John K. Lovelace, Gregory P. Meeker, Charles R. Demas

Saturn's icy satellites investigated by Cassini-VIMS. I. Full-disk properties: 350-5100 nm reflectance spectra and phase curves Saturn's icy satellites investigated by Cassini-VIMS. I. Full-disk properties: 350-5100 nm reflectance spectra and phase curves

Saturn's icy satellites are among the main scientific objectives of the Cassini-VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) experiment. This paper contains a first systematic and comparative analysis of the full-disk spectral properties of Dione, Enceladus, Epimetheus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Mimas, Phoebe, Rhea and Tethys as observed by VIMS from July 2004 to June 2005. The disk...
Authors
G. Filacchione, F. Capaccioni, T. B. McCord, A. Coradini, P. Cerroni, G. Bellucci, F. Tosi, E. D’Aversa, V. Formisano, R. H. Brown, K. H. Baines, J.-P. Bibring, B. J. Buratti, R. N. Clark, M. Combes, D. P. Cruikshank, P. Drossart, R. Jaumann, Y. Langevin, D. L. Matson, V. Mennella, R.M. Nelson, P. D. Nicholson, B. Sicardy, Christophe Sotin, G. Hansen, K. Hibbitts, M. Showalter, S. Newman

Correlations between Cassini VIMS spectra and RADAR SAR images: Implications for Titan's surface composition and the character of the Huygens Probe Landing Site Correlations between Cassini VIMS spectra and RADAR SAR images: Implications for Titan's surface composition and the character of the Huygens Probe Landing Site

Titan's vast equatorial fields of RADAR-dark longitudinal dunes seen in Cassini RADAR synthetic aperture images correlate with one of two dark surface units discriminated as “brown” and “blue” in Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) color composites of short-wavelength infrared spectral cubes (RGB as 2.0, 1.6, 1.3 μm). In such composites bluer materials exhibit higher...
Authors
Laurence A. Soderblom, Randolph L. Kirk, Jonathan I. Lunine, Jeffrey A. Anderson, Kevin H. Baines, Jason W. Barnes, Janet M. Barrett, Robert H. Brown, Bonnie J. Buratti, Roger N. Clark, Dale P. Cruikshank, Charles Elachi, Michael A. Janssen, Ralf Jaumann, Erich Karkoschka, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Rosaly Lopes, Ralph D. Lorenz, Thomas B. McCord, Philip D. Nicholson, Jani Radebaugh, Bashar Rizk, Christophe Sotin, Ellen R. Stofan, Tracie L. Sucharski, Martin G. Tomasko, Stephen D. Wall

Near-infrared spectral mapping of Titan's mountains and channels Near-infrared spectral mapping of Titan's mountains and channels

We investigate the spectral reflectance properties of channels and mountain ranges on Titan using data from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) obtained during the T9 encounter (26 December 2005). We identify the location of channels and mountains using synthetic aperture radar maps obtained from Cassini's RADAR instrument during the T13 (30 April 2006) flyby...
Authors
Jason W. Barnes, Jani Radebaugh, Robert H. Brown, Steve Wall, Laurence A. Soderblom, Jonathan I. Lunine, Devon M. Burr, Christophe Sotin, Stephane Le Mouelic, Sebastien Rodriguez, Bonnie J. Buratti, Roger N. Clark, Kevin H. Baines, Ralf Jaumann, Philip D. Nicholson, Randolph L. Kirk, Rosaly Lopes, Ralph D. Lorenz, Ken Mitchell, Charles A. Wood

Postfire soil burn severity mapping with hyperspectral image unmixing Postfire soil burn severity mapping with hyperspectral image unmixing

Burn severity is mapped after wildfires to evaluate immediate and long-term fire effects on the landscape. Remotely sensed hyperspectral imagery has the potential to provide important information about fine-scale ground cover components that are indicative of burn severity after large wildland fires. Airborne hyperspectral imagery and ground data were collected after the 2002 Hayman Fire...
Authors
P.R. Robichaud, S.A. Lewis, D.Y.M. Laes, A.T. Hudak, R.F. Kokaly, J.A. Zamudio

Global-scale surface spectral variations on Titan seen from Cassini/VIMS Global-scale surface spectral variations on Titan seen from Cassini/VIMS

We present global-scale maps of Titan from the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) instrument on Cassini. We map at 64 near-infrared wavelengths simultaneously, covering the atmospheric windows at 0.94, 1.08, 1.28, 1.6, 2.0, 2.8, and 5 ??m with a typical resolution of 50 km/pixel or a typical total integration time of 1 s. Our maps have five to ten times the resolution of...
Authors
J. W. Barnes, R. H. Brown, L. Soderblom, B. J. Buratti, Christophe Sotin, S. Rodriguez, S. Le Mouelic, K. H. Baines, R. Clark, P. Nicholson

USGS national surveys and analysis projects: Preliminary compilation of integrated geological datasets for the United States: A section in Digital mapping techniques '06 - Workshop proceedings USGS national surveys and analysis projects: Preliminary compilation of integrated geological datasets for the United States: A section in Digital mapping techniques '06 - Workshop proceedings

The growth in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has highlighted the need for regional and national digital geologic maps attributed with age and rock type information. Such spatial data can be conveniently used to generate derivative maps for purposes that include mineral-resource assessment, metallogenic studies, tectonic studies, human health and environmental research...
Authors
Suzanne W. Nicholson, Douglas B. Stoeser, Frederic H. Wilson, Connie L. Dicken, Stephen Ludington

The effects of acidic mine drainage from historical mines in the Animas River watershed, San Juan County, Colorado—What is being done and what can be done to improve water quality? The effects of acidic mine drainage from historical mines in the Animas River watershed, San Juan County, Colorado—What is being done and what can be done to improve water quality?

Historical production of metals in the western United States has left a legacy of acidic drainage and toxic metals in many mountain watersheds that are a potential threat to human and ecosystem health. Studies of the effects of historical mining on surface water chemistry and riparian habitat in the Animas River watershed have shown that cost-effective remediation of mine sites must be...
Authors
Stanley E. Church, Robert J. Owen, Paul Von Guerard, Philip L. Verplanck, Briant A. Kimball, Douglas B. Yager

Integrated investigations of environmental effects of historical mining in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado Integrated investigations of environmental effects of historical mining in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado

This publication comprises a Volume Contents of chapters (listed below) and a CD-ROM of data (contents shown in column at right). The Animas River watershed in southwest Colorado is one of many watersheds in the western United States where historical mining has left a legacy of acid mine drainage and elevated concentrations of potentially toxic trace elements in surface streams. U.S...

Self-gravity wake structures in Saturn's a ring revealed by Cassini vims Self-gravity wake structures in Saturn's a ring revealed by Cassini vims

During the summer of 2005, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer onboard the Cassini spacecraft observed a series of occultations of the star o Ceti (Mira) by Saturn's rings. These observations revealed pronounced variations in the optical depth of the A ring with longitude, which can be attributed to oriented structures in the rings known as self-gravity wakes. While the wakes...
Authors
M.M. Hedman, P. D. Nicholson, H. Salo, B.D. Wallis, B. J. Buratti, K. H. Baines, R. H. Brown, R. N. Clark

Regional Fluid Flow and Basin Modeling in Northern Alaska Regional Fluid Flow and Basin Modeling in Northern Alaska

The foothills of the Brooks Range contain an enormous accumulation of zinc (Zn) in the form of zinc sulfide and barium (Ba) in the form of barite in Carboniferous shale, chert, and mudstone. Most of the resources and reserves of Zn occur in the Red Dog deposit and others in the Red Dog district; these resources and reserves surpass those of most deposits worldwide in terms of size and...
Authors
Robert A. Ayuso, Robert Burruss, Julie A. Dumoulin, Garth E. Graham, Anita G. Harris, Craig A. Johnson, Karen D. Kelley, David L. Leach, Paul G. Lillis, Erin E. Marsh, Thomas E. Moore, Christopher J. Potter, John F. Slack
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