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Uncertainty and sensitivity issues in process-based models of carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial ecosystems Uncertainty and sensitivity issues in process-based models of carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial ecosystems

Many process-based models of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles have been developed for northern forest ecosystems. These models are widely used to evaluate the long-term decisions in forest management dealing with effects like particulate pollution, productivity and climate change. Regarding climate change, one of the key questions that have sensitive political implications is whether...
Authors
Guy R. Larocque, Jagtar S. Bhatti, A.M. Gordon, N. Luckai, M. Wattenbach, Jinxun Liu, Peng C., P.A. Arp, S. Liu, C.F. Zhang, A Komarov, P. Grabarnik, J. Sun, T. White

Elevation Derivatives for Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat Elevation Derivatives for Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat

This report describes the methods used to derive various elevation-derivative grids that were inputted to the Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat model (L. Gass and others, unpub. data). These grids, which capture information on surface roughness and topographic characteristics, are a subset of the environmental datasets evaluated for the tortoise habitat model. This habitat model is of major
Authors
Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Leila Gass

Proceedings of a USGS Workshop on Facing Tomorrow's Challenges Along the U.S.-Mexico Border - Monitoring, Modeling, and Forecasting Change Within the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Watersheds Proceedings of a USGS Workshop on Facing Tomorrow's Challenges Along the U.S.-Mexico Border - Monitoring, Modeling, and Forecasting Change Within the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Watersheds

INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS Competition for water resources, habitats, and urban areas in the Borderlands has become an international concern. In the United States, Department of Interior Bureaus, Native American Tribes, and other State and Federal partners rely on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide unbiased science and leadership in the Borderlands region...
Authors
Laura M. Norman, Derrick D. Hirsch, A. Wesley Ward

A New Method for Mapping Population Distribution A New Method for Mapping Population Distribution

Human population counts are collected and commonly displayed uniformly across areas, such as U.S. Census Bureau block-groups and tracts. The limitation inherent in this type of representation is the assumption that people are evenly distributed across each areal unit, when in actuality many areas such as parks, open spaces, and industrial zones are uninhabited. The U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Rachel Sleeter

Current and future vulnerability of Sarasota County Florida to hurricane storm surge & sea level rise Current and future vulnerability of Sarasota County Florida to hurricane storm surge & sea level rise

Coastal communities in portions of the United States axe vulnerable to storm-surge inundation from hurricanes and this vulnerability will likely increase, given predicted rises in sea level from climate change and growing coastal development. In this paper, we provide an overview of research to determine current and future societal vulnerability to hurricane storm-surge inundation and to...
Authors
Tim Frazier, Nathan J. Wood, Brent Yarnal

Mapping Land Use/Land Cover in the Ambos Nogales Study Area Mapping Land Use/Land Cover in the Ambos Nogales Study Area

The Ambos Nogales watershed, which surrounds the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, United States and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, has a history of problems related to flooding. This paper describes the process of creating a high-resolution, binational land-cover dataset to be used in modeling the Ambos Nogales watershed. The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool will be used to model...
Authors
Laura M. Norman, Cynthia S.A. Wallace

Analysis of improved government geological map information for mineral exploration: Incorporating efficiency, productivity, effectiveness, and risk considerations Analysis of improved government geological map information for mineral exploration: Incorporating efficiency, productivity, effectiveness, and risk considerations

This bulletin/professional paper focuses on the value of geoscientific information and knowledge, as provided in published government bedrock geological maps, to the mineral exploration sector. An economic model is developed that uses an attribute- ranking approach to convert geological maps into domains of mineral favourability. Information about known deposits in these (or analogous)
Authors
R. L. Bernknopf, A.M. Wein, M. R. St-Onge, S.B. Lucas

Spatial trends in marsh sediment deposition within a microtidal creek system, Waccasassa Bay, Florida Spatial trends in marsh sediment deposition within a microtidal creek system, Waccasassa Bay, Florida

Marsh surface deposition, suspended sediment concentrations, tidal hydrodynamics, and marsh surface characteristics were measured within a tidal creek system of a west-central Florida, microtidal, open marine Juncus roemerianus marsh to examine the depositional relationship between a creek system and the surrounding marsh during nonstorm conditions. Results suggest that short-term marsh...
Authors
Nathan Wood, Albert C. Hine

Variations in Community Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards in the State of Hawai'i Variations in Community Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards in the State of Hawai'i

Hawai`i has experienced numerous destructive tsunamis and the potential for future events threatens the safety and economic well being of its coastal communities. Although tsunami-evacuation zones have been delineated, what is in these areas and how communities have chosen to develop within them has not been documented. A community-level vulnerability assessment using geographic...
Authors
Nathan Wood, Alyssia Church, Tim Frazier, Brent Yarnal

Geographic Research in the USGS Western Region Geographic Research in the USGS Western Region

The two geography research programs of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Land Remote Sensing and Geographic Analysis and Monitoring, have very strong relevance to the USGS mission and science strategy. In the western United States, the particular niche of these geography programs is in connecting USGS science to people and communities. Reports from the National Academy of Sciences and...
Authors
Mara Tongue

Estimating soil erosion using the USPED model and consecutive remotely sensed land cover observations Estimating soil erosion using the USPED model and consecutive remotely sensed land cover observations

Intensified soil erosion contributes to the degradation of ecosystems. Better estimation of soil erosion across landscapes is a necessary part of understanding ecosystem biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem sustainability. In this study, we used the Unit Stream Power-based Erosion Deposition (USPED) model to estimate the lateral movement of soils across Fort Benning, a military training
Authors
Jinxun Liu, Shuguang Liu, Larry L. Tieszen, Mingshi Chen
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