Information Quality – USGS Peer Review Agenda
Updated April 2024
Note: Use this Word version when printing a hard copy of this web page.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directive, Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review, dated December 16, 2004 (263 KB PDF), requires that there be a "systematic process of peer review planning" and access to a list of information products for official dissemination that will be peer reviewed as either influential scientific information or highly influential scientific assessments.
For those information products for official dissemination that will be peer reviewed as influential scientific information or highly influential scientific assessments, (as defined in the OMB directive), the USGS provides the following agenda of current OMB peer review plan entries.
Questions and comments regarding the USGS Peer Review Agenda may be directed to peer_review_agenda@usgs.gov.
Peer Review Plan Entries
The USGS peer review plan entries below will be updated as necessary to maintain currentness. Once peer review is complete for the influential product, summary material related to the peer review that was conducted will also be posted. A link to or information about availability of the disseminated product will be included in the results document.
Influential Scientific Information |
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| Working or Final Title | Peer Review Plan | Completed Peer Review Summary Document |
| Assessment of Undiscovered Conventional Oil and Gas Resources of the Black Sea Area, 2023 | PDF (76 KB) |
|
| Evidence of long-range transport of selenium 575 km downstream of coal mining operations in the Elk River Valley, Canada | PDF (77 KB) |
|
| U.S. Department of the Interior Inclusion of Indigenous Knowledges Procedures Handbook | PDF (73 KB) |
|
| Growth of coal mining operations in the Elk River Valley (B.C. Canada) linked to increasing solute transport of Se, NO3-, and SO42- into the transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir (USA-Canada) | PDF (122 KB) |
PDF (102 KB) |
| Coral reef restoration would provide disproportionately greater protection to the most vulnerable peoples | PDF (81 KB) |
|
| Evaluation of Stream Capture Related to Groundwater Pumping, Middle Humboldt River Basin, Nevada | PDF (52 KB) |
PDF (131 KB) |
| Determining the effect of physicochemical and meteorological variables on water quality in a shallow hypereutrophic lake using two independent machine learning techniques | PDF (83 KB) |
|
| U.S. Selenium in the Kootenai River Basin, Montana and Idaho, United States, and British Columbia, Canada | PDF (52 KB) |
PDF (96 KB) |
| National Strategy for Landslide Loss Reduction | PDF (51 KB) |
PDF (72 KB) |
| Vulnerability Assessment of Infrastructure and Ecosystem Investments to Rising Sea Level and Stream Flooding to Inform Regional Planning, Nisqually River Delta, Washington | PDF (56 KB) |
|
| Preliminary assessment of the wave generating potential from failure of landslides at Barry Arm, Prince William Sound, Alaska | PDF (48 KB) |
PDF (116 KB) |
| Groundwater Resources of the Harney Basin, Oregon | PDF (49 KB) |
PDF (134 KB) |
| Ecological consequences of neonicotinoid mixtures in streams | PDF (64 KB) |
PDF (104 KB) |
| Mapping aquifer salinity gradients and effects of oil-field produced water disposal using geophysical logs: Elk Hills, Buena Vista and Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Basin, California | PDF (64 KB) |
PDF (167 KB) |
| Drivers of extreme water levels in a large, urban, high-energy coastal estuary: A case study of the San Francisco Bay and Delta | PDF (81 KB) |
PDF (93 KB) |
| Rigorously valuing the coastal hazard risks reduction provided by potential coral reef restoration in Florida and Puerto Rico | PDF (61 KB) |
PDF (133 KB) |
| Rigorously valuing the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on coastal hazard risks in Florida and Puerto Rico | PDF (75 KB) |
PDF (121 KB) |
| Rigorously valuing the impact of projected coral reef degradation on coastal hazard risk in Florida | PDF (55 KB) |
PDF (123 KB) |
| Range-wide Greater Sage-Grouse Hierarchical Monitoring Framework: Implications for Defining Population Boundaries, Trend Estimation, and a Targeted Annual Warning System | PDF (73 KB) |
PDF (78 KB) |
| Impacts of sand removal and placement in coastal barrier systems | PDF (73 KB) |
PDF (100 KB) |
| Selenium Hazards in the Salton Sea Environment: Summary of Current Knowledge to Inform Future Wetland Management | PDF (74 KB) |
PDF (91 KB) |
| Sediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-km segment of the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, California | PDF (67 KB) |
PDF (76 KB) |
| Occurrence of water and thermogenic gas from oil-bearing formations in groundwater near the Orcutt Oil Field, California, USA | PDF (209 KB) |
PDF (117 KB) |
| Groundwater Quality of Aquifers Overlying the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California | PDF (80 KB) |
PDF (93 KB) |
| Geophysical surveys, hydrogeologic characterization, and groundwater flow model for the Truxton Basin and Hualapai Plateau, northwestern Arizona | PDF (75 KB) |
PDF (127 KB) |
| Fipronil(s) contributes to declines in aquatic invertebrate communities in U.S. streams: An application of mesocosm-derived species sensitivity distributions | PDF (104 KB) |
PDF (117 KB) |
| Seismic survey design and potential impacts to maternal polar bear dens | PDF (38 KB) |
PDF (73 KB) |
| Rio Grande Transboundary Integrated Hydrologic Model and Water-Availability Analysis, New Mexico, Texas, USA, and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico (Note: This entry listing relates to the one listed below of the same title. The product related to this entry will be released as a USGS Scientific Investigations Report that supersedes the USGS Open-File Report released as described in the same title entry below.) |
PDF (51 KB) |
PDF (82 KB) |
| Ecological Risk Assessment of Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) for the Great Lakes Basin | PDF (81 KB) |
|
| Revised Technical Implementation Plan for the ShakeAlert System: An Earthquake Early Warning System for the West Coast of the United States | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (20 KB) |
| Effect of size-biased sampling on resource predictions from the three-part method for quantitative mineral resource assessment: A case study of the gold deposits in the Timmins-Kirkland Lake area of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt | PDF (20 KB) |
PDF (142 KB) |
| Effects of Persistent Energy-related Brine Contamination of National Wildlife Refuge Wetlands on Amphibian Abundance | PDF (34 KB) |
PDF (66 KB) |
| Genetic Diversity, Effective Population Size, and Structure among Black Bear Populations in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA | PDF (21 KB) |
PDF (127 KB) |
| Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration: Estimates 2005–2014 | PDF (24 KB) |
PDF (36 KB) |
| Rio Grande Transboundary Integrated Hydrologic Model and Water-Availability Analysis, New Mexico, Texas, USA, and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico | PDF (53 KB) |
PDF (23 KB) |
| Streamflow contributions from tribal lands to major river basins of the United States | PDF (56 KB) |
PDF (33 KB) |
| Conservation challenges emerging from free-roaming horse management: A vexing social-ecological mismatch | PDF (20 KB) |
PDF (130 KB) |
| Brackish Groundwater Resources Assessment of the United States | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (19 KB) |
| Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming | PDF (20 KB) |
PDF (30 KB) |
| INVASIVESNET initiative: Towards the development of the International Association for Open Knowledge on Invasive Alien Species | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (28 KB) |
| Coal-Tar-Based Sealcoat: Potential Concerns for Human Health and Aquatic Life | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (36 KB) |
| Risk Assessment of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in the Great Lakes Basin | PDF (37 KB) |
PDF (49 KB) |
| Exposure to runoff from coal-tar-sealed pavement induces genotoxicity and impairment of DNA repair capacity in the RTL-W1 fish liver cell line | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (26 KB) |
| Impacts of Proposed Sediment Borrow Pits on Nearshore Wave Climate and Longshore Sediment Transport Rate along Breton Island, Louisiana | PDF (63 KB) |
PDF (56 KB) |
| Acute toxicity of runoff from sealcoated pavement to Ceriodaphnia dubia and Pimephales promelas | PDF (27 KB) |
PDF (29 KB) |
| Particle Tracking for Selected Groundwater Wells in the Lower Yakima River Basin, Washington | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (21 KB) |
| PAH Concentrations in Lake Sediment Decline Following 2006 Ban on Coal-Tar-Based Pavement Sealants in Austin, Texas | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (29 KB) |
| Using Resistance and Resilience Concepts to Reduce Impacts of Annual Grasses and Altered Fire Regimes on the Sagebrush Ecosystem and Sage-Grouse: A Strategic Multi-Scale Approach | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (24 KB) |
| Anthrax and the geochemistry of soils in the contiguous United States | PDF (20 KB) |
PDF (136 KB) |
| Response of Yellowstone grizzly bears to changes in food resources: a synthesis | PDF (17 KB) |
PDF (39 KB) |
| Use of USGS Wave Scenarios to Assess Potential Submerged Oil Mat (SOM) Formation along the Coast of Florida and Alabama | PDF (19 KB) |
PDF (32 KB) |
| Assessing Mobility and Redistribution Patterns of Sand and Oil Agglomerates in the Surf Zone | PDF (17 KB) |
PDF (33 KB) |
| Evaluation of Alternative Groundwater-Management Strategies for the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California | PDF (16 KB) |
PDF (22 KB) |
| An Analysis of Potential Water Availability from the Atwood, Leesville, and Tappan Lakes in the Muskingum River Watershed, Ohio | PDF (16 KB) |
PDF (22 KB) |
| Cancer Risk from Incidental Ingestion Exposures to PAHs Associated with Coal-Tar-Sealed Pavement | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (37 KB) |
| The economic viability of smallholder timber production under expanding Açaí palm production in the Amazon Estuary | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (31 KB) |
| Investigation of Shallow Groundwater Quality and Geochemistry in the Fayetteville Shale Gas Production Area, North-Central Arkansas | PDF (17 KB) |
PDF (21 KB) |
| Fate and Transport of Cyanobacteria and Associated Toxins and Taste-and-Odor Compounds from Upstream Reservoir Releases in the Kansas River, Kansas, September and October 2011 | PDF (18 KB) |
PDF (25 KB) |
| Competitive Interactions and Resource Partitioning Between Northern Spotted Owls and Barred Owls in Western Oregon | PDF (56 KB) |
PDF (44 KB) |
| An Economic Approach to Assessing Import Policies Designed to Prevent the Arrival of Invasive Species: The case of Puccinia psidii in Hawai‘i (second publication) | PDF (78 KB) |
PDF (71 KB) |
| Hydrological Information Products for the Off-Project Water Program of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement | PDF (56 KB) |
PDF (41 KB) |
| Economic Analysis of the Proposed Rule to Prevent Arrival of New Genetic Strains of the Rust Fungus Puccinia psidii in Hawai‘i (first publication) | PDF (76 KB) |
PDF (87 KB) |
| Assessment of Potential Migration of Radionuclides and Trace Elements from the White Mesa Uranium Mill to the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation and Surrounding Areas, Southeastern Utah | PDF (59 KB) |
PDF (97 KB) |
| Coupled Groundwater Flow and Management Models for the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California | PDF (70 KB) |
PDF (60 KB) |
| Modeling Hydrodynamics, Temperature, and Water Quality in the Klamath River Upstream of Keno Dam, Oregon, 2006–2009 | PDF (83 KB) |
PDF (88 KB) |
| Numerical Simulations of Groundwater Flow in the Yakima River Basin Aquifer System, Washington | PDF (51 KB) |
PDF (82 KB) |
| Regional Groundwater-Flow Model of the Redwall-Muav, Coconino, and Alluvial Basin Aquifer Systems of Northern and Central Arizona | PDF (56 KB) |
PDF (127 KB) |
| Channel change and bed-material transport in the Umpqua River, Oregon | PDF (50 KB) |
PDF (103 KB) |
Highly Influential Scientific Assessments |
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| Working or Final Title | Peer Review Plan | Completed Peer Review Summary Document |
| Statewide Sampling to Determine Spatial Distribution, Occurrence, and Exposure of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Illinois Community Water Supplies, 2020–21 | PDF (51 KB) |
PDF (82 KB) |
| Water and endangered fish in the Klamath Basin: Does Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation and water quality affect adult Lost River and Shortnose Sucker survival? | PDF (89 KB) |
PDF (107 KB) |
| Hydrogeology and Simulation of Groundwater Flow and Land-Surface Subsidence: Documentation of the Gulf Coast Land Subsidence and Groundwater-Flow Model | PDF (75 KB) |
PDF (131 KB) |
| Plants as vectors for environmental prion transmission | PDF (83 KB) |
PDF (93 KB) |
| Water-quality change following remediation using structural bulkheads in abandoned draining mines, upper Arkansas River and upper Animas River, Colorado, USA | PDF (103 KB) |
PDF (188 KB) |
| Guidelines for Determining Flood-Flow Frequency – Bulletin 17C | PDF (46 KB) |
PDF (25 KB) |
| The 3D Elevation Program Initiative: A Call for Action | PDF (19 KB) |
PDF (103 KB) |
| Synthesis of Studies in the Fall Low Salinity Zone of the San Francisco Estuary, September–December 2011 | PDF (31 KB) |
PDF (30 KB) |
| Klamath Dam Removal Overview Report for the Secretary of the Interior: An Assessment of Science and Technical Information | PDF (92 KB) |
PDF (19 KB) |
| Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.2: Thresholds of Climate Change on Ecosystems | PDF (20 KB) |
PDF (16 KB) |
| Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.2: Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes | PDF (14 KB) |
PDF (26 KB) |
| Synthesis and Assessment Product 3.4: Abrupt Climate Change | PDF (20 KB) |
PDF (25 KB) |
| Southeast Extension of the Southern Whidbey Island Fault, Washington: Implications for Earthquake Hazards | PDF (55 KB) |
PDF (18 KB) |
Additional information
The USGS requires peer review for all of its information products that contain scientific and technical information, whether published by the USGS or an outside entity (refer to SM 502.3 and SM 502.4). The USGS has a vigorous program of publishing the results of its scientific investigations and research in its own information products (refer to SM 1100.3) as well as in scientific journals and other outside publishing venues (refer SM 1100.4). For more information about the review, approval and release of USGS science information products, refer to the USGS Fundamental Science Practices Web site. Information regarding archival requirements for maintaining records of peer reviewer comments is found in the USGS Records Disposition Schedule (refer to SM 432-1.S1, Chapter 1300, section 1301-03, consolidated in SM 431.1 Records Management Program). The public may access information about USGS information products and may view and download many of them online through the Publications Warehouse.
For more on information quality, refer to:
- Department of the Interior Information Quality Guidelines (159 KB PDF)
- USGS Information Quality Guidelines