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Browse almost 1,000 books authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.

Filter Total Items: 976

Landscape features, standards, and semantics in U.S. national topographic mapping databases Landscape features, standards, and semantics in U.S. national topographic mapping databases

The objective of this paper is to examine the contrast between local, field-surveyed topographical representation and feature representation in digital, centralized databases and to clarify their ontological implications. The semantics of these two approaches are contrasted by examining the categorization of features by subject domains inherent to national topographic mapping. When...
Authors
Dalia Varanka

A topographic feature taxonomy for a U.S. national topographic mapping ontology A topographic feature taxonomy for a U.S. national topographic mapping ontology

Using legacy feature lists from the U.S. National Topographic Mapping Program of the twentieth century, a taxonomy of features is presented for purposes of developing a national topographic feature ontology for geographic mapping and analysis. After reviewing published taxonomic classifications, six basic classes are suggested; terrain, surface water, ecological regimes, built-up areas
Authors
Dalia E. Varanka

Carbon sequestration and its role in the global carbon cycle Carbon sequestration and its role in the global carbon cycle

For carbon sequestration the issues of monitoring, risk assessment, and verification of carbon content and storage efficacy are perhaps the most uncertain. Yet these issues are also the most critical challenges facing the broader context of carbon sequestration as a means for addressing climate change. In response to these challenges, Carbon Sequestration and Its Role in the Global...
Authors
Brian J. McPherson, Eric T. Sundquist

Diffusion-equation representations of landform evolution in the simplest circumstances: Appendix C Diffusion-equation representations of landform evolution in the simplest circumstances: Appendix C

The diffusion equation is one of the three great partial differential equations of classical physics. It describes the flow or diffusion of heat in the presence of temperature gradients, fluid flow in porous media in the presence of pressure gradients, and the diffusion of molecules in the presence of chemical gradients. [The other two equations are the wave equation, which describes the
Authors
Thomas C. Hanks

Mammals of the Smokies Mammals of the Smokies

Guide to the most popular and famous critters in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Includes bear, elk, deer, flying squirrels, and buffalo.
Authors
Edward Pivorun, M. J. Harvey, F.T. Van Manen, M.R. Pelton, J. D. Clark, E. Kim Delozier, B. Stiver

Organochlorine pesticides residue in lakes of Khorezm, Uzbekistan Organochlorine pesticides residue in lakes of Khorezm, Uzbekistan

The Khorezm province in northwest Uzbekistan is a productive agricultural area within the Aral Sea Basin that produces cotton, rice and wheat. Various organochlorine pesticides were widely used for cotton production before Uzbekistan's independence in 1991. In Khorezm, small lakes have formed in natural depressions that receive inputs mostly from agricultural runoff. Samples from lake...
Authors
Michael R. Rosen, Bakhriddin Nishonov, Dilorom Fayzieva, L. Saito, J. Lamers

Remote sensing of global croplands for food security Remote sensing of global croplands for food security

Increases in populations have created an increasing demand for food crops while increases in demand for biofuels have created an increase in demand for fuel crops. What has not increased is the amount of croplands and their productivity. These and many other factors such as decreasing water resources in a changing climate have created a crisis like situation in global food security...
Authors
Prasad S. Thenkabail, Chandrashekhar M. Biradar, Hugh Turral, John G. Lyon

Standard methods for sampling North American freshwater fishes Standard methods for sampling North American freshwater fishes

This important reference book provides standard sampling methods recommended by the American Fisheries Society for assessing and monitoring freshwater fish populations in North America. Methods apply to ponds, reservoirs, natural lakes, and streams and rivers containing cold and warmwater fishes. Range-wide and eco-regional averages for indices of abundance, population structure, and...
Authors
Scott A. Bonar, Wayne A. Hubert, David W. Willis

Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) water fluxes before, during and after episodic defoliation by the saltcedar leaf beetle Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) water fluxes before, during and after episodic defoliation by the saltcedar leaf beetle

Tamarisk (Tamarix) species are among the most successful and economically costly plant invaders in the western United States, in part due to its potential to remove large amounts of water from shallow aquifers. Accordingly, local, state and federal agencies have released a new biological control - the saltcedar leaf beetle (Diorhabda elongata) along many watersheds in the western United...
Authors
K. R. Hultine, P.L. Nagler, P.E. Dennison, S.E. Bush, J.R. Ehleringer

USGS standard quadrangle maps for emergency response USGS standard quadrangle maps for emergency response

The 1:24,000-scale topographic quadrangle was the primary product of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Mapping Program from 1947-1992. This map series includes about 54,000 map sheets for the conterminous United States, and is the only uniform map series ever produced that covers this area at such a large scale. This map series partially was revised under several programs...
Authors
Laurence R. Moore
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