Reports

Warming of lake surface waters has become a concern to limnologists and water managers because air temperatures, which directly affect near-surface water temperatures, are projected to increase in Wisconsin (WICCI 2011) as well as globally (IPCC 2018). This projected increase is in addition to the changes in air temperatures that have already occurred in recent decades(WICCI 2011, NOAA...

Unconsolidated boulder-rich diamicton units exposed in sea cliffs at Harriet Point southeast of Redoubt Volcano were evaluated to better understand their provenance relative to the late Quaternary eruptive history of the volcano. A previous study concluded that deposits at Harriet Point were emplaced by a large volcanic landslide originating on the southeast flank of Redoubt Volcano...

Executive Summary The Harney Basin is a closed river basin in southeastern Oregon. Surface water in the basin is used for a variety of social, economic, and ecological benefits. While some surface water uses compete with one another, others are complementary or jointly produce multiple beneficial outcomes. The objective of this study is to conduct an economic assessment of surface water...

This project evaluated habitat conditions for two species found in the imperiled pine rockland ecosystem—the Rim Rock Crowned Snake (Tantilla oolitica) and the Key Ring-Necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus acricus). The Rim Rock Crowned Snake historically occurred in eastern Miami-Dade County (hereafter, mainland) as well as throughout the Florida Keys, whereas the Key Ring-Necked Snake...

Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa) stop at Delaware Bay during northward migration to feed on eggs of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus). The northward migration of C. c. rufa coincides with the spawning of horseshoe crabs whose eggs are the perfect food for a migrating Red Knot (Karpanty et al. 2006, Haramis et al. 2007). Horseshoe crabs are therefore an important food resource for Red...

The ShBOQ-1 geochemical reference material is relevant to studies of the organic geochemistry and mineralogy of petroleum source rocks containing high concentrations of carbonate minerals and organic sulfur-rich, oil-prone marine organic matter. ShBOQ-1 is geochemically and mineralogically similar to the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Shale.

The methods of computation and estimates of the magnitude of flood flows were updated for the 50-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent chance exceedance levels for 91 streamgages on the main island of Puerto Rico by using annual peak-flow data through 2017. Since the previous flood frequency study in 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey has collected additional peak flows at...

This report describes a new screening tool to examine lake and reservoir susceptibility to eutrophication in selected watersheds of the eastern and southeastern United States using estimated nutrient loading and flushing rates with measures of waterbody morphometry. To that end, the report documents the compiled data and methods (R-script) used to categorize waterbodies by Carlson’s...

The Rio Grande flows approximately 670 miles from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains of south-central Colorado to Fort Quitman, Texas, draining the Upper Rio Grande Basin (URGB) study area of 32,000 square miles that includes parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Parts of the basin extend into the United Mexican States (hereafter “Mexico”), where the Rio Grande forms the...

The purpose of this report is to describe a possible approach to estimate changes in invertebrate taxa richness at sites with known water-quality trends but no invertebrate data. In this study, data from 1,322 sites were used to describe invertebrate response to changes in total nitrogen, total phosphorus, or specific conductance, and to estimate changes in invertebrate taxa richness at...

The U.S. Geological Survey conducts ecological monitoring of rocky subtidal communities at four permanent sites around San Nicolas Island. The sites—Nav Fac 100, West End, Dutch Harbor, and Daytona 100—were based on ones that had been monitored since 1980 by the U.S. Geological Survey and, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, were combined or expanded in 2014 for better comparability with...

Proper identification of wetlands, along with a better understanding of the hydrology of mitigated wetlands, is needed to assist with conservation efforts aimed at maintaining the productivity and ecological function (wetland mitigation) of agricultural lands. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service...