Brigitta Urban-Mathieux
Biography
Gita is the Federal Liaison for the USGS National Geospatial Program. Previously, she worked for FGDC Secretariat coordinating efforts to implement portfolio management of the A-16 National Geospatial Data Assets and leading the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program. From 1997-2006, she was the content coordinator for the National Atlas of the US. She joined the USGS in 1988 to lead research in geographic/cartographic processes.
Education
Master of Science, Remote Sensing and Cartography - University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Bachelor of Arts, Geography - University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA
Science and Products
The basin characterization model—A regional water balance software package
This report documents the computer software package, Basin Characterization Model, version 8 (BCMv8)—a monthly, gridded, regional water-balance model—and provides detailed operational instructions and example applications. After several years of many applications and uses of a previous version, CA-BCM, published in 2014, the BCMv8 was refined to...
Flint, Lorraine E.; Flint, Alan L.; Stern, Michelle A.
Distribution, abundance, and genomic diversity of the endangered antioch dunes evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides subsp. howellii) surveyed in 2019
Sand dune ecosystems are highly dynamic landforms found along coastlines and riverine deltas where a supply of sand-sized material is available to be delivered by aquatic and wind environments. These unique ecosystems provide habitat for a variety of endemic and rare plant and animal species. Sand dunes have been affected by human development,...
Thorne, Karen M.; Vandergast, Amy G.
Assessing gas leakage potential into coal mines from shale gas well failures: Inference from field determination of strata permeability responses to longwall-induced deformations
This paper summarizes the changes in permeability at three boreholes located above an abutment pillar at a longwall coal mine in southwestern Pennsylvania. The motivation of this study was to better characterize the potential interaction between shale gas wells and the mine environment, through measurement of permeability changes in the coal mine...
Watkins, Eric; Karacan, Cevat O.; Gangrade, Vasu; Schatzel, Steven Mapping climate change vulnerability of aquatic-riparian ecosystems using decision-relevant indicators
Climate change has and is projected to continue to alter historical regimes of temperature, precipitation, and hydrology. To assess the vulnerability of climate change from a land management perspective and spatially identify where the most extreme changes are anticipated to occur, we worked in collaboration with land managers to develop a climate...
Delaney, John Thomas; Bouska, Kristen L.; Eash, Josh D; Heglund, Patricia J.; Allstadt, Andrew A
Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2016–2018
The Navajo (N) aquifer is the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in the Black Mesa area because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of its arid climate. Precipitation in the area...
Mason, Jon P. Synoptic analysis of a decade of daily measurements of SO2 emission in the troposphere from volcanoes of the global ground-based Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change
Volcanic plumes are common and far-reaching manifestations of volcanic activity during and between eruptions. Observations of the rate of emission and composition of volcanic plumes are essential to recognize and, in some cases, predict the state of volcanic activity. Measurements of the size and location of the plumes are important to assess the...
Arellano, Santiago; Galle, Bo; Apaza, Fredy; Avard, Geoffroy; Barrington, Charlotte; Bobrowski, Nicole; Bucarey, Claudia; Burbano, Viviana; Burton, Mike; Chacon, Zoraida; Chigna, Gustavo; Clarito, Christian Joseph; Conde, Vladimir; Costa, Fidel; de Moor, Maarten; Delgado-Granados, Hugo; Di Muro, Andrea; Fernandez, D.; Garzon, Gustavo; Gunawan, Hendra; Haerani, Nia; Hansteen, Thor; Hidalgo, Silvana; Inguaggiato, Salvatore; Johansson, Mattias; Kern, Christoph; Kihlman, Manne; Kowalski, Philippe; Masias, Pablo; Montalvo, Francisco; Moller, Joakim; Platt, Ulrich; Rivera, Claudia; Saballos, Armando; Salerno, Giuseppe; Taisne, Benoit; Vasconez, Freddy; Velazquez, Gabriela; Vita, Fabio; Yalire, Mathieu M. A roadmap for sampling and scaling biological nitrogen fixation in terrestrial ecosystems
Accurately quantifying rates and patterns of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in terrestrial ecosystems is essential to characterize ecological and biogeochemical interactions, identify mechanistic controls, improve BNF representation in conceptual and numerical modelling, and forecast nitrogen limitation constraints on future carbon (C) cycling...
Soper, Fiona M.; Taylor, Benton; Winbourne, Joy; Wong, Michelle; Dynarski, Katherine A; Reis, Carla R. G.; Peoples, Mark; Cleveland, Cory; Reed, Sasha; Menge, Duncan; Perakis, Steven Fire frequency impacts soil properties and processes in sagebrush steppe ecosystems of the Columbia Basin
Increased fire frequency in semi-arid ecosystems can alter biochemical soil properties and soil processes that underpin ecosystem structure and functioning, thus threatening native plant communities and the species that rely on them. However, there is much uncertainty about the magnitude of change as soils are exposed to more fires, because soil...
Nichols, Leslie; Shinneman, Douglas J.; McIlroy, Susan; de Graaff, Marie-Anne Post-fire management targeting invasive annual grasses may have inadvertently released the exotic perennial forb Chondrilla juncea and suppressed its biocontrol agent
Top-down and bottom-up factors affecting invasive populations are rarely considered simultaneously, yet their interactive responses to disturbances and management interventions can be essential to understanding invasion patterns. We evaluated post-fire responses of the exotic perennial forb Chondrilla juncea (rush skeletonweed) and its...
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, Matthew
Simulation of groundwater flow in the aquifer system of the Anacostia River and surrounding watersheds, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the District Department of Energy & Environment, Water Quality Division, is investigating the hydrogeology of the tidal Anacostia River watershed within Washington, D.C., with the goal of improving understanding of the groundwater-flow system and the interaction of groundwater and surface water...
Raffensperger, Jeff P.; Voronin, Lois M.; Dieter, Cheryl A.
Black abalone surveys at Naval Base Ventura County, San Nicolas Island, California—2020, annual report
The U.S. Geological Survey monitors a suite of intertidal black abalone sites at San Nicolas Island, California, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, which owns the island. The nine rocky intertidal sites were established in 1980 to study the potential impact of translocated sea otters on the intertidal black abalone population at the island. The...
Kenner, Michael C. Water temperature and availability shape the spatial ecology of a hot springs endemic toad
Desert amphibians are limited to exploiting ephemeral resources and aestivating or to inhabiting scarce refuges of permanent water, such as springs. Understanding how amphibians use these resources is essential for their conservation. Dixie Valley Toads (Anaxyrus williamsi) are precinctive to a small system of cold and hot springs in the Dixie...
Halstead, Brian J.; Kleeman, Patrick M.; Rose, Jonathan P.; Fouts, Kristen J