Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Megan K Hines

Megan Hines is an Information Technology Specialist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.

Science and Products

link
View from beach through beachgrass of Frankfort Lighthouse, Michigan in Lake Michigan

An Assessment of Midwestern Lake and Stream Temperatures under Climate Change

Water temperatures are warming in lakes and streams, resulting in the loss of many native fish. Given clear passage, coldwater stream fishes can take refuge upstream when larger streams become too warm. Likewise, many Midwestern lakes “thermally stratify” resulting in warmer waters on top of deeper, cooler waters. Many of these lakes are connected to threatened streams. To date, assessments of the...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

An Assessment of Midwestern Lake and Stream Temperatures under Climate Change

Water temperatures are warming in lakes and streams, resulting in the loss of many native fish. Given clear passage, coldwater stream fishes can take refuge upstream when larger streams become too warm. Likewise, many Midwestern lakes “thermally stratify” resulting in warmer waters on top of deeper, cooler waters. Many of these lakes are connected to threatened streams. To date, assessments of the...
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

Citizen Science Observation Platform - Using Curated Twitter and GeoRSS Enabled Feeds

This project leveraged existing efforts toward the use of social media systems for delivery of information into a web based visualization framework. Rather than support the development of an expensive system developed in-house, this project supports the use of cloud-based social media system Twitter to provide a robust observation platform. Development efforts were directed at utilizing the substa
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
link

Citizen Science Observation Platform - Using Curated Twitter and GeoRSS Enabled Feeds

This project leveraged existing efforts toward the use of social media systems for delivery of information into a web based visualization framework. Rather than support the development of an expensive system developed in-house, this project supports the use of cloud-based social media system Twitter to provide a robust observation platform. Development efforts were directed at utilizing the substa
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

myScience: USGS Citizen Science Project Discovery & Public Engagement Web Application

How can the public discover opportunities for participation in USGS scientific research? What citizen science projects are currently active within the USGS? How may PIs increase public engagement in and awareness of their citizen science projects? To address these questions, a web application leveraging existing Community for Data Integration (CDI) and USGS work was created to allow unprecedented
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
link

myScience: USGS Citizen Science Project Discovery & Public Engagement Web Application

How can the public discover opportunities for participation in USGS scientific research? What citizen science projects are currently active within the USGS? How may PIs increase public engagement in and awareness of their citizen science projects? To address these questions, a web application leveraging existing Community for Data Integration (CDI) and USGS work was created to allow unprecedented
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

USGS Citizen Science Workshop

What USGS programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new research or existing science
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
link

USGS Citizen Science Workshop

What USGS programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new research or existing science
Learn More

Coded Water Conflict and Crisis Events in the Colorado River Basin, Derived from LexisNexis search 2005-2021

The data in this data release are from an effort focused on understanding social vulnerability to water insecurity, resiliency demonstrated by institutions, and conflict or crisis around water resource management. This data release focuses on the conflict in crisis aspects of work. To characterize crisis a dual-prong, qualitative triangulation was used to identify and provide context for water co
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Literature Summary of Indicators of Water Vulnerability in the Western US 2000-2022

This data release contains records from research focused on understanding social vulnerability to water insecurity, resiliency demonstrated by institutions, and conflict or crisis around water resource management. This data release focuses on social vulnerability to water insecurity. The data were derived from a meta-analysis of studies in the empirical literature which measured factors of social
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

Human Factors of Water Availability in the Delaware River Basin

Human factors that influence water availability in the Basin were discovered by reviewing hundreds of published literature items and articles from the literature following an extensive keyword search. The different factors were drawn from reviewing the literature, and datasets to support the factor were researched across open data catalogs and the world wide web. Data related to the Human Factors
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Human Factors of Water Availability in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Human factors that influence water availability in the Basin were discovered by reviewing hundreds of published literature items and articles from the literature following an extensive keyword search. The different factors were drawn from reviewing the literature, and datasets to support the factor were researched across open data catalogs and the world wide web. Data related to the Human Factors
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Table and accompanying photographs for biogeomorphic classification of shorebird nesting sites on the U.S. Atlantic coast from March to September, 2016

Atlantic coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites are typically found on low-lying beach and dune systems, which respond rapidly to coastal processes like sediment overwash, inlet formation, and island migration that are sensitive to climate-related changes in storminess and the rate of sea-level rise. Data were obtained to understand piping plover habitat distribution and use along the
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Biogeomorphic classification and images of shorebird nesting sites on the U.S. Atlantic coast

Atlantic coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites are typically found on low-lying beach and dune systems, which respond rapidly to coastal processes like sediment overwash, inlet formation, and island migration that are sensitive to climate-related changes in storminess and the rate of sea-level rise. Data were obtained to understand piping plover habitat distribution and use along the
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Human factors used to estimate and forecast water supply and demand in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Water availability is a result of complex interactions between regional water supply and demand and underlying environmental, institutional, and economic determinants. For this study, water availability is defined as “access to a specific quantity and quality of water at a point in time and space, for a specific use, recognizing the social and economic value of water across uses and institutions t
Authors
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Lucas Bair, Megan Hines, Diana Restrepo-Osorio, Veronica Romero, Aidan Lyde
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center

Smartphone technologies and Bayesian networks to assess shorebird habitat selection

Understanding patterns of habitat selection across a species’ geographic distribution can be critical for adequately managing populations and planning for habitat loss and related threats. However, studies of habitat selection can be time consuming and expensive over broad spatial scales, and a lack of standardized monitoring targets or methods can impede the generalization of site-based studies.
Authors
Sara L. Zeigler, E. Robert Thieler, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, Megan Hines, James D. Fraser, Daniel H. Catlin, Sarah M. Karpanty
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Smartphone-based distributed data collection enables rapid assessment of shorebird habitat suitability

Understanding and managing dynamic coastal landscapes for beach-dependent species requires biological and geological data across the range of relevant environments and habitats. It is difficult to acquire such information; data often have limited focus due to resource constraints, are collected by non-specialists, or lack observational uniformity. We developed an open-source smartphone application
Authors
E. Robert Thieler, Sara L. Zeigler, Luke Winslow, Megan Hines, Jordan S. Read, Jordan I. Walker
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

User-interactive sediment budgets in a browser: A web application for river science and management

Decision-support tools providing accurate, near-real-time data and user-friendly interactive visualizations are of critical value to resource managers tasked with planning and carrying out management programs in their domain. Creating a system to continuously aggregate datasets and recompute derived values is difficult and error-prone when attempted by hand. To address this need for river managers
Authors
David M. Sibley, David J. Topping, Megan Hines, Bradley D. Garner

Community for Data Integration 2013 Annual Report

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts earth science to help address complex issues affecting society and the environment. In 2006, the USGS held the first Scientific Information Management Workshop to bring together staff from across the organization to discuss the data and information management issues affecting the integration and delivery of earth science research and investigate the use o
Authors
Michelle Y. Chang, Jennifer Carlino, Christopher Barnes, David L. Blodgett, Andrew R. Bock, Anthony L. Everette, Gregory L. Fernette, Lorraine E. Flint, Janice M. Gordon, David L. Govoni, Lauren E. Hay, Heather S. Henkel, Megan Hines, Sally L. Holl, Collin G. Homer, Vivian B. Hutchison, Drew A. Ignizio, Tim J. Kern, Frances L. Lightsom, Steven L. Markstrom, Michael S. O'Donnell, Jacquelyn L. Schei, Lorna A. Schmid, Kathryn M. Schoephoester, Peter N. Schweitzer, Susan K. Skagen, Daniel J. Sullivan, Colin Talbert, Meredith Pavlick Warren
By
Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Science Data Management

New insight into California’s drought through open data

Historically unprecedented drought in California has brought water issues to the forefront of the nation’s attention. Crucial investigations that concern water policy, management, and research, in turn, require extensive information about the quality and quantity of California’s water. Unfortunately, key sources of pertinent data are unevenly distributed and frequently hard to find. Thankfully, th
Authors
Emily K. Read, Mary Bucknell, Megan Hines, James M. Kreft, Jessica M. Lucido, Jordan S. Read, Carl Schroedl, David M. Sibley, Shirley Stephan, Ivan Suftin, Phethala Thongsavanh, Jamon Van Den Hoek, Jordan I. Walker, Martin R Wernimont, Luke A. Winslow, Andrew N. Yan

Partnering for science: proceedings of the USGS Workshop on Citizen Science

What U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new rese
Authors
Megan Hines, Abigail Benson, David Govoni, Derek Masaki, Barbara Poore, Annie Simpson, Steven Tessler
By
Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI)

U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 2011 report of selected wildlife diseases

The National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) was founded in 1975 to provide technical assistance in identifying, controlling, and preventing wildlife losses from diseases, conduct research to understand the impact of diseases on wildlife populations, and devise methods to more effectively manage these disease threats. The impetus behind the creation of the NWHC was, in part, the catastrophic loss of
Authors
David E. Green, Megan Hines, Robin E. Russell, Jonathan M. Sleeman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Duffus, Amanda LJ, Thomas B. Waltzek, Anke C. Stöhr, Matthew C. Allender, Michael Gotesman, Richard J. Whittington, Paul Hick, Megan K. Hines, and Rachel E. Marschang. "Distribution and host range of ranaviruses." In Ranaviruses, pp. 9-57. Springer, Cham, 2015.
Zhu, Xiaojin, Jun-Ming Xu, Christine M. Marsh, Megan K. Hines, and F. Joshua Dein. "Machine learning for zoonotic emerging disease detection." In International Conference on Machine Learning. Proc. 2011 Workshop on Machine Learning for Global Challenges. 2011.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products

  • Science
    link
    View from beach through beachgrass of Frankfort Lighthouse, Michigan in Lake Michigan

    An Assessment of Midwestern Lake and Stream Temperatures under Climate Change

    Water temperatures are warming in lakes and streams, resulting in the loss of many native fish. Given clear passage, coldwater stream fishes can take refuge upstream when larger streams become too warm. Likewise, many Midwestern lakes “thermally stratify” resulting in warmer waters on top of deeper, cooler waters. Many of these lakes are connected to threatened streams. To date, assessments of the...
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers
    link

    An Assessment of Midwestern Lake and Stream Temperatures under Climate Change

    Water temperatures are warming in lakes and streams, resulting in the loss of many native fish. Given clear passage, coldwater stream fishes can take refuge upstream when larger streams become too warm. Likewise, many Midwestern lakes “thermally stratify” resulting in warmer waters on top of deeper, cooler waters. Many of these lakes are connected to threatened streams. To date, assessments of the...
    Learn More
    link
    USGS science for a changing world logo

    Citizen Science Observation Platform - Using Curated Twitter and GeoRSS Enabled Feeds

    This project leveraged existing efforts toward the use of social media systems for delivery of information into a web based visualization framework. Rather than support the development of an expensive system developed in-house, this project supports the use of cloud-based social media system Twitter to provide a robust observation platform. Development efforts were directed at utilizing the substa
    By
    Community for Data Integration (CDI)
    link

    Citizen Science Observation Platform - Using Curated Twitter and GeoRSS Enabled Feeds

    This project leveraged existing efforts toward the use of social media systems for delivery of information into a web based visualization framework. Rather than support the development of an expensive system developed in-house, this project supports the use of cloud-based social media system Twitter to provide a robust observation platform. Development efforts were directed at utilizing the substa
    Learn More
    link
    USGS science for a changing world logo

    myScience: USGS Citizen Science Project Discovery & Public Engagement Web Application

    How can the public discover opportunities for participation in USGS scientific research? What citizen science projects are currently active within the USGS? How may PIs increase public engagement in and awareness of their citizen science projects? To address these questions, a web application leveraging existing Community for Data Integration (CDI) and USGS work was created to allow unprecedented
    By
    Community for Data Integration (CDI)
    link

    myScience: USGS Citizen Science Project Discovery & Public Engagement Web Application

    How can the public discover opportunities for participation in USGS scientific research? What citizen science projects are currently active within the USGS? How may PIs increase public engagement in and awareness of their citizen science projects? To address these questions, a web application leveraging existing Community for Data Integration (CDI) and USGS work was created to allow unprecedented
    Learn More
    link
    USGS science for a changing world logo

    USGS Citizen Science Workshop

    What USGS programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new research or existing science
    By
    Community for Data Integration (CDI)
    link

    USGS Citizen Science Workshop

    What USGS programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new research or existing science
    Learn More
  • Data

    Coded Water Conflict and Crisis Events in the Colorado River Basin, Derived from LexisNexis search 2005-2021

    The data in this data release are from an effort focused on understanding social vulnerability to water insecurity, resiliency demonstrated by institutions, and conflict or crisis around water resource management. This data release focuses on the conflict in crisis aspects of work. To characterize crisis a dual-prong, qualitative triangulation was used to identify and provide context for water co
    By
    Water Resources Mission Area

    Literature Summary of Indicators of Water Vulnerability in the Western US 2000-2022

    This data release contains records from research focused on understanding social vulnerability to water insecurity, resiliency demonstrated by institutions, and conflict or crisis around water resource management. This data release focuses on social vulnerability to water insecurity. The data were derived from a meta-analysis of studies in the empirical literature which measured factors of social
    By
    Water Resources Mission Area, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

    Human Factors of Water Availability in the Delaware River Basin

    Human factors that influence water availability in the Basin were discovered by reviewing hundreds of published literature items and articles from the literature following an extensive keyword search. The different factors were drawn from reviewing the literature, and datasets to support the factor were researched across open data catalogs and the world wide web. Data related to the Human Factors
    By
    Water Resources Mission Area

    Human Factors of Water Availability in the Upper Colorado River Basin

    Human factors that influence water availability in the Basin were discovered by reviewing hundreds of published literature items and articles from the literature following an extensive keyword search. The different factors were drawn from reviewing the literature, and datasets to support the factor were researched across open data catalogs and the world wide web. Data related to the Human Factors
    By
    Water Resources Mission Area

    Table and accompanying photographs for biogeomorphic classification of shorebird nesting sites on the U.S. Atlantic coast from March to September, 2016

    Atlantic coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites are typically found on low-lying beach and dune systems, which respond rapidly to coastal processes like sediment overwash, inlet formation, and island migration that are sensitive to climate-related changes in storminess and the rate of sea-level rise. Data were obtained to understand piping plover habitat distribution and use along the
    By
    Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

    Biogeomorphic classification and images of shorebird nesting sites on the U.S. Atlantic coast

    Atlantic coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites are typically found on low-lying beach and dune systems, which respond rapidly to coastal processes like sediment overwash, inlet formation, and island migration that are sensitive to climate-related changes in storminess and the rate of sea-level rise. Data were obtained to understand piping plover habitat distribution and use along the
    By
    Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
  • Publications

    Human factors used to estimate and forecast water supply and demand in the Upper Colorado River Basin

    Water availability is a result of complex interactions between regional water supply and demand and underlying environmental, institutional, and economic determinants. For this study, water availability is defined as “access to a specific quantity and quality of water at a point in time and space, for a specific use, recognizing the social and economic value of water across uses and institutions t
    Authors
    Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Lucas Bair, Megan Hines, Diana Restrepo-Osorio, Veronica Romero, Aidan Lyde
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Smartphone technologies and Bayesian networks to assess shorebird habitat selection

    Understanding patterns of habitat selection across a species’ geographic distribution can be critical for adequately managing populations and planning for habitat loss and related threats. However, studies of habitat selection can be time consuming and expensive over broad spatial scales, and a lack of standardized monitoring targets or methods can impede the generalization of site-based studies.
    Authors
    Sara L. Zeigler, E. Robert Thieler, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, Megan Hines, James D. Fraser, Daniel H. Catlin, Sarah M. Karpanty
    By
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

    Smartphone-based distributed data collection enables rapid assessment of shorebird habitat suitability

    Understanding and managing dynamic coastal landscapes for beach-dependent species requires biological and geological data across the range of relevant environments and habitats. It is difficult to acquire such information; data often have limited focus due to resource constraints, are collected by non-specialists, or lack observational uniformity. We developed an open-source smartphone application
    Authors
    E. Robert Thieler, Sara L. Zeigler, Luke Winslow, Megan Hines, Jordan S. Read, Jordan I. Walker
    By
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

    User-interactive sediment budgets in a browser: A web application for river science and management

    Decision-support tools providing accurate, near-real-time data and user-friendly interactive visualizations are of critical value to resource managers tasked with planning and carrying out management programs in their domain. Creating a system to continuously aggregate datasets and recompute derived values is difficult and error-prone when attempted by hand. To address this need for river managers
    Authors
    David M. Sibley, David J. Topping, Megan Hines, Bradley D. Garner

    Community for Data Integration 2013 Annual Report

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts earth science to help address complex issues affecting society and the environment. In 2006, the USGS held the first Scientific Information Management Workshop to bring together staff from across the organization to discuss the data and information management issues affecting the integration and delivery of earth science research and investigate the use o
    Authors
    Michelle Y. Chang, Jennifer Carlino, Christopher Barnes, David L. Blodgett, Andrew R. Bock, Anthony L. Everette, Gregory L. Fernette, Lorraine E. Flint, Janice M. Gordon, David L. Govoni, Lauren E. Hay, Heather S. Henkel, Megan Hines, Sally L. Holl, Collin G. Homer, Vivian B. Hutchison, Drew A. Ignizio, Tim J. Kern, Frances L. Lightsom, Steven L. Markstrom, Michael S. O'Donnell, Jacquelyn L. Schei, Lorna A. Schmid, Kathryn M. Schoephoester, Peter N. Schweitzer, Susan K. Skagen, Daniel J. Sullivan, Colin Talbert, Meredith Pavlick Warren
    By
    Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Science Data Management

    New insight into California’s drought through open data

    Historically unprecedented drought in California has brought water issues to the forefront of the nation’s attention. Crucial investigations that concern water policy, management, and research, in turn, require extensive information about the quality and quantity of California’s water. Unfortunately, key sources of pertinent data are unevenly distributed and frequently hard to find. Thankfully, th
    Authors
    Emily K. Read, Mary Bucknell, Megan Hines, James M. Kreft, Jessica M. Lucido, Jordan S. Read, Carl Schroedl, David M. Sibley, Shirley Stephan, Ivan Suftin, Phethala Thongsavanh, Jamon Van Den Hoek, Jordan I. Walker, Martin R Wernimont, Luke A. Winslow, Andrew N. Yan

    Partnering for science: proceedings of the USGS Workshop on Citizen Science

    What U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new rese
    Authors
    Megan Hines, Abigail Benson, David Govoni, Derek Masaki, Barbara Poore, Annie Simpson, Steven Tessler
    By
    Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI)

    U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 2011 report of selected wildlife diseases

    The National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) was founded in 1975 to provide technical assistance in identifying, controlling, and preventing wildlife losses from diseases, conduct research to understand the impact of diseases on wildlife populations, and devise methods to more effectively manage these disease threats. The impetus behind the creation of the NWHC was, in part, the catastrophic loss of
    Authors
    David E. Green, Megan Hines, Robin E. Russell, Jonathan M. Sleeman
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center

    Non-USGS Publications**

    Duffus, Amanda LJ, Thomas B. Waltzek, Anke C. Stöhr, Matthew C. Allender, Michael Gotesman, Richard J. Whittington, Paul Hick, Megan K. Hines, and Rachel E. Marschang. "Distribution and host range of ranaviruses." In Ranaviruses, pp. 9-57. Springer, Cham, 2015.
    Zhu, Xiaojin, Jun-Ming Xu, Christine M. Marsh, Megan K. Hines, and F. Joshua Dein. "Machine learning for zoonotic emerging disease detection." In International Conference on Machine Learning. Proc. 2011 Workshop on Machine Learning for Global Challenges. 2011.

    **Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.