Unified Interior Regions
Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
Our Science Centers
The NAA Region has 15 Science Centers spanning 14 NE States and Washington, DC. The Centers conduct interdisciplinary biologic, geologic, hydrologic, and energy monitoring and research addressing natural resource issues facing our nation.
Learn MoreFebruary Photo Contest
Check out the winning photographs in the February 2021 Photo Contest! Categories include People, USGS at Work, Where We Work, and Honorable Mention
See PhotosRegions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Modeling the response of cave hibernating Myotis species to white-nose syndrome mitigation tactics
Research collaboration: Robin Russell (NWHC), Tonie Rocke (NWHC), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Evan Grant (PWRC)
White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease devastating cave-hibernating bat species (Myotis spp.) in the eastern...
MD-DE-DC Groundwater Capabilities
Our region's water supply comes from streams and rivers, groundwater, and reservoirs. Areas not served by public-water supply rely on groundwater withdrawn from fractured rock aquifers in western Maryland, or surficial (water table) and confined aquifers in southern Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and the Eastern Shore.
Groundwater research...
Surface Water-Quality Monitoring Network (WQN)
Pennsylvania’s Statewide Surface Water-Quality Monitoring Network (WQN) currently consists of 124 sites that are sampled between 6 and 20 times a year. Chemical analysis includes nutrient, major ions, and selected metals. Pesticide sampling is conducted twice a year at 5 locations. Biological sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates is conducted annually at 80 sites.
The WQN was...
Regional Synthesis of Groundwater Quality in Domestic Supply Wells in Northeast and North Central Pennsylvania
USGS is synthesizing groundwater quality measurements in wells to characterize regional chemical characteristics of aquifers used for domestic supply in northeast and north central Pennsylvania.
Recoding of AMDTreat Phase 2: Integration of PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools with recoded AMDTreat cost-analysis software
Newly developed PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools indicate potential changes in pH, dissolved metals, and associated solute concentrations resulting from passive and active treatment of coal-mine drainage.
The response of coastal wetlands to sea-level rise: Understanding how macroscale drivers influence local processes and feedbacks
The purpose of this work is to advance our understanding of how coastal wetland responses to SLR within the conterminous United States are likely to vary as a function of local, regional, and macroscale drivers, including climate. Based on our interactions with managers and decision makers, as well as our knowledge of the current state of the science, we propose to (a) conduct a national...
Analysis of Factors Affecting Plume Remediation in a Sole-Source Aquifer System, Nassau County, New York (Northrup Grumman Plume)
Problem: Dissolved volatile-organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethylene (TCE), have been identified in a sole-source aquifer near the former Northrop Grumman Bethpage facility and Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) in Nassau County, N.Y. The Northrop Grumman Bethpage facility and NWIRP are listed as Class II inactive hazardous waste disposal sites (Site Nos. HW130003A...
Rafinesque’s Mammals
The Challenge: Taxonomic nomenclature relies, in part, upon an accurate taxonomic history in order to establish the correct name for a taxon. Constantine S. Rafinesque (1783–1840), was a knowledgeable North American natural historian who was is responsible for describing and naming such iconic American mammals as the mule deer [Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817)] and the white-footed mouse...
Survival of the Least Fit: Incidence of Physical Trauma in a Wild Mammal Community
The Challenge: It has been generally considered that a severe injury to a wild mammal that seemingly limits its ability to forage for food or escape predators will almost certainly lead to that individual’s demise. Inspection of skeletons of wild caught small mammals, however, has revealed a surprising number of individuals with healed fractures of the skeletal bones―including the primary...
Diversity and Biogeography of Treeshrews
The Challenge: Treeshrews (order Scandentia) are small-bodied mammals endemic to South and Southeast Asia. Since it was first described in 1820, the Common Treeshrew (Tupaia glis) has had a complex taxonomic history that has led to widely variable estimates of diversity, misidentification of populations, and general confusion regarding it and closely related species. One result is that T. glis...
Biodiversity of North American Mammals
The Challenge: Despite more than a century and a half of study, accurate understanding of the diversity North American mammalian species and the distribution of those species remains unrefined. Yet this understanding is essential for determining the conservation status of species, for mapping out potential disease reservoirs, and for understanding the response of species to habitat...
How Mammals Move: Locomotory Function in the Soricidae
The Challenge: The postcranial skeletons of mammals exhibit tremendous variation in form that partly relates to phylogeny (who a particular species is related to) and partly to locomotory function (how that species moves through its environment). Understanding the contributions of these two factors is important because phylogenetic characters assist in working out evolutionary relationships,...
Data for statewide assessment of New York's karst aquifers with an inventory of closed-depression and focused-recharge features
The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health are concerned about groundwater contamination in the carbonate-bedrock aquifers with the potential to host karst features throughout New York State, especially relating to the unintended introduction of chemical or agricultural contamination into these aquifers. USGS Scientific Investigations Report, SIR 2020-5030 (Kap...
Model archive for analysis of the effects of impervious cover on receiving-water quality with the Stochastic Empirical Loading Dilution Model (SELDM)
This is a model archive of SELDM development data and simulation results of total phosphorus concentrations in concurrent stormflows from drainage basins in the Northeastern U.S. with varying levels of imperviousness. Model development files include details of simulated hydrology, basin properties, upstream undeveloped area water quality, and developed area (impervious area) runoff qual
Potomac River ADCP Bathymetric Survey, October 2019
Water-penetrating LiDAR technology was used to remotely sense bathymetric elevation data as part of a spatial data acquisition on the Potomac River. In support of this effort, a bathymetric survey with a boat-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was conducted in the study area on October 21-24, 2019. Global Navigational Satellite Systems (GNSS) were used to concurrently
Nanoscale Molecular Composition of Solid Bitumen from the Eagle Ford Group Across a Natural Thermal Maturity Gradient
Solid bitumen is a petrographically-defined secondary organic matter residue produced during petroleum generation and subsequent oil transformation. The presence of solid bitumen impacts many shale reservoir properties including porosity, permeability, and hydrocarbon generation and storage, amongst others. Furthermore, solid bitumen reflectance is an important parameter for assessing the
Reported groundwater levels and groundwater pump-and-treat withdrawal volumes, former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2018
This dataset contains U.S. Navy contractor-reported groundwater level data measured on June 18, 2018 and reported daily total groundwater pump-and-treat withdrawal volumes for calendar year 2018 at the former Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey. This data release supports: Fiore, A.R., and Lacombe, P.J., 2020, Groundwater levels and generalized potentiometric s
Coastal wetlands of north shore Long Island, New York
This data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for the geographic region of north shore Long Island, New York. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and mean tidal range, are calculated for smaller units delineated from a Digital Elevation Model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence wetland...
Slope Values Across Marsh-Forest Boundary in Chesapeake Bay Region, USA
The marsh-forest boundary in the Chesapeake Bay was determined by geoprocessing high-resolution (1 square meter) land use and land cover data sets. Perpendicular transects were cast at standard intervals (30 meters) along the boundary within a GIS by repurposing the...
Unvegetated to vegetated ratio of marsh units in north shore Long Island salt marsh complex, New York
This data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for the geographic region of north shore Long Island, New York. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and mean tidal range, are calculated for smaller units delineated from a Digital Elevation Model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence
Slope Values Across Marsh-Forest Boundary in Chesapeake Bay Region, USA
The marsh-forest boundary in the Chesapeake Bay was determined by geoprocessing high-resolution (1 square meter) land use and land cover data sets. Perpendicular transects were cast at standard intervals (30 meters) along the boundary within a GIS by repurposing the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) Version 5.0, an ArcGIS extension developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Ave
Elevation of marsh units in north shore Long Island salt marsh complex, New York
This data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for the geographic region of north shore Long Island, New York. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and mean tidal range, are calculated for smaller units delineated from a Digital Elevation Model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence
Exposure potential of marsh units to environmental health stressors in north shore Long Island salt marsh complex, New York
This data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for the geographic region of north shore Long Island, New York. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and mean tidal range, are calculated for smaller units delineated from a Digital Elevation Model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence
Rate of shoreline change of marsh units in north shore Long Island salt marsh complex, New York
This data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for the geographic region of north shore Long Island, New York. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, mean tidal range, and shoreline change rate are calculated for smaller units delineated from a Digital Elevation Model, providing the spatial variability of physical f
Comparison of anadromous and landlocked Atlantic salmon genomes reveals signatures of parallel and relaxed selection across the northern hemisphere
Most Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) populations follow an anadromous life cycle, spending early life in freshwater, migrating to the sea for feeding and returning to rivers to spawn. At the end of the last ice age ~10,000 years ago, several populations of Atlantic salmon became landlocked. Comparing their genomes to their anadromous...
Kjaerner-Semb, Erik; Edvardsen, Rolf B; Ayllon, Fernando; Vogelsang, Petra; Furmanek, Tomasz; Rubin, Carl Johan; Vaselov, Alexey E.; Nilsen, Tom Ole; McCormick, Stephen D.; Primmer, Craig R; Wargelius, Anna2020 drought in New England
Below average and infrequent rainfall from May through September 2020 led to an extreme hydrologic drought across much of New England, with some areas experiencing a flash drought, reflecting its quick onset. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded record-low streamflow and groundwater levels throughout the region. In September, the U.S....
Lombard, Pamela J.; Barclay, Janet R.; McCarthy, Dee-Ann E.Optimization of salt marsh management at the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Connecticut, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total...
Low, Laurel E.; Neckles, Hilary A.; Lyons, James E.; Nagel, Jessica L.; Adamowicz, Susan C.; Mikula, Toni; Vagos, Kristina; Potvin, RichardCo-habiting in a disease hotspot: Overlap between wild and domestic birds in Egypt impacts transmission of highly pathogenic H5N1
Understanding transmission dynamics that link wild and domestic animals is a key element of predicting the emergence of infectious disease, an event that has highest likelihood of occurring wherever human livelihoods depend on agriculture and animal trade. Contact between poultry and wild birds is a key driver of the emergence of highly pathogenic...
Hill, Nichola J.; Smith, Lacy M.; Muzaffar, Sabir B.; Nagel, Jessica L.; Prosser, Diann; Sullivan, Jeffery D.; Spragens, Kyle A.; DeMattos, Carlos A.; Demattos, Cecilia C.; El Sayed, Lu'ay; Erciyas-Yavuz, Kiraz; Davis, C. Todd; Jones, Joyce; Kis, Zoltan; Donis, Ruben O.; Newman, Scott H.; Takekawa, John Y.Development of genetic baseline information to support the conservation and management of wild Brook Trout in North Carolina
Following centuries of declines, there is growing interest in conserving extant wild populations and reintroducing Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations of native ancestry. A population genetic baseline can enhance conservation outcomes and promote restoration success. Consequently, it is important to document existing patterns of...
Kazyak, David; Lubinski, Barbara A.; Rash, Jacob M; Johnson, Thomas C; King, Timothy L.Simulation of groundwater flow in the regional aquifer system on Long Island, New York, for pumping and recharge conditions in 2005–15
A three-dimensional groundwater-flow model was developed for the aquifer system of Long Island, New York, to evaluate (1) responses of the hydrologic system to changes in natural and anthropogenic hydraulic stresses, (2) the subsurface distribution of groundwater age, and (3) the regional-scale distribution of groundwater travel times and the...
Walter, Donald A.; Masterson, John P.; Finkelstein, Jason S.; Monti, Jr., Jack; Misut, Paul E.; Fienen, Michael N.Survival of Laysan Teal Anas laysanensis differs among island populations: Role of chronic avian botulism
Monitoring demographic response over time is valuable for understanding population dynamics of endangered species. We quantified the variation in survival patterns for three small isolated island populations of endangered waterfowl in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Laysan Teal Anas laysanensis were individually marked and the fate of 1,150...
Reynolds, Michelle H; Hatfield, Jeffrey; Courtot, Karen; Vanderlip, CynthiaResearch priorities for migratory birds under climate change—A qualitative value of information assessment
The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center is to provide actionable, management-relevant research on climate change effects on ecosystems and wildlife to U.S. Department of the Interior bureaus. Providing this kind of useful scientific information requires understanding how natural-resource managers make...
Rubenstein, Madeleine A.; Rushing, Clark S.; Lyons, James E.; Runge, Michael C.A Bayesian framework for assessing extinction risk based on ordinal categories of population condition and projected landscape change
Many at-risk species lack standardized surveys across their range or quantitative data capable of detecting demographic trends. As a result, extinction risk assessments often rely on ordinal categories of risk based on explicit criteria or expert elicitation. This study demonstrates a Bayesian approach to assessing extinction risk based on this...
Fitzgerald, Daniel Bruce; Henderson, Andrew R; Maloney, Kelly O.; Freeman, Mary; Young, John A.; Rosenberger, Amanda E.; Kazyak, David; Smith, David R.Soil organic carbon development and turnover in natural and disturbed salt marsh environments
Salt marsh survival with sea‐level rise (SLR) increasingly relies on soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and preservation. Using a novel combination of geochemical approaches, we characterized fine SOC (≤1 mm) supporting marsh elevation maintenance. Overlaying thermal reactivity, source (δ13C), and age (F14C) information demonstrates several...
Luk, Sheron; Todd-Brown, Katherine; Eagle, Meagan; McNichol, Ann; Sanderman, Jonathan; Gosselin, Kelsey; Spivak, Amanda C.Investigation of U.S. Foreign Reliance on Critical Minerals—U.S. Geological Survey technical input document in response to Executive Order No. 13953 Signed September 30, 2020
Over the past few decades (1990–2019), the United States has become reliant on foreign sources to meet domestic demand for a large and growing number of mineral commodities. In combination with recent trends towards progressively concentrated supply of mineral commodities from a limited number of countries, this heightened import reliance may...
Nassar, Nedal T.; Alonso, Elisa; Brainard, Jaime L.Considerations for incorporating quality control into water quality sampling strategies for the U.S. Geological Survey
This report describes considerations for incorporating routine quality-assessment and quality-control evaluations into U.S. Geological Survey discrete water-sampling programs and projects. U.S. Geological Survey water-data science in 2020 is characterized by robustness, external reproducibility, collaborative large-volume data analysis, and...
Medalie, LauraOverview
Five computer programs were developed for obtaining and analyzing streamflow from the National Water Information System (NWISWeb). The programs were developed as part of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, to develop a stochastic empirical loading and dilution model.
Water-Analysis Screening Tool (WAST): A Tool for Assessing Available Water Resources in Relation to Aquatic-Resource Uses
Overview
The Kendall-Theil Robust Line software (KTRLine—version 1.0) is a Visual Basic program that may be used with the Microsoft Windows operating system to calculate parameters for robust, nonparametric estimates of linear-regression coefficients between two continuous variables.
Overview
The National Water Information System Wizard (NWiz Version 1.0) is a computer application written to automatically retrieve information and data from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS).
Overview
VBVenn is a Visual Basic program that calculates the size and position of two circles to construct a quantitative Venn diagram. It is a simple one-form program with a fairly intuitive user interface.
Computes estimates of survival and capture probability for 1-age class open population capture-recapture models.
Computes estimates of survival and capture probability adjusted for missclassification.
A removal model for estimating detection probabilities from point count surveys.
Computes estimates of survival and recovery rates for band-recovery data with additional models for estimating reporting rate.
A Double-observer approach for estimating detection probability and abundance from avian point counts.
Computes survival-movement, capture and recovery probabilities from multi-strata capture-recapture-recovery data.
Computes estimates of survival and capture probability for 2-age class open population capture-recapture models.
Social distancing in the field
Safety is a top priority. USGS staff recently improved access to field sites at the Herring River estuary within the Cape Cod National Seashore to provide safer paths through a phragmites wetland. Research continues largely through deployment of instruments that can take measurements in water and air continuously, but some measurements do require staff, who are
...Merrimack River near Aiken St Bridge, Lowell, Massachusetts
Merrimack River near Aiken St Bridge, Lowell, Massachusetts (USGS ID: 010965985).
The site is one of the Merrimack project water quality sampling and monitoring stations.
Numerous aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa collected from a stream
Benthic macroinvertebrate taxa collected from Straight Run, Tioga County, Pennsyvania, USA.
Rebecca Sanders-DeMott performing maintenance on an eddy flux tower
Instruments continue to collect vital data during workplace closures. Here staff perform maintenance on an eddy flux tower located within a phragmites wetland at the Cape Cod National Seashore. The instruments on this tower measure methane and CO2 fluxes related to plant and soil processes day in and day out for the entire year. This information is critical for
...Map of gas hydrate locations, known and inferred
Map of gas hydrate locations, known and inferred. Browse graphic for ScienceBase data release, Preliminary global database of known and inferred gas hydrate locations.
Capillary Action and Water
This video discusses how adhesion and cohesion work together to create capillary action! There is an experiment at the end of the video to demonstrate this as well! If you would like to do the experiment with us you will need: 1) Coffee filter 2) Washable marker 3) Glass of water
Finding Seafloor Faults Linked to Puerto Rico Earthquake
Map of the portion of the southwest coast of Puerto Rico affected by an earthquake sequence that began in December 2019, along with portions of the seafloor where faults involved in the earthquake sequence were suspected to exist. (A related image shows indications of seafloor faulting found on a USGS seismic research cruise led by USGS research geophysicist Uri ten Brink
...Lesson 11d: Using SeaSketch to View 3DEP Lidar Areas of Interest
In this lesson you will learn how to zoom to your area of interest and view the footprints of existing and proposed topographic lidar projects. The Integrated Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping and the 3D Elevation Program or 3DEP are demonstrating how we can work together to coordinate on mapping requirements and plans of Federal and state agencies around the
Surface Tension and Water
Surface tension performs many duties that are vitally important to the environment and people. This video briefly covers Surface tension.
USGS hydrographer makes a flood measurement in Tusten, NY
USGS hydrographer Dave Thompson makes a near-peak flood measurement off a bridge at Tenmile River in Tusten, New York.
Scientists find signs of undersea faults off SW Puerto Rico
Locations of multichannel seismic reflection profiles (in black), collected during cruise FA2020-14. The profiles are overlain on colored and shaded multibeam bathymetry, Lidar topography (green and white) and near-shore bathymetry (darker blue), and NOAA coastal relief model (light blue and white). Dashed purple lines – hypothesized faults from the distribution of
...Meagan Gonneea at the Herring River Estuary, Wellfleet, MA
When wetland plants in the northeast emerged this spring, USGS scientists were working from home and unable to start many planned research activities. However, many instruments were already deployed and continued to collect information critical to USGS research. These instruments still need visits occasionally to download data and make sure there aren’t any problems.
...The USGS and its research partners in India and Japan have reported on one of the most extensive data sets ever collected on the occurrence of natural gas hydrate.
USGS continues its estimates of technically recoverable oil and gas in Alaska's North Slope.

This challenge is now complete!! Thank you to everyone who contributed! Here is a time lapse of our volunteer contributions for this challenge:

This challenge is now finished! Thank you to everyone who participated!

Here is the weekly update for this challenge. West Virginia is nearing completion while Ohio is filling in nicely with more and more counties becoming populated! However, there's still several villages yet to be added for Ohio.

Here is the weekly update for this challenge - it's exciting to see more counties filling in! Keep an eye out for another article on city / town halls in this month's newsletter.

A new study finds that a high density of green stormwater infrastructure can provide enhanced mitigation of peak flows and runoff volumes compared to large, detention-based stormwater control practices.

Here is the weekly update for this challenge!

Here is the weekly update for this challenge!
Summary of Event Impact:
Record and Major flooding in parts of the Southern Adirondacks and northern Mohawk Valley October 31-November 1.Event Information:
Record and Major flooding occurred in parts of the Southern Adirondacks
and northern Mohawk Valley October 31-November 1 as a result of
3-5+ inches of rainfall last night.

U.S. Geological Survey and Federal Emergency Management Agency are seeking feedback and information from towns in the Otter Creek watershed, Vermont, after two Discovery Meetings were held on October 29 and 30.

This challenge is coming along nice and steady! Ohio is especially starting to look nice; points are coming in county-by-county with close to another 100 points added since last week's update!