Unified Interior Regions
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Webinar: Preliminary Results from “La Florida” - A Land of Flowers on a Latitude of Deserts
View this webinar to learn more about climate modeling techniques used by ecologists to predict the impacts of climate change on Floridian wildlife.
Environmental Flow Research in the Tennessee River Basin
The objective of this project is to improve understanding of how alteration of streamflow characteristics affects the ecological health of rivers and streams in Tennessee. Initial efforts are aimed at identifying critical streamflow characteristics and providing a set of statistical tools and analytical approaches for the prediction of these characteristics. Application of these tools will...
U.S. Geological Survey Flood Inundation Mapping Science
Static flood-inundation map libraries consist of maps that have been created in advance of a flood that are ready to be served through the Internet. Each library consists of a set of flood extent and depth maps developed for predetermined stream stage intervals (for example, a map for each one foot of stage). A user can view real-time or forecast stage data from a USGS streamgage or National...
USGS StreamStats
StreamStats is a Web-based tool that provides streamflow statistics, drainage-basin characteristics, and other information for USGS streamgaging stations and for user-selected ungaged sites on streams. When users select the location of a streamgaging station, StreamStats provides previously published information from a database. When users select a site on an ungaged stream, StreamStats will...
Predicting ecological flow regime at ungaged sites: A comparison of methods
Nineteen ecologically relevant streamflow characteristics were estimated using published rainfall–runoff and regional regression models for six sites with observed daily streamflow records in Kentucky. The regional regression model produced median estimates closer to the observed median for all but two characteristics. The variability of predictions from both models was generally less than the...
Terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (T-LiDAR) Technology
T-LiDAR technology utilizes reflected laser pulses sent from a tripod-mounted scanning instrument to determine distances to targets of interest. The resulting dataset is a 3 dimensional model or "point cloud" of millions of XYZ data points, spaced only a few millimeters apart. This highly detailed dataset is used by USGS scientists to create topographic models, make detailed measurements, and...
Historical Preservation of Toomer's Oaks in Auburn, AL
The live oaks framing Toomer's Corner in Auburn, Alabama were planted about 1880 and have served as a focal point for Auburn celebrations in recent decades. The trees recently received a powerful dose of an herbicide known as Spike 80DF. In an effort to save the trees, a task force made up of university horticulturists, landscapers, agronomists, engineers, chemists and others has undertaken a...
Coastal Plain Culvert Study
Various environmental groups in Alabama are concerned that the use of culverts at highway crossings to convey stream flows has detrimental effects on the natural conditions of streams. Specifically, some groups are concerned that changes in stream geomorphology, sediment concentrations, and associated turbidity adversely impact the benthic macroinvertebrate community when culverts are...
Quality of Shallow Groundwater and Drinking Water in the Mississippi Embayment-Texas Coastal Uplands Aquifer System and the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, South-Central United States, 1994–2004
The Mississippi embayment-Texas coastal uplands aquifer system is an important source of drinking water, providing about 724 million gallons per day to about 8.9 million people in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Alabama. The Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer ranks third in the Nation for total withdrawals of which more than 98...
Integrative Studies of Florida Spring Ecosystems
Florida's springs are a source of cultural, recreational, and ecological importance. But land-use changes and increased demands for groundwater due to the state's growing population have led to widespread impairment of these unique ecosystems.
Digital Hydrogeologic Surface and Thickness of the Mississippi Embayment Regional Aquifer Study (MERAS)
Short Title: MERAS Framework
Project Chief: Rheannon Hart
Cooperator: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Ground-Water Resources Program
Project Time Frame: January 2006 - 2009
A hydrogeologic framework for a ground-water flow model is under development as part...
Lower Mississippi River National Rivers and Streams Assessment
Short Title: Mississippi River NRSA
Project Chief: Billy Justus
Cooperator: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Project Time Frame: 2008 - 2009
The USGS Arkansas and Missouri Water Science Centers (WSC) are conducting a study for the U.S. Environmental...
Monitoring storm tide from Hurricane Michael along the northwest coast of Florida, October 2018
Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, with maximum sustained winds over 160 miles per hour, on October 10, 2018. The maximum recorded storm tide was 15.55 feet above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). The elevation of the maximum high-water mark, found in Port St....
Byrne, Michael J.Water resources of Tensas Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Tensas Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, 38.01 million gallons...
White, Vincent E.Adaptive harvest management for the Svalbard population of pink‐footed geese: 2019 progress summary
This report describes an Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) program designed to maintain the Svalbard population of Pink-footed Geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) near their target level (60,000) by providing sustainable harvests in Norway and Denmark. Specifically, this report provides recent monitoring and assessment results and their implications for...
Johnson, Fred; Heldbjerg, Henning; Clausen, Kevin K.; Madsen, JesperInterpretation of dye tracing data collected November 13–December 2, 2017, at the Savoy Experimental Watershed as part of the Advanced Groundwater Field Techniques in Karst Terrains course, Savoy, Arkansas
The first course on the use of advanced groundwater field techniques for karst aquifers was conducted November 13–17, 2017, at the University of Arkansas Savoy Experimental Watershed (SEW), which is located on pastures for beef livestock research conducted by the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Savoy, Arkansas. The...
Kuniansky, Eve L.; Blackstock, Joshua M.; Wagner, Daniel M.; Brahana, J. VanRegional hydraulic geometry characteristics of stream channels in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas
Many stream channel infrastructure, habitat, and restoration projects are being undertaken on small streams throughout Arkansas by various Federal, State, and local agencies and by private organizations and businesses with limited data on local geomorphology and streamflow relations. Equations are needed that relate drainage area above stable...
Pugh, Aaron L.; Ronald K. RedmanMicrobiomes of stony and soft deep-sea corals share rare core bacteria
Background: Numerous studies have shown that bacteria form stable associations with host corals and have focused on identifying conserved “core microbiomes” of bacterial associates inferred to be serving key roles in the coral holobiont. Because studies tend to focus on only stony corals (order Scleractinia) or soft corals (order Alcyonacea), it...
Kellogg, Christina A.Hydrogeologic characterization of part of the Lower Floridan aquifer at the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant, Miami-Dade County, Florida
The South District Wastewater Treatment Plant in southeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida, includes a Class I treated wastewater injection well system. The detection of ammonia in monitoring zones above the injection zone in the Lower Floridan aquifer has elicited a need to understand the nature of confinement within the Lower Floridan aquifer as...
DeFosset, Kevin L.; Cunningham, Kevin J.Water Resources of West Carroll Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, 21.27 million gallons per...
White, Vincent E.Water resources of Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, 109.84 million gallons per day...
White, Vincent E.Ecological islands: Conserving biodiversity hotspots in a changing climate
For decades, botanists have recognized that rare plants are clustered into ecological “islands”: small and isolated habitat patches produced by landscape features such as sinkholes and bedrock outcrops. Insular ecosystems often provide unusually stressful microhabitats for plant growth (eg because of thin soils, high temperatures, extreme pH, or...
Cartwright, Jennifer M.Application of sediment end-member analysis for understanding sediment fluxes, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
We analyzed grain-size distributions (GSDs) from a time-series of sediment samples to evaluate sediment transport following anthropogenic sand-berm emplacement at the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. End-member analysis (EMA) was applied to compare the end-member (EM) GSD of a known sediment source to GSDs from surrounding environments and...
Bernier, Julie C.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Buster, Noreen A.; Flocks, James G.Surrogate model development for coastal dune erosion under storm conditions
Early coastal dune erosion predictions are essential to avoid potential flood consequences but most dune erosion numerical models are computationally expensive, hence their application in Early Warning Systems is limited. Here, based on a combination of optimally sampled synthetic sea storms with a calibrated and validated XBeach model, we develop...
Malagon-Santos, Victor; Wahl, Thomas; Long, Joseph W; Passeri, Davina L.; Plant, Nathaniel G.Peachtree Creek WaterWatch, Atlanta, Ga. water monitoring site
Peachtree Creek at Atlanta (USGS 02336300) Water Monitoring Site
There are many pieces of equipment, both mechanical and electronic, that are installed at the Peachtree Creek monitoring site to measure, record, and transmit both water-quantity and water-quality information. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitors "real-time" streamflow and water-
...Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Ga. Sept 2009 - Epic flooding event
Epic flooding conditions at Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Ga., September 2009.
The picture was taken during the epic September 2009 flooding event, which caused the creek to peak at a 23 foot stage. In this flood, the high water did not happen becuase of the usual circumstances - rain falling upstream of the site accumulating and flowing downstream to this site. Here,
...Measuring streamflow at the Chattahoochee River, epic Sep 2009 flood
Many days of continuous heavy rain in mid-September have resulted in flooding in many parts of Georgia, especially in north Georgia and the Atlanta region. These rains have been producing streamflows of record proportions.
Here, a USGS hydrographer is preparing to measure streamflow at the Chattahoochee River below Morgan Falls Dam water-monitoring site, Fulton
...USGS scientists measuring Sept. 2009 flooding, Powder Springs Cr, GA
Epic Flooding in Georgia, 2009
Metropolitan Atlanta—September 2009 Floods
- The epic floods experienced in the Atlanta area in September 2009 were extremely rare. Eighteen streamgages in the Metropolitan Atlanta area had flood magnitudes much greater than the estimated 0.2-percent (500-year) annual exceedance probability.
- The
Queen angelfish - Hurricane Hole, Virgin Islands
A queen angelfish peers through the safety of the mangrove roots across the rich colors and textures of corals, sponges, urchins, and algae. Queen angelfish feed almost exclusively on sponges, which are abundant in these mangroves.
Hurricane Floyd, and the Floods of 1999
USGS North Carolina Water Science Center Director Jerad Bales discusses Hurricane Floyd and flood impacts on North Carolina in 1999.
September 2009 Flooding Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg (02338000)
Epic September 2009 Flooding
Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg (02338000)
Hurricane Hugo, Storm-surge monitoring techniques, twenty-years later
South Carolina Water Science Center Surface Water Specialist Paul Conrads discusses USGS storm-surge monitoring techniques changes since Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Water Sampling at Little River Reservoir, Durham County, NC, 2009.
Ryan Rasmussen and Cassandra Pfeifle, Hydrologic Technicians, collect samples at Little River Reservoir, 2009.
Introduction to USGS Water Science in South Carolina
SC Water Science Center Director Eric W. Strom discusses USGS water science programs in South Carolina, as interviewed by SC Public Radio "Your Day" host, Donna London.
Eft Stage of a Red-Spotted Newt
The eft stage of a red-spotted newt in Walker County, Georgia (Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area)
Northwest Florida is inundated by floodwaters
The rural landscape in northwest Florida is inundated by floodwaters of the Alapaha River.
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey in Madison, Wisc., confirmed today that a dead crow, found in Chatham County, N.C., near the town of Moncure died of the West Nile Virus. The finding marks the farthest south the virus has been identified. Moncure is about 40 miles southwest of Raleigh.
A new population of non-native Asian swamp eels, a highly adaptable predatory fish, has been found near the eastern border of Everglades National Park in the area of Homestead, Fla.
Although Hurricane Lenny brought high winds and heavy rains to Puerto Rico, residents in the vicinity of Lago La Plata were spared the hazards and inconveniences of an unnecessary evacuation Wednesday morning, in part because of the efforts of U.S. Geological Survey Caribbean District Office personnel in advance of, and during the storm.
Due to an unprecedented decision by the U.S. Geological Survey representative in Puerto Rico, two USGS employees in Guaynabo have actually moved to the city’s civil defense facility and will remain there until the latest in a series of hurricanes (Jose) no longer appears to threaten the lives and property of the residents of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Today, as Hurricane Jose was upgraded from a tropical storm, the U. S. Geological Survey in Puerto Rico was monitoring the storm’s path and intensity very closely. If the hurricane threatens Puerto Rico later this week, as predicted, the USGS is prepared to provide critical information to local government and emergency management officials responsible for protecting the lives and property of Puert
While navigating the treacherous floodwaters in North Carolina to measure the rising water caused by Hurricane Floyd, U.S. Geological Survey scientists rescued four citizens threatened by the storm.
While much of eastern North Carolina remains under water, U.S. Geological Survey scientists and hydrologic technicians are boating over rooftops, submerged cars, and bridges and roads topped by deep water to collect data and determine the amount of environmental damage done by Hurricane Floyd’s heavy rains.
Flood levels from Hurricane Floyd exceeded those from Hurricane Fran, which occurred in September 1996.Preliminary assessments indicate that flood levels in much of the Tar River Basin were at the 500-year recurrence interval. (500-year flood flow has a 0.2-percent chance of being equalled or exceeded during any given year at a particular location.)
River stage and streamflow data--The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects river stage and streamflow data at more than 200 sites across North Carolina. Near real-time data at most sites are transmitted via satellite to a central data base that compiles current and historical data.
USGS scientists from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, the National Wetlands Research Center and the Florida and Caribbean Science Center are gearing up to assess Hurricane Floyd damage to wildlife and habitat from Florida to Maine.
Wildfires have long played a key role in structuring ecosystems and plant communities in the southeastern United States. From the coastal prairie of Texas and Louisiana to the marshes and pinelands of Florida, many native species have adapted to a natural regime of frequent wildfire caused by lightning strikes.
The USGS, in collaboration with State and other Federal agencies, is evaluating the extent of erosion along North Carolina’s coastline following Hurricane Dennis. The following activities have been completed or are in progress toward that goal:
Follow Region 2 activities on social media, get contact information for Region 2 USGS centers, and meet Region 2's staff and center directors.