Unified Interior Regions
Region 4: Mississippi Basin
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Sparta Aquifer Recovery Project
The Sparta aquifer is Union County's only source of municipal and industrial ground water. Since development began in the early 1920's ground-water levels have declined more than 390 feet in some areas. As a result, Union was among five southern Arkansas counties designated as the state's first "Critical Ground Water Area" in 1996.
Partners include:...
Decision Support System for Sustainable and Adaptive Management of Beaver Lake - Arkansas
Short Title: Beaver Lake 3-D Modelin
Project Chief: Reed Green
Cooperator: Beaver Water District
Project Time Frame: October 2007 - present
Beaver Lake is a large, deep-storage reservoir located in the White River Basin in northwestern Arkansas and is...
Beaver Lake Water Quantity and Quality - Arkansas
Short Title: Beaver Lake Water Quality
Project Chief: Reed Green
Cooperator: Beaver Water District
Project Time Frame: 2000 - present
Beaver Lake, completed in 1963, is located in northwestern Arkansas and receives a majority of its water from three...
Ground-Water Data Network - Arkansas
Short Title: Ground-Water Data Network
Project Chief: Anna Nottmeier
Cooperators: Arkansas Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Division, Arkansas Geological...
Hydrologic Monitoring for the City of Hot Springs Early Flood Warning Information System - Arkansas
Short Title: Hot Springs Flood Warning System
Project Chief: Joseph Fleming
Cooperator: City of Hot Springs
Project Time Frame: 2008- present
In May 1990, a series of severe thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of Hot Springs with a total...
Lakes Maumelle and Winona - Arkansas
Short Title: Lakes Maumelle and Winona
Project Chief: William Green
Cooperator: Central Arkansas Water
Project Time Frame: 1989 - present
Lakes Maumelle and Winona are water-supply reservoirs for the Little Rock and North Little Rock metropolitan areas...
Middle Fork of the Saline River - Arkansas
Short Title: Middle Fork Study
Project Chief: William Baldwin
Cooperators: Hot Springs Village Property Owners Association, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,Arkansas Naural Resources Commission, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...
Ground-Water Modeling Support - Arkansas
Short Title: North Ground-Water Model
Project Chief: Phillip Hays
Cooperators: Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
Project Time Frame: 2005 - present
Several counties in eastern and southern Arkansas have been designated Critical Ground-Water Areas (areas where alluvial aquifer...
Ozark Plateaus National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program
Short Title: Ozark Plateaus NAWQA
Project Chief: Billy Justus
Cooperator: U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Project Time Frame: 1991 - present
The Ozark Plateaus study unit is one of more than 50 study units that are part...
Sediment Data Program
Short Title: Sediment Data Program
Project Chief: Dwight Lasker
Cooperator: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Memphis District
Project Time Frame: 1997 - present
Sediment concentrations and discharges in rivers and streams must be defined and monitored for effective water resource planning and water-...
Sparta Aquifer Recovery Project
Short Title: Sparta Recovery Project
Project Chief: Anna Nottmeier
Cooperators: Union County Water Conservation Board
Project Time Frame: 2002 - present
The Sparta aquifer is a confined aquifer of great regional importance and is a major water resource for municipal, industrial,...
Surface-Water Data Program - Arkansas
Short Title: Surface-Water Data Program
Project Chief: William Baldwin
Cooperators: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Vicksburg District, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Arkansas Geological...
Investigating the gene expression profiles of rehabilitated Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) following red tide exposure
To investigate a Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) mortality event following a red tide bloom in Southwest Florida, an RNA sequencing experiment was conducted. Gene expression changes in white blood cells were assessed in manatees rescued from a red tide affected area (n = 4) and a control group (n = 7) using RNA sequencing. The...
Lazensky, Rebecca; Hunter, Margaret; Amador, David M.; Al-Khedery, Basima; Yu, Fahong; Walsh, Cathy; Gitzendanner, Matthew A.; Tripp, Katie; Walsh, Mike; Denslow, Nancy D.Mortality and cholinesterase inhibition in butterflies following aerial naled applications for mosquito control on the National Key Deer Refuge
Natural resource managers are concerned about the impacts of aerial ultra-low volume spray (ULV) of insecticides for mosquito control (i.e., mosquito adulticides) and seek science-driven management recommendations that reduce risk but allow vector control for nearby human populations. Managers at the National Key Deer Refuge (Florida Keys, FL) are...
Bargar, Timothy; Anderson, Chad; Sowers, AnthonyFrequency of extreme freeze events controls the distribution and structure of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) near their northern range limit in coastal Louisiana
AimClimate change is expected to result in the tropicalization of coastal wetlands in the northern Gulf of Mexico, as warming winters allow tropical mangrove forests to expand their distribution poleward at the expense of temperate salt marshes. Data limitations near mangrove range limits have hindered understanding of the effects of winter...
Osland, Michael; Day, Richard; Michot, Thomas C.Near-term spatial hydrologic forecasting in Everglades, USA for landscape planning and ecological forecasting
Operational ecological forecasting is an emerging field that leverages ecological models in a new, cross-disciplinary way – using a real-time or nearly real-time climate forecast to project near-term ecosystem states. These applications give decision-makers lead time to anticipate and manage state changes that degrade ecosystem functions or...
Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Beerens, James M.; Reynolds, Gregg; Haider, Saira; McKelvy, James M.; Suir, Kevin; Romanach, Stephanie; Nestler, Jennifer H.Reduction in drinking water arsenic exposure and health risk through arsenic treatment among private well households in Maine and New Jersey, USA
Over 2 million people in the United States (U.S.) drink water from private wells that contain arsenic (As) exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 micrograms per liter (μg/L). While there are a number of commercially available treatment technologies for removing As from drinking water, it is...
Yang, Qiang; Flanagan, Sara V.; Chillrud, Steven; Ross, James; Zeng, Wenke; Culbertson, Charles W.; Spayd, Steve; Backer, Lorraine C.; Smith, Andrew E.; Zheng, YanSmall gradients in salinity have large effects on stand water use in freshwater wetland forests
Salinity intrusion is responsible for changes to freshwater wetland watersheds globally, but little is known about how wetland water budgets might be influenced by small increments in salinity. We studied a forested wetland in South Carolina, USA, and installed sap flow probes on 72 trees/shrubs along a salinity gradient. Species investigated...
Duberstein, Jamie A.; Krauss, Ken; Baldwin, M.J.; Allen, Scott T.; Conner, William H.; Salter, John S.; Miloshis, MichaelTranscriptome analysis of testis reveals the effects of developmental exposure to bisphenol a or 17α-ethinylestradiol in medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can induce abnormalities in organisms via alteration of molecular pathways and subsequent disruption of endocrine functions. Bisphenol A (BPA) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) are ubiquitous EDCs in the environment. Many aquatic organisms, including fish, are often exposed to varying concentrations of BPA and...
Bhandari, Ramji K.; Wang, Xuegeng; vom Saal, Frederick S.; Tillitt, Donald E.Divergent biotic and abiotic filtering of root endosphere and rhizosphere soil fungal communities along ecological gradients
Plant roots assemble two distinct microbial compartments: the rhizosphere (microbes in soil surrounding roots) and the endosphere (microbes within roots). Our knowledge of fungal community assembly in these compartments is limited, especially in wetlands. We tested the hypothesis that biotic factors would have direct effects on rhizosphere and...
Lumibao, Candice Y; Kimbrough, Elizabeth; Day, Richard; Conner, William H.; Krauss, Ken; Van Bael, Sunshine AHurricane Sandy effects on coastal marsh elevation change
High-magnitude storm events such as Hurricane Sandy are powerful agents of geomorphic change in coastal marshes, potentially altering their surface elevation trajectories. But how do a storm’s impacts vary across a large region spanning a variety of wetland settings and storm exposures and intensities. We determined the short-term impacts of...
Yeates, Alice G.; Grace, James; Olker, Jennifer H.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; Cahoon, Donald; Adamowicz, Susan C.; Anisfeld, Shimon C.; Barrett, Nels; Benzecry, Alice; Blum, Linda K.; Christian, Rober T; Grzyb, Joseph; Kracauer Hartig, Ellen; Hines Leo, Kelly; Lerberg, Scott; Lynch, James C.; Maher, Nicole; Megonigal, J Patrick; Reay, William G.; Siok, Drexel; Starke, Adam; Turner, Vincent; Warren, ScottStructural impacts, carbon losses, and regeneration in mangrove wetlands after two hurricanes on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the mangroves of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, in 2017. Basal area losses were large (63–100%) and storm losses of carbon associated with aboveground biomass amounted to 11.9–43.5 Mg C/ha. Carbon biomass of dead standing trees increased 8.1–18.3 Mg C/ha among sites, and carbon in coarse woody debris on the forest...
Krauss, Ken; From, Andrew; Rogers, Caroline; Whelan, Kevin R.T.; Grimes, Kristen W.; Dobbs, Robert C.; Kelley, ThomasComparing trends in modeled and observed streamflows at minimally altered basins in the United States
We compared modeled and observed streamflow trends from 1984–2016 using five statistical transfer models and one deterministic, distributed-parameter, process-based model, for 26 flow metrics at 502 basins in the United States that are minimally influenced by development. We also looked at a measure of overall model fit and average bias. A higher...
Hodgkins, Glenn A.; Dudley, Robert; Russell, Amy M.; LaFontaine, Jacob H.Updating data inputs, assessing trends, and evaluating a method to estimate probable high groundwater levels in selected areas of Massachusetts
A method to estimate the probable high groundwater level in Massachusetts, excluding Cape Cod and the islands, was developed in 1981. The method uses a groundwater measurement from a test site, groundwater measurements from an index well, and a distribution of high groundwater levels from wells in similar geologic and topographic settings. The U.S...
Barclay, Janet R.; Mullaney, John R.WRP St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Wetlands Reserve Program site in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Changes in a local river resulted in the landowner’s fields flooding on a regular basis. The landowner worked through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to restore his fields to their natural wetland state.
DEM in the Atchafalaya Basin, LA
Digital Elevation Model in the Atchafalaya Basin, LA
Southeast Missouri Helicopter Survey
Residents and visitors should not be alarmed to witness a low-flying helicopter over southeastern Missouri starting in mid to late February, 2014.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists will conduct a comprehensive, high-resolution airborne survey to study the rock layers under parts of Washington, Franklin and Crawford counties. Instruments on the helicopter will
...WRP Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Wetlands Reserve Program site in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Ten years ago, this landowner worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Wetlands Reserve Program to design and construct this slough as part of a plan to restore this field’s natural wetland hydrology.
Night Flooding in Natchez
Image shows a night-time view of the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge at Natchez, Mississippi.
In late 2015/early 2016 unusually large rainfall in the Upper Mississippi River Valley led to significant flooding in Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. USGS crews responded to the flooding by collecting streamflow and water quality information and
...USGS Streamgage at Baton Rouge
The USGS Streamgage at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, during the 2015/2016 Mississippi River Valley Flooding.
In late 2015/early 2016, unusually large rainfall in the Upper Mississippi River Valley led to flooding throughout Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. USGS water science centers responded to the flooding by measuring the streamflow
...Strong River at D'Lo Mississippi
This image was taken at the Strong River at D'Lo, Mississippi by Shane Stocks who is a Hydrologic Technician out of the Jackson, MS office. Shane used an infared camera to take this long exposure shot of the river.
Flooding on Mississippi River in December 2015
USGS crews had two research vessels out measuring streamflow on the Mississippi River at St. Louis on New Years Eve, 2015.
Flooding on Mississippi River in December 2015
USGS scientist Chris Rowden drives a research vessel measuring streamflow alongside another field crew on the Mississippi River at St. Louis.
Flooding on Mississippi River in December 2015
USGS crews had two research vessels out measuring streamflow on the Mississippi River at St. Louis on New Years Eve, 2015. USGS scientists Eric Looper and Jason Carron are one of many USGS field crews out in the floodwaters over the holiday.
Flooding on Mississippi River in December 2015
USGS scientists Chris Rowden, Larry Buschmann and Bob Holmes were on the Mississippi River at St. Louis taking streamflow measurements on New Years Eve, 2015. This information is critical to the National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and emergency managers in making flood predictions and response.
Streamflow in the eastern portions of the Missouri River watershed has increased over the past 52 years, whereas other parts have seen downward trends.
On the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today released a new report showing that forests, wetlands and farms in the eastern United States naturally store 300 million tons of carbon a year (1,100 million tons of CO2 equivalent).
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding on the Big Sioux River and its tributaries in South Dakota.
Scientists have extracted DNA from fish eggs found in northern sections of the Upper Mississippi River and have determined that the eggs and larvae are not from Asian carp.
Want to know how elevation will benefit your state? The USGS National Geospatial Program is advancing the 3D Elevation Program, known as 3DEP, in response to the growing need for high-quality three-dimensional representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.
Stronger storms, rising seas, and flooding are placing hundreds of millions people at risk around the world, and big part of the solution to decrease those risks is just off shore. A new study finds that coral reefs reduce the wave energy that would otherwise impact coastlines by 97 percent.
The biology of small streams in the Illinois River Basin has been disturbed by a mix of factors, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
A newly developed computer model holds the promise of helping scientists track and predict where oil will go after a spill, sometimes years later.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists will conduct a comprehensive, high-resolution airborne survey to study the rock layers under parts of Washington, Franklin and Crawford counties. Instruments on the helicopter will collect information about the underground geology and mineral deposits of the region.
Earthquake activity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone in the central United States does not seem to be slowing down. In a new study published in the journal "Science," seismologists Morgan Page and Susan Hough of the U.S. Geological Survey investigate whether current quakes in the region could be aftershocks of large earthquakes that occurred 200 years earlier.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that Interior's North Central Climate Science Center is awarding slightly more than one million dollars to universities and other partners for research to guide managers of parks, refuges and other cultural and natural resources in planning how to help species and ecosystems adapt to climate change.
New hydrological details of the 2010 flood that killed 20 people in and near the Albert Pike Recreation Area were released today in two U.S. Geological Survey reports.