Unified Interior Regions
Region 4: Mississippi Basin
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Welcome to the Mississippi Basin Region! Our streamgage network is used to monitor and assess water resources across the region. Other research focuses on fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, midcontinental plant/animal species, invasive species, wildlife disease, and energy and mining.
News
USGS Responds to Spring Flooding
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding across the country as spring weather is in full swing. Warming temperatures, increased precipitation and snowmelt have caused moderate to major flooding in the upper Midwest, East Coast, Central Plains and the Southeast portions of the country.
President Proposes $971.2 Million FY 2021 Budget for USGS
Budget Focuses on Bringing Science, Facilities, and Infrastructure into the 21st Century
Flights Above the Mississippi Alluvial Plain to Continue Aquifer Mapping
New Phase of USGS Low-level Surveys Begins in November
Publications
Methods of collection and quality assessment of arsenic data in well-water supplies in Maine, 2001–2 and 2006–7
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, assessed the chemical characteristics and the occurrence, distribution, and oxidation state of inorganic arsenic in drinking water from selected domestic well-water supplies in Maine in 2001–2...
Culbertson, Charles W.; Caldwell, James M.; Schalk, Luther F.; Manassaram, Deana; Backer, Lorraine C.; Smith, Andrew E.
Estimating the effect of winter cover crops on nitrogen leaching using cost-share enrollment data, satellite remote sensing, and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling
This study employed a novel combination of data (winter cover crop cost-share enrollment records, satellite remote sensing of wintertime vegetation, and results of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) water quality simulations) to estimate the environmental performance of winter cover crops (WCC) at the watershed scale, from 2008 through 2017,...
Hively, W. Dean; Lee, Sangchul; Sadeghi, Ali M.; McCarty, Gregory W.; Lamb, Brian T.; Soroka, Alexander M.; Keppler, Jason; Yeo, In-Young; Moglen, Glenn E. Joint seasonality in geographic and ecological spaces, illustrated with a partially migratory bird
As most species live in seasonal environments, considering varying conditions is essential to understand species dynamics in both geographic and ecological spaces. Both resident and migratory species need to contend with seasonality and balance settling in favorable areas with tracking favorable environmental conditions during the year. We present...
Basille, Mathieu; Watling, James I.; Romanach, Stephanie; Borkhataria, Rena R.
Forest Structure Resulting from ‘Wildlife Forestry Silviculture’
Wildlife forestry is management of forest resources, within sites and across landscapes, to provide sustainable, desirable habitat conditions for all forest-dependent (silvicolous) fauna while concurrently yielding economically viable, quality timber products. In practice, however, management decisions associated with wildlife forestry often reflect a desire to provide suitable habitat for...
Mapping High Marsh along the Northern Gulf of Mexico Coast
USGS is collaborating with Mississippi State University to investigate the effects of fire on Gulf of Mexico marshes. The project will include mapping high marsh and monitoring black rail, yellow rail, and mottled duck responses to prescribed fire application.
Creating a System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) for Coastal Louisiana
USGS researchers will provide technical guidance to inform the development of monitoring plans for the western coast of Louisiana.
Louisiana Public Awareness, Hydrologic Studies, and Hydrologic Data
Louisiana Public Awareness, Hydrologic Studies, and Hydrologic Data
Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect
The Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect (ODABOuT) project examines the three-dimensional geology of a transect of the southern orogenic margin of North America in its best surface exposure in western Arkansas. The Ozark Dome and Arkoma Basin represent a foreland uplift and foreland basin that formed as a result of the impinging Ouachita orogenic belt. Understanding the geometry and...
Real-Time Storm Response
Coastal change forecasts and pre- and post-storm photos documenting coastal change for landfalling storms. Currently responding to Hurricane Dorian.
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Monitoring and Assessment Program Development
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and USGS will jointly lead the development of foundational components for Gulf region-wide monitoring.
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Geospatially Enabled, Web-based Habitat Reporting Tool to Support Monitoring and Assessment along the Louisiana Shore
The State of Louisiana's Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program has partnered with USGS to developed two habitat classifications schemes for monitoring barrier island habitats and habitats in beach-dune systems along the mainland. These schemes builds upon previous BICM habitat mapping efforts.
Model Improvements for Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan
The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s Coastal Master Plan is a blueprint for responding to environmental changes. As part of the agency’s continued engagement, USGS supports model developments and improvements for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan.
Geochemical analyses of bauxite and associated rocks from the Arkansas bauxite region, central Arkansas
This data release compiles major and trace element analytical results of samples of bauxite (aluminum ore) and associated rocks collected from the Arkansas bauxite region, located near the center of Arkansas in Pulaski and Saline Counties. Samples were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in April 2018 as part of the USGS' focus on increased understanding of the United State
Suspended-sediment concentration data from water samples collected in 2016-17 in Grand Bay, Alabama and Mississippi
In wetlands within and near Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, parts of the salt marsh are eroding relatively rapidly. To understand the connection between sediment fluxes and these processes, the U.S. Geological Survey made oceanographic and water-quality measurements from August 2, 2016, to January 28, 2017
Airborne magnetic and radiometric survey, southeast Missouri and western Illinois, 2018-2019
This publication provides digital flight line data for a high-resolution horizontal magnetic gradient and radiometric survey over an area of southeast Missouri and western Illinois. The survey represents the first airborne geophysical survey conducted as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Mapping Resource Initiative (Earth MRI) effort (Day, 2019). Earth MRI is a coopera
Geochemical data supporting a comparison of apatite between regional magmatism and the Pea Ridge Iron Oxide-Apatite-Rare Earth Element (IOA-REE) and Boss Iron Oxide-Copper-Cobalt-Gold-REE Deposits (IOCG) deposits, southeastern Missouri, USA
This data release presents high-spatial resolution geochemical analyses collected from Mesoproterozoic apatite crystals in igneous rocks from the St. Francois Mountains terrane and coeval ore rocks from the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite-rare earth element (IOA-REE) and Boss iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits. These deposits are located in the southeast Missouri iron metallogenic provin
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2018 from the Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
From August 16 to 21, 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a geophysical survey to investigate the geologic controls on barrier island evolution and medium-term and interannual sediment transport along the sand berm constructed in 2011 (offshore, at the northern end of the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana) as mitigation of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This investigat
Channel bed elevations for a 5-mile reach on the Maumelle River upstream of Lake Maumelle near Little Rock, Arkansas, 2019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) did a bathymetric survey of the lower reach of the Maumelle River upstream of Lake Maumelle, near Little Rock, Arkansas, from July 9—11, 2019. Channel bed elevations (thalweg) were collected to support a USACE modeling effort on a 5-mile reach of the Maumelle River. In parts
USGS Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems and National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Projects-Louisiana-Mississippi Salt Basins and Western Gulf Provinces, Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms
This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of undiscovered gas hydrate resources on the north slope of Alaska. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total Petroleum...
Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System
Information about scientific data collected through field activities conducted by scientists in the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources program
National Water Information System (NWIS) Mapper
The NWIS mapper provides access to over 1.5 million sites contained in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), including sites where current and historical surface-water, groundwater, springs, and atmospheric data has been collected. Users can search by site type, data type, site number, or place.
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey, Shellmound, Mississippi, March 2018
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired in late February to early March 2018 along 2,364 line-kilometers in the Shellmound, Mississippi study area. Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different helicopter-borne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. RESOLVE frequency-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface
Ground-based time-domain electromagnetic data and resistivity models for the Mississippi Alluvial Plain Project
The Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) Project contains several geologic units which act as important aquifers. We collected several sets of time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) data consisting of two higher-density surveys and six regional-scale transects. The higher density surveys were collected to compare and contrast to other geophysical data not included in this data release, such as a
Crustal Architecture Beneath the Southern Midcontinent (USA) -- Data Grids and 3D Geophysical Models
Regional grid files and 3D voxel models were used to study crustal architecture beneath the Southern Midcontinent (USA) by McCafferty and others (2019). The study covered a rectangular, multi-state area of 924 by 924 kilometers centered on Missouri, and a corresponding volume extending from the topographic surface to a depth of 50 kilometers below sea level. The grid files consist of
This map shows the provinces assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources.
Louisiana Fact Sheets by Parish
Shreveport Area—Caddo and Bossier Parishes Flood Map
Ascension Parish
Amite River Basin
River and Coastal Forecast Information
Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center, Slidell, Louisiana—(NWS)
Network wells depicted on the Climate Response Network location map
Note: Color shading in the table below indicates multiple wells that plot as a single point on the state location map above.
Note: BLS = Water Level in Feet Below Land Surface, RVD = Water Level referenced to a vertical datum
June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season. Should storms arrive on the Louisiana coast, the people in coastal communities across the State, along with many Federal, State, and local agencies will need to know how the storms are affecting the coastal and low-lying areas.The USGS maintains an extensive network of coastal gages that provides critical time-sensitive water level.
Real-time displays of current floating conditions at various sites along the Arkansas Buffalo River.
Subsurface geometry of the Mississippi Embayment Regional Aquifer Study (MERAS)
The 3DEP products and services available through The National Map consist of standard digital elevation models (DEMs) at various horizontal resolutions, elevation source and associated datasets, an elevation point query service and bulk point query service. All 3DEP products are available, free of charge and without use restrictions.
The Arkansas Groundwater - Quality Network is a web map interface that provides rapid access to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) NWIS and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) STORET databases of ambient groundwater information. The interface enables users to perform simple graphical analysis and download selected water-quality data.
Methods of collection and quality assessment of arsenic data in well-water supplies in Maine, 2001–2 and 2006–7
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, assessed the chemical characteristics and the occurrence, distribution, and oxidation state of inorganic arsenic in drinking water from selected domestic well-water supplies in Maine in 2001–2...
Culbertson, Charles W.; Caldwell, James M.; Schalk, Luther F.; Manassaram, Deana; Backer, Lorraine C.; Smith, Andrew E. Estimating the effect of winter cover crops on nitrogen leaching using cost-share enrollment data, satellite remote sensing, and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling
This study employed a novel combination of data (winter cover crop cost-share enrollment records, satellite remote sensing of wintertime vegetation, and results of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) water quality simulations) to estimate the environmental performance of winter cover crops (WCC) at the watershed scale, from 2008 through 2017,...
Hively, W. Dean; Lee, Sangchul; Sadeghi, Ali M.; McCarty, Gregory W.; Lamb, Brian T.; Soroka, Alexander M.; Keppler, Jason; Yeo, In-Young; Moglen, Glenn E. Joint seasonality in geographic and ecological spaces, illustrated with a partially migratory bird
As most species live in seasonal environments, considering varying conditions is essential to understand species dynamics in both geographic and ecological spaces. Both resident and migratory species need to contend with seasonality and balance settling in favorable areas with tracking favorable environmental conditions during the year. We present...
Basille, Mathieu; Watling, James I.; Romanach, Stephanie; Borkhataria, Rena R.
Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program: Mapping habitats in beach, dune, and intertidal environments along the Louisiana Gulf of Mexico shoreline, 2008 and 2015–16
Barrier islands, headlands, and coastal shorelines provide numerous valuable ecosystem goods and services, including storm protection and erosion control for the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, salinity regulation in estuaries, carbon sequestration in marshes, and areas for recreation and tourism. These coastal features are dynamic...
Enwright, Nicholas M.; SooHoo, William M.; Dugas, Jason L.; Conzelmann, Craig P.; Laurenzano, Claudia; Lee, Darin M.; Mouton, Kelly; Stelly, Spencer J. Fluoride occurrence in United States groundwater
Data from 38,105 wells were used to characterize fluoride (F) occurrence in untreated United States (U.S.) groundwater. For domestic wells (n = 11,032), water from which is generally not purposely fluoridated or monitored for quality, 10.9% of the samples have F concentrations >0.7 mg/L (U.S. Public Health Service recommended optimal F...
McMahon, Peter B.; Brown, Craig J.; Johnson, Tyler D.; Belitz, Kenneth; Lindsey, Bruce D. Species richness responses to water withdrawal scenarios and minimum flow levels: Evaluating presumptive standards in the Tennessee and Cumberland River basins
Water resource managers are challenged to balance growing water demand with protecting aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity. Management decisions can benefit from improved understanding of water withdrawal impacts on hydrologic regimes and ecological assemblages. This study used Ecological Limit Functions for fish groups within the Tennessee and...
Driver, Lucas; Cartwright, Jennifer M.; Knight, Rodney; Wolfe, William J. Discovery of a reproducing wild population of the swamp eel Amphipnous cuchia (Hamilton, 1822) in North America
We report discovery of an established population of the Asian swamp eel Amphipnous cuchia (Hamilton, 1822) in Bayou St. John, an urban waterway in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. This fish, commonly referred to as cuchia (kuchia), is a member of the family Synbranchidae and is native to southern and southeastern Asia. Recently-used synonyms...
Jordan, Frank; Nico, Leo; Huggins, Krystal; Martinat, Peter J.; Martinez, Dahlia A.; Rodrigues, Victoria L.
Magnitude and frequency of floods in Alabama, 2015
To improve flood-frequency estimates at rural streams in Alabama, annual exceedance probability flows at gaged locations and regional regression equations used to estimate annual exceedance probability flows at ungaged locations were developed by using current geospatial data, new analytical methods, and annual peak-flow data through September...
Anderson, Brandon T.
Estimated groundwater withdrawals from principal aquifers in the United States, 2015
In 2015, about 84,600 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of groundwater were withdrawn in the United States for various uses including public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, mining, thermoelectric power, aquaculture, livestock, and irrigation. Of this total, about 94 percent (79,200 Mgal/d) was withdrawn from principal aquifers, which...
Lovelace, John K.; Nielsen, Martha G.; Read, Amy L.; Murphy, Chid J.; Maupin, Molly A. Book review: Proceedings of the First International Snakehead Symposium
Snakehead fishes (family Channidae) are among the most maligned aquatic invasive species in the USA and some other countries where they have been introduced outside of their native range in Asia and Africa. Nevertheless, snakeheads continue to be widely exploited in the live‐food trade in aquaculture and wild‐capture fisheries, are highly sought...
Walsh, Stephen The incubation environment of nests deposited by a genetically distinct group of loggerhead sea turtles in Northwest Florida
The warming climate presents a challenge to conservation of all threatened and endangered species but particularly to those that exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination such as sea turtles. Changes in temperature may result in changes in the sex ratio of the population which can directly affect reproductive rate, abundance and population...
Lamont, Margaret; Johnson, Darren; Carthy, Raymond A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations
Identifying and clearly communicating the drivers of ecosystem function is a crucially important goal for both basic and applied ecology. This has proven difficult because the putative causes (e.g., environment, species identity, biodiversity, and functional traits) are numerous and correlated. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of a formal...
Schoolmaster, Donald R.; Zirbel, Chad R; Cronin, James P.
In 1977, the Congress of the United States recognized the need for uniform, current, and reliable information on water use and directed the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to establish a National Water-Use Information Program (NWUIP) to complement the Survey's data on the availability and quality of the Nations water resources.
Water Well Constrution Reports entered online.
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 4): Amphibian Surveys – Call of the Frog
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them. In this episode we describe the USGS’s efforts to track frog populations in the southeast United States.
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana. See https://marine.
...
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana. See https://marine.
...
Variable Warming Upper Midwest Lakes and Implications for Sport Fish
Climate change is predicted to alter sport fish communities in Midwestern lakes, but managers currently have limited information on individual lakes that can be used to set local expectations or intervene with mitigation strategies. Northeast and North Central CASC supported researchers, with strong participation from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership, have combined
Testing New Drone Technology to Measure Floodwaters
A USGS crew used new drone technology to test and evaluate new technology to measure water speed from the air without touching the water. This drone footage was taken on the Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri on March 27, 2019. Scientists compared these new method results to the conventional way of taking measurements from a boat.
This work is a part of a national
USGS crews respond to flooding on the Big Sioux River
USGS technician Chris Broz helps take water measurements on the Big Sioux River during record flooding in March, 2019.
Spring 2019 Flooding - Big Sioux River, Akron, IA
After record flooding on the Big Sioux River, USGS crews mobilized to take important water measurements.
Spring 2019 Flooding - Big Sioux River, Hawarden, IA
After record flooding on the Big Sioux River, USGS crews mobilized to take important water measurements.
Spring 2019 Flooding - Big Sioux River
After record flooding on the Big Sioux River, USGS crews mobilized to take important water measurements.
National Oil and Gas Assessment Provinces
This is a graphic from the USGS National Oil and Gas Assessment Explorer application, which allows user to drill into 70 oil and gas assessment provinces throughout the United States.
Aerial photograph looking southwest along Breton Island, Louisiana, ta
Aerial photograph looking southwest along Breton Island, Louisiana, taken July 2013
Microscopic video imaging for computerized analysis of sperm motility
Microscopic video imaging is used for computerized analysis of sperm motility parameters
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding across the country as spring weather is in full swing. Warming temperatures, increased precipitation and snowmelt have caused moderate to major flooding in the upper Midwest, East Coast, Central Plains and the Southeast portions of the country.
Budget Focuses on Bringing Science, Facilities, and Infrastructure into the 21st Century
New Phase of USGS Low-level Surveys Begins in November
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.
Though Louisiana landfall is likely, highest waves expected to strike east of the storm
NOAA's annual prediction based on USGS data
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they inspect high-water marks? Please contact Marisa Lubeck or Paul Rydlund.
Media: Please join the U.S. Geological Survey, CGG Airborne and various partners for a demonstration of the low-flying helicopter and description of what scientists are seeking in and around the Mississippi Alluvial Plain.
Seeking Water from Above: Low-Level Helicopter to Fly Southern Portion of Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance informing the local communities is appreciated.
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.
Media: Please join the U.S. Geological Survey, CGG Airborne, and various partners for a demonstration takeoff of the low-flying helicopter and description of what scientists are seeking in/around the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Please RSVP to Heidi Koontz at 720-320-1246 or hkoontz@usgs.gov.
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance informing the local communities is appreciated.
Social Media
Locations
Louisiana Water Science Center
Phone: (225) 298-5481
Fax: (225) 298-5490
Fork Polk Project Office
Phone: (337) 531-4522 Fax:
Fax: (337) 531-6039
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center - Lafayette, LA
Phone: 337-266-8500
Fax: 337-266-8513
Columbia Environmental Research Center
Phone: 573-875-5399
Iowa Water Science Center
Phone: 319-337-4191
Fax: (319) 358-3606
National Geospatial Technical Operations Center - Rolla, MO
Missouri Water Science Center
Phone: 573-308-3667
Fax: (573) 308-3645
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Jackson, MS Office
Phone: (601) 933-2900
Fax: (601) 933-2901
Arkansas Water Science Center
Phone: (501) 228-3600
Fax: (501) 228-3601
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Baton Rouge, LA Office
Phone: (225) 298-5481
Fax: (225) 298-5490
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Little Rock, AR Office
Phone: (501) 228-3600
Ruston Program Office
Phone: (318) 251-9630
Fax: (318) 251-0372
Western Iowa Field Office - Council Bluffs
Phone: 712-323-0824
Fax: 712-322-7775
Central Iowa Field Office - Fort Dodge
Phone: 515-576-4571
Fax: 515-576-1692
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Fayetteville, AR Office
Phone: (479) 442-4888
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Ruston, LA Office
Phone: (318) 251-9630
Western Missouri Field Office - Lee's Summit
Phone: 816-554-3489
Fax: 816-554-9273
Eastern Missouri - Olivette
Phone: 314-567-7077 or 314-567-5440
Fax: 314-567-7641
