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Data

GECSC staff are responsible for the development of data and information products that support global environmental research, landscape change investigations, geologic studies and emergency response activities. 

Filter Total Items: 231

Data release for Hydroclimate response of spring ecosystems to a two-stage Younger Dryas event in western North America

The Younger Dryas (YD) climate event is the preeminent example of abrupt climate change in the recent geologic past. Climate conditions during the YD were spatially complex, and high-resolution sediment cores in the North Atlantic, western Europe, and East Asia have revealed it unfolded in two distinct stages, including an initial stable climatic period between ~12.9 and 12.2 ka associated with a

Data Release for Luminescence: Mid to Late Quaternary Geomorphic and Paleoseismic Event History, Cheraw Fault, Colorado

Despite its subdued expression and isolated location within the Great Plains of southeastern Colorado, the 80-km-long Cheraw fault may be one of the most active faults in North America east of the Southern Rocky Mountains. We present geomorphic analyses, geochronology, and paleoseismic trenching data to 1) document the rupture history of the ~45-km-long southwestern section of the Cheraw fault ove

Data Release for Luminescence: Luminescence data for Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming

The following report summarizes the dating results from the Natural Trap Cave 2018-2019 dating project. Within this report, we detail the methodology used by the USGS Luminescence Geochronology Laboratory to obtain ages including sample preparation methods, luminescence measurement, equivalent dose determination, and dating-related calculations. We recommend that this report be included as the sup

Data Release for Luminescence: Floodplain Sediment Storage Timescales of the Laterally Confined Meandering Powder River, U.S.A

The following report summarizes the dating results from the. Within this report, we detail the methodology used to determine the storage time distribution for a 17 km length of Powder River in Montana, U.S.A. by the age distribution of eroded sediment. This data is used by the USGS Luminescence Geochronology Laboratory to obtain ages including sample preparation methods, luminescence measurement,

Burn probability predictions for the state of California, USA using an optimal set of spatio-temporal features.

Burn probability (BP) models the likelihood that a location could burn. However, predicting BP is extremely challenging, because fire behavior varies strongly among landscapes and with changing weather conditions and wildfire spread simulations are computationally intensive and require integration of data with large spatial and temporal variability. In this data release we include the monthly BP e

Data Release - Pleistocene Glaciation in the Upper Platte River Drainage Basin, Colorado

At times during the past two million years, glaciers formed in the mountainous part of the Platte River drainage basin. These glaceriers were predominantly valley glaciers, also commonly referred to a s mountain or alpine glaciers. by definition, valley glaciers flow through pre-existing valleys and are bounded by exposed bedrock. the deep valleys and canyons of the map area already existed at the

Urban landcover differentially drives day and nighttime air temperature across a semi-arid city

Semi-arid urban environments are undergoing an increase in air temperatures, both in average temperatures and in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events. Within cities, different varieties of urban landcovers (ULC) and their densities influence local air temperatures, either mitigating or increasing heat. Currently, understanding how various combinations of ULCs influence air temperatur

Spatial social value distributions for multiple user groups in a coastal national park

Public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) is increasingly used in coastal settings to inform natural resource management and spatial planning. Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES), a PPGIS tool that systematizes the mapping and modeling of social values and cultural ecosystem services, is promising for use in coastal settings but has seen relatively limited applications

Wetland burned area extent derived from Sentinel-2 across the southeastern U.S. (2016-2019)

Wildfires and prescribed fires are frequent but under-mapped across wetlands of the southeastern United States . High annual precipitation supports rapid post-fire recovery of wetland vegetation, while associated cloud cover limits clear-sky observations. In addition, the low burn severity of prescribed fires and spectral confusion between fluctuating water levels and burned areas have resulted in

Global biomes for the Last Interglacial period (127-119 ka) simulated by BIOME4 using CESM2-CISM2 coupled climate–ice sheet model data

This data release contains: 1) the BIOME4-simulated biome data used to create Sommers et al. (2021) Figures 2, 6, S6, and S7; 2) the CESM2-CISM2 calendar-adjusted temperature data used to create Sommers et al. (2021) Figures 2, 7, S2-S5, and S8-S11; and 3) land, ice, and ocean mask data and continent and ice sheet outline files. Additional CESM2-CISM2 simulation data described in Sommers et al. (

Biomes simulated by BIOME4 using CESM2 lig127k, midHolocene, and piControl climate data on a global 0.5-degree grid

This data set consists of simulated biomes for the last interglacial (127 ka), middle Holocene (6 ka), and preindustrial (1850 CE) time periods displayed in Figure 14 of Otto-Bliesner et al. (2020). Biomes were simulated with BIOME4 (ver. 4.2, https://pmip2.lsce.ipsl.fr/synth/biome4.shtml; Kaplan et al., 2003), an equilibrium vegetation model, using CESM2 (ver. 2.1.0) simulated climate data produ

Propensity of cold air drainage index and related variables

Cold air drainage down slopes may form cold air pools in valleys and surface depressions. These cold air pools can significantly affect ecosystem processes, agricultural crops, and air quality. Rupp et al. (2021, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-021-03712-y) proposed a propensity of cold air drainage index to represent the likelihood of occurrence of clear-sky no