Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Conference Papers

Browse almost 5,000 conference papers authored by our scientists and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.

Filter Total Items: 5346

Losses of seabirds in gill nets in the North Pacific

Existing knowledge on high-seas and coastal gillnet fisheries known to kill seabirds in the North Pacific is summarized. Recent estimates suggest that high-seas gillnet fisheries may have taken more than 500,000 seabirds in 1990. The majority of birds taken in those fisheries were Sooty Puffinus griseus or Short-tailed P. tenuirostris shearwaters. A recent analysis of impacts of those fisheries su
Authors
Anthony R. DeGange, Robert H. Day, Jean E. Takekawa, Vivian M. Mendenhall

Mapping debris-flow hazard in Honolulu using a DEM

A method for mapping hazard posed by debris flows has been developed and applied to an area near Honolulu, Hawaii. The method uses studies of past debris flows to characterize sites of initiation, volume at initiation, and volume-change behavior during flow. Digital simulations of debris flows based on these characteristics are then routed through a digital elevation model (DEM) to estimate degree
Authors
Stephen D. Ellen, Robert K. Mark

Measurement of bridge scour at the SR-32 crossing of the Sacramento River at Hamilton City, California, 1987-92

A study of the State Route 32 crossing of the Sacramento River near Hamilton City, California, is being made to determine those channel and bridge factors that contribute to scour at the site. Three types of scour data have been measured-channel bed (natural) scour, constriction (general) scour, and local (bridge-pier induced) scour. During the years 1979-93, a maximum of 3.4 ft of channel bed sco
Authors
J. C. Blodgett, Carroll D. Harris

Methane in permafrost - Preliminary results from coring at Fairbanks, Alaska

Permafrost has been suggested as a high-latitude source of methane (a greenhouse gas) during global warming. To begin to assess the magnitude of this source, we have examined the methane content of permafrost in samples from shallow cores (maximum depth, 9.5m) at three sites in Fairbanks, Alaska, where discontinuous permafrost is common. These cores sampled frozen loess, peat, and water (ice) belo
Authors
K. A. Kvenvolden, T.D. Lorenson

Modeling the tides of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays

A time-dependent, three-dimensional numerical modeling study of the tides of Massachusetts and Cape Code Bays, motivated by construction of a new sewage treatment plant and ocean outfall for the city of Boston, has been undertaken by the authors. The numerical model being used is a hybrid version of the Blumberg and Mellor ECOM3D model, modified to include a semi-implicit time-stepping scheme and
Authors
H. L. Jenter, R. P. Signell, A.F. Blumberg

New geophysical models related to heat sources in the geysers-clear lake region, California

We present an updated view of the geological and geophysical complexities of the upper crust in The Geysers-Clear Lake region in order to provide additional information regarding local structures and possible heat sources. New models and ideal-body analysis of the gravity data, new electromagnetic sounding models, and arguments made from other geophysical data sets suggest that many of the geophys
Authors
W. D. Stanley, R.J. Blakely

New geothermal database for Utah

The Utah Geological Survey complied a preliminary database consisting of over 800 records on thermal wells and springs in Utah with temperatures of 20??C or greater. Each record consists of 35 fields, including location of the well or spring, temperature, depth, flow-rate, and chemical analyses of water samples. Developed for applications on personal computers, the database will be useful for geoc
Authors
Robert E. Blackett

New methods to characterize site amplification

Methods alternative to spectral ratios are introduced to characterize site amplification. The methods are developed by using a range of models, from the simple constant amplification model to the time-varying filter model. Examples are given for each model by using a pair of rock- and soil-site recordings from the Loma Prieta earthquake.
Authors
Erdal Safak

Non-shear focal mechanisms of earthquakes at The Geysers, California and Hengill, Iceland, geothermal areas

Several thousand earthquakes were recorded in each area. We report an initial investigation of the focal mechanisms based on P-wave polarities. Distortion by complicated three-dimensional crustal structure was minimized using tomographically derived three-dimensional crustal models. Events with explosive and implosive source mechanisms, suggesting cavity opening and collapse, have been tentatively
Authors
B. R. Julian, A.D. Miller, G. R. Foulger

Numerical model for learning concepts of streamflow simulation

Numerical models are useful for demonstrating principles of open-channel flow. Such models can allow experimentation with cause-and-effect relations, testing concepts of physics and numerical techniques. Four PT is a numerical model written primarily as a teaching supplement for a course in one-dimensional stream-flow modeling. Four PT options particularly useful in training include selection of g
Authors
L. L. DeLong
Was this page helpful?