Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16779
Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus Shale gas development, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
The stratigraphy, water-bearing zones, and quality of groundwater were characterized in a 1,400-ft-deep test hole drilled during 2013 in fractured bedrock in Sullivan County, Pa., by collection and analysis of measurements made during drilling, geophysical logs, and depth-specific hydraulic tests and water samples. The multidisciplinary characterization of the test hole was a cooperative effort be
Authors
Dennis W. Risser, John H. Williams, Aaron D. Bierly
Rapid embryonic development supports the early onset of gill functions in two coral reef damselfishes
The gill is one of the most important organs for growth and survival of fishes. Early life stages in coral reef fishes often exhibit extreme physiological and demographic characteristics that are linked to well-established respiratory and ionoregulatory processes. However, gill development and function in coral reef fishes is not well-understood. Therefore, we investigated gill morphology, oxygen
Authors
LA Prescott, Amy M. Regish, SJ McMahon, Stephen D. McCormick, JL Rummer
Telemetry reveals migratory drivers and disparate space use across seasons and age-groups in American horseshoe crabs
Identifying mechanisms that underpin animal migration patterns and examining variability in space use within populations is crucial for understanding population dynamics and management implications. In this study, we quantified the migration rates, seasonal changes in migratory connectivity, and residency across population demographics (age and sex) to understand the proximate cues of migration ti
Authors
Justin J. Bopp, Matthew Sclafani, Michael G. Frisk, Kim McKown, Catherine Zeigler, David R. Smith, Robert Cerrato
Diagenetic barite-pyrite-wurtzite formation and redox signatures in Triassic mudstone, Brooks Range, northern Alaska
Mineralogical and geochemical studies of interbedded black and gray mudstones in the Triassic part of the Triassic-Jurassic Otuk Formation (northern Alaska) document locally abundant barite and pyrite plus diverse redox signatures. These strata, deposited in an outer shelf setting at paleolatitudes of ~45 to 60°N, show widespread sedimentological evidence for bioturbation. Barite occurs preferenti
Authors
John F. Slack, Ryan J. McAleer, Wayne (Pat) Shanks, Julie A. Dumoulin
Surface-water/groundwater boundaries affect seasonal PFAS concentrations and PFAA precursor transformations
Elevated concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking-water supplies are a major concern for human health. It is therefore essential to understand factors that affect PFAS concentrations in surface water and groundwater and the transformation of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) precursors that degrade into terminal compounds. Surface-water/groundwater exchange can occur along
Authors
Andrea K. Tokranov, Denis R. LeBlanc, Heidi M. Pickard, Bridger J. Ruyle, Larry B. Barber, Robert B. Hull, Elsie M. Sunderland, Chad D. Vecitis
Managed aquifer recharge suitability—Regional screening and case studies in Jordan and Lebanon
The U.S. Geological Survey, at the request of the U.S. Agency for International Development, led a 5-year regional project to develop and apply methods for water availability and suitability mapping for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in the Middle East and North Africa region. A regional model of surface runoff for the period from 1984 to 2015 was developed to characterize water availability using
Manganese in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system, eastern USA—Modeling regional occurrence with pH, redox, and machine learning
Study region: The study was conducted in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system, eastern USA, an important water supply in a densely populated region.Study focus: Manganese (Mn), an emerging health concern and common nuisance contaminant in drinking water, is mapped and modeled using the XGBoost machine learning method, predictions of pH and redox conditions from previous models, and o
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Katherine Marie Ransom
Predicting regional fluoride concentrations at public and domestic supply depths in basin-fill aquifers of the western United States using a random forest model
A random forest regression (RFR) model was applied to over 12,000 wells with measured fluoride (F) concentrations in untreated groundwater to predict F concentrations at depths used for domestic and public supply in basin-fill aquifers of the western United States. The model relied on twenty-two regional-scale environmental and surficial predictor variables selected to represent factors known to c
Authors
Celia Z Rosecrans, Kenneth Belitz, Katherine Marie Ransom, Paul E. Stackelberg, Peter B. McMahon
Contribution of deep-sourced carbon from hydrocarbon seeps to sedimentary organic carbon: Evidence from radiocarbon and stable isotope geochemistry
Sulfate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) limits the release of methane from marine sediments and promotes the formation of carbonates close to the seafloor in seepage areas along continental margins. It has been established that hydrocarbon seeps are a source of methane, dissolved inorganic carbon, and dissolved organic carbon to marine environments. However, questions remain about the
Authors
Dong Feng, John Pohlman, Jorn Peckmann, Yuedong Sun, Yu Hu, Harry Roberts, Duofu Chen
Hydrogeology and gain/loss assessment of two lakes contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, vicinity of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2020–21
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been identified in two lakes near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) in New Jersey—Little Pine Lake in Pemberton Township and Pine Lake in Manchester Township. The streams that enter these lakes begin in or near JBMDL where sources of PFAS contamination are located. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force Civil Engine
Authors
Alex R. Fiore, Christopher M. Witzigman, Robert G. Reiser
Earthquake magnitude distributions on northern Caribbean faults from combinatorial optimization models
On-fault earthquake magnitude distributions are calculated for northern Caribbean faults using estimates of fault slip and regional seismicity parameters. Integer programming, a combinatorial optimization method, is used to determine the optimal spatial arrangement of earthquakes sampled from a truncated Gutenberg-Richter distribution that minimizes the global misfit in slip rates on a complex fau
Authors
Eric L. Geist, Uri S. ten Brink
Delineation of areas contributing groundwater and travel times to receiving waters in Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, New York
To assist resource managers and planners in developing informed strategies to address nitrogen loading to coastal water bodies of Long Island, New York, the U.S. Geological Survey and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation initiated a program to delineate areas contributing groundwater to coastal water bodies by assembling a comprehensive dataset of areas contributing groundwater,
Authors
Paul E. Misut, Nicole A. Casamassina, Donald A. Walter