USGS Newsroom

Groundwater Availability Detailed in California's Central Valley

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 15:43:58 EST

New hydrologic model provides insights into water supplies.

A new, three-dimensional water-modeling tool provides a detailed picture of how water flows below ground and how it relates to surface-water in rivers and canals in California’s Central Valley.

The Central Valley Hydrologic Model, developed by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, is available for use by water managers and other agencies. The model was designed to help resource agencies assess, understand and address the many issues affecting the joint use of surface- and groundwater supplies – known as “conjunctive use” – in the Central Valley.

“This new model not only details the current scarcity of groundwater, but also provides a scientific tool to help water managers remedy the situation in the future,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “Science can be invaluable in helping to provide solutions.”

The new model gives water managers the ability to simulate a number of water-management scenarios and assess possible changes in both groundwater and surface-water supplies. The model can also take into account the conversion of farmland to urban use and the potential future effects of climate change.

“The detail and breadth of this hydrologic model will make it invaluable to water resource managers faced with increasing water-management challenges and constraints,” said Claudia Faunt, a USGS hydrologist and lead scientist on the study that developed the model. “In the future, the Central Valley Hydrologic Model could be used to evaluate regional issues such as exportation of water from the Sacramento Valley to Southern California or the upcoming restoration of salmon habitat in the San Joaquin River.”

A professional paper detailing her research, “Groundwater Availability of the Central Valley Aquifer, California,” is available online.

To develop the model, scientists examined more than 8,500 drillers’ logs, some dating back to the early 1900’s. They also examined monthly ground- and surface-water data from 1962 to 2003 to paint a picture of how the system works and how water supplies have changed.

Among their findings:

Overall, groundwater levels are declining in the southern, Tulare Basin portion of the San Joaquin Valley as more water is pumped out than recharges naturally. But the southern valley also shows the most promise for large-scale artificial groundwater recharge, particularly along the eastern side with its coarse-grained soils from river and alluvial-fan sediments.

By contrast, groundwater levels in the Sacramento Valley and the northern portion of the San Joaquin Valley are generally stable.

As the state faces its third year of below-average precipitation, groundwater supplies are under increasing pressure, according to data gathered since 2003. Landowners are drilling more and deeper wells, and underground water levels are starting to drop once again – as they did during previous droughts in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

The Central Valley is more than 400 miles long, comprised of the water-rich Sacramento Valley in the north and the drier San Joaquin Valley in the south. One of the nation’s most productive agricultural regions, the Central Valley has the largest groundwater system in the state. The groundwater basin, or aquifer, contains one-fifth of all groundwater pumped in the nation.

It is, in effect, California’s largest reservoir.

California’s continuing population increase has heightened competition for water within the Central Valley and statewide. That competition is likely to be exacerbated by reduced deliveries of Colorado River water to Southern California. As water resources become more valuable, a number of issues have gained prominence, including how to conserve agricultural land; the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater supplies; changing land-surface elevation in response to groundwater pumping; aquifer storage and recovery; the effect of land-use changes on water supplies, and climate change.

To help address these issues, the USGS Groundwater Resources Program started a study in 2005 to evaluate and project groundwater conditions that result from present and planned changes in the Central Valley. The research, which cost about $1 million over four years, is one of 30 regional aquifer studies the USGS is conducting across the country that collectively will lead to an assessment of the Nation’s groundwater availability.

To create enough detail to be practical for water management decisions, scientists designed an extensive three-dimensional hydrologic model that encompasses the Valley’s entire groundwater basin. The model divided the aquifer horizontally into 20,000 cells of one square mile and vertically into ten layers ranging in thickness from 50 to 1,800 ft.

This new tool simultaneously accounts for changing water supply and demand. It simulates irrigated agriculture and surface-water and groundwater flow across the entire Central Valley hydrologic system.

July Science Picks -- Leads, Feeds and Story Seeds

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Do you want the most current climate change projections and recommendations for future actions? If so, then check out USGS Science Picks! You can also gain insight on the Arctic’s energy assets, how a tribal canoe journey is helping improve water resources in the Salish Sea, efforts to weed out alien invaders, and the need to save declining coral ecosystems. As you enjoy the July 4 fireworks, you may wonder how those beautiful colors are created. Well, wonder no more with this edition of Science Picks! If you would like to receive Science Picks via e-mail, would like to change the recipient or no longer want to receive it, please e-mail jrobertson@usgs.gov.

July Highlights

New Climate Change Forecasts for the Nation
Energy in the Arctic: Quantities, Ownership and New Insight
Paddling for a Purpose: Tribal Journey in the Salish Sea
What Makes Fireworks Colorful?
Weeding Out Alien Invaders
Corals in Decline — USGS to the Rescue
Pinpointing Drought Coast to Coast
How a Major Piece of the Rockies Took Shape
Pesticides Found in Florida Lakes
What Can You Make With 80 Tons of Copper?
Want Information About Protected U.S. Lands?
Protecting Tortoises by Understanding Their Habitat
Climate Change in the Rocky Mountains
USGS in NEON: Illuminating Environmental Trends Nationwide

Pinpointing Drought Coast to Coast

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 9:04:12 EST

Take vast quantities of satellite remote sensing data. Season with time. Mix generously with information about climate, soils, and recent rainfall. These are the ingredients for the Vegetation Drought Response Index.

Known to specialists as VegDRI, this computer modeling and monitoring method provides continuous drought information over large regions and supplies finer spatial detail than other commonly used drought indicators. The index is now available at two-week intervals across the conterminous 48 States.

“For anyone monitoring agricultural conditions, particularly ranching, or with interests in natural resource management, VegDRI is invaluable,” said Dr. Brian Wardlow, Remote Sensing Specialist at the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “It gives us a regional overview with enough definition to know how specific rangelands and crops are doing.”

VegDRI integrates time-series observations of vegetation with climate, land cover-land use type, ecological setting, and soil characteristics to show drought’s effect on vegetation at a 1-kilometer resolution. The massive remote sensing archives at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (USGS-EROS) supply historical satellite data from the last 20 years that are critical in establishing a sound comparison of normal conditions over a longer historical period.

Research on VegDRI began in 2002 when scientists from the USGS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln began developing a drought monitoring tool with initial funding from the USGS. Wardlow and Dr. Tsegaye Tadesse, NDMC climatologist, work closely with Jesslyn Brown and staff at USGS-EROS, with further sponsorship from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency.

“The partnership between the USGS and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s National Drought Mitigation Center has been a great success,” Brown observed. “We have come a long way in operational drought monitoring by utilizing satellite remote sensing in combination with climate and other environmental data.”

In 2006, the team began to convert VegDRI from a research activity to regular map production. After starting with a seven state region in the Great Plains, they reached a VegDRI milestone on May 4, 2009, with coverage of the entire conterminous 48 States at two-week intervals.

Two Web-based viewing options for VegDRI are available online: the USGS Drought Monitoring viewer and the NDMC VegDRI Web site.

[Access images for this release at: &amp;lt;a href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2009_06_18" mce_href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2009_06_18"&amp;gt;http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2009_06_18&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;]

Beach Health: Safe to Swim?

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:47:17 EST

When a local beach closes for health reasons, people start wondering, “Is it safe to swim?” U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science can help local beach managers understand the sources of contamination and the kinds of contaminants that may affect human health. In the Great Lakes region, the USGS has already developed state-of-the-art methods and predictive models to rapidly evaluate whether unsafe conditions are present.

What:	The public and media are invited to attend a congressional briefing to learn how the USGS and its partners are working to provide the science needed to ensure that our beaches are healthy places for people to enjoy.
Who:	Dr. Shannon Briggs, Sr. Toxicologist/State Beach Coordinator, Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality Heather Morehead, Beaches Coordinator, Maryland Department of the Environment Dr. Richard Whitman, Station Chief/Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey Deanna Archuletta, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water & Science, Dept. of the Interior
When:	Friday, June 19 10:00 a.m
Where:	1324 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C.
Congressional Sponsors:	Great Lakes Task Force Representative Jim Moran (VA)

Nutrient Delivery to the Gulf of Mexico Among Highest Measured

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:33:31 EST

Spring nutrient delivery to the northern Gulf of Mexico is among the highest measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in thirty years.

Too many nutrients, which are essential for plant growth, are not necessarily a good thing. Excessive nutrients can be harmful by decreasing the amount of oxygen in the water, also known as hypoxia. This can result in an area experiencing stress or death of near or bottom dwelling organisms called a hypoxic zone, or “dead zone.”

Hypoxia, along with overfishing, habitat loss and toxic contamination, can significantly impact the Gulf of Mexico coastal region, an important resource for the Nation providing about 1.2 billion pounds of fresh seafood every year.

The amount of nutrients transported from the Mississippi River Basin to the Gulf during the spring is a major factor controlling the size of the hypoxic zone. The northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone is the second largest in the world, and threatens the economic and ecological health of one of the nation's largest and most productive fisheries.

Nutrients can come from many sources, such as fertilizers applied to agricultural fields, golf courses, and suburban lawns; atmospheric contributions; erosion of soils containing nutrients; and sewage treatment plant discharges.

USGS releases estimates of nutrients from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico in early June each year. The estimates are used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, and other researchers to predict the areal extent of the hypoxic zone.

Predictions of the size of the 2009 hypoxic zone, to be released this week, reflect USGS estimates of about 295,000 metric tons of nitrogen (in the form of nitrate) delivered in April and May 2009 to the northern Gulf. In 2008, the hypoxic zone exceeded 20,000 square kilometers, an area similar in size to the state of New Jersey. Spring delivery of nitrogen in 2009 was about 23 percent lower than what was measured in 2008, but still about 11 percent above the average from 1979 to 2009.

The amount of nutrients delivered to the Gulf each spring depends, in large part, on precipitation and the resulting amounts of nutrient runoff and streamflow in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin. Streamflows in spring 2009 were about 17 percent above average over the last 30 years. Last year’s elevated levels were most likely due to the flooding during the spring.

States and Federal partners serving on the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Taskforce are trying to reduce nutrients transported to the Gulf to reduce the size of hypoxic zone to less than 5,000 square kilometers by 2015. Tracking nutrient levels every year is important to determine if partners are on target with that goal.

USGS has monitored streamflow and water quality in the Mississippi River Basin for decades, to access more information visit the USGS nutrient flux webpage.

For more than 125 years, the USGS has served as the Nation’s water monitoring agency, including flow and (or) quality in selected streams and rivers across the U.S. Access data from more than 7,400 streamgages, many of which provide real-time data in 15 minute increments at the USGS WaterWatch site.

For an even larger variety of USGS data, such as for ground water and water quality, access the National Water Information System Web Interface, which contains over 1.5 million sites, and averages over 25 million hits per month.

June Science Picks -- Leads, Feeds and Story Seeds

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

Hurricane season is storming down on us, and in this edition of USGS Science Picks, you can learn how science is helping to weather these storms and protect our environment. You can also learn about significant gas resources in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the link between fires and global warming, and how climate change is threatening honeycreepers.

June also hosts National Pollinator Week, and this document sheds light on USGS bee and butterfly science. If you would like to receive Science Picks via e-mail, would like to change the recipient or no longer want to receive it, please e-mail jrobertson@usgs.gov.

June Highlights:

HURRICANE SEASON
- Tracking Down Storm Surge
- Streamflow Info that Weathers the Storm
- Gearing Up for Future Hurricanes
- Hurricane Science Goes Global
- Health Risks from Storms: Swirling Soils and Debris
Significant Gas Resource in U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Where There’s Fire, There’s … Global Warming?
Jeepers Creepers! Climate Change Threatening Honeycreepers
Spring Floods: Insight to Arctic Carbon and Climate Change
Alaska Coping after an Ice Jam and Flooding
A River Runs Backwards … Or is it Forwards?
What’s the Buzz on Bees?
Planning a Father’s Day Fishing Trip on the Mississippi River?
Data in a Flutter of Butterfly's Wings
Invasive Damselfish Removed in Only 7 Minutes

USGS: Your Resource During Hurricane Season

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Thu, 4 Jun 2009 11:09:56 EST

Science that Weathers the Storm…

When hurricanes strike, you can find critical information to help protect lives and property at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hurricane Web site.

More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast — and coastal populations are increasing. Many of these areas, especially the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, will be in the direct path of hurricanes.

“Throughout hurricane season, reliable scientific information is essential in order for emergency managers to keep the American public safe,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “The USGS provides this science, which helps prevent hazards from becoming disasters.”

The USGS hurricane Web site highlights important storm information, such as flood levels near your home; pictures of the coastline before and after the storm; information on the timing, extent and magnitude of storm tide; and much more.

USGS research and analysis supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for monitoring and issuing warnings for hurricanes and tropical storms in the United States and its territories. Science to forecast hurricane impacts is a collaborative effort among the USGS, NOAA, NASA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others.

The USGS strives to reduce the vulnerability of the people and areas most at risk from natural hazards. By working with people from all sectors of society, the USGS and its partners are taking action to prepare for this year’s hurricane season. The USGS anticipates that these actions will provide many benefits, including improved monitoring of ground conditions affected by flooding and storm surge, enhanced ability to navigate in a disaster zone, more effective search and rescue operations, and better assessments of the effects on coastlines and ecology.

The USGS provides information, products and knowledge to help build more resilient communities and strives to keep America safe from natural hazards. For direct access to USGS hurricane-related efforts, visit the USGS Science: Before, During and After the Storm Web site.

One Step Closer to Understanding Fish Health in Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Wed, 3 Jun 2009 11:03:39 EST

Estrogen Linked to Lowered Immunity in Fish

Exposure to estrogen reduces production of immune-related proteins in fish. This suggests that certain compounds, known as endocrine disruptors, may make fish more susceptible to disease.

The research may provide new clues for why intersex fish, fish kills and fish lesions often occur together in the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. The tests were conducted in a lab by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The study, led by USGS genomics researcher Dr. Laura Robertson, revealed that largemouth bass injected with estrogen produced lowered levels of hepcidin, an important iron-regulating hormone in mammals that is also found in fish and amphibians. This is the first published study demonstrating control of hepcidin by estrogen in any animal.

Besides being an important iron-regulating hormone, researchers also suspect that hepcidin may act as an antimicrobial peptide in mammals, fish and frogs. Antimicrobial peptides are the first line of defense against disease-causing bacteria and some fungi and viruses in vertebrate animals.

“Our research suggests that estrogen-mimicking compounds may make fish more susceptible to disease by blocking production of hepcidin and other immune-related proteins that help protect fish against disease-causing bacteria,” said Robertson.

USGS researchers Drs. Vicki Blazer and Luke Iwanowicz have previously found intersex occurring in fish in the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Intersex is primarily revealed in male fish that have immature female egg cells in their testes. Because other studies have shown that estrogen and estrogen-mimicking compounds can cause intersex, the co-occurrence of fish lesions, fish kills and intersex in these two rivers suggested to USGS scientists that estrogen-mimicking compounds could be involved in the fish lesions and fish kills in addition to being a possible cause of intersex traits.

That caused Robertson and her colleagues to investigate how estrogen could be affecting the immune system in these fish. The study showed that largemouth bass produced two different hepcidin proteins. Production of the first hepcidin protein was “turned down” by estrogen. Production of the second hepcidin protein by fish exposed to bacteria was blocked by estrogen. The fact that estrogen blocked production of hepcidins in fish exposed to bacteria gives more weight to the theory that estrogen or estrogen-mimicking chemicals could be making fish more susceptible to diseases, Robertson added.

Hepcidin could protect against bacterial infection in two ways. “First,” said Robertson, “hepcidin could be an antimicrobial peptide that actually kills pathogens. Or it could be more complex. To live, a microbe must have iron, so when a microbe invades a person or animal, that microbe must obtain iron from its host. To ‘fight’ the microbe, a host can ‘suck up iron’ and store it in places inaccessible to the microbe. In mammals, hepcidin is a key player in how the host takes up and stores iron.”

The study, Identification of centrarchid hepcidins and evidence that 17β-estradiol disrupts constitutive expression of hepcidin-1 and inducible expression of hepcidin-2 in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), was just published in the journal, Fish & Shellfish Immunology. The authors are USGS scientists Laura Robertson, Luke Iwanowicz and Jamie Marie Marranca.

Significant Gas Resource Discovered in U.S. Gulf of Mexico

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Fri, 29 May 2009 8:58:37 EST

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico contains very thick and concentrated gas-hydrate-bearing reservoir rocks which have the potential to produce gas using current technology.

Recent drilling by a government and industry consortium confirm that the Gulf of Mexico is the first offshore area in the United States with enough information to identify gas hydrate energy resource targets with potential for gas production.

Gas hydrate, a substance comprised of natural gas and water, is thought to exist in great abundance in nature and has the potential to be a significant new energy source to meet future energy needs. However, prior to this expedition, there was little documentation that gas hydrate occurred in resource-quality accumulations in the marine environment.

“This is an exciting discovery because for the first time in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, we were able to predict hydrate accumulations before drilling, and we discovered thick, gas hydrate-saturated sands that actually represent energy targets,” said U.S. Geological Survey Energy Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) and a group of U.S. and international energy industry companies under the management of Chevron were responsible for conducting this first ever drilling project with the goal to collect geologic data on gas-hydrate-bearing sand reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We have also found gas hydrate in a range of settings, including sand reservoirs, thick sequences of fracture-filling gas hydrates in shales, and potential partially saturated gas hydrates in younger systems,” said USGS Scientist Timothy Collett. “These sites should provide a wealth of opportunities for further study and data collection that should provide significant advances in understanding the nature and development of gas hydrate systems.”

The most important technical accomplishments include:

The collection of a comprehensive set of logging-while-drilling (LWD) data through expected hydrate-bearing sand reservoirs in seven wells at three locations in the Gulf of Mexico.
LWD sensors provided unprecedented information on the nature of the sediments and the occurrence of gas hydrate.
The expedition discovered gas hydrate in both sand and fracture dominated reservoirs.
The discovery of thick gas-hydrate-bearing sands validates the pre-drilling integrated geological and geophysical approach used to identify the targets and provides increased confidence in assessing the energy resource potential of marine gas hydrates.
In the case of the Walker Ridge and Green Canyon drill sites gas-hydrate-bearing sand reservoirs between 50 and 100 ft thick were discovered.
The discovery of concentrated gas hydrates in sand reservoirs has made Walker Ridge and Green Canyon prime locations for future research drilling, coring, and production testing.

Field operations during this expedition were also supported by AOA Geophysics, the Borehole Research Group at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Schlumberger, and the crew of the Helix Q4000 drilling vessel.

To learn more about USGS research on natural gas hydrates, please visit the USGS Energy Resources web site.

To learn more about gas hydrate research in the Gulf of Mexico and the results of this expedition, please visit the National Methane Hydrates R&D web site.

Jeepers Creepers! Climate Change Threatens Endangered Honeycreepers

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:00:00 EST

Deadly Diseases May Move Up Hawaiian Mountains to Birds’ Refuges

As climate change causes temperatures to increase in Hawaii’s mountains, deadly non-native bird diseases will likely also creep up the mountains, invading most of the last disease-free refuges for honeycreepers – a group of endangered and remarkable birds.

A just-published U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) review discusses the likelihood of a forthcoming “disease invasion” by examining the present altitudinal range of avian malaria and pox, honeycreeper distribution, and the future projected range of diseases and honeycreeper habitat with climate change.

At one time, the Hawaiian Islands had no mosquitoes – and no mosquito-borne diseases. But, by the late 1800s, mosquitoes had set up permanent housekeeping, setting the stage for epidemic transmission of avian malaria and pox. Honeycreepers – just like people faced with novel viruses such as swine flu – had no natural resistance against these diseases.

Before long, Hawaii’s native honeycreepers significantly declined in numbers and geographic range. It was likely that malaria swept rapidly across all of the lower Hawaiian Islands after the disease was introduced, leaving few survivors. Today, native Hawaiian birds face one of the highest rates of extinction in the world. Of 41 honeycreeper species and subspecies known since historic times, 17 are probably extinct, 14 are endangered, and only 3 are in decent shape.

Pox and malaria transmission in Hawaii depends on climatic conditions, especially seasonal changes in temperature and rainfall that increase or decrease mosquito populations. “Without question, the one factor that prevented widespread and rapid extinction of virtually all of Hawaii’s native honeycreepers after the introduction of avian pox and avian malaria was the presence of high-altitude disease refuges on Kauai, Maui and Hawaii,” said lead study author Dr. Carter Atkinson, a USGS microbiologist based at the USGS Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center in Hawaii.

These cool, high-elevation – above 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) -- mountains not only provided habitats that mosquitoes didn’t thrive in, but they also had habitat that honeycreepers liked, wrote the authors. While birds in those areas find refuge from the diseases – dispersing juvenile birds and adults that follow seasonal flowering of native plants to lower elevations are exposed to disease.

“Unfortunately,” said study co-author, USGS scientist Dr. Dennis LaPointe, “this seasonal movement happens at the same time that mosquito populations soar at mid-elevations, which fuels high disease-transmission rates there. There’s a continuous source of disease-susceptible birds each fall.”

Although most disease transmission now occurs in these mid-elevation forests, this will change if the projected 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Centigrade) raise in temperature occurs.

“With this kind of temperature change, about 60 to 96 percent of the high-elevation disease refuges would disappear,” said Atkinson. For example, available high-elevation forest habitat in the low-risk disease zone would likely decline by nearly 60 percent at Hanawi Natural Area Reserve on Maui to as much as 96 percent at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on Hawaii Island. On other islands, such as Kauai, with lower elevations and no low-risk zones even now, predicted temperature changes would likely be catastrophic for remaining honeycreeper species.

“Right now, disease transmission in the mountains of Kaui is highly seasonal, but with temperature increases, disease would be able to be transmitted throughout most of the year,” said Atkinson.

In addition, the tropical inversion layer – often visible as a thin cloud layer around high peaks -- may play a more significant role than temperature in determining tree line and the upper extent of forest bird habitat, the authors wrote. The inversion layer forms as cool, dry air meets warm, moist air, creating an inversion layer that caps moisture and cloud development between 5,900 and 7,900 feet (1,800 and 2,400 meters). Over the past 24 years, the height of this layer has remained fairly stable in spite of warming trends but has increased in how often it occurs.

“This could have a tremendous adverse effect on the continued existence of high-elevation disease refugia,” said Atkinson. “Remaining bird populations could be squeezed between expanding disease transmission from lower elevations and the upper limits of suitable forest habitat. Such changes would likely push remaining populations of threatened and endangered honeycreepers to extinction, and cause severe declines in other honeycreepers not now endangered but susceptible to avian malaria.”

Given the likelihood of global warming, the authors suggested that management of mid-elevation habitats to reduce disease transmission will become increasingly vital. The best opportunities for doing this, they wrote, will be through reducing habitat for mosquito larvae, habitat that is often created by introduced feral pigs, goats and cattle in forests.

“The survival of these species into the next century may ultimately depend on our ability to remove or offset introduced threats and restore native forests from sea level to tree line,” Atkinson said.

Honeycreepers rival Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands in terms of their bill types and number of species that descended from a common founder. The birds specialize on food that includes nectar, fruits and insects. Before people came to the islands, as many as 56 kinds of honeycreepers probably occurred.

Avian malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite, and avian pox is a viral infection that typically causes tumor-like swellings on exposed skin of the feet, legs, beak and eyelids of infected birds. Malaria often results in appetite and weight loss, anemia, and massive enlargement of birds’ liver and spleen.

The article, Introduced avian diseases, climate change, and the future of Hawaiian honeycreepers, was published in the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery.

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Authority on Wildlife Health Named New Director of USGS Wildlife Health Center

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Tue, 26 May 2009 7:59:07 EST

Dr. Jonathan Sleeman, pictured here, is the new center director of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis.

Dr. Jonathan Sleeman, a recognized authority on wildlife health issues, will join the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, WI, as its new director this week. As director, Sleeman will lead scientists and staff who provide wildlife managers with technical assistance, research, and education on wildlife health issues. This includes research that is critical to understanding wildlife diseases, such as avian influenza and West Nile virus that also affect human health.

Sleeman comes to the USGS from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, where he was a wildlife veterinarian.

“Dr. Sleeman joins the USGS with a solid reputation in the wildlife health community for his expertise in disease and wildlife conservation medicine,” said Suzette Kimball, acting director of the USGS. “His expertise and passion for the field of wildlife health and disease will be an asset to our nationally recognized programs at the National Wildlife Health Center.”

Currently, Sleeman is the President of the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, and serves as an adjunct professor at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine. His interests include the epidemiology of wildlife diseases, conservation medicine, teaching and training.

After receiving degrees in zoology and veterinary medicine from the University of Cambridge in England, Sleeman completed a residency in Zoological Medicine at the University of Tennessee. He was named the Field Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Center in Rwanda from 1995–1997. Upon returning to the U.S., Sleeman worked as an instructor in zoological medicine at Colorado State University while continuing health studies with mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in central Africa. He was director of Veterinary Services at the Wildlife Center of Virginia from 2001–2005.

Sleeman is widely published. His works include “Conservation Medicine Approach to Managing Wildlife Diseases,” “Wildlife Zoonoses with an Emphasis on Bioterrorism Agents,” “Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers as Monitors of Ecosystem Health,” and “Great Ape Anesthesia.”

May Science Picks -- Leads, Feeds and Story Seeds

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Thu, 7 May 2009 00:00:00 EST

In this edition of USGS Science Picks, learn about the rapid disappearance of Antarctica's ice shelves, the hazards posed by sand dunes moving due to climate change and how the USGS is spending its $140 million from the President's Recovery Act. You can also discover increasing population numbers for the endangered humpback chub, new life forms found in Southwest caves and an environmentally friendly way to measure snowfall. As you head out camping this summer, you may also want to learn what to do if you come face to face with rattlesnakes! If you would like to receive Science Picks via e-mail, would like to change the recipient or no longer want to receive it, please e-mail jrobertson@usgs.gov.

May Highlights:

Rapid Disappearance of Antarctica's Ice Shelves
Sand Dunes on the Loose Due to Climate Change
Recovery Act Funding: Stimulating USGS Science
$5 Million in Earthquake Research Grants
Good News for an Endangered Grand Canyon Fish
New Life Forms Found in Southwest Caves
Green Ways to Measure The White Stuff
Severe Dust Storms in the Colorado Plateau
Campground Stories: Face-to-Face with Rattlesnakes
Looks like a Cutthroat, Smells like a Cutthroat, but...
Can Harvesting Timber Increase Wildfire Hazards?
New Web Site: Deadly White Nose Syndrome in Bats
Salmons' Journey No Longer Blocked in Washington
Small Lake Invader Tilts the Mercury Scales

USGS to Award $5 Million in Earthquake Research Grants

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Fri, 1 May 2009 14:19:43 EST

RESTON, Va. - Five-million dollars in grants and cooperative agreements are being awarded in 2009 for earthquake research to 84 recipients including universities, state geological surveys and private firms, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced today. In addition, applications are being accepted for up to $7 million in grants and cooperative agreements for earthquake research in 2010.

"These grants underscore once again the importance to our nation of the earth science work accomplished by the USGS," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. "Earthquakes are one of the most costly natural hazards faced by the nation, posing a risk to 75 million Americans in 39 states."

USGS supports research on earthquake hazards in at-risk regions nationwide, including effects from earthquake shaking and the physical conditions and processes that cause earthquakes. The research is helping to better understand how earthquake hazards change with time and to reduce losses through effective earthquake forecasts based on the best possible scientific information.

"These research grants help the government gain access to talented academic, state, and private-sector researchers whose investigations are critical to helping prevent earthquake hazards from becoming disasters," said David Applegate, USGS Senior Science Advisor for Earthquake & Geologic Hazards.

To apply for USGS grants and cooperative agreements for earthquake research in 2010, go online at GRANTS.GOV under the funding opportunity number 10HQPA0001. Applications are due May 13, 2009.

Examples of recipients include:

In northern California, a study of strong ground motion by Donna Eberhart-Phillips of the University of California Davis, and Clifford Thurber and Haijiang Zhang of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, will lead to better predictions of how the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will respond to nearby earthquakes. This research is important because the water supply for 22 million Californians runs through the Delta and could be cut off by a moderate-sized earthquake in the vicinity.

In southern California, the likelihood of the collapse of tall, steel-framed buildings will be studied by Swaminathan Krishnan of the California Institute of Technology, using computer programs that calculate the strong shaking from earthquakes.

In the central United States, Randel Cox of the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at University of Memphis, and John Baldwin and Robert Givler of William Lettis and Associates, will study seismic hazards from poorly understood faults located near the famed New Madrid Seismic Zone that produced three large earthquakes in 1811 and 1812. Chris Cramer, also of CERI, will analyze the accuracy of ground motion calculations, contributing to an urban hazard mapping project in St. Louis.

At Brown University in Providence, RI, Terry Tullis and David Goldsby are sliding simulated faults at high speed in the laboratory to measure how fault friction changes during earthquakes. The results will give insight into how damaging seismic waves are produced.

Lee Liberty of Boise State University will study the underground structure of the Mount Rose fault, which runs beneath the Reno/Carson City metropolitan area and is considered one of the most hazardous faults in Nevada.

For a complete list of funded projects and reports, visit the Earthquake Hazards Program, External Research Support Web site.

The USGS is the applied earth science component of the four-agency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), a congressionally established partnership to implement research and reduce losses from earthquake disasters.

USGS Scientists to Conduct Media Teleconference at 3:00 PM EST on Population Trends for Endangered Humpback Chub

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:49:15 EST

Flagstaff, Ariz. - U.S. Geological Survey scientists will brief reporters by phone at 3:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time/12:00 pm Mountain Standard Time. Monday, April 27, on the latest population numbers for the humpback chub (Gila cypha) in Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Who:		Matthew Andersen, Supervisory Fish Biologist USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
What:		Grand Canyon Humpback Chub Update
Time:		3:00 PM Eastern Time/12:00 PM Mountain Standard Time
Date:		Monday, April 27, 2009
Call-in for Credentialed Media:		(877) 953-4172 participant code: 8654249#

The USGS last released number for the Grand Canyon population of humpback chub in 2007. Since then, new data have been collected for the Grand Canyon population of humpback chub and their environment.

The USGS will release its findings in a new report, "Abundance trends and status of the Little Colorado River population of humpback chub; an update considering data from 1989-2008," earlier in the day.

Measuring Snow with a Bucket, a Windmill, and the Sun? The Government Goes Off the Power Grid in Maine

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 6:58:12 EST

In Maine, government scientists have figured out how to measure snowfall in remote areas with a bucket, a small windmill, and the sun - all the while saving money, energy, and, ultimately helping to save lives.

What led to this energy-efficient ingenuity was the need to help the National Weather Service forecast and predict the risk of floods from spring snowmelt.

The problem was this: While the USGS has about 15 snowmelt measurement sites in Maine, they also needed a way to measure snowfall in remote areas where power grids are scarce. Emergency managers need accurate information to prepare for forthcoming hazards and energy companies need to plan ahead for how much water to expect in reservoirs.

"We needed to find an alternative power source," said Bob Lent, chief of the USGS Maine Water Science Center in Augusta. "So we cobbled together a small-scale commercial windmill to replace commercial AC power, and supplemented the windmill with solar panels. What we ended up with is a windmill that powers our measurements on windy and cloudy days, and solar panels that power them on calm, sunny days," said Lent. "And," he added, "not only will we get more accurate information, but the systems will pay for themselves in about 3 to 4 years since using the electricity-dependent devices cost between $200 and $400 a year."

A prototype system has been housed in use at the USGS office in Augusta for the past winter. It has proved so accurate, said Lent, that the USGS plans to install four snowfall sites around the state this summer using the same system.

Basically, the system looks like this: a gage is attached to a 5-gallon bucket that sits atop a simple wooden platform on a metal pole. The gage has a heating element to melt the snow as it collects in the cone of the bucket. The gage only turns on when snow is detected. Nearby is a data-collection box that is linked to the windmill and solar panels. When the bucket fills up with melted snow it tips over and empties. Each tip of the bucket measures 0.01 inches of precipitation and is recorded to the data recorder, which transmits the data and is updated on the web every hour.

"We are very optimistic about the utility of this system in other remote areas in the country and not just for snowfall measurements. It would be good for any remote site that needs more power than solar alone can deliver. For example, this could be used to measure water quality in the swamps of Florida as well as snowfall in Maine," Lent noted.

"It's a very small step in a very long journey of helping this country become greener, but this embodies what we need to be doing and the direction in which we need to be going," said Lent.