USGS Newsroom

Streamgages Measure High Flows in Michigan

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:40:34 EDT

Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they measure flooding? Please contact Tom Weaver at 517-887-8923.

U.S. Geological Survey field crews have been measuring increased streamflow on numerous Michigan rivers in response to heavy rainfall in parts of the Lower Peninsula this April. The USGS Grand River at Ionia streamgage in west-central Michigan recorded its highest streamflow of record, which began in 1949. Preliminary analysis indicate that there is only a 1 to 2 percent chance that flows larger than the measured 25,100 cubic feet per second will occur in any given year at the Ionia streamgage.

Further downstream at the Grand River at Grand Rapids streamgage, the fifth largest flow since 1904 was recorded with a 4 to 10 percent chance of being exceeded in any given year. Upstream from Ionia at the Grand River at Lansing streamgage, peak flows had greater than 20 percent chance of being exceeded in any given year. High flows were also measured at USGS streamgages located in the Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Rifle, St. Joseph, and Saginaw River basins.

The likelihood of a peak flow event can be expressed, as above, using the annual exceedance probability, or its reciprocal, the recurrence interval. For example, a peak flow having a 20 percent chance of occurring in any given year, is equivalent to an event, which over an extended period of time, is exceeded on average once in five years (in the past, referred to as a 5-year flood, and calculated by dividing 1 by 0.20). Neither measure of likelihood can be used to predict the interval between flood events.

USGS scientists are collecting critical streamflow data that are vital for protection of life, property and the environment. These data are used by the National Weather Service to develop flood forecasts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to manage flood control, and the various state and local agencies in their flood response activities. More information is available at the USGS Michigan Water Science Center.

There are 212 USGS-operated stations in Michigan that measure water levels, streamflow, rainfall, and selected water-quality parameters. Most of the USGS stations are realtime sites where data are updated every one to two hours.

For more than 125 years, the USGS has monitored flow in selected streams and rivers across the U.S. The information is routinely used for water supply and management, monitoring floods and droughts, bridge and road design, determination of flood risk, and for many recreational activities.

Access current flood and high flow conditions across the country by visiting the USGS WaterWatch. Receive instant, customized updates about water conditions in your area via text message or email by signing up for USGS WaterAlert. For more information about floods, see the USGS fact sheet, "Flood Hazards—A National Threat."

USGS to Receive New Great Lakes Research Vessel

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EDT

Ann Arbor, Mich. – The U.S. Geological Survey awarded a contract last Friday for the construction of a large research vessel for Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior to Burger Boat Company of Manitowoc, Wis.

The vessel will replace the 38-year-old Grayling, bringing the USGS Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) large vessel fleet up-to-date. The new Grayling will be stationed at the USGS base in Cheboygan, Mich., and will incorporate modern marine standards and state-of-the-art technology to more safely and effectively conduct fisheries research.

"I am delighted to have achieved this important milestone that will benefit the Great Lakes region for many decades," said USGS GLSC Director Russell Strach. "This investment would not have been possible without the support from many key partners. The new research vessel will come fully equipped with 21^st century laboratories and scientific instrumentation to support fishery science for the Great Lakes."

The funding for this expenditure was accrued from two prior appropriations and held in an account that was not affected by the sequester.

The replacement vessel is expected to be a commercial grade 78-foot vessel, and will be designed and constructed for a 40 to 50-year service life. This vessel will be capable of performing critical scientific and mission-related tasks, including dragging nets along the lake bottom, catching fish, and using sound-waves to detect fish and assess their abundance.

"The entire Burger team is very excited to be awarded this significant contract," said Jim Ruffolo, President and CEO of Burger Boat Company. "The Grayling will further reinforce Burger’s commitment to designing and constructing quality vessels that meet each owner’s specific requirements, whether they are custom yachts or commercial vessels."

This new contract will create additional highly skilled shipbuilding jobs at the Manitowoc shipyard, and the project will help support numerous companies that supply raw materials and equipment for the project.

For over 50 years the USGS GLSC has operated a unique and valuable deepwater fish ecology and assessment program that is the foundation for fisheries management throughout the Great Lakes.

Burger, at 150 years old, is one of the world's oldest shipyards. From its facility in Manitowoc, Wis., Burger's craftsmen have built hundreds of high quality vessels as long as 260 feet (80 meters) that can be found in ports around the world. Today, Burger continues its legacy of designing and building vessels to the highest standard from its fully updated shipyard.

JMS Naval Architects of Mystic, Conn., developed the preliminary design of the new Grayling.

The USGS GLSC maintains a fleet of fishery research vessels on each of the Great Lakes to meet the scientific research needs of state, tribal, and federal resource managers for understanding and effectively managing the Great Lakes fishery.

For more information on the USGS GLSC, visit their website.

Crowd-Sourcing the Nation: Using Volunteers for Enhanced Data Collection

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 1 Apr 2013 18:41:01 EDT

The USGS is expanding the involvement of volunteers to enhance data collection about structures for The National Map.

This program, known as The National Map Corps, focuses on encouraging citizens to collect data relating to structures by both adding new features and/or correcting existing data within The National Map database. These structures can include schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations and other important public places.

Collaborative pilot projects in Colorado were recently used to test the concept of crowd-sourcing. While the project is on-going, early indications point to positive results and show the success of using TNMC volunteers to enhance data sets.

Over a trial period of ten months, 143 volunteers collected, improved, or deleted data on more than 6,400 structures in Colorado. The volunteers’ actions were accurate and exceeded USGS quality standards. In the Colorado pilot project the volunteer-collected data showed an improvement of approximately 25 percent in both location and attribute accuracy for existing data points. Completeness, or the extent to which all appropriate features were identified and recorded, was nearly perfect.

The significant results of the Colorado pilot have led to a phased, nation-wide expansion of the crowd-sourcing /volunteer project. The states in the first expansion of TNMC are: Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, West Virginia

After an evaluation of the quality and procedures of the first group of states, the second set will be made available. Ultimately, by the end of 2013, the third batch of states will complete the expansion of the program.

"The response by volunteers in Colorado exceeded our expectations both in terms of the number of volunteers and the quality of the data they collected”, said Kari Craun, the Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center. “The Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) community represents a fantastic, untapped resource to assist USGS in maintaining data that are part of The National Map.”

While some familiarity with the area that a volunteer chooses is helpful, one doesn’t have to live near a particular place to contribute. The tools on TNMC website, along with ancillary information available on the Internet, are generally sufficient to edit a distant area.

There have been several instances of crowd-sourced geographic information making significant contributions to research and databases in government, private sector, and non-profit organizations. The goal of the TNMC is to provide data for the nation’s primary federal mapping agency in its effort to provide accurate and authoritative spatial data via the web-based National Map.

The citizen geographers/cartographers who participate in this program will make a significant addition to the USGS’s ability to provide accurate information to the public. Data collected by volunteers become part of TNM Structures dataset which is available to users free of charge.

Without a network of volunteers, the desired information would not be collected this year and the existing data would not be updated. TNMC volunteers perform important work that otherwise will not be accomplished in the foreseeable future.

Becoming a volunteer for TNMC is easy; go to the National Map Corps website to learn more and to sign up as a volunteer. If you have access to the Internet and are willing to dedicate some time to editing map data, we hope you will consider participating!

New Water-Quality Test May Prevent Unnecessary Beach Closures

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:31:23 EDT

A new rapid water-quality test may prevent beaches from being closed by providing accurate same day results of bacteria levels, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

With increasing outbreaks of waterborne illnesses, beaches have been at the forefront of recent research on human health risk. This new rapid water-quality test, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will help managers across the country determine whether beaches are safe for swimming in order to keep the public from getting sick. Previous tests could not provide same-day results, so managers had to decide whether to close a beach based on findings from the day before.

USGS scientists analyzed the accuracy of EPA’s rapid test by looking at past water quality data from five beaches along Lake Michigan to determine what the outcomes would have been if the rapid test was used. These findings were then compared to two older methods of testing which require 24 hours for results. Scientists discovered that results from the rapid test met EPA’s safe swimming criteria more often than the older tests. If this method had been used during the study period examined, the summers of 2009 and 2010, it may have prevented hundreds of beach closure days and possibly significantly decreased incidences of waterborne illnesses. The full report is available online.

“This study provides beach managers with a virtual “test drive” of this tool; it gives them an idea of what they can expect in terms of beach monitoring decision making,” said USGS scientist Meredith Nevers. “Our research shows that EPA’s rapid test can be an effective tool for beach managers to help keep their recreational beach goers happy and safe.”

Beach closures not only impact recreational users in the summertime, but they also create huge losses for the local economy. Studies have found that the value of a beach trip is between $20-$36 per person per day — revenue which may be lost to local economies when beaches are closed.

The new rapid test, called quantitative polymerase chain reaction for enterococci, is recommended by the EPA, but it is not a requirement. The test has been included in the 2012 EPA guidelines for safe levels of indicator bacteria, including: Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci. The test can be used at both freshwater and marine beaches. To learn more about EPA’s recreational water quality criteria, visit their webpage.

New Reefs Providing Hope for Struggling Sturgeon: Gentle Giants Are Back

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:03:29 EDT

New scientific findings from an effort to restore fish spawning habitat for lake sturgeon, walleye, lake whitefish and other native fish in the St. Clair River will be shared during a public event in Algonac City Park on Aug. 28, 2012 at 11 a.m. Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center and Michigan Sea Grant College Program will discuss how the construction of an acre of rock reefs placed on the river bottom is providing new hope for struggling fish species, such as lake sturgeon.

Scientists will share underwater video footage showing lake sturgeon spawning on the reefs even before the construction was complete, and will explain how such populations can be rebuilt by restoring fish habitat that was removed by previous modifications of the river system.

"The science said: 'If you build it, they will come,' but we hardly could have dreamed of such an enthusiastic reception to this newly created rocky habitat for sturgeon and other native fish of the Great Lakes," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "They started spawning on it while we were still dropping the rock! This success gives us hope for recovery for species that have endured many challenges to survival over the past decades."

Led by Michigan Sea Grant, the Middle Channel Reef Project is supported by grants from NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through EPA, and the Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative partners. The new reefs are designed to enhance fish reproduction and rebuild native fish populations (lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, and walleye) in the channel connecting lakes Huron and Erie. USGS scientists, looking at factors such as water velocity and depth, developed a model to predict where to build fish habitat in the St. Clair River’s Middle Channel.

"The fact that we are already observing sturgeon spawning on the Middle Channel Reefs helps validate the science that guided the planning, design and location of this project. We are all excited and appreciate the support from NOAA, EPA and others," said Dr. Jennifer Read, Assistant Director of Michigan Sea Grant and Principal Investigator of the Middle Channel Reef Project.

The St. Clair River effort is part of a long-term collaboration involving a team of scientists and partners, including federal, tribal, state, provincial, and private groups interested in restoring valuable native fish populations in the Huron-Erie Corridor; the international Corridor between the United States and Canada that connects southern Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and western Lake Erie.

Officials from a number of federal, state and local agencies – including USGS, Michigan Sea Grant, the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and Michigan Department of Natural Resources – will participate in the Algonac event and discuss how restoration efforts such as the St. Clair project support the economic vitality and ecological health of the region.

The Algonac event is free and open to the public. It will highlight a number of fish habitat restoration successes within the Huron-Erie Corridor, supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and others.

The Middle Channel Reef Project is the third of six spawning habitat projects to be constructed in the Detroit and St. Clair River Areas of Concern by 2014, with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, NOAA and others. Earlier projects included the Belle Isle and Fighting Island projects constructed in the Detroit River, in 2004 and 2008, respectively. Project supporters and partners include: USGS, Michigan Sea Grant, EPA, NOAA, Smith Group JJR, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Faust Corporation, Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

See videos, photos and project updates about the Middle Channel Reef Project posted on the Huron-Erie Corridor website.

Michigan Sea Grant, a partnership of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, fosters economic growth and helps protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach.

Areas of Elevated Contaminants in Groundwater Determined from Regional Assessment in the Midwest

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EDT

Editor's note: This story is of particular interest to media outlets in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Michigan

At least one contaminant was found at levels of human-health concern in about one third of untreated groundwater samples collected from wells in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, according to a recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey. When radon concentrations greater than 300 picocuries per liter are included, 64 percent of wells sampled contain a contaminant concentration above a human-health benchmark.

The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system is ranked ninth in the nation for public supply water withdrawals from principal aquifers. The aquifer supplies water to many parts of the northern Midwest, including areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well as the major cities of Minneapolis, Rockford and Chicago.

Many of the public and private wells sampled contain natural or manmade contaminants, including; radium, radon, boron, strontium, manganese, barium, nitrate, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds. Radon and radium are naturally occurring radioactive elements and known carcinogens. The deeper parts of the aquifer system in Illinois, Iowa, and eastern Wisconsin are vulnerable to high concentrations of radium, boron, and strontium. The shallow areas of the aquifer system in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are vulnerable to radon and manganese. The study was conducted as part of an ongoing systematic assessment of some of the Nation’s most important aquifer systems by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Results are available online.

"The USGS puts scientific findings and trends on water quality into the public domain so that citizens, water managers, and public officials can decide on appropriate and effective actions to address current or emerging issues that may be cause for concern now or in the future," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Both the quality of our water and scientific understanding of what is useful to monitor evolve over time, hence the need for the USGS to constantly update our water quality reports."

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates public wells, and elevated concentrations of contaminants are reduced or removed from the water before people drink it," said John Wilson, USGS hydrologist and author of the study. "This study examined contaminants that pose human-health concerns, including some that are not regulated, and findings can help water utility managers make decisions about future monitoring and treatment needs."

Human-health benchmarks used to evaluate the significance of contaminant concentrations in raw water samples included EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and USGS Health-Based Screening Levels (HBSLs) for unregulated contaminants, developed by USGS in collaboration with the EPA. Concentrations were also compared to EPA Secondary Drinking Water Regulations established for aesthetic quality or other non-health reasons. In relating measured concentrations to health benchmarks, this study offers a preliminary assessment of potential health concerns and identifies conditions that may warrant further investigation. The research is not a substitute for comprehensive risk and toxicity assessments.

Radium and strontium levels in domestic and public-supply wells from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system are higher and more frequently exceed the human-health benchmark than in any of the other 30 principal aquifers studied by NAWQA. Arsenic levels frequently exceed the human-health benchmark in domestic and public-supply wells of many of the other principal aquifers studied by NAWQA, but arsenic did not exceed the benchmark in any samples from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system.

Major findings included:

Water quality of the aquifer system can vary greatly between areas where the aquifers are shallow and deep. Natural contaminants such as major ions, trace elements, and radium tend to occur at higher concentrations in deeper areas. Human caused contaminants, such as pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and nitrate, are detected more often in shallow areas.

Radon-222 and radium were most frequently measured at concentrations greater than human-health benchmarks, but geographic distributions were related to different depths of the aquifer system. Radon levels exceeded the proposed MCL of 300 picocuries per liter in 43 percent of 140 wells, of which 90 percent were in regionally shallow areas. Radium levels exceeded the MCL of 5 picocuries per liter in 40 percent of 88 wells, of which 89 percent were in regionally deeper areas.

The trace elements strontium, manganese, and barium exceeded a human-health benchmark in at least one sample. Strontium levels exceeded the HBSL in nine percent of 107 wells, and manganese levels exceeded the HBSL in four percent of 154 wells. Barium levels exceeded the MCL in one of 136 wells sampled by NAWQA. Concentrations of strontium were significantly higher in regionally deeper areas, and concentrations of manganese and barium were significantly higher in shallow areas.

Nitrate was detected at a concentration greater than one milligram per liter (mg/L) in 21 percent of the wells sampled by NAWQA. Concentrations of nitrate greater than 1 mg/L were assumed to be influenced by human activity. All but one of the wells were in regionally shallow areas, indicating that the shallower areas of the aquifer system are more susceptible to manmade contaminants. Nitrate levels exceeded the MCL of 10 mg/L in approximately four percent of 154 wells sampled by NAWQA.

Nine different pesticides were detected in wells sampled by NAWQA from 2002 through 2007, but usually at concentrations significantly below human-health benchmarks. No pesticide concentration exceeded a human-health benchmark. Water samples were analyzed for as many as 83 pesticides, but atrazine and its degradate deethylatrazine accounted for 67 percent of all pesticide detections. Eighty-six percent of wells with a pesticide detection were in shallow areas.

The USGS NAWQA program began in 1991 and is the only source of nationally consistent monitoring data and information on chemical contaminants in groundwater. The program also conducts regional and national studies of the susceptibility and vulnerability of the nation’s most important aquifers.

Asian Carp Pose Substantial Risk to the Great Lakes

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:11:12 EDT

Bi-National Risk Assessment Released

Asian carp pose substantial environmental risk to the Great Lakes if they become established there, according to a bi-national Canadian and United States risk assessment released today.

Bighead and silver carps -- two species of Asian carp -- pose an environmental risk to the Great Lakes within 20 years, with the risk increasing over time. Lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie face the highest risk relative to the other lakes.

The risk assessment report was led by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and included a team of scientists from Canada and the United States. Two U.S. Geological Survey scientists were among the co-authors of the report.

The report examined the likelihood of the survival and establishment of Asian carp in the lakes. It relied on prevention measures under way through November 2010, and did not take into account extensive preventive actions implemented since that time. The authors also assessed the probable ecological consequences should the fish invade the Great Lakes.

"Ever since these non-native fish first escaped and began to breed prolifically in the rivers of the Midwest, the questions everyone has been asking are: 'Can a breeding population survive in the Great Lakes and would it be a significant problem if they did?’" said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Now we know the answers and unfortunately they are ‘yes and yes.' This study will help scientists and resource managers in Canada and the U.S. determine how and where to redouble their efforts as they continue to prevent the establishment of these invasive fish."

The reason for the high risk of invasion is because portions of the Great Lakes offer sufficient food and habitat to enable these invasive fish to spawn, survive and spread, the report’s authors noted. They identified the most likely pathway for Asian carp to enter the Great Lakes is via the Chicago Area Waterway System.

The report suggests that the major ecological consequence resulting from the establishment and spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes would likely be an overall decline in certain native fish species, including some commercially and recreationally important ones. Such declines could occur because Asian carp would compete with prey fish that primarily eat plankton. This could lead to reduced growth rates and declines in abundance of prey fish species, and thus predatory fish would also likely decline. Asian carp also reduce survival of open-water fish larvae -- like those of walleye and yellow perch -- most likely through competition for plankton or by preying on the larvae.

However, the authors emphasized that the establishment of Asian carp in the Great Lakes and resulting ecosystem damage are not foregone conclusions. Preventing the establishment of Asian carp in the Great Lakes is the best means of avoiding harmful ecological and economic effects.

The new report, developed with input from resource managers, decision makers and researchers from federal, provincial and state agencies, and other groups, provides a science-based assessment of the risk these fish pose to the Great Lakes. By involving both Canadian and U.S. scientists, the report drew upon the wealth of Asian carp expertise in both countries. The report will allow managers to make informed decisions for management of Asian carp and for prevention of their spread.

Preventing establishment remains the main objective of ongoing efforts of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), a partnership of federal and state agencies, municipalities and other groups, led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Ongoing efforts of the coordinating committee are described in the newly released “FY2012 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework.” Actions of the ACRCC are diverse; they include aggressive tracking and monitoring of Asian carp, evaluating electric dispersal barriers in the Chicago Area Waterways System preventing movement toward Lake Michigan, and developing new technologies to control the abundance and distribution of Asian carp.

The Binational Asian Carp Risk Assessment can be accessed at

English (PDF)
French (PDF)

The 2012 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework can be accessed at asiancarp.us.

A Big Day for Science: Citizens Have Contributed One Million Observations to Top Nature Database

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 3 May 2012 9:00:00 EDT

RESTON, Va. — Thanks to citizen-scientists around the country, the USA National Phenology Network hit a major milestone this week by reaching its one millionth nature observation.

The millionth observation was done by Lucille Tower, a citizen-scientist in Portland, Ore., who entered a record about seeing maple vines flowering. Her data, like all of the entries, came in through USA-NPN’s online observation program, Nature's Notebook, which engages more than 4,000 volunteers across the country to observe and record phenology – the timing of the recurring life events of plants and animals such as when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn or when leaves turn colors in the fall.

Each record not only represents a single data point — the status of a specific life stage of an individual plant or animal on one day – but also benefits both science and society by helping researchers understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and, in turn, how those responses are affecting people and ecological systems.

"My dream is that through the wonders of modern technology and the National Phenology Network we could turn the more than six billion people on the planet into components of our scientific observing system," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "We could make giant leaps in science education, improve the spatial and temporal coverage of the planet, lower the cost of scientific data collection, and all while making ordinary citizens feel a part of the scientific process."

Jake Weltzin, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist and the executive director of USA-NPN, concurs. "Hitting the one millionth observation is exciting because researchers and decision-makers need more information to understand and respond to our rapidly changing planet. More information means better-informed decisions that ensure the continued vitality of our natural areas that we all depend on and enjoy."

For example, said Weltzin, the data in Nature's Notebook are already being used to benefit society, including the development of more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy seasons or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and setting goals for habitat restoration. Ultimately, such information can be used for better managing water resources, wildlife and ecosystem management, and even help farmers and ranchers across the nation.

Changes in phenology are among the most sensitive biological indicators of global change. Across the world, many springtime events are occurring earlier — and fall events happening later — than in the past. These changes are happening quickly for some species and more slowly, or not at all, for others, altering relationships and processes that have been dynamically stable for thousands of years. Some wildlife —like caribou and butterflies — are becoming mismatched from their plant food resources, which are responding differently. Migrations for some birds are changing too, as they can now overwinter instead of moving south for the winter, or as they fly north more quickly to keep pace with an advancing front of spring flowering.

Because of this, said Weltzin, scientists need more and better information about the pace and pattern of nature — locally to nationally — to answer important scientific and societal questions, and to build the tools and models needed to help people understand and adapt to the changes.

"So much of our improved understanding about global environmental changes is driven by varied and valuable sources of information that include networks of citizen-scientists," said John Wingfield, National Science Foundation’s assistant director for biological sciences. "The public at large has played an important role collecting observations and data for a hundred years and more. Knowledge and data gained from their work will continue to have a lasting effect on how we understand regularly recurring biological phenomena for hundreds of plant and animal species and contribute to the policy arena."

Gwen Lundburg in Seattle is one citizen-scientist who has contributed hundreds of entries into Nature’s Notebook. "Just noticing small changes like tiny purple lilac buds suddenly turning green has taught me to look more closely at my plants," Lundburg said. "I see things in my garden I never saw before."

With the help of citizen-scientist volunteers, working in concert with professionals, the USA-NPN, which was established in 2007, collects, stores and freely shares phenological data on more than 800 species of plants and animals. The Nature’s Notebook observing program has been in operation since 2009. The coordinating office of the organization is located at 1955 E. 6^th St., Tucson, Ariz., 85721. For more information, visit the USA National Phenology Network, or contact Jake Weltzin at 520-626-3821 or jweltzin@usgs.gov.

Invasive Carps Could Find a Home in Lake Erie

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EDT

Lake Erie and its largest tributaries are suitable habitats for invasive Asian carps to reproduce and mature, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

The USGS study found that the Maumee, Sandusky, and Grand rivers are hospitable environments for Asian carps, potentially allowing the invasive fish to establish a self-sustaining population in western Lake Erie. Currently, federal agencies are working in partnership with Great Lakes States to implement a series of measures to prevent Asian carps from entering the Great Lakes Basin and possibly damaging native fish populations and the Great Lakes economy.

"While the finding of a hospitable environment is not the scientific outcome we and our partners might have hoped for, the clear implication is that conditions exist which could allow for the establishment of breeding populations of Asian carps in Lake Erie," said USGS director Marcia McNutt. "Experience has shown that if they do, the native fish, and the economy that depends on them, could suffer gravely.”

Silver, bighead, and grass carps are Asian carp species that typically spawn in rivers during high summer flows, and, as demonstrated by previous research, can threaten ecosystems by competing with native fish for food. At present, there are no known self-sustaining bighead or silver carp populations in the Great Lakes.

To determine if these and other species of Asian carp can potentially mature in Lake Erie and if river conditions are favorable for them to spawn, the USGS researchers studied water temperatures in the lake and water velocity during flood events in eight major tributaries over the past 20 years.

The new study found that the Maumee River, which enters western Lake Erie at Toledo, is highly suitable for Asian carps to mature and spawn, and the Sandusky River, which enters western Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio, and the Grand River, which enters central Lake Erie at Fairport Harbor, are moderately suitable.

"We are getting a clearer picture of the threat Asian carps pose to western Lake Erie, and that picture suggests there is cause for concern," said Patrick Kocovsky, USGS scientist and an author of the report.

This USGS research effort, coupled with previously published research on Asian carp food availability in western Lake Erie, is the first to demonstrate the potential for Asian carps to successfully reproduce within the Great Lakes Basin.

Federal and state agencies and other partners are undertaking aggressive tracking and monitoring of the invasive species, have installed electric barriers in the Chicago Area Waterways System to keep Asian carp from moving toward Lake Michigan, and constructed a 1,500-foot fence to block advancement of Asian carp from the Wabash River to the Maumee and Lake Erie.

The USGS study, published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, can be accessed online.

Lichens May Aid in Combating Deadly Chronic Wasting Disease in Wildlife

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:00:50 EDT

MADISON, Wis. – Certain lichens can break down the infectious proteins responsible for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a troubling neurological disease fatal to wild deer and elk and spreading throughout the United States and Canada, according to U.S. Geological Survey research published today in the journal PLoS ONE.

Like other "prion" diseases, CWD is caused by unusual, infectious proteins called prions. One of the best-known of these diseases is "mad cow" disease, a cattle disease that has infected humans. However, there is no evidence that CWD has infected humans. Disease-causing prions, responsible for some incurable neurological diseases of people and other diseases in animals, are notoriously difficult to decontaminate or kill. Prions are not killed by most detergents, cooking, freezing or by autoclaving, a method used to sterilize medical instruments.

"When prions are released into the environment by infected sheep or deer, they can stay infectious for many years, even decades," said Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., a scientist at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and the lead author of the study. "To help limit the spread of these diseases in animals, we need to be able to remove prions from the environment."

The researchers found that lichens have great potential for safely reducing the number of prions because some lichen species contain a protease enzyme (a naturally produced chemical) capable of significantly breaking down prions in the lab.

"This work is exciting because there are so few agents that degrade prions and even fewer that could be used in the environment without causing harm," said Jim Bennett, Ph.D., a USGS lichenologist and a co-author of the study.

CWD and scrapie in sheep are different than other prion diseases because they can easily spread in sheep or deer by direct animal-to-animal contact or through contact with contaminated inanimate objects like soil. Chronic wasting disease was first diagnosed in the 1960s and has since been detected in 19 states and two Canadian provinces. CWD has been detected in wild elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and moose in North America.

Lichens, said Johnson, produce unique and unusual organic compounds that aid their survival and can have antibiotic, antiviral and other chemotherapeutic activities. In fact, pharmaceutical companies have been examining the medicinal properties of lichens more closely in recent years.

Lichens - which are often mistaken for moss - are unusual plant-like organisms that are actually a symbioses of fungi, algae and bacteria living together. They usually live on soil, bark, leaves and wood and can live in barren and unwelcoming environments, including the Arctic and in deserts.

Future work will examine the effect of lichens on prions in the environment and determine if lichen consumption can protect animals from acquiring prion diseases.

The study, “Degradation of the disease-associated prion protein by a serine protease from lichens,” was published in PLoS ONE and is freely accessible to the public. The study was authored by USGS scientists Christopher Johnson, James Bennett and Tonie Rocke, as well as authors from Montana State University and the University of Wisconsin.

Tiny Predator has Large Effect on Lake Huron

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:36:16 EDT

Ann Arbor, MI – An invasive species, the spiny water flea, is likely a primary driver of changes in Lake Huron’s food web over the past decade, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

The USGS research suggests that consumption of prey by invertebrates is outweighing consumption by fish in Lake Huron, and one invertebrate in particular – the invasive Bythotrephes, or spiny water flea – is likely a primary driver of changes in the food web. This predator ate 78 percent of all zooplankton prey consumed at the study sites, said Dr. David B. Bunnell, USGS scientist and lead author of the report.

“These findings shine a spotlight on the role of the invasive spiny water flea as a key predator on zooplankton in Lake Huron,” Bunnell said. “Our study suggests that a better understanding of the role of invertebrates, and the spiny water flea in particular, is essential to fully comprehend the food web changes we’ve seen in Lake Huron since 2002.”

Zooplankton feed the prey fish that support key recreational and commercial fish species in Lake Huron. Bunnell and his colleagues estimated densities of zooplankton prey and their fish and invertebrate predators in Lake Huron between May and October 2007, using models to determine which predators were having the greatest impact on zooplankton dynamics.

“Lake Huron has undergone dramatic changes at multiple levels of the food web since the early 2000s,” Bunnell said. “Some changes have been quite visible, such as the collapse of alewife and Chinook salmon, whereas other changes have received less attention.”

This USGS Great Lakes Science Center research was funded by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Grant.

The article can be downloaded (PDF).

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Great Lakes Sea Lamprey Control To be Featured on Discovery Channel�s

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:18:30 EDT

Discovery Channel star Mike Rowe visits the region to help control the noxious predator

When:	November 2, 2010, 9:00 EST/8:00 Central
Where:	Discovery Channel
Who:	Host Mike Rowe

ANN ARBOR, MI—Sea lamprey control is a “dirty job,” one that TV star Mike Rowe will take on during an upcoming episode of the Discovery Channel’s popular program Dirty Jobs. The segment will first air on November 2, 2010 at 9:00 EST/8:00 CST.

Imagine a two-foot-long leach with teeth that latches onto a fish with a death grip and sucks out its life. That’s a sea lamprey, and crews from the United States and Canada—through a joint effort—handle these noxious pests every day in an effort to keep their populations in check. Sea lamprey control crews conduct extensive field work in remote locations and do not hesitate to jump waist-deep into traps full of squirming lampreys. They’re also not beneath fighting dirty—part of sea lamprey control uses sterilization, pheromones, and other tricks to ensure they do not reproduce successfully.

During the summer of 2010, Mr. Rowe and the Discovery Channel visited northern Michigan to lend a hand to sea lamprey control crews and research scientists. Mr. Rowe received his in-the-field “training” from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

“Many of the duties performed by Fish and Wildlife Service staff could be categorized as a “dirty job”, whether searching Missouri cattails for the Endangered Eastern Massassagua rattlesnake, netting for the elusive Asian carp in the Illinois River, or banding migratory waterfowl on their breeding grounds in the Upper Midwest,” said Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Getting this kind of high profile coverage for important species, like the invasive sea lamprey, is critical to ensuring we have public support for the conservation and management work that our employees carry out.”

Dr. Leon Carl, Regional Executive of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Midwest Region, added: “Mike Rowe, in his entertaining way, gives us a behind-the-scenes view of the cutting edge science being conducted for sea lamprey control and its importance for the Great Lakes fishery. Many folks involved in sea lamprey control and research are big fans of the show Dirty Jobs, and we can’t think of a more appropriate activity to feature than our efforts to stop these invaders.”

Native to the Atlantic Ocean, sea lampreys invaded the upper Great Lakes in the 1920s through shipping canals and wreaked havoc on the ecosystem ever since. Sea lampreys attach to fish with a tooth-filled suction cup mouth, file a hole through the fish’s scales and skin, and feed on the fish’s blood and body fluids. They decimated Great Lakes fisheries, caused significant economic harm, and changed a way of life in the region.

Recognizing the need to control this destructive pest, the governments of Canada and the United States, in 1954, established a binational sea lamprey control program. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission was created in part to develop and implement measures to control sea lampreys. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada serve as agents of the commission and also work in cooperation with various federal, provincial, state and tribal agencies in maintaining sea lamprey abundance at or below acceptable levels. The U.S. Geological Survey conducts essential sea lamprey research and works with the partnership to develop technologies for sea lamprey control.

”Sea lamprey populations have dropped by 90% in many areas of the Great Lakes, allowing for the restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem and contributing to the $7 billion in economic return that the fishery brings each year to the region,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, the commission’s chair. “Sea lampreys are quite telegenic; they look like aliens from outer space. This episode of Dirty Jobs will be a great opportunity for Discovery Channel viewers to catch a glimpse of the difficult and often grimy work that we in the region do to keep this species under control.”

To view the first airing of the Dirty Jobs Sea Lamprey segment, tune in to the Discovery Channel at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 8:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

For more information about sea lampreys and sea lamprey control, visit www.sealamprey.org.

Loons Tracked by Satellites Will Uncover Mysteries of Their Migration

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:28:36 EDT

Tagged Birds Will Shed Light on How Avian Botulism is Transmitted

Ten common loons are now sporting satellite transmitters so researchers can study the migratory movements and feeding patterns of these remarkable fish-eating waterbirds as they migrate through the Great Lakes toward their winter homes farther south.

By using satellite tracking devices implanted in the loons from Wisconsin and Minnesota, USGS scientists expect to learn essential information about avian botulism needed by managers to develop important conservation strategies for the loon species.

Biologist Jeff Wilson releases a loon marked with a geolocator tag on a lake in northern Wisconsin.

Geolocator tag is shown attached to a common loon's leg band using marine epoxy and cable ties.

“This study will also help managers better understand how loons fare as they head to their wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts,” said USGS scientist Kevin Kenow, of the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) in La Cross, WI. “Right now, little is known about habitat use along their entire migratory routes.”

Common loons, a large black and white waterbird with haunting calls, are an iconic species in the Great Lakes states where they are most abundant. Unlike most birds which have hollow bones, loon bones are dense, helping them to dive to depths of some 250 feet in their search for food.

In addition to satellite transmitter-marked loons, about 70 other loons will have geolocator tags, which will record daily location, temperature, light levels and water-pressure data that will log the foraging depths of these diving birds. “This information will help shed light on how avian botulism may work in the food web on the Great Lakes,” said Kenow, the leader of the migration project.

Botulism, which has caused more than 80,000 bird deaths on the Great Lakes since 1999, causes paralysis and death of vertebrates who ingest neurotoxin produced by the botulism bacterium. The USGS study on avian botulism on the Great Lakes, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, will examine the pathways by which fish and birds acquire botulinum toxin from Great Lakes food webs and determine how avian botulism outbreaks are related to environmental variables such as water quality and food web structure. Avian botulism outbreaks have resulted in periodic and often huge die-offs of fish-eating birds since at least the 1960s, but outbreaks have become more common and widespread since 1999, particularly in Lakes Michigan and Erie.

“Understanding feeding patterns and exposure routes of waterbird species at high risk for botulism die-offs, such as the common loon, is central to understanding how botulism exposure happens in the aquatic food chains in the Great Lakes and to eventually identifying what drives botulism outbreaks,” said Kenow, “Only then, can we help provide tools to prevent or lessen such outbreaks.”

Movement of loons from previous studies carrying satellite transmitters can be followed online at the USGS UMESC website. Loon movements from the current study will be available later this summer.

More information on avian botulism can be found at USGS National Wildlife Health Center website

In addition to the UMESC, the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center and Michigan Water Science Center are involved in the Great Lakes botulism study. The University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Natural Resources, and St. John’s Abbey and University provided support to various aspects of the migration project.

Celebrity Manatee Survived Florida's Harsh Freeze

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:41:51 EDT

Ilya, an adventurous manatee that wandered as far north as Cape Cod last summer, has recently been sighted at several locations around Miami’s Biscayne Bay, confirmed U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) biologists.

After a winter of harsh conditions that led to hundreds of manatee deaths in Florida, Ilya’s survival was welcome news to biologists and veterinarians who rescued Ilya from the dangerously cold waters of New Jersey last October.

“He doesn’t have any new scars and he’s doing really well,” said Kit Curtin, a scientist contracted by USGS who photographed Ilya. “We think he spent the winter in southeast Florida, where the Gulf Stream can have a warming effect,” she added.

Before being rescued from New Jersey, Ilya had been spotted up and down the Atlantic Coast throughout the summer, making appearances in the Chesapeake Bay before wandering as far north as East Dennis, a small town on the northern side of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His widespread travels made him an aquatic celebrity.

The USGS biologists confirmed Ilya’s identity by the white scar on his head and notches on his tail, unique markings that match his record in a visual identification database that is maintained to research the manatee population. The database, known as MIPS (Manatee Individual Photo-identification System), contains photos and identification notes for thousands of individual manatees, who are assigned a reference number so that their locations, new scars, health, and reproductive habits can be updated over the course of their lifetime.

Often, researchers go a step further and name the manatees that they tag and follow with radio or satellite equipment.

“We’re all pleased that Ilya survived despite January’s extreme freeze,” said USGS biologist Cathy Beck, who researches manatee biology for the Sirenia Project.

She added, “Ilya’s survival against the odds is one of those stories that really fuels our research – why did Ilya survive when so many others succumbed to the cold? Was it because he knew how to find a warm water shelter, was he just in good physical condition, or did his genes somehow give him an advantage? Those are some of the questions we are trying to answer through the MIPS database.”

The Sirenia Project provides survival estimates of adult manatees, scientific details about their biology, and has even helped test the effectiveness of proposed management approaches with computer models. The scientific information is used by state and federal agencies to develop effective plans to protect and conserve manatee populations.

When asked about the likelihood that Ilya would return up north, Curtin replied, “Male manatees usually start their migrations in April, so just because he’s down in Florida now doesn’t mean he might not start a trek back again this year.”

For more information on USGS manatee research, visit the Southeast Ecological Science Center Web site.

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Chloride Found at Levels that Can Harm Aquatic Life in Urban Streams of the Northern U.S.--Winter Deicing a Major Source

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 9:00:00 EDT

The USGS report and maps of monitoring sites are available online.

Levels of chloride, a component of salt, are elevated in many urban streams and groundwater across the northern U.S., according to a new government study.

Chloride levels above the recommended federal criteria set to protect aquatic life were found in more than 40 percent of urban streams tested. The study was released today by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevated chloride can inhibit plant growth, impair reproduction, and reduce the diversity of organisms in streams.

The effect of chloride on drinking-water wells was lower. Scientists found chloride levels greater than federal standards set for human consumption in fewer than 2 percent of drinking-water wells sampled in the USGS study.

Use of salt for deicing roads and parking lots in the winter is a major source of chloride. Other sources include wastewater treatment, septic systems, and farming operations.

“Safe transportation is a top priority of state and local officials when they use road salt. And clearly salt is an effective deicer that prevents accidents, saves lives, and reduces property losses,” said Matthew C. Larsen, USGS Associate Director for Water. “These findings are not surprising, but rather remind us of the unintended consequences that salt use for deicing may have on our waters. Transportation officials continue to implement innovative alternatives that reduce salt use without compromising safety.”

This comprehensive study examines chloride concentrations in the northern U.S. covering parts of 19 States, including 1,329 wells and 100 streams.

Selected Highlights

Land use matters

Chloride yields (the amount of chloride delivered per square mile of drainage area) were substantially higher in cities than in farmlands and forests. Urban streams carried 88 tons of chloride per square mile of drainage area. Forest streams carried about 6 tons of chloride per square mile.
Only 4 percent of the streams in agricultural areas had chloride levels that exceeded the recommended federal criteria set to protect aquatic life (compared to more than 40 percent of urban streams). Overall, 15 percent of all streams had chloride levels exceeding the criteria.
Chloride concentrations in shallow groundwater (not used for drinking) were 16 times greater in urban areas than in forests, and 4 times greater in urban areas than in agricultural areas.

Highest levels in streams in the winter

In urban streams, the highest levels of chloride (as great as 4,000 parts per million, which is about 20 times higher than the recommended federal criteria) were measured during winter months when salt and other chemicals are used for deicing.

Increases over time

Increases in chloride levels in streams during the last two decades are consistent with overall increases in salt use in the U.S. for deicing.
Increasing chloride yields are linked to the expansion of road networks and parking lots that require deicing, increases in the number of septic systems, increases in wastewater discharge, and increases in saline groundwater from landfills.

Sources can vary locally

Chloride in ground and surface waters comes from many sources including the use and storage of salt for deicing roads, septic systems, wastewater treatment facilities, water softening, animal waste, fertilizers, discharge from landfills, natural sources of salt and brine in geologic deposits, and from natural and human sources in precipitation.