River Science at the U.S. Geological Survey (2007) / Chapter Skim
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3 Overview of Federal, State, Non-Governmental, and USGS Activities in River Science
3 Overview of Federal, State, Non-Governmental, and USGS Activities in River Science
Pages 41-69
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From page 41... ...
We conclude this chapter with a discussion of the role of the USGS in river science, specifically addressing the principles that should guide the priorities of a USGS river science initiative.
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From page 42... ...
We also describe some activities for several agencies that were not identified as having a major research role but whose research on related topics, or management roles, would have a significant influence on the needs and directions for river science research. Our summary is not intended to be comprehensive; instead, it is meant to provide context for the unique role of a USGS river science initiative within the larger multiagency enterprise that deals with river science and management issues.
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From page 43... ...
43 OVERVIEW OF FEDERAL, STATE, NONGOVERNMENTAL, AND USGS ACTIVITIES TABLE 3-1 Major Water-Related Responsibilities of Federal Agencies NOTE: Circle indicates some related responsibilities; filled circle indicates significant responsibilities. SOURCE: Slightly modified, with permission from O'Connor (1995)
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From page 44... ...
9 Other Natural Resources U.S. Geological Survey Geological and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping 198 Water Resources Investigations 132 National Mapping, Geography, and Survey 46 Department of Commerce, NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 332 National Marine Fisheries Service 161 National Ocean Service 55 National Weather Service 20 National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service 24 All other NOAA 82 SOURCE: National Science Foundation (2004)
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From page 45... ...
These efforts frequently parallel the scientific activities of the Biological Resources Discipline of USGS.
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From page 46... ...
The FWS lost most of its research capacity when most of its research scientists became part of the National Biological Survey, which was eventually transformed into the Biological Resources Discipline of the USGS. Their decentralized workforce concentrates mostly on resource management and regulation, but some focused research relating to management activities is still done.
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From page 47... ...
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- Includes the National Ocean Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Weather Service.
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From page 48... ...
. National Aeronautics and Space Administration -- Investigates and funds external research concerning water budgets, land use and land-use change, and water quality of large river systems, much of this through its Terrestrial Hydrology Program.
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From page 49... ...
-- Responsible for preserving, protecting, and sharing the land and cultural legacies of nearly 400 distinct areas that cover more then 84 million acres. In managing the water resources on these lands, including sections of designated Wild and Scenic Rivers, the National Park Service (NPS)
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From page 50... ...
Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service are the principal federal partners, the Biological Resources Discipline of the USGS also supports the initiative. The Instream Flow Council (IFC)
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From page 51... ...
Many of these sites include rivers in their study area and are both producers and consumers of river data and information. The National River Restoration Science Synthesis (NRRSS)
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From page 52... ...
Virtually all such research efforts rely heavily on USGS river flow information as a foundation and are further supported by USGS biological and land-use and land-cover information.
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From page 53... ...
Biological Resources Discipline Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources Program With a mission of providing scientific research and support to the Department of the Interior, other federal agencies, the states, tribes, and the nation's natural resource managers, this program is focused on the study of fish, fisheries, aquatic invertebrates, and aquatic habitats. The program includes (1)
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From page 54... ...
. The USGS's Biological Resources Discipline Science Center, in Fort Collins, Colorado, houses the National Institute for Invasive Species Science, a consortium of government and nongovernment organizations involved in research on effective responses to invasive species.
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From page 55... ...
For example, UMESC, which was noted above under the Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems Program, runs a variety of biological and interdisciplinary river science projects in the Ohio and Mississippi River basins. These include extensive work on restoration of degraded habitats, nutrient enrichment, amphibian and mussel research and monitoring, control and management options and ecological consequences of invasive species, and decision support model development to bring biologists and engineers together to better plan habitat projects and to aid in conflict resolution over navigation development and endangered species (http://www.umesc.usgs.gov)
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From page 56... ...
Many of the USGS biological resource science centers are also active in the Priority Ecosystems Science Initiative, described below under "Crosscutting Programs." These include the Florida Integrated Science Center (Everglades) , Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Chesapeake Bay)
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From page 57... ...
The National Map In the 1990s, the USGS completed a national mapping effort, which began in the late 1800s, to establish a comprehensive coverage of the nation's topography. The next generation of mapping services at the USGS will be provided by The National Map, an online geospatial information resource that provides a seamless, continuously maintained, nationally consistent set of base geographic data.
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From page 58... ...
. Water Resources Discipline National Streamflow Information Program The USGS streamgaging network underpins many of the research and monitoring activities encompassed within our definition of river science.
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From page 59... ...
. National Stream Quality Accounting Network Two national monitoring programs routinely monitor river water quality: the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN)
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From page 60... ...
NASQAN was created to address difficulties identified by Wolman (1971) in performing statistical analysis of water quality, namely, short record length and changes in locations and sampling frequency.
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From page 61... ...
Such modeling has also been valuable in estimating the transport of total nitrogen from subbasins of the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, which has helped in investigating questions and concerns about hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.
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From page 62... ...
Much of the NAWQA information is available at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/. NAWQA has conducted studies in 51 major river basins and aquifer systems, which cover about one-half the land area of the conterminous United States.
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From page 63... ...
is a centrally coordinated program that conducts basic and problem-oriented research within the Water Resources Discipline. The program focuses on (1)
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From page 64... ...
. USGS Nutrient Projects Besides the national monitoring programs, the Water Resources Discipline has many activities/projects that encompass assessment and research around nutrient issues, going beyond the routine monitoring of stream and groundwater conditions.
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From page 65... ...
They also include initiatives, such as the Priority Ecosystems Science Initiative, housed in the office of the associate director for biology, and the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative, coordinated in the BRD and with "points of contact" in the water resources and geographic disciplines (as well as at the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management)
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From page 66... ...
The initiative focuses on six ecosystems facing critical degradation that have significant societal value: Chesapeake Bay; Greater Yellowstone area; Mojave Desert; Platte River; San Francisco Bay; and the greater Everglades. The initiative involves experts of all the USGS science disciplines in an effort to gain a systemwide understanding of the natural and human factors affecting ecosystems, as well as their response to adaptive management decisions.
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From page 67... ...
It has the ability to bring together the scientific expertise among its many disciplines -- hydrologists and geomorphologists, biologists and river ecologists, geologists, geographers, and geospatial information scientists -- to formulate and execute an integrative river science initiative as envisioned in this report. Data Collection and Monitoring Expertise -- The USGS has a long heritage of serving the nation by collecting reliable scientific data and information.
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From page 68... ...
For example, the Water Resources Discipline, with its science centers, Cooperative Water Program, and National Research Program, provides a framework for river science activities at a local scale, while informing a broader science synthesis at a national scale. Place-based multidisciplinary research activities, and the Biological Resources Discipline's collaborative efforts with university researchers and students at Cooperative Research Units, are also good templates for river science activities.
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From page 69... ...
mission as provider of unbiased science information, (2) multidisciplinary staff, (3)
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