Summary

Description

These data identify, in general, the areas of final critical habitat for the endangered Amblema neislerii (fat threeridge), Lampsilis subangulata (shinyrayed pocketbook), Medionidus penicillatus (Gulf moccasinshell), Medionidus simpsonianus (Ochlockonee moccasinshell), Pleurobema pyriforme (oval pigtoe), and the threatened Elliptio chipolaensis (Chipola slabshell), and Elliptoideus sloatianus (purple bankclimber). These species are collectively referred to as the seven mussels..

Summary

Description

A first-surface elevation map was produced cooperatively from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), a scanning lidar system that measures high-resolution topography of the land surface. The ATM system is deployed on a Twin Otter or P-3 Orion aircraft and incorporates a green-wavelength laser operating at pulse rates of 2 to 10 kilohertz. Measurements from the laser-ranging device are coupled with data acquired from inertial navigation system (INS) attitude sensors and differentially corrected global positioning system (GPS) receivers to measure topography of the surface at accuracies of +/-15 centimeters. For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .

Summary

Description

<p><strong>The project determined specific performance metrics and discrete technology development goals with which to gage proposed investments in ground propellant systems operations at SSC.  Historical center studies/investigations were examined and surveyed on hydrogen and helium conservation and recovery. Additionally, a base analytic model of the Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) propellant tank at SSC’s E1 test facility was developed and documented using Thermal Desktop</strong>®/<strong>FlowCAD</strong>®<strong>.</strong><strong> <em>FloCAD</em></strong>®<strong> is a </strong><em>Thermal Desktop</em>®<strong> module that allows a user to develop and integrate both fluid and </strong><em>thermal</em><strong> systems within a CAD based environment.</strong></p>

Summary

Description

L-MEP WMS provides USAID, Implementing Partners, and L-MEP Staff the ability to view M&E program data visually on a map; view sector specific trend or base information; and answer questions about projects, their locations, and their activity status on a variety of geographies and timeframes. The application is easy to use; is interactive; and respond to a variety of USAID program requirements. These requirements can be tailored for individual users. It is developed and managed by The Mitchell Group (SOL# 669-10-010).

Summary

Description

This map layer shows elevation contour lines for the conterminous United States. The map layer was derived from the 100-meter resolution elevation data set which is published by the National Atlas of the United States, and is in the same Albers Equal-area Conic projection as that source data set. Contour intervals match the steps used in the National Atlas Color-Sliced Elevation data sets. Contours were adjusted so that they are in the proper relationship to National Atlas 1:1,000,000-scale lakes, reservoirs, and wide (double-line) streams.

Summary

Description

This Digital Raster Graphic (DRG) is a mosaic of the USGS topographic map for Vera and Appomattox with the collar information clipped and georeferenced to the UTM grid NAD83.

Summary

Description

Knowledge of the timing and strength of tidal currents is extremely important for safe navigation in coastal waters. Tidal currents are almost always the strongest current experienced by vessels operating offshore and for considerable distances inside bays and river estuaries. Standardized procedures exist for analyzing tidal current data to separate the tidal and nontidal parameters. The tidal parameters are used to produce the National Ocean Service Tidal Current Tables. There are currently 41 tidal current reference stations where daily predictions are made based on information obtained in short-term current studies. Additional predictions are made for 2200 locations referenced to these tidal current reference stations. Predictions have varying degrees of accuracy dependant on the age of the data, the length of the measurements and the degree of non tidal influence a given location experiences. A clear understanding of current patterns in ports and estuaries which have economical and commercial importance is vital to ensure safe navigation and help in preventing accidents. In ports where currents are dominated by non-tidal factors, real-time current measurements are preferred.

Summary

Description

This is one of the CPC?s Monthly Atmospheric and SST Indices. It is the 500-hPa temperature anomalies averaged over the latitude band 20oN ? 20oS. The anomalies are departures from the 1981-2010 base period means.

Summary

Description

These images were created by combining the mean surface chlorophyll estimates to produce seasonal representations for winter, spring, summer and fall. Winter includes the months of January, February and March; spring includes the months of April, May and June; summer includes the months of July, August and September; fall includes the months of October, November and December. Estimates of surface chlorophyll concentration were originally obtained from the Naval Research Laboratory at the Stennis Space Center (NRL/SSC). NRL/SSC processed MODIS-Aqua satellite imagery covering the Gulf of Mexico, for a 5-year time period from January 2005 through December 2009. The Gulf of Mexico was divided into three regions, western, central and eastern. For purposes of this image, the three regions were joined in ArcMAP 10. The surface chlorophyll estimates were determined using the OC3 algorithm for MODIS (O'Reilly et al., 2000). These estimates were then reclassified into phytoplankton productivity categories in accordance with the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). There are three CMECS categories under this parameter: oligotrophic (< 5 ug/L), mesotrophic (5 - < 50 ug/L), and eutrophic (> 50 ug/L). The mean surface concentrations for the northern Gulf of Mexico only fall into two of the three categories, oligotrophic (shown as blue) and mesotrophic (shown as green).

Summary

Description

Catalog of leadership development programs for Federal employees. Some programs are also available to participants who are not currently employed by the Federal government

Summary

Description

NOAA's Undersea Research Center for the West Coast and Polar regions operates in the waters offshore of California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, and the Artic and Antartic. The region is home to economically important fisheries as well as active tectonic margins with earthquake producing subduction zones and fault zones; cold seeps and gas hydrate deposits; submarine canyones; seamounts; and volcanically active mid-ocean ridges. To support research of this geologically unique and biologically diverse environment, the WCPR Center leases manned submersibles, shallow- and deep-diving ROVs, and other research equipment, and funds SCUBA operations.

Summary

Description

Mesa Photonics proposes development of a passive optical sensor for simultaneous high-precision measurement of oxygen and carbon dioxide profiles within the full atmospheric column. The approach, which is based on near-infrared heterodyne spectroscopy using solar occultation (i.e., direct solar viewing), is called Precision Heterodyne Oxygen-Calibrated Spectrometer, or PHOCS. Oxygen measurements will provide dry gas corrections and &amp;#150; more importantly &amp;#150; will determine accurate temperature profiles that, in turn, improve the precision of the carbon dioxide column retrievals to better than 1&#37;. Planned instruments will complement results anticipated from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2), Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS), and ground-based Fourier transform spectrometers. PHOCS instruments will be small (not much bigger than a pair of binoculars), light weight, and low power. In keeping with one of the goals of this SBIR topic, planned instruments will be initially configured for operation on the ground, and have size, weight, and power (SWAP) characteristics suitable for easy ground mobility and well as airborne or space-borne deployment. The Phase I project will test an all-fiber-optic heterodyne receiver that will simplify optical design and ensure long-term optical alignment. Oxygen measurements will use the near-infrared band the 1.27 micron wavelength region instead of the more commonly used band at 0.76 microns. The longer wavelength band is weaker; precise lineshapes of many individual rotational lines will be measureable without complications due to highly saturated absorbances or instrument line shape functions (ILS). Carbon dioxide measurements will use the well-characterized band at 1.57 microns.

Summary

Description

The Rogue River drains 13,390 square kilometers of southwestern Oregon before flowing into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Gold Beach, Oregon. The Rogue River begins in the Cascade Range and traverses the Klamath Mountains, where it gains its largest tributaries, the Applegate (1,994 square kilometers) and Illinois (2,564 square kilometers) Rivers, on its way to the coast. In cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a reconnaissance-level assessment of channel condition and bed-material transport relevant to the permitting of in-stream gravel extraction in the lower 178.6 kilometers of the Rogue River, 56.7 kilometers of the Applegate River, and 6.5 kilometers of the Illinois River. To support these analyses, digital channel maps were produced to depict channel and floodplain conditions in the Rogue River basin from different time periods. GIS layers defining the wetted channel and bar features and channel centerline of the Rogue, Applegate, and Illinois Rivers were developed for three time periods: 1967-69, 2005, and 2009. For this project, the active channel was defined as area typically inundated during annual high flows, and includes the low-flow channel as well as side channels, islands, and channel-flanking gravel bars. The wetted channel and bar features datasets were developed by digitizing from aerial photographs. Aerial photographs from 1967-69 were scanned, rectified, and mosaicked for this project (See metadata for each photograph set for more information on the rectification process and resolution of each dataset). Digital orthophotographs from 2005 and 2009 are publicly available.

Summary

Description

NIST with US Forest Service (USFS) have invested in the development of instrument packages and measurement science to enable the successful scientific use of these aerial platforms in the Wildlands and at the WUI. These instrumented UAVs with their supporting ground station allow for the real-time collection of aerial-based data including infrared images of firelines and wind velocity and direction. Each aircraft has a wingspan of 8.5 feet, take-off weight of 35 pounds, a flight duration of up to 10 hours /400 miles, and a maximum airspeed of 60 knots. The UAVs enable the development of reliable fire behavior prediction tools and the evaluation of hazard mitigation solutions such as fuel treatments in the wildlands or the hardening of structures within the community. Scientific Opportunities / Applications: The data generated are used to 1) characterize fire behavior in wildland fuels, 2) document communities damaged by Wildland Urban interface (WUI) fires, and 3) support future incidents. Initially in prescribed burn settings, the characterization work is critical to enable the development of reliable fire behavior prediction tools. The damage documentation work supports the NIST/USFS WUI fire data methodology framework. The NIST/USFS methodology used field data, aerial imagery and technical discussions with first responders to reconstruct WUI fire events. This accurate and precise reconstruction enables the reliable quantification of WUI fire behavior. Specifically the methodology enables the evaluation of hazard mitigation solutions such as fuel treatments in the wildlands or the hardening of structures within the community. Work that supports future incidents will be aimed at supporting the needs of Incident Commanders. Metrology developments have enables our UAVs to discriminate flaming combustion from &amp;quot;hot&amp;quot; consumed fuels. This information can provide the Incident Commander with valuable situational awareness both on the location of the fire front and on mop-up and identification of hotspots. Before the safe deployment of UAVs in incidents, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) protocols need to be updated to include UAVs.

Summary

Description

This dataset contains two-dimensional precipitation and surface products from the NESDIS Microwave Integrated Retrieval System (MIRS) using sensor data from the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite. ATMS is a cross-track scanner with 22 channels in spectral bands from 23 GHz through 183 GHz. MIRS was developed by the NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Application and Research (STAR) and is produced operationally at the NOAA/NESDIS Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO). The precipitation and surface products file, or imaging (IMG) products file, contains total precipitable water (TPW), skin temperature, emissivity by channel, rain rate, cloud liquid water (CLW), rain water path (RWP), ice water path (IWP), liquid water path (LWP), sea ice concentration, snow water equivalent (SWE), snow cover extent, and surface type classification. Quality control metrics and flags defining retrieval product quality are also provided. Each product file encompasses one 32-second granule of data, corresponding to 4 scan lines of ATMS data. The products are distributed in netCDF-4 file format with metadata attributes included.

Summary

Description

The global land surface temperature databank contains monthly timescale mean, max, and min temperature for approximately 40,000 stations globally. It was developed as part of the International Surface Temperature Initiative. This is the global repository for all monthly timescale land surface observations from the 1800s to present and uses data deriving from sub-daily, daily, and monthly observations. It brings together data from more than 45 sources and is used in the creation of various integrated global temperature resources, most notably Global Historical Climatology Network Monthly (GHCN-M) v4. “Stage 1” Monthly Data is purposefully provided as raw, non-homogenized observations with no integrated quality control performed. Data are submitted as-is from the data provider to ensure absolute data integrity and visibility of the data.

Summary

Description

This study assesses the financial performance of health plans that enroll Medicaid members across the key plan traits, specifically Medicaid dominant, publicly traded, and provider-sponsored.

Summary

Description

The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. School Districts are single-purpose administrative units within which local officials provide public educational services for the area's residents. The Census Bureau obtains the boundaries, names, local education agency codes, grade ranges, and school district levels for school districts from State officials for the primary purpose of providing the U.S. Department of Education with estimates of the number of children in poverty within each school district. This information serves as the basis for the Department of Education to determine the annual allocation of Title I funding to States and school districts. TIGER/Line Files include separate shapefiles for elementary, secondary, and unified school districts. The 2010 Census school district boundaries are those in effect for the 2009-2010 school year.

Summary

Description

This data set provides information about the appeals received by the Office of Medicare and Hearings for Fiscal Year 2005 - 2012.

Summary

Description

Lake Mead is a large interstate reservoir located in the Mojave Desert of southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. It was impounded in 1935 by the construction of Hoover Dam and is one of a series of multi-purpose reservoirs on the Colorado River. The lake extends 183 km from the mouth of the Grand Canyon to Black Canyon, the site of Hoover Dam, and provides water for residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and other non-agricultural users in communities across the southwestern United States. Extensive research has been conducted on Lake Mead, but a majority of the studies have involved determining levels of anthropogenic contaminants such as synthetic organic compounds, heavy metals and dissolved ions, furans/dioxins, and nutrient loading in lake water, sediment, and biota (Preissler, et al., 1998; Bevans et al, 1996; Bevans et al., 1998; Covay and Leiker, 1998; LaBounty and Horn, 1997; Paulson, 1981). By contrast, little work has focused on the sediments in the lake and the processes of deposition (Gould, 1951). To address these questions, sidescan-sonar imagery and high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles were collected throughout Lake Mead by the USGS in cooperation with researchers from University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). These data allow a detailed mapping of the surficial geology and the distribution and thickness of sediment that has accumulated in the lake since the completion of Hoover Dam. Results indicate that the accumulation of post-impoundment sediment is primarily restricted to former river and stream beds that are now submerged below the lake while the margins of the lake appear to be devoid of post-impoundment sediment. The sediment cover along the original Colorado River bed is continuous and is typically greater than 10 m thick through much of its length. Sediment thickness in some areas exceeds 35 m while the smaller tributary valleys typically are filled with less than 4 m of sediment. Away from the river beds that are now covered with post-impoundment sediment, pre-impoundment alluvial deposits and rock outcrops are still exposed on the lake floor.

Summary

Description

Spark ignition of a bi-propellant rocket engine is a classic, proven, and generally reliable process. However, timing can be critical, and the control logic, additional electronic components and wiring adds complexity, cost and weight. These factors can be especially undesirable for small attitude or reaction control engines. The proposed innovation uses a novel method to excite a piezo-ceramic crystal using the initiation of propellant flow to the engine. When the propellant valves are opened, the precise timing of the spark relative to propellant flow, as well as the flow start transient, are governed by the geometry of the device. Hence, precise, repeatable start conditions should be achieved with no additional control logic or complexity. Furthermore, the piezo-ceramic crystal is integral to (and embedded in) the igniter body, thereby completely eliminating external wiring and associated complexity. A bench-top demonstration of one manifestation of the device (incorporating only one very simple moving part) has already demonstrated basic feasibility. Other manifestations with no moving parts what-so-ever (at the macroscopic scale) may also be viable, and will be investigated. Phase 1 TLR advancement goal is from 3 to 5, with Phase 2 goal of 7.

Summary

Description

2011 Vegetation Classification for Mud Lake, MN/SD Vegetation Project Report, OMBIL Environmental Stewardship - Level 1 Inventory. Mud Lake, located on the Minnesota and South Dakota border near the headwaters of the Red River in Traverse County, is an important breeding and migration staging area for waterfowl. Mud Lake is approximately 2,500 acres in area with a maximum depth of 7 feet. Due to the shallow depths, little fishing occurs on the Lake during the summer. Most fishing occurs from shore or during the winter. The most common species of fish in Mud Lake are Northern pike and Walleye. Land use in the surrounding watershed has historically been dominated by pasture/agricultural. Mud Lake is the north pool of the Lake Traverse Flood Control Project on the Boix de Sioux River. Land use changes in the watershed and reservoir water level management practices have reduced the value of Mud Lake as a waterfowl habitat. Water level stabilization has resulted in a decrease of aquatic macrophyte growth (both submerged and emergent) and a reduction in the invertebrate communities present in the Lake. The Lake Traverse Flood Control Project has developed plans to restore Mud Lake in order to create better fish spawning and waterfowl breeding habitats as well as other aquatic enhancement/restoration activities. The primary objective of the project is to map and describe the existing (currently on the ground) plant communities and to create a spatially referenced vegetation database for use in geographic information systems (GIS). The project provides an inventory of vegetation communities at Mud Lake with descriptive botanical and ecological information. The scope of work includes the mapping of vegetation types to the lowest hierarchical level of the National Vegetation Classification Standard (NVCS), a field survey to verify imagery signatures as they relate to the NVCS with map classification, mapping of all terrestrial and aquatic vegetation within the boundary of the Government provided project area, and developing an ArcGIS Geodatabase with spatial vegetation.

Summary

Description

This dataset contains employment and coal production reported by mine operators for each quarter in a calendar year, by subunit and mine ID beginning with 1/1/2000. The subunit code identifies the location or operation of the mine relating to the: (01) Underground; (02) Surface at underground; (03) Strip, quarry, open pit; (04) Auger; (05) Culm bank/refuse pile; (06) Dredge; (12) Other mining; (17) Independent shops or yards; (30) Mill operation/preparation plant; (99) Office workers at mine site.

Summary

Description

EDMS is the FMCSA official document repository. The system contains metadata about carriers and drivers, and is referenced by the FOIA team.

Summary

Description

We examined the health of fortyone wild caught sturgeon from a reach of the Mississippi River with an organochlorine consumption advisory and a reference site. The health indices included physical and microbiological examinations, endocrine disruption, histopathology and whole carcass contaminant analysis. All of the sturgeon from the sampling location within consumption advisory reach had relatively larger livers compared to the sturgeon from the reference site. We observed health anomalies in the male specimens from the sampling location within the consumption advisory reach. The anomalies included plasma estrogen and testosterone ratios that were greater than one for three male sturgeon specimens and vitellogenin was induced in two of these three cases. Two other male sturgeon specimens taken from the consumption advisory reach had intersex characteristics. These sturgeon specimens with the health anomalies ranked among the fish with the highest tissue chlordanesPCB concentrations. The apparent toxicological effects threshold for chlordanesPCB was greater than 1.2 ugg ww whole body concentration, however there was an exception.