USGS Office of Communications
Science Picks—Leads, Feeds, and Story Seeds
July 2006 Edition
For Release: UPON RECEIPT
Want to cover hot topics…Volcanoes, Wildfire, Earthquakes and Flood? The
July Science Picks provide the most current USGS science news and
information. Science Picks helps you cover ongoing earth and natural
science research, investigations and technology. Photos and Web links are
also provided to enhance your story. If you would like to receive Science
Picks via email, would like to change the recipient or no longer want to
receive it, please email dmakle@xxxxxxxxx
July Highlights:
· Explosive Situation Calls for Quick Response
· What Put the BANG in Fireworks?
· When the Smoke Clears
· Recovery After Wildfire
· Downed Wood is Chipmunk Super Highway
· To Seed or Not to Seed after Rangeland Wildfire?
· Is a Wildfire Headed Your Way? Stay Informed Online, in
Real-Time
· Keeping an Eye on Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Other Hazards
· New USGS Technique Makes Mapping More Realistic
· Remembering One of Colorado's Deadliest Floods
and more …
LEADS:
Explosive Situation Calls for Quick Response: In response to an erupting
Mount Merapi volcano in central Java, Indonesia, the International Charter
on Space and Major Disasters was invoked to support the deployment of USGS
scientists. Slated to design a new observatory in North Sulawesi,
Indonesia, the scientists instead found themselves evaluating the severity
of the threat of Merapi’s eruption. Find out how the possible eruption of
the 9,800-foot peak, considered one of the most dangerous of the 129 active
volcanoes in Indonesia, spurred an international effort resulting in the
collection of many dramatic remotely sensed images. Learn how USGS
volcanologists assisted the local government and what they’ve learned as
they continue to support the mission. For more information on the USGS
Volcano Hazards Program, contact James Quick at (703) 648-4732 or
jquick@xxxxxxxxx For more information on the International Charter on Space
and Major Disasters, contact Brenda Jones at (605) 594-6503 or
bkjones@xxxxxxxxx
What Put the BANG in Fireworks? Every year on Independence Day, Americans
all around the country are drawn to spectacular fireworks displays. But
what makes the colors, lights and sounds so vivid? Each color in a
fireworks display is produced by a specific mineral compound. Bright greens
are from barium, blues come from copper, and yellows require sodium. More
colors are made by mixing compounds. The role of minerals in fireworks is
just one example of our society’s reliance on minerals for making products
ranging from computers to toothpaste. Minerals don’t just make tools—they
makes tools stronger and long-lasting. Want to know more? Visit
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals to learn about USGS statistics on
production, trade and resources for about 90 mineral commodities from
around the world. Enjoy fun facts at
http://minerals.usgs.gov/west/factfaq.shtml. For more information, contact
Diane Noserale at 703-648-4333 or dnoseral@xxxxxxxxx
When the Smoke Clears: Once the fires die down, many think that the dangers
of a wildfire are over, but other hazards often follow on the heels of a
wildfire. Flooding, debris flows and erosion are common hazards that occur
following wildfires throughout the Western Unites States. Scientists in the
USGS Landslide Hazards Program are developing methods to quantify these
hazards. By sprinkling water on burned hillsides, scientists measure how
fast rainfall infiltrates and how much sediment is moved. They have
developed methods to predict the chances of a debris flow and how big an
event might be. Visit
http://landslides.usgs.gov/html_files/wildfires/index.html to learn about
USGS work on post-fire debris flow hazards or
http://landslides.usgs.gov/index.html to learn more about landslides in
general. For more information, contact Lynn Highland at 1-800-654-4966 or
highland@xxxxxxxxx
Recovery After Wildfire: Though still early in the fire season, wildfires
throughout the West have consumed nearly 4 million acres, the highest as of
this date in 10 years, and new fires develop daily. Families living in
communities hit by these fires face years of coping with the aftermath. But
help is available—find out how a USGS scientist and a handful of local
partners developed a community-based approach that engaged Los Alamos,
N.M., citizens and schools in post-fire rehabilitation and environmental
education. The phenomenal effort—more than 68,000 volunteer hours since the
summer of 2000, when the Cerro Grande fire burned about 43,000 acres—is
catalyzing the recovery of the ecosystem and continues to help the
residents recover as well (http://www.volunteertaskforce.org/). Learn what
techniques were applied, which also assisted other fire-affected
communities in the Southwest. For more information, contact John Hogan at
(505) 690-6463 or john_hogan@xxxxxxxx, or Catherine Puckett at (352)
264-3532 or cpuckett@xxxxxxxxx
Downed Wood is Chipmunk Super Highway: Forest-practice regulations require
that downed wood be left on the forest floor, primarily for ecological
reasons. However, during a recent USGS study, scientists found that in
forests with average amounts of downed wood available, chipmunks were three
times more likely to select paths with downed wood than paths without,
suggesting that downed wood may influence fitness or survival of individual
chipmunks. For more information on this study, contact Janet Erickson at
(541) 737-6593 or jerickson@xxxxxxxxx
To Seed or Not to Seed after Rangeland Wildfire? Identifying sites that are
likely to recover after wildfire, versus those that require seeding to
prevent conversion to cheatgrass, helps to preserve native communities and
to focus reseeding efforts where they are most needed. In a study of
Wyoming big sagebrush sites in southwestern Idaho, USGS scientists found a
simple index that is a good predictor of cheatgrass canopy cover on both
burned and unburned sites. Find out how the index works and what scientists
have learned. For more information, contact Lucinda Salo at (208) 426-2893
or csalo@xxxxxxxxx
FEEDS:
Is a Wildfire Headed Your Way? Stay Informed Online, in Realtime: The USGS
and other partnering agencies have produced an Internet-based mapping
application that gives wildfire personnel and the general public access to
online maps of current fire locations and perimeters using standard Web
browsers. The GeoMAC Web site, http://geomac.usgs.gov/, allows users to
manipulate map information displays, perform searches and zoom in and out
to display fire information at various scales and levels of detail. Users
can display information on individual fires, such as the name of the fire,
current acreage and other fire status information, with just the click of a
mouse. For more information on the GeoMAC tool, contact Heidi Koontz at
(303) 202-4763 or hkoontz@xxxxxxxxx
Keeping an Eye on Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Other Hazards: What happens
when a volcano breathes? New remote sensing technology, interferometric
synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) can show the world. Data derived from
InSAR images can be used in detailed models to enhance the study of natural
and man-made hazards induced by volcanic, seismic and hydrogeologic
processes. For example, USGS scientists used InSAR techniques to study
volcanic deformation before, during and after eruptions for many Alaskan
volcanoes, the earthquake deformation associated with the October-November
2002 Denali (Alaska) earthquakes, land subsidence due to ground water
withdrawal in the United Arab Emirates, and map water-level changes of
swamp forests in southeastern Louisiana. The all-weather technique is
capable of measuring ground-surface deformation with centimeter to
sub-centimeter vertical precision and a spatial resolution of tens of meter
over a relatively large region. For a closer look, contact Zhong Lu at
(605) 594-6063 or lu@xxxxxxxxx
New USGS Technique Makes Mapping More Realistic: USGS scientists have
researched techniques for mapping population density relative to the
spatial distribution of residential land-use to provide a more
statistically accurate visual representation. Find out how the rapid
population growth in the San Francisco Bay region, from 6 million in 1990
to 6.8 million in 2000, influenced the development of a dasymetric mapping
technique that can be applied to other geographic areas to conceptualize
urban growth patterns essential for land-use planning and urban growth
modeling. Learn how the technique is being used to study daytime and
nighttime population density along the Oregon Coast for emergency response
in the event of a tsunami alert. The results of work completed for the San
Francisco Bay Area, 1990-2000, are available to download as geospatial
layers at http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/science/dasymetric/. For more
information, contact Rachel Sleeter at (650) 329-4373 or rsleeter@xxxxxxxxx
STORY SEEDS:
Remembering One of Colorado's Deadliest Floods: On July 31, 1976, a
violent rainstorm sent a rampaging wall of water through Big Thompson
Canyon near Boulder, Colo. The massive millennial flood killed 144
residents and visitors at one of Colorado’s most popular destinations. The
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with the Big Thompson
Watershed Forum and a variety of other Federal and local agencies, will
host a special tribute to the losses sustained during the flood and the
spirit of community recovery that followed. Media is cordially invited to
participate. At 10:30 a.m., July 31, 2006 a high-water marker will be
unveiled at a ceremony, kicking off a daylong revisit of the flood event,
Reflections of the Big Thompson Canyon Flood, 1976 - 2006, will occur at
the City of Loveland’s Viestenz-Smith Park in the Big Thompson Canyon. The
park is the site of the area’s power plant, which now lays in ruins in the
river’s flood plain. The high-water marker will be placed near the ruins,
providing a visually compelling and informative way to show visitors how
devastating these periodic events can be. There will be exhibits displaying
how to deal with similar disasters and scientific findings from 1976 and
today. For more information, contact Heidi Koontz at (303) 202-4763 or
hkoontz@xxxxxxxxx
USGS Scientists Make Mercury Topic of Discussion During August Conference:
Interested in the success of remediation efforts of historic mercury mine
sites in the California Coast Range mercury mineral belt? Or, how
tightening the disposal standards for lightbulbs will increase the use of
recycled material during the manufacture of new bulbs and reduce the
emission of mercury to the environment? USGS scientists will be available
to discuss facts and findings associated with the latest work on mercury
contamination during the upcoming Eighth Annual Conference on Mercury as a
Global Pollutant, Aug. 6-11, in Madison, Wis. To schedule an interview with
a USGS scientist, or for more information on USGS participation, contact
Denver Makle at (703) 648-4732 or dmakle@xxxxxxxxx
A Golden Opportunity with Eagles at Denali National Park: The eagle has
long been a symbol of American culture, pride and freedom, but what have
scientists learned from long-term studies of their nesting habits, ecology
and the causes of eagle mortality? USGS scientists have contributed to a
new publication that describes the monitoring of golden eagles in Denali
National Park. This project was modeled after the USGS-led program
developed for the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in
southwest Idaho. For more information on long-term monitoring programs in
Denali and those along the Snake River, contact Karen Steenhof at (208)
426-5206 or karen_steenhof@xxxxxxxx, or J. Christian Franson at (608)
270-2444 or chris_franson@xxxxxxxxx
