If Only Lewis and Clark Had USGS Science - Although modern scientific tools, such as seismic monitoring devices, GPS, remotely sensing satellites and sophisticated streamflow measuring tools, used by the USGS today are far more sophisticated than those employed by Lewis and Clark in their first federally funded scientific expedition, the spirit of dedication and sense of discovery remain the same at the USGS today in carrying on the legacy of surveying the nation's natural heritage. During the 3-year bicentennial commemoration of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery (1804-06) that starts this month (January 14, 2003 at Monticello in Charlottesville, VA), the USGS will bring the natural science of Lewis and Clark's time and the science of today to the public, including participation in the Federal Corps of Discovery II, a multi-agency traveling classroom that will retrace the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition. At many stops along the route, USGS scientists will talk about ongoing USGS investigations, explaining changes in river systems and pointing out advances in scientific instruments and understanding that have occurred during the last 200 years. An extensive website emphasizes USGS science (http://www.usgs.gov/features/lewisandclark.html). The USGS and 20 partner federal agencies have produced a special map, Discovering the Legacy of Lewis and Clark, that shows the coast-to-coast route of the Corps of Discovery. The map is available free of charge from many federal agencies and at Lewis and Clark commemoration sites across the nation. Jon Campbell (jcampbell@usgs.gov) 703-648-4460
Wrestling with a Great Green Giant - Hitching a ride on other plants shipped from nurseries or as an escapee from aquatic gardens, giant salvinia-an invasive, non-native weed-is threatening to choke off waterways in southeastern North Carolina. This Brazilian aquatic plant forms a thick floating mat of tiny plants that can smother other plants and animals and once it takes hold, it grows fast and is difficult to stop. Such a floating mat of salvinia has taken over the canals at River Bend along the Northeast Cape Fear River in Pender County, NC, and unless eradicated it will eventually spread throughout the Lower Cape Fear Region. USGS scientist Randy Westbrooks is working with the Southeastern North Carolina Giant Salvinia Task Force to develop strategies for eliminating this biological pollutant before it infests unspoiled wetlands and waterways throughout the Lower Cape Fear Region. In Louisiana, a green tide of giant salvinia blankets nearly every waterway in a 72-square-mile area and is so dense that it blocks boat traffic. Bridges have washed out from the sheer weight of the plant and debris that it traps. In Brazil, tiny weevils keep giant salvinia in check, but it has no natural enemies in the United States. For information see: http://salvinia.er.usgs.gov/ or http://www.fcsc.usgs.gov/Fact_Sheets/salvinia.pdf. Karen Wood (kwood@usgs.gov), 703-648-4447
Sharp Upturn in Streamflow-Signal of a Climate Shift? - Streamflow in the United States took a sharp upturn around 1970 according to a recent USGS study looking at streamflow patterns over several decades (1941-1999). Such an abrupt rise in streamflow, rather than a gradual increase, signals a shift in the climate system that likely will remain relatively constant for an extended period. The USGS study shows marked increases in low to moderate streamflow, but less significant increases in high streamflow. The abrupt rise in streamflow occurred mostly in the eastern U.S. and coincided with an increase in precipitation. Abrupt shifts in climate are common and often related to changes in ocean temperatures and circulation patterns; such changes in climate frequently persist for decades at a time. In making plans for water management or flood mitigation, decision makers need to consider that future streamflow conditions may be different from past conditions. Check out the study at http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/pubs/reports/dmw.grl.v29.html. Butch Kinerney (bkinerney@usgs.gov) 703-648-4460
FEEDS
Abstract Patterns, Vivid Colors, Fantastic Shapes on Your Screen - Ease up on that keyboard a moment and visit the wonders of the world around you in 5-second splashes of colorful drama with the USGS Earth As Art screensaver. In the joint USGS and NASA collection of satellite imagery titled Landsat: Earth as Art, 41 images of the planet taken by the Landsat 7 satellite from over 400 miles high have been selected this time solely for their aesthetic value - they provide lots of good science, too, but that's another story. Get the screensaver at http://www.usgs.gov/features/earthasart.html. Jon Campbell (joncampbell@usgs.gov), 703-648-4460
STORY SEEDS
Flooding the Grand Canyon - Again - And on Purpose - USGS scientists will once again conduct controlled floods in the Grand Canyon, similar to what was done in 1996, but this time, they will schedule the floods to make use of additional sand and sediments from the neighboring Paria River. In the 1996 experimental flood, the USGS, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Park Service sent water roaring from Glen Canyon Dam to carry sediment downstream and restore beaches and sandbars in the Grand Canyon; hopefully restoring them to what they once were before the dam was built in 1963. But the Colorado River just didn't have enough sediment close to the Glen Canyon Dam to do the trick. Now with more than six years worth of studies and analyses, they are ready to try again. This time USGS scientists are also focused on saving endangered fish species, too, namely the humpback chub. The chub is being ganged up on by non-native fish that prey on and compete with them. To give the chub a break, USGS scientists will use high fluctuating flows to disrupt non-native fish spawning and use electro-fishing techniques to remove non-native fish. The high-fluctuating flows began Jan. 1, 2003, and will continue through March of this year and then repeat again January-March 2004. For more information on the 1996 experimental flood, go to http://az.water.usgs.gov/flood2.html, and for pictures, go to http://az.water.usgs.gov/floodpix.html. The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, a committee that advises the Department of the Interior on the operation of Glen Canyon Dam to protect downstream resources, recommended the experiments; learn more at http://www.gcmrc.gov/gcmrc.htm. Heather Friesen (hfriesen@usgs.gov) 703-648-4460
White Christmas Makes for a Blue Water Map - Rivers, streams, and ground-water reservoirs in the East responded well to recent rain and snow that brought a White Christmas to many cities and towns, leading to cautious optimism that much of the area is on its way to recovering from the drought that has long plagued the area, according to the USGS. A quick glance at the real-time streamflow map (http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/) that the USGS provides as a regular, continuously updated service on the Internet shows rivers "in the blues and greens" for the most part in the Eastern half of the country, indicating that streams are flowing at normal to above normal levels for this time of year, while lower streamflows linger in some parts of the West. Keep checking the map to follow what happens over the next few months to see if the drought is really "over." Gail Wendt (gwendt@usgs.gov) 703-648-4460