Looking for hot science stories? This monthly compendium of USGS science information can help you cover the ongoing earth and natural science research and investigations at USGS--footage, photos and web links provided can enhance your story.

LEADS:
Tree Rings Track Tremors Through Time – Using tree rings as a forensic tool, USGS scientists are gathering clues about landslides caused by earthquakes and other seismic events. The tree-ring records of 32 tilted and damaged conifers at three sites of landslides in southwestern Montana were examined and showed signs of disturbance that indicate landslides and periods of movement during the 20th century. Interestingly, the evidence of the slides and shifting of the Earth’s surface found in many trees, occurred the year following significant earthquakes in the region. This would suggest that many of the landslide movements were triggered by, or are coincident with, earthquakes as much as 200 km (124 miles) from the study area. Tracking tremor-induced trauma in trees in such earthquake prone regions as California and Alaska may help to extend the seismic history back into prehistoric times. Paul Carrara (pcarrara@usgs.gov) 303-236-1287

Where is Kryptonite When You Need it! – When non-native species invade an area, they can edge out native species because they have fewer parasites and less illness to contend with, according to two new USGS studies in the Feb. 5, 2003, issue of the journal Nature. When the invasive species leave their own native environment they also leave behind the pests and parasites that help to keep them in check. When they invade a new area, however, they have a distinct advantage because the native species have their own complement of parasites to deal with. For a kind of wild analogy, it’s like Superman and kryptonite. If you’ll recall, when Superman was on the planet Krypton, it was the kryptonite that kept Superman ordinary (his parasitic control). Freed from kryptonite on Earth, however, Superman gained super powers. In a sense, these are super species invading the landscape and we could use a little kryptonite! – or maybe we need to go back to their native lands and bring their parasites here to get invasive species under control. At least with Superman, his super powers were used for good deeds, but these super species are devastating to the native species and environment they are invading. Catherine Puckett (cpuckett@usgs.gov) 707-442-1329

A (Pretty Good) River Runs Through it (Boston) – The Charles River running through the heart of metropolitan Boston faces water-quality problems, but they aren’t any worse than those in other similarly urban rivers, according to a new USGS study. As a matter of fact, the quality of the Lower Charles River water can be considered good—it meets water-quality standards and guidelines during dry weather. The problems in the Charles and other urban rivers come during rainstorms when contaminated storm water can significantly impair water quality. When compared with 23 other cities, the storm-water quality in Boston is generally similar to or better than that reported in the other cities. The contaminant that most adversely affects the use of the river after rainstorms is fecal coliform bacteria, much of which comes from residential areas, following various pathways to the river. Some bacteria wash off after accumulating on rooftops, streets, parking lots and other impervious surfaces during dry periods. Some reach the river through illicit sewer connections to storm drains, and some get to the river through combined sewers, sewers that were designed to carry a combination of storm water and raw sewage. But bacteria concentrations and storm water loads are just one part of the story of water-quality in the Lower Charles River – during both wet and dry weather, large loads of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as trace metals, such as chromium and lead, attach to particles and flow to the river. Butch Kinerney (bkinerney@usgs.gov) 703-648-4732

FEEDS:
Is February Earthquake Season? – Early February seems to be a busy time for bad earthquakes. Checking on data from the USGS and its long-term role in earthquake monitoring, the first week in February marks: one of the world’s deadliest earthquakes (which killed an estimated 50,000 people in Italy in 1783); the last and largest in a series that struck the Central United States in 1811-1812, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in New Madrid, Mo., and the anniversaries of three of the 10 largest earthquakes since 1900. Check out “Today in Earthquake History” at http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/history/. Kathleen Gohn, (kgohn@usgs.gov) 703-648-4242

Ice-Jam Cam Back Online – Ice on Maine rivers brings spring flooding to low-lying areas. In 1936 and in 1991, ice jams caused significant flooding on the Kennebec River and the St. John River. During the past few years accumulated ice has jammed on the Kennebec River near Augusta. In order to help state and federal emergency planners monitor and assess changing ice conditions, the USGS, in cooperation with the Maine Emergency Management Agency, installed a web camera viewing the Kennebec River at Augusta. Information from the camera will give emergency planners early warnings of flooding, in addition to the vital information provided by USGS streamgages in the area. The camera will continually monitor ice conditions on the river through the remainder of the winter and spring and can be found at http://me.water.usgs.gov/kenmon.html Robert Lent (rmlent@usgs.gov) 207-622-8201 ext. 102.

STORY SEEDS:
Tracking Space’s Magnetic Personality – Magnetic storms – caused by rapid variations in magnetic fields brought about by variable conditions in the near-Earth space environment – can make radio communication difficult or impossible, degrade global positioning systems, damage satellite electronics, and induce ground currents that can damage high-voltage power grids and enhance pipeline corrosion. USGS scientists who study geomagnetism play an important role in the study and diagnosis of ‘space-weather’ conditions through the real-time collection, transportation, and dissemination of high-frequency geomagnetic data collected from its array of ground-based geomagnetic observatories. In affect, the USGS provides a ‘ground-truth’ data collection service, which is critical to the other federal space-environment programs at NOAA, NASA, NSF, and the US Air Force. For more info check out: http://geomag.usgs.gov Kathleen Gohn (kgohn@usgs.gov) 703-648-4242

Good Bats? Bad Bats? It Depends – While bats in urban areas do great service by consuming flying insects, there is also a public health concern about their possible role in the spread of rabies. Research involves a 5-year case study of the dynamics of rabies transmission in an urban population of big brown bats in Colorado, with an ultimate goal of modeling potential disease transmission dynamics among urban bat colonies. David Ozman (dozman@usgs.gov) 303-202-4744

Got Boogie Board? Do Science! – A scientific instrument mounted atop a boogie board – a shortened surfboard – is enabling USGS hydrologists to make more accurate measurements of the flow of shallow rivers. The acoustic instrument, which bounces sound waves off the river bottom, can be coupled with radio modems and hand-held computers and is enabling technicians to get out of the stream, ensuring greater safety and providing more accurate and more frequent data for some stream conditions. Using the acoustic devices and laser rangefinders to estimate the distance to shore, USGS hydrologic technicians can quickly and accurately gage the discharge of the stream and transmit the data to USGS computers that in turn provide real-time streamflow information ( http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt) for many uses from flood-response and water-supply planning to recreational fishing and boating. The “Boogie Dopp” can be used from a bridge, stream bank or towed behind a kayak (see photos at: http://www.usgs.gov/features/boogiedopp.html). For more information on acoustic technology and its applications to streamflow monitoring, check out: http://hydroacoustics.usgs.gov. Gail Wendt (gwendt@usgs.gov) 703-648-4460