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<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=+2>News Release

<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=-1>U.S. Department of the Interior
<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=-1>U.S. Geological Survey

<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=-1>Address
Office of Communication
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=-1>Release
June 8, 2004
<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=-1>Contact
Butch Kinerney
<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=-1>Phone
703-648-4732
<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=-1>Fax
703-648-4466


<font face='Univers condensed',Helvetica,Arial size=+2>June Science Picks -- Leads, Feeds, Story Seeds

Ain't no cure for the summertime blues? Ha! It's right here! Oodles of fantastic summertime story ideas are here for you when those hazy, lazy, crazy days set in and you need stories. Where available, photos and web links are provided to enhance your story. If you are not receiving this and would like to, would like to change the recipient, or no longer want to receive it, please email bkinerney@usgs.gov.

Included this month:

LEADS:

USGS/Smithsonian Team Keeping Military Aircraft Safe: Imagine trying to pilot a half-million pound C-17 Globemaster filled to capacity with more than a hundred troops on a war-torn airstrip in Iraq and you hit, of all things, a bird. Who cares, right? Well, you should. Because of the speed at which many aircraft fly, birds and mammals can inflict serious, costly damage, loss of lives, and in several cases, have been responsible for the downing of multi-million-dollar jet aircraft. Runway animals are becoming an increasing concern for military aircraft and USGS scientists from the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History are working to identify animals unlucky enough to get caught up in an aircraft engine and to design new methods for keeping animals from fowling engines. Scientists identified the remains of the unfortunate Golden Jackal that was hit in March by a departing C-17 cargo aircraft on a runway at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Although civilian and military aircraft more commonly strike birds, mammals also can pose a threat. Since 1988, for example, white-tailed deer have been responsible for more than $344 million in damages to military aircraft alone. Scientists have also identified bats struck by airplanes in a variety of countries, most recently a pipistrelle that was struck by an aircraft involved in the war effort in Iraq. In the incident involving the jackal, the C-17 was unharmed, but even the slightest modification to a military sortie creates severe problems to mission accomplishments. Once the species involved in an aircraft strike is identified, steps can be taken to avoid future accidents by modifying habitats near a runway, keeping aircraft out of known migration routes or altitudes at particular times of the year, or, as in the case of the jackal, moving garbage dumps or other attractive nuisances. For more, call Neal Woodman or Suzanne Peurach at 202-786-2483 or email them at nwoodman@usgs.gov or suzanne_peurach@usgs.gov.

Whole Lotta Shakin' At Memphis Earthquake Learning Center -- The University of Memphis, USGS and the Mid-America Earthquake Center recently opened the doors to Memphis' first-ever earthquake learning center. The city best known as the birthplace of Rock-and-Roll and the Blues, famed for its role in the Civil Rights Movement and with it's finger-licking barbecue ribs has another, less-famous history - as earthquake center of the Midwest. Located near the epicenters of a trio of devastating earthquakes in 1811 and 1812, the Public Earthquake Resource Center, on the campus of the University of Memphis, helps visitors understand more about earthquakes and the New Madrid seismic zone. Earthquake simulators and computerized displays of worldwide earthquakes happening in near real-time are featured at the center. A main highlight is the re-creation of a field trench, allowing visitors to experience what seismologists and geologists might see when they search for evidence of powerful prehistoric earthquakes. PERC houses extensive information for school-age children and folks seeking information on earthquake preparedness. PERC is also home to USGS earthquake research facilities. It's free and open to the public. For more information, call Michelle Dry at 901-678-1723 or email perc@memphis.edu. Visit PERC on the web at http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/perc.

Online fire website provides the "on the lines" scoop: Bad news: Predictions for a catastrophic wildfire season are rampant, with low snow pack and drought conditions in much of the west. Better news: The USGS has a high-tech, real-time way to keep track of wildland fire status across the country. GeoMAC is an internet-based mapping tool operated by the USGS, in partnership with the federal land management agencies, that allows fire personnel and the public to access on-line maps of multi-acre blazes. Incident locations, perimeters, weather data, and near real-time satellite data are integrated with shaded relief, roads, cities and other 'base' layer information to give the user a comprehensive view of fire in the United States. Because of the dynamic nature of fire, the site is constantly being updated with new information. Access GeoMAC at http://www.geomac.gov. For more information, call Heidi Koontz at 303-202-4763 or email her at hkoontz@usgs.gov.

Quenching New York City's Thirst -- With summer fast approaching, you know it's important to drink plenty of water to stay cool and hydrated. But did you know that half of New York City's water supply is diverted from the Delaware River more than 100 miles from the city? This week marks the 50th anniversary of a court decree that sends as much as 800 million gallons a day from the Delaware into a series of reservoirs, aqueducts and tunnels reaching more than 100 miles all the way to Staten Island. The 1954 decree by the U.S. Supreme Court ensures that the downstream communities of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware can fill their glasses too, by establishing a threshold flow of at least 1,750 cubic feet per second-more than 13,000 gallons per second-flowing downstream to support water supply, recreation and habitat. The USGS Delaware River Master is responsible for monitoring the flow at the USGS streamgaging station at Montague, NJ, and directing releases from New York City reservoirs in the Delaware River Basin when flows from Montague are forecasted to fall below the threshold. For more, call Kathleen Gohn at 703-648-4242 or email her at kgohn@usgs.gov.

FEEDS:

USGS and partners Kick volcanic Ash! Volcanic ash is a worldwide aviation problem. Ash plumes carried downwind from a major volcanic eruption can endanger the aircraft flying in a plume's path. When ash is sucked into a jet engine, it is superheated and turns to glass-like chunks that can quickly foul a jet engine causing irreparable harm at 40,000 feet. Each day more than 200 flights transporting about 20,000 people pass overhead en route between the Americas and Far Eastern regions of Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia. During the past 15 years, more than 80 aircraft worldwide have encountered drifting volcanic ash clouds, and mid-flight engine stalling has affected seven large commercial airliners. From on-the-ground volcanic monitoring to satellite-based systems, geologists, meteorologists, airline safety specialists and the airline industry itself have joined forces, knowledge and resources to make airline travel safer for everyone. An International Conference on Aviation Hazards from Volcanic Ash will be held June 21-23 in Alexandria, Virginia. To learn more, call Butch Kinerney at 703-648-4732 or email bkinerney@usgs.gov.

Making NPRA Data Available: Over the past century, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska has been mapped and studied extensively. The enormous amount of geological and geophysical information generated by these studies is now available all day, every day, from the NPRA Legacy Data Archive at the USGS. The site includes information on dozens of exploratory wells, more than 12,000 line miles of seismic data, and links to maps and reports. Check it out at http://nerslweb.cr.usgs.gov. For more, call Kathleen Gohn at 703-648-4242 or email her at kgohn@usgs.gov.

STORY SEEDS:

Reviving California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - A Science Success Story -- "Delta Revival: Restoring a California Ecosystem", a 22-minute USGS television program shows how environmental experts, from many science disciplines, working together guided the unprecedented restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta east of San Francisco Bay. Just 150 years ago, the Delta ecosystem included diverse wildlife habitats hosting Grizzly bear, tule elk and the second largest Chinook Salmon run in the world. Today, 95 percent of the natural wetland habitat is gone and scientists are attempting to guide the restoration effort through studies to understand ecosystem responses to toxic contaminants, invasive species and water diversions. Renowned Stanford University biologist Paul Ehrlich appears in the program and cites the Delta restoration effort as a model of interdisciplinary science required to solve complex environmental problems around the world. For more on the film or to receive a DVD, call Butch Kinerney at 703-648-4732 or email him at bkinerney@usgs.gov.

"Wave Bye-Bye to the Beach, Kids!" More than 60 percent of the Gulf Coast shoreline is eroding, according to a new USGS assessment of shoreline change on the Gulf of Mexico. Some areas are losing sand more rapidly than others and some areas are actually gaining sand. Beach erosion is a chronic problem along most open-ocean shores of the United States. As coastal populations grow and community infrastructures are threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present trends and rates of shoreline movement. The new assessment, designed to help coastal managers at all levels of government make more informed decisions, was done to address the need for accurate shoreline change data, including rates and trends that are consistent from one region to another. The completion of the Gulf of Mexico portion of the study marks the first in a series that will eventually address the Atlantic Coast, Pacific Coast, and parts of Hawaii and Alaska. The assessment shows that coastal Louisiana is most vulnerable to shoreline erosion along with barriers islands in Texas. In Florida, erosion is concentrated around tidal inlets. The most stable Gulf beaches include those on the west coast of Florida. In some areas in Texas, shorelines have actually accreted, or gained sand. The full-color report is available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1043/. For more, call Robert Morton at 727-803-8747 ext. 3080 or email him at: rmorton@usgs.gov.

Knowing Your Faults -- What are the faults in my state (beyond traffic and people who bring a cartful to the 12-item-or-less line at the supermarket) and where are they? When did we last have an earthquake? Now you can find out the answer to these questions online through a user-friendly interface developed by the USGS. The new website (http://qfaults.cr.usgs.gov/ ) summarizes geologic, geomorphic, and geographic information on about 2000 Quaternary faults and fold-related faults in the U.S. This online database contains information on faults and associated folds in the United States that are believed to be sources of magnitude 6 or greater earthquakes during the Quaternary time period. The Quaternary period encompasses the past 1.6 million years, and is the period of geologic time that is most relevant to earthquake studies. The Quaternary Fault and Fold Database's information will interest the public, the educational community, and the seismic hazards and engineering communities. A graphical map interface with links to the text descriptions and fault information makes it easy for anyone to locate fault and fold information for a particular area by pointing and clicking. Ten years in the making, this massive collection of data, which is estimated to contain about 10,000 pages of content, was accomplished with the cooperation and assistance of state geological surveys as well as individuals in the academic and engineering communities. For more, call Kathleen Haller at 303-273-8543 or email her at khaller@usgs.gov.



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U.S. Geological Survey, MS119 National Center, Reston, VA 20192, USA
URL http://www.usgs.gov/public/press/public_affairs/press_releases/pr1895m.html
Contact: bkinerney@usgs.gov
Last Modification: 6-8-2004@4:59pm(BK)