USGS Map Released: Coastal-change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a map titled Coastal-change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004 (USGS USGS IMAP: 2600-Q). The 11-page map available here, compiled by Keniv M. Foley et al., discusses the following:

[r]eduction in the area and volume of Earth’s two polar ice sheets is intricately linked to changes in global climate and to the resulting rise in sea level. Measurement of changes in area and mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet was given a very high priority in recommendations by the Polar Research Board of the National Research Council. On the basis of these recommendations, the U.S. Geological Survey used its archive of satellite images to document changes in the cryospheric coastline of Antarctica and analyze the glaciological features of the coastal regions. Amery Ice Shelf, lying between 67.5° and 75° East longitude and 68.5° and 73.2° South latitude, is the largest ice shelf in East Antarctica. The latest measurements of the area of the ice shelf range between 62,620 and 71,260 square kilometers. The ice shelf is fed primarily by Lambert, Mellor, and Fisher Glaciers; its thickness ranges from 3,000 meters in the center of the grounding line to less than 300 meters at the ice front. Lambert Glacier is considered to be the largest glacier in the world, and its drainage basin is more than 1 million square kilometers in area. It is possible to see some coastal change on the outlet glaciers along the coast, but most of the noticeable change occurs on the Amery Ice Shelf front.

USGS Map Released: Map of Assessed Shale Gas in the United States, 2012

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a map titled Map of Assessed Shale Gas in the United States, 2012 (USGS Data Series: 69-Z). The 22-page document available here, compiled by Laura H.R. Biewick illustrates the following:

[t]he U.S. Geological Survey has compiled a map of shale-gas assessments in the United States that were completed by 2012 as part of the National Assessment of Oil and Gas Project. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey quantitatively estimated potential volumes of undiscovered gas within shale-gas assessment units. These shale-gas assessment units are mapped, and square-mile cells are shown to represent proprietary shale-gas wells. The square-mile cells include gas-producing wells from shale intervals. In some cases, shale-gas formations contain gas in deeper parts of a basin and oil at shallower depths (for example, the Woodford Shale and the Eagle Ford Shale). Because a discussion of shale oil is beyond the scope of this report, only shale-gas assessment units and cells are shown. The map can be printed as a hardcopy map or downloaded for interactive analysis in a Geographic Information System data package using the ArcGIS map document (file extension MXD) and published map file (file extension PMF). Also available is a publications access table with hyperlinks to current U.S. Geological Survey shale gas assessment publications and web pages. Assessment results and geologic reports are available as completed at the U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program Web Site, http://energy.usgs.gov/OilGas/AssessmentsData/NationalOilGasAssessment.aspx. A historical perspective of shale gas activity in the United States is documented and presented in a video clip included as a PowerPoint slideshow.

EPA Releases National Estuary Program (NEP) Interactive Map

Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new interactive map, NEPmap, based on information obtained from the EPA's National Estuary Program (NEP), a program, "established under Section 320 of the 1987 Clean Water Act (CWA) Amendments as a[n EPA] . . . place-based program to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity of estuaries of national significance."  According to the press release,

NEPmap, [contains] more than a decade's worth of NEP habitat data. A simple static map with contained descriptions of NEP habitat protection and yearly restoration projects, has been replaced with a large set of data layers to enable viewing of NEP habitat information in a wider environmental context. The NEPmap allows users to view water quality conditions in their estuary and surrounding watershed alongside NEP habitat projects. NEPmap users can also generate and print maps and reports, change map scales, turn on and off background layers and interact with information points to provide a greater level of detail than a traditional static map. [1].

Of particular note to researchers, is the NEPmap's User Guide available on the bottom right-hand side of the interface which provides information on how to navigate the map.

1. Water Headlines for the Week of October 2nd, EPA, http://water.epa.gov/aboutow/ownews/waterheadlines/index.cfm 
(last visited Oct. 9,2012)

Maps: Exploration, Resources, Reserves, and Production

The maps created by the Energy Information Administration show the location and estimated reserves of oil, natural gas, shale, coal bed methane in the United States.