ABOUT FISC

• Office Information:
• Personnel Directory
• Office Directory
• Information Requests
• Science Highlights
• USGS Phonebook
• Employment

Understanding Water Needs and Availability in the Southeast

Drought occurs across landscapes throughout the world with current climate models predicting that continued drought will become more frequent and severe in the future. In the Southeastern United States, the severe drought that occurred in 2007 increased awareness that drought would become a continued feature affecting environmental resources in one of the fastest growing regions of the US. The 2007 drought severely impacted agricultural productivity, municipal surface-water supplies, and consumptive water-use practices. Through the reduction of water storage capacity, the drought raised concerns about water availability in the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is poised to address complex scientific questions associated with global climate change and drought conditions in the Southeastern US. Read the latest factsheet describing our capabilities.

USGS Investigations -- A Watershed Perspective

USGS scientists across the southeastern region examine drought-relevant science across landscapes, including water availability and quality, geologic patterns, geographic complexity, and biological resources. Investigating water resources across broad geographic scales promotes a better understanding of issues from a watershed perspective.

Recent Publications and Products on Southeastern Watersheds:

Drier Forest Composition Associated with Hydrologic Change in the Apalachicola River Floodplain, Florida. USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5062. Authors: Darst, M.R., Light, H.M.

How Much Water Is in the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers, and How Much Is Used? USGS Fact Sheet 2007-3034. Authors: Landers, Mark N.; Painter, Jaime A.

Geohydrology of the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin, southwestern Georgia, northwestern Florida, and southeastern Alabama. USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5070. Authors: Torak, Lynn J.; Painter, Jaime A.

Water-level decline in the Apalachicola River, Florida, from 1954 to 2004, and effects on floodplain habitats. USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5173. Authors: Light, Helen M.; Vincent, Kirk R.; Darst, Melanie R.; Price, Franklin D.

Simulated Effects of Seasonal Ground-Water Pumpage for Irrigation on Hydrologic Conditions in the Lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, Southwestern Georgia and Parts of Alabama and Florida, 1999-2002. USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5234. Authors: Jones, L. Elliott; Torak, Lynn J.

Stream-aquifer relations and the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin in parts of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, 1999-2000. USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 2002-4244. Authors: Mosner, Melinda S.

Simulated effects of ground-water pumpage on stream-aquifer flow in the vicinity of federally protected species of freshwater mussels in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin (Subarea 4), southeastern Alabama, northwestern Florida, and southwestern Georgia. USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 2002-4016. Authors: Albertson, Phillip N.; Torak, Lynn J.

Important Resources

USGS - National Water Information System (NWIS)
     - U.S. WaterWatch - National
     - Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS)
     - Pinpointing Drought Coast to Coast - News Release
     - Florida DroughtWatch
     - Florida Drought Map
     - Florida WaterWatch Map

Drought Monitor
     - U.S. Drought Monitor Map
     - Vegetation Drought Response Index

Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services:
Division of Forestry Fire Weather - Drought Index

National Drought Mitigation Center

National Weather Service
     - National Weather Service - Climate Prediction Center

NOAA - National Climatic Data Center
     - Drought Monitoring Tools for U.S. Drought Monitor
     - North American Drought Monitor
     - Drought Termination and Amelioration
     - Office of Hydrologic Development
     - Earth System Research Laboratory

The Southeast Region Climate Center

United States Global Change Research Program
     - Global Climate Change Southeast Chapter
     - Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States - Southeast

US Army Corps of Engineers - Southeast Drought Response

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Southeastern Drought