Assessment of mercury and methylmercury in water, sediment, and biota in Sulphur Creek in the vicinity of the Clyde Gold Mine and the Elgin Mercury Mine, Colusa County, California
Roger L. Hothem, James J. Rytuba, Brianne E. Brussee, Daniel N. Goldstein
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1056
At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, we performed a study during April–July 2010 to characterize mercury (Hg), monomethyl mercury (MMeHg), and other geochemical constituents in sediment, water, and biota at the Clyde Gold Mine and the Elgin Mercury Mine, located in neighboring subwatersheds of Sulphur Creek,...
Geophysical and hydrologic analysis of an earthen dam site in southern Westchester County, New York
Anthony Chu, Frederick Stumm, Peter K. Joesten, Michael L. Noll
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5247
Ninety percent of the drinking water for New York City passes through the Hillview Reservoir facility in the City of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York. In the past, several seeps located downslope from the reservoir have flowed out from the side of the steepest slope at the southern end of...
Characterization of the OmyY1 region on the rainbow trout Y chromosome
Ruth B. Phillips, Jenefer J. DeKoning, Joseph P. Brunelli, Joshua J. Faber-Hammond, John D. Hansen, Kris A. Christensen, Suzy Renn, Gary H. Thorgaard
2013, International Journal of Genomics (2013)
We characterized the male-specific region on the Y chromosome of rainbow trout, which contains both sdY (the sex-determining gene) and the male-specific genetic marker, OmyY1. Several clones containing the OmyY1 marker were screened from a BAC library from a YY clonal line and found to be part of an 800 kb...
Representation of ecological systems within the protected areas network of the continental United States
Jocelyn L. Aycrigg, Anne Davidson, Leona K. Svancara, Kevin J. Gergely, Alexa McKerrow, J. Michael Scott
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
If conservation of biodiversity is the goal, then the protected areas network of the continental US may be one of our best conservation tools for safeguarding ecological systems (i.e., vegetation communities). We evaluated representation of ecological systems in the current protected areas network and found insufficient representation at three vegetation...
Macroscopic, histologic, and ultrastructural lesions associated with avian keratin disorder in Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus)
Caroline R. Van Hemert, A. G. Armién, J.E. Blake, Colleen M. Handel, T. M. O'Hara
2013, Veterinary Pathology (50) 500-513
An epizootic of beak abnormalities (avian keratin disorder) was recently detected among wild birds in Alaska. Here we describe the gross, histologic, and ultrastructural features of the disease in 30 affected adult black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Grossly, there was elongation of the rhamphotheca, with varying degrees of lateral deviation, crossing,...
Assessing ongoing sources of dissolved-phase polychlorinated biphenyls in a contaminated stream
Viet D. Dang, David M. Walters, Cindy M. Lee
2013, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (32) 535-540
Few studies assess the potential of ongoing sources of “fresh” polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to aquatic systems when direct discharge to the environment has been eliminated. In the present study, the authors used single-layered, low-density polyethylene samplers (PEs) to measure total PCB concentrations, congener profiles, and enantiomeric fractions (EFs) in a...
Characterizing particle-scale equilibrium adsorption and kinetics of uranium(VI) desorption from U-contaminated sediments
Deborah L. Stoliker, Chongxuan Liu, Douglas B. Kent, John M. Zachara
2013, Water Resources Research (49) 1163-1177
Rates of U(VI) release from individual dry-sieved size fractions of a field-aggregated, field-contaminated composite sediment from the seasonally saturated lower vadose zone of the Hanford 300-Area were examined in flow-through reactors to maintain quasi-constant chemical conditions. The principal source of variability in equilibrium U(VI) adsorption properties of the various size...
Balancing practicality and hydrologic realism: a parsimonious approach for simulating rapid groundwater recharge via unsaturated-zone preferential flow
Benjamin B. Mirus, J. R. Nimmo
2013, Water Resources Research (49) 1458-1465
The impact of preferential flow on recharge and contaminant transport poses a considerable challenge to water-resources management. Typical hydrologic models require extensive site characterization, but can underestimate fluxes when preferential flow is significant. A recently developed source-responsive model incorporates film-flow theory with conservation of mass to estimate unsaturated-zone preferential fluxes...
Stress, deformation, conservation, and rheology: a survey of key concepts in continuum mechanics
J. J. Major
2013, Book chapter, Mountain and Hillslope Geomorphology: Volume 7 in Treatise on Geomorphology
This chapter provides a brief survey of key concepts in continuum mechanics. It focuses on the fundamental physical concepts that underlie derivations of the mathematical formulations of stress, strain, hydraulic head, pore-fluid pressure, and conservation equations. It then shows how stresses are linked to strain and rates of distortion through...
Geodatabase and characteristics of springs within and surrounding the Trinity aquifer outcrops in northern Bexar County, Texas, 2010--11
Allan K. Clark, Diana E. Pedraza, Robert R. Morris, Travis J. Garcia
2013, Data Series 750
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District, the Edwards Aquifer Authority, and the San Antonio River Authority, developed a geodatabase of springs within and surrounding the Trinity aquifer outcrops in a 331-square-mile study area in northern Bexar County, Texas. The data used to...
Archive of U.S. Geological Survey selected single-beam bathymetry datasets, 1969-2000
Heather A. Schreppel, Carolyn H. Degnan, Shawn V. Dadisman, Dan R. Metzger
2013, Data Series 757
New national programs, as well as natural and man-made disasters, have raised awareness about the need to find new and improved ways to share information about the coastal and marine environment with a wide-ranging public audience. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) has begun a...
Lateglacial and Holocene climate, disturbance and permafrost peatland dynamics on the Seward Peninsula, western Alaska
Stephanie D. Hunt, Zicheng Yu, Miriam C. Jones
2013, Quaternary Science Reviews (63) 42-58
Northern peatlands have accumulated large carbon (C) stocks, acting as a long-term atmospheric C sink since the last deglaciation. How these C-rich ecosystems will respond to future climate change, however, is still poorly understood. Furthermore, many northern peatlands exist in regions underlain by permafrost, adding to the challenge of projecting...
Exotic plant colonization and occupancy within riparian areas of the Interior Columbia River and Upper Missouri River basins, USA
Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Andrew M. Ray, Brett B. Roper, Eric Archer
2013, Wetlands (33) 409-420
Exotic plant invasions into riparia often result in shifts in vegetative composition, altered stream function, and cascading effects to biota at multiple scales. Characterizing the distribution patterns of exotic plants is an important step in directing targeted research to identify mechanisms of invasion and potential management strategies. In this study,...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Nuristan mineral district in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
Philip A. Davis, editor(s)
2013, Data Series 709-X
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Explaining local-scale species distributions: relative contributions of spatial autocorrelation and landscape heterogeneity for an avian assemblage
Brady J. Mattsson, Elise F. Zipkin, Beth Gardner, Peter J. Blank, John R. Sauer, J. Andrew Royle
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Understanding interactions between mobile species distributions and landcover characteristics remains an outstanding challenge in ecology. Multiple factors could explain species distributions including endogenous evolutionary traits leading to conspecific clustering and endogenous habitat features that support life history requirements. Birds are a useful taxon for examining hypotheses about the relative importance...
Choices in recreational water quality monitoring: new opportunities and health risk trade-offs
Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Richard L. Whitman
2013, Environmental Science & Technology (47) 3073-3081
With the recent release of new recreational water quality monitoring criteria, there are more options for regulatory agencies seeking to protect beachgoers from waterborne pathogens. Included are methods that can reduce analytical time, providing timelier estimates of water quality, but the application of these methods has not been examined at...
Assessing movement and sources of mortality of juvenile catostomids using passive integrated transponder tags, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon - Summary of 2012 effort
Summer M. Burdick
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1062
Executive Summary Survival of juvenile endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers is thought to limit recruitment into the adult populations and ultimately limit the recovery of these species in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Although many hypotheses exist about the sources of mortality, the contribution of each speculated source of mortality has...
Anthropogenic impacts to the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf with a focus on trapping-related incidents
Trey T. Turnbull, James W. Cain III, Gary W. Roemer
2013, Wildlife Society Bulletin (37) 311-318
Concerns regarding the potential negative impacts of regulated furbearer trapping to reintroduced Mexican gray wolves (Canis lupus baileyi), led to an executive order prohibiting trapping in the New Mexico, USA, portion of the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area. This ban was to last for 6 months and required an evaluation...
Evidence that life history characteristics of wild birds influence infection rates and exposure to influenza A viruses
Craig R. Ely, Jeffrey S. Hall, Joel A. Schmutz, John M. Pearce, John Terenzi, James S. Sedinger, S. Ip
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
We report on life history characteristics, temporal, and age-related effects influencing the frequency of occurrence of avian influenza (AI) viruses in four species of migratory geese breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. Emperor geese (Chen canagica), cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii), greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons), and black brant (Branta bernicla),...
Potential population-level effects of increased haulout-related mortality of Pacific walrus calves
Mark S. Udevitz, Rebecca L. Taylor, Joel L. Garlich-Miller, Lori T. Quakenbush, Jonathan A. Snyder
2013, Polar Biology (36) 291-298
Availability of summer sea ice has been decreasing in the Chukchi Sea during recent decades, and increasing numbers of Pacific walruses have begun using coastal haulouts in late summer during years when sea ice retreats beyond the continental shelf. Calves and yearlings are particularly susceptible to being crushed during disturbance...
Overview of groundwater quality in the Piceance Basin, western Colorado, 1946--2009
J.C. Thomas, P.B. McMahon
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5198
Groundwater-quality data from public and private sources for the period 1946 to 2009 were compiled and put into a common data repository for the Piceance Basin. The data repository is available on the web at http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/cwqdr/Piceance/index.shtml. A subset of groundwater-quality data from the repository was compiled, reviewed, and checked for...
Development and characterization of 21 polymorphic microsatellite markers for the barren-ground shrew, Sorex ugyunak (Mammalia: Sorcidae), through next-generation sequencing, and cross-species amplification in the masked shrew, S. cinereus
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, G. Kevin Sage, Megan C. Fowler, Andrew G. Hope, J.A. Cook, Sandra L. Talbot
2013, Conservation Genetics Resources (5) 315-318
We used next generation shotgun sequencing to develop 21 novel microsatellite markers for the barren-ground shrew (Sorex ugyunak), which were polymorphic among individuals from northern Alaska. The loci displayed moderate allelic diversity (averaging 6.81 alleles per locus) and heterozygosity (averaging 70 %). Two loci deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE)...
Lead isotope determinations from sulfide mineral occurrences--Russian Far East
Stan E. Church, Nikolai A. Goryachev, Vladimir I. Shpikerman
2013, Data Series 743
The lead isotope database for sulfide deposits and occurrences in the Russian Far East was funded by the Mineral Resources Program, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in conjunction with the collaborative studies of mineral resources by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the U. S. Geological Survey (Nokleberg and others, 1996)....
An assessment of hydrothermal alteration in the Santiaguito lava dome complex, Guatemala: implications for dome collapse hazards
Jessica L. Ball, Eliza S. Calder, Bernard E. Hubbard, Marc L. Bernstein
2013, Bulletin of Volcanology (75) 676-676
A combination of field mapping, geochemistry, and remote sensing methods has been employed to determine the extent of hydrothermal alteration and assess the potential for failure at the Santiaguito lava dome complex, Guatemala. The 90-year-old complex of four lava domes has only experienced relatively small and infrequent dome collapses in...
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: 2011 annual report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Laura Biewick, Steven W. Blecker, Gregory K. Boughton, Natasha B. Carr, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Melanie L. Clark, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Bradley C. Fedy, Katharine Foster, Steven L. Garman, Stephanie Germaine, Matthew G. Hethcoat, JoAnn Holloway, Collin G. Homer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Douglas Keinath, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Jessica Montag, Edward M. Olexa, Christopher J. Potter, Spencer Schell, Sarah L. Shafer, David B. Smith, Lisa L. Stillings, Michael J. Sweat, Michele L. Tuttle, Anna B. Wilson
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1033
This is the fourth report produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) to detail annual work activities. In FY2011, there were 37 ongoing, completed, or new projects conducted under the five major multi-disciplinary science and technical-assistance activities: (1) Baseline Synthesis, (2) Targeted Monitoring...
