Landscape drivers and social dynamics shaping microbial contamination risk in three Maya communities in southern Belize, Central America
Peter C. Esselman, Shiguo Jiang, Henry A Peller, David N. Bucklin, Joel D Wainwright
2018, Water (10)
Land transformation can have cascading effects on hydrology, water quality, and human users of water resources, with serious implications for human health. An interdisciplinary analysis is presented, whereby remote-sensing data of changing land use and cover are related to surface hydrology and microbial contamination in domestic use...
Community for Data Integration fiscal year 2017 funded project report
Leslie Hsu, Kate E. Allstadt, Tara M. Bell, Erin E. Boydston, Richard A. Erickson, A. Lance Everette, Erika E. Lentz, Jeff Peters, Brian E. Reichert, Sarah Nagorsen, Jason T. Sherba, Richard P. Signell, Mark T. Wiltermuth, John A. Young
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1154
The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 11 projects funded in fiscal year 2017, outlining their goals, activities, and outputs....
Geologic map of the north half of the Lake Walcott 30'×60' quadrangle, Idaho
Mel A. Kuntz, Duane E. Champion, Brent R. Turrin, Philip B. Gans, Harry R. Covington, D. Paco VanSistine
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3405
The geologic map of the northern half of the Lake Walcott 30ʹ×60ʹ quadrangle shows the volcanic geology of the southern part of the Craters of the Moon lava field, the complex geologic features of the Holocene Kings Bowl and Wapi lava fields, and the southern part of the Great Rift...
Currents, waves and sediment transport around the headland of Pt. Dume, California
Douglas A. George, John L. Largier, Curt D. Storlazzi, Matthew J. Robart, Brian Gaylord
2018, Continental Shelf Research (171) 63-76
Sediment transport past rocky headlands has received less attention compared to transport along beaches. Here we explore, in a field-based study, possible pathways for sediment movement adjacent to Point Dume, a headland in Santa Monica Bay, California. This prominent shoreline feature is a nearly symmetrical, triangular-shaped promontory interior to the Santa Monica Littoral Cell. We collected...
Chemical and isotopic characteristics of methane in groundwater of Ohio, 2016
Mary Ann Thomas
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5097
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Ohio Water Development Authority, investigated the hydrogeologic setting, chemical and isotopic characteristics, and origin of methane in groundwater of Ohio. Understanding the occurrence and distribution of methane in groundwater is important in terms of public safety because methane in water...
Construction of a compact low-cost radiation shield for air-temperature sensors in ecological field studies
Adam J. Terando, Sara G. Prado, Elsa Youngsteadt
2018, Journal of Visualized Experiments
With the advent of small, low-cost environmental sensors, it is now possible to deploy high-density networks of sensors to measure hyper localized temperature variation. Here, we provide a detailed methodology for constructing a compact version of a previously described custom-fabricated radiation shield for use with inexpensive thermochrons....
Defining blue carbon: The emergence of a climate context for coastal carbon dynamics
Stephen Crooks, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Tiffany Troxler
2018, Book chapter, A blue carbon primer: The state of coastal wetland carbon science, practice and policy
Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs) are defined as coastal wetland ecosystems with manageable and atmospherically significant carbon stocks and fluxes.Policy and management opportunities have promoted the emergence of blue carbon as a concept and spurred scientific interest to reduce uncertainties in coastal carbon budgets.The four...
Blue Carbon Futures: moving forward on terra firma
Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Stephen Crooks, Tiffany Troxler
2018, Book chapter, A blue carbon primer: The state of coastal wetland carbon science, practice and policy
Maintaining coastal carbon sequestration and storage services is economically valuable in providing a potentially long-term contribution toward climate resilience, both in terms of adaptation and mitigation.392The volumetric accumulation of coastal carbon stocks is unique from other terrestrial and aquatic processes, and inconsistent use of terminology is holding back understanding of...
Identification of storm events and contiguous coastal sections for deterministic modeling of extreme coastal flood events in response to climate change
Li H. Erikson, Antonio Espejo, Patrick L. Barnard, Katherine A. Serafin, Christie Hegermiller, Andrea C. O'Neill, Peter Ruggerio, Patrick W. Limber, Fernando J. Mendez
2018, Coastal Engineering (140) 316-330
Deterministic dynamical modeling of future climate conditions and associated hazards, such as flooding, can be computationally-expensive if century-long time-series of waves, sea level variations, and overland flow patterns are simulated. To alleviate some of the computational costs, local impacts of individual coastal storms can be explored by first identifying particular...
Subsurface controls on the development of the Cape Fear Slide Complex, central US Atlantic Margin
Jenna C. Hill, Daniel S. Brothers, Matthew J. Hornbach, Derek E. Sawyer, Donna J. Shillington, Anne Becel
2018, Geological Society of London Special Publications (477) 169-182
The Cape Fear Slide is one of the largest (>25 000 km3) submarine slope failure complexes on the US Atlantic margin. Here we use a combination of new high-resolution multichannel seismic data (MCS) from the National Science Foundation Geodynamic Processes at Rifting and Subducting Margins (NSF GeoPRISMS) Community Seismic Experiment...
American Recent Eulipotyphla: Nesophontids, Solenodons, Moles, and Shrews in the New World
Neal Woodman
2018, Book
The mammalian taxonomic order Eulipotyphla is comprised of the living taxonomic families Erinaceidae (gymnures, hedgehogs, and moonrats), Solenodontidae (solenodonts), Soricidae (shrews), and Talpidae (desmans and moles). Morphological and molecular studies continue to alter our view of relationships within and among these families, and this research has added considerably to...
The influence of seep habitats on sediment macrofaunal biodiversity and functional traits
Amanda W. J. Demopoulos, Jill R. Bourque, Alanna Durkin, Erik E. Cordes
2018, Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers (142) 77-93
Chemosynthetic ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) support dense communities of seep megafaunal invertebrates that rely on endosymbiotic bacteria for nutrition. Distinct infaunal communities are associated with the biogenic habitats created by seep biota, where habitat heterogeneity and sediment geochemistry influence local macrofaunal community structure. Here we examine the community structure and function of seep...
Integrated observations and informatics improve understanding of changing marine ecosystems
Abigail L. Benson, Cassandra M. Brooks, Gabrielle Canonico, J. Emmett Duffy, Frank Muller-Karger, Heidi M. Sosik, Patricia Miloslavich, Eduardo Klein
2018, Frontiers in Marine Science (5)
Marine ecosystems have numerous benefits for human societies around the world and many policy initiatives now seek to maintain the health of these ecosystems. To enable wise decisions, up to date and accurate information on marine species and the state of the environment they live in is required. Moreover, this...
Degradation of 100‐m‐scale rocky ejecta craters at the InSight Landing Site on Mars and implications for surface processes and erosion rates in the hesperian and amazonian
J. Sweeney, N. H Warner, V. Ganti, Matthew P. Golombek, M. P. Lamb, Robin L. Fergason, Randolph L. Kirk
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets (123) 2732-2759
Rocky ejecta craters (RECs) at the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) landing site on Elysium Planitia, Mars, provide constraints on crater modification and rates for the Hesperian and Amazonian. The RECs are between 10 m and 1.2 km in diameter and exhibit five classes...
Calibration of regional hydraulic and transport properties of an arid-region aquifer under modern and paleorecharge conditions using water levels and environmental tracers
Thomas Muller, Ward E. Sanford
2018, Hydrogeology Journal (27) 685-701
A two-dimensional numerical groundwater flow model was established and calibrated for the hyperarid Najd region in southern Oman. The results indicate that recent recharge rates are required to sustain the observed groundwater heads in the Najd. The model was also used to estimate possible ranges of...
Do we know how much fluvial sediment reaches the sea? Decreased river monitoring of U.S. coastal rivers
Jonathan A. Warrick, John D. Milliman
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 3561-3567
Given the present and future changing climate and human changes to land use and river control, river sediment fluxes to coastal systems are changing and will continue to change in the future. To delineate these changes and their effects, it is increasingly important to document the fluxes of river-borne...
Effect of heat and singeing on stable hydrogen isotope ratios of bird feathers and implications for their use in determining geographic origin
Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Abigail Reid, Todd E. Katzner, David M. Nelson
2018, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (32) 1859-1866
RationaleStable hydrogen isotope (δ2H) ratios of animal tissues are useful for assessing movement and geographic origin of mobile organisms. However, it is uncertain whether heat and singeing affects feather δ2H values and thus subsequent geographic assignments. This is relevant for birds of conservation interest that are burned...
Unmanned aerial systems capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Sandra Brosnahan, Christopher R. Sherwood
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3061
Unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology provides a rapid and low-cost solution for mapping coastal environments and assessing short- and long-term changes. The interdisciplinary nature of the data collected and the breadth of applications make UAS technology applicable to multiple scientific investigations. The Aerial Imaging and Mapping (AIM) group at the...
Flood frequency of rural streams in Mississippi, 2013
Brandon T. Anderson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5148
To improve flood-frequency estimates at rural streams in Mississippi, annual exceedance probability flows at gaged streams and regional regression equations used to estimate annual exceedance probability flows for ungaged streams were developed by using current geospatial data, new analytical methods, and annual peak-flow data through the 2013 water year. The...
Filtering of periodic infiltration in a layered vadose zone: 2. Applications and a freeware screening tool
Jesse E. Dickinson, T. P. A Ferre
2018, Vadose Zone Journal (17) 1-12
We have developed a screening tool to visualize and conceptualize the filtering properties of a layered vadose zone. Climate projections indicate that rainfall timing and magnitude may change and impact groundwater resources. This increases the importance of understanding how the vadose zone filters infiltration variability and ultimately affects recharge and...
Filtering of cyclic period infiltration in a layered vadose zone: 1. Approximation of damping and time lags
Jesse E. Dickinson, T. P. A Ferre
2018, Vadose Zone Journal (17) 1-16
Core IdeasWe describe an approximation for filtering of periodic infiltration in layered soil.Transitions in soil‐water properties between soil layers affect the filtering.Errors are smaller in soils where changes in soil‐water properties are small.Infiltration and downward percolation of water in the vadose zone are important processes...
New England and northern New York forest ecosystem vulnerability assessment and synthesis: A report from the New England Climate Change Response Framework project
M.K. Janowiak, A D’Amato, C.W. Swanston, Louis R. Iverson, Frank R. Thompson, William D. Dijak, Stephen Matthews, Matthew P. Peters, Anantha Prasad, Jacob S. Fraser, Leslie A. Brandt, Patricia R. Butler-Leopold, Stephen D. Handler, P. Danielle Shannon, Diane Burbank, John Campbell, Charles Cogbill, Matthew J. Duveneck, Marla R. Emery, Nicholas Fisichelli, Jane Foster, Jennifer Hushaw, Laura Kenefic, Amanda Mahaffey, Toni Lyn Morelli, Nicholas Reo, Paul G. Schaberg, K. Rogers Simmons, Aaron Weiskittel, Sandy Wilmot, David Hollinger, Erin Lane, Lindsey Rustad, Pamela H. Templar
2018, General Technical Report NRS-173
Forest ecosystems will face direct and indirect impacts from a changing climate over the 21st century. This assessment evaluates the vulnerability of forest ecosystems across the New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, northern New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont) under a range of future climates. We synthesized and...
Shared habitat use by juveniles of three sea turtle species
Margaret M. Lamont, Autumn R. Iverson
2018, Marine Ecology Progress Series (606) 187-200
The first step in understanding how sympatric species share habitat is defining spatial boundaries. While home range data for juvenile sea turtles exists, few studies have examined spatial overlap of multiple species in foraging habitat. Using satellite tracking technology, we define home ranges for juveniles of 3 sea turtle species...
Fire and tree death: Understanding and improving modeling of fire-induced tree mortality
Sharon M. Hood, J. Morgan Varner, Phillip J. van Mantgem, C. Alina Cansler
2018, Environmental Research Letters (13)
Each year wildland fires kill and injure trees on millions of forested hectares globally, affecting plant and animal biodiversity, carbon storage, hydrologic processes, and ecosystem services. The underlying mechanisms of fire-caused tree mortality remain poorly understood, however, limiting the ability to accurately predict mortality and develop robust...
Overview and progress of the pallid sturgeon assessment framework redesign process
Michael E. Colvin, Sara Reynolds, Robert B. Jacobson, Landon L. Pierce, Kirk D. Steffensen, Timothy L. Welker
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1166
The Pallid Sturgeon Population Assessment Program (PSPAP) was initiated in 2003, and full implementation began in 2006, to monitor the trend of Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon) and native fish communities in the Upper and Lower Missouri River Basins. The original PSPAP (v. 1.0) was a catch-effort based monitoring program where...
