On the feasibility of real-time mapping of the geoelectric field across North America
Jeffrey J. Love, E. Joshua Rigler, Anna Kelbert, Carol A. Finn, Paul A. Bedrosian, Christopher C. Balch
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1043
A review is given of the present feasibility for accurately mapping geoelectric fields across North America in near-realtime by modeling geomagnetic monitoring and magnetotelluric survey data. Should this capability be successfully developed, it could inform utility companies of magnetic-storm interference on electric-power-grid systems. That real-time mapping of geoelectric fields is...
On the petrographic distinction of bituminite from solid bitumen in immature to early mature source rocks
Paul C. Hackley, Brett J. Valentine, Javin J. Hatcherian
2018, International Journal of Coal Geology (196) 232-245
The oil-prone maceral bituminite (and its equivalents: ‘amorphous organic matter’, ‘sapropelinite’, ‘amorphinite’, etc.) converts to petroleum during thermal maturation of source rocks, resulting in formation of a mobile saturate-rich hydrocarbon and a polar-rich residue of solid bitumen. Evidence of this transition is preserved in immature to early mature source rocks (e.g., Alum, Bakken,...
Against the current— The Mojave River from sink to source: The 2018 Desert Symposium field trip road log
David M. Miller, R.E. Reynolds, Krishangi D. Groover, David C. Buesch, H. J. Brown, Geoffrey Cromwell, Jill N. Densmore, A.L. Garcia, D. Hughson, J.R. Knott, Jeffrey E. Lovich
2018, Conference Paper, Against the Current: The Mojave River from Sink to Source; 2018 Desert Symposium
The Mojave River evolved over the past few million years by “fill and spill” from upper basins near its source in the Transverse Ranges to lower basins. Each newly “spilled into” basin in the series? sustained a long-lived lake but gradually filled with Mojave River sediment, leading to spill to...
Flooding alters plant-mediated carbon cycling independently of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations
Scott F. Jones, Camille L. Stagg, Ken W. Krauss, Mark W. Hester
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (123) 1976-1987
Plant‐mediated processes determine carbon (C) cycling and storage in many ecosystems; how plant‐associated processes may be altered by climate‐induced changes in environmental drivers is therefore an essential question for understanding global C cycling. In this study, we hypothesize that environmental alterations associated with near‐term climate change can exert strong control...
Bend-scale geomorphic classification and assessment of the Lower Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, to the Mississippi River for application to pallid sturgeon management
Robert B. Jacobson, Michael E. Colvin, Edward A. Bulliner, Darcy Pickard, Caroline M. Elliott
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5069
Management actions intended to increase growth and survival of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) age-0 larvae on the Lower Missouri River require a comprehensive understanding of the geomorphic habitat template of the river. The study described here had two objectives relating to where channel-reconfiguration projects should be located to optimize effectiveness....
Water-quality observations of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer, Texas, with an emphasis on processes influencing nutrient and pesticide geochemistry and factors affecting aquifer vulnerability, 2010–16
Stephen P. Opsahl, MaryLynn Musgrove, Barbara Mahler, Rebecca B. Lambert
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5060
As questions regarding the influence of increasing urbanization on water quality in the Edwards aquifer are raised, a better understanding of the sources, fate, and transport of compounds of concern in the aquifer—in particular, nutrients and pesticides—is needed to improve water management decision-making capabilities. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation...
Development of a United States community shear wave velocity profile database
Sean K. Ahdi, Shamsher Sadiq, Okan Ilhan, Yousef Bozorgnia, Youssef M. A. Hashash, Dong Youp Kwak, Duhee Park, Alan Yong, Jonathan P. Stewart
2018, Conference Paper
We present the details of a multi-institutional effort to develop an open-access shear-wave velocity (VS) profile database (PDB), which will include a public repository for VS profile data in the United States. VS profiles are an essential resource for ground motion modeling and other applications. The minimum requirements for a site to be included...
Ongoing bedrock incision of the Fortymile River driven by Pliocene–Pleistocene Yukon River capture, eastern Alaska, USA, and Yukon, Canada
Adrian Bender, Richard O. Lease, Lee B. Corbett, Paul R. Bierman, Marc Caffee
2018, Geology (46) 635-638
Quantification of river incision via process rate laws represents a key goal of geomorphic research, but such models often fail to reproduce traits of natural rivers responding to base-level lowering. The Fortymile River flows from eastern Alaska in the United States to the Yukon...
Evaluating outcomes of management targeting the recovery of a migratory songbird of conservation concern
Henry M. Streby, Gunnar R. Kramer, Sean M. Peterson, David E. Andersen
2018, PeerJ
Assessing outcomes of habitat management is critical for informing and adapting conservation plans. From 2013 – 2019, a multi-stage management initiative aims to create >25,000 ha of shrubland and early-successional vegetation to benefit Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) in managed forested landscapes of the western Great Lakes region. We studied a...
Ask not what nature can do for you: A critique of ecosystem services as a communication strategy
Sarah A. Bekessy, Michael C. Runge, Alex Kusmanoff, David A. Keith, Brendan A. Wintle
2018, Biological Conservation (224) 71-74
Given the urgent need to raise public awareness on biodiversity issues, we review the effectiveness of “ecosystem services” as a frame for promoting biodiversity conservation. Since its inception as a communications tool in the 1970s, the concept of ecosystem services has become pervasive in biodiversity policy. While the goal of...
The influence of neap-spring tidal variation and wave energy on sediment flux in salt marsh tidal creeks
Jessica R. Lacy, Matthew C. Ferner, John C. Callaway
2018, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (43) 2384-2396
Sediment flux in marsh tidal creeks is commonly used to gage sediment supply to marshes. We conducted a field investigation of temporal variability in sediment flux in tidal creeks in the accreting tidal marsh at China Camp State Park adjacent to northern San Francisco Bay. Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), velocity,...
Mean composite fire severity metrics computed with Google Earth Engine offer improved accuracy and expanded mapping potential
Sean Parks, Lisa M. Holsinger, Morgan Voss, Rachel A. Loehman, Nathaniel P. Robinson
2018, Remote Sensing (10)
Landsat-based fire severity datasets are an invaluable resource for monitoring and research purposes. These gridded fire severity datasets are generally produced with pre-and post-fire imagery to estimate the degree of fire-induced ecological change. Here, we introduce methods to produce three Landsat-based fire severity metrics using the Google Earth Engine (GEE)...
Three visualization approaches for communicating and exploring PIT tag data
Benjamin H. Letcher, Jeffrey D. Walker, Matthew O'Donnell, Andrew R. Whiteley, Keith Nislow, Jason Coombs
2018, Fisheries (43) 241-248
As the number, size and complexity of ecological datasets has increased, narrative and interactive raw data visualizations have emerged as important tools for exploring and understanding these large datasets. As a demonstration, we developed three visualizations to communicate and explore passive integrated transponder tag data from two long-term field studies....
2017 National Park visitor spending effects : Economic contributions to local communities, states, and the Nation
Catherine M. Cullinane Thomas, Lynne Koontz, Egan Cornachione
2018, Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NRSS/EQD/NRR—2018/1616
The National Park Service (NPS) manages the Nation’s most iconic destinations that attract millions of visitors from across the Nation and around the world. Trip-related spending by NPS visitors generates and supports a considerable amount of economic activity within park gateway communities. This economic effects analysis measures how NPS visitor...
Quantifying relative importance: Computing standardized effects in models with binary outcomes
James B. Grace, Darren Johnson, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes
2018, Ecosphere (9)
Scientists commonly ask questions about the relative importances of processes, and then turn to statistical models for answers. Standardized coefficients are typically used in such situations, with the goal being to compare effects on a common scale. Traditional approaches to obtaining standardized coefficients were developed with idealized Gaussian variables in...
Multiple stacked plays to drive continued Permian development
Kristen R. Marra, Stephanie B. Gaswirth
2018, Oil & Gas Journal (116) 44-47
The exploitation of unconventional (continuous) resource plays with horizontal drilling and fracturing techniques continues to spur renewed development in mature producing basins in the US. The Permian basin of west Texas has emerged as a particularly strong prospect due to the potential for multiple stacked resource plays in formations...
Water-table and potentiometric-surface altitudes in the upper glacial, Magothy, and Lloyd aquifers of Long Island, New York, April–May 2016
Michael D. Como, Jason S. Finkelstein, Simonette L. Rivera, Jack Monti Jr., Ronald Busciolano
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3398
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State and local agencies, systematically collects groundwater data at varying measurement frequencies to monitor the hydrologic conditions on Long Island, New York. Each year during April and May, the U.S. Geological Survey completes a synoptic survey of water levels to define the spatial...
Direct channel precipitation and storm type influence short-term fallout radionuclide assessment of sediment source
Diana Karwan, James Pizzuto, Rolf Aalto, Julia Marquard, Adrian Harpold, Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Delphia Levia, Courtney Siegert, Anthony K. Aufdenkampe
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 4579-4594
Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) and their ratios, such as Beryllium‐7 (7Be) and excess Lead‐210 (210Pbxs), have been used to determine suspended sediment source and age in catchments. These models are based on numerous assumptions, for example, that channel deposition of FRNs from precipitation is negligible in comparison to their delivery to...
Toxicity assessment of sediments collected upstream and downstream from the White Dam in Clarke County, Georgia
Peter J. Lasier
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1036
The White Dam in Clarke County, Georgia, has been proposed for breaching. Efforts to determine potential risks to downstream biota included assessments of sediment collected in the vicinity of the dam. Sediments collected from sites upstream and downstream from the dam were evaluated for toxicity in 42-day exposures using the...
Understanding the influence of nutrients on stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes
Mark D. Munn, Jeffrey W. Frey, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Robert W. Black, John H. Duff, Kathy Lee, Terry R. Maret, Christopher A. Mebane, Ian R. Waite, Ronald B. Zelt
2018, Circular 1437
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead...
Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality
Paul D. Capel, Kathleen A. McCarthy, Richard H. Coupe, Katia M. Grey, Sheila E. Amenumey, Nancy T. Baker, Richard L. Johnson
2018, Circular 1433
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead...
Warm water temperatures and shifts in seasonality increase trout recruitment but only moderately decrease adult size in western North American tailwaters
Kimberly L. Dibble, Charles B. Yackulic, Theodore A. Kennedy
2018, Environmental Biology of Fishes (101) 1269-1283
Dams throughout western North America have altered thermal regimes in rivers, creating cold, clear “tailwaters” in which trout populations thrive. Ongoing drought in the region has led to highly publicized reductions in reservoir storage and raised concerns about potential reductions in downstream flows. Large changes in riverine thermal regimes may...
Storm impacts on hydrodynamics and suspended-sediment fluxes in a microtidal back-barrier estuary
Daniel J. Nowacki, Neil K. Ganju
2018, Marine Geology (404) 1-14
Recent major storms have piqued interest in understanding the responses of estuarine hydrodynamics and sediment transport to these events. To that end, flow velocity, wave characteristics, and suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) were measured for 11 months at eight locations in Chincoteague Bay, MD/VA, USA, a shallow back-barrier estuary. Daily breezes and...
Faunal and stable isotopic analyses of benthic foraminifera from the Southeast Seep on Kimki Ridge offshore southern California, USA
Mary McGann, James E. Conrad
2018, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (150) 92-117
We investigated the benthic foraminiferal faunal and stable carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of a 15-cm push core (NA075-092b) obtained on a Telepresence-Enabled cruise to the Southeast Seep on Kimki Ridge offshore southern California. The seep core was taken at a depth of 973 m in the vicinity of a...
Minimum energy requirements for desalination of brackish groundwater in the United States with comparison to international datasets
Yvana D. Ahdab, Gregory P. Thiel, J.K. Bohlke, Jennifer S. Stanton, John H. Lienhard
2018, Water Research (141) 387-404
This paper uses chemical and physical data from a large 2017 U.S. Geological Surveygroundwater dataset with wells in the U.S. and three smaller international groundwater datasets with wells primarily in Australia and Spain to carry out a comprehensive investigation of brackish groundwater composition in...
