Quantifying the effects of wildfire on changes in soil properties by surface burning of soils from the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory
Celeste Wieting, Brian A. Ebel, Kamini Singha
2017, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (13) 43-57
Study regionThis study used intact soil cores collected at the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory near Boulder, Colorado, USA to explore fire impacts on soil properties.Study focusThree soil scenarios were considered: unburned control soils, and low- and high-temperature burned soils. We explored simulated fire...
Ecosystem vs. community recovery 25 years after grass invasions and fire in a subtropical woodland
Carla M. D’Antonio, Stephanie G. Yelenik, Michelle C. Mack
2017, Journal of Ecology (105) 1462-1474
Despite a large body of research documenting invasive plant impacts, few studies have followed individual invaded sites over decades to observe how they change, and none have contrasted how compositional impacts from invasion compare to ecosystem-process impacts over a multi-decadal time-scale. Using direct measurements of plant density and composition and of...
Widespread legacy brine contamination from oil production reduces survival of chorus frog larvae
Blake R. Hossack, Holly J. Puglis, William A. Battaglin, Chauncey W. Anderson, R. Ken Honeycutt, Kelly L. Smalling
2017, Environmental Pollution (231) 742-751
Advances in drilling techniques have facilitated a rapid increase in hydrocarbon extraction from energy shales, including the Williston Basin in central North America. This area overlaps with the Prairie Pothole Region, a region densely populated with wetlands that provide numerous ecosystem services. Historical (legacy) disposal practices often released saline co-produced...
Movements of Atlantic Sturgeon of the Gulf of Maine inside and outside the geographically defined Distinct Population Segment
Gail S. Wippelhauser, James Sulikowski, Gayle B. Zydlewski, Megan Altenritter, Micah Kieffer, Michael T. Kinnison
2017, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (9) 93-107
Identification of potential critical habitat, seasonal distributions, and movements within and between river systems is important for protecting the Gulf of Maine (GOM) Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic Sturgeon. To accomplish these objectives, we captured Atlantic Sturgeon in four GOM rivers (Penobscot, Kennebec system, Saco, and Merrimack), and tagged...
3D ground‐motion simulations of Mw 7 earthquakes on the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault zone: Variability of long‐period (T≥1 s) ground motions and sensitivity to kinematic rupture parameters
Morgan P. Moschetti, Stephen H. Hartzell, Leonardo Ramirez-Guzman, Arthur D. Frankel, Stephen J. Angster, William J. Stephenson
2017, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (107) 1704-1723
We examine the variability of long‐period (T≥1 s) earthquake ground motions from 3D simulations of Mw 7 earthquakes on the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault zone, Utah, from a set of 96 rupture models with varying slip distributions, rupture speeds, slip velocities, and hypocenter locations. Earthquake ruptures were prescribed on...
Seasonality of stable isotope composition of atmospheric water input at the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Insa Otte, Florian Detsch, Adrian Gutlein, Martha A. Scholl, Ralf Kiese, Tim Appelhans, Thomas Nauss
2017, Hydrological Processes (31) 3932-3947
To understand the moisture regime at the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, we analysed the isotopic variability of oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) of rainfall, throughfall, and fog from a total of 2,140 samples collected weekly over 2 years at 9 study sites along an elevation transect ranging from 950 to...
New biotite and muscovite isotopic reference materials, USGS57 and USGS58, for δ2H measurements–A replacement for NBS 30
Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen, Matthias Gehre, Torsten W. Vennemann, Willi A. Brand, Heike Geilmann, Gerard Olack, Ilya N. Bindeman, Jim Palandri, Li Huang, Fred J. Longstaffe
2017, Chemical Geology (467) 89-99
The advent of continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS) coupled with a high temperature conversion (HTC) system enabled faster, more cost effective, and more precise δ2H analysis of hydrogen-bearing solids. Accurate hydrogen isotopic analysis by on-line or off-line techniques requires appropriate isotopic reference materials (RMs). A strategy of two-point calibrations spanning δ2H...
Accounting for orphaned aftershocks in the earthquake background rate
Nicholas van der Elst
2017, Geophysical Journal International (211) 1108-1118
Aftershocks often occur within cascades of triggered seismicity in which each generation of aftershocks triggers an additional generation, and so on. The rate of earthquakes in any particular generation follows Omori's law, going approximately as 1/t. This function decays rapidly, but is heavy-tailed, and aftershock sequences may persist for long...
Using paired in situ high frequency nitrate measurements to better understand controls on nitrate concentrations and estimate nitrification rates in a wastewater-impacted river
Tamara E. C. Kraus, Katy O’Donnell, Bryan D. Downing, Jon R. Burau, Brian A. Bergamaschi
2017, Water Resources Research (53) 8423-8442
We used paired continuous nitrate ( ) measurements along a tidally affected river receiving wastewater discharge rich in ammonium ( ) to quantify rates of change in <img class="inlineGraphic" src="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/2017WR020670/asset/equation/wrcr22895-math-0003.png?v=1&s=edd1801396530467a9c1886f4d85f881efc4aa35" alt="math...
Micronuclei and other erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities in fishes from the Great Lakes Basin, USA
Ryan P. Braham, Vicki S. Blazer, Cassidy H. Shaw, Patricia M. Mazik
2017, Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis (58) 570-581
Biological markers (biomarkers) sensitive to genotoxic and mutagenic contamination in fishes are widely used to identify exposure effects in aquatic environments. The micronucleus assay was incorporated into a suite of indicators to assess exposure to genotoxic and mutagenic contamination at five Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs), as well as...
Interannual variation in methane emissions from tropical wetlands triggered by repeated El Niño Southern Oscillation
Qiuan Zhu, Changhui Peng, Philippe Ciais, Hong Jiang, Jinxun Liu, Philippe Bousquet, Shiqin Li, Jie Chang, Xiuqin Fang, Xiaolu Zhou, Huai Chen, Shirong Liu, Guanghui Lin, Peng Gong, Meng Wang, Han Wang, Wenhua Xiang, Jing Chen
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 4706-4716
Methane (CH4) emissions from tropical wetlands contribute 60%–80% of global natural wetland CH4 emissions. Decreased wetland CH4 emissions can act as a negative feedback mechanism for future climate warming and vice versa. The impact of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on CH4 emissions from wetlands remains poorly quantified at both...
A newly identified role of the deciduous forest floor in the timing of green‐up
Andrei G Lapenis, Gregory B. Lawrence, Alexander Buyantuev, Shiguo Jiang, Timothy J. Sullivan, Todd C. McDonnell, Scott W. Bailey
2017, JGR: Biogeosciences (122) 2876-2891
Plant phenology studies rarely consider controlling factors other than air temperature. We evaluate here the potential significance of physical and chemical properties of soil (edaphic factors) as additional important controls on phenology. More specifically, we investigate causal connections between satellite‐observed green‐up dates of small forest watersheds and soil properties in...
Simulation of groundwater and surface-water flow in the upper Deschutes Basin, Oregon
Marshall W. Gannett, Kenneth E. Lite Jr., John C. Risley, Esther M. Pischel, Jonathan L. La Marche
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5097
This report describes a hydrologic model for the upper Deschutes Basin in central Oregon developed using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) integrated Groundwater and Surface-Water Flow model (GSFLOW). The upper Deschutes Basin, which drains much of the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, is underlain by large...
The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program—Helping to save lives worldwide for more than 30 years
Jacob B. Lowenstern, David W. Ramsey
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3071
What do you do when a sleeping volcano roars back to life? For more than three decades, countries around the world have called upon the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to contribute expertise and equipment in times of crisis. Co-funded by the USGS and the...
Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional assessment—Volume I. Ecological communities
Gordon C. Reese, Lucy Burris, Natasha B. Carr, Ian I.F. Leinwand, Cynthia P. Melcher
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1100
The Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment was conducted in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative. The overall goal of the Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) is to compile and synthesize regional datasets to facilitate evaluation of the cumulative effects of change agents...
Health and condition of endangered young-of-the-year Lost River and Shortnose suckers relative to water quality in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2014–2015
Summer M. Burdick, Carla M. Conway, Diane G. Elliott, Marshal S. Hoy, Amari Dolan-Caret, Carl O. Ostberg
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1134
Most mortality of endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, occurs within the first year of life. Juvenile suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, survive longer and may even recruit to the spawning populations. In a previous (2013–2014) study, the health and...
New interventions are needed to save coral reefs
Ken Anthony, Line K. Bay, Robert Costanza, Jennifer Firn, John Gunn, Peter Harrison, Andrew Heyward, Petra Lundgren, David Mead, Tom Moore, Peter J. Mumby, Madeleine J. H. van Oppen, John Robertson, Michael C. Runge, David J. Suggett, Britta Schaffelke, David Wachenfeld, Terry Walshe
2017, Nature Ecology & Evolution (1) 1420-1422
Since 2014, coral reefs worldwide have been subjected to the most extensive, prolonged and damaging heat wave in recorded history1. Large sections of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) bleached in response to heat stress in 2016 and 2017 — the first back-to-back event on record. Such severe coral bleaching results...
A comparison of four porewater sampling methods for metal mixtures and dissolved organic carbon and the implications for sediment toxicity evaluations
Danielle M. Cleveland, William G. Brumbaugh, Donald D. MacDonald
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 2906-2915
Evaluations of sediment quality conditions are commonly conducted using whole-sediment chemistry analyses but can be enhanced by evaluating multiple lines of evidence, including measures of the bioavailable forms of contaminants. In particular, porewater chemistry data provide information that is directly relevant for interpreting sediment toxicity data. Various methods for sampling...
Endemic chronic wasting disease causes mule deer population decline in Wyoming
Melia DeVivo, David R. Edmunds, Matthew J. Kauffman, Brant A. Schumaker, Justin Binfet, Terry J. Kreeger, Bryan J. Richards, Hermann M. Schatzl, Todd Cornish
2017, PLoS ONE (12)
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), and moose (Alces alces shirasi) in North America. In southeastern Wyoming average annual CWD prevalence in mule deer exceeds 20% and appears to contribute to regional...
Seismic velocity site characterization of 10 Arizona strong-motion recording stations by spectral analysis of surface wave dispersion
Robert E. Kayen, Brad A. Carkin, Skye C. Corbett
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1208
Vertical one-dimensional shear wave velocity (VS) profiles are presented for strong-motion sites in Arizona for a suite of stations surrounding the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The purpose of the study is to determine the detailed site velocity profile, the average velocity in the upper 30 meters of the profile...
At the forefront: evidence of the applicability of using environmental DNA to quantify the abundance of fish populations in natural lentic waters with additional sampling considerations
Stephen L. Klobucar, Torrey W. Rodgers, Phaedra E. Budy
2017, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (74) 2030-2034
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has proven to be a valuable tool for detecting species in aquatic ecosystems. Within this rapidly evolving field, a promising application is the ability to obtain quantitative estimates of relative species abundance based on eDNA concentration rather than traditionally labor-intensive methods. We investigated the relationship between...
Quantifying long-term population growth rates of threatened bull trout: challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities
Phaedra E. Budy, Tracy Bowerman, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Mary Conner, Howard Schaller
2017, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (74) 2131-2143
Temporal symmetry models (TSM) represent advances in the analytical application of mark–recapture data to population status assessments. For a population of char, we employed 10 years of active and passive mark–recapture data to quantify population growth rates using different data sources and analytical approaches. Estimates of adult population growth rate...
Design and methods of the Midwest Stream Quality Assessment (MSQA), 2013
Jessica D. Garrett, Jeffrey W. Frey, Peter C. Van Metre, Celeste A. Journey, Naomi Nakagaki, Daniel T. Button, Lisa H. Nowell
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1073
During 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Project (NAWQA), in collaboration with the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA), and the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs assessed stream quality across the Midwestern United States. This Midwest...
HIF evaluation of In-Situ Aqua TROLL 400
Evan F. Tillman
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1086
The In-Situ Aqua TROLL 400 (Aqua TROLL 400) was tested at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) against known standards over the Aqua TROLL 400’s operating temperature to verify the manufacturer’s stated accuracy specifications and the USGS recommendations for pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and specific conductance (SC)....
Physical properties of sidewall cores from Decatur, Illinois
Carolyn A. Morrow, J. Ole Kaven, Diane E. Moore, David A. Lockner
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1094
To better assess the reservoir conditions influencing the induced seismicity hazard near a carbon dioxide sequestration demonstration site in Decatur, Ill., core samples from three deep drill holes were tested to determine a suite of physical properties including bulk density, porosity, permeability, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and failure strength....
