Time-lapse camera observations of gas piston activity at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, Kīlauea volcano, Hawai‘i
Tim R. Orr, James Rea
2012, Bulletin of Volcanology (74) 2353-2362
Gas pistoning is a type of eruptive behavior described first at Kīlauea volcano and characterized by the (commonly) cyclic rise and fall of the lava surface within a volcanic vent or lava lake. Though recognized for decades, its cause continues to be debated, and determining why and when it occurs...
Simulated effects of hydrologic, water quality, and land-use changes of the Lake Maumelle watershed, Arkansas, 2004–10
Rheannon M. Hart, W. Reed Green, Drew A. Westerman, James C. Petersen, Jeanne L. DeLanois
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5246
Lake Maumelle, located in central Arkansas northwest of the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock, is one of two principal drinking-water supplies for the Little Rock, and North Little Rock, Arkansas, metropolitan areas. Lake Maumelle and the Maumelle River (its primary tributary) are more pristine than most other...
Degassing of Cl, F, Li and Be during extrusion and crystallization of the rhyolite dome at Volcán Chaitén, Chile during 2008 and 2009
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Heather Bleick, Jorge A. Vazquez, Jonathan M. Castro, Peter B. Larson
2012, Bulletin of Volcanology (74) 2303-2319
We investigated the distribution of Cl, F, Li, and Be in pumices, obsidians, and crystallized dome rocks at Chaitén volcano in 2008–2009 in order to explore the behavior of these elements during explosive and effusive volcanic activity. Electron and ion microprobe analyses of matrix and inclusion glasses from pumice, obsidian,...
Estimated probability of arsenic in groundwater from bedrock aquifers in New Hampshire, 2011
Joseph D. Ayotte, Matthew Cahillane, Laura Hayes, Keith W. Robinson
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5156
Probabilities of arsenic occurrence in groundwater from bedrock aquifers at concentrations of 1, 5, and 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L) were estimated during 2011 using multivariate logistic regression. These estimates were developed for use by the New Hampshire Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. About 39 percent of New Hampshire bedrock...
Shallow stratigraphic control on pockmark distribution in north temperate estuaries
Laura L. Brothers, Joseph T. Kelley, Daniel F. Belknap, Walter A. Barnhardt, Brian D. Andrews, Christine Legere, John E. Hughes Clarke
2012, Marine Geology (329-331) 34-45
Pockmark fields occur throughout northern North American temperate estuaries despite the absence of extensive thermogenic hydrocarbon deposits typically associated with pockmarks. In such settings, the origins of the gas and triggering mechanism(s) responsible for pockmark formation are not obvious. Nor is it known why pockmarks proliferate in this region but...
Hydrate morphology: Physical properties of sands with patchy hydrate saturation
S. Dai, J.C. Santamarina, William F. Waite, T.J. Kneafsey
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (117) B11205
The physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments depend on the volume fraction and spatial distribution of the hydrate phase. The host sediment grain size and the state of effective stress determine the hydrate morphology in sediments; this information can be used to significantly constrain estimates of the physical properties of...
Thermal maturity map of Devonian shale in the Illinois, Michigan, and Appalachian basins of North America
Joseph A. East, Christopher S. Swezey, John E. Repetski, Daniel O. Hayba
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3214
Much of the oil and gas in the Illinois, Michigan, and Appalachian basins of eastern North America is thought to be derived from Devonian shale that is within these basins (for example, Milici and others, 2003; Swezey, 2002, 2008, 2009; Swezey and others, 2005, 2007). As the Devonian strata were...
Bird use of fields treated postharvest with two types of flooding in Tulare Basin, California
Joseph P. Fleskes, Daniel A. Skalos, Melissa A. Farinha
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 164-174
We surveyed birds on grain and non-grain fields in the Tulare Basin of California treated post-harvest with two types of flooding that varied in duration and depth of water applied (Flooded-type fields [FLD]: 1 week; Irrigated-type fields [IRG]: <1-15 cm water for <1 week at a...
Seasonal variability in the surface sediments of Mobile Bay, Alabama, recorded by geochemistry and foraminifera, 2009–2010
D.K. Umberger, L.E. Osterman, C.G. Smith, J. Frazier, K.A. Richwine
2012, Data Series 733
A study was undertaken in order to document and quantify recent environmental change in Mobile Bay, Alabama. The study was part of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility project, a regional project funded by the Coastal and Marine Geology Program to understand how natural forcings...
Estimation of speciated and total mercury dry deposition at monitoring locations in eastern and central North America
L. Zhang, P. Blanchard, D.A. Gay, E.M. Prestbo, M.R. Risch, D. Johnson, J. Narayan, R. Zsolway, T.M. Holsen, E. K. Miller, M.S. Castro, J.A. Graydon, Louis, J. Dalziel
2012, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (12) 4327-4340
Dry deposition of speciated mercury, i.e., gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), particulate-bound mercury (PBM), and gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), was estimated for the year 2008–2009 at 19 monitoring locations in eastern and central North America. Dry deposition estimates were obtained by combining monitored two- to four-hourly speciated ambient concentrations with modeled...
Canada Basin revealed
David C. Mosher, John Shimeld, Deborah R. Hutchinson, D Chian, Nina Lebedeva-Ivanova, Ruth Jackson
2012, Conference Paper, Arctic Technology Conference: Challenges for today, opportunities for tomorrow
More than 15,000 line-km of new regional seismic reflection and refraction data in the western Arctic Ocean provide insights into the tectonic and sedimentologic history of Canada Basin, permitting development of new geologic understanding in one of Earth's last frontiers. These new data support a rotational opening model for southern...
The genetic structure of a relict population of wood frogs
Rick Scherer, Erin Muths, Barry Noon, Sara Oyler-McCance
2012, Conservation Genetics (13) 1521-1530
Habitat fragmentation and the associated reduction in connectivity between habitat patches are commonly cited causes of genetic differentiation and reduced genetic variation in animal populations. We used eight microsatellite markers to investigate genetic structure and levels of genetic diversity in a relict population of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvatica) in Rocky...
3-D reconstructions of subsurface Pleistocene basalt flows from paleomagnetic inclination data and 40Ar/39Ar ages in the southern part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho (USA)
Mary K. V. Hodges, Duane E. Champion, B. D. Turrin, C. C. Swisher III
2012, Conference Paper
The U. S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, is mapping the distribution of basalt flows and sedimentary interbeds at the Idaho National Laboratory in three dimensions to provide data for refining numerical models of groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the eastern Snake River Plain...
Recreational trails as corridors for alien plants in the Rocky Mountains, USA
Floye H. Wells, William K. Lauenroth, John B. Bradford
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 507-533
Alien plant species often use areas of heavy human activity for habitat and dispersal. Roads and utility corridors have been shown to harbor more alien species than the surrounding vegetation and are therefore believed to contribute to alien plant persistence and spread. Recreational trails represent another corridor that could harbor...
Ground water and climate change
Richard G. Taylor, Bridget R. Scanlon, Petra Doll, Matt Rodell, Rens van Beek, Yoshihide Wada, Laurent Longuevergne, Marc Leblanc, James S. Famiglietti, Mike Edmunds, Leonard F. Konikow, Timothy R. Green, Jianyao Chen, Makoto Taniguchi, Marc F.P. Bierkens, Alan MacDonald, Ying Fan, Reed M. Maxwell, Yossi Yechieli, Jason J. Gurdak, Diana M. Allen, Mohammad Shamsudduha, Kevin Hiscock, Pat J.-F. Yeh, Ian Holman, Holger Treidel
2012, Nature Climate Change (3) 322-329
As the world's largest distributed store of fresh water, ground water plays a central part in sustaining ecosystems and enabling human adaptation to climate variability and change. The strategic importance of ground water for global water and food security will probably intensify under climate change as more frequent and intense...
Mechanics of Old Faithful Geyser, Calistoga, CA
M.L. Rudolph, M. Manga, Shaul Hurwitz, Malcolm J. S. Johnston, L. Karlstrom, Chun-Yong Wang
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
In order to probe the subsurface dynamics associated with geyser eruptions, we measured ground deformation at Old Faithful Geyser of Calistoga, CA. We present a physical model in which recharge during the period preceding an eruption is driven by pressure differences relative to the aquifer supplying the geyser. The model...
IOOS modeling subsystem: vision and implementation strategy
Leslie Rosenfeld, Yi Chao, Richard P. Signell
2012, Book
Numerical modeling is vital to achieving the U.S. IOOS® goals of predicting, understanding and adapting to change in the ocean and Great Lakes. In the next decade IOOS should cultivate a holistic approach to coastal ocean prediction, and encourage more balanced investment among the observing, modeling and information management subsystems....
Priorities for IOOS® Data Management and Communications (DMAC)
Corrine Alexander, Joan Thomas, K. Benedict, W. Johnson, R. Morrison, J. Andrechik, E. Stabenau, M. Gierach, K. Casey, Richard P. Signell, H. Norris, R. Proctor, K. Kirby, D. Snowden, J. de La Beaujardière, E. Howlett, S. Uczekaj, K. Narasimhan, E. Key, M. Trice, J. Fredericks
2012, Book
Dramatic increases in the volume of online data and rapid advances in information technology have transformed many aspects of our society. In the coastal ocean, the amount of data is also growing dramatically due to new sensor and modeling technologies. Lagging behind this deluge of ocean data, however, is an...
Walrus distributional and foraging response to changing ice and benthic conditions in the Chukchi Sea
Chadwick V. Jay, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Anthony S. Fischbach
2012, North Pacific Research Board Project Final Report 818
Arctic species such as the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) are facing a rapidly changing environment. Walruses are benthic foragers and may shift their spatial patterns of foraging in response to changes in prey distribution. We used data from satellite radio-tags attached to walruses in 2009-2010 to map walrus foraging...
Dynamic stresses, coulomb failure, and remote triggering: corrected
David P. Hill
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2313-2336
Dynamic stresses associated with crustal surface waves with 15–30 s periods and peak amplitudes <1 MPa are capable of triggering seismicity at sites remote from the generating mainshock under appropriate conditions. Coulomb failure models based on a frictional strength threshold offer one explanation for instances of rapid‐onset triggered seismicity that develop...
Description of the U.S. Geological Survey Geo Data Portal data integration framework
David L. Blodgett, Nathaniel L. Booth, Thomas C. Kunicki, Jordan I. Walker, Jessica M. Lucido
2012, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (5) 1687-1691
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed an open-standard data integration framework for working efficiently and effectively with large collections of climate and other geoscience data. A web interface accesses catalog datasets to find data services. Data resources can then be rendered for mapping and dataset metadata are derived directly from...
Surface-wave potential for triggering tectonic (nonvolcanic) tremor-corrected
David P. Hill
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2337-2355
Source processes commonly posed to explain instances of remote dynamic triggering of tectonic (nonvolcanic) tremor by surface waves include frictional failure and various modes of fluid activation. The relative potential for Love- and Rayleigh-wave dynamic stresses to trigger tectonic tremor through failure on critically stressed thrust and vertical strike-slip faults...
Age, growth, and reproductive biology of three catostomids from the Apalachicola River, Florida
Timothy B. Grabowski, S.P. Young, J. Jeffery Isely, Patrick C. Ely
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 223-237
Riverine catostomids can show a wide range of interspecific variation in life-history characteristics. Understanding these differences is an important consideration in evaluating the sensitivity of these fishes to disturbance and in formulating effective conservation strategies, particularly when dealing with an assemblage consisting of multiple species within a watershed. We collected...
Fish assemblages at engineered and natural channel structures in the lower Missouri river: implications for modified dike structures
J.T. Schloesser, Craig P. Paukert, W.J. Doyle, T. Hill, K.D. Steffensen, Vincent H. Travnichek
2012, River Research and Applications (28) 1695-1707
Large rivers throughout the world have been modified by using dike structures to divert water flows to deepwater habitats to maintain navigation channels. These modifications have been implicated in the decline in habitat diversity and native fishes. However, dike structures have been modified in the Missouri River USA to increase...
Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River and its tributaries: Seasonality and importance of inorganic nitrogen
Kimberly P. Wickland, George R. Aiken, Kenna D. Butler, Mark M. Dornblaser, RGM Spencer, Robert G. Striegl
2012, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (26) 1-14
Northern high-latitude rivers transport large amounts of terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) from boreal and arctic ecosystems to coastal areas and oceans. Current knowledge of the biodegradability of DOM in these rivers is limited, particularly for large rivers discharging to the Arctic Ocean. We conducted a seasonally comprehensive study...
