Development of invertebrate community indexes of stream quality for the islands of Maui and Oahu, Hawaii
Reuben H. Wolff
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5055
In 2009-10 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected physical habitat information and benthic macroinvertebrates at 40 wadeable sites on 25 perennial streams on the Island of Maui, Hawaiʻi, to evaluate the relations between the macroinvertebrate assemblages and environmental characteristics and to develop a multimetric invertebrate community index (ICI) that could...
Breeding colonies of least terns (Sternula antillarum) in northern Sonora, Mexico, 2006-2008
Alyssa Rosemartin, Charles van Riper III
2012, Southwestern Naturalist (57) 342-345
We document distribution of breeding least terns (Sternula antillarum) in northern Sonora, Mexico, 2006-2008. We report breeding activity at six sites with active colonies, including three previously undocumented colonies....
Completion summary for borehole USGS 136 near the Advanced Test Reactor Complex, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Brian V. Twining, Roy C. Bartholomay, Mary K.V. Hodges
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5230
In 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, cored and completed borehole USGS 136 for stratigraphic framework analyses and long-term groundwater monitoring of the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory. The borehole was initially cored to a depth of 1,048...
Mapped versus actual burned area within wildfire perimeters: Characterizing the unburned
Carl H Key, James Lutz, Carl H. Key, Jonathan Kane, Jan W Van Wagtendonk
2012, Forest Ecology and Management (286) 38-47
For decades, wildfire studies have utilized fire occurrence as the primary data source for investigating the causes and effects of wildfire on the landscape. Fire occurrence data fall primarily into two categories: ignition points and perimeter polygons which are used to calculate a ‘burned...
Importance of tributary streams for rainbow trout reproduction: insights from a small stream in Georgia and a bi-genomic approach
D. Lee, Justin B. Lack, Ronald A. Van Den Bussche, James M. Long
2012, River Research and Applications (28) 1587-1593
Tributaries of tailwater fisheries in the southeastern USA have been used for spawning by stocked rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), but their importance may have been underestimated using traditional fish survey methods such as electrofishing and redd counts. We used a bi-genomic approach, mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci, to...
The shallow-water fish assemblage of Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica: Structure and patterns in an isolated, predator-dominated ecosystem
Alan M. Friedlander, Brian J. Zgliczynski, Enric Ballesteros, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Allan Bolanos, Enric Sala
2012, Revista de Biología Tropical: International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation (60) 321-338
Fishes at Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica, were surveyed as part of a larger scientific expedition to the area in September 2009. The average total biomass of nearshore fishes was 7.8 tonnes per ha, among the largest observed in the tropics, with apex predators such as sharks, jacks,...
MiniSipper: A new in situ water sampler for high-resolution, long-duration acid mine drainage monitoring
Thomas P. Chapin, Andrew S. Todd
2012, Science of the Total Environment (439) 343-353
Abandoned hard-rock mines can be a significant source of acid mine drainage (AMD) and toxic metal pollution to watersheds. In Colorado, USA, abandoned mines are often located in remote, high elevation areas that are snowbound for 7–8 months of the year. The difficulty in accessing these remote sites, especially during...
Species-specific and transgenerational responses to increasing salinity in sympatric freshwater gastropods
Jamie G. Suski, Christopher J. Salice, Reynaldo Patino
2012, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (31) 2517-2524
Freshwater salinization is a global concern partly attributable to anthropogenic salt contamination. The authors examined the effects of increased salinity (as NaCl, 250-4,000 µS/cm, specific conductance) on two sympatric freshwater gastropods (Helisoma trivolvis and Physa pomillia). Life stage sensitivities were determined by exposing naive eggs or naive juveniles (through adulthood...
Population ecology of breeding Pacific common eiders on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Heather M. Wilson, Paul L. Flint, Abby N. Powell, J. Barry Grand, Christine L. Moral
2012, Wildlife Monographs (182)
Populations of Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) in western Alaska declined by 50–90% from 1957 to 1992 and then stabilized at reduced numbers from the early 1990s to the present. We investigated the underlying processes affecting their population dynamics by collection and analysis of...
Free tropospheric transport of microorganisms from Asia to North America
D. Smith, Dan Jaffe, Michele Birmele, Dale W. Griffin, Andrew Schuerger, J. Hee, Michael Roberts
2012, Microbial Ecology (64) 973-985
Microorganisms are abundant in the troposphere and can be transported vast distances on prevailing winds. This study measures the abundance and diversity of airborne bacteria and fungi sampled at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (located 2.7 km above sea level in North America) where incoming free tropospheric air routinely arrives from...
Mapping temperature and radiant geothermal heat flux anomalies in the Yellowstone geothermal system using ASTER thermal infrared data
R. Greg Vaughan, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Cheryl Jaworowski, Henry Heasler
2012, Geothermal Resources Council Transactions (36) 1403-1409
The purpose of this work was to use satellite-based thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing data to measure, map, and monitor geothermal activity within the Yellowstone geothermal area to help meet the missions of both the U.S. Geological Survey Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program. Specifically, the...
Incorporating movement patterns to improve survival estimates for juvenile bull trout
Tracy Bowerman, Phaedra Budy
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 1123-1136
Populations of many fish species are sensitive to changes in vital rates during early life stages, but our understanding of the factors affecting growth, survival, and movement patterns is often extremely limited for juvenile fish. These critical information gaps are particularly evident for bull trout Salvelinus confluentus, a threatened Pacific...
2011 Kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill) and Maui 'Alauahio abundance estimates and the effect of sampling effort on power to detect a trend
Kevin W. Brinck, Richard J. Camp, P. Marcos Gorresen, David L. Leonard, Hanna L. Mounce, Kelly J. Iknayan, Eben H. Paxton
2012, Report
The Kiwikiu (Pseudonestor xanthophrys), also called the Maui Parrotbill, is an endangered, forest bird found only in high elevation, wet forest of the eastern portion of Maui Island. Recent surveys, conducted at five year intervals, have revealed wide variation in abundance estimates (Camp et al. 2009). Effective management and conservation...
Using geochemistry to identify the source of groundwater to Montezuma Well, a natural spring in Central Arizona, USA: Part 2
Raymond H. Johnson, Ed DeWitt, Laurie Wirt, Andrew H. Manning, Andrew G. Hunt
2012, Environmental Earth Sciences (67) 1837-1853
Montezuma Well is a unique natural spring located in a sinkhole surrounded by travertine. Montezuma Well is managed by the National Park Service, and groundwater development in the area is a potential threat to the water source for Montezuma Well. This research was undertaken to better understand the sources of...
Eruptive history of Mount Katmai, Alaska
Edward Hildreth, Judith Fierstein
2012, Geosphere (8) 1527-1567
Mount Katmai has long been recognized for its caldera collapse during the great pyroclastic eruption of 1912 (which vented 10 km away at Novarupta in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes), but little has previously been reported about the geology of the remote ice-clad stratovolcano itself. Over several seasons,...
Difference infiltrometer: a method to measure temporally variable infiltration rates during rainstorms
John A. Moody, Brian A. Ebel
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 3312-3318
We developed a difference infiltrometer to measure time series of non-steady infiltration rates during rainstorms at the point scale. The infiltrometer uses two, tipping bucket rain gages. One gage measures rainfall onto, and the other measures runoff from, a small circular plot about 0.5-m in diameter. The small size allows...
Distribution, abundance and production of Hemimysis anomala in Lake Ontario
Ana Carolina Taraborelli, Nina Jakobi, Timothy B. Johnson, Kelly Bowen, Brent Boscarino
2012, Journal of Great Lakes Research (38) 73-78
Hemimysis anomala is one of the latest macroinvertebrates to invade the Laurentian Great Lakes. Since first reported in 2006, Hemimysis have been confirmed in several locations within the Great Lakes basin. However, little is known about the seasonal and spatial variation in demographics and dynamics of Hemimysis populations. We used a standardised pier-based methodology to describe...
Flood of August 11–16, 2010, in the South Skunk River Basin, central and southeast Iowa
Kimberlee K. Barnes, David A. Eash
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1202
Severe thunderstorm activity during August 8–11, 2010 in central and southeast Iowa resulted in major flooding from August 11–16, 2010, in the South Skunk River Basin. Rain gages at Ames and Story City recorded 96-hour rainfall amounts of 9.61 and 8.70 inches, respectively. The majority of the rainfall occurred during...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of six geologic provinces of China
Ronald R. Charpentier, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3117
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in six geologic provinces of China at 14.9 billion barrels of oil, 87.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.4 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids....
Coastal wetlands of Chesapeake Bay
Andrew H. Baldwin, Patrick J. Kangas, J. Patrick Megonigal, Matthew C. Perry, Dennis F. Whigham, Darold P. Batzer
Darold P. Batzer, Andrew H. Baldwin, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Wetland habitats of North America: Ecology and conservation concerns
Wetlands are prominent landscapes throughout North America. The general characteristics of wetlands are controversial, thus there has not been a systematic assessment of different types of wetlands in different parts of North America, or a compendium of the threats to their conservation. Wetland Habitats of North America adopts a geographic...
Hydrology and climate of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico: Chapter C in Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico
Sheila F. Murphy, Robert F. Stallard
Sheila F. Murphy, Robert F. Stallard, editor(s)
2012, Professional Paper 1789-C
Puerto Rico lies directly in the path of the easterly trade winds, which deliver steady rainfall to the mountains and steer tropical wave systems toward the island. Hurricanes and tropical storms derived from these tropical waves differ in frequency and intensity, contributing to substantial interannual variation in precipitation and stream...
Space-time models for a panzootic in bats, with a focus on the endangered Indiana bat
Wayne E. Thogmartin, R. Andrew King, Jennifer A. Szymanski, Lori Pruitt
2012, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (48) 876-887
Knowledge of current trends of quickly spreading infectious wildlife diseases is vital to efficient and effective management. We developed space-time mixed-effects logistic regressions to characterize a disease, white-nose syndrome (WNS), quickly spreading among endangered Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) in eastern North America. Our goal was to calculate and map the...
Simulating potential structural and operational changes for Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River, Oregon, for downstream temperature management
Norman L. Buccola, Stewart A. Rounds, Annett B. Sullivan, John C. Risley
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5231
Detroit Dam was constructed in 1953 on the North Santiam River in western Oregon and resulted in the formation of Detroit Lake. With a full-pool storage volume of 455,100 acre-feet and a dam height of 463 feet, Detroit Lake is one of the largest and most important reservoirs in the...
Atmospheric inputs to watersheds of the Luquillo Mountains in eastern Puerto Rico: Chapter D in Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico
Robert F. Stallard
Sheila F. Murphy, Robert F. Stallard, editor(s)
2012, Professional Paper 1789-D
Twenty years of precipitation-chemistry data from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program site at El Verde, Puerto Rico, demonstrate that three major sources control the composition of solutes in rain in eastern Puerto Rico. In order of importance, these sources are marine salts, temperate contamination from the Northern Hemisphere, and Sahara...
Landslides and sediment budgets in four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico: Chapter F in Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico
Matthew C. Larsen
Sheila F. Murphy, Robert F. Stallard, editor(s)
2012, Professional Paper 1789-F
The low-latitude regions of the Earth are undergoing profound, rapid landscape change as forests are converted to agriculture to support growing population. Understanding the effects of these land-use changes requires analysis of watershed-scale geomorphic processes to better inform and manage this usually disorganized process. The investigation of hillslope erosion and...
