New AGU scientific integrity and professional ethics policy available for review
Linda C. Gundersen
2012, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (93) 377-377
The AGU Task Force on Scientific Ethics welcomes your review and comments on AGU's new Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy. The policy has at its heart a code of conduct adopted from the internationally accepted "Singapore Statement," originally created by the Second World Conference on Research Integrity (http://www.singaporestatement.org/), held...
Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico
Sheila F. Murphy, Robert F. Stallard, Heather L. Contributions by Buss, William A. Gould, Matthew C. Larsen, Zhigang Liu, Sebastian Martinuzzi, Isabel K. Pares-Ramos, Arthur F. White, Xiaoming Zou
2012, Professional Paper 1789
Humid tropical regions occupy about a quarter of Earth's land surface, yet they contribute a substantially higher fraction of the water, solutes, and sediment discharged to the world's oceans. Nearly half of Earth's population lives in the tropics, and development stresses can potentially harm soil resources, water quality, and water...
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2012 Waldo Canyon Burn Area near Colorado Springs, Colorado
Kristine L. Verdin, Jean A. Dupree, John G. Elliott
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1158
This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned by the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used...
Evaluation of effects of changes in canal management and precipitation patterns on salinity in Biscayne Bay, Florida, using an integrated surface-water/groundwater model
Melinda A. Lohmann, Eric D. Swain, John D. Wang, Joann Dixon
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5099
Biscayne National Park, located in Biscayne Bay in southeast Florida, is one of the largest marine parks in the country and sustains a large natural marine fishery where numerous threatened and endangered species reproduce. In recent years, the bay has experienced hypersaline conditions (salinity greater than 35 practical salinity units)...
Review of approaches for assessing the impact of climate change on landslide hazards
Jeffrey A. Coe, J. W. Godt
Erik Eberhardt, Corey Froese, Keith Turner, S. Leroueil, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Landslides and Engineered Slopes, Protecting Society Through Improved Understanding: Proceedings of the 11th International and 2nd North American Symposium on Landslides and Engineered Slopes, Banff, Canada, 3-8 June
Population dynamics of king eiders breeding in northern Alaska
Rebecca L. Bentzen, Abby N. Powell
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 1011-1020
The North American population of king eiders (Somateria spectabilis) has declined by more than 50% since the late 1970s for unknown reasons. King eiders spend most of their lives in remote areas, forcing managers to make regulatory and conservation decisions based on very little information. We incorporated available published estimates...
Patterns in species richness and assemblage structure of native mussels in the Upper Mississippi River
Steven J. Zigler, Teresa J. Newton, Mike Davis, James T. Rogala
2012, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (22) 577-587
1. To evaluate patterns in mussel assemblages in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), data from systematic surveys of mussels conducted in three large reaches (Navigation Pools 5, 6, and 18) from 2005–2007 were analysed. 2. Nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling analyses and permutation tests indicated that assemblages differed among reaches. The mussel...
National climate assessment technical report on the impacts of climate and land use and land cover change
Thomas Loveland, Rezaul Mahmood, Toral Patel-Weynand, Krista Karstensen, Kari Beckendorf, Norman Bliss, Andrew Carleton
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1155
This technical report responds to the recognition by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the National Climate Assessment (NCA) of the importance of understanding how land use and land cover (LULC) affects weather and climate variability and change and how that variability and change affects LULC. Current published,...
Prototype landslide hazard map of the conterminous United States
J. W. Godt, J. A. Coe, R.L. Baum, L.M. Highland, J.R. Keaton, R.J. Roth Jr.
Erik Eberhardt, Corey Froese, Keith Turner, S. Leroueil, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Landslides and Engineered Slopes, Protecting Society Through Improved Understanding: Proceedings of the 11th International and 2nd North American Symposium on Landslides and Engineered Slopes, Banff, Canada, 3-8 June
Natural-channel-design restorations that changed geomorphology have little effect on macroinvertebrate communities in headwater streams
Anne G. Ernst, Dana R. Warren, Barry P. Baldigo
2012, Restoration Ecology (20) 532-540
Stream restorations that increase geomorphic stability can improve habitat quality, which should benefit selected species and local aquatic ecosystems. This assumption is often used to define primary restoration goals; yet, biological responses to restoration are rarely monitored or evaluated methodically. Macroinvertebrate communities were inventoried at 6 study reaches within 5...
Nest survival of piping plovers at a dynamic reservoir indicates an ecological trap for a threatened population
Michael J. Anteau, Terry L. Shaffer, Mark H. Sherfy, Marsha A. Sovada, Jennifer H. Stucker, Mark T. Wiltermuth
2012, Oecologia (170) 1167-1179
In the past 60 years, reservoirs have reshaped riverine ecosystems and transformed breeding habitats used by the threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus; hereafter plover). Currently, 29% of the Northern Great Plains plover population nests at reservoirs that might function as ecological traps because reservoirs have more diverse habitat features and...
Molecular responses differ between sensitive silver carp and tolerant bighead carp and bigmouth buffalo exposed to rotenone
Jon J. Amberg, Theresa M. Schreier, Mark P. Gaikowski
2012, Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (38) 1379-1391
Some species of fish are more tolerant of rotenone, a commonly used non-specific piscicide, than others. This species-specific tolerance to rotenone has been thought to be associated with the uptake and the efficiency at which the chemical is detoxified. However, rotenone stimulates oxidative stress and superoxides, which are also toxic....
Monitoring gradual ecosystem change using Landsat time series analyses: case studies in selected forest and rangeland ecosystems
James E. Vogelmann, George Xian, Collin G. Homer, Brian Tolk
2012, Remote Sensing of Environment (122) 92-105
The focus of the study was to assess gradual changes occurring throughout a range of natural ecosystems using decadal Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) time series data. Time series data stacks were generated for four study areas: (1) a four scene area dominated by...
Habitat use by a freshwater dolphin in the low-water season
Gill T. Braulik, Albert P. Reichert, Tahir Ehsan, Samiullah Khan, Simon P. Northridge, Jason S. Alexander, Richard Garstang
2012, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (22) 533-546
1. Many river dolphin populations are most vulnerable during the low-water season when habitat is limited. Indus River dolphin habitat selection in the dry season was investigated using Generalized Linear Models of dolphin distribution and abundance in relation to physical features of river geomorphology and channel geometry in cross-section. 2....
Intraspecific variation in reproductive traits of burrowing owls
Meaghan Conway, Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway
2012, Journal of Ethology (30) 395-402
Reviews of hatching asynchrony in birds recommended more studies on intraspecific variation in the extent of hatching asynchrony. We examined intraspecific variation in clutch size, laying chronology, onset of incubation, incubation period, and hatching asynchrony in burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in the Imperial Valley of California. Mean clutch size was...
Effects of soil-engineering properties on the failure mode of shallow landslides
Jonathan Peter McKenna, Paul Michael Santi, Xavier Amblard, Jacquelyn Negri
2012, Landslides (9) 215-228
Some landslides mobilize into flows, while others slide and deposit material immediately down slope. An index based on initial dry density and fine-grained content of soil predicted failure mode of 96 landslide initiation sites in Oregon and Colorado with 79% accuracy. These material properties can be used to identify potential...
Water Resources of Beauregard Parish
Lawrence B. Prakken, Jason M. Griffith, Robert B. Fendick Jr.
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3065
In 2005, about 30.6 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water was withdrawn in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, including about 30.4 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.1 Mgal/d from surface water sources. Industrial use, primarily for wood products, accounted for about 72 percent (22.0 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other...
Flood risk awareness during the 2011 floods in the central United States: showcasing the importance of hydrologic data and interagency collaboration
Robert R. Holmes Jr., Noreen O. Schwein, Charles E. Shadie
2012, Leadership and Management in Engineering (12) 101-110
Floods have long had a major impact on society and the environment, evidenced by the more than 1,500 federal disaster declarations since 1952 that were associated with flooding. Calendar year 2011 was an epic year for floods in the United States, from the flooding on the Red River of the...
Drought and cooler temperatures are associated with higher nest survival in Mountain Plovers
V.J. Dreitz, R.Y. Conrey, S. K. Skagen
2012, Avian Conservation and Ecology (7)
Native grasslands have been altered to a greater extent than any other biome in North America. The habitats and resources needed to support breeding performance of grassland birds endemic to prairie ecosystems are currently threatened by land management practices and impending climate change. Climate models for the Great Plains prairie...
Interseasonal movements of greater sage-grouse, migratory behavior, and an assessment of the core regions concept in Wyoming
Bradley C. Fedy, Cameron L. Aldridge, Kevin E. Doherty, Michael S. O’Donnell, Jeffrey L. Beck, Bryan Bedrosian, Matthew J. Holloran, Gregory D. Johnson, Nicholas W. Kaczor, Christopher P. Kirol, Cheryl A. Mandich, David Marshall, Gwyn McKee, Chad Olson, Christopher C. Swanson, Brett L. Walker
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 1062-1071
Animals can require different habitat types throughout their annual cycles. When considering habitat prioritization, we need to explicitly consider habitat requirements throughout the annual cycle, particularly for species of conservation concern. Understanding annual habitat requirements begins with quantifying how far individuals move across landscapes between key life stages to access...
Insight on invasions and resilience derived from spatiotemporal discontinuities of biomass at local and regional scales
David G. Angeler, Criag R. Allen, Richard K. Johnson
2012, Ecology and Society (17)
Understanding the social and ecological consequences of species invasions is complicated by nonlinearities in processes, and differences in process and structure as scale is changed. Here we use discontinuity analyses to investigate nonlinear patterns in the distribution of biomass of an invasive nuisance species that could indicate scale-specific organization. We...
Late twentieth century land-cover change in the basin and range ecoregions of the United States
Christopher E. Soulard, Benjamin M. Sleeter
2012, Regional Environmental Change (12) 813-823
As part of the US Geological Survey's Land Cover Trends project, land-use/land-cover change estimates between 1973 and 2000 are presented for the basin and range ecoregions, including Northern, Central, Mojave, and Sonoran. Landsat data were employed to estimate and characterize land-cover change from 1973, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 2000 using...
Elk migration patterns and human activity influence wolf habitat use in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Abigail Nelson, Matthew J. Kauffman, Arthur D. Middleton, Mike Jimenez, Douglas McWhirter, Jarrett Barber, Ken Gerow
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 2293-2307
Identifying the ecological dynamics underlying human–wildlife conflicts is important for the management and conservation of wildlife populations. In landscapes still occupied by large carnivores, many ungulate prey species migrate seasonally, yet little empirical research has explored the relationship between carnivore distribution and ungulate migration strategy. In this study, we evaluate...
Evaluating changes in matrix based, recovery-adjusted concentrations in paired data for pesticides in groundwater
Tammy M. Zimmerman, Kevin J. Breen
2012, Journal of Environmental Quality (41) 1238-1245
Pesticide concentration data for waters from selected carbonate-rock aquifers in agricultural areas of Pennsylvania were collected in 1993–2009 for occurrence and distribution assessments. A set of 30 wells was visited once in 1993–1995 and again in 2008–2009 to assess concentration changes. The data include censored matched pairs (nondetections of a...
Assessment of nutrients and suspended sediment conditions in and near the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Northwest Minnesota, 2008–2010
Rochelle A. Nustad, Joel M. Galloway
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5112
In response to concerns about water-quality impairments that may affect habitat degradation in Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Minnesota, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collected streamflow data, discrete nutrient and suspended- sediment samples, and continuous water-quality data from 2008 to 2010....
