A unifying model for planform straightness of ripples and dunes in air and water
David M. Rubin
2012, Earth-Science Reviews (113) 176-185
Geologists, physicists, and mathematicians have studied ripples and dunes for more than a century, but despite considerable effort, no general model has been proposed to explain perhaps the most fundamental property of their morphology: why are some bedforms straight, continuous, parallel, and uniform in planform geometry (i.e. two-dimensional) whereas others...
Structural stability of coprecipitated natural organic matter and ferric iron under reducing conditions
Yumiko K. Henneberry, Tamara E.C. Kraus, Peter S. Nico, William R. Horwath
2012, Organic Geochemistry (48) 81-89
The objective was to assess the interaction of Fe coprecipitated with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its effect on Fe (hydr)oxide crystallinity and DOM retention under abiotic reducing conditions. A Fe-based coagulant was reacted with DOM from an agricultural drain and the resulting precipitate (floc) was exposed to S(-II) and...
Canada Warbler use of harvested stands following timber management in the southern portion of their range
Douglas A. Becker, Petra B. Wood, Patrick D. Keyser
2012, Forest Ecology and Management (276) 1-9
We evaluated Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) responses to changes in habitat characteristics (landscape metrics, landcover, and microhabitat features) at multiple spatial scales resulting from timber harvests (clear-cut, heavy partial, and light partial) between 1996 and 2009. Relative abundance of Canada Warblers decreased over time on our West Virginia study area...
Annual estimates of water and solute export from 42 tributaries to the Yukon River
Frederick Zanden, Suzanne P. Anderson, Robert G. Striegl
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 1949-1961
Annual export of 11 major and trace solutes for the Yukon River is found to be accurately determined based on summing 42 tributary contributions. These findings provide the first published estimates of tributary specific distribution of solutes within the Yukon River basin. First, we show that annual discharge of the...
Since “Groundwater and surface water–A single resource”: some U.S. Geological Survey advances in modeling groundwater/surface-water interactions
Daniel T. Feinstein
2012, Acque Sotterranee: Italian Journal of Groundwater (1) 9-24
Field and interpretive studies conducted by T.C. Winter and U.S. Geological Survey colleagues, and summarized in the 1998 publication “Groundwater and Surface Water – A Single Resource”, inspired a new generation of research centered on extensions of the groundwater-flow code MODFLOW to more sophisticated simulation of coupled...
Radar analysis of fall bird migration stopover sites in the Northeastern U.S.
Jeffrey J. Butler, Deanna K. Dawson
2012, Report
The national network of weather surveillance radars (WSR-88D/NEXRAD) detects birds in flight, and has proven to be a useful remote-sensing tool for ornithological study. We used data collected during Fall 2008 and 2009 by 16 WSR-88D and 3 terminal Doppler weather radars in the northeastern U.S. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Prion protein degradation by lichens of the genus Cladonia
James P. Bennett, Cynthia M. Rodriguez, Christopher J. Johnson
2012, Lichenologist (44) 523-531
It has recently been discovered that lichens contain a serine protease capable of degrading the pathogenic prion protein, the etiological agent of prion diseases such as sheep scrapie and cervid chronic wasting disease. Limited methods are available to degrade or inactivate prion disease agents, especially in the environment, and lichens...
Flow-adjusted trends in dissolved selenium load and concentration in the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers near Grand Junction, Colorado, water years 1986--2008
John W. Mayo, Kenneth J. Leib
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5088
As a result of elevated selenium concentrations, many western Colorado rivers and streams are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010 Colorado 303(d) list, including the main stem of the Colorado River from the Gunnison River confluence to the Utah border. Selenium is a trace metal that bioaccumulates in aquatic...
The offshore export of sand during exceptional discharge from California rivers
Jonathan A. Warrick, Patrick L. Barnard
2012, Geology (40) 787-790
Littoral cells along active tectonic margins receive large inputs of sand and gravel from coastal watersheds and commonly lose this sediment to submarine canyons. One hypothesis is that the majority of coarse (sand and gravel) river sediment discharge will be emplaced within and immediately “resupply” local littoral cells. A competing...
Disequilibrium dihedral angles in dolerite sills
Marian B. Holness, Chris Richardson, Rosalind T. Helz
2012, Geology (40) 795-798
The geometry of clinopyroxene-plagioclase-plagioclase junctions in mafic rocks, measured by the median dihedral angle Θcpp, is created during solidification. In the solidifying Kilauea Iki (Hawaii) lava lake, the wider junctions between plagioclase grains are the first to be filled by pyroxene, followed by the narrower junctions. The final Θcpp, attained...
A Climate Trend Analysis of Burkina Faso
Christopher C. Funk, Jim Rowland, Gary Eilerts, Alkhalil Adoum, Libby White
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3084
This brief report, drawing from a multi-year effort by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), examines recent trends in rainfall and air temperatures. These analyses are based on quality controlled station observations. Conclusions: * Summer rains have remained steady over the past...
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
Johnathan R. Bumgarner, Gregory P. Stanton, Andrew Teeple, Jonathan V. Thomas, Natalie A. Houston, Jason Payne, MaryLynn Musgrove
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5124
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers, which include the Pecos Valley, Igneous, Dockum, Rustler, and Capitan Reef aquifers, was developed as the second phase of a groundwater availability study in the Pecos County region in west Texas. The first...
Frequent arousal from hibernation linked to severity of infection and mortality in bats with white-nose syndrome
DeeAnn M. Reeder, Craig L. Frank, Gregory G. Turner, Carol U. Meteyer, Allen Kurta, Eric R. Britzke, Megan E. Vodzak, Scott R. Darling, Craig W. Stihler, Alan C. Hicks, Roymon Jacob, Laura E. Grieneisen, Sarah A. Brownlee, Laura K. Muller, David S. Blehert
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging infectious disease that has killed over 5.5 million hibernating bats, is named for the causative agent, a white fungus (Geomyces destructans (Gd)) that invades the skin of torpid bats. During hibernation, arousals to warm (euthermic) body temperatures are normal but deplete fat stores. Temperature-sensitive dataloggers...
Quick-start guide for version 3.0 of EMINERS - Economic Mineral Resource Simulator
Walter J. Bawiec, Gregory T. Spanski
2012, Open-File Report 2009-1057
Quantitative mineral resource assessment, as developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), consists of three parts: (1) development of grade and tonnage mineral deposit models; (2) delineation of tracts permissive for each deposit type; and (3) probabilistic estimation of the numbers of undiscovered deposits for each deposit type (Singer and...
Shahejie-Shahejie/Guantao/Wumishan and Carboniferous/Permian Coal-Paleozoic Total Petroleum Systems in the Bohaiwan Basin, China (based on geologic studies for the 2000 World Energy Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey)
Robert T. Ryder, Jin Qiang, Peter J. McCabe, Vito F. Nuccio, Felix M. Persits
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5010
This report discusses the geologic framework and petroleum geology used to assess undiscovered petroleum resources in the Bohaiwan basin province for the 2000 World Energy Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Bohaiwan basin in northeastern China is the largest petroleum-producing region in China. Two total petroleum systems have...
Manatees mapping seagrass (USA & Puerto Rico)
Daniel H. Slone, James P. Reid, W. Judson Kenworthy, Giuseppe Di Carlo, Susan M. Butler
2012, Seagrass-Watch (46) 8-11
West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) are secretive creatures. While some of their behaviours at winter aggregation sites in Florida are readily visible to the casual observer, many of their habits and movements are difficult to observe. They rely on submerged vegetation for nutrition, and seagrasses are one of their most...
Novel praziquantel treatment regime for controlling Asian tapeworm infections in pond-reared fish
Alison C. Iles, Thomas P. Archdeacon, Scott A. Bonar
2012, North American Journal of Aquaculture (74) 113-117
The Asian tapeworm Bothriocephalus achelognathii is an intestinal fish parasite that is nonnative to but widespread throughout the southwestern United States. Praziquantel is an anthelminthic drug commonly used to treat fish for Asian tapeworm; however, it does not kill tapeworm eggs, so the water in ponds used for fish rearing...
Transverse mixing of simulated piscicides in small montane streams
Peter J. Brown, Jenifer L. Ard, Alexander V. Zale
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 353-356
Thorough mixing of piscicides into receiving waters is important for efficient and effective fish eradication. However, no guidance exists for the placement of drip stations with respect to mixing. Salt (NaCl) was used as a tracer to measure the mixing rates of center versus edge applications in riffle–pool, straight, and...
A proxy for high-resolution regional reanalysis for the Southeast United States: assessment of precipitation variability in dynamically downscaled reanalyses
Lydia Stefanova, Vasubandhu Misra, Steven Chan, Melissa Griffin, James J. O’Brien, Thomas J. Smith III
2012, Climate Dynamics (38) 2449-2466
We present an analysis of the seasonal, subseasonal, and diurnal variability of rainfall from COAPS Land- Atmosphere Regional Reanalysis for the Southeast at 10-km resolution (CLARReS10). Most of our assessment focuses on the representation of summertime subseasonal and diurnal variability.Summer precipitation in the Southeast United States is a particularly challenging...
Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey sea floor stress and sediment mobility database
P. Soupy Dalyander, Bradford Butman, Christopher R. Sherwood, Richard P. Signell
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1137
The U.S. Geological Survey Sea Floor Stress and Sediment Mobility Database contains estimates of bottom stress and sediment mobility for the U.S. continental shelf. This U.S. Geological Survey database provides information that is needed to characterize sea floor ecosystems and evaluate areas for human use. The estimates contained in the...
The effect of changes in habitat conditions on the movement of juvenile Snail Kites Rostrhamus sociabilis
Andrea C. Bowling, Julien Martin, Wiley M. Kitchens
2012, Ibis (154) 554-565
The degradation of habitats due to human activities is a major topic of interest for the conservation and management of wild populations. There is growing evidence that the Florida Everglades ecosystem continues to suffer from habitat degradation. After a period of recovery in the 1990s, the Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis...
Home range, habitat use, and migrations of hawksbill turtles tracked from Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, USA
Kristen M. Hart, Autumn R. Sartain-Iverson, Ikuko Fujisaki, Harold L. Pratt Jr., Danielle Morley, Michael W. Feeley
2012, Marine Ecology Progress Series (457) 193-207
To determine habitat-use patterns of sub-adult hawksbills Eretmochelys imbricata, we conducted satellite- and acoustic-tracking of 3 turtles captured in August 2008 within Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO), south Florida, USA, in the Gulf of Mexico; turtles ranged in size from 51.9 to 69.8 cm straight carapace length. After 263, 699, and...
Seasonal patterns in nutrients, carbon, and algal responses in wadeable streams within three geographically distinct areas of the United States, 2007-08
Kathy Lee, David L. Lorenz, James C. Petersen, John B. Greene
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5086
The U.S. Geological Survey determined seasonal variability in nutrients, carbon, and algal biomass in 22 wadeable streams over a 1-year period during 2007 or 2008 within three geographically distinct areas in the United States. The three areas are the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMIS) in Minnesota, the Ozark Plateaus (ORZK)...
Coordinated bird monitoring: Technical recommendations for military lands
Jonathan Bart, Ann Manning, Richard Fischer, Chris Eberly
2012, Open-File Report 2010-1078
The Department of Defense (DoD) is subject to several rules and regulations establishing responsibilities for monitoring migratory birds. The Sikes Act requires all military installations with significant natural resources to prepare and implement Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans (INRMPs). These plans guide the conservation and long-term management of natural resources...
Perils of correlating CUSUM-transformed variables to infer ecological relationships (Breton et al. 2006; Glibert 2010)
James E. Cloern, Alan D. Jassby, Jacob Carstensen, William A. Bennett, Wim Kimmerer, Ralph Mac Nally, David H. Schoellhamer, Monika Winder
2012, Limnology and Oceanography (57) 665-668
We comment on a nonstandard statistical treatment of time-series data first published by Breton et al. (2006) in Limnology and Oceanography and, more recently, used by Glibert (2010) in Reviews in Fisheries Science. In both papers, the authors make strong inferences about the underlying causes of population variability based on...
