Gap Analysis of Benthic Mapping at Three National Parks: Assateague Island National Seashore, Channel Islands National Park, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Kathryn V. Rose, Amar Nayegandhi, Christopher S. Moses, Rebecca Beavers, Dawn Lavoie, John Brock
2012, Open-File Report 2011-1291
The National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program initiated a benthic habitat mapping program in ocean and coastal parks in 2008-2009 in alignment with the NPS Ocean Park Stewardship 2007-2008 Action Plan. With more than 80 ocean and Great Lakes parks encompassing approximately 2.5 million acres of submerged...
Groundwater flow, quality (2007-10), and mixing in the Wind Cave National Park area, South Dakota
Andrew J. Long, Marc J. Ohms, Jonathan D.R.G. McKaskey
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5235
A study of groundwater flow, quality, and mixing in relation to Wind Cave National Park in western South Dakota was conducted during 2007-11 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service because of water-quality concerns and to determine possible sources of groundwater contamination in the Wind...
Influence of conservation programs on amphibians using seasonal wetlands in the Prairie Pothole region
Caleb J. Balas, Ned H Euliss, David M. Mushet
2012, Wetlands (32) 333-345
Extensive modification of upland habitats surrounding wetlands to facilitate agricultural production has negatively impacted amphibian communities in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. In attempts to mitigate ecosystem damage associated with extensive landscape alteration, vast tracks of upland croplands have been returned to perennial vegetative cover (i.e., conservation grasslands)...
Principal aquifers can contribute radium to sources of drinking water under certain geochemical conditions
Zoltan Szabo, Jeffrey M. Fischer, Tracy Connell Hancock
2012, Fact Sheet 2010-3113
What are the most important factors affecting dissolved radium concentrations in principal aquifers used for drinking water in the United States? Study results reveal where radium was detected and how rock type and chemical processes control radium occurrence. Knowledge of the geochemical conditions may help water-resource managers anticipate where radium...
Magmatic ore deposits in layered intrusions - Descriptive model for reef-type PGE and contact-type Cu-Ni-PGE deposits
Michael L. Zientek
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1010
Layered, ultramafic to mafic intrusions are uncommon in the geologic record, but host magmatic ore deposits containing most of the world's economic concentrations of platinum-group elements (PGE) (figs. 1 and 2). These deposits are mined primarily for their platinum, palladium, and rhodium contents (table 1). Magmatic ore deposits are derived...
Characterization of major-ion chemistry and nutrients in headwater streams along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and within adjacent watersheds, Maine to Georgia
Denise M. Argue, Jason P. Pope, Fred Dieffenbach
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5151
An inventory of water-quality data on field parameters, major ions, and nutrients provided a summary of water quality in headwater (first- and second-order) streams within watersheds along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Appalachian Trail). Data from 1,817 sampling sites in 831 catchments were used for the water-quality summary. Catchment delineations...
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2009 through September 2010) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Clark Fork basin, Montana
Kent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica Dyke
2012, Open-File Report 2011-1314
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to near Missoula, Montana, as part of a monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin. The sampling program was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to characterize aquatic resources in...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in conventional and continuous petroleum systems in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group, U.S. Gulf Coast region, 2011
Russell F. Dubiel, Janet K. Pitman, Ofori N. Pearson, Krystal Pearson, Scott A. Kinney, Michael D. Lewan, Lauri Burke, Laura Biewick, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Schenk
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3003
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed means of (1) 141 million barrels of oil (MMBO), 502 billion cubic feet of natural gas (BCFG), and 16 million barrels of natural gas liquids (MMBNGL) in the conventional Eagle Ford Updip Sandstone Oil and Gas Assessment Unit (AU); (2)...
Review of rare earth element concentrations in oil shales of the Eocene Green River Formation
Justin E. Birdwell
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1016
Concentrations of the lanthanide series or rare earth elements and yttrium were determined for lacustrine oil shale samples from the Eocene Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin of Colorado and the Uinta Basin of Utah. Unprocessed oil shale, post-pyrolysis (spent) shale, and leached shale samples were examined to determine...
Water chemistry and electrical conductivity database for rivers in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Laura E. Clor, R. Blaine McCleskey, Mark A. Huebner, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Henry P. Heasler, Dan L. Mahony, Tim Maloney, William C. Evans
2012, Data Series 632
Chloride flux has been used to estimate heat flow in volcanic environments since the method was developed in New Zealand by Ellis and Wilson (1955). The method can be applied effectively at Yellowstone, because nearly all of the water discharged from its thermal features enters one of four major rivers...
Spatial and temporal diet patterns of subadult and small adult striped bass in Massachusetts estuaries: Data, a synthesis, and trends across scales
K.H. Ferry, Martha E. Mather
2012, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (4) 30-45
Subadult and small adult (375–475 mm total length) striped bass Morone saxatilis are abundant and represent an important component of the recovered U.S. Atlantic coast stocks. However, little is known about these large aggregations of striped bass during their annual foraging migrations to New England. A quantitative understanding of trends...
Eco-virological approach for assessing the role of wild birds in the spread of avian influenza H5N1 along the central Asian flyway
Scott H. Newman, Nichola J. Hill, Kyle A. Spragens, Daniel Janies, Igor O. Voronkin, Diann J. Prosser, Baoping Yan, Fumin Lei, Nyambayar Batbayar, Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj, Charles M. Bishop, Patrick J. Butler, Martin Wikelski, Sivananinthaperumal Balachandran, Taej Mundkur, David C. Douglas, John Y. Takekawa
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
A unique pattern of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks has emerged along the Central Asia Flyway, where infection of wild birds has been reported with steady frequency since 2005. We assessed the potential for two hosts of HPAI H5N1, the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) and ruddy shelduck (Tadorna...
Modified Mercalli Intensity for scenario earthquakes in Evansville, Indiana
Chris Cramer, Jennifer Haase, Oliver Boyd
2012, General Information Product 138
Evansville, Indiana, has experienced minor damage from earthquakes several times in the past 200 years. Because of this history and the fact that Evansville is close to the Wabash Valley and New Madrid seismic zones, there is concern about the hazards from earthquakes. Earthquakes currently cannot be predicted, but scientists...
Latitudinal species diversity gradient of marine zooplankton for the last three million years
Moriaki Yasuhara, Gene Hunt, Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Danielle K. Stoll
2012, Ecology Letters (15) 1174-1179
High tropical and low polar biodiversity is one of the most fundamental patterns characterising marine ecosystems, and the influence of temperature on such marine latitudinal diversity gradients is increasingly well documented. However, the temporal stability of quantitative relationships among diversity, latitude and temperature is largely unknown. Herein we document marine...
Selection of nest-site habitat by interior least terns in relation to sandbar construction
Mark H. Sherfy, Jennifer H. Stucker, Deborah A. Buhl
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 363-371
Federally endangered interior least terns (Sternula antillarum) nest on bare or sparsely vegetated sandbars on midcontinent river systems. Loss of nesting habitat has been implicated as a cause of population declines, and managing these habitats is a major initiative in population recovery. One such initiative involves construction of mid-channel sandbars...
Understanding earthquake hazards in urban areas - Evansville Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project
Oliver S. Boyd
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3014
The region surrounding Evansville, Indiana, has experienced minor damage from earthquakes several times in the past 200 years. Because of this history and the proximity of Evansville to the Wabash Valley and New Madrid seismic zones, there is concern among nearby communities about hazards from earthquakes. Earthquakes currently cannot be...
Quality of major ion and total dissolved solids data from groundwater sampled by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, 1992–2010
Eliza L. Gross, Bruce D. Lindsey, Michael G. Rupert
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5153
Proper interpretation of water quality requires consideration of the effects that contamination bias and sampling variability might have on measured analyte concentrations. The effect of contamination bias and sampling variability on major ion and total dissolved solids data in water samples collected in 48 of the 52 National Water-Quality Assessment...
Uranium isotopes (234U/238U) in rivers of the Yukon Basin (Alaska and Canada) as an aid in identifying water sources, with implications for monitoring hydrologic change in arctic regions
Thomas F. Kraemer, Timothy P. Brabets
2012, Hydrogeology Journal (20) 469-481
The ability to detect hydrologic variation in large arctic river systems is of major importance in understanding and predicting effects of climate change in high-latitude environments. Monitoring uranium isotopes (234U and 238U) in river water of the Yukon River Basin of Alaska and northwestern Canada (2001–2005) has enhanced the ability to...
Diversity and distribution of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera) of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, 1873-2010
Robert E. Zuellig, Brian D. Heinold, Boris C. Kondratieff, David E. Ruiter
2012, Data Series 606
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado), compiled collection record data to document the historical and present-day occurrence of mayfly, stonefly, and caddisfly species in the South Platte River Basin. Data were compiled from records collected between...
Preliminary assessment of channel stability and bed-material transport in the Rogue River basin, southwestern Oregon
Krista L. Jones, Jim E. O'Connor, Mackenzie K. Keith, Joseph F. Mangano, J. Rose Wallick
2012, Open-File Report 2011-1280
This report summarizes a preliminary assessment of bed-material transport, vertical and lateral channel changes, and existing datasets for the Rogue River basin, which encompasses 13,390 square kilometers (km2) along the southwestern Oregon coast. This study, conducted to inform permitting decisions regarding instream gravel mining, revealed that:The Rogue River in its...
Social values for ecosystem services (SolVES): Documentation and user manual, version 2.0
Benson C. Sherrouse, Darius J. Semmens
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1023
In response to the need for incorporating quantified and spatially explicit measures of social values into ecosystem services assessments, the Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center (RMGSC), in collaboration with Colorado State University, developed a geographic information system (GIS) application, Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES). With version 2.0 (SolVES 2.0),...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Amu Darya Basin and Afghan-Tajik Basin Provinces, Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, 2011
T. R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Craig J. Wandrey, Ronald R. Charpentier, Michael E. Brownfield, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro, Troy A. Cook, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2012, Fact Sheet 2011-3154
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated volumes of undiscovered, technically recoverable, conventional petroleum resources for the Amu Darya Basin and Afghan–Tajik Basin Provinces of Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The mean volumes were estimated at 962 million barrels of crude oil, 52 trillion cubic feet...
Population size of island loggerhead shrikes on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands
Thomas R. Stanley, Susan Teel, Linnea S. Hall, Linda C. Dye, Lyndal L. Laughrin
2012, Wildlife Society Bulletin (36) 61-69
Island loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus anthonyi) are an endemic, genetically distinct subspecies of loggerhead shrike on California's Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Catalina Islands (USA). This subspecies is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the California Department of Fish and Game and has been petitioned for federal...
Effects of resource chemistry on the composition and function of stream hyporheic biofilms.
E. K. Hall, K. Besemer, L. Kohl, C. Preiler, K. Reidel, T. Schneider, W. Wanek, T.J. Battin
2012, Frontiers in Microbiology (3)
Fluvial ecosystems process large quantities of dissolved organic matter as it moves from the headwater streams to the sea. In particular, hyporheic sediments are centers of high biogeochemical reactivity due to their elevated residence time and high microbial biomass and activity. However, the interaction between organic matter and microbial dynamics...
Book review: Seismic acquisition from yesterday to tomorrow
Seth S. Haines
2012, The Leading Edge (January 2012) 102-102
In this 236-page volume, Julien Meunier presents a thorough description of P-wave seismic data acquisition. The treatment includes historical aspects along with some discussion of trends for the future, but the main focus is on present-day approaches and their theoretical underpinnings. Although it was written as the text for the...
