The Saturnian satellite Rhea as seen by Cassini VIMS
K. Stephan, R. Jaumann, R. Wagner, Roger N. Clark, D. P. Cruikshank, B. Giese, C. A. Hibbitts, T. Roatsch, K.-D. Matz, R. H. Brown, G. Filacchione, F. Cappacioni, F. Scholten, B. J. Buratti, G. B. Hansen, P. D. Nicholson, K. H. Baines, R.M. Nelson, D. L. Matson
2012, Planetary and Space Science (61) 142-160
Since the arrival of the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn in June 2004, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer has obtained new spectral data of the icy satellites of Saturn in the spectral range from 0.35 to 5.2 μm. Numerous flybys were performed at Saturn’s second largest satellite Rhea, providing a...
Macondo-1 well oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mesozooplankton from the northern Gulf of Mexico
Siddhartha Mitra, David G. Kimmel, Jessica Snyder, Kimberly Scalise, Benjamin D. McGlaughon, Michael R. Roman, Ginger L. Jahn, James J. Pierson, Stephen B. Brandt, Joseph P. Montoya, Robert J. Rosenbauer, T.D. Lorenson, Florence L. Wong, Pamela L. Campbell
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
Mesozooplankton (>200 μm) collected in August and September of 2010 from the northern Gulf of Mexico show evidence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that distributions of PAHs extracted from mesozooplankton were related to the oil released from the ruptured British Petroleum Macondo-1 (M-1) well...
Supplementing seed banks to rehabilitate disturbed Mojave Desert shrublands: Where do all the seeds go?
Lesley A. DeFalco, Todd Esque, Melissa B. Nicklas, Jeffrey M. Kane
2012, Restoration Ecology (20) 85-94
Revegetation of degraded arid lands often involves supplementing impoverished seed banks and improving the seedbed, yet these approaches frequently fail. To understand these failures, we tracked the fates of seeds for six shrub species that were broadcast across two contrasting surface disturbances common to the Mojave Desert—sites compacted by concentrated...
A multi-source satellite data approach for modelling Lake Turkana water level: Calibration and validation using satellite altimetry data
N.M. Velpuri, Gabriel B. Senay, K.O. Asante
2012, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (16) 1-18
Lake Turkana is one of the largest desert lakes in the world and is characterized by high degrees of inter- and intra-annual fluctuations. The hydrology and water balance of this lake have not been well understood due to its remote location and unavailability of reliable ground truth datasets. Managing surface...
One hundred years of volcano monitoring in Hawaii
J. Kauahikaua, Michael Poland
2012, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (93) 29-30
In 2012 the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), the oldest of five volcano observatories in the United States, is commemorating the 100th anniversary of its founding. HVO's location, on the rim of Klauea volcano (Figure 1)one of the most active volcanoes on Earthhas provided an unprecedented opportunity over the past century...
Mapping carbon flux uncertainty and selecting optimal locations for future flux towers in the Great Plains
Yingxin Gu, Daniel M. Howard, Bruce K. Wylie, Li Zhang
2012, Landscape Ecology (27) 319-326
Flux tower networks (e. g., AmeriFlux, Agriflux) provide continuous observations of ecosystem exchanges of carbon (e. g., net ecosystem exchange), water vapor (e. g., evapotranspiration), and energy between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. The long-term time series of flux tower data are essential for studying and understanding terrestrial carbon cycles,...
Novel plant communities limit the effects of a managed flood to restore riparian forests along a large regulated river
D.J. Cooper, D.C. Andersen
2012, River Research and Applications (28) 204-215
Dam releases used to create downstream flows that mimic historic floods in timing, peak magnitude and recession rate are touted as key tools for restoring riparian vegetation on large regulated rivers. We analysed a flood on the 5th‐order Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam, Colorado, in a broad alluvial valley...
Geophysical investigations of geology and structure at the Martis Creek Dam, Truckee, California
P. A. Bedrosian, B.L. Burton, M.H. Powers, B. J. Minsley, J. D. Phillips, L. E. Hunter
2012, Journal of Applied Geophysics (77) 7-20
A recent evaluation of Martis Creek Dam highlighted the potential for dam failure due to either seepage or an earthquake on nearby faults. In 1972, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed this earthen dam, located within the Truckee Basin to the north of Lake Tahoe, CA for water storage...
Spatial patterns of soil nitrification and nitrate export from forested headwaters in the northeastern United States
D.S. Ross, J. B. Shanley, J.L. Campbell, G.B. Lawrence, S.W. Bailey, G.E. Likens, B.C. Wemple, G. Fredriksen, A.E. Jamison
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (117)
Nitrogen export from small forested watersheds is known to be affected by N deposition but with high regional variability. We studied 10 headwater catchments in the northeastern United States across a gradient of N deposition (5.4 - 9.4 kg ha -1 yr -1) to determine if soil nitrification...
Restoration of the fire-grazing interaction in Artemisia filifolia shrubland
S.L. Winter, S.D. Fuhlendorf, C.L. Goad, C.A. Davis, K.R. Hickman, David M. Leslie Jr.
2012, Journal of Applied Ecology (49) 242-250
1. Patterns of landscape heterogeneity are crucial to the maintenance of biodiversity in shrublands and grasslands, yet management practices in these ecosystems typically seek to homogenize landscapes. Furthermore, there is limited understanding of how the interaction of ecological processes, such as fire and grazing, affects patterns of heterogeneity at different...
Design and quantification of an extreme winter storm scenario for emergency preparedness and planning exercises in California
M. D. Dettinger, Ralph F. Martin, M. Hughes, Tapash Das, P. Neiman, Dale A. Cox, G. Estes, D. Reynolds, R. Hartman, Daniel Cayan, L. Jones
2012, Natural Hazards (60) 1085-1111
The USGS Multihazards Project is working with numerous agencies to evaluate and plan for hazards and damages that could be caused by extreme winter storms impacting California. Atmospheric and hydrological aspects of a hypothetical storm scenario have been quantified as a basis for estimation of human, infrastructure, economic, and environmental...
Ecoregional analysis of nearshore sea-surface temperature in the North Pacific
M.C. Payne, C.A. Brown, D.A. Reusser, H. Lee II
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
The quantification and description of sea surface temperature (SST) is critically important because it can influence the distribution, migration, and invasion of marine species; furthermore, SSTs are expected to be affected by climate change. To better understand present temperature regimes, we assembled a 29-year nearshore time series of...
Regional scale impacts of Tamarix leaf beetles (Diorhabda carinulata) on the water availability of western U.S. rivers as determined by multi-scale remote sensing methods
Pamela L. Nagler, Tim Brown, Kevin R. Hultine, Charles van Riper III, Daniel W. Bean, Philip E. Dennison, R. Scott Murray, Edward P. Glenn
2012, Remote Sensing of Environment (118) 227-240
Tamarix leaf beetles (Diorhabda carinulata) have been widely released on western U.S. rivers to control introduced shrubs in the genus Tamarix. Part of the motivation to control Tamarix is to salvage water for human use. Information is needed on the impact of beetles on Tamarix seasonal leaf production and subsequent...
Habitat and landscape effects on abundance of Missouri's grassland birds
Robert B. Jacobson, Frank R. Thompson III, Rolf R. Koford, Frank A. La Sorte, Hope D. Woodward, Jane A. Fitzgerald
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 372-381
Of 6 million ha of prairie that once covered northern and western Missouri, <36,500 ha remain, with planted, managed, and restored grasslands comprising most contemporary grasslands. Most grasslands are used as pasture or hayfields. Native grasses largely have been replaced by fescue (Festuca spp.) on most private lands (almost 7 million ha)....
Tritium plume dynamics in the shallow unsaturated zone adjacent to an arid waste-disposal facility, Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nevada
S.R. Maples
2012, Thesis
No abstract available....
Spatial analysis of geologic and hydrologic features relating to sinkhole occurrence in Jefferson County, West Virginia
Daniel H. Doctor, Katarina Z. Doctor
2012, Carbonates and Evaporites (27) 143-152
In this study the influence of geologic features related to sinkhole susceptibility was analyzed and the results were mapped for the region of Jefferson County, West Virginia. A model of sinkhole density was constructed using Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) that estimated the relations among discrete geologic or hydrologic features and...
Prevalence, environmental loading, and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia
Stori C Oates, Melissa A. Miller, Dane Hardin, Patricia A. Conrad, Ann Melli, David A. Jessup, Clare Dominik, Annette Roug, M. Tim Tinker, Woutrina A. Miller
2012, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (78) 8762-8772
The risk of disease transmission from waterborne protozoa is often dependent on the origin (e.g., domestic animals versus wildlife), overall parasite load in contaminated waterways, and parasite genotype, with infections being linked to runoff or direct deposition of domestic animal and wildlife feces. Fecal samples collected from domestic animals and...
Wildfire impacts on soil-water retention in the Colorado Front Range, United States
Brian A. Ebel
2012, Water Resources Research (48) 1-12
This work examined the plot-scale differences in soil-water retention caused by wildfire in the area of the 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire in the Colorado Front Range, United States. We measured soil-water retention curves on intact cores and repacked samples, soil particle-size distributions, and organic matter content. Estimates were also made...
Multifractal model of magnetic susceptibility distributions in some igneous rocks
Mark E. Gettings
2012, Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (19) 635-642
Measurements of in-situ magnetic susceptibility were compiled from mainly Precambrian crystalline basement rocks beneath the Colorado Plateau and ranges in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. The susceptibility meter used measures about 30 cm3 of rock and measures variations in the modal distribution of magnetic minerals that form a minor component...
Surface heat flow and CO2 emissions within the Ohaaki hydrothermal field, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand
C. Rissmann, B. Christenson, Cynthia A. Werner, M. Leybourne, J. Cole, D. Gravley
2012, Applied Geochemistry (27) 223-239
Carbon dioxide emissions and heat flow have been determined from the Ohaaki hydrothermal field, Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand following 20 a of production (116 MWe). Soil CO2 degassing was quantified with 2663 CO2 flux measurements using the accumulation chamber method, and 2563 soil temperatures were measured and converted to equivalent heat flow...
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
Petra Wood, Therese M. Donovan
2012, The Birds of North America
With spotted breast and reddish tail, the Hermit Thrush lives up to its name. Although celebrated for its ethereal song, it is mostly a quiet and unobtrusive bird that spends much of its time in the lower branches of the undergrowth or on the forest floor, often seen flicking its...
Communicating science: from cuneiform to the contemporary and beyond
Cecil A. Jennings
Cecil A. Jennings, Thomas E. Lauer, Bruce C. Vondracek, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Scientific Communication for Natural Resource Professionals
No abstract available....
Estimating White-tailed Deer abundance at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site
David P. Stainbrook, Duane R. Diefenbach
2012, Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR—2012/626
The mission at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site (GNMP-ENHS) is to preserve the historic character of the parks to enable current and future generations to understand and interpret the events that took place at each park. Management objectives include maintaining the landscape as it existed during...
A new perspective on the geometry of the San Andreas Fault in southern California and its relationship to lithospheric structure
Gary S. Fuis, Daniel S. Scheirer, Victoria E. Langenheim, Monica D. Kohler
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 236-251
The widely held perception that the San Andreas fault (SAF) is vertical or steeply dipping in most places in southern California may not be correct. From studies of potential‐field data, active‐source imaging, and seismicity, the dip of the SAF is significantly nonvertical in many locations. The direction of dip appears...
Updated determination of stress parameters for nine well-recorded earthquakes in eastern North America
David M. Boore
2012, Seismological Research Letters (83) 190-199
Stress parameters (Δσ) are determined for nine relatively well-recorded earthquakes in eastern North America for ten attenuation models. This is an update of a previous study by Boore et al. (2010). New to this paper are observations from the 2010 Val des Bois earthquake, additional observations for the 1988 Saguenay and 2005...
