Why Study Paleoclimate?
Marci Robinson, Harry Dowsett
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3021
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers are at the forefront of paleoclimate research, the study of past climates. With their unique skills and perspective, only geologists have the tools necessary to delve into the distant past (long before instrumental records were collected) in order to better understand global environmental conditions that...
Unintended effects of electrofishing on nongame fishes
Leandro E. Miranda, R. H. Kidwell
2010, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (139) 1315-1321
Most studies of injury associated with electrofishing have focused on game fishes, but few have given attention to cohabiting small nongame species. Under controlled laboratory conditions, we subjected small nongame cyprinids, ictalurids, and percids to a wide range of voltages and waveforms to examine potential harmful effects. Fish were treated...
A comparison of algal, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblage indices for assessing low-level nutrient enrichment in wadeable Ozark streams
B. G. Justus, James C. Petersen, Suzanne R. Femmer, Jerri V. Davis, J. E. Wallace
2010, Ecological Indicators (10) 627-638
Biotic indices for algae, macroinvertebrates, and fish assemblages can be effective for monitoring stream enrichment, but little is known regarding the value of the three assemblages for detecting perturbance as a consequence of low-level nutrient enrichment. In the summer of 2006, we collected nutrient and biotic samples from 30 wadeable...
Comparative morphology among northern populations of breeding Cooper's Hawks
Robert N. Rosenfield, Laura J. Rosenfield, John Bielefeldt, Robert K. Murphy, Andrew C. Stewart, William E. Stout, Timothy G. Driscoll, Michael A. Bozek
2010, Condor (112) 347-355
Few studies at a broad geographical scale have characterized intraspecific variation in morphology of woodland hawks in the genus Accipiter. From 1999 to 2007 we investigated morphological variation in large samples of live Cooper's Hawks (A. cooperii) nesting in four study areas: coniferous woodland around Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, isolated deciduous...
Abdominally implanted transmitters with percutaneous antennas affect the dive performance of Common Eiders
Abby N. Powell, Christopher J. Latty, Tuula E. Hollmén, Margaret R. Petersen, Russel D. Andrews
2010, Condor (112) 314-322
Implanted transmitters have become an important tool for studying the ecology of sea ducks, but their effects remain largely undocumented. To address this, we assessed how abdominally implanted transmitters with percutaneous antennas affect the vertical dive speeds, stroke frequencies, bottom time, and dive duration of captive Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima)....
Variability and trends in dry day frequency and dry event length in the southwestern United States
Gregory J. McCabe, David R. Legates, Harry F. Lins
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (115)
Daily precipitation from 22 National Weather Service first-order weather stations in the southwestern United States for water years 1951 through 2006 are used to examine variability and trends in the frequency of dry days and dry event length. Dry events with minimum thresholds of 10 and 20 consecutive days of...
Revisions of rump fat and body scoring indices for deer, elk, and moose
Rachel C. Cook, John G. Cook, Thomas R. Stephenson, Woodrow L. Myers, Scott M. Mccorquodale, David J. Vales, Larry L. Irwin, P. Briggs Hall, Rocky D. Spencer, Shannon L. Murphie, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Patrick J. Miller
2010, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (74) 880-896
Because they do not require sacrificing animals, body condition scores (BCS), thickness of rump fat (MAXFAT), and other similar predictors of body fat have advanced estimating nutritional condition of ungulates and their use has proliferated in North America in the last decade. However, initial testing of these predictors was too...
The Origins of C4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science
Erika J. Edwards, Colin P. Osborne, Caroline A. E. Stromberg, Stephen A. Smith, William J. Bond, Pascal-Antoine Christin, Asaph B. Cousins, Melvin R. Duvall, David L. Fox, Robert P. Freckleton, Oula Ghannoum, James Hartwell, Yongsong Huang, Christine M. Janis, Jon E. Keeley, Elizabeth A. Kellogg, Alan K. Knapp, Andrew D.B. Leakey, David Mcgovern Nelson, Jeffery M. Saarela, Rowan F. Sage, Osvaldo E. Sala, Nicolas Salamin, Christopher J. Still, Brett Tipple
2010, Science (328) 587-591
The evolution of the C4 photosynthetic pathway from the ancestral C3 pathway in grasses led to the establishment of grasslands in warm climates during the Late Miocene (8 to 3 million years ago). This was a major event in plant evolutionary history, and their high rates of foliage production sustained...
A macroinvertebrate assessment of Ozark streams located in lead-zinc mining areas of the Viburnum Trend in southeastern Missouri, USA
Barry C. Poulton, Ann L. Allert, John M. Besser, Christopher J. Schmitt, William G. Brumbaugh, James F. Fairchild
2010, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (163) 619-641
The Viburnum Trend lead-zinc mining subdistrict is located in the southeast Missouri portion of the Ozark Plateau. In 2003 and 2004, we assessed the ecological effects of mining in several watersheds in the region. We included macroinvertebrate surveys, habitat assessments, and analysis of metals in sediment, pore water,...
The influence of partial timber harvesting in riparian buffers on macroinvertebrate and fish communities in small streams in Minnesota, USA
Christopher J. Chizinski, Bruce C. Vondracek, Charles R. Blinn, Raymond M. Newman, Dickson M. Atuke, Keith Fredricks, Nathaniel A. Hemstad, Eric Merten, Nicholas Schlesser
2010, Forest Ecology and Management (259) 1946-1958
Relatively few evaluations of aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish communities have been published in peer-reviewed literature detailing the effect of varying residual basal area (RBA) after timber harvesting in riparian buffers. Our analysis investigated the effects of partial harvesting within riparian buffers on aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish communities in small streams...
Supply of and demand for selected energy related mineral commodities
Scott F. Sibley
2010, Conference Paper, Critical elements for new energy technologies: an MIT Energy Initiative Workshop report
In this report, subjects discussed include components of mineral supply, production, and consumption data, and information on selected mineral commodities in which the Energy Critical Elements Study Group has an interest, and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recycling studies, with some results of these studies....
Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) and Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) in the Western United States-A Report on the State of the Science
Patrick Shafroth
2010, Fact Sheet 2009-3110
The Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstration Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-320) directs the Department of the Interior to submit a report to Congress that includes an assessment of several issues surrounding these two nonnative trees, now dominant components of the vegetation along many rivers in the Western...
Saltcedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstration Act Science Assessment
Patrick B. Shafroth, Curtis A. Brown, David M. Merritt
2010, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5247
The primary intent of this document is to provide the science assessment called for under The Saltcedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstration Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-320; the Act). A secondary purpose is to provide a common background for applicants for prospective demonstration projects, should funds be appropriated for...
Flood of April and May 2008 in Northern Maine
Pamela J. Lombard
2010, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5003
Severe flooding occurred in Aroostook and Penobscot Counties in northern Maine between April 28 and May 1, 2008, and was most extreme in the town of Fort Kent. Peak streamflows in northern Aroostook County were the result of a persistent heavy snowpack that caused high streamflows when it quickly melted...
Flood of April and May 2008 in Northern Maine
Pamela J. Lombard
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3003
Severe flooding occurred in Aroostook and Penobscot Counties in northern Maine between April 28 and May 1, 2008, and damage was extensive in the town of Fort Kent. Aroostook County was declared a Federal disaster area on May 9, and the declaration was expanded to include Penobscot County on May...
Techniques for Estimating the Magnitude and Frequency of Peak Flows on Small Streams in Minnesota Based on Data through Water Year 2005
David L. Lorenz, Christopher A. Sanocki, Matthew J. Kocian
2010, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5250
Knowledge of the peak flow of floods of a given recurrence interval is essential for regulation and planning of water resources and for design of bridges, culverts, and dams along Minnesota's rivers and streams. Statistical techniques are needed to estimate peak flow at ungaged sites because long-term streamflow records are...
Trends in groundwater levels in wells in the active management areas of Arizona, USA
Fred D. Tillman, Stanley A. Leake
2010, Hydrogeology Journal (18) 1515-1524
In 1980, the Arizona legislature passed the Groundwater Management Act (GMA), creating the active management areas (AMAs) to protect shared groundwater resources and to control severe overdrafts occurring in many parts of the state. With the 30-year anniversary of the GMA approaching, this article addresses the question: Have there been...
Seasonal H2O and CO2 ice cycles at the Mars Phoenix landing site: 1. Prelanding CRISM and HiRISE observations
Selby Cull, Raymond E. Arvidson, Michael T. Mellon, Sandra M. Wiseman, Roger N. Clark, Timothy N. Titus, Richard V. Morris, Patrick E. McGuire
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (115)
The condensation, evolution, and sublimation of seasonal water and carbon dioxide ices were characterized at the Mars Phoenix landing site from Martian northern midsummer to midspring (Ls ∼ 142° – Ls ∼ 60°) for the year prior to the Phoenix landing on 25 May 2008. Ice relative abundances and grain sizes were...
Mg isotope constraints on soil pore-fluid chemistry: Evidence from Santa Cruz, California
Edward T. Tipper, Jerome Gaillardet, Pascale Louvat, Francoise Capmas, Arthur F. White
2010, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (74) 3883-3896
Mg isotope ratios (26Mg/24Mg) are reported in soil pore-fluids, rain and seawater, grass and smectite from a 90 kyr old soil, developed on an uplifted marine terrace from Santa Cruz, California. Rain water has an invariant 26Mg/24Mg ratio (expressed as δ26Mg>δ26Mg) at −0.79 ± 0.05‰, identical to seawater <span...
Scale-dependent mechanisms of habitat selection for a migratory passerine: an experimental approach
Therese M. Donovan, Kerri L. Cornell
2010, The Auk (127) 899-908
Habitat selection theory predicts that individuals choose breeding habitats that maximize fitness returns on the basis of indirect environmental cues at multiple spatial scales. We performed a 3-year field experiment to evaluate five alternative hypotheses regarding whether individuals choose breeding territories in heterogeneous landscapes on the basis of (1) shrub...
Modeling Climate Change and Sturgeon Populations in the Missouri River
Mark L. Wildhaber
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC), in collaboration with researchers from the University of Missouri and Iowa State University, is conducting research to address effects of climate change on sturgeon populations (Scaphirhynchus spp.) in the Missouri River. The CERC is conducting laboratory, field, and modeling research...
Long-Billed Curlew Breeding Success on Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges, South-Central Washington and North-Central Oregon, 2007-08
Jessica Stocking, Elise Elliott-Smith, Neil Holcomb, Susan M. Haig
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1089
Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) reproductive success was evaluated on the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges of south-central Washington and north-central Oregon during the 2007 and 2008 breeding seasons. Additionally, we assisted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collecting information on distribution, abundance, and brood habitat for this shorebird species...
Separation, characterization and initial reaction studies of magnetite particles from Hanford sediments
D. R. Baer, Andrew Grosz, E. S. Ilton, K. M. Krupka, J. Liu, R. L. Penn, A. Pepin
2010, Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C (35) 233-241
Magnetic and density separation methods have been applied to composite sediment samples from the Hanford formation from sediment recovered during drilling of an uncontaminated borehole located near the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. This paper describes the results of using those separation methods and...
Tsunami Preparedness in California (videos)
Kurt Loeffler, Justine Gesell
2010, General Information Product 91
Tsunamis are a constant threat to the coasts of our world. Although tsunamis are infrequent along the West coast of the United States, it is possible and necessary to prepare for potential tsunami hazards to minimize loss of life and property. Community awareness programs are important, as they strive to...
Regional Regression Equations to Estimate Flow-Duration Statistics at Ungaged Stream Sites in Connecticut
Elizabeth A. Ahearn
2010, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5052
Multiple linear regression equations for determining flow-duration statistics were developed to estimate select flow exceedances ranging from 25- to 99-percent for six 'bioperiods'-Salmonid Spawning (November), Overwinter (December-February), Habitat Forming (March-April), Clupeid Spawning (May), Resident Spawning (June), and Rearing and Growth (July-October)-in Connecticut. Regression equations also were developed to estimate the...
