The release of dissolved nutrients and metals from coastal sediments due to resuspension
Linda H. Kalnejais, William R. Martin, Michael H. Bothner
2010, Marine Chemistry (121) 224-235
Coastal sediments in many regions are impacted by high levels of contaminants. Due to a combination of shallow water depths, waves, and currents, these sediments are subject to regular episodes of sediment resuspension. However, the influence of such disturbances on sediment chemistry and the release of solutes is poorly understood....
Potential economic benefits of adapting agricultural production systems to future climate change
Daniel B. Fagre, Gregory Pederson, Lindsey E. Bengtson, Tony Prato, Zeyuan Qui, Jimmie R. Williams
2010, Environmental Management (45) 577-589
Potential economic impacts of future climate change on crop enterprise net returns and annual net farm income (NFI) are evaluated for small and large representative farms in Flathead Valley in Northwest Montana. Crop enterprise net returns and NFI in an historical climate period (1960–2005) and future climate period (2006–2050) are...
First Results of the Regional Earthquake Likelihood Models Experiment
D. Schorlemmer, J.D. Zechar, M.J. Werner, E. H. Field, D.D. Jackson, T.H. Jordan
2010, Pure and Applied Geophysics (167) 859-876
The ability to successfully predict the future behavior of a system is a strong indication that the system is well understood. Certainly many details of the earthquake system remain obscure, but several hypotheses related to earthquake occurrence and seismic hazard have been proffered, and predicting earthquake behavior is a worthy...
Satellite observations of a surtseyan eruption: Hunga Ha'apai, Tonga
R. Greg Vaughan, Peter W. Webley
2010, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (198) 177-186
On March 17, 2009, a surtseyan eruption occurred around Hunga Ha'apai Island, Tonga. A series of observations from the high-spatial resolution Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and the high-temporal resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), was used to estimate the magnitude, location, start time, and duration of...
An experimental assessment of vehicle disturbance effects on migratory shorebirds
Nathan M. Tarr, T.R. Simons, K. H. Pollock
2010, Journal of Wildlife Management (74) 1776-1783
Off-road vehicle (ORV) traffic is one of several forms of disturbance thought to affect shorebirds at migration stopover sites. Attempts to measure disturbance effects on shorebird habitat use and behavior at stopover sites are difficult because ORV disturbance is frequently confounded with habitat and environmental factors. We used a before-after-control-impact...
Extension in Mona Passage, Northeast Caribbean
J.D. Chaytor, Uri S. ten Brink
2010, Tectonophysics (493) 74-92
As shown by the recent Mw 7.0 Haiti earthquake, intra-arc deformation, which accompanies the subduction process, can present seismic and tsunami hazards to nearby islands. Spatially-limited diffuse tectonic deformation within the Northeast Caribbean Plate Boundary Zone likely led to the development of the submerged Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and...
Active remote sensing of snow using NMM3D/DMRT and comparison with CLPX II airborne data
X. Xu, D. Liang, L. Tsang, K.M. Andreadis, E.G. Josberger, D.P. Lettenmaier, D.W. Cline, S.H. Yueh
2010, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (3) 689-697
We applied the Numerical Maxwell Model of three-dimensional simulations (NMM3D) in the Dense Media Radiative Theory (DMRT) to calculate backscattering coefficients. The particles' positions are computer-generated and the subsequent Foldy-Lax equations solved numerically. The phase matrix in NMM3D has significant cross-polarization, particularly when the particles are densely packed. The NMM3D...
Nighttime aboveground movements by prairie dogs on colonies inhabited by black-footed ferrets
David A. Eads, Jennifer G. Chipault, Dean E. Biggins, Travis M. Livieri, Joshua J. Millspaugh
2010, Western North American Naturalist (70) 261-265
We describe observations of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) emerging aboveground at night, apparently in response to wild-born and captive-born black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) in South Dakota and New Mexico, respectively. We also discuss other similar observations accumulated on black-tailed prairie dog colonies as well as observations of white-tailed prairie...
Rapid evolution in lekking grouse: Implications for taxonomic definitions
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Judy St. John, Thomas W. Quinn
2010, Ornithological Monographs (67) 114-122
Species and subspecies delineations were traditionally defined by morphological and behavioral traits, as well as by plumage characteristics. Molecular genetic data have more recently been used to assess these classifications and, in many cases, to redefine them. The recent practice of utilizing molecular genetic data to examine taxonomic questions has...
Occurrence of West Nile virus infection in raptors at the Salton Sea, California
Robert J. Dusek, William M. Iko, Erik K. Hofmeister
2010, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (46) 889-895
We investigated the prevalence of West Nile virus (WNV)-neutralizing antibodies and infectious virus, and the occurrence of overwinter transmission in two raptor species during January and March 2006 at the Salton Sea, Imperial County, California. We captured 208 American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) (January, n=100; March, n=108) and 116 Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia)...
Effects of landscape features on waterbird use of rice fields
S. King, C.S. Elphick, D. Guadagnin, O. Taft, T. Amano
2010, Waterbirds (33) 151-159
Literature is reviewed to determine the effects of landscape features on waterbird use of fields in regions where rice (Oryza sativa) is grown. Rice-growing landscapes often consist of diverse land uses and land cover, including rice fields, irrigation ditches, other agricultural fields, grasslands, forests and natural wetlands. Numerous studies indicate...
Broadband ground-motion simulation using a hybrid approach
R.W. Graves, A. Pitarka
2010, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (100) 2095-2123
This paper describes refinements to the hybrid broadband ground-motion simulation methodology of Graves and Pitarka (2004), which combines a deterministic approach at low frequencies (f 1 Hz). In our approach, fault rupture is represented kinematically and incorporates spatial heterogeneity in...
The areal extent of brown shrimp habitat suitability in Mobile Bay, Alabama, USA: Targeting vegetated habitat restoration
L.M. Smith, J.A. Nestlerode, L.C. Harwell, P. Bourgeois
2010, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (171) 611-620
The availability of wetlands and shallow water habitats significantly influences Gulf of Mexico (GOM) penaeid shrimp fishery productivity. However, the GOM region has the highest rate of wetland loss in the USA. Protection and management of these vital GOM habitats are critical to sustainable shrimp fisheries. Brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus)...
A revised ground-motion and intensity interpolation scheme for shakemap
C.B. Worden, D.J. Wald, T.I. Allen, K. Lin, D. Garcia, G. Cua
2010, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (100) 3083-3096
We describe a weighted-average approach for incorporating various types of data (observed peak ground motions and intensities and estimates from groundmotion prediction equations) into the ShakeMap ground motion and intensity mapping framework. This approach represents a fundamental revision of our existing ShakeMap methodology. In addition, the increased availability of near-real-time...
The role of soil drainage class in carbon dioxide exchange and decomposition in boreal black spruce (Picea mariana) forest stands
K.P. Wickland, J. C. Neff, J.W. Harden
2010, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (40) 2123-2134
Black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) forest stands range from well drained to poorly drained, typically contain large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC), and are often underlain by permafrost. To better understand the role of soil drainage class in carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange and decomposition, we measured soil respiration...
Characterization of small microsatellite loci for use in non invasive sampling studies of Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus)
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Judy St. John
2010, Conservation Genetics Resources (2) 17-20
Primers for 10 microsatellite loci were developed specifically to amplify low quantity and quality DNA for Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), a species that has been petitioned for listing under the US Endangered Species Act. In a screen of 20 individuals from the largest population in the Gunnison Basin,...
Coral Ba/Ca records of sediment input to the fringing reef of the southshore of Moloka'i, Hawai'i over the last several decades
N.G. Prouty, M.E. Field, J. D. Stock, S.D. Jupiter, M. McCulloch
2010, Marine Pollution Bulletin (60) 1822-1835
The fringing reef of southern Moloka’i is perceived to be in decline because of land-based pollution. In the absence of historical records of sediment pollution, ratios of coral Ba/Ca were used to test the hypothesis that sedimentation has increased over time. Baseline Ba/Ca ratios co-vary with the abundance of red,...
Use of chemosensory cues as repellents for sea lamprey: Potential directions for population management
I. Imre, G.E. Brown, R.A. Bergstedt, R. McDonald
2010, Journal of Great Lakes Research (36) 790-793
Sea lamprey invaded the Great Lakes in the early 20th century and caused an abrupt decline in the population densities of several native fish species. The integrated management of this invasive species is composed of chemical (lampricide) applications, low-head barrier dams, adult trapping and sterile male release. Recently, there has...
Application of the surface azimuthal electrical resistivity survey method to determine patterns of regional joint orientation in glacial tills
David R. Carlson
2010, Environmental Geosciences (17) 175-192
Joints within unconsolidated material such as glacial till can be primary avenues for the flow of electrical charge, water, and contaminants. To facilitate the siting and design of remediation programs, a need exists to map anisotropic distribution of such pathways within glacial tills by determining the azimuth of the dominant...
Habitat suitability and conservation of the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
B.J. Halstead, G.D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza
2010, Copeia 591-599
Resource managers often have little information regarding the habitat requirements and distribution of rare species. Factor analysis-based habitat suitability models describe the ecological niche of a species and identify locations where these conditions occur on the landscape using existing occurrence data. We used factor analyses to assess the suitability of...
Detection probability of cliff-nesting raptors during helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft surveys in western Alaska
T.L. Booms, P.F. Schempf, B. J. McCaffery, M. S. Lindberg, M.R. Fuller
2010, Journal of Raptor Research (44) 175-187
We conducted repeated aerial surveys for breeding cliff-nesting raptors on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) in western Alaska to estimate detection probabilities of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus), and also Common Ravens (Corvus corax). Using the program PRESENCE, we modeled detection histories...
Effects of nourishment on the form and function of an estuarine beach
N.L. Jackson, K.F. Nordstrom, S. Saini, D. R. Smith
2010, Ecological Engineering (36) 1709-1718
Beach nourishment programs in estuaries can enhance shore protection, but they decrease habitat suitability by creating higher berms and wider backshores than would occur under natural conditions. Use of sediment sources from outside the area can result in sedimentary characteristics that differ from native sediments on the surface and at...
Seasonal movements, winter range use, and migratory connectivity of the Black Oystercatcher
M. Johnson, P. Clarkson, M.I. Goldstein, S. M. Haig, Richard B. Lanctot, D.F. Tessler, D. Zwiefelhofer
2010, Condor (112) 731-743
The Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) is an intertidal obligate along North America's Pacific coast and a species of high conservation concern (population size 8900-11 000 individuals). Understanding birds' movements and space use throughout the annual cycle has become paramount in the face of changing environmental conditions, and intertidal species may...
Teaching citizen science skills online: Implications for invasive species training programs
G. Newman, A. Crall, M. Laituri, J. Graham, T. Stohlgren, J.C. Moore, K. Kodrich, K.A. Holfelder
2010, Applied Environmental Education and Communication (9) 276-286
Citizen science programs are emerging as an efficient way to increase data collection and help monitor invasive species. Effective invasive species monitoring requires rigid data quality assurances if expensive control efforts are to be guided by volunteer data. To achieve data quality, effective online training is needed to improve field...
Parental investment decisions in response to ambient nest-predation risk versus actual predation on the prior nest
A.D. Chalfoun, T. E. Martin
2010, Condor (112) 701-710
Theory predicts that parents should invest less in dependent offspring with lower reproductive value, such as those with a high risk of predation. Moreover, high predation risk can favor reduced parental activity when such activity attracts nest predators. Yet, the ability of parents to assess ambient nest-predation risk and respond...
