Impacts of simulated M9 Cascadia Subduction Zone motions on idealized systems
Nasser A. Marafi, Marc Eberhard, Jeffrey W. Berman, Erin A. Wirth, Arthur D. Frankel
2019, Earthquake Spectra (35) 1261-1287
Ground motions have been simulated for a magnitude 9 (M9) Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, which will affect the Puget Lowland region, including cities underlain by the Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma sedimentary basins. The current national seismic maps do not account for the effects of these basins on...
The 2018 update of the US National Seismic Hazard Model: Overview of model and implications
Mark D. Petersen, Allison Shumway, Peter M. Powers, Charles Mueller, Morgan P. Moschetti, Arthur D. Frankel, Sanaz Rezaeian, Daniel E. McNamara, Nico Luco, Oliver S. Boyd, Kenneth S. Rukstales, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Eric M. Thompson, Susan M. Hoover, Brandon Clayton, Edward H. Field, Yuehua Zeng
2019, Earthquake Spectra (36) 5-41
During 2017–2018, the National Seismic Hazard Model for the conterminous United States was updated as follows: (1) an updated seismicity catalog was incorporated, which includes new earthquakes that occurred from 2013 to 2017; (2) in the central and eastern United States (CEUS), new ground motion models were updated that incorporate...
Petrology of the 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof Island
Matthew W. Loewen, Pavel Izbekof, Jamshid Moshrefzadeh, Michelle L. Coombs, Jessica Larsen, Nathan Graham, Michelle Harbin, Christopher F. Waythomas, Kristi L. Wallace
2019, Bulletin of Volcanology (81)
The 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof primarily produced crystal-rich amphibole basalts. The dominant juvenile tephra were highly microlitic with diktytaxitic vesicles, and amphiboles had large reaction rims. Both observations support a magma history of slow ascent and/or shallow stalling prior to eruption. Plagioclase-amphibole-clinopyroxene mineralogy are also suggestive of shallow magma crystallization....
Increases in life-safety risks to building occupants from induced earthquakes in the central United States
Taojun Liu, Nico Luco, Abbie B. Liel
2019, Earthquake Spectra (35) 471-488
Earthquake occurrence rates in some parts of the central United States have been elevated for a number of years; this increase has been widely attributed to deep wastewater injection associated with oil and gas activities. This induced seismicity has caused damage to buildings and infrastructure and substantial public concern. In...
Orogenic recycling of detrital zircons characterizes age distributions of North American Cordilleran strata
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Robert K. Schwartz, A.L. Weislogel
2019, Tectonics (38) 4320-4334
Detrital zircon (DZ) analysis has become the standard tool for source‐to‐sink sediment routing studies at many spatial...
Salinity and water clarity dictate seasonal variability in coastal submerged aquatic vegetation in subtropical estuarine environments
Eva R. Hillmann, Kristin DeMarco, Megan K. La Peyre
2019, Aquatic Biology (28) 175-186
Spatial and temporal variability characterize submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) assemblages, but understanding the complex interactions of environmental drivers of SAV assemblages remains elusive. We documented SAV composition and biomass across a salinity gradient in a coastal estuary over 12 mo. Ten macrophyte species were identified. The dominant species, Ceratophyllum demersum and Myriophyllum spicatum, accounted...
The behavior of the Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in San Francisco, California inferred from earthquake and ambient shaking
Mehmet Celebi, H. Haddadi, Moh Huang, Michael Valley, John Hooper, Ron Klemencic
2019, Earthquake Spectra (35) 1711-1737
The newly constructed tallest building designed in conformance with performance-based design procedure in San Francisco, California is a 61-story building equipped with an accelerometric array that recorded the January 4, 2018 M4.4 Berkeley earthquake. The building is designed with concrete core shear walls and perimeter gravity steel...
Potential threats facing a globally important population of the magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens
S. Zaluski, L.M. Soanes, J.A. Bright, A. Georges, Patrick G.R. Jodice, K. Meyer, Woodfield- Pascoe N., J.A Green
2019, Tropical Zoology (32) 188-201
Tracking of seabirds has been used to identify foraging hotspots, migratory routes and to assess at-sea threats facing populations. One such threat is the potential negative interaction between seabirds and fisheries through incidental by-catch. In 2012, 60 magnificent frigatebirds Fregata magnificens were found dead, entangled in fishing line,...
3D geologic framework for use with the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model, Phase 1—Western United States
Oliver S. Boyd
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1081
A 3D geologic framework is presented here as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model for the western United States, which will be used to improve seismic hazard assessment. The framework is based on 1:250,000 to 1:1,000,000-scale state geologic maps and depths of multiple subsurface unit boundaries. The...
Groundwater characterization of the Madison aquifer near Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota
Joshua F. Valder, Janet M. Carter, Michael E. Wiles, Sierra M. Heimel
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3072
Jewel Cave National Monument in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota has more than 200 miles of mapped cave passages and several subterranean lakes that have been discovered since 2015. Jewel Cave is one of the world’s longest known caves and its natural beauty and unique natural cave features led...
Parasitic nematodes of marine fishes from Palmyra Atoll, East Indo-Pacific, including a new species of Spinitectus (Nematoda, Cystidicolidae)
David Gonzalez-Solis, Lilia Catherinne Soler-Jimenez, M Leopoldina Aguirre-Macedo, John P. McLaughlin, Jenny C. Shaw, Anna K James, Ryan F. Hechinger, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty, Victor Manuel Vidal-Martinez
2019, ZooKeys (892) 1-26
Here, we present the results of a taxonomic survey of the nematodes parasitizing fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Eastern Indo-Pacific. We performed quantitative parasitological surveys of 653 individual fish from each of the 44 species using the intertidal sand flats that border the atoll’s lagoon. We provide...
Groundwater-flow model and analysis of groundwater and surface-water interactions for the Big Sioux aquifer, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Kyle W. Davis, William G. Eldridge, Joshua F. Valder, Kristen J. Valseth
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5117
The city of Sioux Falls, in southeastern South Dakota, is the largest city in South Dakota. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the city of Sioux Falls, completed a groundwater-flow model to use for improving the understanding of groundwater-flow processes, estimating hydrogeologic properties, and analyzing groundwater and surface-water...
Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2009–November 30, 2010
Kendra L. Russell, Darwin Ockerman, Bruce E. Krejmas, Gary N. Paulachok, Robert R. Mason, Jr.
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1093
A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered June 7, 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversion of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York...
Combining sediment fingerprinting with age-dating sediment using fallout radionuclides for an agricultural stream, Walnut Creek, Iowa, USA
Allen C. Gellis, Christopher C. Fuller, Peter C. Van Metre, Christopher T. Filstrup, Kevin Cole, Timur Sabitov
2019, Journal of Soils and Sediments (19) 3374-3396
PurposeThe main purpose of this study was to demonstrate the utility of the sediment fingerprinting approach to apportion surface-derived sediment, and then age date that portion using short-lived fallout radionuclides. In systems where a large mass of mobile sediment is in channel storage, age dating provides an understanding...
Marine fog inputs appear to increase methylmercury bioaccumulation in a coastal terrestrial food web
Peter S. Weiss-Penzias, Michael S. Bank, Deana L. Clifford, Alicia A. Torregrosa, Belle Zheng, Wendy Lin, Christopher C. Wilmers
2019, Scientific Reports (9)
Coastal marine atmospheric fog has recently been implicated as a potential source of ocean-derived monomethylmercury (MMHg) to coastal terrestrial ecosystems through the process of sea-to-land advection of foggy air masses followed by wet deposition. This study examined whether pumas (Puma concolor) in coastal central California, USA, and their associated food...
Phenology patterns indicate recovery trajectories of ponderosa pine forests after high-severity fires
Jessica J. Walker, Christopher E. Soulard
2019, Remote Sensing (11)
Post-fire recovery trajectories in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) forests of the US Southwest are increasingly shifting away from pre-burn vegetation communities. This study investigated whether phenological metrics derived from a multi-decade remotely sensed imagery time-series could differentiate among grass, evergreen shrub, deciduous, or conifer-dominated replacement pathways. We...
Investigating the accuracy of one‐dimensional volcanic plume models using laboratory experiments and field data
James S. McNeal, Larry G. Mastin, Raul B. Cal, Stephen A. Solovitz
2019, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (124) 11290-11304
During volcanic eruptions, model predictions of plume height are limited by the accuracy of entrainment coefficients used in many plume models. Typically, two parameters are used, α and β, which relate the entrained air speed to the jet speed in the axial and cross‐flow directions,...
Watershed geomorphology modifies the sensitivity of aquatic ecosystem metabolism to temperature
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Daniel E. Schindler
2019, Scientific Reports (9)
How carbon cycles are regulated by environmental temperature remains a substantial uncertainty in our understanding of how watersheds will respond to ongoing climate change. Aquatic ecosystems are important components of carbon flux to the atmosphere and ocean, yet we have limited understanding of how temperature modifies ecosystem metabolic processes and,...
Employing an ecosystem services framework to deliver decision ready science
Emily Pindilli, Dianna M. Hogan, Zhiliang Zhu
2019, Advances in Ecological Research (4) 302-323
Public land managers have limited information to allow for the integration and balancing of multiple objectives in land management decisions including the social (cultural and health), economic (monetary and nonmonetary), and environmental aspects. In this article, we document an approach to consider the many facets of decision making by...
Pecos River Basin salinity assessment, Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico, to the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande, Texas, 2015
Natalie A. Houston, Jonathan V. Thomas, Patricia B. Ging, Andrew P. Teeple, Diana E. Pedraza, David S. Wallace
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5071
The elevated salinity of the Pecos River throughout much of its length is of paramount concern to water users and water managers. Dissolved-solids concentrations in the Pecos River exceed 3,000 milligrams per liter in many of its reaches in the study area, from Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico, to the...
Evaluating associations between environmental variables and Escherichia coli levels for predictive modeling at Pawtuckaway Beach in Nottingham, New Hampshire, from 2015 to 2017
James F. Coles, Kathleen F. Bush
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5111
From 2015 through 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services studied occurrences of high levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria at the Pawtuckaway State Park Beach in Nottingham, New Hampshire. Historic...
Assessing the ecological impacts of biomass harvesting along a disturbance severity gradient
Valerie J. Kurth, Anthony W.D. Amato, John B. Bradford, Brian J. Palik, Christopher E. Looney
2019, Ecological Applications
Disturbance is a central driver of forest development and ecosystem processes with variable effects within and across ecosystems. Despite the high levels of variation in disturbance severity often observed in forests following natural and anthropogenic disturbance, studies quantifying disturbance impacts often rely on categorical classifications, thus limiting opportunities to...
Avian influenza virus prevalence in marine birds is dependent on ocean temperatures
Jeffrey S. Hall, Robert J. Dusek, Sean Nashold, Joshua L. TeSlaa, Bradford R. Allen, Daniel A. Grear
2019, Ecological Applications (30)
Waterfowl and shorebirds are the primary hosts of influenza A virus (IAV), however, in most surveillance efforts, large populations of birds are not routinely examined; specifically marine ducks and other birds that reside predominately on or near the ocean. We conducted a long-term study sampling sea ducks and gulls in...
How low should we go when warning for earthquakes?
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Allen L. Husker
2019, Science (366) 957-958
A key goal of earthquake early warning (EEW) systems is to alert populations who may be affected by a particular level of ground shaking so that they can take action to reduce impacts of that shaking, such as injuries, damages to physical infrastructure, or emotional distress. Most EEW systems work...
Influence of forest harvest severity and time since perturbation on conservation of North American birds
Daniel J. Twedt
2019, Forest Ecology and Management (458)
I calculated avian conservation scores, based on published quantitative assessment of bird presence (typically relative abundance) and regional Partners in Flight conservation concern score of each species. I related these avian conservation scores to severity of forest perturbation (i.e., % retention) and number of years since perturbation for forest stands...