Evaluating methods to assess the body condition of female polar bears
Anthony M. Pagano, Karyn D. Rode, Stephen N. Atkinson
2017, Ursus (28) 171-181
An animal's body condition provides insight into its health, foraging success, and overall fitness. Measures of body composition including proportional fat content are useful indicators of condition. Isotopic dilution is a reliable non-destructive method for estimating the body composition of live mammals, but can require prolonged handling times. Alternatively, bioelectrical...
Simulated juvenile salmon growth and phenology respond to altered thermal regimes and stream network shape
Aimee H. Fullerton, Brian J. Burke, Joshua J. Lawler, Christian E. Torgersen, Joseph L. Ebersole, Scott G. Leibowitz
2017, Ecosphere (8)
It is generally accepted that climate change will stress coldwater species such as Pacific salmon. However, it is unclear what aspect of altered thermal regimes (e.g., warmer winters, springs, summers, or increased variability) will have the greatest effect, and what role the spatial properties of river networks play. Thermally diverse...
The efficacy of combined educational and site management actions in reducing off-trail hiking in an urban-proximate protected area
Karen S. Hockett, Jeffrey L. Marion, Yu-Fai Leung
2017, Journal of Environmental Management (203) 17-28
Park and protected area managers are tasked with protecting natural environments, a particularly daunting challenge in heavily visited urban-proximate areas where flora and fauna are already stressed by external threats. In this study, an adaptive management approach was taken to reduce extensive off-trail hiking along a popular trail through an...
Can thermoluminescence be used to determine soil heating from a wildfire?
Francis K. Rengers, Vasilis Pagonis, Shannon A. Mahan
2017, Radiation Measurements (107) 119-127
The Silverado wildfire occurred from September 12 to 20, 2014, burning 960 acres in Orange County, California. Soil samples from within the burn area were obtained and the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of those samples were compared against a control sample to understand wildfire heating. We performed a series of experiments...
3D Pressure‐limited approach to model and estimate CO2 injection and storage capacity: saline Mount Simon Formation
Hossein Jahediesfanjani, Peter D. Warwick, Steven T. Anderson
2017, Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology (7) 1080-1096
To estimate the carbon dioxide (CO2) injection and storage capacity of saline formations, we used Tough2‐ECO2N simulation software to develop a pressure‐limited (dynamic) simulation approach based on applying three‐dimensional (3D) numerical simulation only on the effective injection area (Aeff) surrounding each injection well. A statistical analysis was performed to account...
Tectonic evolution of the Central Andean Plateau and implications for the growth of plateaus
Carmala N. Garzione, Nadine McQuarrie, Nicholas D. Perez, Todd A. Ehlers, Susan L. Beck, Nandini Kar, Nathan Eichelberger, Alan D. Chapman, Kevin M. Ward, Mihai N. Ducea, Richard O. Lease, Christopher J. Poulsen, Lara S. Wagner, Joel E. Saylor, George Zandt, Brian K. Horton
2017, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences (45) 529-559
Current end-member models for the geodynamic evolution of orogenic plateaus predict (a) slow and steady rise during crustal shortening and ablative subduction (i.e., continuous removal) of the lower lithosphere or (b) rapid surface uplift following shortening, which is associated with punctuated removal of dense lower lithosphere and/or lower crustal flow....
Single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi
Nancy T. DeWitt, Chelsea A. Stalk, Christopher G. Smith, Stanley D. Locker, Jake J. Fredericks, Terrence A. McCloskey, Cathryn J. Wheaton
2017, Data Series 1070
As part of the Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a single-beam bathymetry survey within the estuarine, open-bay, and tidal creek environments of Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi, from May to June...
Population trends, extinction risk, and conservation guidelines for ferruginous pygmy-owls in the Sonoran Desert
Aaron Flesch, Pamela L. Nagler, Christopher Jarchow, Richard B. Alexander
2017, Report
Climatic flux together with anthropogenic changes in land use and land cover pose major threats to wildlife, but our understanding of their combined impacts is limited. In arid southwestern North America, ferruginous pygmy-owls (Glaucidium brasilianum) are of major conservation concern due to marked declines in abundance linked to changes in land use...
Predictability and selection of hydrologic metrics in riverine ecohydrology
Ken Eng, Theodore E. Grantham, Daren M. Carlisle, David M. Wolock
2017, Freshwater Science (36) 915-926
The natural flow regime is critical to the health of riverine ecosystems. Many hydrologic metrics (HMs) have been developed to describe natural flow regimes, quantify flow alteration, and provide the hydrologic foundation for the development of environmental flow standards. Many applications require the use of models to predict expected natural...
A paleomagnetic age estimate for the draining of ancient Lake Alamosa, San Luis Valley, south-central Colorado, U.S.A.
Joshua K. Davis, Mark R. Hudson, V. J. S. Grauch
2017, Rocky Mountain Geology (52) 107-117
In September 2009, a 99.4-m (326-ft) deep well was drilled proximal to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to explore the history and subsurface geology of the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Of particular interest was deciphering the evolution of ancient Lake Alamosa, which filled much of the San Luis...
Effect of stocking and biotic and abiotic factors on Muskellunge recruitment in northern Wisconsin lakes
Todd S. Caspers, Michael J. Hansen, Steven W. Hewett
2017, Conference Paper, Muskellunge Management: Fifty Years of Cooperation Among Anglers, Scientists, and Fisheries Biologists
The Muskellunge Esox masquinongy is an important recreational fish species in North America. Some populations of Muskellunge are in decline, despite a reduction in harvest by anglers due largely to a growing catch-and-release ethic. Our objectives were to determine if Muskellunge recruitment was influenced by stocking, biotic factors, and abiotic...
A diatom voucher flora from selected southeast rivers (USA)
Ian W. Bishop, Rhea R.M. Esposito, Meredith Tyree, Sarah A. Spaulding
2017, Phytotaxa (332) 101-140
This flora is intended to serve as an image voucher for samples analyzed for the U.S. Geological Survey Southeast Stream Quality Assessment (SESQA). The SESQA study included measurement of watershed and water quality parameters to determine the factors that have the greatest potential to alter biotic condition. Algal samples were...
Iron isotope systematics of shale-derived soils as potentially influenced by small mineral particle loss
Carleton R. Bern, Tiffany Yesavage, Michael J. Pribil
2017, Conference Paper
Loss of small mineral particles from soil has been suggested as a process that can produce net isotopic fractionation in the remaining soil. We extracted water dispersible colloids (WDCs) from bulk soil collected at the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHO) and measured their Fe isotopic composition for comparison to...
Geomechanical analysis of initial stage of gas production from interbedded hydrate-bearing sediment
Jeen-Shang Lin, Shun Uchida, Evgeniy Myshakin, Yongkoo Seol, Jonny Rutqvist, Ray Boswell, William F. Waite, Junbong Jang, Timothy S. Collett
2017, Conference Paper
Geomechanical stability of marine hydrate reservoirs during gas production by depressurization is the focus of this study. The reservoir considered here consists of thin hydrate rich sandy layers interbedded with mud layers. Because of the input parameter uncertainties involved, it is prudent from a geomechanical perspective to estimate the likely...
Geology of Kasatochi Volcano, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Christopher J. Nye, William E. Scott, Owen K Neill, Christopher F. Waythomas, Cheryl E. Cameron, Andrew T. Calvert
2017, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Professional Report 123
Kasatochi is a small, isolated island volcano in the center of the Aleutian Island chain. It consists of a roughly circular cone ~3 km in diameter with a lake-filled central crater that is 1.2 km in diameter and extends from the highest point on the island to sea level. The...
Geophysical characterization of seismic station sites in the United States – The importance of a flexible, multi-method approach
Antony Martin, Alan Yong, William J. Stephenson, J. Boatwright, John Diehl
2017, Conference Paper
Noninvasive geophysical site characterization methods were used in two recent projects to obtain shear-wave velocity (VS) profiles to a minimum depth of 30 m and the time-averaged VS of the upper 30 meters (VS30) at seismic station sites. These projects include the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funded...
Preface: The lunar reconnaissance orbiter
John W Keller, Lisa R. Gaddis, Noah E. Petro, Oded Aharonson
2017, Icarus (298) 1-1
When the call for papers for a special issue of Icarus devoted to analysis of data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission was announced in March 2015 we envisioned a single issue with only a possibility of a second. We certainly were gratified by the response from within and outside...
Evidence that recent warming is reducing upper Colorado River flows
Gregory J. McCabe, David M. Wolock, Gregory T. Pederson, Connie A. Woodhouse, Stephanie A. McAfee
2017, Earth Interactions (21) 1-14
The upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) is one of the primary sources of water for the western United States, and increasing temperatures likely will elevate the risk of reduced water supply in the basin. Although variability in water-year precipitation explains more of the variability in water-year UCRB streamflow than water-year...
Boiling-induced formation of colloidal gold in black smoker hydrothermal fluids
Amy Gartman, Mark Hannington, John W. Jamieson, Ben Peterkin, Dieter Garbe-Schonberg, Alyssa J Findlay, Sebastian Fuchs, Tom Kwasnitschka
2017, Geology (46) 39-42
Gold colloids occur in black smoker fluids from the Niua South hydrothermal vent field, Lau Basin (South Pacific Ocean), confirming the long-standing hypothesis that gold may undergo colloidal transport in hydrothermal fluids. Six black smoker vents, varying in temperature from 250 °C to 325 °C, were sampled; the 325 °C...
A statistical method to predict flow permanence in dryland streams from time series of stream temperature
Ivan Arismendi, Jason B. Dunham, Michael Heck, Luke Schultz, David Hockman-Wert
2017, Water (9) 1-13
Intermittent and ephemeral streams represent more than half of the length of the global river network. Dryland freshwater ecosystems are especially vulnerable to changes in human-related water uses as well as shifts in terrestrial climates. Yet, the description and quantification of patterns of flow permanence in these systems is challenging...
Interactive effects of water temperature and salinity on growth and mortality of eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica: A meta-analysis using 40 years of monitoring data
Michael R. Lowe, Troy Sehlinger, Thomas M. Soniat, Megan K. LaPeyre
2017, Journal of Shellfish Research (36) 683-697
Despite nearly a century of exploitation and scientific study, predicting growth and mortality rates of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) as a means to inform local harvest and management activities remains difficult. Ensuring that models reflect local population responses to varying salinity and temperature combinations requires locally appropriate models. Using...
A survey of the amphibians of Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina and Georgia
C. Kenneth Dodd Jr., William J. Barichivich
2017, Southeastern Naturalist (16) 529-545
From 2004 to 2006, we used a variety of sampling techniques to survey the amphibians of Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), a large protected area straddling the lower portions of the Savannah River on the border between South Carolina and Georgia. We documented 22 amphibian species—15 frogs and 7 salamanders—with...
Evaluating factors driving population densities of mayfly nymphs in Western Lake Erie
Martin A. Stapanian, Patrick Kocovsky, Betsy L. Bodamer Scarbro
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 1111-1118
Mayfly (Hexagenia spp.) nymphs have been widely used as indicators of water and substrate quality in lakes. Thermal stratification and the subsequent formation of benthic hypoxia may result in nymph mortality. Our goal was to identify potential associations between recent increases in temperature and eutrophication, which exacerbate hypoxic events in lakes,...
Comparison of two viewing methods for estimating largemouth bass and walleye ages from sectioned otoliths and dorsal spines
Eric J. Wegleitner, Daniel A. Isermann
2017, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (37) 1304-1310
Many biologists use digital images for estimating ages of fish, but the use of images could lead to differences in age estimates and precision because image capture can produce changes in light and clarity compared to directly viewing structures through a microscope. We used sectioned sagittal otoliths from 132 Largemouth...
Using carbon dioxide in fisheries and aquatic invasive species management
Hilary B. Treanor, Andrew M. Ray, Megan J. Layhee, Barnaby J. Watten, Jason A. Gross, Robert E. Gresswell, Molly A. H. Webb
2017, Fisheries (42) 621-628
To restore native fish populations, fisheries programs often depend on active removal of aquatic invasive species. Chemical removal can be an effective method of eliminating aquatic invasive species, but chemicals can induce mortality in nontarget organisms and persist in the environment. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an emerging alternative to traditional...
