Liquid hydrocarbon characterization of the lacustrine Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, China: Organic-matter source variation and thermal maturity
Xun Sun, Quansheng Liang, Chengfu Jiang, Daniel Enriquez, Tongwei Zhang, Paul C. Hackley
2017, Interpretation (5) SF225-SF242
Source-rock samples from the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin of China were geochemically characterized to determine variations in depositional environments, organic-matter (OM) source, and thermal maturity. Total organic carbon (TOC) content varies from 4 wt% to 10 wt% in the Chang 7, Chang 8, and Chang 9 members —...
The U.S. Geological Survey Monthly Water Balance Model Futures Portal
Andy Bock
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3002
Simulations of future climate suggest profiles of temperature and precipitation may differ significantly from those in the past. These changes in climate will likely lead to changes in the hydrologic cycle. As such, natural resource managers are in need of tools that can provide estimates of key components of the...
A critical evaluation of the utility of eggshells for estimating mercury concentrations in avian eggs
Sarah H. Peterson, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 2417-2427
Eggshells are a potential tool for non-lethally sampling contaminant concentrations in bird eggs, yet few studies have examined their utility to represent mercury exposure. We assessed mercury concentrations in eggshell components for 23 bird species and determined whether they correlated with total mercury (THg) in egg contents. We designed a...
Assessing the dietary bioavailability of metals associated with natural particles: Extending the use of the reverse labeling approach to zinc
Marie Noele Croteau, Daniel J. Cain, Christopher C. Fuller
2017, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 2803-2810
We extend the use of a novel tracing technique to quantify the bioavailability of zinc (Zn) associated with natural particles using snails enriched with a less common Zn stable isotope. Lymnaea stagnalis is a model species that has relatively fast Zn uptake rates from the dissolved phase, enabling their rapid...
Vertebrate paleontology, stratigraphy, and paleohydrology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada (USA)
Kathleen B. Springer, Jeffery S. Pigati, Eric Scott
2017, Geology of the Intermountain West (4) 55-98
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (TUSK) preserves 22,650 acres of the upper Las Vegas Wash in the northern Las Vegas Valley (Nevada, USA). TUSK is home to extensive and stratigraphically complex groundwater discharge (GWD) deposits, called the Las Vegas Formation, which represent springs and desert wetlands that covered much...
Influence of atmospheric rivers on vegetation productivity and fire patterns in the southwestern U.S.
Christine M. Albano, Michael D. Dettinger, Christopher E. Soulard
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (122) 308-323
In the southwestern U.S., the meteorological phenomenon known as atmospheric rivers (ARs) has gained increasing attention due to its strong connections to floods, snowpacks, and water supplies in the West Coast states. Relatively less is known about the ecological implications of ARs, particularly in the interior Southwest, where AR storms...
The effect of wet-dry weathering on the rate of bedrock river channel erosion by saltating gravel
Takuya Inoue, Satomi Yamaguchi, Jonathan M. Nelson
2017, Geomorphology (285) 152-161
Previous work has shown that the bedrock erosion rate E because of collisions of saltating bedload can be expressed by E = βqb(1-Pc), where qb is the sediment transport rate, Pc is the extent of alluvial cover, and β is the abrasion coefficient. However, the dependence of the abrasion coefficient on the...
Operational shoreline mapping with high spatial resolution radar and geographic processing
Amina Rangoonwala, Cathleen E Jones, Zhaohui Chi, Elijah W. Ramsey III
2017, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (83) 237-246
A comprehensive mapping technology was developed utilizing standard image processing and available GIS procedures to automate shoreline identification and mapping from 2 m synthetic aperture radar (SAR) HH amplitude data. The development used four NASA Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR (UAVSAR) data collections between summer 2009 and 2012 and a fall 2012 collection...
Functional traits and ecological affinities of riparian plants along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Emily C. Palmquist, Barbara E. Ralston, Sarr. Daniel, David Merritt, Patrick B Shafroth, Julian Scott
2017, Western North American Naturalist (77) 22-30
Trait-based approaches to vegetation analyses are becoming more prevalent in studies of riparian vegetation dynamics, including responses to flow regulation, groundwater pumping, and climate change. These analyses require species trait data compiled from the literature and floras or original field measurements. Gathering such data makes trait-based research time intensive at...
Toxicity of chromium (VI) to two mussels and an amphipod in water-only exposures with or without a co-stressor of elevated temperature, zinc, or nitrate
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Chris D. Ivey, Christopher G. Ingersoll, M. Christopher Barnhart, Elizabeth A. Glidewell
2017, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (72) 449-460
The objectives of the present study were to develop methods for propagating western pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata) for laboratory toxicity testing and evaluate acute and chronic toxicity of chromium VI [Cr(VI)] to the pearlshell and a commonly tested mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea at 20 °C or in association...
Effects of food web changes on Mysis diluviana diet in Lake Ontario
Brian P. O'Malley, Lars G. Rudstam, James M. Watkins, Toby J. Holda, Brian Weidel
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 813-822
Mysids are important benthic-pelagic omnivores in many deep-lake food webs, yet quantitative data on their diet are limited. We explored the trophic role of Mysis diluviana in offshore Lake Ontario using samples collected in May, July, and September 2013 with a focus on seasonal and ontogenetic patterns in herbivory and...
The significant surface-water connectivity of "geographically isolated wetlands"
Aram J.K. Calhoun, David M. Mushet, Laurie C. Alexander, Edward S. DeKeyser, Laurie Fowler, Charles R. Lane, Megan W. Lang, Mark C. Rains, Stephen Richter, Susan C. Walls
2017, Wetlands (37) 801-806
We evaluated the current literature, coupled with our collective research expertise, on surface-water connectivity of wetlands considered to be “geographically isolated” (sensu Tiner Wetlands 23:494–516, 2003a) to critically assess the scientific foundation of grouping wetlands based on the singular condition of being surrounded by uplands. The most recent research on...
Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection
Duncan C. McKinley, Abe J. Miller-Rushing, Heidi L. Ballard, Rick Bonney, Hutch Brown, Susan C. Cook-Patton, Daniel M. Evans, Rebecca A. French, Julia Parrish, Tina B. Phillips, Sean F. Ryan, Lea A. Shanley, Jennifer L. Shirk, Kristine F. Stepenuck, Jake F. Weltzin, Andrea Wiggins, Owen D. Boyle, Russell D. Briggs, Stuart F. Chapin III, David A. Hewitt, Peter W. Preuss, Michael A. Soukup
2017, Biological Conservation (208) 15-28
Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is...
Status and trends of dam removal research in the United States
James Bellmore, Jeffrey J. Duda, Laura Craig, Samantha L. Greene, Christian E. Torgersen, Mathias J. Collins, Katherine Vittum
2017, WIREs Water (4)
Aging infrastructure coupled with growing interest in river restoration has driven a dramatic increase in the practice of dam removal. With this increase, there has been a proliferation of studies that assess the physical and ecological responses of rivers to these removals. As more dams are considered for removal, scientific...
Identifying small depressional wetlands and using a topographic position index to infer hydroperiod regimes for pond-breeding amphibians
Jeffrey W. Riley, Daniel L. Calhoun, William J. Barichivich, Susan C. Walls
2017, Wetlands (37) 325-338
Small, seasonal pools and temporary ponds (<4.0 ha) are the most numerous and biologically diverse wetlands in many natural landscapes. Thus, accurate determination of their numbers and spatial characteristics is beneficial for conservation and management of biodiversity associated with these freshwater systems. We examined the utility of a topographic position...
Assessing the influence of sustainable trail design and maintenance on soil loss
Jeffrey L. Marion, Jeremy Wimpey
2017, Journal of Environmental Management (189) 46-57
Natural-surfaced trail systems are an important infrastructure component providing a means for accessing remote protected natural area destinations. The condition and usability of trails is a critical concern of land managers charged with providing recreational access while preserving natural conditions, and to visitors seeking high quality recreational opportunities and experiences....
Fallow-land Algorithm based on Neighborhood and TemporalAnomalies (FANTA) to map planted versus fallowed croplands usingMODIS data to assist in drought studies leading to water and foodsecurity assessments
Cynthia Wallace, Prasad S. Thenkabail, Jesus R. Rodriguez, Melinda K. Brown
2017, GIScience and Remote Sensing (54) 258-282
An important metric to monitor for optimizing water use in agricultural areas is the amount of cropland left fallowed, or unplanted. Fallowed croplands are difficult to model because they have many expressions; for example, they can be managed and remain free of vegetation or be abandoned and become weedy if the climate for...
Chronic toxicity of azoxystrobin to freshwater amphipods, midges, cladocerans, and mussels in water-only exposures
James L. Kunz, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Kelly L. Smalling, Adria Elskus, Kathryn Kuivila
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 2308-2315
Understanding the effects of fungicides on nontarget organisms at realistic concentrations and exposure durations is vital for determining potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Environmental concentrations of the fungicide azoxystrobin have been reported up to 4.6 μg/L in the United States and 30 μg/L in Europe. The objective of the present study was...
Multi-temporal LiDAR and Landsat quantification of fire-induced changes to forest structure
T. Ryan McCarley, Crystal A. Kolden, Nicole M. Vaillant, Andrew T. Hudak, Alistair Smith, Brian M. Wing, Bryce Kellogg, Jason R. Kreitler
2017, Remote Sensing of Environment (191) 419-432
Measuring post-fire effects at landscape scales is critical to an ecological understanding of wildfire effects. Predominantly this is accomplished with either multi-spectral remote sensing data or through ground-based field sampling plots. While these methods are important, field data is usually limited to opportunistic post-fire observations, and spectral data often lacks...
Matching seed to site by climate similarity: techniques to prioritize plant materials development and use in restoration
Kyle Doherty, Bradley J. Butterfield, Troy E. Wood
2017, Ecological Applications (27) 1010-1023
Land management agencies are increasing the use of native plant materials for vegetation treatments to restore ecosystem function and maintain natural ecological integrity. This shift toward the use of natives has highlighted a need to increase the diversity of materials available. A key problem is agreeing on how many, and...
A synthesis of thermokarst lake water balance in high-latitude regions of North America from isotope tracers
Lauren A. MacDonald, Brent B. Wolfe, Kevin W. Turner, Lesleigh Anderson, Christopher D. Arp, Jean Birks, Frederic Bouchard, Thomas W.D. Edwards, Nicole Farquharson, Roland I. Hall, Ian McDonald, Biljana Narancic, Chantal Ouimet, Reinhard Pienitz, Jana Tondu, Hilary White
2017, Arctic Science (3) 118-149
Numerous studies utilizing remote sensing imagery and other methods have documented that thermokarst lakes are undergoing varied hydrological transitions in response to recent climate changes, from surface area expansion to drainage and evaporative desiccation. Here, we provide a synthesis of hydrological conditions for 376 lakes of mainly thermokarst origin across...
Molecular analyses reveal high species diversity of trematodes in a sub-Arctic lake
Miroslava Soldanova, Simona Georgieva, Jana Rohacovaa, Rune Knudsen, Jesper A. Kuhn, Eirik H. Henriksen, Anna Siwertsson, Jenny C. Shaw, Armand M. Kuris, Per-Arne Amundsen, Tomas Scholz, Kevin D. Lafferty, Aneta Kostadinova
2017, International Journal for Parasitology (47) 327-345
To identify trematode diversity and life-cycles in the sub-Arctic Lake Takvatn, Norway, we characterised 120 trematode isolates from mollusc first intermediate hosts, metacercariae from second intermediate host fishes and invertebrates, and adults from fish and invertebrate definitive hosts, using molecular techniques. Phylogenies based on nuclear and/or mtDNA revealed high species...
Risk, liability, and economic issues with long-term CO2 storage—A review
Steven T. Anderson
2017, Natural Resources Research (26) 89-112
Given a scarcity of commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, there is a great deal of uncertainty in the risks, liability, and their cost implications for geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The probabilities of leakage and the risk of induced seismicity could be remote, but the volume of...
Local biotic adaptation of trees and shrubs to plant neighbors
Kevin C. Grady, Troy E. Wood, Thomas E. Kolb, Erika Hersch-Green, Stephen M. Shuster, Catherine A. Gehring, Stephen C. Hart, Gerard J. Allan, Thomas G. Whitham
2017, Oikos (126) 583-593
Natural selection as a result of plant–plant interactions can lead to local biotic adaptation. This may occur where species frequently interact and compete intensely for resources limiting growth, survival, and reproduction. Selection is demonstrated by comparing a genotype interacting with con- or hetero-specific sympatric neighbor genotypes with a shared site-level...
Voice, perceived fairness, agency trust, and acceptance of management decisions among Minnesota anglers
Susan A. Schroeder, David C. Fulton
2017, Society and Natural Resources (30) 569-584
Although researchers agree that public participation in natural resource decision making is critical to institutional acceptance by stakeholders and the general public, the processes to gain public perceptions of fairness, agency trust, and acceptance of management decisions are not clear. Using results from a mail survey of Minnesota resident anglers,...
