Assessment and Mmanagement of North American horseshoe crab populations, with emphasis on a multispecies framework for Delaware Bay, U.S.A. populations: Chapter 24
Michael J. Millard, John A. Sweka, Conor P. McGowan, David R. Smith
2015, Book chapter, Changing Global Perspectives on Horseshoe Crab Biology, Conservation and Management
The horseshoe crab fishery on the US Atlantic coast represents a compelling fishery management story for many reasons, including ecological complexity, health and human safety ramifications, and socio-economic conflicts. Knowledge of stock status and assessment and monitoring capabilities for the species have increased greatly in the last 15 years and...
Horseshoe crab spawning activity in Delaware Bay, USA, after harvest reduction: A mixed-model analysis
David R. Smith, Timothy J. Robinson
2015, Estuaries and Coasts (38) 2345-2354
A Delaware Bay, USA, standardized survey of spawning horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus, was carried out in 1999 − 2013 through a citizen science network. Previous trend analyses of the data were at the state (DE or NJ) or bay-wide levels. Here, an alternative mixed-model regression analysis was used to estimate...
USGS Arctic Science Strategy
Mark Shasby, Durelle Smith
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3049
The United States is one of eight Arctic nations responsible for the stewardship of a polar region undergoing dramatic environmental, social, and economic changes. Although warming and cooling cycles have occurred over millennia in the Arctic region, the current warming trend is unlike anything recorded previously and is affecting the...
Social living mitigates the costs of a chronic illness in a cooperative carnivore
Emily S. Almberg, Paul C. Cross, Andrew P. Dobson, Douglas W. Smith, Matthew C Metz, Daniel R. Stahler, Peter J. Hudson
2015, Ecology Letters (18) 660-667
Infection risk is assumed to increase with social group size, and thus be a cost of group living. We assess infection risk and costs with respect to group size using data from an epidemic of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) among grey wolves (Canis lupus). We demonstrate that group size does...
The distribution of selected elements and minerals in soil of the conterminous United States
Laurel G. Woodruff, William F. Cannon, David B. Smith, Federico Solano
2015, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (154) 49-60
In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a low-density (1 site per 1600 km2, 4857 sites) geochemical and mineralogical survey of soil of the conterminous United States as part of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project. Three soil samples were collected, if possible, from each site; (1) a sample from...
Group composition effects on aggressive interpack interactions of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park
Kira A. Cassidy, Daniel R. MacNulty, Daniel R. Stahler, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech
2015, Behavioral Ecology (26) 1352-1360
Knowledge of characteristics that promote group success during intraspecific encounters is key to understanding the adaptive advantages of sociality for many group-living species. In addition, some individuals in a group may be more likely than others to influence intergroup conflicts, a relatively neglected idea in research on social animals. Here...
Developing objectives with multiple stakeholders: adaptive management of horseshoe crabs and Red Knots in the Delaware Bay
Conor P. McGowan, James E. Lyons, David Smith
2015, Environmental Management (55) 972-982
Structured decision making (SDM) is an increasingly utilized approach and set of tools for addressing complex decisions in environmental management. SDM is a value-focused thinking approach that places paramount importance on first establishing clear management objectives that reflect core values of stakeholders. To be useful for management, objectives must be...
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data of the Paradox and San Luis Valleys, Colorado
Lyndsay B. Ball, Benjamin R. Bloss, Paul A. Bedrosian, V. J. S. Grauch, Bruce D. Smith
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1024
In October 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) contracted airborne magnetic and electromagnetic surveys of the Paradox and San Luis Valleys in southern Colorado, United States. These airborne geophysical surveys provide high-resolution and spatially comprehensive datasets characterizing the resistivity structure of the shallow subsurface of each survey region, accompanied by...
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Opportunity observations of the Burns formation: crater hopping at Meridiani Planum
R.E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell III, J.G. Catalano, B. C. Clark, V.K. Fox, Ralf Gellert, J.P. Grotzinger, E.A. Guinness, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, A.H. Knoll, M.G.A. Lapotre, S. M. McLennan, D. W. Ming, R.V. Morris, S.L. Murchie, K. E. Powell, M. D. Smith, S. W. Squyres, M.J. Wolff, J.J. Wray
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (120) 429-451
Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars hyperspectral (1.0–2.65 µm) along-track oversampled observations covering Victoria, Santa Maria, Endeavour, and Ada craters were processed to 6 m/pixel and used in combination with Opportunity observations to detect and map hydrated Mg and Ca sulfate minerals in the Burns formation. The strongest spectral absorption features were...
Reducing nitrogen export from the corn belt to the Gulf of Mexico: agricultural strategies for remediating hypoxia
Eileen McLellan, Dale M. Robertson, Keith Schilling, Mark Tomer, Jill Kostel, Douglas G. Smith, Kevin King
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 263-289
SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed models developed for the Upper Midwest were used to help evaluate the nitrogen-load reductions likely to be achieved by a variety of agricultural conservation practices in the Upper Mississippi-Ohio River Basin (UMORB) and to compare these reductions to the 45% nitrogen-load reduction proposed to remediate...
Climatic controls of aboveground net primary production in semi-arid grasslands along a latitudinal gradient portend low sensitivity to warming
Whitney Mowll, Dana M. Blumenthal, Karie Cherwin, Anine Smith, Amy J. Symstad, Lance Vermeire, Scott L. Collins, Melinda D. Smith, Alan K. Knapp
2015, Oecologia (177) 959-969
Although climate models forecast warmer temperatures with a high degree of certainty, precipitation is the primary driver of aboveground net primary production (ANPP) in most grasslands. Conversely, variations in temperature seldom are related to patterns of ANPP. Thus forecasting responses to warming is a challenge, and raises the question: how...
Impacts of fire management on aboveground tree carbon stocks in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
John R. Matchett, James A. Lutz, Leland W. Tarnay, Douglas G. Smith, Kendall M.L. Becker, Matthew L. Brooks
2015, Report, Natural Resource Report NPS/SIEN/NRR—2015/910
Forest biomass on Sierra Nevada landscapes constitutes one of the largest carbon stocks in California, and its stability is tightly linked to the factors driving fire regimes. Research suggests that fire suppression, logging, climate change, and present management practices in Sierra Nevada forests have altered historic patterns of landscape carbon...
Implementation of a framework for multi-species, multi-objective adaptive management in Delaware Bay
Conor P. McGowan, David R. Smith, James D. Nichols, James E. Lyons, John A. Sweka, Kevin Kalasz, Lawrence J. Niles, Richard Wong, Jeffrey Brust, Michelle C. Davis, Braddock Spear
2015, Biological Conservation (191) 759-769
Decision analytic approaches have been widely recommended as well suited to solving disputed and ecologically complex natural resource management problems with multiple objectives and high uncertainty. However, the difference between theory and practice is substantial, as there are very few actual resource management programs that represent formal applications of decision...
Wolves on the hunt: The behavior of wolves hunting wild prey
L. David Mech, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. MacNulty
2015, Book
The interactions between apex predators and their prey are some of the most awesome and meaningful in nature—displays of strength, endurance, and a deep coevolutionary history. And there is perhaps no apex predator more impressive and important in its hunting—or more infamous, more misjudged—than the wolf. Because of wolves’ habitat,...
Ocean minerals
James R. Hein, Kira L. Mizell
Hance D. Smith, Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Tundi S. Agardy, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Routledge handbook of ocean resources and management
Nearly 71 percent of the Earth is covered by ocean, yet during the entire history of societies, the mineral resources essential for nation building have been acquired solely from the continents. Deep-ocean minerals were discovered over a century ago during the Challenger...
Threshold-dependent sample sizes for selenium assessment with stream fish tissue
Nathaniel P. Hitt, David R. Smith
2015, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (11) 143-149
Natural resource managers are developing assessments of selenium (Se) contamination in freshwater ecosystems based on fish tissue concentrations. We evaluated the effects of sample size (i.e., number of fish per site) on the probability of correctly detecting mean whole-body Se values above a range of potential management thresholds. We modeled...
Environmental DNA calibration study. Interim technical review report
K. Baerwaldt, Meredith L. Bartron, K. Schilling, Debbie Lee, Edmond Russo, Trudy Estes, Richard Fischer, Beth Fleming, Michael P. Guilfoyle, K. Jack Kilgore, Richard Lance, Edward Perkins, Martin Schultz, David Smith, Jon J. Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark P. Gaikowski, Katy E. Klymus, Cathy A. Richter
2014, Report
Invasive aquatic nuisance species pose a major threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Invasive Asian carps, including bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix) have been steadily dispersing upstream through the Mississippi, Illinois, and Des Plaines Rivers since the 1990s. To prevent further movement up the Illinois River into...
A modified procedure for mixture-model clustering of regional geochemical data
Karl J. Ellefsen, David B. Smith, John D. Horton
2014, Applied Geochemistry (51) 315-326
A modified procedure is proposed for mixture-model clustering of regional-scale geochemical data. The key modification is the robust principal component transformation of the isometric log-ratio transforms of the element concentrations. This principal component transformation and the associated dimension reduction are applied before the data are clustered. The principal advantage of...
USGS investigations of water produced during hydrocarbon reservoir development
Mark A. Engle, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Bruce D. Smith
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3104
Significant quantities of water are present in hydrocarbon reservoirs. When brought to the land surface during oil, gas, and coalbed methane production, the water—either naturally occurring or injected as a method to enhance production—is termed produced water. Produced water is currently managed through processes such as recycling, treatment and discharge,...
Global research priorities to mitigate plastic pollution impacts on marine wildlife
Amanda C. Vegter, Mário Barletta, Cathy A. Beck, José C. Borrero, Harry Burton, Marnie L. Campbell, Monica F. Costa, Marcus Eriksen, Cecilia Eriksson, Andres Estrades, Kirsten V. Gilardi, Britta D. Hardesty, Juliana A. Ivar do Sul, Jennifer L. Lavers, Bojan Lazar, Laurent Lebreton, Wallace J. Nichols, Christine A. Ribic, Peter G. Ryan, Qamar A. Schuyler, Stephen D. A. Smith, Hideshige Takada, Kathy A. Townsend, Colette C. C. Wabnitz, Chris Wilcox, Lindsay C. Young, Mark Hamann
2014, Endangered Species Research (25) 225-247
Marine wildlife faces a growing number of threats across the globe, and the survival of many species and populations will be dependent on conservation action. One threat in particular that has emerged over the last 4 decades is the pollution of oceanic and coastal habitats with plastic debris. The...
Assessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park
Van R. Kane, Malcolm P. North, James A. Lutz, Derek J. Churchill, Susan L. Roberts, Douglas F. Smith, Robert J. McGaughey, Jonathan T. Kane, Matthew L. Brooks
2014, Remote Sensing of Environment (151) 89-101
Mosaics of tree clumps and openings are characteristic of forests dominated by frequent, low- and moderate-severity fires. When restoring these fire-suppressed forests, managers often try to reproduce these structures to increase ecosystem resilience. We examined unburned and burned forest structures for 1937 0.81 ha sample areas in Yosemite National Park,...
Anthrax and the geochemistry of soils in the contiguous United States
Dale W. Griffin, Erin E. Silvestri, Charlena Y. Bowling, Timothy Boe, David B. Smith, Tonya L. Nichols
2014, Geosciences (4) 114-127
Soil geochemical data from sample sites in counties that reported occurrences of anthrax in wildlife and livestock since 2000 were evaluated against counties within the same states (MN, MT, ND, NV, OR, SD and TX) that did not report occurrences. These data identified the elements, calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), phosphorus...
Application of near-surface geophysics as part of a hydrologic study of a subsurface drip irrigation system along the Powder River floodplain near Arvada, Wyoming
James I. Sams, Garret Veloski, Bruce D. Smith, Burke J. Minsley, Mark A. Engle, Brian A. Lipinski, Richard W. Hammack, John W. Zupancic
2014, International Journal of Coal Geology (126) 128-139
Rapid development of coalbed natural gas (CBNG) production in the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Wyoming has occurred since 1997. National attention related to CBNG development has focused on produced water management, which is the single largest cost for on-shore domestic producers. Low-cost treatment technologies allow operators to reduce...
U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: 2012 annual report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Carleton R. Bern, Laura Biewick, Gregory K. Boughton, Natasha B. Carr, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Melanie L. Clark, Bradford C. Fedy, Katharine Foster, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, Matthew G. Hethcoat, Collin G. Homer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Douglas Keinath, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Jessica Montag, Christopher J. Potter, Spencer Schell, Sarah L. Shafer, David B. Smith, Michael J. Sweat, Anna B. Wilson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1093
Southwest Wyoming contains abundant energy resources, wildlife, habitat, open spaces, and outdoor recreational opportunities. Although energy exploration and development have been taking place in the region since the late 1800s, the pace of development for fossil fuels and renewable energy increased significantly in the early 2000s. This and the associated...
Behavior and dam passage of juvenile Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead at Detroit Reservoir and Dam, Oregon, March 2012-February 2013
John W. Beeman, Hal C. Hansel, Amy C. Hansen, Scott D. Evans, Philip V. Haner, Tyson W. Hatton, Eric E. Kofoot, Jamie M. Sprando, Collin D. Smith
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1144
The in-reservoir movements and dam passage of individual juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were studied at Detroit Reservoir and Dam, near Detroit, Oregon, during 2012 and 2013. The goal of the study was to provide data to inform decisions about future downstream passage alternatives and...
