Spectral nature of CO2 adsorption onto meteorites
Genesis Berlanga, Charles A Hibbitts, Driss Takir, Draby M Dyar, Elizabeth Sklute
2016, Icarus (280) 366-377
Previous studies have identified carbon dioxide (CO2) on the surfaces of Jovian and Galilean satellites in regions of non-ice material that are too warm for CO2 ice to exist. CO2 ice would quickly sublimate if not retained by a less-volatile material. To ascertain what non-ice species may be responsible for stabilizing this...
External quality assurance project report for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program’s National Trends Network and Mercury Deposition Network, 2013–14
Gregory A. Wetherbee, RoseAnn Martin
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5069
The U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Quality Systems operated five distinct programs to provide external quality assurance monitoring for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program’s (NADP) National Trends Network and Mercury Deposition Network during 2013–14. The National Trends Network programs include (1) a field audit program to evaluate sample contamination and...
A goodness-of-fit test for occupancy models with correlated within-season revisits
Wilson Wright, Kathryn M. Irvine, Thomas J. Rodhouse
2016, Ecology and Evolution (6) 5404-5415
Occupancy modeling is important for exploring species distribution patterns and for conservation monitoring. Within this framework, explicit attention is given to species detection probabilities estimated from replicate surveys to sample units. A central assumption is that replicate surveys are independent Bernoulli trials, but this assumption becomes untenable when ecologists serially...
Preserving reptiles for research
Steve W. Gotte, Jeremy F. Jacobs, George R. Zug
C. Kenneth Dodd, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Reptile ecology and conservation
What are voucher specimens and why do we collect them? Voucher specimens are animals and/or their parts that are deposited in a research museum to document the occurrence of a taxon at a specific location in space and time (Pleijel et al., 2008; Reynolds and McDiarmid, 2012). For field biologists,...
Adverse reproductive and developmental health outcomes following prenatal exposure to a 2 hydraulic fracturing chemical mixture in female C57Bl/6 mice
Christopher D. Kassotis, John J. Bromfield, Kara C. Klemp, Chun-Xia Meng, Andrew R. Wolfe, Thomas Zoeller, Victoria D. Balise, Chiamaka J. Isiguzo, Donald E. Tillitt, Susan C. Nagel
2016, Endocrinology (157) 3469-3481
Unconventional oil and gas operations using hydraulic fracturing can contaminate surface and groundwater with endocrine-disrupting chemicals. We have previously shown that 23 of 24 commonly used hydraulic fracturing chemicals can activate or inhibit the estrogen, androgen, glucocorticoid, progesterone, and/or thyroid receptors in a human endometrial cancer cell reporter gene assay...
Experimental whole-lake increase of dissolved organic carbon concentration produces unexpected increase in crustacean zooplankton density
Patrick T. Kelly, Nicola Craig, Christopher T. Solomon, Brian Weidel, Jacob A. Zwart, Stuart E. Jones
2016, Global Change Biology (22) 2766-2775
The observed pattern of lake browning, or increased terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, across the northern hemisphere has amplified the importance of understanding how consumer productivity varies with DOC concentration. Results from comparative studies suggest these increased DOC concentrations may reduce crustacean zooplankton productivity due to reductions in resource...
Implications of climate change for wetland-dependent birds in the Prairie Pothole Region
Valerie Steen, Susan K. Skagen, Cynthia P. Melcher
2016, Wetlands (36) 445-459
The habitats and food resources required to support breeding and migrant birds dependent on North American prairie wetlands are threatened by impending climate change. The North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) hosts nearly 120 species of wetland-dependent birds representing 21 families. Strategic management requires knowledge of avian habitat requirements and...
Blood selenium concentrations in female Pacific black brant molting in Arctic Alaska: Relationships with age and habitat salinity
J. Christian Franson, Paul L. Flint, Joel A. Schmutz
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (111) 453-455
Blood samples collected from 81 female Pacific black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) molting near Teshekpuk Lake, Alaska, were analyzed for selenium concentration. The concentration of selenium in blood of after second year (hatched two or more years ago) females (0.84 μg/g wet weight) was significantly greater than the concentration in second...
Extraordinary sediment delivery and rapid geomorphic response following the 2008–2009 eruption of Chaitén Volcano, Chile
Jon J. Major, Daniel Bertin, Thomas C. Pierson, Alvaro Amigo, Andres Iroume, Hector Ulloa, Jonathan M. Castro
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 5075-5094
The 10 day explosive phase of the 2008–2009 eruption of Chaitén volcano, Chile, draped adjacent watersheds with a few cm to >1 m of tephra. Subsequent lava-dome collapses generated pyroclastic flows that delivered additional sediment. During the waning phase of explosive activity, modest rainfall triggered an extraordinary sediment flush which...
A framework for effective use of hydroclimate models in climate-change adaptation planning for managed habitats with limited hydrologic response data
Rachel A. Esralew, Lorraine E. Flint, James H. Thorne, Ryan Boynton, Alan L. Flint
2016, Environmental Management (58) 60-75
Climate-change adaptation planning for managed wetlands is challenging under uncertain futures when the impact of historic climate variability on wetland response is unquantified. We assessed vulnerability of Modoc National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) through use of the Basin Characterization Model (BCM) landscape hydrology model, and six global climate models, representing projected...
Hepatic insulin-like growth-factor binding protein (igfbp) responses tofood restriction in Atlantic salmon smolts
Jason P. Breves, Silas K. Phipps-Costin, Chelsea K. Fujimoto, Ingibjorg E. Einarsdottir, Amy M. Regish, Björn Thrandur Björnsson, Stephen D. McCormick
2016, General and Comparative Endocrinology (233) 79-87
The growth hormone (Gh)/insulin-like growth-factor (Igf) system plays a central role in the regulation of growth in fishes. However, the roles of Igf binding proteins (Igfbps) in coordinating responses to food availability are unresolved, especially in anadromous fishes preparing for seaward migration. We assayed plasma Gh, Igf1, thyroid hormones and...
Assessing landslide potential on coastal bluffs near Mukilteo, Washington—Geologic site characterization for hydrologic monitoring
Benjamin B. Mirus, Joel B. Smith, Benjamin Stark, York Lewis, Abigail Michel, Rex L. Baum
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1082
During the summer 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey collected geologic and geotechnical data for two sites on coastal bluffs along the eastern shore of Puget Sound, Washington. The U.S. Geological Survey also installed hydrologic instrumentation at the sites and collected specimens for laboratory testing. The two sites are located on...
Anadromous salmonids in the Delta: New science 2006–2016
Russell W. Perry, Rebecca A. Buchanan, Patricia L. Brandes, Jon R. Burau, Joshua A Israel
2016, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (14)
As juvenile salmon enter the Sacramento–SanJoaquin River Delta (“the Delta”) they disperse among its complex channel network where they are subject to channel-specific processes that affect their rate of migration, vulnerability to predation, feeding success, growth rates, and ultimately, survival. In the decades...
Tick-, mosquito-, and rodent-borne parasite sampling designs for the National Ecological Observatory Network
Yuri P. Springer, David Hoekman, Pieter T. J. Johnson, Paul A. Duffy, Rebecca A. Hufft, David T. Barnett, Brian F. Allan, Brian R. Amman, Christopher M. Barker, Roberto Barrera, Charles B. Beard, Lorenza Beati, Mike Begon, Mark S. Blackmore, William E. Bradshaw, Dustin Brisson, Charles H. Calisher, James E. Childs, Maria A. Diuk-Wasser, Richard J. Douglass, Rebecca J. Eisen, Desmond H. Foley, Janet E. Foley, Holly D. Gaff, Scott L. Gardner, Howard S. Ginsberg, Gregory E. Glass, Sarah A. Hamer, Mary H. Hayden, Brian Hjelle, Christina M. Holzapfel, Steven A. Juliano, Laura D. Kramer, Amy J. Kuenzi, Shannon L. LaDeau, Todd P. Livdahl, James N. Mills, Chester G. Moore, Serge Morand, Roger S. Nasci, Nicholas H. Ogden, Richard S. Ostfeld, Robert R. Parmenter, Joseph Piesman, William K. Reisen, Harry M. Savage, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Andrea Swei, Michael J. Yabsley
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Parasites and pathogens are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of ecological and evolutionary change in natural ecosystems. Concurrently, transmission of infectious agents among human, livestock, and wildlife populations represents a growing threat to veterinary and human health. In light of these trends and the scarcity of long-term time series data...
Large wind ripples on Mars: A record of atmospheric evolution
M. G. A. Lapotre, R. C. Ewing, M. P. Lamb, W. W. Fischer, J. P. Grotzinger, D. M. Rubin, K. W. Lewis, M. J. Ballard, Mitch D. Day, S. Gupta, S. G. Banham, N. T. Bridges, D. J. Des Marais, A. A. Fraeman, J. A. Grant, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, D. W. Ming, M. A. Mischna, M. S. Rice, D. Y. Sumner, A. R. Vasavada, R. A. Yingst
2016, Science (353) 55-58
Wind blowing over sand on Earth produces decimeter-wavelength ripples and hundred-meter– to kilometer-wavelength dunes: bedforms of two distinct size modes. Observations from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal that Mars hosts a third stable wind-driven bedform, with meter-scale wavelengths. These bedforms are spatially uniform...
Esperance: Multiple episodes of aqueous alteration involving fracture fills and coatings at Matijevic Hill, Mars
Benton C. Clark, Richard V. Morris, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, William H. Farrand, Ralf Gellert, Bradley L. Jolliff, Raymond E. Arvidson, Steven W. Squyres, David W. Mittelfehldt, Douglas W. Ming, Albert S. Yen
2016, American Mineralogist (101) 1515-1526
In the search for evidence of past aqueous activity by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, fracture-filling veins and rock coatings are prime candidates for exploration. At one location within a segment of remaining rim material surrounding Endeavour Crater, a set of “boxwork” fractures in an outcrop called Esperance are filled...
Exploration review
David R. Wilburn, Nick Karl
2016, Mining Engineering 30-51
This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2015 draws upon information from industry sources, published literature, the SNL Metals & Mining (SNL) (Charlottesville, VA) data base, and specialists in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Minerals Information Center. The summary provides data on exploration budgets by region...
A water balance model to estimate flow through the Old and Middle River corridor
Stephen W. Andrews, Edward S. Gross, Paul H. Hutton
2016, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (14)
We applied a water balance model to predict tidally averaged (subtidal) flows through the Old River and Middle River corridor in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. We reviewed the dynamics that govern subtidal flows and water levels and adopted a simplified representation. In this water balance approach, we estimated...
Reply to “Comment on ‘Ground motions from the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake constrained by a detailed assessment of macroseismic data’ by Stacey S. Martin, Susan E. Hough, and Charleen Hung” by Andrea Tertulliani, Laura Graziani, Corrado Castellano, Alessandra Maramai, and Antonio Rossi
Stacey S. Martin, Susan E. Hough
2016, Seismological Research Letters (87) 957-962
We thank Andrea Tertulliani and his colleagues for their interest in our article on the 2015 Gorkha earthquake (Martin, Hough, et al., 2015), and for their comments pertaining to our study (Tertulliani et al., 2016). Indeed, as they note, a comprehensive assessment of macroseismic effects for an earthquake with far‐reaching...
Simulated effect of topography and soil properties on hydrologic response and landslide potential under variable rainfall conditions in the Oregon Coast Range, USA
Benjamin B. Mirus, Joel B. Smith, Jonathan W. Godt, R.L. Baum, Jeffrey A. Coe
2016, Conference Paper, Landslides and engineered slopes. Experience, theory and practice Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Landslides
No abstract available....
Energy development
Jeffrey E. Lovich
L.L.C. Jones, R. L. Lovich, K.J. Halama, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Habitat management guidelines for reptiles and amphibians of the southwestern United States
Large areas of the desert southwest are currently developed or being evaluated for construction of utility-scale renewable energy projects. These projects include numerous solar and wind energy facilities some of which will be massive. Unfortunately, peer-reviewed scientific publications are not yet available to evaluate the potential effects of solar-based utility-scale...
Actively heated high-resolution fiber-optic-distributed temperature sensing to quantify streambed flow dynamics in zones of strong groundwater upwelling
Martin A. Briggs, Sean F. Buckley, Amvrossios C. Bagtzoglou, Dale D. Werkema, John W. Lane Jr.
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 5179-5194
Zones of strong groundwater upwelling to streams enhance thermal stability and moderate thermal extremes, which is particularly important to aquatic ecosystems in a warming climate. Passive thermal tracer methods used to quantify vertical upwelling rates rely on downward conduction of surface temperature signals. However, moderate to high groundwater flux rates...
Ungulate browsers promote herbaceous layer diversity in logged temperate forests
Edward K. Faison, Stephen DeStefano, David R. Foster, Glenn Motzkin, Josh Rapp
2016, Ecology and Evolution (6) 4591-4602
Ungulates are leading drivers of plant communities worldwide, with impacts linked to animal density, disturbance and vegetation structure, and site productivity. Many ecosystems have more than one ungulate species; however, few studies have specifically examined the combined effects of two or more species on plant communities. We examined the extent...
Preface: Impacts of extreme climate events and disturbances on carbon dynamics
Jingfeng Xiao, Shuguang Liu, Paul C. Stoy
2016, Biogeosciences (13) 3665-3675
The impacts of extreme climate events and disturbances (ECE&D) on the carbon cycle have received growing attention in recent years. This special issue showcases a collection of recent advances in understanding the impacts of ECE&D on carbon cycling. Notable advances include quantifying how harvesting activities impact forest structure, carbon pool...
Probability distributions of bed load particle velocities, accelerations, hop distances, and travel times informed by Jaynes's principle of maximum entropy
David Furbish, Mark Schmeeckle, Rina Schumer, Siobhan Fathel
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (121) 1373-1390
We describe the most likely forms of the probability distributions of bed load particle velocities, accelerations, hop distances, and travel times, in a manner that formally appeals to inferential statistics while honoring mechanical and kinematic constraints imposed by equilibrium transport conditions. The analysis is based on E. Jaynes's elaboration of...
