Aquatic Trophic Productivity model: A decision support model for river restoration planning in the Methow River, Washington
Joseph R. Benjamin, J. Ryan Bellmore
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1075
Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed a dynamic food-web simulation model to provide decision support for Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) river restoration projects in the Methow River, Washington. This modeling effort was done to contribute to Reasonable and Prudent Alternative actions 56 and 57of the 2014 Federal Columbia River...
Changing levels of heavy metal accumulation in birds at Tumacacori National Historic Park along the Upper Santa Cruz River Watershed in southern Arizona
Charles van Riper III, Michael B. Lester
2016, Conference Paper, Engagement, education, and expectations - the future of parks and protected areas: Proceedings of the 2015 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites
National Parks and other protected areas can be influenced by contamination from outside their boundaries. This is particularly true of smaller parks and those in riparian ecosystems, a habitat that in arid environments provides critical habitat for breeding, migratory, and wintering birds. Animals living in contaminated areas are susceptible to...
Development of a CE-QUAL-W2 temperature model for Crystal Springs Lake, Portland, Oregon
Norman L. Buccola, Adam J. Stonewall
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1076
During summer 2014, lake level, streamflow, and water temperature in and around Crystal Springs Lake in Portland, Oregon, were measured by the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services to better understand the effect of the lake on Crystal Springs Creek and Johnson Creek downstream....
Storm-event-transport of urban-use pesticides to streams likely impairs invertebrate assemblages
Kurt D. Carpenter, Kathryn Kuivila, Michelle Hladik, Tana Haluska, Michael B. Cole
2016, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (188)
Insecticide use in urban areas results in the detection of these compounds in streams following stormwater runoff at concentrations likely to cause toxicity for stream invertebrates. In this 2013 study, stormwater runoff and streambed sediments were analyzed for 91 pesticides dissolved in water and 118 pesticides on sediment. Detections included...
Salt marsh-mangrove ecotones: using structural gradients to investigate the effects of woody plant encroachment on plant-soil interactions and ecosystem carbon pools
Erik S. Yando, Michael J. Osland, Jonathan M Willis, Richard H. Day, Ken W. Krauss, Mark W. Hester
2016, Journal of Ecology (104) 1020-1031
Changing winter climate extremes are expected to result in the poleward migration of mangrove forests at the expense of salt marshes. Although mangroves and marshes are both highly valued ecosystems, the ecological implications of mangrove expansion have not been fully investigated. Here, we examined the effects of mangrove...
Predicting tree biomass growth in the temperate-boreal ecotone: is tree size, age, competition or climate response most important?
Jane R. Foster, Andrew O. Finley, Anthony W. D’Amato, John B. Bradford, Sudipto Banerjee
2016, Global Change Biology (22) 2138-2151
As global temperatures rise, variation in annual climate is also changing, with unknown consequences for forest biomes. Growing forests have the ability to capture atmospheric CO2and thereby slow rising CO2 concentrations. Forests’ ongoing ability to sequester C depends on how tree communities respond to changes in climate variation. Much of what...
A partial exponential lumped parameter model to evaluate groundwater age distributions and nitrate trends in long-screened wells
Bryant C. Jurgens, John Karl Bohlke, Leon J. Kauffman, Kenneth Belitz, Bradley K. Esser
2016, Journal of Hydrology (543) 109-126
A partial exponential lumped parameter model (PEM) was derived to determine age distributions and nitrate trends in long-screened production wells. The PEM can simulate age distributions for wells screened over any finite interval of an aquifer that has an exponential distribution of age with depth. The PEM has...
Sensitivity of Pliocene Arctic climate to orbital forcing, atmospheric CO2 and sea ice albedo parameterisation
Fergus W. Howell, Alan M. Haywood, Harry J. Dowsett, Steven J. Pickering
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (441) 133-142
General circulation model (GCM) simulations of the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP, 3.264 to 3.025 Myr ago) do not reproduce the magnitude of Northern Hemisphere high latitude surface air and sea surface temperature (SAT and SST) warming that proxy data indicate. There is also large uncertainty regarding the state...
Bayesian estimation of magma supply, storage, and eruption rates using a multiphysical volcano model: Kīlauea Volcano, 2000–2012
Kyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (447) 161-171
Estimating rates of magma supply to the world's volcanoes remains one of the most fundamental aims of volcanology. Yet, supply rates can be difficult to estimate even at well-monitored volcanoes, in part because observations are noisy and are usually considered independently rather than as part of a holistic system. In...
Groundwater geochemical and selected volatile organic compound data, Operable Unit 1, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport, Washington, July 2015
Raegan L. Huffman
2016, Data Series 998
Previous investigations indicate that concentrations of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) are substantial in groundwater beneath the 9-acre former landfill at Operable Unit 1, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport, Washington. The U.S. Geological Survey has continued to monitor groundwater geochemistry to ensure that conditions remain favorable for contaminant...
Benthic habitat map of U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Faga‘alu Bay priority study area, Tutuila, American Samoa
Susan A. Cochran, Ann E. Gibbs, Nicole L. D'Antonio, Curt D. Storlazzi
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1077
The coral reef in Faga‘alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa, has suffered numerous natural and anthropogenic stresses. Areas once dominated by live coral are now mostly rubble surfaces covered with turf or macroalgae. In an effort to improve the health and resilience of the coral reef system, the U.S. Coral...
Estimating national water use associated with unconventional oil and gas development
Janet M. Carter, Kathleen M. Macek-Rowland, Joanna N. Thamke, Gregory C. Delzer
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3032
The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP) goals are to provide a more accurate assessment of the status of the water resources of the United States and assist in the determination of the quantity and quality of water that is available for beneficial uses. These...
Changes in habitat availability for outmigrating juvenile salmon (Oncorhychus spp.) following estuary restoration
Christopher S. Ellings, Melanie J. Davis, Eric E. Grossman, Sayre Hodgson, Kelley L. Turner, Isa Woo PR, Glynnis Nakai, Jean E. Takekawa, John Y. Takekawa
2016, Restoration Ecology (24) 415-427
The restoration of the Nisqually River Delta (Washington, U.S.A.) represents one of the largest efforts toward reestablishing the ecosystem function and resilience of modified habitat in the Puget Sound, particularly for anadromous salmonid species. The opportunity for outmigrating salmon to access and benefit from the expansion of available tidal habitat...
Ecology of nonnative Siberian prawn (Palaemon modestus) in the lower Snake River, Washington, USA
John M. Erhardt, Kenneth F. Tiffan
2016, Aquatic Ecology (50) 607-621
We assessed the abundance, distribution, and ecology of the nonnative Siberian prawn Palaemon modestus in the lower Snake River, Washington, USA. Analysis of prawn passage abundance at three Snake River dams showed that populations are growing at exponential rates, especially at Little Goose Dam where over 464,000 prawns were collected...
Where is the hot rock and where is the ground water— Using CSAMT to map beneath and around Mount St. Helens
Jeff Wynn, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Herbert Pierce, Kurt R. Spicer
2016, Journal of Environmental & Engineering Geophysics (21) 79-87
We have observed several new features in recent controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) soundings on and around Mount St. Helens, Washington State, USA. We have identified the approximate location of a strong electrical conductor at the edges of and beneath the 2004–08 dome. We interpret this conductor to be hot brine...
Value-focused framework for defining landscape-scale conservation targets
Stephanie S. Romanach, Allison M. Benscoter, Laura A. Brandt
2016, Journal for Nature Conservation (32) 53-61
Conservation of natural resources can be challenging in a rapidly changing world and require collaborative efforts for success. Conservation planning is the process of deciding how to protect, conserve, and enhance or minimize loss of natural and cultural resources. Establishing conservation targets (also called indicators or endpoints), the measurable expressions...
Continuous 1985-2012 Landsat monitoring to assess fire effects on meadows in Yosemite National Park, California
Christopher E. Soulard, Christine M. Albano, Miguel L. Villarreal, Jessica J. Walker
2016, Remote Sensing (8)
To assess how montane meadow vegetation recovered after a wildfire that occurred in Yosemite National Park, CA in 1996, Google Earth Engine image processing was applied to leverage the entire Landsat Thematic Mapper archive from 1985 to 2012. Vegetation greenness (normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI]) was summarized every 16 days...
Landsat 8 and ICESat-2: Performance and potential synergies for quantifying dryland ecosystem vegetation cover and biomass
Nancy F. Glenn, Amy Neuenschwander, Lee A. Vierling, Lucas Spaete, Aihua Li, Douglas J. Shinneman, David S. Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Susan McIlroy
2016, Remote Sensing of Environment (185) 233-242
The Landsat 8 mission provides new opportunities for quantifying the distribution of above-ground carbon at moderate spatial resolution across the globe, and in particular drylands. Furthermore, coupled with structural information from space-based and airborne laser altimetry, Landsat 8 provides powerful capabilities for large-area, long-term studies that quantify temporal and...
A review of the relationships between drought and forest fire in the United States
Jeremy S. Littell, David L. Peterson, Karin L. Riley, Yongquiang Liu, Charles H. Luce
2016, Global Change Biology (22) 2353-2369
The historical and pre-settlement relationships between drought and wildfire are well documented in North America, with forest fire occurrence and area clearly increasing in response to drought. There is also evidence that drought interacts with other controls (forest productivity, topography, fire weather, management activities) to affect fire intensity, severity, extent,...
Ecosystem engineering of harvester ants: Effects on vegetation in a sagebrush-steppe ecosystem
Elyce Gosselin, Joseph D. Holbrook, Katey Huggler, Emily Brown, Kerri T. Vierling, Robert Arkle, David S. Pilliod
2016, Western North American Naturalist (76) 82-89
Harvester ants are influential in many ecosystems because they distribute and consume seeds, remove vegetation, and redistribute soil particles and nutrients. Understanding the interaction between harvester ants and plant communities is important for management and restoration efforts, particularly in systems altered by fire and invasive species such as the sagebrush-steppe....
Building science-based groundwater tools and capacity in Armenia for the Ararat Basin
Janet M. Carter, Joshua F. Valder, Mark T. Anderson, Patrick Meyer, Jo L. Eimers
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3033
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) began a study in 2016 to help build science-based groundwater tools and capacity for the Ararat Basin in Armenia. The growth of aquaculture and other uses in the Ararat Basin has been accompanied by increased withdrawals of groundwater,...
Conditions and processes affecting sand resources at archeological sites in the Colorado River corridor below Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona
Amy E. East, Brian D. Collins, Joel B. Sankey, Skye C. Corbett, Helen C. Fairley, Joshua J. Caster
2016, Professional Paper 1825
This study examined links among fluvial, aeolian, and hillslope geomorphic processes that affect archeological sites and surrounding landscapes in the Colorado River corridor downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona. We assessed the potential for Colorado River sediment to enhance the preservation of river-corridor archeological resources through aeolian sand deposition...
Depth calibration of the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar, EAARL-B
C. Wayne Wright, Christine J. Kranenburg, Rodolfo J. Troche, Richard W. Mitchell, David B. Nagle
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1048
Introduction The original National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) was extensively modified to increase the spatial sampling density and to improve performance in water ranging from 3 to 44 meters (m). The new (EAARL-B) sensor features a higher spatial density that was achieved by optically...
Effects of geolocators on hatching success, return rates, breeding movements, and change in body mass in 16 species of Arctic-breeding shorebirds
Emily Weiser, Richard B. Lanctot, Stephen C. Brown, José A. Alves, Phil F. Battley, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Joel Bety, Mary Anne Bishop, Megan Boldenow, Loic Bollache, Bruce Casler, Maureen Christie, Jonathan T. Coleman, Jesse R. Conklin, Willow B. English, H. River Gates, Olivier Gilg, Marie-Andree Giroux, Ken Gosbell, Chris J. Hassell, Jim Helmericks, Andrew C. Johnson, Borgny Katrinardottir, Kari Koivula, Eunbi Kwon, Jean-Francois Lamarre, Johannes Lang, David B. Lank, Nicolas Lecomte, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Vanessa Loverti, Laura McKinnon, Clive Minton, David S. Mizrahi, Erica Nol, Veli-Matti Pakanen, Johanna Perz, Ron Porter, Jennie Rausch, Jeroen Reneerkens, Nelli Ronka, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Nathan R. Senner, Benoit Sittler, Paul A. Smith, Kristine M. Sowl, Audrey Taylor, David H. Ward, Stephen Yezerinac, Brett K. Sandercock
2016, Movement Ecology (4)
Background Geolocators are useful for tracking movements of long-distance migrants, but potential negative effects on birds have not been well studied. We tested for effects of geolocators (0.8–2.0 g total, representing 0.1–3.9 % of mean body mass) on 16 species of migratory shorebirds, including five species with 2–4...
Management strategy evaluation of pheromone-baited trapping techniques to improve management of invasive sea lamprey
Heather Dawson, Michael L. Jones, Brian J. Irwin, Nicholas S. Johnson, C. Michael Wagner, Melissa Szymanski
2016, Natural Resource Modeling (29) 448-469
We applied a management strategy evaluation (MSE) model to examine the potential cost-effectiveness of using pheromone-baited trapping along with conventional lampricide treatment to manage invasive sea lamprey. Four pheromone-baited trapping strategies were modeled: (1) stream activation wherein pheromone was applied to existing traps to achieve 10−12 mol/L in-stream concentration, (2) stream...
