Geochemical evidence for seasonal controls on the transportation of Holocene loess, Matanuska Valley, southern Alaska, USA
Daniel R. Muhs, James R. Budahn, Gary L. Skipp, John McGeehin
2016, Aeolian Research (21) 61-73
Loess is a widespread Quaternary deposit in Alaska and loess accretion occurs today in some regions, such as the Matanuska Valley. The source of loess in the Matanuska Valley has been debated for more than seven decades, with the Knik River and the Matanuska River, both to the east, being...
Ecosystem level methane fluxes from tidal freshwater and brackish marshes of the Mississippi River Delta: Implications for coastal wetland carbon projects
Guerry O. Holm, Brian C. Perez, David E. McWhorter, Ken W. Krauss, Darren J. Johnson, Richard C. Raynie, Charles J. Killebrew
2016, Wetlands (36) 401-413
Sulfate from seawater inhibits methane production in tidal wetlands, and by extension, salinity has been used as a general predictor of methane emissions. With the need to reduce methane flux uncertainties from tidal wetlands, eddy covariance (EC) techniques provide an integrated methane budget. The goals of this study were to:...
Map of landslides triggered by the January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake
Edwin L. Harp, Randall W. Jibson, Robert G. Schmitt
2016, Scientific Investigations Map 3353
The magnitude (M) 7.0 Haiti earthquake of January 12, 2010, triggered landslides throughout much of Haiti on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea. The epicenter of the quake was located at 18.44°N., 72.57°W. at a depth of 13 kilometers (km) approximately 25 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince....
Estimating evapotranspiration and groundwater flow from water-table fluctuations for a general wetland scenario
Lisa C. Weber, Michael J. Wiley, Douglas Wilcox
2016, Ecohydrology (7) 378-390
The use of diurnal water-table fluctuation methods to calculate evapotranspiration (ET) and groundwater flow is of increasing interest in ecohydrological studies. Most studies of this type, however, have been located in riparian wetlands of semi-arid regions where groundwater levels are consistently below topographic surface elevations and precipitation events are infrequent....
Response of ecosystem metabolism to low densities of spawning Chinook salmon
Joseph R. Benjamin, J. Ryan Bellmore, Grace A. Watson
2016, Freshwater Science (35) 1874-1890
Marine derived nutrients delivered by large runs of returning salmon are thought to subsidize the in situ food resources that support juvenile salmon. In the Pacific Northwest, USA, salmon have declined to <10% of their historical abundance, with subsequent declines of marine derived nutrients once provided by large salmon runs....
Quaternary alluvial fans of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, northern México: OSL ages and implications for climatic history of the region
David Zuniga de Leon, Stephen Kershaw, Shannon A. Mahan
2016, Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana (68) 111-128
Alluvial fans formed from sediments derived from erosion of the Juárez Mountains in northernmost México have a significant flood impact on the Ciudad Juárez, which is built on the fan system. The northern part of Ciudad Juárez is the most active; further south, older parts of the fan, upon which...
Validation of ultrasound as a noninvasive tool to measure subcutaneous fat depth in leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea)
Heather S. Harris, Scott R. Benson, Michael C. James, Kelly J. Martin, Brian A. Stacy, Pierre-Yves Daoust, Paul M. Rist, Thierry M. Work, George H. Balazs, Jeffrey A. Seminoff
2016, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (47) 275-279
Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) undergo substantial cyclical changes in body condition between foraging and nesting. Ultrasonography has been used to measure subcutaneous fat as an indicator of body condition in many species but has not been applied in sea turtles. To validate this technique in leatherback turtles, ultrasound images were...
Variability in rainfall at monitoring stations and derivation of a long-term rainfall intensity record in the Grand Canyon Region, Arizona, USA
Joshua J. Caster, Joel B. Sankey
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5012
In this study, we examine rainfall datasets of varying temporal length, resolution, and spatial distribution to characterize rainfall depth, intensity, and seasonality for monitoring stations along the Colorado River within Marble and Grand Canyons. We identify maximum separation distances between stations at which rainfall measurements might be most useful...
Revisions to the original extent of the Devonian Shale-Middle and Upper Paleozoic Total Petroleum System
Catherine B. Enomoto, William A. Rouse, Michael H. Trippi, Debra K. Higley
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1018
Technically recoverable undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in continuous accumulations are present in Upper Devonian and Lower Mississippian strata in the Appalachian Basin Petroleum Province. The province includes parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The Upper Devonian and Lower Mississippian strata are part...
Tree-ring-based estimates of long-term seasonal precipitation in the Souris River Region of Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Manitoba
Karen R. Ryberg, Aldo V. Vecchia, F. Adnan Akyuz, Wei Lin
2016, Canadian Water Resources Journal (41) 412-428
Historically unprecedented flooding occurred in the Souris River Basin of Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Manitoba in 2011, during a longer term period of wet conditions in the basin. In order to develop a model of future flows, there is a need to evaluate effects of past multidecadal climate variability and/or...
Hg concentrations in fish from coastal waters of California and Western North America
Jay Davis, John Ross, Shira Bezalel, Lawrence Sim, Autumn Bonnema, Gary Ichikawa, Wes Heim, Kenneth C Schiff, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Joshua T. Ackerman
2016, Science of the Total Environment (568) 1146-1156
The State of California conducted an extensive and systematic survey of mercury (Hg) in fish from the California coast in 2009 and 2010. The California survey sampled 3483 fish representing 46 species at 68 locations, and demonstrated that methylHg in fish presents a widespread exposure risk to fish consumers. Most...
Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2014
Manuel Nathenson
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1060
The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Natural Hazards activity, as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out by the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, University of Hawaiʻi...
User’s guide for GcClust—An R package for clustering of regional geochemical data
Karl J. Ellefsen, David B. Smith
2016, Techniques and Methods 7-C13
GcClust is a software package developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for statistical clustering of regional geochemical data, and similar data such as regional mineralogical data. Functions within the software package are written in the R statistical programming language. These functions, their documentation, and a copy of the user’s guide...
Debris flow occurrence and sediment persistence, Upper Colorado River Valley, CO
Kyle J Grimsley, Sara L. Rathburn, Jonathan M. Friedman, Joseph F. Mangano
2016, Environmental Management (58) 76-92
Debris flow magnitudes and frequencies are compared across the Upper Colorado River valley to assess influences on debris flow occurrence and to evaluate valley geometry effects on sediment persistence. Dendrochronology, field mapping, and aerial photographic analysis are used to evaluate whether a 19th century earthen, water-conveyance ditch has altered the...
Hydraulic model and flood-inundation maps developed for the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Douglas G. Smith, Chad R. Wagner
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5137
A one-dimensional step-backwater model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina, to provide a means for predicting flood-plain inundation. The model was developed for selected reaches of the Pee Dee River, Brown Creek,...
Mineral commodity summaries 2016
Joyce A. Ober
2016, Report
This report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering 2015 nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for more than 90 individual minerals and materials...
An analysis of water data systems to inform the Open Water Data Initiative
David L. Blodgett, Emily K. Read, Jessica M. Lucido, Tad Slawecki, Dwane Young
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 845-858
Improving access to data and fostering open exchange of water information is foundational to solving water resources issues. In this vein, the Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary for Water and Science put forward the charge to undertake an Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI) that would prioritize and accelerate work...
Tomographic Rayleigh-wave group velocities in the Central Valley, California centered on the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta
Jon Peter B. Fletcher, Jemile Erdem, Kevin Seats, Jesse Lawrence
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (121) 2429-2446
If shaking from a local or regional earthquake in the San Francisco Bay region were to rupture levees in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta then brackish water from San Francisco Bay would contaminate the water in the Delta: the source of fresh water for about half of California. As a prelude...
Influence of manatees' diving on their risk of collision with watercraft
Holly H. Edwards, Julien Martin, Charles J. Deutsch, Robert G Muller, Stacie M. Koslovsky, Alexander J. Smith, Margie E. Barlas
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Watercraft pose a threat to endangered Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Mortality from watercraft collisions has adversely impacted the manatee population’s growth rate, therefore reducing this threat is an important management goal. To assess factors that contribute to the risk of watercraft strikes to manatees, we studied the diving behavior...
From "Duck Factory" to "Fish Factory": Climate induced changes in vertebrate communities of prairie pothole wetlands and small lakes
Kyle I. McLean, David M. Mushet, Craig A. Stockwell
2016, Wetlands (36) 407-421
The Prairie Pothole Region’s myriad wetlands and small lakes contribute to its stature as the “duck factory” of North America. The fishless nature of the region’s aquatic habitats, a result of frequent drying, freezing, and high salinity, influences its importance to waterfowl. Recent precipitation increases have resulted in higher water...
Integrated assessment of wastewater treatment plant effluent estrogenicity in the Upper Murray River, Australia, using the native Murray rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis)
Alan M. Vajda, Anupama Kumar, Marianne Woods, Mike Williams, Hai Doan, Peter Tolsher, Rai S. Kookana, Larry B. Barber
2016, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (34) 1078-1087
The contamination of major continental river systems by endocrine-active chemicals (EACs) derived from the discharge of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents can affect human and ecosystem health. As part of a long-term effort to develop a native fish model organism for assessment of endocrine disruption in Australia's largest watershed, the...
U.S. Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers and U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center—Annual report for 2015
Elda Varela Minder, Holly A. Padgett
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1043
2015 was another great year for the Department of the Interior (DOI) Climate Science Centers (CSCs) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) network. The DOI CSCs and USGS NCCWSC continued their mission of providing the science, data, and tools that are needed for...
Potentiometric surfaces, summer 2013 and winter 2015, and select hydrographs for the Southern High Plains aquifer, Cannon Air Force Base, Curry County, New Mexico
Jake Collison
2016, Scientific Investigations Map 3352
Cannon Air Force Base (Cannon AFB) is located in the High Plains physiographic region of east-central New Mexico, about 5 miles west of Clovis, New Mexico. The area surrounding Cannon AFB is primarily used for agriculture, including irrigated cropland and dairies. The Southern High Plains aquifer is the principal source...
Landsat International Cooperators and Global Archive Consolidation
U.S. Geological Survey
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3018
Landsat missions have always been an important component of U.S. foreign policy, as well as science and technology policy. The Landsat program’s longstanding network of International Cooperators (ICs), which operates numerous International Ground Stations (IGS) around the world, embodies the United States’ policy of peaceful use of outer space and...
Radar and optical mapping of surge persistence and marsh dieback along the New Jersey Mid-Atlantic coast after Hurricane Sandy
Amina Rangoonwala, Nicholas M. Enwright, Elijah W. Ramsey III, Joseph P. Spruce
2016, International Journal of Remote Sensing (37) 1692-1713
This study combined a radar-based time series of Hurricane Sandy surge and estimated persistence with optical sensor-based marsh condition change to assess potential causal linkages of surge persistence and marsh condition change along the New Jersey Atlantic Ocean coast. Results based on processed TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed synthetic aperture radar (SAR)...
