Water-quality response to a high-elevation wildfire in the Colorado Front Range
M. Alisa Mast, Sheila F. Murphy, David W. Clow, Colin A. Penn, Graham A. Sexstone
2016, Hydrological Processes (30) 1811-1823
Water quality of the Big Thompson River in the Front Range of Colorado was studied for 2 years following a high‐elevation wildfire that started in October 2012 and burned 15% of the watershed. A combination of fixed‐interval sampling and continuous water‐quality monitors was used to examine the timing and magnitude of...
Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity
Jennifer L. Miselis, Brian D. Andrews, Robert S. Nicholson, Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, Anthony S. Navoy
2016, Estuaries and Coasts (39) 916-934
Assessments of coupled barrier island-estuary storm response are rare. Hurricane Sandy made landfall during an investigation in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary that included water quality monitoring, geomorphologic characterization, and numerical modeling; this provided an opportunity to characterize the storm response of the barrier island-estuary system. Barrier island morphologic response...
Identification of groundwater nitrate contamination from explosives used in road construction: Isotopic, chemical, and hydrologic evidence
James R. Degnan, John Karl Bohlke, Krystle Pelham, David M. Langlais, Gregory J. Walsh
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 593-603
Explosives used in construction have been implicated as sources of NO3– contamination in groundwater, but direct forensic evidence is limited. Identification of blasting-related NO3– can be complicated by other NO3– sources, including agriculture and wastewater disposal, and by hydrogeologic factors affecting NO3– transport and stability. Here we describe a study that used hydrogeology, chemistry,...
Quantifying watershed-scale groundwater loading and in-stream fate of nitrate using high-frequency water quality data
Matthew P. Miller, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Paul D. Capel, Brian A. Pellerin, Kenneth E. Hyer, Douglas A. Burns
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 330-347
We describe a new approach that couples hydrograph separation with high-frequency nitrate data to quantify time-variable groundwater and runoff loading of nitrate to streams, and the net in-stream fate of nitrate at the watershed-scale. The approach was applied at three sites spanning gradients in watershed size and land use in...
The East African monsoon system: Seasonal climatologies and recent variations: Chapter 10
Christopher C. Funk, Andrew Hoell, Shraddhanand Shukla, Gregory J. Husak, J. Michaelsen
2016, Book chapter, The Monsoons and Climate Change
This chapter briefly reviews the complex climatological cycle of the East African monsoon system, paying special attention to its connection to the larger Indo-Pacific-Asian monsoon cycle. We examine the seasonal monsoon cycle, and briefly explore recent circulation changes. The spatial footprint of our analysis corresponds with the “Greater Horn of...
Fish assemblage shifts in the Powder River of Wyoming: an unregulated prairie river system previously considered to be relatively pristine.
Anna C. Senecal, Annika W. Walters, Wayne A. Hubert
2016, Ecosphere (6) 1-13
Wyoming’s Powder River is considered an example of a pristine prairie river system. While the river hosts a largely native <span...
In-flight turbulence benefits soaring birds
Julie M. Mallon, Keith L. Bildstein, Todd E. Katzner
2016, The Auk (133) 79-85
Birds use atmospheric updrafts to subsidize soaring flight. We observed highly variable soaring flight by Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) and Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) in Virginia, USA, that was inconsistent with published descriptions of terrestrial avian flight. Birds engaging in this behavior regularly deviated vertically and horizontally from linear flight...
Ontogenetic dynamics of infection with Diphyllobothrium spp. cestodes in sympatric Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.) and brown trout Salmo trutta L.
Eirik H. Henrickson, Rune Knudsen, Roar Kristoffersen, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty, Anna Siwertsson, Per-Arne Amundsen
2016, Hydrobiologia (783) 37-46
The trophic niches of Arctic charr and brown trout differ when the species occur in sympatry. Their trophically transmitted parasites are expected to reflect these differences. Here, we investigate how the infections of Diphyllobothrium dendriticum and D. ditremum differ between charr and trout. These tapeworms use copepods as their first...
Oil slick morphology derived from AVIRIS measurements of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Implications for spatial resolution requirements of remote sensors
Shaojie Sun, Chuanmin Hu, Lian Feng, Gregg A. Swayze, Jamie Holmes, George Graettinger, Ian R. MacDonald, Oscar Garcia, Ira Leifer
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (103) 276-285
Using fine spatial resolution (~ 7.6 m) hyperspectral AVIRIS data collected over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we statistically estimated slick lengths, widths and length/width ratios to characterize oil slick morphology for different thickness classes. For all AVIRIS-detected oil slicks (N = 52,100 continuous features)...
Metabolic and physiochemical responses to a whole-lake experimental increase in dissolved organic carbon in a north-temperate lake
Jacob A. Zwart, Nicola Craig, Patrick T. Kelly, Stephen D. Sebestyen, Christopher T. Solomon, Brian Weidel, Stuart E. Jones
2016, Limnology and Oceanography (61) 723-734
Over the last several decades, many lakes globally have increased in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), calling into question how lake functions may respond to increasing DOC. Unfortunately, our basis for making predictions is limited to spatial surveys, modeling, and laboratory experiments, which may not accurately capture important whole-ecosystem processes. In...
Multi-scale predictions of massive conifer mortality due to chronic temperature rise
Nathan G. McDowell, A.P. Williams, C. Xu, W. T. Pockman, L. T. Dickman, Sanna Sevanto, R. Pangle, J. Limousin, J.J. Plaut, D.S. Mackay, J. Ogee, Jean-Christophe Domec, Craig D. Allen, Rosie A. Fisher, X. Jiang, J.D. Muss, D.D. Breshears, Sara A. Rauscher, C. Koven
2016, Nature Climate Change (6) 295-300
Global temperature rise and extremes accompanying drought threaten forests and their associated climatic feedbacks. Our ability to accurately simulate drought-induced forest impacts remains highly uncertain in part owing to our failure to integrate physiological measurements, regional-scale models, and dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs). Here we show consistent predictions of widespread mortality of...
Upper Maastrichtian ammonite biostratigraphy of the Gulf Coastal Plain (Mississippi Embayment, southern USA)
Ekaterina Larina, Matthew P. Garb, Neil H. Landman, Natalie Dastas, Nicolas Thibault, Lucy E. Edwards, George Phillips, Remy Rovelli, Corinne Myers, Jone Naujokaityte
2016, Cretaceous Research (60) 128-151
The Cretaceous outcrop belt of the Mississippi Embayment in the Gulf Coastal Plain (GCP) spans the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary. A detailed reconstruction of this time interval is critical for understanding the nature of biotic and environmental changes preceding the end-Cretaceous Mass Extinction event and for deciphering the likely extinction mechanism...
Soil amplification with a strong impedance contrast: Boston, Massachusetts
Laurie G. Baise, James Kaklamanos, Bradford M Berry, Eric M. Thompson
2016, Engineering Geology (202)
In this study, we evaluate the effect of strong sediment/bedrock impedance contrasts on soil amplification in Boston, Massachusetts, for typical sites along the Charles and Mystic Rivers. These sites can be characterized by artificial fill overlying marine sediments overlying glacial till and bedrock, where the depth to bedrock ranges from...
A guide for establishing restoration goals for contaminated ecosystems
Anne M. Wagner, Diane L. Larson, Julie A. DalSoglio, James A. Harris, Paul Labus, Emma J. Rosi-Marshall, Krisin E. Skarbis
2016, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (12) 264-272
As natural resources become increasingly limited, the value of restoring contaminated sites, both terrestrial and aquatic, becomes increasingly apparent. Traditionally, goals for remediation have been set before any consideration of goals for ecological restoration. The goals for remediation have focused on removing or limiting contamination whereas restoration goals have targeted...
Spatial capture-recapture models allowing Markovian transience or dispersal
J. Andrew Royle, Angela K. Fuller, Chris Sutherland
2016, Population Ecology (58) 53-62
Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) models are a relatively recent development in quantitative ecology, and they are becoming widely used to model density in studies of animal populations using camera traps, DNA sampling and other methods which produce spatially explicit individual encounter information. One of the core assumptions of SCR models is...
Structure and spatial patterns of macrobenthic community in Tai Lake, a large shallow lake, China
Di Li, Richard A. Erickson, Song Tang, Xuwen Li, Zhichun Niu, Xia Wang, Hongling Liu, Hongxia Yu
2016, Ecological Indicators (61) 170-187
Tai Lake (Chinese: Taihu), the third-largest freshwater lake in China, suffers from harmful cyanobacteria blooms that are caused by economic development and population growth near the lake. Several studies have focused on phytoplankton in Tai Lake after a drinking water crisis in 2007; however, these studies primarily focused on microcystin bioaccumulation...
Water use in Georgia by county for 2010 and water-use trends, 1985–2010
Stephen J. Lawrence
2016, Open-File Report 2015-1230
Water use and water withdrawals and returns in 2010 are estimated for each major river basin, principal aquifer, water-planning region, and county in Georgia using data obtained from various Federal and State agencies and local sources. Offstream water use in 2010 is estimated for the categories of public supply, domestic,...
Climate change and water resources in a tropical island system: Propagation of uncertainty from statistically downscaled climate models to hydrologic models
Ashley E. Van Beusekom, William A. Gould, Adam J. Terando, Jaime A. Collazo
2016, International Journal of Climatology (36) 3370-3383
Many tropical islands have limited water resources with historically increasing demand, all potentially affected by a changing climate. The effects of climate change on island hydrology are difficult to model due to steep local precipitation gradients and sparse data. This work uses 10 statistically downscaled general circulation models (GCMs) under...
Acute and chronic toxicity of sodium sulfate to four freshwater organisms in water-only exposures
Ning Wang, Rebecca A. Consbrock, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Douglas K. Hardesty, William G. Brumbaugh, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer, David R. Mount
2016, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (35) 115-127
The acute and chronic toxicity of sulfate (tested as sodium sulfate) was determined in diluted well water (hardness of 100 mg/L and pH 8.2) with a cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia; 2-d and 7-d exposures), a midge (Chironomus dilutus; 4-d and 41-d exposures), a unionid mussel (pink mucket, Lampsilis abrupta; 4-d and...
Transforming growth factor-β1 expression in endangered age-0 shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) from Upper Klamath Lake, OR relative to histopathology, meristic, spatial, and temporal data
Christopher A. Ottinger, Christine L. Densmore, Laura S. Robertson, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Scott P. Vanderkooi
2016, Fish & Shellfish Immunology (49) 1-6
During July – September of 2008, 2009, and 2010 endangered age-0 juvenile shortnose suckers were sampled from Upper Klamath Lake, OR in a health evaluation that included the measurement of transforming growth factor – beta (TGF-β) expression in spleen in combination with a histopathology assessment. This analysis was performed to...
The effects of habitat, climate, and Barred Owls on long-term demography of Northern Spotted Owls
Katie Dugger, Eric D. Forsman, Alan B. Franklin, Raymond J. Davis, Gary C. White, Carl J. Schwarz, Kenneth P. Burnham, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Charles B. Yackulic, Paul F. Doherty, Larissa Bailey, Darren A. Clark, Steven H. Ackers, Lawrence S. Andrews, Benjamin Augustine, Brian L. Biswell, Jennifer Blakesley, Peter C. Carlson, Matthew J. Clement, Lowell V. Diller, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Adam Green, Scott A. Gremel, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Jeremy Hobson, Rob B. Horn, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Christopher McCafferty, Trent McDonald, Kevin McDonnell, Gail S. Olson, Janice A. Reid, Jeremy Rockweit, Viviana Ruiz, Jessica Saenz, Stan G. Sovern
2016, Condor (118) 57-116
Estimates of species' vital rates and an understanding of the factors affecting those parameters over time and space can provide crucial information for management and conservation. We used mark–recapture, reproductive output, and territory occupancy data collected during 1985–2013 to evaluate population processes of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) in 11...
The current status of mapping karst areas and availability of public sinkhole-risk resources in karst terrains of the United States
Eve L. Kuniansky, David J. Weary, James E. Kaufmann
2016, Hydrogeology Journal (24) 613-624
Subsidence from sinkhole collapse is a common occurrence in areas underlain by water-soluble rocks such as carbonate and evaporite rocks, typical of karst terrain. Almost all 50 States within the United States (excluding Delaware and Rhode Island) have karst areas, with sinkhole damage highest in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky,...
Seasonal Distribution and Movements of Atlantic and Shortnose Sturgeon in the Penobscot River Estuary, Maine
Joseph D. Zydlewski, Stephen J. Fernandes, Gayle B. Zydlewski, Gail S. Wippelhauser, Michael T. Kinnison
2016, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (139) 1436-1449
Relatively little is known about the distribution and seasonal movement patterns of shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum and Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus occupying rivers in the northern part of their range. During 2006 and 2007, 40 shortnose sturgeon (66–113.4 cm fork length [FL]) and 8 Atlantic sturgeon (76.2–166.2 cm FL)...
Soil moisture response to experimentally altered snowmelt timing is mediated by soil, vegetation, and regional climate patterns
Lafe G Conner, Richard A. Gill, Jayne Belnap
2016, Ecohydrology (9) 1006-1016
Soil moisture in seasonally snow-covered environments fluctuates seasonally between wet and dry states. Climate warming is advancing the onset of spring snowmelt and may lengthen the summer-dry state and ultimately cause drier soil conditions. The magnitude of either response may vary across elevation and vegetation types. We situated our study...
Radiometric dating of marine-influenced coal using Re–Os geochronology
Gyana Ranjan Tripathy, Judith L. Hannah, Holly J. Stein, Nicholas J. Geboy, Leslie F. Ruppert
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (432) 13-23
Coal deposits are integral to understanding the structural evolution and thermal history of sedimentary basins and correlating contemporeous estuarine and fluvial delatic strata with marine sections. While marine shales may readily lend themselves to Re–Os dating due to the dominance of hydrogenous Re and Os,...
