The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center and Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers annual report for 2014
Elda Varela Minder, Holly A. Padgett
2015, Circular 1415
Introduction The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) Climate Science Centers (CSCs) had another exciting year in 2014. The NCCWSC moved toward focusing their science funding on several high priority areas and, along with the CSCs, gained new agency partners; contributed to...
Rapid maturation of the muscle biochemistry that supports diving in Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
Shawn R. Norem, Chadwick V. Jay, Jennifer M. Burns, Anthony S. Fischbach
2015, Journal of Experimental Biology (218) 3319-3329
Physiological constraints dictate animals’ ability to exploit habitats. For marine mammals, it is important to quantify physiological limits that influence diving and their ability to alter foraging behaviors. We characterized age-specific dive limits of walruses by measuring anaerobic (acid-buffering capacity) and aerobic (myoglobin content) capacities of the muscles that power...
Explained and unexplained tissue loss in corals from the Tropical Eastern Pacific
Jenny Carolina Rodriguez-Villalobos, Thierry M. Work, Luis Eduardo Calderon-Aguilera, Hector Reyes-Bonilla, Luis Hernandez
2015, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (116) 121-131
Coral reefs rival rainforest in biodiversity, but are declining in part because of disease. Tissue loss lesions, a manifestation of disease, are present in dominant Pocillopora along the Pacific coast of Mexico. We characterized tissue loss in 7 species of Pocillopora from 9 locations (44 sites) spanning southern to northern Mexico. Corals were identified...
Using hydrophones as a surrogate monitoring technique to detect temporal and spatial variability in bedload transport
Mathieu D. Marineau, J. Toby Minear, Scott Wright
2015, Conference Paper
Collecting physical bedload measurements is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor that rarely captures the spatial and temporal variability of sediment transport. Technological advances can improve monitoring of sediment transport by filling in temporal gaps between physical sampling periods. We have developed a low-cost hydrophone recording system designed to record the...
Biodiversity and Habitat Markets—Policy, Economic, and Ecological implications of Market-Based Conservation
Emily Pindilli, Frank Casey
2015, Circular 1414
This report is a primer on market-like and market-based mechanisms designed to conserve biodiversity and habitat. The types of markets and market-based approaches that were implemented or are emerging to benefit biodiversity and habitat in the United States are examined. The central approaches considered in this report include payments for...
Geologic map of Kundelan ore deposits and prospects, Zabul Province, Afghanistan; modified from the 1971 original map compilations of K.I. Litvinenko and others
Robert D. Tucker, Stephen G. Peters, Will R. Stettner, Linda M. Masonic, Thomas W. Moran
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1198
This map and cross sections are redrafted modified versions of the Geological map of the Kundelan ore deposit area, scale 1:10,000 (graphical supplement no. 18) and the Geological map of the Kundelan deposits, scale 1:2,000 (graphical supplement no. 3) both contained in an unpublished Soviet report by Litvinenko and others...
Groundwater chemistry in the vicinity of the Puna Geothermal Venture Power Plant, Hawai‘i, after two decades of production
W.C. Evans, D. Bergfeld, A.J. Sutton, R.C. Lee, T.D. Lorenson
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5139
We report chemical data for selected shallow wells and coastal springs that were sampled in 2014 to determine whether geothermal power production in the Puna area over the past two decades has affected the characteristics of regional groundwater. The samples were analyzed for major and minor chemical species, trace...
Strategy to evaluate persistent contaminant hazards resulting from sea-level rise and storm-derived disturbances—Study design and methodology for station prioritization
Timothy J. Reilly, Daniel K. Jones, Michael J. Focazio, Kimberly C. Aquino, Chelsea L. Carbo, Erika E. Kaufhold, Elizabeth K. Zinecker, William Benzel, Shawn C. Fisher, Dale W. Griffin, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith A. Loftin, William B. Schill
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1188-A
Coastal communities are uniquely vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR) and severe storms such as hurricanes. These events enhance the dispersion and concentration of natural and anthropogenic chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms that could adversely affect the health and resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in coming years. The U.S. Geological Survey...
Sea-floor texture and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Salisbury to Nahant, Massachusetts, including the Merrimack Embayment and Western Massachusetts Bay
Elizabeth E. Pendleton, Walter A. Barnhardt, Wayne E. Baldwin, David S. Foster, William C. Schwab, Brian D. Andrews, Seth D. Ackerman
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1153
A series of maps that describe the distribution and texture of sea-floor sediments and physiographic zones of Massachusetts State waters from Nahant to Salisbury, Massachusetts, including western Massachusetts Bay, have been produced by using high-resolution geophysical data (interferometric and multibeam swath bathymetry, lidar bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic reflection profiles),...
Bathymetry and capacity of Chambers Lake, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Matthew C. Gyves
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3346
Introduction Chambers Lake is a manmade reservoir on Birch Run, a tributary to West Branch Brandywine Creek in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The lake was created in 1994 after the completion of Multi-Purpose Dam PA-436F (Hibernia Dam), which was built under the Watershed Protection & Flood Control Prevention Act (U.S. Soil Conservation...
Restoration handbook for sagebrush steppe ecosystems with emphasis on greater sage-grouse habitat—Part 1. Concepts for understanding and applying restoration
David A. Pyke, Jeanne C. Chambers, Mike Pellant, Steven T. Knick, Richard F. Miller, Jeffrey L. Beck, Paul S. Doescher, Eugene W. Schupp, Bruce A. Roundy, Mark Brunson, James D. McIver
2015, Circular 1416
Sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the United States currently occur on only about one-half of their historical land area because of changes in land use, urban growth, and degradation of land, including invasions of non-native plants. The existence of many animal species depends on the existence of sagebrush steppe habitat. The...
Tremor-genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non-tremor-genic regions
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Ellen M. Syracuse
2015, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (16) 3593-3606
Slow slip events (SSEs) are observed worldwide and often coincide with tectonic tremor. Notable examples of SSEs lacking observed tectonic tremor, however, occur beneath Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, the Boso Peninsula, Japan, near San Juan Bautista on the San Andreas Fault, California, and recently in Central Ecuador. These SSEs are similar...
Using maximum topology matching to explore differences in species distribution models
Jorge Poco, Harish Doraiswamy, Marian Talbert, Jeffrey Morisette, Claudio Silva
2015, Conference Paper
Species distribution models (SDM) are used to help understand what drives the distribution of various plant and animal species. These models are typically high dimensional scalar functions, where the dimensions of the domain correspond to predictor variables of the model algorithm. Understanding and exploring the differences between models help ecologists...
Reactivated faulting near Cushing, Oklahoma: Increased potential for a triggered earthquake in an area of United States strategic infrastructure
Daniel E. McNamara, Gavin P. Hayes, Harley M. Benz, Robert Williams, Nicole D McMahon, R.C. Aster, Austin F. Holland, T Sickbert, Robert B. Herrmann, Richard W. Briggs, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Eric Bergman, Paul S. Earle
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 8328-8332
In October 2014 two moderate-sized earthquakes (Mw 4.0 and 4.3) struck south of Cushing, Oklahoma, below the largest crude oil storage facility in the world. Combined analysis of the spatial distribution of earthquakes and regional moment tensor focal mechanisms indicate reactivation of a subsurface unnamed and unmapped left-lateral strike-slip fault....
Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Kimberly K. Yates, David G. Zawada, Julie N. Richey, Christina A. Kellogg, Lauren T. Toth, Legna M. Torres-Garcia
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3074
Información General Los arrecifes de coral son estructuras sólidas, biomineralizadas que protegen comunidades costeras actuando como barreras protectoras de peligros tales como los huracanes y los tsunamis. Estos proveen arena a las playas a través de procesos naturales de erosión, fomentan la industria del turismo, las actividades recreacionales y proveen hábitats...
USGS research on Atlantic coral reef ecosystems
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Kimberly K. Yates, David G. Zawada, Julie N. Richey, Christina A. Kellogg, Lauren T. Toth
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3073
Overview Coral reefs are massive, biomineralized structures that protect coastal communities by acting as barriers to hazards such as hurricanes and tsunamis. They provide sand for beaches through the natural process of erosion, support tourism and recreational industries, and provide essential habitat for fisheries. The continuing global degradation of coral reef...
Validation of meter-scale surface faulting offset measurements from high-resolution topographic data
Barrett Salisbury, D.E. Haddad, T. K. Rockwell, R. Arrowsmith, C. Madugo, O. Zielke, Katherine M. Scharer
2015, Geosphere (6) 1884-1901
Studies of active fault zones have flourished with the availability of high-resolution topographic data, particularly where airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) and structure from motion (SfM) data sets provide a means to remotely analyze submeter-scale fault geomorphology. To determine surface offset at a point along a strike-slip earthquake rupture,...
A random-walk algorithm for modeling lithospheric density and the role of body forces in the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift
William Brower Levandowski, Oliver S. Boyd, Richard W. Briggs, Ryan D. Gold
2015, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (16) 4084-4107
This paper develops a Monte Carlo algorithm for extracting three-dimensional lithospheric density models from geophysical data. Empirical scaling relationships between velocity and density create a 3D starting density model, which is then iteratively refined until it reproduces observed gravity and topography. This approach permits deviations from uniform crustal velocity-density scaling,...
Declining acidic deposition begins reversal of forest-soil acidification in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada
Gregory B. Lawrence, Paul W. Hazlett, Ivan J. Fernandez, Ouimet, Scott W. Bailey, Walter C. Shortle, Kevin T. Smith, Michael R. Antidormi
2015, Environmental Science & Technology (49) 13103-13111
Decreasing trends in acidic deposition levels over the past several decades have led to partial chemical recovery of surface waters. However, depletion of soil Ca from acidic deposition has slowed surface water recovery and led to the impairment of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, documentation of acidic deposition effects...
Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) have novel asymmetrical antibodies
Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, Renee Breeden, Anette Schneemann, Joyce Sung, Brian Hew, George H. Balazs, John M. Berestecky
2015, Journal of Immunology (195) 5452-5460
Igs in vertebrates comprise equally sized H and L chains, with exceptions such as H chain–only Abs in camels or natural Ag receptors in sharks. In Reptilia, Igs are known as IgYs. Using immunoassays with isotype-specific mAbs, in this study we show that green turtles (Chelonia mydas) have a 5.7S...
Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) dyad monthly association rates by demographic group.
Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech
2015, Canadian Wildlife Biology and Management (4) 163-168
Preliminary data from GPS-collared wolves (Canis lupus) in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota indicated wolves had low association rates with packmates during summer. However, aerial-telemetry locations of very high frequency (VHF)-radioed wolves in this same area showed high associations among packmates during winter. We analyzed aerial-telemetry-location data from...
Habitat selection and survival of pronghorn fawns at the Carrizo Plain National Monument, California
Diego R. Johnson, Kathleen M. Longshore, Chris E. Lowrey, Daniel B. Thompson
2015, California Fish and Game (101) 267-279
On the Carrizo Plain National Monument (CPNM), California, little is known about survival rates and habitat characteristics of pronghorn fawns (Antilocapra americana). A marked decline in pronghorn numbers on the CPNM (from approximately 200 to <30 individuals from 1989 to 2011) prompted a study of fawn habitat use and fawn survival from 2009 to 2011....
Characteristics of sediment transport at selected sites along the Missouri River, 2011–12
David L. Rus, Joel M. Galloway, Jason S. Alexander
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5127
Extreme flooding in the Missouri River in 2011, followed by a year of more typical streamflows in 2012, allowed the sediment-transport regime to be compared between the unprecedented conditions of 2011 and the year immediately following the flooding. As part of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and...
Mapping forest functional type in a forest-shrubland ecotone using SPOT imagery and predictive habitat distribution modelling
Timothy J. Assal, Patrick J. Anderson, Jason Sibold
2015, Remote Sensing Letters (6) 755-764
The availability of land cover data at local scales is an important component in forest management and monitoring efforts. Regional land cover data seldom provide detailed information needed to support local management needs. Here we present a transferable framework to model forest cover by major plant functional type using aerial...
U.S. Geological Survey Chesapeake science strategy, 2015-2025—Informing ecosystem management of America’s largest estuary
Scott Phillips, Joel D. Blomquist, Mark Bennett, Alicia Berlin, Vicki Blazer, Peter R. Claggett, Stephen Faulkner, Kenneth Hyer, Cassandra Ladino, Douglas Moyer, Rachel Muir, Gregory E. Noe, Patrick J. Phillips
Scott Phillips, Joel D. Blomquist, editor(s)
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1162
Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has the critical role of providing scientific information to improve the understanding and management of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The USGS works with Federal, State, and academic science partners to provide research and monitoring, and communicate results of these activities to enhance ecosystem management...
