Realized detection and capture probabilities for giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) using modified floating aquatic funnel traps
Brian J. Halstead, Shannon M. Skalos, Michael L. Casazza, Glenn D. Wylie
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1200
Executive Summary Rigorous analysis and management of animal populations requires that observers account for limitations inherent to the detection of those populations and the individuals within them. Researchers are usually unable to see every individual of a population or to even detect some entire populations. Ignoring this imperfect detectability can...
Barrier Island Shorelines Extracted from Landsat Imagery
Kristy K. Guy
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1179
Introduction Changes to barrier islands occur at time scales that vary from the few hours it takes an individual storm to pass (Morton, 2008) to the millennia it takes for coastal systems to undergo geologic evolution. Developing an understanding of how barrier islands will respond to climate change, sea level rise,...
Arctic Alaska’s Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian and Barremian) mudstone succession—Linking lithofacies, texture, and geochemistry to marine processes
Margaret A. Keller, Joe H.S. Macquaker
Julie A. Dumoulin, editor(s)
2015, Professional Paper 1814-B
We present new images and descriptions of the lithofacies and organic facies of the pebble shale unit and lower part of the Hue Shale (Lower Cretaceous) of Arctic Alaska at a high magnification that illustrates their textural characteristics. Our aims were to describe and determine the distribution of facies in...
Relating subsurface temperature changes to microbial activity at a crude oil-contaminated site
Ean Warren, Barbara A. Bekins
2015, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (182) 183-193
Crude oil at a spill site near Bemidji, Minnesota has been undergoing aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation for over 30 years, creating a 150–200 m plume of primary and secondary contaminants. Microbial degradation generates heat that should be measurable under the right conditions. To measure this heat, thermistors were installed in wells in...
Basement and regional structure along strike of the Queen Charlotte Fault in the context of modern and historical earthquake ruptures
Maureen A. L. Walton, Sean P. S. Gulick, Peter J. Haeussler, Emily C. Roland, Anne M. Trehu
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 1090-1105
The Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) is a dextral transform system located offshore of southeastern Alaska and western Canada, accommodating ∼4.4 cm/yr of relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates. Oblique convergence along the fault increases southward, and how this convergence is accommodated is still debated. Using seismic reflection data,...
Translating climate change effects on species into everyday language: an example of more driving and less fishing
Tyler Wagner, Jefferson T. Deweber
2015, Fisheries (40) 395-398
Climate change is expected to result in widespread changes in species distributions (e.g., shifting, shrinking, expanding species ranges; e.g., Parmesan and Yohe, 2003), especially for freshwater fish species (Heino et al. 2009). Although anglers and other resource users could be greatly affected by changes in species distributions, predicted changes...
Pacific blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus) abundance in the Gulf of Alaska: Synthesis of Gulf Watch data (2006-2013) and a consideration of major recruitment events (1989-2013)
Daniel H. Monson, Thomas Dean, M.R. Lindeberg, James L. Bodkin, Heather A. Coletti, Daniel Esler, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Ben P. Weitzman, Brenda E. Ballachey
2015, Report, Quantifying temporal and spatial ecosystem variability across the Northern Gulf of Alaska to understand mechanisms of change: Science synthesis report for the Gulf Watch Alaska Program
Pacific blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) are abundant and wide-spread primary consumers in the intertidal zone throughout the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). As a component of the Gulf Watch Alaska monitoring program, they represent a key member of intertidal communities and an important prey resource to a number of nearshore vertebrate...
Effects of acoustic tag implantation on lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens: lack of evidence for changes in behavior
Darryl W. Hondorp, Christopher Holbrook, Charles C. Krueger
2015, Animal Biotelemetry (3)
An assumption of studies using acoustic telemetry is that surgical implantation of acoustic transmitters or tags does not alter behavior of tagged individuals. Evaluating the validity of this assumption can be difficult for large fish, such as adult sturgeons, not amenable to controlled laboratory experimentation. The purpose of this study...
Sediment transport-based metrics of wetland stability
Neil K. Ganju, Matthew L. Kirwan, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Donald R. Cahoon, Kevin D. Kroeger
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 7992-8000
Despite the importance of sediment availability on wetland stability, vulnerability assessments seldom consider spatiotemporal variability of sediment transport. Models predict that the maximum rate of sea level rise a marsh can survive is proportional to suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and accretion. In contrast, we find that SSC and...
Accuracy testing of steel and electric groundwater-level measuring tapes: Test method and in-service tape accuracy
Janice M. Fulford, Christopher S. Clayton
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1137
The accuracy of groundwater-level tapes was investigated by developing a tape calibration method and device and testing the accuracy of a sample of groundwater-level tapes with the calibration method and device. The sample of tapes included in-service U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Center steel and electric groundwater-level tapes. The tape...
Dam removal, connectivity, and aquatic resources in the St. Regis River Watershed, New York
James E. McKenna Jr., Kaitlin Hanak, Katharine DeVilbiss, Anthony David, James H. Johnson
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5116
The decommissioning and planned removal of the Hogansburg Dam on the St. Regis River in New York has stimulated interest in the potential effects of that barrier removal on the St. Regis watershed. There will be immediate and systemic effects of the Hogansburg Dam removal, which may include inundation of...
Identifying trout refuges in the Indian and Hudson Rivers in northern New York through airborne thermal infrared remote sensing
Anne G. Ernst, Barry P. Baldigo, Fred J. Calef, Douglas A. Freehafer, Robert L. Kremens
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1078
The locations and sizes of potential cold-water refuges for trout were examined in 2005 along a 27-kilometer segment of the Indian and Hudson Rivers in northern New York to evaluate the extent of refuges, the effects of routine flow releases from an impoundment, and how these refuges and releases might...
Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, Volume 15
Julie A. Dumoulin, editor(s)
2015, Professional Paper 1814
Summary Professional Paper 1814—Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, Volume 15—continues a long-running series of collected volumes of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientific reports on Alaska. This series presents new and sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to Earth and biological scientists in academia, government, and industry; to...
Mortality, movement and behaviour of native mussels during a planned water-level drawdown in the Upper Mississippi River
Teresa J. Newton, Steven J. Zigler, Brian R. Gray
2015, Freshwater Biology (60) 1-15
Managers in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) are using reductions in the River's water levels during summer to mimic historical water regimes and rehabilitate habitats for vegetation and other species. Concerns for the unintended effects of these actions on mussel populations threatened to halt these projects. Our objective...
Bioaccumulation trends of arsenic and antimony in a freshwater ecosystem affected by mine drainage
Meghan A. Dovick, Thomas R. Kulp, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod
2015, Environmental Chemistry (13) 149-159
We compared As and Sb bioaccumulation and biomagnification when these metalloids co-occurred at varying environmental concentrations in a stream and wetlands near a contaminated mine site in Idaho (USA). We measured As and Sb concentrations in water and substrate samples, and in tissues of organisms representing several trophic levels. Bioaccumulation...
Archive of bathymetry data collected at Cape Canaveral, Florida, 2014
Mark E. Hansen, Nathaniel G. Plant, David M. Thompson, Rodolfo J. Troche, Christine J. Kranenburg, Emily S. Klipp
2015, Data Series 957
Remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of the sea floor, acquired by boat- and aircraft-based survey systems, were produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida, for the area at Cape Canaveral. The work was conducted as part of a study to...
Installation of a groundwater monitoring-well network on the east side of the Uncompahgre River in the Lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, 2014
Judith C. Thomas
2015, Data Series 955
The east side of the Uncompahgre River Basin has been a known contributor of dissolved selenium to recipient streams. Discharge of groundwater containing dissolved selenium contributes to surface-water selenium concentrations and loads; however, the groundwater system on the east side of the Uncompahgre River Basin is not well characterized. The...
Analysis of bathymetric surveys to identify coastal vulnerabilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida
David M. Thompson, Nathaniel G. Plant, Mark E. Hansen
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1180
Cape Canaveral, Florida, is a prominent feature along the Southeast U.S. coastline. The region includes Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and a large portion of Canaveral National Seashore. The actual promontory of the modern Cape falls within the jurisdictional boundaries of...
Biological data for water in Lake Powell and from Glen Canyon Dam releases, Utah and Arizona, 1990–2009
William S. Vernieu
2015, Data Series 959
Biological samples from various locations on Lake Powell and in the Colorado River in the tail water downstream of Glen Canyon Dam were collected by the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Geological Survey from December 1990 through December 2009 as part of a long-term water-quality monitoring program that began in...
Hyla chrysoscelis (Cope’s gray treefrog) x Hyla cinerea (green treefrog): putative natural hybrid
Brad M. Glorioso, J. Hardin Waddle, Jill A. Jenkins, Heather M. Olivier, Rebekah R. Layton
2015, Herpetological Review (46) 410-411
Naturally–occurring hybrid treefrogs have been occasionally found in the eastern United States. However, these hybrids are almost always between members of the same species group. On 10 Jun 2014, at 2145 h, we located an individual making an unusual advertisement call along Bayou Manual Road in Sherburne Wildlife Management Area...
Simulating realistic predator signatures in quantitative fatty acid signature analysis
Jeffrey F. Bromaghin
2015, Ecological Informatics (30) 68-71
Diet estimation is an important field within quantitative ecology, providing critical insights into many aspects of ecology and community dynamics. Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) is a prominent method of diet estimation, particularly for marine mammal and bird species. Investigators using QFASA commonly use computer simulation to evaluate statistical...
Water availability and subsidence in California's Central Valley
Claudia C. Faunt, Michelle Sneed, Jonathan A. Traum, Justin T. Brandt
2015, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (13)
The Central Valley in California (USA) covers about 52,000 km2 and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. This agriculture relies heavily on surface-water diversions and groundwater pumpage to meet irrigation water demand. Because the valley is semi-arid and surface-water availability varies substantially, agriculture relies heavily on local groundwater. In the southern...
Effectiveness of a refuge for lake trout in western Lake Superior I: Empirical analysis of past performance
Melissa J. Johnson, Michael J. Hansen, Michael J. Seider
2015, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (35) 988-1002
The Gull Island Shoal Refuge was created in 1976 in response to overfishing of the Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush population in the Apostle Islands region of western Lake Superior. Our objective was to evaluate effectiveness of the refuge by determining whether Lake Trout abundance, growth, maturity, and mortality differed inside and outside...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Monterey Formation, San Joaquin Basin Province, California, 2015
Marilyn E. Tennyson, Ronald R. Charpentier, Timothy R. Klett, Michael E. Brownfield, Janet K. Pitman, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Sarah J. Hawkins, Paul G. Lillis, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers, Christopher J. Schenk, Katherine J. Whidden
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3058
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed mean volumes of 21 million barrels of oil (MMBO), 27 billion cubic feet of gas, and 1 million barrels of natural gas liquids in two assessment units (AUs) that may contain continuous oil resources. Mean volumes of oil for the...
Response of the nitrogen-fixing lichen Lobaria pulmonaria to phosphorus, molybdenum, and vanadium
Jade A Marks, Julie Pett-Ridge, Steven S. Perakis, Jessica L Allen, Bruce McCune
2015, Ecosphere (6)
Nitrogen-fixing lichens (cyanolichens) are an important source of nitrogen (N) in Pacific Northwest forests, but limitation of lichen growth by elements essential for N fixation is poorly understood. To investigate how nutrient limitation may affect cyanolichen growth rates, we fertilized a tripartite cyanobacterial lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) and a green algal...
