Magnetic susceptibility data for some exposed bedrock in the western conterminous United States
Mark E. Gettings, Mark W. Bultman
2014, Data Series 804
In-place rock magnetic susceptibility measurements for 746 sites in the western conterminous United States are reported in a database. Of these 746 sites, 408 sites are in the Silverton Caldera area of the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. Of the 408 sites in the Silverton Caldera area, 106 sites...
Groundwater level and nitrate concentration trends on Mountain Home Air Force Base, southwestern Idaho
Marshall L. Williams
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1022
Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwestern Idaho draws most of its drinking water from the regional aquifer. The base is located within the State of Idaho's Mountain Home Groundwater Management Area and is adjacent to the State's Cinder Cone Butte Critical Groundwater Area. Both areas were established by the...
Digital representation of oil and natural gas well pad scars in southwest Wyoming
Steven L. Garman, Jamie L. McBeth
2014, Data Series 800
The recent proliferation of oil and natural gas energy development in southwest Wyoming has stimulated the need to understand wildlife responses to this development. Central to many wildlife assessments is the use of geospatial methods that rely on digital representation of energy infrastructure. Surface disturbance of the well pad scars...
The chronic toxicity of sodium bicarbonate, a major component of coal bed natural gas produced waters
Aida M. Farag, David D. Harper
2014, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (33) 532-540
Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is the principal salt in coal bed natural gas produced water from the Powder River Structural Basin, Wyoming, USA, and concentrations of up to 3000 mg NaHCO3/L have been documented at some locations. No adequate studies have been performed to assess the chronic effects of NaHCO3 exposure. The...
Acute toxicity of sodium bicarbonate, a major component of coal bed natural gas produced waters, to 13 aquatic species as defined in the laboratory
David D. Harper, Aida M. Farag, Don Skaar
2014, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (33) 525-531
Water produced during coal bed natural gas (CBNG) extraction in the Powder River Structural Basin of Wyoming and Montana (USA) may contain concentrations of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) of more than 3000 mg/L. The authors evaluated the acute toxicity of NaHCO3, also expressed as bicarbonate (HCO3−), to 13 aquatic organisms. Of the...
Adaptive responses reveal contemporary and future ecotypes in a desert shrub
Bryce A. Richardson, Stanley G. Kitchen, Rosemary L. Pendleton, Burton K. Pendleton, Matthew J. Germino, Gerald E. Rehfeldt, Susan E. Meyer
2014, Ecological Applications (24) 413-427
Interacting threats to ecosystem function, including climate change, wildfire, and invasive species necessitate native plant restoration in desert ecosystems. However, native plant restoration efforts often remain unguided by ecological genetic information. Given that many ecosystems are in flux from climate change, restoration plans need to account for both contemporary and...
Improving paleoecology studies for future predictions: Role of spatial and temporal scales for understanding ecology of the arid and semiarid landscape of the Southwest
David M. Miller, Gene-Hua Crystal Ng, Katharine Maher
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1029
Paleoecology (or ecological biogeography) describes the past distribution of species or communities and is an informative path used to understand the future in the face of climate change. Paleoecological changes in the Southwest over the past several thousand years happened in the presence of landscape manipulations by humans, a factor...
Influence of stocking, site quality, stand age, low-severity canopy disturbance, and forest composition on sub-boreal aspen mixedwood carbon stocks
Michael Reinikainen, Anthony W. D’Amato, John B. Bradford, Shawn Fraver
2014, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (44) 230-242
Low-severity canopy disturbance presumably influences forest carbon dynamics during the course of stand development, yet the topic has received relatively little attention. This is surprising because of the frequent occurrence of such events and the potential for both the severity and frequency of disturbances to increase as a result of...
Gravity, aeromagnetic and rock-property data of the central California Coast Ranges
V.E. Langenheim
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1282
Gravity, aeromagnetic, and rock-property data were collected to support geologic-mapping, water-resource, and seismic-hazard studies for the central California Coast Ranges. These data are combined with existing data to provide gravity, aeromagnetic, and physical-property datasets for this region. The gravity dataset consists of approximately 18,000 measurements. The aeromagnetic dataset consists of...
Season and application rates affect vaccine bait consumption by prairie dogs in Colorado and Utah, USA
Daniel W. Tripp, Tonie E. Rocke, Sean P. Streich, Nathanael L. Brown, Julia Rodriguez-Ramos Fernandez, Michael W. Miller
2014, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (50) 224-234
Plague, a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, causes high rates of mortality in prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). An oral vaccine against plague has been developed for prairie dogs along with a palatable bait to deliver vaccine and a biomarker to track bait consumption. We conducted field trials...
A rapid field test for sylvatic plague exposure in wild animals
Rachel C. Abbott, Robert Hudak, Roy Mondesire, Laurie A. Baeten, Robin E. Russell, Tonie E. Rocke
2014, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (50) 384-388
Plague surveillance is routinely conducted to predict future epizootics in wildlife and exposure risk for humans. The most common surveillance method for sylvatic plague is detection of antibodies to Yersinia pestis F1 capsular antigen in sentinel animals, such as coyotes (Canis latrans). Current serologic tests for Y. pestis, hemagglutination (HA)...
Lectins stain cells differentially in the coral, Montipora capitata
Thierry M. Work, Yael Farah
2014, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (117) 42-50
A limitation in our understanding of coral disease pathology and cellular pathogenesis is a lack of reagents to characterize coral cells. We evaluated the utility of plant lectins to stain tissues of a dominant coral, Montipora capitata, from Hawaii. Of 22 lectins evaluated, nine of these stained structures in the...
Isotopic nitrogen in fecal fiber as an indicator of winter diet in caribou and muskoxen
David D. Gustine, Perry S. Barboza, Jennifer Addison, Rachel Shively, Lola Oliver
2014, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (28) 625-634
RATIONALE: The ratios of stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N values) in excreta have been used to examine aspects of trophic and nutritional ecology across taxa. Nitrogen fractions in feces of herbivores include endogenous (e.g., sloughed intestinal cells, unresorbed digestive secretions, and microbial debris) and dietary sources. For animals such as large...
A spatial modeling framework to evaluate domestic biofuel-induced potential land use changed and emissions
Joshua Elliot, Bhavna Sharma, Neil Best, Michael Glotter, Jennifer B. Dunn, Ian Foster, Fernando Miguez, Steffen Mueller, Michael Wang
2014, Environmental Science & Technology (48) 2488-2486
We present a novel bottom-up approach to estimate biofuel-induced land-use change (LUC) and resulting CO2 emissions in the U.S. from 2010 to 2022, based on a consistent methodology across four essential components: land availability, land suitability, LUC decision-making, and induced CO2 emissions. Using high-resolution geospatial data and modeling, we construct probabilistic assessments...
Health of white sucker within the St. Louis River area of concern associated with habitat usage as assessed using stable isotopes
V. S. Blazer, J. Hoffman, H.L. Walsh, R.P. Braham, C. Hahn, P. Collins, Z. Jorgenson, T. Ledder
2014, Ecotoxicology (23) 236-251
In Spring 2011, 200 adult white sucker were collected in four areas of the St. Louis River area of concern (AOC), located in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA. The areas included the upper AOC as a reference area, the upper estuary, St. Louis Bay and Superior Bay. Grossly visible abnormalities were...
Gunnison sage-grouse lek site suitability modeling
Douglas S. Ouren, Drew A. Ignizio, Melissa Siders, Theresa Childers, Karen Tucker, Nathan Seward
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1010
In order to better understand and protect species with minimal or decreasing populations, it is imperative to determine their actual existing population size. The focal species for this project is the Gunnison sage-grouse (GUSG), which became a proposed endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, thus confirming the need for...
Early indicators of change: divergent climate envelopes between tree life stages imply range shifts in the western United States
David M. Bell, John B. Bradford, William K. Lauenroth
2014, Global Ecology and Biogeography (23) 168-180
Aim To determine if differences in climate envelopes for six coniferous tree species and two life stages (trees and seedlings) suggest a potential for species range contractions, expansions or shifts in response to climate change and if these patterns differ between subalpine (i.e. cool-climate) and montane (i.e. warm-climate) species. Location The dry domain...
Disruptions of El Niño–Southern Oscillation teleconnections by the Madden–Julian Oscillation
Andrew Hoell, Mathew Barlow, Mathew Wheeler, Christopher C. Funk
2014, Geophysical Research Letters (41) 998-1004
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the leading mode of interannual variability, with global impacts on weather and climate that have seasonal predictability. Research on the link between interannual ENSO variability and the leading mode of intraseasonal variability, the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), has focused mainly on the role of MJO...
USGS field activities 11BHM03 and 11BHM04 on the west Florida shelf, Gulf of Mexico, September and November 2011
Lisa L. Robbins, Paul O. Knorr, Kendra L. Daly, Kira E. Barrera
2014, Data Series 822
During September and November 2011 the (USGS), in cooperation with (USF), conducted geochemical surveys on the west Florida Shelf to investigate the effects of climate change on ocean acidification within the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically, the effect of ocean acidification on marine organisms and habitats. The first cruise was...
USGS field activities 11BHM01 and 11BHM02 on the west Florida shelf, Gulf of Mexico, May and June 2011
Lisa L. Robbins, Paul O. Knorr, Kendra L. Daly, Carl A. Taylor, Kira E. Barrera
2014, Data Series 712
During May and June 2011 the (USGS), in cooperation with (USF), conducted geochemical surveys on the west Florida Shelf to investigate the effects of climate change on ocean acidification within the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically, the effect of ocean acidification on marine organisms and habitats. The first cruise was...
Field manual for the collection of Navajo Nation streamflow-gage data
Robert J. Hart, Gregory G. Fisk
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1107
The Field Manual for the Collection of Navajo Nation Streamflow-Gage Data (Navajo Field Manual) is based on established (standard) U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging methods and provides guidelines specifically designed for the Navajo Department of Water Resources personnel who establish and maintain streamflow gages. The Navajo Field Manual addresses field visits,...
A velocimetric survey of the Lower Missouri River from river mile 492.38 to 290.20, July-October 2011 and July 2012
Daniel J. Armstrong, Donald H. Wilkison, Richard D. Norman
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5197
Velocimetric surveys were made by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2011 and 2012 to provide data for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ ongoing study of bed degradation in the Lower Missouri River. Using Acoustic Doppler Current Profile technology, velocity data were collected at 87 river miles along the Lower...
Global geologic map of Ganymede
Geoffrey C. Collins, G. Wesley Patterson, James W. Head, Robert T. Pappalardo, Louise M. Prockter, Baerbel K. Lucchitta, Johnathan P. Kay
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3237
Ganymede is the largest satellite of Jupiter, and its icy surface has been formed through a variety of impact cratering, tectonic, and possibly cryovolcanic processes. The history of Ganymede can be divided into three distinct phases: an early phase dominated by impact cratering and mixing of non-ice materials in the...
Do digestive contents confound body mass as a measure of relative condition in nestling songbirds?
Henry M. Streby, Sean M. Peterson, Justin A. Lehman, Gunnar R. Kramer, Ben J. Vernasco, David E. Andersen
2014, Wildlife Society Bulletin (38) 305-310
Relative nestling condition, typically measured as nestling mass or as an index including nestling mass, is commonly purported to correlate with fledgling songbird survival. However, most studies directly investigating fledgling survival have found no such relationship. We weighed feces and stomach contents of nestling golden-winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) to investigate...
Delivering climate science about the Nation's fish, wildlife, and ecosystems: the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center
Elda Varela-Acevedo
2014, Fact Sheet 2013-3110
Changes to the Earth’s climate—temperature, precipitation, and other climate variables—pose significant challenges to our Nation’s natural resources. Managers of land, water, and living resources require an understanding of the impacts of climate change—which exacerbate ongoing stresses such as habitat alteration and invasive species—in order to design effective response strategies. In...
