Quantifying mineral abundances of complex mixtures by coupling spectral deconvolution of SWIR spectra (2.1-2.4 μm) and regression tree analysis
V.L. Mulder, Michael Plotze, Sytze de Bruin, Michael E. Schaepman, C. Mavris, Raymond F. Kokaly, Markus Egli
2013, Geoderma (207-208) 279-290
This paper presents a methodology for assessing mineral abundances of mixtures having more than two constituents using absorption features in the 2.1-2.4 μm wavelength region. In the first step, the absorption behaviour of mineral mixtures is parameterised by exponential Gaussian optimisation. Next, mineral abundances are predicted by regression tree analysis...
Population ecology of variegate darter (Etheostoma variatum) in Virginia
Jane E. Argentina, Paul L. Angermeier, Eric M. Hallerman
2013, Report
Variegate darters (Etheostoma variatum) were listed as endangered in Virginia in 1992. Reasons for listing included habitat degradation and concerns about current and future impacts of coal mining throughout their Virginia range. Prior to this research, little was known about variegate darter distribution, habitat use, or populations in Virginia. Two...
Trends in concentrations of nitrate and total dissolved solids in public supply wells of the Bunker Hill, Lytle, Rialto, and Colton groundwater subbasins, San Bernardino County, California: Influence of legacy land use
Robert Kent, Matthew K. Landon
2013, Science of the Total Environment (452-453) 125-136
Concentrations and temporal changes in concentrations of nitrate and total dissolved solids (TDS) in groundwater of the Bunker Hill, Lytle, Rialto, and Colton groundwater subbasins of the Upper Santa Ana Valley Groundwater Basin were evaluated to identify trends and factors that may be affecting trends. One hundred, thirty-one public-supply wells...
Pre-flight calibration and initial data processing for the ChemCam laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover
R. C. Wiens, S. Maurice, J. Lasue, O. Forni, R.B. Anderson, S. Clegg, S. Bender, D. Blaney, B.L. Barraclough, A. Cousin, L. DeFlores, D. Delapp, M.D. Dyar, C. Fabre, O. Gasnault, N. Lanza, J. Mazoyer, N. Melikechi, P.-Y. Meslin, H. Newsom, A. Ollila, R. Perez, R. Tokar, D. Vaniman
2013, Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy (82) 1-27
The ChemCam instrument package on the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, is the first planetary science instrument to employ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to determine the compositions of geological samples on another planet. Pre-processing of the spectra involves subtracting the ambient light background, removing noise, removing the electron continuum, calibrating...
Modeling steam pressure under martian lava flows
Colin M. Dundas, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi
2013, Icarus (226) 1058-1067
Rootless cones on Mars are a valuable indicator of past interactions between lava and water. However, the details of the lava–water interactions are not fully understood, limiting the ability to use these features to infer new information about past water on Mars. We have developed a model for the pressurization...
Measuring environmental change in forest ecosystems by repeated soil sampling: a North American perspective
Gregory B. Lawrence, Ivan J. Fernandez, Daniel D. Richter, Donald S. Ross, Paul W. Hazlett, Scott W. Bailey, Oiumet, Richard A.F. Warby, Arthur H. Johnson, Henry Lin, James M. Kaste, Andrew G. Lapenis, Timothy J. Sullivan
2013, Journal of Environmental Quality (42) 623-639
Environmental change is monitored in North America through repeated measurements of weather, stream and river flow, air and water quality, and most recently, soil properties. Some skepticism remains, however, about whether repeated soil sampling can effectively distinguish between temporal and spatial variability, and efforts to document soil change in forest...
California State Waters Map Series: Offshore of Carpinteria, California
Samuel Y. Johnson, Peter Dartnell, Guy R. Cochrane, Nadine E. Golden, Eleyne L. Phillips, Andrew C. Ritchie, Rikk G. Kvitek, H. Gary Greene, Charles A. Endris, Gordon G. Seitz, Ray W. Sliter, Mercedes D. Erdey, Florence L. Wong, Carlos I. Gutierrez, Lisa M. Krigsman, Amy E. Draut, Patrick E. Hart
Samuel Y. Johnson, Susan A. Cochran, editor(s)
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3261
In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration,...
California State Waters Map series data catalog
2013, Data Series 781
In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps and associated data...
Indirect cannibalism by crèche-aged American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) chicks
Alisa J. Bartos, Marsha A. Sovada, Lawrence D. Igl, Pamela J. Pietz
2013, Canadian Field-Naturalist (127) 72-75
At nesting colonies of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), many chicks die from siblicide, severe weather, and disease; this results in carcasses available for scavenging by conspecifics (i.e., indirect cannibalism). Indirect cannibalism has not been reported previously for this species. We describe five cases of crèche-aged American White Pelican chicks...
Estimation of reservoir storage capacity using multibeam sonar and terrestrial lidar, Randy Poynter Lake, Rockdale County, Georgia, 2012
K.G. Lee
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3265
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Rockdale County Department of Water Resources, conducted a bathymetric and topographic survey of Randy Poynter Lake in northern Georgia in 2012. The Randy Poynter Lake watershed drains surface area from Rockdale, Gwinnett, and Walton Counties. The reservoir serves as the water supply...
Simulated effects of proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit on hydrodynamics and water quality for projected demands through 2070, Pueblo Reservoir, southeastern Colorado
Roderick F. Ortiz
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5119
The purpose of the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) is to deliver water for municipal and industrial use within the boundaries of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Water supplied through the AVC would serve two needs: (1) to supplement or replace existing poor-quality water to communities downstream from Pueblo Reservoir;...
Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2012 Sumatra and vicinity
Gavin P. Hayes (compiler), Melissa Bernardino, Fransiska Dannemann, Gregory Smoczyk, Richard W. Briggs, Harley M. Benz, Kevin P. Furlong, Antonio Villaseñor
2013, Open-File Report 2010-1083-L
The plate boundary southwest of Sumatra is part of a long tectonic collision zone that extends over 8,000 km from Papua, New Guinea, in the east to the Himalayan front in the west. The Sumatra-Andaman part of the collision zone forms a subduction zone plate boundary, which accommodates convergence between...
Economic resilience through "One-Water" management
Randall T. Hanson, Wolfgang Schmid
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1175
Disruption of water availability leads to food scarcity and loss of economic opportunity. Development of effective water-resource policies and management strategies could provide resiliance to local economies in the face of water disruptions such as drought, flood, and climate change. To accomplish this, a detailed understanding of human water use...
USGS Quarterly Report: January 2013-March 2013
Anne E. Ballmann, C. LeAnn White, Barb Bodenstein, Jennifer Buckner
2013, WDA Newsletter (2013) 4-6
Distribution of late Pleistocene ice-rich syngenetic permafrost of the Yedoma Suite in east and central Siberia, Russia
Guido Grosse, Joel E. Robinson, Robin Bryant, Maxwell D. Taylor, William Harper, Amy DeMasi, Emily Kyker-Snowman, Alexandra Veremeeva, Lutz Schirrmeister, Jennifer Harden
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1078
This digital database is the product of collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks; the Los Altos Hills Foothill College GeoSpatial Technology Certificate Program; the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany; and the Institute of Physical Chemical and...
Locations and attributes of wind turbines in New Mexico, 2011
Natasha B. Carr, James B. Diffendorfer, Tammy S. Fancher, Sarah J. Hawkins, Natalie Latysh, Kenneth J. Leib, Anne Marie Matherne
2013, Data Series 783
This dataset represents an update to U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 596. Locations and attributes of wind turbines in New Mexico, 2009 (available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/596/).This updated New Mexico wind turbine Data Series provides geospatial data for all 562 wind turbines established within the State of New Mexico as of June...
Locations and attributes of wind turbines in Colorado, 2011
Natasha B. Carr, James E. Diffendorfer, Tammy S. Fancher, Sarah J. Hawkins, Natalie Latysh, Kenneth J. Leib, Anne Marie Matherne
2013, Data Series 782
This dataset represents an update to U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 597. Locations and attributes of wind turbines in Colorado, 2009 (available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/597/). This updated Colorado wind turbine Data Series provides geospatial data for all 1,204 wind turbines established within the State of Colorado as of September 2011, an...
Using multi-species occupancy models in structured decision making on managed lands
John R. Sauer, Peter J. Blank, Elise F. Zipkin, Jane E. Fallon, Frederick W. Fallon
2013, Journal of Wildlife Management (77) 117-127
Land managers must balance the needs of a variety of species when manipulating habitats. Structured decision making provides a systematic means of defining choices and choosing among alternative management options; implementation of a structured decision requires quantitative approaches to predicting consequences of management on the relevant species. Multi-species...
Sustainably connecting children with nature: an exploratory study of nature play area visitor impacts and their management
Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Jeffrey L. Marion, Timothy G. Gregoire
2013, Landscape and Urban Planning (119) 104-112
Parks are developing nature play areas to improve children's health and “connect” them with nature. However, these play areas are often located in protected natural areas where managers must balance recreation with associated environmental impacts. In this exploratory study, we sought to describe these impacts. We also investigated which ages,...
Demographics of reintroduced populations: estimation, modeling, and decision analysis
Sarah J. Converse, Clinton T. Moore, Doug P. Armstrong
2013, Journal of Wildlife Management (77) 1081-1093
Reintroduction can be necessary for recovering populations of threatened species. However, the success of reintroduction efforts has been poorer than many biologists and managers would hope. To increase the benefits gained from reintroduction, management decision making should be couched within formal decision-analytic frameworks. Decision analysis is a structured process for...
A matter of tradeoffs: reintroduction as a multiple objective decision
Sarah J. Converse, Clinton T. Moore, Martin J. Folk, Michael C. Runge
2013, Journal of Wildlife Management (77) 1145-1156
Decision making in guidance of reintroduction efforts is made challenging by the substantial scientific uncertainty typically involved. However, a less recognized challenge is that the management objectives are often numerous and complex. Decision makers managing reintroduction efforts are often concerned with more than just how to maximize the probability of...
Impacts of an ethanol-blended fuel release on groundwater and fate of produced methane: simulation of field observations
Ehsan Rasa, Barbara A. Bekins, Douglas M. Mackay, Nicholas R. de Sieyes, John T. Wilson, Kevin P. Feris, Isaac A. Wood, Kate M. Scow
2013, Water Resources Research (49) 4907-4926
In a field experiment at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) designed to mimic the impact of a small-volume release of E10 (10% ethanol and 90% conventional gasoline), two plumes were created by injecting extracted groundwater spiked with benzene, toluene, and o-xylene, abbreviated BToX (No-Ethanol Lane) and BToX plus ethanol (With-Ethanol...
Changing patterns in the use, recycling, and material substitution of mercury in the United States
David R. Wilburn
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5137
Environmental concerns have led to numerous regulations that have dramatically decreased the reported production and use of mercury in the United States since the 1980s. Government legislation and subsequent industry actions have led to increased collection of mercury-containing materials and the recovery of mercury through recycling. Mercury emissions have been...
Simulated impacts of mountain pine beetle and wildfire disturbances on forest vegetation composition and carbon stocks in the Southern Rocky Mountains
Megan K. Caldwell, Todd Hawbaker, Jenny S. Briggs, P.W. Cigan, Susan Stitt
2013, Biogeosciences Discussions (10) 12919-12965
Forests play an important role in sequestering carbon and offsetting anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, but changing disturbance regimes may compromise the capability of forests to store carbon. In the Southern Rocky Mountains, a recent outbreak of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) has caused levels of tree mortality that are...
Summary of the Third International Planetary Dunes Workshop: remote sensing and image analysis of planetary dunes
Lori K. Fenton, Rosalyn K. Hayward, Briony H.N. Horgan, David M. Rubin, Timothy N. Titus, Mark A. Bishop, Devon M. Burr, Matthew Chojnacki, Cynthia L. Dinwiddie, Laura Kerber, Alice Le Gall, Timothy I. Michaels, Lynn Neakrase, Claire E. Newman, Daniela Tirsch, Hezi Yizhaq, James R. Zimbelman
2013, Aeolian Research (8) 29-38
The Third International Planetary Dunes Workshop took place in Flagstaff, AZ, USA during June 12–15, 2012. This meeting brought together a diverse group of researchers to discuss recent advances in terrestrial and planetary research on aeolian bedforms. The workshop included two and a half days of oral and poster presentations,...
