Rapid movement of frozen debris-lobes: implications for permafrost degradation and slope instability in the south-central Brooks Range, Alaska
R.P. Daanen, G. Grosse, M.M. Darrow, T. D. Hamilton, Benjamin M. Jones
2012, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (12) 1521-1537
We present the results of a reconnaissance investigation of unusual debris mass-movement features on permafrost slopes that pose a potential infrastructure hazard in the south-central Brooks Range, Alaska. For the purpose of this paper, we describe these features as frozen debris-lobes. We focus on the characterisation of frozen debris-lobes as...
Canadian Rockies Ecoregion: Chapter 4 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Janis L. Taylor
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-4
The Canadian Rockies Ecoregion covers approximately 18,494 km2 (7,141 mi2) in northwestern Montana (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997). The east side of the ecoregion is bordered by the Montana Valley and Foothill Prairies Ecoregion, which also forms a large part of the western border of the ecoregion. In...
Willamette Valley Ecoregion: Chapter 3 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Tamara S. Wilson, Daniel G. Sorenson
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-3
The Willamette Valley Ecoregion (as defined by Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997) covers approximately 14,458 km² (5,582 mi2), making it one of the smallest ecoregions in the conterminous United States. The long, alluvial Willamette Valley, which stretches north to south more than 193 km and ranges from 32...
Sea lamprey orient toward a source of a synthesized pheromone using odor-conditioned rheotaxis
Nicholas S. Johnson, Azizah Muhammad, Henry Thompson, Jongeun Choi, Weiming Li
2012, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (66) 1557-1567
Characterization of vertebrate chemo-orientation strategies over long distances is difficult because it is often not feasible to conduct highly controlled hypothesis-based experiments in natural environments. To overcome the challenge, we couple in-stream behavioral observations of female sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) orienting to plumes of a synthesized mating pheromone, 7a,12a,24-trihydroxy-5a-cholan-3-one-24-sulfate (3kPZS),...
Puget Lowland Ecoregion: Chapter 2 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Daniel G. Sorenson
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-2
The Puget Lowland Ecoregion covers an area of approximately 18,009 km² (6,953 mi²) within northwestern Washington (fig. 1) (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997). The ecoregion is located between the Coast Range Ecoregion to the west, which includes the Olympic Mountains, and the North Cascades and the Cascades Ecoregions...
Wyoming Basin Ecoregion: Chapter 25 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Todd Hawbaker
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-25
The Wyoming Basin Ecoregion (Omernik 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999) covers approximately 128,914 km2 (49,774 mi2) in Wyoming and parts of northwestern Colorado, northeastern Utah, southeastern Idaho, and southern Montana (fig. 1). The ecoregion is bounded on the east by the Northwestern Great Plains Ecoregion; on the south and...
Food availability and offspring sex in a monogamous seabird: insights from an experimental approach
Thomas Merkling, Sarah Leclaire, Etienne Danchin, Emeline Lhuillier, Richard H. Wagner, Joel White, Scott A. Hatch, Pierrick Blanchard
2012, Behavioral Ecology (23) 751-758
Sex allocation theory predicts that parents should favor offspring of the sex that provides the greatest fitness return. Despite growing evidence suggesting that vertebrates are able to overcome the constraint of chromosomal sex determination, the general pattern remains equivocal, indicating a need for experimental investigations. We used an experimental feeding...
The past as prelude to the future for understanding 21st-century climate effects on Rocky Mountain Trout
Daniel J. Isaak, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Andrew S. Todd, Robert Al-chokhachy, James Roberts, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Kurt D. Fausch, Steven W. Hostetler
2012, Fisheries (37) 542-556
Bioclimatic models predict large reductions in native trout across the Rocky Mountains in the 21st century but lack details about how changes will occur. Through five case histories across the region, we explore how a changing climate has been affecting streams and the potential consequences for trout. Monitoring records show...
Using a non-physical behavioural barrier to alter migration routing of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta
R.W. Perry, J.G. Romine, N.S. Adams, A.R. Blake, J.R. Burau, S.V. Johnston, T.L. Liedtke
2012, River Research and Applications (30) 192-203
Anthropogenic alterations to river systems, such as irrigation and hydroelectric development, can negatively affect fish populations by reducing survival when fish are routed through potentially dangerous locations. Non-physical barriers using behavioural stimuli are one means of guiding fish away from such locations without obstructing water flow. In the Sacramento–San Joaquin...
Biomedical health assessments of the Florida manatee in Crystal River - providing opportunities for training during the capture, handling, and processing of this endangered aquatic mammal
Robert K. Bonde, Andrew Garrett, Michael Belanger, Nesime Askin, Luke Tan, Carin Wittnich
2012, Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology (5) 17-28
Federal and state researchers have been involved in manatee (Trichechus manatus) biomedical health assessment programs for a couple of decades. These benchmark studies have provided a foundation for the development of consistent capture, handling, and processing techniques and protocols. Biologists have implemented training and encouraged multi-agency participation whenever possible to...
Seismic velocity model of the central United States (Version 1): Description and simulation of the 18 April 2008 Mt. Carmel, Illinois, Earthquake
Leonardo Ramírez‐Guzmán, Oliver S. Boyd, Stephen H. Hartzell, Robert A. Williams
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2622-2645
We have developed a new three‐dimensional seismic velocity model of the central United States (CUSVM) that includes the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) and covers parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The model represents a compilation of decades of crustal research consisting of seismic, aeromagnetic, and...
Groundwater depletion and sustainability of irrigation in the US High Plains and Central Valley
Bridget R. Scanlon, Claudia C. Faunt, Laurent Longuevergne, Robert C. Reedy, William M. Alley, Virginia L. McGuire, Peter B. McMahon
2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (109) 9320-9325
Aquifer overexploitation could significantly impact crop production in the United States because 60% of irrigation relies on groundwater. Groundwater depletion in the irrigated High Plains and California Central Valley accounts for ∼50% of groundwater depletion in the United States since 1900. A newly developed High Plains recharge map shows that...
Release rates of solutes from phosphatic shales in southeast Idaho, USA
Michael C. Amacher, Lisa L. Stillings
H. Magdi Selim, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter
No abstract available....
Alewife in the Great Lakes: Old invader - New millennium
Robert O’Gorman, Charles P. Madenjian, Edward F. Roseman, Andrew Cook, Owen T. Gorman
William W. Taylor, Abigail J. Lynch, Nancy J. Leonard, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Great Lakes fisheries policy and management: a binational perspective
No abstract available....
A simple method for in situ monitoring of water temperature in substrates used by spawning salmonids
Christian E. Zimmerman, James E. Finn
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 288-295
Interstitial water temperature within spawning habitats of salmonids may differ from surface-water temperature depending on intragravel flow paths, geomorphic setting, or presence of groundwater. Because survival and developmental timing of salmon are partly controlled by temperature, monitoring temperature within gravels used by spawning salmonids is required to adequately describe the...
Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the Yukon River system
Robert G. Striegl, Mark M. Dornblaser, Cory P. McDonald, Jennifer R. Rover, Edward G. Stets
2012, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (26)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions are important, but poorly quantified, components of riverine carbon (C) budgets. This is largely because the data needed for gas flux calculations are sparse and are spatially and temporally variable. Additionally, the importance of C gas emissions relative to lateral C exports is...
Evaluating the negative effect of benthic egg predators on bloater recruitment in northern Lake Michigan
David B. Bunnell, Justin G. Mychek-Londer, James S. Diana, Wendylee Stott, Charles P. Madenjian
2012, Report
As the only extant deepwater cisco in Lake Michigan, bloater is currently at record low levels of abundance. Several mechanisms to regulate their recruitment have been proposed, including skewed sex ratios, predation on their larvae by adult alewife, and climatic factors during early life history stages, but none has...
Population status and habitat associations of the King Rail in the midwestern United States
Jason R. Bolenbaugh, Tom Cooper, Ryan S. Brady, Karen L. Willard, David G. Krementz
2012, Waterbirds (35) 535-545
The migratory population of the King Rail (Rallus elegans) has declined dramatically during the past 50 years, emphasizing the need to document the distribution and status of this species to help guide conservation efforts. In an effort to guide King Rail breeding habitat protection and restoration, a landscape suitability index...
Spatial and temporal patterns of surface water quality and ichthyotoxicity in urban and rural river basins in Texas
Matthew M. VanLandeghem, Matthew D. Meyer, Stephen B. Cox, Bibek Sharma, Reynaldo Patino
2012, Water Research (20) 6638-6651
The Double Mountain Fork Brazos River (Texas, USA) consists of North (NF) and South Forks (SF). The NF receives urban runoff and twice-reclaimed wastewater effluent, whereas the SF flows through primarily rural areas. The objective of this study was to determine and compare associations between standard water quality variables and...
A Bayesian spawning habitat suitability model for American shad in southeastern United States rivers
Joseph E. Hightower, Julianne E. Harris, Joshua K. Raabe, Prescott Brownell, C. Ashton Drew
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 184-198
Habitat suitability index models for American shad Alosa sapidissima were developed by Stier and Crance in 1985. These models, which were based on a combination of published information and expert opinion, are often used to make decisions about hydropower dam operations and fish passage. The purpose of this study was to develop...
Extreme weather and experience influence reproduction in an endangered bird
Brian E. Reichert, Christopher E. Cattau, Robert J. Fletcher Jr., William L. Kendall, Wiley M. Kitchens
2012, Ecology (93) 2580-2589
Extreme weather events, such as droughts and heat waves, are expected to become more severe and more frequent in the coming years, and understanding their impacts on demographic rates is of increasing interest to both evolutionary ecologists and conservation practitioners. An individual's breeding probability can be a sensitive indicator...
Estimating landscape carrying capacity through maximum clique analysis
Therese Donovan, Greg Warrington, W. Scott Schwenk, Jeffrey H. Dinitz
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 2265-2276
Habitat suitability (HS) maps are widely used tools in wildlife science and establish a link between wildlife populations and landscape pattern. Although HS maps spatially depict the distribution of optimal resources for a species, they do not reveal the population size a landscape is capable of supporting--information that is often...
Solute and geothermal flux monitoring using electrical conductivity in the Madison, Firehole, and Gibbon Rivers, Yellowstone National Park
R. Blaine McCleskey, Laura Clor, Jacob B. Lowenstern, William C. Evans, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Henry Heasler, Mark Huebner
2012, Applied Geochemistry (27) 2370-2381
The thermal output from the Yellowstone magma chamber can be estimated from the Cl flux in the major rivers in Yellowstone National Park; and by utilizing continuous discharge and electrical conductivity measurements the Cl flux can be calculated. The relationship between electrical conductivity and concentrations of Cl and other geothermal...
High plains playas
Loren M. Smith, David A. Haukos, Scott T. McMurry
Darold P. Batzer, Andrew H. Baldwin, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Wetland habitats of North America: Ecology and conservation concern
The impact of antecedent fire area on burned area in southern California coastal ecosystems
Owen F. Price, Ross A. Bradstock, Jon E. Keeley, Alexandra D. Syphard
2012, Journal of Environmental Management (113) 301-307
Frequent wildfire disasters in southern California highlight the need for risk reduction strategies for the region, of which fuel reduction via prescribed burning is one option. However, there is no consensus about the effectiveness of prescribed fire in reducing the area of wildfire. Here, we use 29 years of historical...