Diel cycles in dissolved barium, lead, iron, vanadium, and nitrite in a stream draining a former zinc smelter site near Hegeler, Illinois
Robert T. Kay, G.E. Groschen, G. Cygan, David H. Dupre
2011, Chemical Geology (283) 99-108
Diel variations in the concentrations of a number of constituents have the potential to substantially affect the appropriate sampling regimen in acidic streams. Samples taken once during the course of the day cannot adequately reflect diel variations in water quality and may result in an inaccurate understanding of biogeochemical...
Low strength of deep San Andreas fault gouge from SAFOD core
David A. Lockner, Carolyn A. Morrow, Diane E. Moore, Stephen H. Hickman
2011, Nature (472) 82-86
The San Andreas fault accommodates 28–34 mm yr−1 of right lateral motion of the Pacific crustal plate northwestward past the North American plate. In California, the fault is composed of two distinct locked segments that have produced great earthquakes in historical times, separated by a 150-km-long creeping zone. The San Andreas Fault Observatory...
Genetic discontinuity among regional populations of Lophelia pertusa in the North Atlantic Ocean
C.L. Morrison, Steve W. Ross, M.S. Nizinski, S. Brooke, J. Jarnegren, R.G. Waller, Robin L. Johnson, T.L. King
2011, Conservation Genetics (12) 713-729
Knowledge of the degree to which populations are connected through larval dispersal is imperative to effective management, yet little is known about larval dispersal ability or population connectivity in Lophelia pertusa, the dominant framework-forming coral on the continental slope in the North Atlantic Ocean. Using nine microsatellite DNA markers,...
Hydrodynamics of a bathymetrically complex fringing coral reef embayment: Wave climate, in situ observations, and wave prediction
R. Hoeke, C. Storlazzi, P. Ridd
2011, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (116)
This paper examines the relationship between offshore wave climate and nearshore waves and currents at Hanalei Bay, Hawaii, an exposed bay fringed with coral reefs. Analysis of both offshore in situ data and numerical hindcasts identify the predominance of two wave conditions: a mode associated with local trade winds and...
Economic resilience lessons from the ShakeOut earthquake scenario
A. Wein, A. Rose
2011, Earthquake Spectra (27) 559-573
Following a damaging earthquake, “business interruption” (BI)—reduced production of goods and services—begins and continues long after the ground shaking stops. Economic resilience reduces BI losses by making the best use of the resources available at a given point in time (static resilience) or by speeding recovery through repair and reconstruction...
Effects of ignition location models on the burn patterns of simulated wildfires
A. Bar-Massada, A.D. Syphard, Todd Hawbaker, S. I. Stewart, V. C. Radeloff
2011, Environmental Modelling and Software (26) 583-592
Fire simulation studies that use models such as FARSITE often assume that ignition locations are distributed randomly, because spatially explicit information about actual ignition locations are difficult to obtain. However, many studies show that the spatial distribution of ignition locations, whether human-caused or natural, is non-random. Thus, predictions from fire...
Biogeochemical factors affecting the presence of 210Po in groundwater
R. L. Seiler, L.L. Stillings, N. Cutler, L. Salonen, I. Outola
2011, Applied Geochemistry (26) 526-539
The discovery of natural 210Po enrichment at levels exceeding 500 mBq/L in numerous domestic wells in northern Nevada, USA, led to a geochemical investigation of the processes responsible for its mobilization. 210Po activities in 63 domestic and public-supply wells ranged from below 1 mBq/L to 6590 ± 590 mBq/L, among...
Spatial organization of northern flying squirrels, Glaucomys sabrinus: Territoriality in females?
J.R. Smith, D.H.V. Vuren, D.A. Kelt, M.L. Johnson
2011, Western North American Naturalist (71) 44-48
We determined home-range overlap among northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) to assess their spatial organization. We found extensive home-range overlap among females, and though this overlap could reflect social behavior, we found no evidence of attraction among females, with only one instance of den sharing. Instead, our results...
Future directions in geobiology and low-temperature geochemistry
Katherine H. Freeman, M. B. Goldhaber
2011, Elements (7) 138-139
Humanity is confronted with an enormous challenge, as succinctly stated by the late Steven Schneider (2001; quoted by Jantzen 2004*): “Humans are forcing the Earth’s environmental systems to change at a rate that is more advanced than their knowledge of the consequences.” Geobiologists and low-temperature geochemists characterize material from the...
Effects of uncertain topographic input data on two-dimensional flow modeling in a gravel-bed river
C.J. Legleiter, P.C. Kyriakidis, R. R. McDonald, J. M. Nelson
2011, Water Resources Research (47)
Many applications in river research and management rely upon two-dimensional (2D) numerical models to characterize flow fields, assess habitat conditions, and evaluate channel stability. Predictions from such models are potentially highly uncertain due to the uncertainty associated with the topographic data provided as input. This study used a spatial stochastic...
Faulted terrace risers place new constraints on the late Quaternary slip rate for the central Altyn Tagh fault, northwest Tibet
R.D. Gold, E. Cowgill, J.R. Arrowsmith, X. Chen, W.D. Sharp, K.M. Cooper, X.-F. Wang
2011, Geological Society of America Bulletin (123) 958-978
The active, left-lateral Altyn Tagh fault defines the northwestern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in western China. To clarify late Quaternary temporal and spatial variations in slip rate along the central portion of this fault system (85°–90°E), we have more than doubled the number of dated offset markers along the...
Geostatistical modeling of riparian forest microclimate and its implications for sampling
B.N.I. Eskelson, P. D. Anderson, J.C. Hagar, H. Temesgen
2011, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (41) 974-985
Predictive models of microclimate under various site conditions in forested headwater stream - riparian areas are poorly developed, and sampling designs for characterizing underlying riparian microclimate gradients are sparse. We used riparian microclimate data collected at eight headwater streams in the Oregon Coast Range to compare ordinary kriging (OK), universal...
Biomarkers of mercury exposure in two eastern Ukraine cities
H. Gibb, C. Haver, K. Kozlov, J.A. Centeno, V. Jurgenson, Allan Kolker, Kathryn M. Conko, Edward R. Landa, H. Xu
2011, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (8) 187-193
This study evaluates biomarkers of mercury exposure among residents of Horlivka, a city in eastern Ukraine located in an area with geologic and industrial sources of environmental mercury, and residents of Artemivsk, a nearby comparison city outside the mercury-enriched area. Samples of urine, blood, hair, and...
Modeling hot spring chemistries with applications to martian silica formation
G.M. Marion, D.C. Catling, J.K. Crowley, J.S. Kargel
2011, Icarus (212) 629-642
Many recent studies have implicated hydrothermal systems as the origin of martian minerals across a wide range of martian sites. Particular support for hydrothermal systems include silica (SiO2) deposits, in some cases >90% silica, in the Gusev Crater region, especially in the Columbia Hills and at Home Plate. We have developed a model...
Regional and climatic controls on seasonal dust deposition in the southwestern U.S.
Marith C. Reheis, Frank Urban
2011, Aeolian Research (3) 3-21
Vertical dust deposition rates (dust flux) are a complex response to the interaction of seasonal precipitation, wind, changes in plant cover and land use, dust source type, and local vs. distant dust emission in the southwestern U.S. Seasonal dust flux in the Mojave–southern Great Basin (MSGB) deserts, measured from 1999...
Comparison of bottom-track to global positioning system referenced discharges measured using an acoustic Doppler current profiler
Chad R. Wagner, David S. Mueller
2011, Journal of Hydrology (401) 250-258
A negative bias in discharge measurements made with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) can be caused by the movement of sediment on or near the streambed. The integration of a global positioning system (GPS) to track the movement of the ADCP can be used to avoid the systematic negative...
Reservoir characterization of the Mt. Simon Sandstone, Illinois Basin, USA
S.M. Frailey, J. Damico, H.E. Leetaru
2011, Conference Paper
The integration of open hole well log analyses, core analyses and pressure transient analyses was used for reservoir characterization of the Mt. Simon sandstone. Characterization of the injection interval provides the basis for a geologic model to support the baseline MVA model, specify pressure design requirements of surface equipment,...
Design of ecoregional monitoring in conservation areas of high-latitude ecosystems under contemporary climate change
Erik A. Beever, Andrea Woodward
2011, Biological Conservation (144) 1258-1269
Land ownership in Alaska includes a mosaic of federally managed units. Within its agency’s context, each unit has its own management strategy, authority, and resources of conservation concern, many of which are migratory animals. Though some units are geographically isolated, many are nevertheless linked by paths of abiotic and biotic...
Genetic diversity and demographic instability in Riftia pachyptila tubeworms from eastern Pacific hydrothermal vents
Dolly Coykendall, S.B. Johnson, S.A. Karl, R.A. Lutz, R.C. Vrijenhoek
2011, BMC Evolutionary Biology (11)
Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals occupy patchy and ephemeral habitats supported by chemosynthetic primary production. Volcanic and tectonic activities controlling the turnover of these habitats contribute to demographic instability that erodes genetic variation within and among colonies of these animals. We examined DNA sequences from one mitochondrial and three nuclear gene...
Effects of acclimation on poststocking dispersal and physiological condition of age-1 pallid sturgeon
E.W. Oldenburg, C.S. Guy, E.S. Cureton, M.A.H. Webb, W.M. Gardner
2011, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (27) 436-443
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of acclimation to flow and site‐specific physicochemical water conditions on poststocking dispersal and physiological condition of age‐1 hatchery‐reared pallid sturgeon. Fish from three acclimation treatments were radio‐tagged, released at two locations (Missouri River and Marias River), and monitored using passive...
ASTER spectral analysis and lithologic mapping of the Khanneshin carbonatite volcano, Afghanistan
John C. Mars, Lawrence C. Rowan
2011, Geosphere (7) 276-289
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data of the early Quaternary Khanneshin carbonatite volcano located in southern Afghanistan were used to identify carbonate rocks within the volcano and to distinguish them from Neogene ferruginous polymict sandstone and argillite. The carbonatitic rocks are characterized by diagnostic CO3 absorption near 11.2...
Stationarity: Wanted dead or alive?
Harry F. Lins, Timothy A. Cohn
2011, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (47) 475-480
Aligning engineering practice with natural process behavior would appear, on its face, to be a prudent and reasonable course of action. However, if we do not understand the long‐term characteristics of hydroclimatic processes, how does one find the prudent and reasonable course needed for water management? We consider this question...
From intuition to statistics in building subsurface structural models
J.P. Brandenburg, F.O. Alpak, S. Naruk, J. Solum
2011, World Oil (232) 97-101
Experts associated with the oil and gas exploration industry suggest that combining forward trishear models with stochastic global optimization algorithms allows a quantitative assessment of the uncertainty associated with a given structural model. The methodology is applied to incompletely imaged structures related to deepwater hydrocarbon reservoirs and results are compared...
Associated terrestrial and marine fossils in the late-glacial Presumpscot Formation, southern Maine, USA, and the marine reservoir effect on radiocarbon ages
W.B. Thompson, C.B. Griggs, N.G. Miller, R.E. Nelson, T.K. Weddle, T.M. Kilian
2011, Quaternary Research (75) 552-565
Excavations in the late-glacial Presumpscot Formation at Portland, Maine, uncovered tree remains and other terrestrial organics associated with marine invertebrate shells in a landslide deposit. Buds of Populus balsamifera (balsam poplar) occurred with twigs of Picea glauca (white spruce) in the Presumpscot clay. Tree rings in Picea logs indicate that the trees all...
The elusive character of discontinuous deep-water channels: New insights from Lucia Chica channel system, offshore California
K.L. Maier, A. Fildani, C. K. Paull, S.A. Graham, T.R. McHargue, D.W. Caress, Mary McGann
2011, Geology (39) 327-330
New high-resolution autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) seafloor images, with 1 m lateral resolution and 0.3 m vertical resolution, reveal unexpected seafloor rugosity and low-relief (<10 m), discontinuous conduits over ∼70 km2. Continuous channel thalwegs were interpreted originally from lower-resolution images, but newly acquired AUV data indicate that a single sinuous...
