Mineral resource of the month: iron oxide pigments
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Earth (53) 25-25
The article discusses iron oxide pigments, which have been used as colorants since human began painting as they resist color change due to sunlight exposure, have good chemical resistance and are stable under normal ambient conditions. Cyprus, Italy and Spain are among the countries that are known for the production...
Metals fate and transport modelling in streams and watersheds: state of the science and USEPA workshop review
B.S. Caruso, T.J. Cox, Robert L. Runkel, M.L. Velleux, Kenneth E. Bencala, D. Kirk Nordstrom, P.Y. Julien, B. A. Butler, Charles N. Alpers, A. Marion, Kathleen S. Smith
2008, Hydrological Processes (22) 4011-4021
Metals pollution in surface waters from point and non-point sources (NPS) is a widespread problem in the United States and worldwide (Lofts et al., 2007; USEPA, 2007). In the western United States, metals associated with acid mine drainage (AMD) from hardrock mines in mountainous areas impact aquatic ecosystems and human...
Top 10 principles for designing healthy coastal ecosystems like the Salish Sea
Joseph K. Gaydos, Leslie Dierauf, Grant Kirby, Deborah Brosnan, Kirsten Gilardi, Gary E. Davis
2008, EcoHealth (5) 460-471
Like other coastal zones around the world, the inland sea ecosystem of Washington (USA) and British Columbia (Canada), an area known as the Salish Sea, is changing under pressure from a growing human population, conversion of native forest and shoreline habitat to urban development, toxic contamination of sediments and species,...
Density currents in the Chicago River: Characterization, effects on water quality, and potential sources
P. Ryan Jackson, Carlos M. Garcia, Kevin A. Oberg, Kevin K. Johnson, Marcelo H. Garcia
2008, Science of the Total Environment (401) 130-143
Bidirectional flows in a river system can occur under stratified flow conditions and in addition to creating significant errors in discharge estimates, the upstream propagating currents are capable of transporting contaminants and affecting water quality. Detailed field observations of bidirectional flows were made in the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois...
Discrimination of lichen genera and species using element concentrations
James P. Bennett
2008, Lichenologist (40) 135-151
The importance of organic chemistry in the classification of lichens is well established, but inorganic chemistry has been largely overlooked. Six lichen species were studied over a period of 23 years that were growing in 11 protected areas of the northern Great Lakes ecoregion, which were not greatly influenced by...
Streamflow of 2007--Water year summary
Jian Xiaodong, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3042
The maps and graphs appearing in this summary describe streamflow conditions for water-year 2007 (October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007) in the context of the 78-year period 1930-2007, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Streamflow Information Program. The...
Long-term dynamics of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) and its biocontrol agent, flea beetles in the genus Aphthona
Diane L. Larson, James B. Grace, Jennifer L. Larson
2008, Biological Control (47) 250-256
Three flea beetle species (Aphthona spp.), first introduced into North America in 1988, have come to be regarded as effective biological control organisms for leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula). The black flea beetles (Aphthona lacertosa and A. czwalinae) in particular have been shown to cause reductions in leafy spurge stem counts...
Topographic mapping
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Report
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produced its first topographic map in 1879, the same year it was established. Today, more than 100 years and millions of map copies later, topographic mapping is still a central activity for the USGS. The topographic map remains an indispensable tool for government, science, industry,...
Slow journey home
Marsha Sovada
2008, North Dakota Outdoors (70) 8-11
Eliminated from North Dakota's prairies by the mid-1900s, the return of the swift fox to its native habitat has been anything but speedy. Biologists are finally seeing the first signs of this diminutive animal's homecoming....
The Colorado Plateau III: integrating research and resources management for effective conservation
Mark K. Sogge
Charles van Riper III, editor(s)
2008, Book
Roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States, the Colorado Plateau covers an area of 130,000 square miles. The relatively high semi-arid province boasts nine national parks, sixteen national monuments, many state parks, and dozens of wilderness areas. With the highest concentration of parklands in North...
Hematite spherules at Meridiani: results from MI, Mini-TES, and Pancam
W. M. Calvin, J.D. Shoffner, J. R. Johnson, A.H. Knoll, J.M. Pocock, S. W. Squyres, C.M. Weitz, R. E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell III, P. R. Christensen, P. A. de Souza Jr., W. H. Farrand, T.D. Glotch, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, B.L. Jolliff, A.T. Knudson, S. M. McLennan, A.D. Rogers, S.D. Thompson
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research (113)
We report on observations of hematite‐bearing spherules at Meridiani Planum made using the Microscopic Imager (MI), Mini‐Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini‐TES), and Panoramic Camera (Pancam) instruments on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Spherules were observed on soil surfaces and in outcrop rocks, both on undisturbed surfaces and in abraded surfaces ground...
Releases of whooping cranes to the Florida nonmigratory flock: a structured decision-making approach: report to the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team, September 22, 2008
Clinton T. Moore, Sarah J. Converse, Martin J. Folk, Robin Boughton, Bill Brooks, John B. French, Timothy O’Meara, Michael Putnam, James Rodgers, Marilyn Spalding
2008, FWRI Inhouse Report 2008-009
We used a structured decision-making approach to inform the decision of whether the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission should request of the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team that additional whooping crane chicks be released into the Florida Non-Migratory Population (FNMP). Structured decision-making is an application of decision science that...
Origin and paleoclimatic significance of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Evidence from stratigraphy, chronology, sedimentology, and geochemistry
Daniel R. Muhs, E. Arthur Bettis III, John N. Aleinikoff, John P. McGeehin, Jossh Beann, Gary Skipp, Brian D. Marshall, Helen M. Roberts, William C. Johnson, Rachel Benton
2008, GSA Bulletin (120) 1378-1407
Loess is one of the most extensive surficial geologic deposits in midcontinental North America, particularly in the central Great Plains region of Nebraska. Last-glacial-age loess (Peoria Loess) reaches its greatest known thickness in the world in this area. New stratigraphic, geochronologic, mineralogic, and geochemical data yield information about the age...
Isotopic evidence for the diversity of late Quaternary loess in Nebraska: Glaciogenic and nonglaciogenic sources
John N. Aleinikoff, Daniel R. Muhs, E. Arthur Bettis III, William C. Johnson, C. Mark Fanning, Rachel Benton
2008, GSA Bulletin (120) 1362-1377
Pb isotope compositions of detrital K-feldspars and U-Pb ages of detrital zircons are used as indicators for determining the sources of Peoria Loess deposited during the last glacial period (late Wisconsin, ca. 25–14 ka) in Nebraska and western Iowa. Our new data indicate that only loess adjacent to the Platte...
Molecular epidemiology of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus in the Great Lakes region
James Winton, Gael Kurath, William Batts
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3003
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is considered by many nations and international organizations to be one of the most important viral pathogens of finfish (Office International des Epizooties 2007). For several decades following its initial characterization in the 1950s, VHSV was thought to be limited to Europe where it was...
The USGS Earthquake Notification Service (ENS): Customizable notifications of earthquakes around the globe
Lisa A. Wald, David J. Wald, Stan Schwarz, Bruce Presgrave, Paul S. Earle, Eric Martinez, David Oppenheimer
2008, Seismological Research Letters (79) 103-110
At the beginning of 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP) introduced a new automated Earthquake Notification Service (ENS) to take the place of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) "Bigquake" system and the various other individual EHP e-mail list-servers for separate regions in the United States....
Contaminant levels in eggs of American white pelicans, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, from Chase Lake, North Dakota
Pamela J. Pietz, Marsha A. Sovada, Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Kevin M. Johnson
2008, Canadian Field-Naturalist (122) 312-315
American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are colonial nesters, making them susceptible to site-specific mortality factors. One of the largest known breeding colonies is at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. In 2004, this colony suffered total reproductive failure. In 2005, we collected abandoned eggs from this colony to...
California Cenozoic Biostratigraphy -- Paleogene: Chapter 4 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California
Kristin McDougall
2008, Professional Paper 1713-4
The time transgressive nature of the California benthic foraminiferal stages is in most cases the result of poor taxonomy, use of local species ranges, and a lack of understanding about the type sections. Correcting these problems allows the stages to be consistently applied and enhances their ability to identify coeval...
Age, distribution, and stratigraphic relationship of rock units in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California: Chapter 5 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California
Allegra Hosford Scheirer, Leslie B. Magoon
2008, Professional Paper 1713-5
The San Joaquin Basin is a major petroleum province that forms the southern half of California’s Great Valley, a 700-km-long, asymmetrical basin that originated between a subduction zone to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east. Sedimentary fill and tectonic structures of the San Joaquin Basin record the...
Some guidelines for helping natural resources adapt to climate change
Jill S. Baron, Susan Herrod Julius, Jordan M. West, Linda A. Joyce, Geoffrey Blate, Charles H. Peterson, Margaret Palmer, Brian D. Keller, Peter Kareiva, J. Michael Scott, Brad Griffith
2008, IHDP Update 46-52
The changes occurring in mountain regions are an epitome of climate change. The dramatic shrinkage of major glaciers over the past century – and especially in the last 30 years – is one of several iconic images that have come to symbolize climate change. Climate creates the context for ecosystems,...
An exploration of Bureau of Reclamation approaches for managing conflict over diverging science
Nina Burkardt, Emily Ruell, Douglas Clark
2008, Technical Memorandum 86-68211-09-01
As a major institutional agent supplying Western water resources, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) provides important leadership, technical, and financial resources in water management, serving as the West's "water broker" (Bowersox 2000; Pisani 2003). In recent years, growing numbers of constituencies using water and the over-allocation of water resources have...
National Wildlife Health Center's quarterly wildlife mortality report
Nathan G. Ramsay, Anne Ballmann, Krysten Schuler, Rachel Guy
2008, Newsletter of the Wildlife Disease Association (2008) 5-10
No abstract available....
National Wildlife Health Center's quarterly wildlife mortality report
Mark Jankowski, Krysten Schuler, Jennifer Bradsby
2008, Newsletter of the Wildlife Disease Association (2008) 9-15
Miocene Total Petroleum System -- Southeast Stable Shelf Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province: Chapter 13 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California
Donald L. Gautier, Allegra Hosford Scheirer
2008, Professional Paper 1713-13
The confirmed stratigraphic and structural-stratigraphic Southeast Stable Shelf Assessment Unit (AU) of the Miocene Total Petroleum System (San Joaquin Basin Province) comprises all hydrocarbon accumulations within the geographic limits of the AU. Traps typically display low dip angles, gentle folds, and normal faults. Reservoirs, which range in age from fractured...
Winters-Domengine Total Petroleum System—Northern Nonassociated Gas Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province: Chapter 21 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California
Allegra Hosford Scheirer, Leslie B. Magoon
2008, Professional Paper 1713-21
The Northern Nonassociated Gas Assessment Unit (AU) of the Winters-Domengine Total Petroleum System of the San Joaquin Basin Province consists of all nonassociated gas accumulations in Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene sandstones located north of township 15 South in the San Joaquin Valley. The northern San Joaquin Valley forms a northwest-southeast...
