Commentary: Variability in shelf sedimentation in response to fluvial sediment supply and coastal erosion over the past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States
Jonathan A. Warrick, Amy E. East, Curt D. Storlazzi, James E. Conrad
2019, Frontiers in Earth Science (7)
A commentary on: Variability in Shelf Sedimentation in Response to Fluvial Sediment Supply and Coastal Erosion Over the Past 1,000 Years in Monterey Bay, CA, United States. by Carlin J., Addison J., Wagner A., Schwartz V., Hayward J., Severin V. (2019) Front. Earth Sci., 7:113. doi: 10.3389/feart.2019.00113...
Physiological and gene transcription assays to assess responses of mussels to environmental changes
Katrina Counihan, Lizabeth Bowen, Brenda Ballachey, Heather A. Coletti, Tuula Hollman, Benjamin Pister, Tammy L Wilson
2019, PeerJ
Coastal regions worldwide face increasing management concerns due to natural and anthropogenic forces that have the potential to significantly degrade nearshore marine resources. The goal of our study was to develop and test a monitoring strategy for nearshore marine ecosystems in remote areas that are not readily accessible for sampling....
Estimating sightability of greater sage-grouse at leks using an aerial infrared system and N-mixture models
Peter S. Coates, Gregory T. Wann, Gifford L. Gillette, Mark A. Ricca, Brian G. Prochazka, John P. Severson, Katie M. Andrle, Shawn P. Espinosa, Michael L. Casazza, David J. Delehanty
2019, Wildlife Biology (2019)
Counts of grouse present at leks (breeding grounds) during spring are widely used to monitor population numbers and assess trends. However, only a proportion of birds available to count are detected resulting in a biased population index. We designed a study using an aerial integrated infrared imaging system (AIRIS) and...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019
Catherine B. Enomoto, Michael H. Trippi, Debra K. Higley, Ronald M. Drake II, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Tracey J. Mercier, Michael E. Brownfield, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Phuong A. Le, Kristen R. Marra, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, Christopher J. Schenk
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3044
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 1.8 billion barrels of oil and 117.2 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province....
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019
Debra K. Higley, Catherine B. Enomoto, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Tracey J. Mercier, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael H. Trippi, Phuong A. Le, Michael E. Brownfield, Cheryl A. Woodall, Kristen R. Marra, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3050
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 96.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province....
Reducing wet ammonium deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park: The development and evaluation of a pilot early warning system for agricultural operations in eastern Colorado
Aaron Pena, Russ Schumacher, Scott Denning, William Faulkner, Jill Baron, Jay Ham, Dennis S. Ojima, Jeffrey Collett
2019, Environmental Management (64) 626-639
Agricultural emissions are the primary source of ammonia (NH3) deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), a Class I area, that is granted special air quality protections under the Clean Air Act. Between 2014 and 2016, the pilot phase of the Colorado agricultural nitrogen early warning system (CANEWS) was developed...
Understanding reproductive allometry in turtles: A slippery “slope”
John B. Iverson, Peter V. Lindeman, Jeffrey E. Lovich
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 11891-11903
Measures of reproductive output in turtles are generally positively correlated with female body size. However, a full understanding of reproductive allometry in turtles requires logarithmic transformation of reproductive and body size variables prior to regression analyses. This allows for slope comparisons with expected linear or cubic...
Streamflow—Water year 2018
Xiaodong Jian, David M. Wolock, Steven J. Brady, Harry F. Lins
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3063
The maps and graphs in this summary describe national streamflow conditions for water year 2018 (October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018) in the context of streamflow ranks relative to the 89-year period of water years 1930–2018. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey National...
Differential plague susceptibility in species and populations of prairie dogs
Robin E. Russell, Daniel W. Tripp, Tonie E. Rocke
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 11962-11971
Laboratory trials conducted over the past decade at U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center indicate that wild populations of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) display different degrees of susceptibility to experimental challenge with fully virulent Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. We evaluated patterns in prairie dog susceptibility to plague to...
Potential interaction of groundwater and surface water including autonomous underwater vehicle reconnaissance at Nolin River Lake, Kentucky, 2016
Angela S. Crain, Justin A. Boldt, Randall E. Bayless, Aubrey R. Bunch, Jade L. Young, Jennifer C. Thomason, Zachary L. Wolf
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5075
The U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, on a synoptic study of water quality at Nolin River Lake during August 2016. The purpose of the study was to develop a better understanding of the potential for interaction between groundwater and surface water at...
Interactive effects of food supplementation and snake fungal disease on pregnant Pygmy Rattlesnakes and their offspring
Craig M. Lind, Amber Clark, Sarah A Smiley-Walters, Daniel Taylor, Marcos Isidoro Ayza, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Terence M. Farrell
2019, Journal of Herpetology (53) 282-288
In viviparous organisms, the ability to feed while pregnant may mitigate energetic trade-offs experienced during the reproductive process and enhance fecundity. However, anorexia during pregnancy has been reported in many crotaline snakes. The potential costs and benefits of feeding while pregnant are not completely described in the literature, and experimental...
Prediction and inference of flow-duration curves using multi-output neural networks
Scott C. Worland, Scott Steinschneider, William H. Asquith, Rodney Knight, Michael E. Wieczorek
2019, Water Resources Research (55) 6850-6868
We develop multi-output neural network models (MNNs) to predict flow-duration curves (FDCs) in 9,203 ungaged locations in the Southeastern United States for six decades between 1950-2009. The model architecture contains multiple response variables in the output layer that correspond to individual quantiles along the FDC. During training, predictions are made...
Applying the ecology of aquatic–terrestrial linkages to freshwater and riparian management
Johanna M. Kraus
2019, Freshwater Science (38) 917-918
Global stressors such as climate change, invasive species, urbanization, agricultural practices, and pollution can alter aquatic resource subsidies to terrestrial consumers. The effects of these stressors on timing, quality, and quantity of aquatic subsidies, such as adult aquatic insects, to birds, herpetofauna, and mammals, have large implications for wildlife management...
A multidisciplinary coastal vulnerability assessment for local government focused on ecosystems, Santa Barbara area, California
Monique Myers, Patrick L. Barnard, Edward Beighley, Daniel R. Cayan, Jenifer E. Dugan, Dongmei Feng, Samuel F. Iacobellis, John M. Melack, Henry M. Page
2019, Ocean and Coastal Management (182)
Incorporating coastal ecosystems in climate adaptation planning is needed to maintain the well-being of both natural and human systems. Our vulnerability study uses a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate climate change vulnerability of an urbanized coastal community that could serve as a model approach for communities worldwide, particularly in similar Mediterranean...
A spatio-contextual probabilistic model for extracting linear features in hilly terrain from high-resolution DEM data
Xiran Zhou, Wenwen Li, Samantha Arundel
2019, International Journal of Geographical Information Science (33) 666-686
This paper introduces our research in developing a probabilistic model to extract linear terrain features from high resolution DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data. The proposed model takes full advantage of spatio-contextual information to characterize terrain changes. It first derives a quantifiable measure of spatio-contextual patterns of linear terrain feature, such...
Modeling sediment bypassing around idealized rocky headlands
Douglas A. George, John L. Largier, Greg B. Pasternack, Patrick L. Barnard, Curt D. Storlazzi, Li H. Erikson
2019, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (7)
Alongshore sediment bypassing rocky headlands remains understudied despite the importance of characterizing littoral processes for erosion abatement, beach management, and climate change adaptation. To address this gap, a numerical model sediment transport study was developed to identify controlling factors and mechanisms for sediment headland bypassing potential. Four idealized headlands were...
Regionalization of groundwater residence time using metamodeling
J. Jeffrey Starn, Kenneth Belitz
2019, Water Resources Research (54) 6357-6373
Groundwater residence-time distributions (RTDs) are critical for assessing susceptibility of water resources to degradation. A novel combination of numerical modeling and statistical methods allows estimation of regional RTDs with unprecedented speed. In this method, particle RTDs are generated in 30 type locales in the northeastern glaciated U.S using automated...
Controls on petroleum resources for the Devonian Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin Province, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York
D.K. Higley, Catherine B. Enomoto, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2019, Mountain Geologist (56) 323-364
Greater than 33 trillion cubic feet of gas, 68 million barrels of natural gas liquids (NGL), and 192 million barrels of water have been produced from the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Hamilton Group in the Appalachian Basin. These volumes are from more than 11,700 non-commingled wells. Areas of...
Effects of ocean climate on the length and condition of forage fish in the Gulf of Alaska
Sarah Ann Thompson, Marisol Garcia-Reyes, William Sydeman, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Scott Hatch, John F. Piatt
2019, Fisheries Oceanography (28) 658-671
Climatic drivers of the size and body condition of forage fish in the North Pacific are poorly known. We hypothesized that length and condition of forage fish in the Gulf of Alaska (GoA) should vary in relation to ocean temperature on multiple scales. To test this...
In vitro immune function in laboratory-reared age-0 smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) relative to diet
Christopher Ottinger, Cheyenne R. Smith, Vicki S. Blazer
2019, Fish & Shellfish Immunology (95) 1-10
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are used as an indicator species in environmental monitoring and assessment studies. However, laboratory-based studies for methods development and effector assessment are limited for this species. Nutrition, a known modulator of teleost physiological responses including immune function, is a critical knowledge-gap sometimes overlooked in the design...
Landscape genetics reveals unique and shared effects of urbanization for two sympatric pool-breeding amphibians
Jared J. Homola, Cynthia S. Loftin, Michael T. Kinnison
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 11799-11823
Metapopulation-structured species can be negatively affected when landscape fragmentation impairs connectivity. We investigated the effects of urbanization on genetic diversity and gene flow for two sympatric amphibian species, spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus), across a large (>35,000 km2) landscape in Maine, USA, containing numerous natural and...
Anthropogenic and geologic causes of anomalously high uranium concentrations in groundwater used for drinking water supply in the southeastern San Joaquin Valley, CA
Michael R. Rosen, Karen R. Burow, Miranda Fram
2019, Journal of Hydrology (577) 1-14
Concentrations of uranium (U) >30 µg/L in groundwater are relatively uncommon in drinking water in the United States but can be of concern in those areas where complex interactions of aquifer materials and anthropogenic alterations of the natural flow regime mobilize uranium. High concentrations (>30 µg/L) of U in...
Burial history reconstruction of the Appalachian Basin in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, using 1D petroleum system models
Debra K. Higley, Catherine B. Enomoto
2019, Mountain Geologist (56) 365-396
Nine 1D burial history models were built across the Appalachian Basin to reconstruct the burial, erosional, and thermal maturation histories of contained petroleum source rocks. Models were calibrated to measured downhole temperature and to vitrinite reflectance (% Ro) data from Devonian through Pennsylvanian petroleum source rocks. The highest levels...
Coastal Salinity Index along the southeastern Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico, 1983 to 2018
Matthew D. Petkewich, Kirsten Lackstrom, Bryan J. McCloskey, Lauren F. Rouen, Paul A. Conrads
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1090
Coastal droughts have a different dynamic than upland droughts, which are typically characterized by agricultural, hydrologic, meteorological, and (or) socioeconomic effects. Drought uniquely affects coastal ecosystems because of changes in the salinity conditions of estuarine creeks and rivers. The location of the freshwater-saltwater interface in surface-water bodies is an important...
Spatial fingerprinting of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds in an arid unsaturated zone
Christopher Green, Wentai Luo, Christopher H. Conaway, Karl B. Haase, Ronald J. Baker, Brian J. Andraski
2019, Vadose Zone Journal (18)
Subsurface volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can pose risks to human and environmental health and mediate biological processes. VOCs have both anthropogenic and biogenic origins, but the relative importance of these sources has not been explored in subsurface environments. This study synthesizes 17 years of VOC data from the Amargosa Desert...
