Analysis of multi-decadal wetland changes, and cumulative impact of multiple storms 1984 to 2017
Steven H. Douglas, Julie Bernier, Kathryn Smith
2018, Wetlands Ecology and Management (26) 1121-1142
Land-cover classification analysis using Landsat satellite imagery acquired between 1984 and 2017 quantified short- (post-Hurricane Sandy) and long-term wetland-change trends along the Maryland and Virginia coasts between Metompkin Bay, VA and Ocean City, MD. Although there are limited options for upland migration of wetlands in the study area, regression analysis...
Effects of transmitter type, tagging method, body size, and temperature on behavior, physiology, and swimming performance of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Russell W. Perry, Theresa L. Liedtke, editor(s)
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1186
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different tagging methods and transmitter types on juvenile salmonid behavior, mortality, physiology, and swimming performance over a range of water temperatures and fish sizes.In Chapter 1, two laboratory experiments were conducted to assess maximum burst-swimming speeds, the probability of...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Wolfcamp Shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, New Mexico and Texas, 2018
Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Katherine L. French, Janet K. Pitman, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, Michael E. Brownfield, Thomas M. Finn, Phuong A. Le
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3073
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 46.3 billion barrels of oil and 281 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin in the Permian Basin Province, southeast New Mexico...
Geometric versus anemometric surface roughness for a shallow accumulating snowpack
Jessica E. Sanow, Steven R. Fassnacht, David J. Kamin, Graham A. Sexstone, William L. Bauerle, Iuliana Oprea
2018, Geosciences (8) 1-10
When applied to a snow-covered surface, aerodynamic roughness length, z0, is typically considered as a static parameter within energy balance equations. However, field observations show that z0 changes spatially and temporally, and thus z0 incorporated as a dynamic parameter may greatly improve models. To evaluate methods for characterizing snow surface roughness, we...
New global high-resolution centerlines dataset of selected river systems
Zeenatul Basher, Abigail Lynch, William W. Taylor
2018, Data in Brief (20) 1552-1555
We present the first high resolution (1:20,000) river centerlines shapefiles from 50 large rivers across the world. Rivers were selected based on the criteria of having more than 1000 km length and which have been reported to have a significant contribution to global fishery production. Since large rivers often span multiple...
Eruptions in sync: Improved constraints on Kīlauea Volcano's hydraulic connection
Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr, Kyle R. Anderson, Don Swanson
2018, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (507) 50-61
Kīlauea Volcano is an archetype for the complex interactions that can occur between a volcano’s summit and flanks. Decades of monitoring at Kīlauea have demonstrated that magma rises beneath the summit and flows laterally at shallow depths to erupt along the rift zones. Kīlauea’s recent eruptions at Halema‘uma‘u...
Quantifying effects of deer browsing on vegetation establishment, growth and development in large-extent overwash fans
Chellby R. Kilheffer, Lindsay Reis, Jordan Raphael, H. Brian Underwood
2018, Natural Resource Report 2019/2037
Hurricane Sandy provided a unique opportunity to better understand the potential effects of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis) on recovering vegetation in areas overwashed by Hurricane Sandy in the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness Area. White-tailed deer are the dominant herbivore on Fire Island and they are known...
What environmental conditions reduce predation vulnerability for juvenile Colorado River native fishes?
David L. Ward, Benjamin Vaage
2018, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (10) 196-205
The incompatibility of native Colorado River fishes and nonnative warm-water sport fishes is well documented with predation by nonnative species causing rapid declines and even extirpation of native species in most locations. In a few rare instances native fishes are able to survive and recruit despite the presence of nonnative...
Updated California aftershock parameters
Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Andrea L. Llenos, Andrew J. Michael, Morgan T. Page, Nicholas van der Elst
2018, Seismological Research Letters (90) 262-270
Reasenberg and Jones (1989) introduced a statistical model for aftershock rate following a mainshock along with estimates of “generic” California parameter values based on past aftershock sequences. The Reasenberg and Jones (1989) model has been used for decades to issue aftershock forecasts following <span...
An experimental comparison of composite and grab sampling of stream water for metagenetic analysis of environmental DNA
Robert S. Cornman, James E. McKenna Jr., Jennifer A. Fike, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Robin Johnson
2018, PeerJ (6) 1-28
Use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess distributions of aquatic and semi-aquatic macroorganisms is promising, but sampling schemes may need to be tailored to specific objectives. Given the potentially high variance in aquatic eDNA among replicate grab samples, compositing smaller water volumes collected over a period of time may be...
Vibration monitoring results near a bat hibernaculum at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, March 2016
Ryan F. Adams, William S. Morrow, Carolyn M. Koebel
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5129
Vibrations originating from construction of a new walkway in a passage of Mammoth Cave, from walking personnel simulating a bat survey, and from ambient sources were measured near a bat hibernaculum beneath Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, to determine if the vibrations were disturbing the hibernating bats. Data presented indicate...
Interactive tool to estimate groundwater elevations in central and eastern North Dakota
Rochelle A. Nustad, William C. Damschen, Aldo V. Vecchia
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1185
This report describes an interactive tool (NDakGWtool) in which a statistical model is developed using locally weighted regression to estimate monthly mean groundwater elevations for a specified latitude and longitude, referred to as the “user-specified location.” For each user-specified location, seven models are developed for each month from April through...
Reconstructing lava flow emplacement histories with rheological and morphological analyses: the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Hannah R. Dietterich, Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten, Hani M. Zahran
2018, Bulletin of Volcanology (80) 1-23
Mafic volcanic fields are widespread, but few have erupted in historic times, providing limited observations of the magnitudes, dynamics, and timescales of lava flow emplacement in these settings. To expand our knowledge of effusive mafic eruptions, we must evaluate solidified flows to discern syn-eruptive conditions. The Harrat Rahat volcanic field...
Waterfowl spring migratory behavior and avian influenza transmission risk in the changing landscape of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
Jeffery D. Sullivan, John Y. Takekawa, Kyle A. Spragens, Scott H. Newman, Xiangming Xiao, Paul J. Leader, Bena Smith, Diann J. Prosser
2018, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (6) 1-14
Avian influenza has advanced from a regional concern to a global health issue with significant economic, trade, and public health implications. Wild birds, particularly waterfowl (Anseriformes), are known reservoirs for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIV) and recent studies have shown their potential in the spread of highly pathogenic forms of...
Rising tides: Assessing habitat vulnerability for an endangered salt marsh-dependent species with sea-level rise
Jordan A. Rosencranz, Karen M. Thorne, Kevin Buffington, Cory T. Overton, John Takekawa, Michael L. Casazza, Jennifer McBroom, Julian K. Wood, Nadav Nur, Richard L. Zembal, Glen M. MacDonald, Richard F. Ambrose
2018, Wetlands (39) 1-16
Salt marsh-dependent species are vulnerable to impacts of sea-level rise (SLR). Site-specific differences in ecogeomorphic processes result in different SLR vulnerabilities. SLR impacts to Ridgway’s rail (Rallus obsoletus) of Southern California (SC) and San Francisco Bay (SF), U.S.A. could foreshadow SLR effects on other coastal endemic species. Salt...
Potential effects of GPS transmitters on greater sage-grouse survival in a post-fire landscape
Lee J. Foster, Katie Dugger, Christian A. Hagen, David A. Budeau
2018, Wildlife Biology (2018)
Rigorous monitoring and evaluation of wildlife population performance because of management or disturbance often relies upon the handling and marking of animals. Such studies must assume that marking animals does not affect their behavior or demography. We examined survival of greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus post wildfire in southeastern Oregon, USA. We observed...
Twenty-nine years of population dynamics in a small-bodied montane amphibian
Erin L. Muths, R D Scherer, S M Amburgey, PS Corn
2018, Ecosphere (9)
Identifying population declines before they reach crisis proportions is imperative given the current global decline in vertebrate fauna and associated challenges and expense of recovery. Understanding life histories and how the environment influences demography are critical aspects of this challenge, as is determining the biological relevance of covariates that are...
North Atlantic midlatitude surface-circulation changes through the Plio-Pleistocene intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation
Clara T. Bolton, Ian Bailey, Oliver Friedrich, Kazuyo Tachikawa, Thibault de Garidel-Thoron, Laurence Vidal, Corinne Sonzogni, Gianluca Marino, Eelco J. Rohling, Marci M. Robinson, Magali Ermini, Mirjam Koch, Matthew J. Cooper, Paul A. Wilson
2018, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology (33) 1186-1205
The North Atlantic Current (NAC) transports warm salty water to high northern latitudes, with important repercussions for ocean circulation and global climate. A southward displacement of the NAC and Subarctic Front, which separate subpolar and subtropical water masses, is widely suggested for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and may have...
Geologic map of the central Beaverhead Mountains, Lemhi County, Idaho, and Beaverhead County, Montana
Karen Lund
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3413
This geologic map of the central Beaverhead Mountains portrays a complex geologic history of depositional basin development interspersed with deformational events. Generalized geology for young basins, compiled from sources on both sides of the range, is combined with newly mapped bedrock geology to better integrate geologic development of the map...
Prioritization framework for ranking riverine ecosystem stressors using example sites from the Tualatin River Basin, Oregon
Steven Sobieszczyk, Krista L. Jones, Stewart A. Rounds, Elena B. Nilsen, Jennifer L. Morace
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5153
As human populations increase, so does their influence over the environment. Altered terrain, degraded water quality, and threatened or endangered species are all-too-common consequences of a growing anthropogenic influence on the landscape. To help manage these effects, researchers have developed new ways to characterize current environmental conditions and help...
Status and Trends in the Lake Superior Fish Community, 2017
Mark Vinson, Lori M. Evrard, Owen T. Gorman, Daniel Yule
2018, Book chapter, Complied reports to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission of the annual bottom trawl and acoustics surveys, 2017
In 2017, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom trawls at 76 nearshore and 36 offshore stations. Spring nearshore and summer offshore water temperatures in 2017 were similar to slightly cooler than the 1991-2017 average. In the nearshore zone, a total of 28,902 individual fish from 27...
Flood-inundation maps for the Salamonie River at Portland, Indiana
Kellan R. Strauch
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5132
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.5-mile reach of the Salamonie River at Portland, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science website at https://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict...
Size-structured habitat selection by arapaima in floodplain lakes of the lower Amazon
Paul L. Angermeier, Jordan C. Richard, Leandro Castello, Daniel J. Gurdak, Brandon K. Peoples
2018, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (28) 1403-1413
Human modification of floodplain ecosystems is widespread and a major threat to fish populations, particularly in the tropics where fish diversity and rates of floodplain degradation are high. Identifying measures to minimize the susceptibility of floodplain fishes to habitat modification requires understanding dry-season lake habitat selection for species of...
Prairie reconstruction unpredictability and complexity: What is the rate of reconstruction failures?
Jack E. Norland, Cami S. Dixon, Diane L. Larson, Kristine L. Askerooth, Benjamin A. Geaumont
2018, Ecological Restoration (36) 263-266
The outcomes of prairie reconstructions are subject to both unpredictability and complexity. Prairie, tallgrass, and mixed grass reconstruction is defined as the planting of a native herbaceous seed mixture composed of multiple prairie species (10 or more) in an area where the land has been heavily cultivated or anthropogenically disturbed....
Simulating the evolution of fluid underpressures in the Great Plains, by incorporation of tectonic uplift and tilting, with a groundwater flow model
Amjad M. J. Umari, Philip H. Nelson, Gary D. Lecain
2018, Geofluids (2018) 1-30
Underpressures (subhydrostatic heads) in the Paleozoic units underlying the Great Plains of North America are a consequence of Cenozoic uplift of the area. Based on tectonostratigraphic data, we have developed a cumulative uplift history with superimposed periods of deposition and erosion for the Great Plains for the period from 40 Ma...
