Synthesis of tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) data for Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) assessment at Wisconsin Areas of Concern
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Paul M. Dummer
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1032
Assessment of the “Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproductive Problems” Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) can be accomplished by (1) comparing tissue concentrations to established background and Lowest Observable Effect Level (LOEL) for reproductive effects, or (2) directly measuring reproductive success at Areas of Concern (AOCs) and statistically comparing those rates...
Nitrogen concentrations and loads for the Connecticut River at Middle Haddam, Connecticut, computed with the use of autosampling and continuous measurements of water quality for water years 2009 to 2014
John R. Mullaney, Joseph W. Martin, Jonathan Morrison
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5006
The daily and annual loads of nitrate plus nitrite and total nitrogen for the Connecticut River at Middle Haddam, Connecticut, were determined for water years 2009 to 2014. The analysis was done with a combination of methods, which included a predefined rating curve method for nitrate plus nitrite and total...
Vegetation influences on infiltration in Hawaiian soils
Kimberlie Perkins, Jonathan D. Stock, John R. Nimmo
2018, Ecohydrology (11)
Changes in vegetation communities caused by removing trees, introducing grazing ungulates, and replacing native plants with invasive species have substantially altered soil infiltration processes and rates in Hawaii. These changes directly impact run-off, erosion, plant-available water, and aquifer recharge. We hypothesize that broad vegetation communities can be characterized by distributions...
Tagging and tracking
Michelle E. Lander, Andrew J. Westgate, Brian C. Balmer, James P. Reid, Michael J. Murray, Kristen L. Laidre
2018, Book chapter, CRC handbook of marine mammal medicine, 3rd edition
The number of stranding response facilities for marine mammals in the United States has increased over the past two decades, resulting in thousands of rehabilitated marine mammals released back into the wild (Geraci and Lounsbury 2005; Moore et al. 2007; Johnson and Mayer 2015; Simeone et al. 2015). All rehabilitated...
Challenges in complementing data from ground-based sensors with satellite-derived products to measure ecological changes in relation to climate – lessons from temperate wetland-upland landscapes
Alisa L. Gallant, Walter J. Sadinski, Jesslyn F. Brown, Gabriel B. Senay, Mark F. Roth
2018, Sensors (18) 1-38
Assessing climate-related ecological changes across spatiotemporal scales meaningful to resource managers is challenging because no one method reliably produces essential data at both fine and broad scales. We recently confronted such challenges while integrating data from ground- and satellite-based sensors for an assessment of four wetland-rich study areas in the...
Population estimates of the Endangered Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa (Loxops coccineus) in different habitats on windward Mauna Loa
Seth W. Judge, Richard J. Camp, Patrick J. Hart, Scott T. Kichman
2018, Journal of Field Ornithology (89) 11-21
Endangered Hawai‘i ʻĀkepas (Loxops coccineus) are endemic to Hawai‘i island, where they occur in five spatially distinct populations. Data concerning the status and population trends of these unique Hawaiian honeycreepers are crucial for assessing the effectiveness of recovery and management actions. In 2016, we used point‐transect distance sampling to estimate...
Spatial and temporal variation in sources of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Rocky Mountains using nitrogen isotopes
Leora Nanus, Donald H. Campbell, Christopher M.B. Lehmann, M. Alisa Mast
2018, Atmospheric Environment (176) 110-119
Variation in source areas and source types of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition to high-elevation ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains were evaluated using spatially and temporally distributed N isotope data from atmospheric deposition networks for 1995-2016. This unique dataset links N in wet deposition and snowpack to mobile and stationary emissions...
Hydrologic assessment of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Christine M. Wieben, Mary M. Chepiga
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5088
The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter Forsythe refuge or the refuge) is situated along the central New Jersey coast and provides a mixture of freshwater and saltwater habitats for numerous bird, wildlife, and plant species. Little data and information were previously available regarding the freshwater dynamics that support...
Hydrogeology of, simulation of groundwater flow in, and potential effects of sea-level rise on the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in the vicinity of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
Alex R. Fiore, Lois M. Voronin, Christine M. Wieben
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5135
The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge encompasses more than 47,000 acres of New Jersey coastal habitats, including salt marshes, freshwater wetlands, tidal wetlands, barrier beaches, woodlands, and swamps. The refuge is along the Atlantic Flyway and provides breeding habitat for fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife species. The refuge...
Analyzing floating and bedfast lake ice regimes across Arctic Alaska using 25 years of space-borne SAR imagery
Melanie Engram, Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Olaniyi A Ajadi, Franz J Meyer
2018, Remote Sensing of Environment (209) 660-676
Late-winter lake ice regimes are controlled by water depth relative to maximum ice thickness (MIT). When MIT exceeds maximum water depth, lakes freeze to the bottom with bedfast ice (BI) and when MIT is less than maximum water depth lakes have floating ice (FI). Both airborne radar and space-borne synthetic aperture radar...
Development of Raman spectroscopy as a thermal maturity proxy in unconventional resource assessment
Grant A. Myers, Kelsey Kehoe, Paul C. Hackley
2018, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference
The objective of this study was to correlate shale hydrous pyrolysis with thermal maturity measurements based on solid bitumen reflectance (BRo) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Raman microscopy (RM) at WellDog. In semi-blind Phase I, BRo values of the initial set of 8 samples were withheld prior to...
Pilot testing and protocol development of giant applesnail suppression at Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana—July–October 2017
Jacoby Carter, Sergio Merino
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1041
This report provides an overview of the pilot study and description of the techniques developed for a future mitigation study of Pomacea maculata (giant applesnail) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana (MNWR). Egg mass suppression is a potential strategy for the mitigation of the...
Spatial organization of the gastrointestinal microbiota in urban Canada geese
Sergei V. Drovetski, Michael O’Mahoney, Emma J. Ransome, Kenan O. Matterson, Haw Chuan Lim, Terry Chesser, Gary R. Graves
2018, Scientific Reports (8) 1-10
Recent reviews identified the reliance on fecal or cloacal samples as a significant limitation hindering our understanding of the avian gastrointestinal (gut) microbiota and its function. We investigated the microbiota of the esophagus, duodenum, cecum, and colon of a wild urban population of Canada goose (Branta canadensis). From a population...
Construction and analysis of a giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) population projection model
Jonathan P. Rose, Julia S. M. Ersan, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Brian J. Halstead
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1164
The giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) is a state and federally threatened species precinctive to California. The range of the giant gartersnake has contracted in the last century because its wetland habitat has been drained for agriculture and development. As a result of this habitat alteration, giant gartersnakes now largely...
Isotopic insights into the degassing and secondary hydration of volcanic glass from the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens
Angela N Seligman, Ilya N. Bindeman, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Richard P. Hoblitt
2018, Bulletin of Volcanology (80)
The magmatic degassing history of newly erupted volcanic glass is recorded in its remaining volatile content. However, this history is subsequently overprinted by post-depositional (secondary) hydration, the rates and origins of which are not yet adequately constrained. Here, we present the results of a natural experiment...
Fate of antimony and arsenic in contaminated waters at the abandoned Su Suergiu mine (Sardinia, Italy)
Rosa Cidu, Elisabetta Dore, Riccardo Biddau, D. Kirk Nordstrom
2018, Mine Water and the Environment (37) 151-165
We investigated the fate of Sb and As downstream of the abandoned Su Suergiu mine (Sardinia, Italy) and surrounding areas. The mined area is a priority in the Sardinian remediation plan for contaminated sites due to the high concentrations of Sb and As in the mining-related wastes, which may impact...
Bioremediation in fractured rock: 1. Modeling to inform design, monitoring, and expectations
Claire R. Tiedeman, Allen M. Shapiro, Paul A. Hsieh, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Daniel J. Goode, Pierre Lacombe, Mary F. DeFlaun, Scott R. Drew, Carole D. Johnson, John Williams, Gary P. Curtis
2018, Groundwater (56) 300-316
Field characterization of a trichloroethene (TCE) source area in fractured mudstones produced a detailed understanding of the geology, contaminant distribution in fractures and the rock matrix, and hydraulic and transport properties. Groundwater flow and chemical transport modeling that synthesized the field characterization information proved critical for designing bioremediation of the...
Prey fish returned to Forster’s tern colonies suggest spatial and temporal differences in fish composition and availability
Sarah H. Peterson, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark P. Herzog, C. Alex Hartman
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-23
Predators sample the available prey community when foraging; thus, changes in the environment may be reflected by changes in predator diet and foraging preferences. We examined Forster’s tern (Sterna forsteri) prey species over an 11-year period by sampling approximately 10,000 prey fish returned to 17 breeding colonies in south San...
Calibration of a field-scale Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model with field placement of best management practices in Alger Creek, Michigan
Katherine R. Merriman, Amy M. Russell, Cynthia M. Rachol, Prasad Daggupati, Raghavan Srinivasan, Brett A. Hayhurst, Todd D. Stuntebeck
2018, Sustainability (10) 1-23
Subwatersheds within the Great Lakes “Priority Watersheds” were targeted by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to determine the effectiveness of the various best management practices (BMPs) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service National Conservation Planning (NCP) Database. A Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is...
Attribution analysis of the Ethiopian drought of 2015
Sjoukje Philip, Sarah F. Kew, Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, Friederike Otto, Sarah O’Keefe, Karsten Haustein, Andrew L. King, Abiy Zegeye, Zewdu Eshetu, Kinfe Hailemariam, Roop Singh, Eddie Jjemba, Chris Funk, Heidi Cullen
2018, Journal of Climate (31) 2465-2486
In northern and central Ethiopia, 2015 was a very dry year. Rainfall was only from one-half to three-quarters of the usual amount, with both the “belg” (February–May) and “kiremt” rains (June–September) affected. The timing of the rains that did fall was also erratic. Many crops failed, causing food shortages for...
Capture versus capture zones: Clarifying terminology related to sources of water to wells
Paul M. Barlow, Stanley A. Leake, Michael N. Fienen
2018, Groundwater (56) 694-704
The term capture, related to the source of water derived from wells, has been used in two distinct yet related contexts by the hydrologic community. The first is a water‐budget context, in which capture refers to decreases in the rates of groundwater outflow and (or) increases in the rates...
Conceptual model to assess water use associated with the life cycle of unconventional oil and gas development
Joshua F. Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Roy Sando, Janet M. Carter, Robert F. Lundgren
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5027
As the demand for energy increases in the United States, so does the demand for water used to produce many forms of that energy. Technological advances, limited access to conventional oil and gas accumulations, and the rise of oil and gas prices resulted in increased development of unconventional oil and...
Wetlands inform how climate extremes influence surface water expansion and contraction
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Charles R. Lane, Michael L. McManus, Laurie C. Alexander, Jay R. Christensen
2018, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (22) 1851-1873
Effective monitoring and prediction of flood and drought events requires an improved understanding of how and why surface water expansion and contraction in response to climate varies across space. This paper sought to (1) quantify how interannual patterns of surface water expansion and contraction vary spatially across the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR)...
Misleading prioritizations from modelling range shifts under climate change
Helen Sofaer, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Curtis H. Flather
2018, Global Ecology and Biogeography (27) 658-666
AimConservation planning requires the prioritization of a subset of taxa and geographical locations to focus monitoring and management efforts. Integration of the threats and opportunities posed by climate change often relies on predictions from species distribution models, particularly for assessments of vulnerability or invasion risk for multiple taxa. We evaluated...
Stress concentrations at structural discontinuities in active fault zones in the western United States: Implications for permeability and fluid flow in geothermal fields
Drew L. Siler, Nicholas H. Hinz, James E. Faulds
2018, GSA Bulletin (130) 1273-1288
Slip can induce concentration of stresses at discontinuities along fault systems. These structural discontinuities, i.e., fault terminations, fault step-overs, intersections, bends, and other fault interaction areas, are known to host fluid flow in ore deposition systems, oil and gas reservoirs, and geothermal systems. We modeled stress transfer associated with slip...
