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...
A conservation paradox in the Great Basin—Altering sagebrush landscapes with fuel breaks to reduce habitat loss from wildfire
Douglas J. Shinneman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew J. Germino, David S. Pilliod, Nicole M. Vaillant
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1034
Interactions between fire and nonnative, annual plant species (that is, “the grass/fire cycle”) represent one of the greatest threats to sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems and associated wildlife, including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). In 2015, U.S. Department of the Interior called for a “science-based strategy to reduce the threat...
The isometric log-ratio (ilr)-ion plot: A proposed alternative to the Piper diagram
Jenna L. Shelton, Mark A. Engle, Antonella Buccianti, Madalyn S. Blondes
2018, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (190) 130-141
The Piper diagram has been a staple for the analysis of water chemistry data since its introduction in 1944. It was conceived to be a method for water classification, determination of potential water mixing between end-members, and to aid in the identification of chemical reactions controlling a sample set. This...
Pleistocene vertical motions of the Costa Rican outer forearc from subducting topography and a migrating fracture zone triple junction
Joel H. Edwards, Jared W. Kluesner, Eli A. Silver, Nathan L. Bangs
2018, Geosphere (14) 1-25
Understanding the links between subducting slabs and upper-plate deformation is a longstanding goal in the field of tectonics. New 3D seismic sequence stratigraphy, mapped within the Costa Rica Seismogenesis Project (CRISP) seismic-reflection volume offshore southern Costa Rica, spatiotemporally constrains several Pleistocene outer forearc processes and provides clearer connections to subducting...
Hydrogeologic applications for historical records and images from rock samples collected at the Nevada National Security Site and vicinity, Nye County, Nevada - A supplement to Data Series 297
David B. Wood
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1011
Rock samples have been collected, analyzed, and interpreted from drilling and mining operations at the Nevada National Security Site for over one-half of a century. Records containing geologic and hydrologic analyses and interpretations have been compiled into a series of databases. Rock samples have been photographed and thin sections...
Nest predation risk explains variation in avian clutch size
Kristen G. Dillon, Courtney J. Conway
2018, Behavioral Ecology (29) 301-311
Questions about the ecological drivers of, and mechanistic constraints on, productivity have driven research on life-history evolution for decades. Resource availability and offspring mortality are considered among the 2 most important influences on the number of offspring per reproductive attempt. We used a factorial experimental design to manipulate food abundance...
Restricted access Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, increases faunal diversity through physical engineering
Robert J. Miller, Kevin D. Lafferty, Thomas Lamy, Li Kui, Andrew Rassweiler, Daniel C. Reed
2018, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (285)
Foundation species define the ecosystems they live in, but ecologists have often characterized dominant plants as foundational without supporting evidence. Giant kelp has long been considered a marine foundation species due to its complex structure and high productivity; however, there is little quantitative evidence to evaluate this. Here, we apply...
Direct fitness benefits and kinship of social foraging groups in an Old World tropical babbler
Sara A. Kaiser, Thomas E. Martin, Juan C. Oteyza, Connor E. Armstad, Robert C. Fleischer
2018, Behavioral Ecology (29) 468-478
Molecular studies have revealed that social groups composed mainly of nonrelatives may be widespread in group-living vertebrates, but the benefits favoring such sociality are not well understood. In the Old World, birds often form conspecific foraging groups that are maintained year-round and offspring usually disperse to other social groups. We...
Investigating the origin of continual radio frequency impulses during explosive volcanic eruptions
Sonja A Behnke, Harald E Edens, Ron J Thomas, Cassandra M Smith, Steve R McNutt, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Corrado Cimarelli, Valeria Cigala
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres (123) 4157-4174
Volcanic lightning studies have revealed that there is a relatively long‐lasting source of very high frequency radiation associated with the onset of explosive volcanic eruptions that is distinct from radiation produced by lightning. This very high frequency signal is referred to as “continual radio frequency (CRF)” due...
Migratory hummingbirds make their own rules: The decision to resume migration along a barrier
Theodore J. Zenzal, Frank R. Moore, Robert H. Diehl, Michael B. Ward, JIll Deppe
2018, Animal Behaviour (137) 215-224
Knowing how naïve migrants respond to intrinsic and extrinsic factors experienced en route will allow a more thorough understanding of the endogenous migratory programme. To understand how inexperienced individuals respond to ecological features, we tracked the migratory departures of juvenile ruby-throated hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris,...
Assessment of geochemical and hydrologic conditions near Old Yuma Mine in Saguaro National Park, Arizona, 2014–17
Kimberly R. Beisner, Floyd Gray
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5019
The Old Yuma Mine is an abandoned copper, lead, zinc, silver, and gold mine located within the boundaries of Saguaro National Park, Tucson Mountain District, Arizona. This study analyzed the geochemistry of sediments associated with the Old Yuma Mine and assessed hydrologic and geochemical conditions of groundwater to evaluate the...
Winter feeding of elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and its effects on disease dynamics
Gavin G. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Eric K. Cole, Rebecca K. Fuda, Jared D. Rogerson, Brandon Scurlock, Johan T. du Toit
2018, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (373) 1-9
Providing food to wildlife during periods when natural food is limited results in aggregations that may facilitate disease transmission. This is exemplified in western Wyoming where institutional feeding over the past century has aimed to mitigate wildlife–livestock conflict and minimize winter mortality of elk (Cervus canadensis). Here we review research...
Rapid growth of the US wildland-urban interface raises wildfire risk
Volker C. Radeloff, David P. Helmers, H. Anu Kramer, Miranda H. Mockrin, Patricia M. Alexandre, Avi Bar-Massada, Van Butsic, Todd Hawbaker, Sebastian Martinuzzi, Alexandra D. Syphard, Susan I. Stewart
2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (115) 3314-3319
The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the area where houses and wildland vegetation meet or intermingle, and where wildfire problems are most pronounced. Here we report that the WUI in the United States grew rapidly from 1990 to 2010 in terms of both number of new houses (from 30.8 to 43.4...
Evaluation of acoustic telemetry grids for determining aquatic animal movement and survival
Richard T. Kraus, Christopher Holbrook, Christopher Vandergoot, Taylor R. Stewart, Matthew D. Faust, Douglas A. Watkinson, Colin Charles, Mark Pegg, Eva C. Enders, Charles C. Krueger
2018, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (9) 1489-1502
Acoustic telemetry studies have frequently prioritized linear configurations of hydrophone receivers, such as perpendicular from shorelines or across rivers, to detect the presence of tagged aquatic animals. This approach introduces unknown bias when receivers are stationed for convenience at geographic bottlenecks (e.g., at the mouth of an embayment or between...
Inferred fish behavior its implications for hydroacoustic surveys in nearshore habitats
Mark R. DuFour, Christine M. Mayer, Song S. Qian, Christopher Vandergoot, Richard T. Kraus, Patrick Kocovsky, David M. Warner
2018, Fisheries Research (199) 63-75
Population availability and vessel avoidance effects on hydroacoustic abundance estimates may be scale dependent; therefore, it is important to evaluate these biases across systems. We performed an inter-ship comparison survey to determine the effect of vessel size, day-night period, depth, and environmental gradients on walleye (Sander vitreus) density estimates in...
Spatial capture–recapture with partial identity: An application to camera traps
Ben C. Augustine, J. Andrew Royle, Marcella J. Kelly, Christopher B. Satter, Robert S. Alonso, Erin E. Boydston, Kevin R. Crooks
2018, Annals of Applied Statistics (12) 67-95
Camera trapping surveys frequently capture individuals whose identity is only known from a single flank. The most widely used methods for incorporating these partial identity individuals into density analyses discard some of the partial identity capture histories, reducing precision, and, while not previously recognized, introducing bias. Here, we present the...
Collection methods, data compilation, and lessons learned from a study of stream geomorphology associated with riparian cattle grazing along the Fever River, University of Wisconsin- Platteville Pioneer Farm, Wisconsin, 2004–11
Marie C. Peppler, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
2018, Open-File Report 2016-1179
Stream geomorphic characteristics were monitored along a 0.8-mile reach of the Fever River in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin from 2004 to 2011 where cattle grazed in paddocks along the riverbank at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Pioneer Farm. The study reach encompassed seven paddocks that covered a total of...
A brief geological history of Cockspur Island at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia
Christopher S. Swezey, Ellen Seefelt, Mercer Parker
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3011
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island in Chatham County, Georgia, within the Atlantic Coastal Plain province. The island lies near the mouth of the Savannah River, and consists of small mounds (hummocks), salt marshes, and sediment dredged from the river. A 1,017-foot (ft) (310-meter [m])-deep core drilled...
Avian predator buffers against variability in marine habitats with flexible foraging behavior
Sarah K. Schoen, John F. Piatt, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Brielle Heflin, Erica N. Madison, Gary S. Drew, Martin Renner, Nora A. Rojek, David C. Douglas, Anthony R. DeGange
2018, Marine Biology (165) 1-14
How well seabirds compensate for variability in prey abundance and composition near their breeding colonies influences their distribution and reproductive success. We used tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) as forage fish samplers to study marine food webs from the western Aleutian Islands (53°N, 173°E) to Kodiak Island (57°N, 153°W),...
Flooding in the southern Midwestern United States, April–May 2017
David C. Heimann, Robert R. Holmes Jr., Thomas E. Harris
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1004
Excessive rainfall resulted in flooding on numerous rivers throughout the southern Midwestern United States (southern Midwest) in late April and early May of 2017. The heaviest rainfall, between April 28 and 30, resulted in extensive flooding from eastern Oklahoma to southern Indiana including parts of Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois.Peak-of-record streamflows...
Raptor interactions with wind energy: Case studies from around the world
Richard T. Watson, Patrick S. Kolar, Miguel Ferrer, Torgeir Nygard, Naira Johnston, W. Grainger Hunt, Hanneline A. Smit-Robinson, Christopher J Farmer, Manuela M. Huso, Todd E. Katzner
2018, Journal of Raptor Research (52) 1-18
The global potential for wind power generation is vast, and the number of installations is increasing rapidly. We review case studies from around the world of the effects on raptors of wind-energy development. Collision mortality, displacement, and habitat loss have the potential to cause population-level effects, especially for species that...
Preliminary stage and streamflow data at selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in Maine and New Hampshire for the flood of October 30–31, 2017
Richard G. Kiah, Nicholas W. Stasulis
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1026
Rainfall from a storm on October 24–27, 2017, and Tropical Storm Philippe on October 29–30, created conditions that led to flooding across portions of New Hampshire and western Maine. On the basis of streamflow data collected at 30 selected U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages in the Androscoggin River, Connecticut River,...
Kinematics of the 2015 San Ramon, California earthquake swarm: Implications for fault zone structure and driving mechanisms
Lian Xu, Roland Bürgmann, David R. Shelly, Christopher Johnson, Taka'aki Taira
2018, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (489) 135-144
Earthquake swarms represent a sudden increase in seismicity that may indicate a heterogeneous fault-zone, the involvement of crustal fluids and/or slow fault slip. Swarms sometimes precede major earthquake ruptures. An earthquake swarm occurred in October 2015 near San Ramon, California in an extensional right step-over region between the northern Calaveras Fault and the Concord–Mt. Diablo fault...
How will East African maize yields respond to climate change and can agricultural development mitigate this response?
Frank Davebport, Chris Funk, Gideon Galu
2018, Climatic Change (147) 491-506
We analyze the response of Kenyan maize yields to near-term climate change and explore potential mitigation options. We model county level yields as a function of rainfall and temperature during a period of increased regional warming and drying (1989–2008). We then do a counter factual analysis...
Energetic solutions of Rock Sandpipers to harsh winter conditions rely on prey quality
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Anne Dekinga, Robert E. Gill Jr., Theunis Piersma
2018, Ibis (160) 397-412
Rock Sandpipers Calidris ptilocnemis have the most northerly non-breeding distribution of any shorebird in the Pacific Basin (upper Cook Inlet, Alaska; 61°N, 151°W). In terms of freezing temperatures, persistent winds and pervasive ice, this site is the harshest used by shorebirds during winter. We integrated physiological, metabolic, behavioural and environmental aspects of...
