Corrugated megathrust revealed offshore from Costa Rica
Joel H. Edwards, Jared W. Kluesner, Eli A. Silver, Emily E. Brodsky, Daniel S. Brothers, Nathan L. Bangs, James D. Kirkpatrick, Ruby Wood, Kristina Okamato
2018, Nature Geoscience (11) 197-202
Exhumed faults are rough, often exhibiting topographic corrugations oriented in the direction of slip; such features are fundamental to mechanical processes that drive earthquakes and fault evolution. However, our understanding of corrugation genesis remains limited due to a lack of in situ observations at depth, especially at subducting plate boundaries....
The potential of unmanned aerial systems for sea turtle research and conservation: a review and future directions
Alan F. Rees, Larisa Avens, Katia Ballorain, Elizabeth Bevan, Annette C. Broderick, Raymond R. Carthy, Marjolijn J. A. Christianen, Gwenael Duclos, Michael R. Heithaus, David W. Johnston, Jeffrey C. Mangel, Frank V. Paladino, Kellie Pendoley, Richard D. Reina, Nathan J. Robinson, Robert Ryan, Seth T. Sykora-Bodie, Dominic Tilley, Miguel R. Varela, Elizabeth R. Whitman, Paul A. Whittock, Thane Wibbels, Brendan J. Godley
2018, Endangered Species Research (35) 81-100
The use of satellite systems and manned aircraft surveys for remote data collection has been shown to be transformative for sea turtle conservation and research by enabling the collection of data on turtles and their habitats over larger areas than can be achieved by surveys on foot or by boat....
Evaluating GPS biologging technology for studying spatial ecology of large constricting snakes
Brian Smith, Kristen M. Hart, Frank J. Mazzotti, Mathieu Basille, Christina M. Romagosa
2018, Animal Biotelemetry (6)
Background: GPS telemetry has revolutionized the study of animal spatial ecology in the last two decades. Until recently, it has mainly been deployed on large mammals and birds, but the technology is rapidly becoming miniaturized, and applications in diverse taxa are becoming possible. Large constricting snakes are...
Genomic evolution, recombination, and inter-strain diversity of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis
Cheryl L. Morrison, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Thierry M. Work, Elizabeth Fahsbender, Mya Breitbart, Cynthia R. Adams, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Lakyn Sanders, Mathias Ackermann, Robert S. Cornman
2018, PeerJ (6) 1-33
Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is a herpesvirus associated with fibropapillomatosis (FP) in sea turtles worldwide. Single-locus typing has previously shown differentiation between Atlantic and Pacific strains of this virus, with low variation within each geographic clade. However, a lack of multi-locus genomic sequence data hinders understanding of the rate and...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Wyoming Thrust Belt Province, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, 2017
Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, Michael E. Brownfield, Phuong A. Le, Timothy R. Klett, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Thomas M. Finn, Kristen R. Marra, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2018, Fact Sheet 2017-3091
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 26 million barrels of oil and 700 billion cubic feet of gas in the Wyoming Thrust Belt Province, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah....
Volume-weighted particle-tracking method for solute-transport modeling; Implementation in MODFLOW–GWT
Richard B. Winston, Leonard F. Konikow, George Z. Hornberger
2018, Techniques and Methods 6-A58
In the traditional method of characteristics for groundwater solute-transport models, advective transport is represented by moving particles that track concentration. This approach can lead to global mass-balance problems because in models of aquifers having complex boundary conditions and heterogeneous properties, particles can originate in cells having different pore volumes and...
Draft critical mineral list—Summary of methodology and background information—U.S. Geological Survey technical input document in response to Secretarial Order No. 3359
Steven M. Fortier, Nedal T. Nassar, Graham W. Lederer, Jamie Brainard, Joseph Gambogi, Erin A. McCullough
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1021
Pursuant to the Presidential Executive Order (EO) No. 13817, “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals,” the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, and in consultation with the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies, was tasked with developing...
Phytoforensics: Trees as bioindicators of potential indoor exposure via vapor intrusion
Jordan L. Wilson, V.A. Samaranayake, Matthew A. Limmer, Joel G. Burken
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-17
Human exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via vapor intrusion (VI) is an emerging public health concern with notable detrimental impacts on public health. Phytoforensics, plant sampling to semi-quantitatively delineate subsurface contamination, provides a potential non-invasive screening approach to detect VI potential, and plant sampling is effective and also time-...
Combining InSAR and GPS to determine transient movement and thickness of a seasonally active low-gradient translational landslide
Xie Hu, Zhong Lu, Thomas C. Pierson, Rebecca Kramer, David L. George
2018, Geophysical Research Letters (45) 1453-1462
The combined application of continuous Global Positioning System data (high temporal resolution) with spaceborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar data (high spatial resolution) can reveal much more about the complexity of large landslide movement than is possible with geodetic measurements tied to only a few specific measurement sites. This approach is...
Molecular and morphological data reveal non-monophyly and speciation in imperiled freshwater mussels (Anodontoides and Strophitus)
Chase H. Smith, Nathan A. Johnson, John M. Pfeiffer, Michael M. Gangloff
2018, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (119) 50-62
Accurate taxonomic placement is vital to conservation efforts considering many intrinsic biological characteristics of understudied species are inferred from closely related taxa. The rayed creekshell, Anodontoides radiatus (Conrad, 1834), exists in the Gulf of Mexico drainages from western Florida to Louisiana and has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered...
Grass is not always greener: Rodenticide exposure of a threatened species near marijuana growing operations
Alan B. Franklin, Peter C. Carlson, Angela Rex, Jeremy T. Rockweit, David Garza, Emily Culhane, Steven F Volker, Robert J. Dusek, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Mourad W. Gabriel, Katherine E. Horak
2018, BMC Research Notes (11)
ObjectiveMarijuana (Cannabis spp.) growing operations (MGO) in California have increased substantially since the mid-1990s. One environmental side-effect of MGOs is the extensive use of anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) to prevent damage to marijuana plants caused by wild rodents. In association with a long-term demographic study, we...
Spatial patterns and temporal changes in atmospheric-mercury deposition for the midwestern USA, 2001–2016
Martin R. Risch, Donna M. Kenski
2018, Atmosphere (9) 1-20
Spatial patterns and temporal changes in atmospheric-mercury (Hg) deposition were examined in a five-state study area in the Midwestern USA where 32% of the stationary sources of anthropogenic Hg emissions in the continental USA were located. An extensive monitoring record for wet and dry Hg deposition was compiled for 2001–2016,...
Host-pathogen metapopulation dynamics suggest high elevation refugia for boreal toads
Brittany A. Mosher, Larissa L. Bailey, Erin L. Muths, Kathryn P. Huyvaert
2018, Ecological Applications (28) 926-937
Emerging infectious diseases are an increasingly common threat to wildlife. Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is an emerging infectious disease that has been linked to amphibian declines around the world. Few studies exist that explore amphibian-Bd dynamics at the landscape scale, limiting our ability to identify which factors are...
Analysis of vegetation recovery surrounding a restored wetland using the normalized difference infrared index (NDII) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)
Natalie R. Wilson, Laura Norman
2018, International Journal of Remote Sensing (39) 3243-3274
Watershed restoration efforts seek to rejuvenate vegetation, biological diversity, and land productivity at Cienega San Bernardino, an important wetland in southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Rock detention and earthen berm structures were built on the Cienega San Bernardino over the course of four decades, beginning in 1984 and continuing...
Molecular phylogeny of the Nearctic and Mesoamerican freshwater mussel genus Megalonaias
John M. Pfeiffer III, Ashley Sharpe, Nathan A. Johnson, Kitty F. Emery, Lawrence M. Page
2018, Hydrobiologia (811) 139-151
Megalonaias is the most geographically widespread genus of the subfamily Ambleminae and is distributed across much of the eastern half of North America, from Minnesota to Nicaragua. Despite the large geographic distribution, the species-level diversity of Megalonaias is quite depauperate (2 spp.), suggesting the genus may not be constrained...
Characterizing the subsurface geology in and around the U.S. Army Camp Stanley Storage Activity, south-central Texas
Charles D. Blome, Allan K. Clark
2018, Fact Sheet 2017-3090
Several U.S. Geological Survey projects, supported by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, have used multi-disciplinary approaches over a 14-year period to reveal the surface and subsurface geologic frameworks of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers of central Texas and the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer of south-central Oklahoma. Some of the project achievements...
Landsat classification of surface-water presence during multiple years to assess response of playa wetlands to climatic variability across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative region
Daniel J. Manier, Jennifer R. Rover
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1166
To improve understanding of the distribution of ecologically important, ephemeral wetland habitats across the Great Plains, the occurrence and distribution of surface water in playa wetland complexes were documented for four different years across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) region. This information is important because it informs land...
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published since January 2015
Sarah K. Carter, Daniel J. Manier, Robert S. Arkle, Aaron N. Johnston, Susan L. Phillips, Steven E. Hanser, Zachary H. Bowen
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1008
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter GRSG) has been a focus of scientific investigation and management action for the past two decades. The 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listing determination of “not warranted” was in part due to a large-scale collaborative effort to develop strategies to conserve GRSG populations...
International Limnogeology Congress (ILIC6), Reno USA, special issue on new limnogeological research focused on Holocene lake systems
Scott W. Starratt, Michael R. Rosen
2018, Conference Paper, Journal of Paleolimnology
The 6th International Limnogeology Congress (ILIC6) of the International Association of Limnogeology (IAL) was held in Reno, Nevada, USA 15–19 June, 2015. The successful congress brought together a wide variety of academic, government, and industry participants from 20 countries and six continents. The highpoint of the four-day meeting were eight...
Factors affecting mercury stable isotopic distribution in piscivorous fish of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Ryan F. Lepak, Sarah E. Janssen, Runsheng Yin, Jacob M. Ogorek, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F. DeWild, Michael T. Tate, Thomas M. Holsen, James P. Hurley
Sarah E. Janssen, Runsheng Yin, Jacob M. Ogorek, John F. DeWild, Michael T. Tate, Thomas M. Holsen, James P. Hurley, editor(s)
2018, Environmental Science & Technology (52) 2768-2776
Identifying the sources of methylmercury (MeHg) and tracing the transformations of mercury (Hg) in the aquatic food web are important components of effective strategies for managing current and legacy Hg sources. In our previous work, we measured stable isotopes of Hg (δ202Hg, Δ199Hg, and Δ200Hg) in the Laurentian Great Lakes...
Egg turning behavior and incubation temperature in Forster’s terns in relation to mercury contamination
Gregory T. Taylor, Joshua T. Ackerman, Scott A. Shaffer
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-16
Egg turning behavior is an important determinant of egg hatchability, but it remains relatively understudied. Here, we examined egg turning rates and egg temperatures in Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri). We used artificial eggs containing a data logger with a 3-D accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a temperature thermistor to monitor parental...
Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole Region
Lauren E. Hay, Parker A. Norton, Roland J. Viger, Steven L. Markstrom, R. Steve Regan, Melanie K. Vanderhoof
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 462-479
In this study, the Precipitation-Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) was used to simulate changes in surface-water depression storage in the 1,126-km2 Upper Pipestem Creek basin located within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, USA. The Prairie Pothole Region is characterized by millions of small water bodies (or surface-water depressions) that provide...
Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies
Benjamin I. Watson, John W. Williams, James M. Russell, Stephen T. Jackson, Linda Shane, Thomas V. Lowell
2018, Quaternary Science Reviews (182) 78-92
Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on...
Greater sage-grouse science (2015–17)—Synthesis and potential management implications
Steven E. Hanser, Patricia A. Deibert, John C. Tull, Natasha B. Carr, Cameron L. Aldridge, Travis D. Bargsten, Thomas J. Christiansen, Peter S. Coates, Michele R. Crist, Kevin E. Doherty, Ethan A. Ellsworth, Lee J. Foster, Vicki A. Herren, Kevin H. Miller, Ann Moser, Robin M. Naeve, Karen L. Prentice, Thomas E. Remington, Mark A. Ricca, Douglas J. Shinneman, Richard L. Truex, Lief A. Wiechman, Dereck C. Wilson, Zachary H. Bowen
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1017
Executive SummaryThe greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter called “sage-grouse”), a species that requires sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), has experienced range-wide declines in its distribution and abundance. These declines have prompted substantial research and management investments to improve the understanding of sage-grouse and its habitats and reverse declines in distribution and population...
Consortial brown tide − picocyanobacteria blooms in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
Nathan S Hall, R. Wayne Litaker, W. Judson Kenworthy, Mark W. Vandersea, William G. Sunda, James P. Reid, Daniel H. Slone, Susan M. Butler
2018, Harmful Algae (73) 30-43
A brown tide bloom of Aureoumbra lagunensis developed in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba during a period of drought in 2013 that followed heavy winds and rainfall from Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. Based on satellite images and water turbidity measurements, the bloom appeared to initiate in January 2013. The causative species (A....
