Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017
Richard G. Stanley, Christopher J. Potter, Kristen A. Lewis, Paul G. Lillis, Anjana K. Shah, Peter J. Haeussler, Jeffrey D. Phillips, Zenon C. Valin, Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald M. Drake II, Thomas M. Finn, Seth S. Haines, Debra K. Higley, David W. Houseknecht, Phuong A. Le, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Stanley T. Paxton, Ofori N. Pearson, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, Margarita V. Zyrianova
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Susitna Basin of southern Alaska. Using a geology-based methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of about 2 million barrels of oil and nearly 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas...
Response of moose to a high‐density road network
David W. Wattles, Katherine A. Zeller, Stephen DeStefano
2018, Journal of Wildlife Management (82) 929-939
Road networks and the disturbance associated with vehicle traffic alter animal behavior, movements, and habitat selection. The response of moose (Alces americanus) to roads has been documented in relatively rural areas, but less is known about moose response to roads in more highly roaded landscapes. We examined road‐crossing frequencies and...
Rivers are social–ecological systems: Time to integrate human dimensions into riverscape ecology and management
Jason B. Dunham, Paul L. Angermeier, Shelley D. Crausbay, Amanda E. Cravens, Hannah Gosnell, Jamie McEvoy, Max A. Moritz, Nejem Raheem, Todd Sanford
2018, WIREs Water (5) 1-10
Incorporation of concepts from landscape ecology into understanding and managing riverine ecosystems has become widely known as riverscape ecology. Riverscape ecology emphasizes interactions among processes at different scales and their consequences for valued ecosystem components, such as riverine fishes. Past studies have focused strongly on understanding the ecological processes in...
A multiscale investigation of habitat use and within-river distribution of sympatric sand darter species
Patricia A. Thompson, Stuart A. Welsh, Michael P. Strager, Austin A. Rizzo
2018, Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources (2) 1-22
The western sand darter Ammocrypta clara, and eastern sand darter Ammocrypta pellucida, are sand-dwelling fishes of conservation concern. Past research has emphasized the importance of studying individual populations of conservation concern, while recent research has revealed the importance of incorporating landscape scale processes that structure habitat mosaics and local populations....
Risky behavior and its effect on survival: snowshoe hare behavior under varying moonlight conditions
Laura C. Gigliotti, Duane R. Diefenbach
2018, Journal of Zoology (305) 27-34
Predation and predation risk can exert strong influences on the behavior of prey species. However, risk avoidance behaviors may vary among populations of the same species. We studied a population of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) near the southern edge of their range, in Pennsylvania. This population occupies different habitat types,...
Deformation of the Pacific/North America plate boundary at Queen Charlotte Fault: The possible role of rheology
Uri S. ten Brink, Nathaniel C. Miller, Brian D. Andrews, Daniel S. Brothers, Peter J. Haeussler
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (123) 4223-4242
The Pacific/North America (PA/NA) plate boundary between Vancouver Island and Alaska is similar to the PA/NA boundary in California in its kinematic history and the rate and azimuth of current relative motion, yet their deformation styles are distinct. The California plate boundary shows a broad zone of parallel strike slip...
Demographic response of Louisiana Waterthrush, a stream obligate songbird of conservation concern, to shale gas development
Mack W. Frantz, Petra B. Wood, James Sheehan, Gregory George
2018, Condor (120) 265-282
Shale gas development continues to outpace the implementation of best management practices for wildlife affected by development. We examined demographic responses of the Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) to shale gas development during 2009–2011 and 2013–2015 in a predominantly forested landscape in West Virginia, USA. Forest cover across the study area...
Quantifying temporal trends in fisheries abundance using Bayesian dynamic linear models: A case study of riverine Smallmouth Bass populations
Megan K. Schall, Vicki S. Blazer, Robert M. Lorantas, Geoffrey Smith, John E. Mullican, Brandon J. Keplinger, Tyler Wagner
2018, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (38) 493-501
Detecting temporal changes in fish abundance is an essential component of fisheries management. Because of the need to understand short‐term and nonlinear changes in fish abundance, traditional linear models may not provide adequate information for management decisions. This study highlights the utility of Bayesian dynamic linear models (DLMs) as a...
A suite of exercises for verifying dynamic earthquake rupture codes
Ruth A. Harris, Michael Barall, Brad T. Aagaard, Shuo Ma, Daniel Roten, Kim Olsen, Benchun Duan, Dunyu Liu, Bin Luo, Kangchen Bai, Jean-Paul Ampuero, Yoshihiro Kaneko, Alice-Agnes Gabriel, Kenneth Duru, Thomas Ulrich, Stephanie Wollherr, Zheqiang Shi, Eric Dunham, Sam Bydlon, Zhenguo Zhang, Xiaofei Chen, Surendra N. Somala, Christian Pelties, Josue Tago, Victor Manuel Cruz-Atienza, Jeremy Kozdon, Eric Daub, Khurram Aslam, Yuko Kase, Kyle B. Withers, Luis Dalguer
2018, Seismological Research Letters (89) 1146-1162
We describe a set of benchmark exercises that are designed to test if computer codes that simulate dynamic earthquake rupture are working as intended. These types of computer codes are often used to understand how earthquakes operate, and they produce simulation results that include earthquake size, amounts of fault slip,...
Discharge, sediment, and water chemistry in Clear Creek, western Nevada, water years 2013–16
Jena M. Huntington, Daniel J. Riddle, Angela P. Paul
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5050
Clear Creek is a small stream that drains the eastern Carson Range near Lake Tahoe, flows roughly parallel to the Highway 50 corridor, and discharges to the Carson River near Carson City, Nevada. Historical and ongoing development in the drainage basin is thought to be affecting Clear Creek and...
Forecasting an invasive species’ distribution with global distribution data, local data, and physiological information
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Nicholas E. Young, Marian Talbert, Colin Talbert
2018, Ecosphere (9) 1-12
Understanding invasive species distributions and potential invasions often requires broad‐scale information on the environmental tolerances of the species. Further, resource managers are often faced with knowing these broad‐scale relationships as well as nuanced environmental factors related to their landscape that influence where an invasive species occurs and potentially could occur....
Book review: Handbook of cyanobacterial monitoring and cyanotoxin analysis
Jennifer L. Graham, Keith A. Loftin
2018, Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin (27) 61-62
Review of Meriluoto, Jussi, Lisa Spoof, and GeoffreyA. Codd [eds.]. 2017. Handbook of Cyanobacterial Monitoring and Cyanotoxin Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.: Chichester, West Sussex, UK, ISBN 978‐1‐119‐06868‐6 (978‐1‐119‐06876‐1 eBook), DOI 10.1002/9781119068761....
Molecular and morphometric analyses reveal cryptic diversity within freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) of the western Gulf coastal drainages of the USA
Anna M. Pieri, Kentaro Inoue, Nathan A. Johnson, Chase H. Smith, John L. Harris, Clint Robertson, Charles R. Randklev
2018, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (124) 261-277
Past geological processes and climate change affected current species distributions and the genetic structure of riverine fauna. Western Gulf of Mexico coastal rivers harbour four mussel species within the genus Fusconaia(Bivalvia: Unionida). The distributions of these species are unclear owing to their indistinguishable shell morphologies. Using molecular phylogenetic and Fourier morphometric...
Irrigated agriculture and future climate change effects on groundwater recharge, northern High Plains aquifer, USA
Zachary H. Lauffenburger, Jason J. Gurdak, Christopher M. Hobza, Duane Woodward, Cassandra Wolf
2018, Agricultural Water Management (204) 69-80
Understanding the controls of agriculture and climate change on recharge rates is critically important to develop appropriate sustainable management plans for groundwater resources and coupled irrigated agricultural systems. In this study, several physical (total potential (ψT) time series) and chemical tracer and dating (3H, Cl−, Br−, CFCs, SF6, and 3H/3He) methods...
Energetic fitness: Field metabolic rates assessed via 3D accelerometry complement conventional fitness metrics
David Gremillet, Amelie Lescroel, Grant Ballard, Katie M. Dugger, Melanie Massaro, Elizabeth L. Porzig, David G. Ainley
2018, Functional Ecology (32) 1203-1213
Evaluating the fitness of organisms is an essential step towards understanding their responses to environmental change. Connections between energy expenditure and fitness have been postulated for nearly a century. However, testing this premise among wild animals is constrained by difficulties in measuring energy expenditure while simultaneously monitoring conventional fitness...
Quantifying salinity and season effects on eastern oyster clearance and oxygen consumption rates
S.M. Casas, Romain Lavaud, Megan K. LaPeyre, L. A. Comeau, R. Filgueira, Jerome F. LaPeyre
2018, Marine Biology (165) 1-13
There are few data on Crassostrea virginica physiological rates across the range of salinities and temperatures to which they are regularly exposed, and this limits the applicability of growth and production models using these data. The objectives of this study were to quantify, in winter (17 °C) and summer (27 °C), the...
Co‐occurrence dynamics of endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbits and free‐ranging domestic cats: Prey responses to an exotic predator removal program
Michael V. Cove, Beth Gardner, Theodore R. Simons, Allan F. O’Connell
2018, Ecology and Evolution (8) 4042-4052
The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) is one of many endangered endemic species of the Florida Keys. The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from sea‐level rise, development, and habitat succession. Exotic predators such as free‐ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) pose an additional threat to these endangered...
Estimation of unregulated monthly, annual, and peak streamflows in Forest City Stream and lake levels in East Grand Lake, United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick
Pamela J. Lombard
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5044
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, compiled historical data on regulated streamflows and lake levels and estimated unregulated streamflows and lake levels on Forest City Stream at Forest City, Maine, and East Grand Lake on the United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick to...
Diet of burbot and implications for sampling
Kathryn E. McBaine, Zachary B. Klein, Michael C. Quist, Darren T. Rhea
2018, Intermountain Journal of Sciences (24) 1-13
Burbot (Lota lota) are an apex piscivore that were illegally introduced to the Green River drainage, Wyoming, raising concerns for the conservation and management of fishes throughout the basin. However, relatively little is known about the diet of non-native burbot. The objectives of this research were to characterize diet composition...
Reproductive frequency and size-dependence of fecundity in the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas)
Jonathan P. Rose, Julia Ersan, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Brian J. Halstead
2018, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (13) 80-90
How reproductive output changes with age or size is a key life-history trait that can affect which demographic rates most influence population growth. Although many studies have investigated the reproductive ecology of gartersnakes, we know little about reproduction in the threatened Giant Gartersnake, Thamnophis gigas. We used X-radiography to determine reproductive status and...
Biology and impacts of Pacific Islands invasive species. 14. Sus scrofa the feral pig (Artiodactyla: Suidae)
Nathaniel H. Wehr, Steven C. Hess, Creighton M. Litton
2018, Pacific Science (72) 177-198
Feral pigs (Sus scrofa L.) are perhaps the most abundant, widespread, and economically significant large introduced vertebrate across the Pacific island region. Unlike many other nonnative invasive species, feral pigs have both cultural and recreational importance in the region, complicating their management. Today, Pacific island feral pigs are a mixture of...
Associations between urban sprawl and life expectancy in the United States
Shima Hamidi, Reid Ewing, Zaria Tatalovich, James B. Grace, David Berrigan
2018, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (15) 1-11
In recent years, the United States has had a relatively poor performance with respect to life expectancy compared to the other developed nations. Urban sprawl is one of the potential causes of the high rate of mortality in the United States. This study investigated cross-sectional associations between sprawl and life...
The widespread influence of Great Lakes microseisms across the United States revealed by the 2014 polar vortex
Robert Anthony, Adam T. Ringler, David C. Wilson
2018, Geophysical Research Letters (45) 3436-3444
During the winter of 2014, a weak polar vortex brought record cold temperatures to the north‐central (“Midwest”) United States, and the Great Lakes reached the highest extent of ice coverage (92.5%) since 1979. This event shut down the generation of seismic signals caused by wind‐driven wave action within the lakes...
Laboratory observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates
Robert L. Jenkins III, P. Soupy Dalyander, Allison Penko, Joseph W. Long
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1010
Sand and oil agglomerates (SOAs) form when weathered oil reaches the surf zone and combines with suspended sediments. The presence of large SOAs in the form of thick mats (up to 10 centimeters [cm] in height and up to 10 square meters [m2] in area) and smaller SOAs, sometimes referred...
Measurements of erosion potential using Gust chamber in Yolo Bypass near Sacramento, California
Paul A. Work, David H. Schoellhamer
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1062
This report describes work performed to quantify the erodibility of surface soils in the Yolo Bypass (Bypass) near Sacramento, California, for use in the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Yolo Bypass D-MCM mercury model. The Bypass, when not serving as a floodway, is heavily utilized for agriculture. During flood events, surface water flows over the...
