Biotic and abiotic factors influencing zooplankton vertical distribution in Lake Huron
Carly J. Nowicki, David B. Bunnell, Patricia M. Dieter, David M. Warner, Henry A. Vanderploeg, Joann F. Cavaletto, Christine M. Mayer, Jean V. Adams
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 1044-1054
The vertical distribution of zooplankton can have substantial influence on trophic structure in freshwater systems, particularly by determining spatial overlap for predator/prey dynamics and influencing energy transfer. The zooplankton community in some of the Laurentian Great Lakes has undergone changes in composition and declines in total biomass, especially after 2003....
A process to estimate net infiltration using a site-scale water-budget approach, Rainier Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, 2002–05
David W. Smith, Michael T. Moreo, C. Amanda Garcia, Keith J. Halford, Joseph M. Fenelon
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5078
This report documents a process used to estimate net infiltration from precipitation, evapotranspiration (ET), and soil data acquired at two sites on Rainier Mesa. Rainier Mesa is a groundwater recharge area within the Nevada National Security Site where recharged water flows through bedrock fractures to a deep (450 meters)...
Integrated geophysical characteristics of the 2015 Illapel, Chile, earthquake
Matthew W. Herman, Jennifer Nealy, William L. Yeck, William D. Barnhart, Gavin P. Hayes, Kevin P. Furlong, Harley M. Benz
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (122) 4691-4711
On 16 September 2015, a Mw 8.3 earthquake ruptured the subduction zone offshore of Illapel, Chile, generating an aftershock sequence with 14 Mw 6.0–7.0 events. A double source W phase moment tensor inversion consists of a Mw 7.2 subevent and the main Mw 8.2 phase. We determine two slip models...
Polar bears and sea ice habitat change
George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood
Andy Butterworth, editor(s)
2017, Book chapter, Marine mammal welfare
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is an obligate apex predator of Arctic sea ice and as such can be affected by climate warming-induced changes in the extent and composition of pack ice and its impacts on their seal prey. Sea ice declines have negatively impacted some polar bear...
Low-flow frequency and flow-duration characteristics of selected streams in Alabama through March 2014
Toby D. Feaster, Kathyrn G. Lee
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5083
Low-flow statistics are needed by water-resource engineers, planners, and managers to protect and manage the water resources of Alabama. The accuracy of these statistics is influenced by such factors as length of record and specific hydrologic conditions measured in those records. As such, it is generally recommended that flow statistics...
Enhancing wind erosion monitoring and assessment for U.S. rangelands
Nicholas P. Webb, Justin W. Van Zee, Jason W. Karl, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Ericha M. Courtright, Benjamin J. Billings, Robert C. Boyd, Adrian Chappell, Michael C. Duniway, Justin D. Derner, Jenny L. Hand, Emily Kachergis, Sarah E. McCord, Beth A. Newingham, Frederick B. Pierson, Jean L. Steiner, John Tatarko, Negussie H. Tedela, David Toledo, R. Scott Van Pelt
2017, Rangelands (39) 85-96
On the GroundWind erosion is a major resource concern for rangeland managers because it can impact soil health, ecosystem structure and function, hydrologic processes, agricultural production, and air quality.Despite its significance, little is known about which landscapes are eroding, by how much, and when.The National Wind Erosion Research Network was...
Geochemical and hydrologic factors controlling subsurface transport of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Andrea K. Weber, Larry B. Barber, Denis R. LeBlanc, Elsie M. Sunderland, Chad D. Vecitis
2017, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 4269-4279
Growing evidence that certain poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are associated with negative human health effects prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to issue lifetime drinking water health advisories for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in 2016. Given that groundwater is a major source of drinking water, the...
A synoptic view of the Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3)
Edward H. Field, Thomas H. Jordan, Morgan T. Page, Kevin R. Milner, Bruce E. Shaw, Timothy E. Dawson, Glenn Biasi, Thomas E. Parsons, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Andrew J. Michael, Ray J. Weldon, Peter M. Powers, Kaj M. Johnson, Yuehua Zeng, Peter Bird, Karen Felzer, Nicholas van der Elst, Christopher Madden, Ramon Arrowsmith, Maximillan J. Werner, Wayne R. Thatcher
2017, Seismological Research Letters (88) 1259-1267
Probabilistic forecasting of earthquake‐producing fault ruptures informs all major decisions aimed at reducing seismic risk and improving earthquake resilience. Earthquake forecasting models rely on two scales of hazard evolution: long‐term (decades to centuries) probabilities of fault rupture, constrained by stress renewal statistics, and short‐term (hours to years) probabilities of distributed...
Spectrally monitoring the response of the biocrust moss Syntrichia caninervis to altered precipitation regimes
Kristina E. Young, Sasha C. Reed
2017, Scientific Reports (7)
Climate change is expected to impact drylands worldwide by increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. These effects have known feedbacks to the functional roles of dryland biological soil crust communities (biocrusts), which are expected to undergo significant climate-induced changes in community structure and function. Nevertheless, our ability to monitor the...
Gene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, James L. Bodkin, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Esler
2017, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (147) 27-35
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill damaged a wide range of natural resources, including intertidal communities, and post-spill studies demonstrated acute and chronic exposure and injury to an array of species. Standard toxicological methods to evaluate petroleum contaminants have assessed tissue burdens, with fewer assays providing indicators of health or physiology, particularly...
Evidence for degassing of fresh magma during the 2004-2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens: Subtle signals from the hydrothermal system
Deborah Bergfeld, William C. Evans, Kurt R. Spicer, Andrew G. Hunt, Peter J. Kelly
2017, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (343) 109-121
Results from chemical and isotopic analyses of water and gas collected between 2002 and 2016 from sites on and around Mount St. Helens are used to assess magmatic degassing related to the 2004-2008 eruption. During 2005 the chemistry of hot springs in The Breach of Mount St. Helens showed no...
Polar bears experience skeletal muscle atrophy in response to food deprivation and reduced activity in winter and summer
John P. Whiteman, Henry J. Harlow, George M. Durner, Eric V. Regehr, Bryan C. Rourke, Manuel Robles, Steven C. Amstrup, Merav Ben-David
2017, Conservation Physiology (5)
When reducing activity and using stored energy during seasonal food shortages, animals risk degradation of skeletal muscles, although some species avoid or minimize the resulting atrophy while experiencing these conditions during hibernation. Polar bears may be food deprived and relatively inactive during winter (when pregnant females hibernate and hunting success...
Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, habitat suitability index model
J. Hardin Waddle
2017, Report, 2017 Coastal Master Plan
The 2012 Coastal Master Plan utilized Habitat Suitability Indices (HSIs) to evaluate potential project effects on wildlife species. Even though HSIs quantify habitat condition, which may not directly correlate to species abundance, they remain a practical and tractable way to assess changes in habitat quality from various restoration actions. As...
Landslide monitoring in the Atlantic Highlands area, New Jersey
Pamela A. Reilly, Francis X. Ashland, Alex R. Fiore
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3068
Shallow and deep-seated landslides have occurred episodically on the steep coastal bluffs of the Atlantic Highlands area (Boroughs of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands) in New Jersey. The oldest documented deep-seated landslide occurred in April 1782 and significantly changed the morphology of the bluff. However, recent landslides have been mostly shallow...
Preliminary assessment of a water-quality monitoring program for total maximum daily loads in Johnson County, Kansas, January 2015 through June 2016
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Chelsea R. Paxson
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5089
Municipalities in Johnson County in northeastern Kansas are required to implement stormwater management programs to reduce pollutant discharges, protect water quality, and comply with applicable water-quality regulations in accordance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for stormwater discharge. To this end, municipalities collect grab samples at streams entering and...
Design and methods of the Pacific Northwest Stream Quality Assessment (PNSQA), 2015
Rich W. Sheibley, Jennifer L. Morace, Celeste A. Journey, Peter C. Van Metre, Amanda H. Bell, Naomi Nakagaki, Daniel T. Button, Sharon L. Qi
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1103
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project conducted the Pacific Northwest Stream Quality Assessment (PNSQA) to investigate stream quality across the western part of the Pacific Northwest. The goal of the PNSQA was to assess the health of streams in the region by characterizing...
Delineation of salt water intrusion through use of electromagnetic-induction logging: A case study in Southern Manhattan Island, New York
Frederick Stumm, Michael D. Como
2017, Water (9) 1-17
Groundwater with chloride concentrations up to 15,000 mg/L has intruded the freshwater aquifer underlying southern Manhattan Island, New York. Historical (1940–1950) chloride concentration data of glacial aquifer wells in the study area indicate the presence of four wedges of saltwater intrusion that may have been caused by industrial pumpage. The...
Detection of diazotrophy in the acetylene-fermenting anaerobe Pelobacter sp. strain SFB93
Denise M. Akob, Shaun Baesman, John M. Sutton, Janna L. Fierst, Adam Mumford, Yesha Shrestha, Amisha T. Poret-Peterson, Stacy C. Bennett, Darren S. Dunlap, Karl B. Haase, Ronald S. Oremland
2017, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (17) 1-10
Acetylene (C2H2) is a trace constituent of the present Earth's oxidizing atmosphere, reflecting a mixture of terrestrial and marine emissions from anthropogenic, biomass-burning, and unidentified biogenic sources. Fermentation of acetylene was serendipitously discovered during C2H2 block assays of N2O reductase, and Pelobacter acetylenicus was shown to grow on C2H2 via...
Effects of habitat and climate change on blackbird populations
Greg M. Forcey, Wayne E. Thogmartin
2017, Book chapter, Ecology and Management of Blackbirds (Icteridae) in North America
Global biodiversity loss is proceeding at an accelerating pace (Newbold et al. 2015, 2016) in large part due to land use and, climate change, and associated spread of disease and non-native species (Hobbs et al. 2006, Williams and Jackson 2007, Ellis 2011, Radeloff et al. 2015). Over the last century,...
Persistent organic pollutants in fat of three species of Pacific pelagic longline caught sea turtles: Accumulation in relation to ingested plastic marine debris
Katharine Clukey, Christopher A. Lepczyk, George H. Balazs, Thierry M. Work, Qing X. Li, Melanie J. Bachman, Jennifer M. Lynch
2017, Science of the Total Environment (610-611) 402-411
In addition to eating contaminated prey, sea turtles may be exposed to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from ingesting plastic debris that has absorbed these chemicals. Given the limited knowledge about POPs in pelagic sea turtles and how plastic ingestion influences POP exposure, our objectives were to: 1) provide baseline contaminant...
Change in morphology and modern sediment thickness on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York between 2011 and 2014: Analysis of hurricane impact
William C. Schwab, Wayne E. Baldwin, John C. Warner, Jeffrey H. List, Jane F. Denny, Maria Liste Munoz, Ilgar Safak
2017, Marine Geology (391) 48-64
Seafloor mapping investigations conducted on the lower shoreface and inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York in 2011 and 2014, the period encompassing the impacts of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, provide an unprecedented perspective regarding regional inner continental shelf sediment dynamics during large storm events. Analyses of these studies demonstrate that...
Maintenance of influenza A viruses and antibody response in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sampled during the non-breeding season in Alaska
Timothy J. Spivey, Mark S. Lindberg, Brandt W. Meixell, Kyle R. Smith, Wendy Blay Puryear, Kimberly R. Davis, Jonathan A. Runstadler, David E. Stallknecht, Andrew M. Ramey
2017, PLoS ONE (12)
Prevalence of influenza A virus (IAV) infections in northern-breeding waterfowl has previously been reported to reach an annual peak during late summer or autumn; however, little is known about IAV infection dynamics in waterfowl populations persisting at high-latitude regions such as Alaska, during winter. We captured mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) throughout...
Quantitative microbial risk assessment for spray irrigation of dairy manure based on an empirical fate and transport model
Tucker R. Burch, Susan K. Spencer, Joel P. Stokdyk, Burney A Kieke, Rebecca A Larson, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Ana M Rule, Mark A. Borchardt
2017, Environmental Health Perspectives (125) 1-11
BACKGROUND: Spray irrigation for land-applying livestock manure is increasing in the United States as farms become larger and economies of scale make manure irrigation affordable. Human health risks from exposure to zoonotic pathogens aerosolized during manure irrigation are not well understood. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to a) estimate human health risks...
Balancing habitat delivery for breeding marsh birds and nonbreeding waterfowl: An integrated waterbird management and monitoring approach at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri
Brian W. Loges, James E. Lyons, Brian G. Tavernia
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1051
The Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (CCNWR) in the Mississippi River flood plain of eastern Missouri provides high quality emergent marsh and moist-soil habitat benefitting both nesting marsh birds and migrating waterfowl. Staff of CCNWR manipulate water levels and vegetation in the 17 units of the CCNWR to provide conditions...
Satellite-tagged osprey nearly sets longevity record and productivity response to initial captures
Charles J. Henny, Mark S. Martell
2017, Journal of Raptor Research (51) 180-183
We equipped adult Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) from 24 nests in Oregon/Washington with satellite-tracked battery-powered radios, known as platform transmitter terminals (PTTs), in 1996–1999. These Ospreys from the lower Columbia River (river miles 76–286), and the Willamette Valley in western Oregon were part of a larger study of Osprey fall migration,...
