Experimental evaluation of four ground-motion scaling methods for dynamic response-history analysis of nonlinear structures
Andrew P. O’Donnell, Yahya C. Kurama, Erol Kalkan, Alexandros A. Taflanidis
2017, Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (15) 1899-1924
This paper experimentally evaluates four methods to scale earthquake ground-motions within an ensemble of records to minimize the statistical dispersion and maximize the accuracy in the dynamic peak roof drift demand and peak inter-story drift demand estimates from response-history analyses of nonlinear building structures. The scaling methods that are investigated...
Effect of substrate size on sympatric sand darter benthic habitat preferences
Patricia A. Thompson, Stuart A. Welsh, Austin A. Rizzo, Dustin M. Smith
2017, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (32) 455-465
The western sand darter, Ammocrypta clara, and the eastern sand darter, A. pellucida, are sand-dwelling fishes that have undergone range-wide population declines, presumably owing to habitat loss. Habitat use studies have been conducted for the eastern sand darter, but literature on the western sand darter remains sparse. To evaluate substrate...
Diagenetic silica enrichment and late-stage groundwater activity in Gale crater, Mars
Jens Frydenvang, Patrick J. Gasda, Joel A. Hurowitz, John P. Grotzinger, Roger C. Wiens, Horton E. Newsom, Ken S. Edgett, Jessica Watkins, John C. Bridges, Sylvestre Maurice, Martin R. Fisk, Jeffrey R. Johnson, William Rapin, Nathan Stein, Sam M. Clegg, S. P. Schwenzer, C. Bedford, P. Edwards, Nicolas Mangold, Agnes Cousin, Ryan B. Anderson, Valerie Payre, David Vaniman, David Blake, Nina L. Lanza, Sanjeev Gupta, Jason K. Van Beek, Violaine Sautter, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Melissa Rice, Ralf Milliken, Ralf Gellert, Lucy Thompson, Ben C. Clark, Dawn Y. Sumner, Abigail A. Fraeman, Kjartan M Kinch, Morten B. Madsen, Igor Mitofranov, Insoo Jun, Fred J. Calef, Ashwin R. Vasavada
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 4716-4724
Diagenetic silica enrichment in fracture-associated halos that crosscut lacustrine and unconformably overlying aeolian sedimentary bedrock is observed on the lower north slope of Aeolis Mons in Gale crater, Mars. The diagenetic silica enrichment is colocated with detrital silica enrichment observed in the lacustrine bedrock yet extends into a considerably younger,...
PRISM Software: Processing and Review Interface for Strong‐Motion Data
Jeanne M. Jones, Erol Kalkan, Christopher D. Stephens, Peter Ng
2017, Seismological Research Letters (88) 851-866
A continually increasing number of high‐quality digital strong‐motion records from stations of the National Strong Motion Project (NSMP) of the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as data from regional seismic networks within the United States, calls for automated processing of strong‐motion records with human review limited to selected significant or...
Functional visual sensitivity to ultraviolet wavelengths in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and its influence on foraging substrate selection
Sean T. O’Daniels, Dylan C. Kesler, Jeanne D. Mihail, Elisabeth B. Webb, Scott J. Werner
2017, Physiology & Behavior (174) 144-154
Most diurnal birds are presumed visually sensitive to near ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, however, controlled behavioral studies investigating UV sensitivity remain few. Although woodpeckers are important as primary cavity excavators and nuisance animals, published work on their visual systems is limited. We developed a novel foraging-based behavioral assay designed to test...
Creating multithemed ecological regions for macroscale ecology: Testing a flexible, repeatable, and accessible clustering method
Kendra Spence Cheruvelil, Shuai Yuan, Katherine E. Webster, Pang-Ning Tan, Jean-Francois Lapierre, Sarah M. Collins, C. Emi Fergus, Caren E. Scott, Emily Norton Henry, Patricia A. Soranno, Christopher T. Filstrup, Tyler Wagner
2017, Ecology and Evolution (7) 3046-3058
Understanding broad-scale ecological patterns and processes often involves accounting for regional-scale heterogeneity. A common way to do so is to include ecological regions in sampling schemes and empirical models. However, most existing ecological regions were developed for specific purposes, using a limited set of geospatial features and irreproducible methods. Our...
A report on upgraded seismic monitoring stations in Myanmar: Station performance and site response
Hrin Nei Thiam, Yin Myo Min Htwe, Tun Lin Kyaw, Pa Pa Tun, Zaw Min, Sun Hninn Htwe, Tin Myo Aung, Kyaw Kyaw Lin, Myat Min Aung, Jason De Cristofaro, Mathias Franke, Stefan Radman, Elouie Lepiten, Emily Wolin, Susan E. Hough
2017, Seismological Research Letters (88) 926-934
Myanmar is in a tectonically complex region between the eastern edge of the Himalayan collision zone and the northern end of the Sunda megathrust. Until recently, earthquake monitoring and research efforts have been hampered by a lack of modern instrumentation and communication infrastructure. In January 2016, a major upgrade of...
A dynamic spatio-temporal model for spatial data
Trevor J. Hefley, Mevin Hooten, Ephraim M. Hanks, Robin Russell, Daniel P. Walsh
2017, Spatial Statistics (20) 206-220
Analyzing spatial data often requires modeling dependencies created by a dynamic spatio-temporal data generating process. In many applications, a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) is used with a random effect to account for spatial dependence and to provide optimal spatial predictions. Location-specific covariates are often included as fixed effects in...
Do we need demographic data to forecast plant population dynamics?
Andrew T. Tredennick, Mevin Hooten, Peter B. Adler
2017, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (8) 541-551
Rapid environmental change has generated growing interest in forecasts of future population trajectories. Traditional population models built with detailed demographic observations from one study site can address the impacts of environmental change at particular locations, but are difficult to scale up to the landscape and regional scales...
The history of mercury pollution near the Spolana chlor-alkali plant (Neratovice, Czech Republic) as recorded by Scots pine tree rings and other bioindicators
Tomáš Navrátil, Martin Simecek, James B. Shanley, Jan Rohovec, Maria Hojdova, Jakub Houska
2017, Science of the Total Environment (586) 1192
We assessed > 100 years of mercury (Hg) pollution recorded in the tree rings of Scots Pine near a Czech chlor-alkali plant operating since 1941. Hg concentrations in tree rings increased with the launching of plant operations and decreased when Hg emissions decreased in 1975 due to an upgrade in production technology....
Freshwater mussels (Unionidae): Central and West Texas Final Report
Charles R. Randklev, Nathan Johnson, T. J. Miller, J.M. Morton, J. Dudding, K. Skow, B. Boseman, M. Hart, E.T. Tsakiris, K. Inoue, R.R. Lopez
2017, Report, Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources
The goal of this study was two-fold: (1) assess the taxonomic identity and phylogenetic placement of Quadrula aurea (Golden Orb) [Federal Candidate], Quadrula houstonensis (Smooth Pimpleback) [Federal Candidate], and Quadrula petrina (Texas Pimpleback) [Federal Candidate] through mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequencing; and (2) provided additional information on the distribution and abundance for mussel species...
Comparative precision of age estimates from two southern reservoir populations of paddlefish [Polyodon spathula (Walbaum, 1792)]
James M. Long, Ashley Nealis
2017, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (33) 819-820
The aim of the study was to determine whether location and sex affected the age precision estimates between two southern, reservoir populations of paddlefish [Polyodon spathula (Walbaum, 1792)]. From 589 paddlefish collected in Grand Lake and Keystone Lake, Oklahoma in 2011, ages from dentaries were estimated using three independent readers and...
Different historical fire–climate patterns in California
Jon E. Keeley, Alexandra D. Syphard
2017, International Journal of Wildland Fire (26) 253-268
The relationship between annual variation in area burned and seasonal temperatures and precipitation was investigated for the major climate divisions in California. Historical analyses showed marked differences in fires on montane and foothill landscapes. Based on roughly a century of data, there are five important lessons on fire–climate relationships in...
Ecological regime shift drives declining growth rates of sea turtles throughout the West Atlantic
Karen A. Bjorndal, Alan B. Bolten, Milani Chaloupka, Vincent S. Saba, Claudio Bellini, Maria A.G. Marcovaldi, Armando J.B. Santos, Luis Felipe Wurdig Bortolon, Anne B. Meylan, Peter A. Meylan, Jennifer Gray, Robert Hardy, Beth Brost, Michael Bresette, Jonathan C. Gorham, Stephen Connett, Barbara Van Sciver Crouchley, Mike Dawson, Deborah Hayes, Carlos E. Diez, Robert P. van Dam, Sue Willis, Mabel Nava, Kristen M. Hart, Michael S. Cherkiss, Andrew Crowder, Clayton Pollock, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Fernando A. Munoz Teneria, Roberto Herrera-Pavon, Vanessa Labrada-Martagon, Armando Lorences, Ana Negrete-Philippe, Margaret M. Lamont, Allen M. Foley, Rhonda Bailey, Raymond R. Carthy, Russell Scarpino, Erin McMichael, Jane A. Provancha, Annabelle Brooks, Adriana Jardim, Milagros Lopez-Mendilaharsu, Daniel Gonzalez-Paredes, Andres Estrades, Alejandro Fallabrino, Gustavo Martinez-Souza, Gabriela M. Velez-Rubio, Ralf H. Boulon Jr., Jaime Collazo, Robert Wershoven, Vicente Guzman Hernandez, Thomas B. Stringell, Amdeep Sanghera, Peter B. Richardson, Annette C. Broderick, Quinton Phillips, Marta C. Calosso, John A.B. Claydon, Tasha L. Metz, Amanda L. Gordon, Andre M. Landry Jr., Donna J. Shaver, Janice Blumenthal, Lucy Collyer, Brendan J. Godley, Andrew McGowan, Matthew J. Witt, Cathi L. Campbell, Cynthia J. Lagueux, Thomas L. Bethel, Lory Kenyon
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 4556-4568
Somatic growth is an integrated, individual-based response to environmental conditions, especially in ectotherms. Growth dynamics of large, mobile animals are particularly useful as bio-indicators of environmental change at regional scales. We assembled growth rate data from throughout the West Atlantic for green turtles, Chelonia mydas, which are long-lived, highly migratory,...
A practical method for the determination of total selenium in environmental samples using isotope dilution-hydride generation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
Amy E. Kleckner, Evangelos Kakouros, A. Robin Stewart
2017, Limnology and Oceanography: Methods (15) 363-371
A safe, practical, and accurate method for the determination of selenium (Se) in range of environmental samples was developed. Small sample masses, 5–20 mg, were amended with 82Se enriched isotope for the isotope dilution (ID), preceding a multi-step wet digestion with nitric acid (HNO3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Samples were...
Subsequent-year recaptures at winter sites in three species of shrubland sparrows (Emberizidae)
Steven T. Knick, Matthias Leu, Steve E. Hanser
2017, Southwestern Naturalist (62) 121-125
The tendency by individual birds to return to winter sites in subsequent years can be important in assessing the potential influence of habitat changes during the nonbreeding period. We recaptured five Brewer's (Spizella breweri), seven sagebrush (Artemisiospiza nevadensis), and three black-throated (Amphispiza bilineata) sparrows from 1–3 subsequent years at the...
Controls on the chemical composition of saline surface crusts and emitted dust from a wet playa in the Mojave Desert (USA)
Harland L. Goldstein, George N. Breit, Richard L. Reynolds
2017, Journal of Arid Environments (140) 50-66
Saline-surface crusts and their compositions at ephemeral, dry, and drying lakes are important products of arid-land processes. Detailed understanding is lacking, however, about interactions among locally variable hydrogeologic conditions, compositional control of groundwater on vadose zone and surface salts, and dust composition. Chemical and physical data from groundwater, sediments, and...
Seawater-flooding events and impact on freshwater lenses of low-lying islands: Controlling factors, basic management and mitigation
Stephen B. Gingerich, Clifford I. Voss, Adam G. Johnson
2017, Journal of Hydrology (551) 676-688
An unprecedented set of hydrologic observations was collected after the Dec 2008 seawater-flooding event on Roi-Namur, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. By two days after the seawater flooding that occurred at the beginning of dry season, the observed salinity of water withdrawn by the island’s main skimming...
Using a full annual cycle model to evaluate long-term population viability of the conservation-reliant Kirtland's warbler after successful recovery
Donald J. Brown, Christine Ribic, Deahn M. Donner, Mark D. Nelson, Carol I. Bocetti, Christie M. Deloria-Sheffield
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 439-449
Long-term management planning for conservation-reliant migratory songbirds is particularly challenging because habitat quality in different stages and geographic locations of the annual cycle can have direct and carry-over effects that influence the population dynamics. The Neotropical migratory songbird Kirtland's warbler Setophaga kirtlandii (Baird 1852) is listed as...
High sensitivity of gross primary production in the Rocky Mountains to summer rain
M. Berkelhammer, I.C. Stefanescu, J. Joiner, Lesleigh Anderson
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 3643-3652
In the catchments of the Rocky Mountains, peak snowpack is declining in response to warmer spring temperatures. To understand how this will influence terrestrial gross primary production (GPP), we compared precipitation data across the intermountain west with satellite retrievals of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF), a proxy for GPP. Annual precipitation patterns...
Geologic map of Meridiani Planum, Mars
Brian M. Hynek, Gaetano Di Achille
2017, Scientific Investigations Map 3356
Introduction and BackgroundThe Meridiani Planum region of Mars—originally named due to its proximity to the Martian prime meridian—contains a variety of geologic units, including those that are crater‑related, that span the Early Noachian to Late Amazonian Epochs. Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) data indicate this area contains extensive layered deposits, some...
Precipitation thresholds for landslide occurrence near Seattle, Mukilteo, and Everett, Washington
Caroline R. Scheevel, Rex L. Baum, Benjamin B. Mirus, Joel B. Smith
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1039
Shallow landslides along coastal bluffs frequently occur in the railway corridor between Seattle and Everett, Washington. These slides disrupt passenger rail service, both because of required track maintenance and because the railroad owner, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, does not allow passenger travel for 48 hours after a disruptive landslide....
Ongoing efforts to make ash-cloud model forecasts more accurate
Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, David J. Schneider, Roger P. Denlinger
2017, Conference Paper, Proceedings of impact of volcanic ash clouds on military operations
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland changed the rules for air travel in Europe and introduced the use of restricted fly zones based on ash-cloud concentrations calculated by dispersion models. This change prompted a sustained effort to improve the accuracy of ash-cloud model forecasts. In this paper we...
Pore network modeling of the electrical signature of solute transport in dual-domain media
Frederick Day-Lewis, Niklas Linde, Roy Haggerty, Kamini Singha, Martin A. Briggs
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 4908-4916
Dual-domain models are used to explain anomalous solute transport behavior observed in diverse hydrologic settings and applications, from groundwater remediation to hyporheic exchange. To constrain such models, new methods are needed with sensitivity to both immobile and mobile domains. Recent experiments indicate that dual-domain transport of ionic...
Monitoring breeding and migration of neotropical migratory birds at Point Loma, San Diego County, California, 5-year summary, 2011–15
Suellen Lynn, Melanie C. Madden, Barbara E. Kus
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1042
Executive SummaryWe operated a bird banding station on the Point Loma peninsula in western San Diego County, California, during spring and summer from 2011 to 2015. The station was established in 2010 as part of a long-term monitoring program for neotropical migratory birds during spring migration and for breeding birds...
