Depositional environment and organic matter accumulation of Upper Ordovician–Lower Silurian marine shale in the Upper Yangtze Platform, South China
Yangfang Li, Tongwei Zhang, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Deyong Shao
2017, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (466) 252-264
The main controlling factors of organic matter accumulation in the Upper Ordovician Wufeng–Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formations are complex and remain highly controversial. This study investigates the vertical variation of total organic carbon (TOC) content as well as major and trace element concentrations of four Ordovician–Silurian transition sections from the...
Molecular systematics of the critically-endangered North American spinymussels (Unionidae: Elliptio and Pleurobema) and description of Parvaspina gen. nov.
Michael A. Perkins, Nathan A. Johnson, Michael M. Gangloff
2017, Conservation Genetics (18) 745-757
Despite being common in numerous marine bivalve lineages, lateral spines are extremely rare among freshwater bivalves (Bivalvia: Unionidae), with only three known species characterized by the presence of spines: Elliptio spinosa, Elliptio steinstansana, and Pleurobema collina. All three taxa are endemic to the Atlantic Slope of...
Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of Great Meadow wetland, Acadia National Park, Maine
Pamela J. Lombard
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5159
The U.S. Geological Survey completed hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of Cromwell Brook and the Sieur de Monts tributary in Acadia National Park, Maine, to better understand causes of flooding in complex hydrologic and hydraulic environments, like those in the Great Meadow wetland and Sieur de Monts Spring area. Regional regression...
Evaluating mountain meadow groundwater response to Pinyon-Juniper and temperature in a great basin watershed
Rosemary W.H. Carroll, Justin L. Huntington, Keirith A. Snyder, Richard G. Niswonger, Charles Morton, Tamzen K. Stringham
2017, Ecohydrology (10) 1-18
This research highlights development and application of an integrated hydrologic model (GSFLOW) to a semiarid, snow-dominated watershed in the Great Basin to evaluate Pinyon-Juniper (PJ) and temperature controls on mountain meadow shallow groundwater. The work used Google Earth Engine Landsat satellite and gridded climate archives for model evaluation. Model simulations...
Nutrient processes at the stream-lake interface for a channelized versus unmodified stream mouth
Richard G. Niswonger, Ramon C. Naranjo, David Smith, James E. Constantz, Kip K. Allander, Donald O. Rosenberry, Bethany Neilson, Michael R. Rosen, David A. Stonestrom
2017, Water Resources Research (53) 237-256
Inorganic forms of nitrogen and phosphorous impact freshwater lakes by stimulating primary production and affecting water quality and ecosystem health. Communities around the world are motivated to sustain and restore freshwater resources and are interested in processes controlling nutrient inputs. We studied the environment where streams flow into lakes, referred...
Apparent late Quaternary fault slip rate increase in the southwestern Lower Rhine Graben, central Europe
Ryan D. Gold, Anke M. Friedrich, Simon Kubler, Martin Salamon
2017, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (107) 563-580
In regions of low strain, long earthquake recurrence intervals (104–106 yrs) and erosive processes limit preservation of Quaternary markers suitable for distinguishing whether faults slip at uniform or secularly varying rates. The Lower Rhine graben in the border region of Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium provides a unique opportunity to...
Integrating landslide and liquefaction hazard and loss estimates with existing USGS real-time earthquake information products
Kate E. Allstadt, Eric M. Thompson, Mike Hearne, M. Anna Nowicki Jessee, J. Zhu, David J. Wald, Hakan Tanyas
2017, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has made significant progress toward the rapid estimation of shaking and shakingrelated losses through their Did You Feel It? (DYFI), ShakeMap, ShakeCast, and PAGER products. However, quantitative estimates of the extent and severity of secondary hazards (e.g., landsliding, liquefaction) are not currently included in scenarios...
Comparison of climate envelope models developed using expert-selected variables versus statistical selection
Laura A. Brandt, Allison Benscoter, Rebecca G. Harvey, Carolina Speroterra, David N. Bucklin, Stephanie S. Romanach, James I. Watling, Frank J. Mazzotti
2017, Ecological Modelling (345) 10-20
Climate envelope models are widely used to describe potential future distribution of species under different climate change scenarios. It is broadly recognized that there are both strengths and limitations to using climate envelope models and that outcomes are sensitive to initial assumptions, inputs, and modeling methods Selection of predictor variables,...
Integrating Radarsat-2, Lidar, and Worldview-3 Imagery to maximize detection of forested inundation extent in the Delmarva Peninsula, USA
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Hayley Distler, Di Ana Mendiola, Megan Lang
2017, Remote Sensing (9)
Natural variability in surface-water extent and associated characteristics presents a challenge to gathering timely, accurate information, particularly in environments that are dominated by small and/or forested wetlands. This study mapped inundation extent across the Upper Choptank River Watershed on the Delmarva Peninsula, occurring within both Maryland and Delaware. We integrated...
Woody encroachment in northern Great Plains grasslands: Perceptions, actions, and needs
Amy J. Symstad, Sherry A. Leis
2017, Natural Areas Journal (37) 118-127
The United States Northern Great Plains (NGP) has a high potential for landscape-scale conservation, but this grassland landscape is threatened by encroachment of woody species. We surveyed NGP land managers to identify patterns in, and illustrate a broad range of, individual managers' perceptions on (1) the threat of woody encroachment...
Metamorphosis affects metal concentrations and isotopic signatures in a mayfly (Baetis tricaudatus): Implications for the aquatic-terrestrial transfer of metals
Jeff S. Wesner, David Walters, Travis S. Schmidt, Johanna M. Kraus, Craig A. Stricker, William H. Clements, Ruth E. Wolf
2017, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 2438-2446
Insect metamorphosis often results in substantial chemical changes that can alter contaminant concentrations and fractionate isotopes. We exposed larval mayflies (Baetis tricaudatus) and their food (periphyton) to an aqueous zinc gradient (3-340 µg Zn/l) and measured zinc concentrations at different stages of metamorphosis: larval, subimago, and imago. We also measured...
Macroclimatic change expected to transform coastal wetland ecosystems this century
Christopher A. Gabler, Michael J. Osland, James B. Grace, Camille L. Stagg, Richard H. Day, Stephen B. Hartley, Nicholas M. Enwright, Andrew From, Meagan L. McCoy, Jennie L. McLeod
2017, Nature Climate Change (7) 142-147
Coastal wetlands, existing at the interface between land and sea, are highly vulnerable to climate change. Macroclimate (for example, temperature and precipitation regimes) greatly influences coastal wetland ecosystem structure and function. However, research on climate change impacts in coastal wetlands has concentrated primarily on sea-level rise and largely ignored macroclimatic...
A carbon balance model for the great dismal swamp ecosystem
Rachel Sleeter, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Brianna Williams, Dianna M. Hogan, Todd Hawbaker, Zhiliang Zhu
2017, Carbon Balance and Management (12) 1-20
BackgroundCarbon storage potential has become an important consideration for land management and planning in the United States. The ability to assess ecosystem carbon balance can help land managers understand the benefits and tradeoffs between different management strategies. This paper demonstrates an application of the Land...
Climate-mediated competition in a high-elevation salamander community
Eric A. Dallalio, Adrianne B. Brand, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2017, Journal of Herpetology (51) 190-196
The distribution of the federally endangered Shenandoah Salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) is presumed to be limited by competition with the Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). In particular, the current distribution of P. shenandoah is understood to be restricted to warmer and drier habitats because of interspecific interactions. These habitats may be particularly...
Spatially integrative metrics reveal hidden vulnerability of microtidal salt marshes
Neil K. Ganju, Zafer Defne, Matthew L. Kirwan, Sergio Fagherazzi, Andrea D’Alpaos, Luca Carniello
2017, Nature Communications (8) 1-7
Salt marshes are valued for their ecosystem services, and their vulnerability is typically assessed through biotic and abiotic measurements at individual points on the landscape. However, lateral erosion can lead to rapid marsh loss as marshes build vertically. Marsh sediment budgets represent a spatially integrated measure of competing constructive and...
Best practices for virtual participation in meetings: Experiences from synthesis centers
Stephanie E. Hampton, Benjamin S. Halpern, Marten Winter, Jennifer K. Balch, John N. Parker, Jill Baron, Margaret Palmer, Mark P. Schildhauer, Pamela Bishop, Thomas R. Meagher, Alison Specht
2017, Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America (98) 57-63
The earth environment is a complex system, in which collaborative scientific approaches can provide major benefits by bringing together diverse perspectives, methods, and data, to achieve robust, synthetic understanding (Fig. 1). Face-to-face scientific meetings remain extremely valuable because of...
Enhanced Al and Zn removal from coal-mine drainage during rapid oxidation and precipitation of Fe oxides at near-neutral pH
Jill E. Burrows, Charles A. Cravotta, Stephen C. Peters
2017, Applied Geochemistry (78) 194-210
Net-alkaline, anoxic coal-mine drainage containing ∼20 mg/L FeII and ∼0.05 mg/L Al and Zn was subjected to parallel batch experiments: control, aeration (Aer 1 12.6 mL/s; Aer 2 16.8 mL/s; Aer 3 25.0 mL/s), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to test the hypothesis that aeration increases pH, FeII oxidation, hydrous FeIII oxide (HFO) formation, and...
Early detection of nonnative alleles in fish populations: When sample size actually matters
Patrick Della Croce, Geoffrey C. Poole, Robert A. Payne, Robert E. Gresswell
2017, Fisheries (42) 44-56
Reliable detection of nonnative alleles is crucial for the conservation of sensitive native fish populations at risk of introgression. Typically, nonnative alleles in a population are detected through the analysis of genetic markers in a sample of individuals. Here we show that common assumptions associated with such analyses yield substantial...
Spectral wave dissipation by submerged aquatic vegetation in a back-barrier estuary
Daniel J. Nowacki, Alexis Beudin, Neil K. Ganju
2017, Limnology and Oceanography (62) 736-753
Submerged aquatic vegetation is generally thought to attenuate waves, but this interaction remains poorly characterized in shallow-water field settings with locally generated wind waves. Better quantification of wave–vegetation interaction can provide insight to morphodynamic changes in a variety of environments and also is relevant to the planning of nature-based coastal...
Exploring potential effects of cormorant predation on the fish community in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron
Robin L. DeBruyne, David G. Fielder, Edward F. Roseman, Peter H. Butchko
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 387-393
Stakeholders and fishery managers expressed concern that double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus predation may be a factor in the recent poor survival of yellow perch Perca flavescens in Saginaw Bay. We quantified cormorant diets from two nesting colonies in Saginaw Bay during April–September in 2013 and 2014, with special emphasis on...
In memoriam - William Toshio (Tosh) Yasutake, 1922-2016
Diane G. Elliott, James R. Winton
2017, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (29) 57-58
William Toshio (Tosh) Yasutake, 1922-2016 passed away peacefully at home on December 12, 2016, at the age of 94. He is survived by Fumi, his wife of 66 years, as well as four children and six grandchildren. With his death, the fish health community has lost an outstanding scientist as...
Water quality and bed sediment quality in the Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, 2012–14
Michelle C. Moorman, Sharon A. Fitzgerald, Laura N. Gurley, Ahmed Rhoni-Aref, Keith A. Loftin
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1171
The Albemarle Sound region was selected in 2012 as one of two demonstration sites in the Nation to test and improve the design of the National Water Quality Monitoring Council’s National Monitoring Network (NMN) for U.S. Coastal Waters and Tributaries. The goal of the NMN for U.S. Coastal Waters and...
Potentially exploitable supercritical geothermal resources in the ductile crust
Noriaki Watanabe, Tatsuya Numakura, Kiyotoshi Sakaguchi, Hanae Saishu, Atsushi Okamoto, Steven E. Ingebritsen, Noriyoshi Tsuchiya
2017, Nature Geoscience (10) 140-144
The hypothesis that the brittle–ductile transition (BDT) drastically reduces permeability implies that potentially exploitable geothermal resources (permeability >10−16 m2) consisting of supercritical water could occur only in rocks with unusually high transition temperatures such as basalt. However, tensile fracturing is possible even in ductile rocks, and some permeability–depth relations...
Variation in branchial expression among insulin-like growth-factor binding proteins (igfbps) during Atlantic salmon smoltification and seawater exposure
Jason P. Breves, Chelsea K. Fujimoto, Silas K. Phipps-Costin, Ingibjorg E. Einarsdottir, Bjorn Thrandur Bjornsson, Stephen D. McCormick
2017, BMC Physiology (17) 1-11
BackgroundIn preparation for migration from freshwater to marine habitats, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) undergo smoltification, a transformation that includes the acquisition of hyposmoregulatory capacity. The growth hormone (Gh)/insulin-like growth-factor (Igf) axis promotes the development of branchial ionoregulatory functions that underlie ion secretion. Igfs...
Fidelity of the Sr/Ca proxy in recording ocean temperature in the western Atlantic coral Siderastrea siderea
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Kelsey E. Roberts, Jennifer A. Flannery, Jennifer M. Morrison, Julie N. Richey
2017, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (18) 178-188
Massive corals provide a useful archive of environmental variability, but careful testing of geochemical proxies in corals is necessary to validate the relationship between each proxy and environmental parameter throughout the full range of conditions experienced by the recording organisms. Here we use samples from a coral-growth study to test...
