Overpressure development through time using 4D pressure-volume-temperature modeling in the deep Anadarko Basin, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas
Debra K. Higley
2016, Book chapter, Hydrocarbon source rocks in unconventional plays, Rocky Mountain region: RMAG guidebook
No abstract available....
Evolutionary traps as keys to understanding behavioral maladaptation
Bruce A. Robertson, Anna Chalfoun
2016, Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences (12) 12-17
Evolutionary traps are severe cases of behavioral maladaptation that occur when, due to human activity, the cues animals use to guide their behavior become uncoupled from their fitness consequences. The result is that animals can prefer the most dangerous resources or behaviors, even when better options are available. Traps are...
Evolution of the Lower Tertiary Elko Lake Basin, a potential hydrocarbon source rock in Northeast Nevada
Ronald C. Johnson, Justin E. Birdwell
Michael P. Dolan, Debra K. Higley, Paul G. Lillis, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Hydrocarbon Source Rocks in Unconventional Plays, Rocky Mountain Region
No abstract available....
Hanging out at the airport: Unusual upside-down perching behavior by Eurasian Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) in a human-dominated environment
Todd E. Katzner
2016, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (128) 926-930
Animals occupying human-dominated environments show the capacity for behavioral flexibility. Corvids are among the most intelligent synanthropic bird species. During a layover at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, I photographically documented Eurasian Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) perching upside down from a building cornice. In contrast to other reports of hanging birds,...
Use of structured decision-making to explicitly incorporate environmental process understanding in management of coastal restoration projects: Case study on barrier islands of the northern Gulf of Mexico
P. Soupy Dalyander, Michelle B. Meyers, Brady Mattsson, Gregory Steyer, Elizabeth Godsey, Justin McDonald, Mark R. Byrnes, Mark Ford
2016, Journal of Environmental Management (183) 497-509
Coastal ecosystem management typically relies on subjective interpretation of scientific understanding, with limited methods for explicitly incorporating process knowledge into decisions that must meet multiple, potentially competing stakeholder objectives. Conversely, the scientific community lacks methods for identifying which advancements in system understanding would have the highest value to decision-makers. A...
Selected streambed sediment compounds and water toxicity results for Westside Creeks, San Antonio, Texas, 2014
Cassi L. Crow, Jennifer T. Wilson, James L. Kunz
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3096
IntroductionThe Alazán, Apache, Martínez, and San Pedro Creeks in San Antonio, Texas, are part of a network of urban tributaries to the San Antonio River, known locally as the Westside Creeks. The Westside Creeks flow through some of the oldest neighborhoods in San Antonio. The disruption of streambed sediment is...
Dog days of summer: Influences on decision of wolves to move pups
David E. Ausband, Michael S. Mitchell, Sarah B. Bassing, Matthew Nordhagen, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler
2016, Journal of Mammalogy (97) 1282-1287
For animals that forage widely, protecting young from predation can span relatively long time periods due to the inability of young to travel with and be protected by their parents. Moving relatively immobile young to improve access to important resources, limit detection of concentrated scent by predators, and decrease infestations...
Evaluating new SMAP soil moisture for drought monitoring in the rangelands of the US High Plains
Naga Manohar Velpuri, Gabriel B. Senay, Jeffrey T. Morisette
2016, Rangelands (38) 183-190
Level 3 soil moisture datasets from the recently launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite are evaluated for drought monitoring in rangelands.Validation of SMAP soil moisture (SSM) with in situ and modeled estimates showed high level of agreement.SSM showed the highest correlation with surface soil moisture (0-5 cm) and a...
Status of knowledge of the Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus Forbes and Richardson, 1905)
G. R. Jordan, E.J. Heist, Patrick Braaten, Aaron J. Delonay, P. Hartfield, D.P. Herzog, K.M. Kappenman, M.A.H. Web
2016, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (32) 191-207
The Pallid Sturgeon is listed as federally endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the United States. When the species was listed in 1990 it was considered extremely rare and was poorly understood. Habitat alteration, commercial harvest, environmental contaminants, and other factors were identified as threats. Today our scientific understanding...
Reinforcement and validation of the analyses and conclusions related to fishway evaluation data from Bunt et al.: ‘Performance of fish passage structures at upstream barriers to migration’
C.M. Bunt, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alexander Haro
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 2125-2137
Detailed re-examination of the datasets that were used for a meta-analysis of fishway attraction and passage revealed a number of errors that we addressed and corrected. We subsequently re-analysed the revised dataset, and results showed no significant changes in the primary conclusions of the original study; for most species, effective...
87Sr/86Sr isotope ratio analysis by laser ablation MC-ICP-MS in scales, spines, and fin rays as a nonlethal alternative to otoliths for reconstructing fish life history
Malte Willmes, Justin J. G. Glessner, Scott A. Carleton, Paul C. Gerrity, James A. Hobbs
2016, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (73) 1852-1860
Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in otoliths are a well-established tool to determine origins and movement patterns of fish. However, otolith extraction requires sacrificing fish, and when working with protected or endangered species, the use of nonlethal samples such as scales, spines, and fin rays is preferred. Unlike otoliths that are...
Use of noninvasive genetics to assess nest and space use by white-tailed eagles
Zafer Bulut, Evgeny A. Bragin, J. Andrew DeWoody, Melissa A. Braham, Todd E. Katzner, Jacqueline M. Doyle
2016, Journal of Raptor Research (50) 351-362
Movement and space use are important components of animal interactions with the environment. However, for hard-to-monitor raptor species, there are substantial gaps in our understanding of these key determinants. We used noninvasive genetic tools to evaluate the details of space use over a 3-yr period by White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla)...
Development of a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle stock assessment model
Benny J. Gallaway, William Gazey, Charles W. Caillouet Jr., Pamela T. Plotkin, F. Alberto Abreu Grobois, Anthony F. Amos, Patrick M. Burchfield, Raymond R. Carthy, Marco A. Castro Martinez, John G. Cole, Andrew T. Coleman, Melissa Cook, Steven F. DiMarco, Sheryan P. Epperly, Masami Fujiwara, Daniel Gomez Gamez, Gary L. Graham, Wade L. Griffin, Francisco Illescas Martinez, Margaret M. Lamont, Rebecca L. Lewison, Kenneth J. Lohmann, James M. Nance, Jonathan Pitchford, Nathan Freeman Putman, Scott W. Raborn, Jeffrey K. Rester, Jack J. Rudloe, Laura Sarti Martinez, Mark Schexnayder, Jeffrey R. Schmid, Donna J. Shaver, Christopher Slay, Anton D. Tucker, Mandy Tumlin, Thane Wibbels, Blanca M. Zapata Najera
2016, Gulf of Mexico Science (33) 138-157
We developed a Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) stock assessment model to evaluate the relative contributions of conservation efforts and other factors toward this critically endangered species’ recovery. The Kemp’s ridley demographic model developed by the Turtle Expert Working Group (TEWG) in 1998 and 2000 and updated for the binational recovery...
Statistically extracted fundamental watershed variables for estimating the loads of total nitrogen in small streams
Scott C. Kronholm, Paul D. Capel, Silvia Terziotti
2016, Environmental Modeling & Assessment (21) 681-690
Accurate estimation of total nitrogen loads is essential for evaluating conditions in the aquatic environment. Extrapolation of estimates beyond measured streams will greatly expand our understanding of total nitrogen loading to streams. Recursive partitioning and random forest regression were used to assess 85 geospatial, environmental, and watershed variables across 636...
Petroleum system model of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation in the northern Williston Basin, Saskatchewan, southwestern Manitoba, and southeastern Alberta, Canada
Debra K. Higley, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos
2016, Book chapter, Hydrocarbon source rocks in unconventional plays, Rocky Mountain region: RMAG guidebook
No abstract available....
Increasing aeolian dust deposition to snowpacks in the Rocky Mountains inferred from snowpack, wet deposition, and aerosol chemistry
David W. Clow, Mark W. Williams, Paul F. Schuster
2016, Atmospheric Environment (146) 183-194
Mountain snowpacks are a vital natural resource for ∼1.5 billion people in the northern Hemisphere, helping to meet human and ecological demand for water in excess of that provided by summer rain. Springtime warming and aeolian dust deposition accelerate snowmelt, increasing the risk of water shortages during late summer, when...
High nitrate concentrations in some Midwest United States streams in 2013 after the 2012 drought
Peter C. Van Metre, Jeffrey W. Frey, MaryLynn Musgrove, Naomi Nakagaki, Sharon L. Qi, Barbara Mahler, Michael E. Wieczorek, Daniel T. Button
2016, Journal of Environmental Quality (45) 1696-1704
Nitrogen sources in the Mississippi River basin have been linked to degradation of stream ecology and to Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. In 2013, the USGS and the USEPA characterized water quality stressors and ecological conditions in 100 wadeable streams across the midwestern United States. Wet conditions in 2013 followed a...
Adaptive management for soil ecosystem services
Hannah E. Birge, Rebecca A. Bevans, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Sara G. Baer, Diana H. Wall
2016, Journal of Environmental Management (183) 371-378
Ecosystem services provided by soil include regulation of the atmosphere and climate, primary (including agricultural) production, waste processing, decomposition, nutrient conservation, water purification, erosion control, medical resources, pest control, and disease mitigation. The simultaneous production of these multiple services arises from complex interactions among diverse aboveground and belowground communities across...
Temporal and spatial trends in nutrient and sediment loading to Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA
Robert Coats, Jack Lewis, Nancy L. Alvarez, Patricia Arneson
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 1347-1365
Since 1980, the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) has provided stream-discharge and water quality data—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended sediment—at more than 20 stations in Lake Tahoe Basin streams. To characterize the temporal and spatial patterns in nutrient and sediment loading to the lake, and improve the usefulness...
Haemosporidian parasite infections in grouse and ptarmigan: Prevalence and genetic diversity of blood parasites in resident Alaskan birds
Matthew M. Smith, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Richard Merizon
2016, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife (5) 229-239
Projections related to future climate warming indicate the potential for an increase in the distribution and prevalence of blood parasites in northern regions. However, baseline data are lacking for resident avian host species in Alaska. Grouse and ptarmigan occupy a diverse range of habitat types throughout the northern hemisphere and...
Deglacial temperature history of West Antarctica
Kurt M. Cuffey, Gary D. Clow, Eric J. Steig, Christo Buizert, T.J. Fudge, Michelle Koutnik, Edwin D. Waddington, Richard B. Alley, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus
2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (113) 14249-14254
The most recent glacial to interglacial transition constitutes a remarkable natural experiment for learning how Earth’s climate responds to various forcings, including a rise in atmospheric CO2. This transition has left a direct thermal remnant in the polar ice sheets, where the exceptional purity and continual accumulation of ice permit...
Statistical comparison of methods for estimating sediment thickness from Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) seismic methods: An example from Tylerville, Connecticut, USA
Carole D. Johnson, John W. Lane Jr.
2016, Conference Paper, Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2016
Determining sediment thickness and delineating bedrock topography are important for assessing groundwater availability and characterizing contamination sites. In recent years, the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) seismic method has emerged as a non-invasive, cost-effective approach for estimating the thickness of unconsolidated sediments above bedrock. Using a three-component seismometer, this method uses...
Application of frequency- and time-domain electromagnetic surveys to characterize hydrostratigraphy and landfill construction at the Amargosa Desert Research Site, Beatty, Nevada
Eric A. White, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Carole D. Johnson, John W. Lane Jr.
2016, Conference Paper
In 2014 and 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), conducted frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) surveys at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS), approximately 17 kilometers (km) south of Beatty, Nevada. The FDEM surveys were conducted within and adjacent to a closed low-level radioactive waste disposal site located at the ADRS....
Multidecadal increases in the Yukon River Basin of chemical fluxes as indicators of changing flowpaths, groundwater, and permafrost
Ryan C. Toohey, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Paul F. Schuster, Edda A. Mutter, Joshua C. Koch
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 12120-12130
The Yukon River Basin, underlain by discontinuous permafrost, has experienced a warming climate over the last century that has altered air temperature, precipitation, and permafrost. We investigated a water chemistry database from 1982 to 2014 for the Yukon River and its major tributary, the Tanana River. Significant increases of Ca,...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Dnieper-Donets Basin and North Carpathian Basin Provinces, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Poland, 2015
Timothy R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3082
Using a geology-based methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 13 million barrels of oil and 2,643 billion cubic feet of natural gas in the Dnieper-Donets Basin and North Carpathian Basin Provinces of Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Poland....
