The cost of karst subsidence and sinkhole collapse in the United States compared with other natural hazards
David J. Weary
2015, Conference Paper, 14th Sinkhole Conference
Rocks with potential for karst formation are found in all 50 states. Damage due to karst subsidence and sinkhole collapse is a natural hazard of national scope. Repair of damage to buildings, highways, and other infrastructure represents a significant national cost. Sparse and incomplete data show that the average cost...
Life on the edge in eastern Alaska: Basal Ordovician(Tremadocian), platform-margin faunas of the Jones Ridge Formation
J. F. Taylor, T. J. Allen, John E. Repetski, J. V. Strauss, S. J. Irwin
2015, Stratigraphy (12) 71-77
As the most fossiliferous and least deformed succession of unequivocally Laurentian lower Paleozoic strata in Alaska, the Jones Ridge Limestone has provided critical data for numerous stratigraphic studies (e. g. Palmer 1968; Harris et al. 1995; Dumoulin et al. 2002; Dumoulin and Harris 2012) focused on the Cambrian and Ordovician...
Isotopic insights into biological regulation of zinc in contaminated systems
Richard B. Wanty, Laurie S. Balistrieri, Jeff S. Wesner, David Walters, Travis S. Schmidt, Francesca Podda, G. De Giudici, Craig A. Stricker, Johanna M. Kraus, Pierfranco Lattanzi, Ruth E. Wolf, R. Cidu
2015, Procedia Earth and Planetary Science (13) 60-63
Aquatic organisms use a variety of biogeochemical reactions to regulate essential and non-essential trace metals. Many of these mechanisms can lead to isotopic fractionation, thus measurement of metal isotopes may yield insights into the processes by which organisms respond to metal exposure. We illustrate these concepts with two case studies,...
Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima Torr.): State of our knowledge and future challenges
Rosemary L. Pendleton, Burton K. Pendleton, Susan E. Meyer, Bryce A. Richardson, Todd C. Esque, Stanley G. Kitchen
2015, Conference Paper, The Colorado plateau VI: Science and management at the landscape scale
Covering 130,000 square miles and a wide range of elevations from desert to alpine in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, the Colorado Plateau has long fascinated researchers. The Colorado Plateau VI provides readers with a plethora of updates and insights into land conservation and management questions currently surrounding the...
The role of suspension events in cross-shore and longshore suspended sediment transport in the surf zone
Bruce E. Jaffe
2015, Conference Paper, The Proceedings of the Coastal Sediments 2015
Suspension of sand in the surf zone is intermittent. Especially striking in a time series of concentration are periods of intense suspension, suspension events, when the water column suspended sediment concentration is an order of magnitude greater than the mean concentration. The prevalence, timing, and contribution of suspension events to...
Mechanisms of sediment flux between shallows and marshes
Jessica R. Lacy, L.M. Schile, J.C. Callaway, M.C. Ferner
2015, Conference Paper, The Proceedings of Coastal Sediments 2015
We conducted a field study to investigate temporal variation and forcing mechanisms of sediment flux between a salt marsh and adjacent shallows in northern San Francisco Bay. Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), tidal currents, and wave properties were measured over the marsh, in marsh creeks, and in bay shallows. Cumulative sediment flux...
User-interactive sediment budgets in a browser: A web application for river science and management
David M. Sibley, David J. Topping, Megan Hines, Bradley D. Garner
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 5th Federal Interagency Hydrologic Modeling Conference and the 10th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference
Decision-support tools providing accurate, near-real-time data and user-friendly interactive visualizations are of critical value to resource managers tasked with planning and carrying out management programs in their domain. Creating a system to continuously aggregate datasets and recompute derived values is difficult and error-prone when attempted by hand. To address this...
Science foundation Chapter 5 Appendix 5.1: Case study dabbling ducks
Gregory S. Yarris, Joshua T. Ackerman
2015, Report, The baylands and climate change what we can do: Baylands ecosystem habitat goals science update 2015
Dabbling ducks are the most abundant group of waterfowl that overwinter in the shallow wetlands and ponds of San Francisco Bay (SFB). Species within this group are primarily omnivorous, feeding on both plant material and macroinvertebrate prey by “tipping” to access benthic foods in bottom sediments or by foraging in...
Artificial reefs and reef restoration in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Matthew W. McLean, Edward F. Roseman, Jeremy J. Pritt, Gregory W. Kennedy, Bruce A. Manny
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 1-8
We reviewed the published literature to provide an inventory of Laurentian Great Lakes artificial reef projects and their purposes. We also sought to characterize physical and biological monitoring for artificial reef projects in the Great Lakes and determine the success of artificial reefs in meeting project objectives. We found records...
Extreme variation of sulfur isotopic compositions in pyrite from the Qiuling sediment-hosted gold deposit, West Qinling orogen, central China: An in situ SIMS study with implications for the source of sulfur
Lei Chen, Xian-hua Li, Jian-wei Li, Albert H. Hofstra, Yu Liu, Alan E. Koenig
2015, Mineralium Deposita (50) 643-656
High spatial resolution textural (scanning electron microscope (SEM)), chemical (electron microprobe (EMP)) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spec- trometry (LA-ICP-MS)), and sulfur isotopic (secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)) analyses of pyrite from the Qiuling sediment-hosted gold deposit (232±4 Ma) in the West Qinling orogen, central China were conducted to distinguish...
Environmental DNA calibration study interim technical review report December 2014
Kelly Baerwaldt, Meredith L. Bartron, Kurt Schilling, Debbie Lee, Edmond Russo, Trudy Estes, Richard Fischer, Beth Fleming, Michael P. Guilfoyle, Jack Killgore, Richard Lance, Edward Perkins, Martin Schultz, David Smith, Jon J. Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark P. Gaikowski, Katy E. Klymus, Catherine A. Richter
2015, Report
The Environmental DNA Calibration Study (ECALS) is a multi-year study to improve the understanding and interpretation of the detection of Asian carp DNA in environmental samples (eDNA) used in early detection monitoring. eDNA surveillance programs seek to detect the presence of genetic material (DNA in cells sloughed off in slime,...
Effects of population reduction on white-tailed deer home-range dynamics
Shawn M. Crimmins, John W. Edwards, Tyler A Campbell, W. Mark Ford, Patrick D. Keyser, Brad F. Miller, Karl V. Miller
2015, Northeastern Naturalist (22) 403-412
Management strategies designed to reduce the negative impacts of overabundant Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) populations on forest regeneration may be influenced by changes in both population density and timber harvest. However, there is conflicting evidence as to how such changes in per capita resource availability influence home-range patterns. We compared home-range patterns...
Gondolellid conodonts and depositional setting of the Phosphoria Formation
Bruce R. Wardlaw
2015, Micropaleontology (61) 335-368
The Phosphoria Formation and related rocks were deposited over an 8.9 m.y. interval beginning approximately 274.0Ma and ending approximately 265.1Ma. The Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member was deposited in southeastern Idaho and adjacent Wyoming over 5.4 m.y. from approximately 273.2 to 268.6 Ma. The Retort Phosphatic Shale Member was deposited...
GEAR1: A Global Earthquake Activity Rate model constructed from geodetic strain rates and smoothed seismicity
Peter Bird, David D. Jackson, Yan Y. Kagan, Corne Kreemer, Ross Stein
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 2538-2554
Global earthquake activity rate model 1 (GEAR1) estimates the rate of shallow earthquakes with magnitudes 6–9 everywhere on Earth. It was designed to be reproducible and testable. Our preferred hybrid forecast is a log–linear blend of two parent forecasts based on the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (CMT) catalog (smoothing 4602...
Upstream dam passage and use of an eel ladder by the common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)
Stuart A. Welsh, Zachary J. Loughman
2015, Herpetological Review (46) 176-179
No abstract available....
Second Projet de Renforcement Institutionnel du Secteur Minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II) Phase V
Cliff D. Taylor, editor(s)
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280
In 1996, at the request of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists produced a strategic plan for the acquisition, improvement and modernization of multidisciplinary sets of data to support the growth of the Mauritanian minerals sector and to highlight the...
Development of flood regressions and climate change scenarios to explore estimates of future peak flows
Douglas A. Burns, Martyn J. Smith, Douglas A. Freehafer
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1235
A new Web-based application, titled “Application of Flood Regressions and Climate Change Scenarios To Explore Estimates of Future Peak Flows”, has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Transportation, that allows a user to apply a set of regression equations to...
Application of a process-based shallow landslide hazard model over a broad area in Central Italy
Eleonora Gioia, Gabriella Speranza, Maurizio Ferretti, Jonathan W. Godt, Rex L. Baum, Fausto Marincioni
2015, Landslides 1-18
Process-based models are widely used for rainfall-induced shallow landslide forecasting. Previous studies have successfully applied the U.S. Geological Survey’s Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability (TRIGRS) model (Baum et al. 2002) to compute infiltration-driven changes in the hillslopes’ factor of safety on small scales (i.e., tens of square...
Continuous slope-area discharge records in Maricopa County, Arizona, 2004–2012
Stephen M. Wiele, John W. Heaton, Claire E. Bunch, David E. Gardner, Christopher F. Smith
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5172
Continuous slope-area (CSA) streamgages have been developed and implemented by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to enable the recording of discharge hydrographs in areas where direct discharge measurements cannot be made. The flashy nature of streamflow in parts of the arid Southwest and remote location of many sites make discharge...
A laboratory investigation of the suspension, transport, and settling of silver carp eggs using synthetic surrogates
Tatiana Garcia, Carlo Zuniga Zamalloa, P. Ryan Jackson, Elizabeth A. Murphy, Marcelo H. Garcia
2015, PLoS ONE 1-19
Asian carp eggs are semi-buoyant and must remain suspended in the water to survive, supported by the turbulence of the flow, until they hatch and develop the ability to swim. Analysis of the transport and dispersal patterns of Asian carp eggs will facilitate the development and implementation of control strategies...
Preliminary assessment of aggradation potential in the North Fork Stillaguamish River downstream of the State Route 530 landslide near Oso, Washington
Christopher S. Magirl, Mackenzie K. Keith, Scott W. Anderson, Jim O’Connor, Robert Aldrich, Mark C. Mastin
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5173
On March 22, 2014, the State Route 530 Landslide near Oso, Washington, traveled almost 2 kilometers (km), destroyed more than 40 structures, and impounded the North Fork Stillaguamish River to a depth of 8 meters (m) and volume of 3.3×106 cubic meters (m3). The landslide killed 43 people. After overtopping...
Isotopes in North American Rocky Mountain snowpack 1993–2014
Lesleigh Anderson, Max Berkelhammer, M. Alisa Mast
2015, Quaternary Science Reviews (131) 262-273
We present ∼1300 new isotopic measurements (δ18O and δ2H) from a network of snowpack sites in the Rocky Mountains that have been sampled since 1993. The network includes 177 locations where depth-integrated snow samples are collected each spring near peak accumulation. At 57 of...
Rangeland monitoring reveals long-term plant responses to precipitation and grazing at the landscape scale
Seth M. Munson, Michael C. Duniway, Jamin K. Johanson
2015, Rangeland Ecology and Management (69) 76-83
Managers of rangeland ecosystems require methods to track the condition of natural resources over large areas and long periods of time as they confront climate change and land use intensification. We demonstrate how rangeland monitoring results can be synthesized using ecological site concepts to understand how climate, site...
Organic amendments for risk mitigation of organochlorine pesticide residues in old orchard soils
Tiziana Centofantia, Laura L. McConnell, Rufus L. Chaney, W. Nelson Beyer, Natasha A. Andradea, Cathleen J. Hapeman, Alba Torrents, Anh Nguyen, Marya O. Anderson, J. M. Novak, Dana Jackson
2015, Environmental Pollution (210) 182-191
Performance of compost and biochar amendments for in situ risk mitigation of aged DDT, DDE and dieldrin residues in an old orchard soil was examined. The change in bioavailability of pesticide residues to Lumbricus terrestris L. relative to the unamended control soil was assessed using 4-L soil microcosms...
Rapid and highly variable warming of lake surface waters around the globe
Catherine M. O’Reilly, Sapna Sharma, Derek Gray, Stephanie Hampton, Jordan S. Read, Rex J. Rowley, Philipp Schneider, John D. Lenters, Peter B. McIntyre, Benjamin M. Kraemer, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Dietmar Straile, Bo Dong, Rita Adrian, Mathew G. Allan, Orlane Anneville, Lauri Arvola, Jay Austin, John L. Bailey, Jill S. Baron, Justin D Brookes, Elvira de Eyto, Martin T. Dokulil, David P. Hamilton, Karl Havens, Amy L. Hetherington, Scott N. Higgins, Simon Hook, Lyubov R. Izmest’eva, Klaus D. Johnk, Kulli Kangur, Peter Kasprzak, Michio Kumagai, Esko Kuusisto, George Leshkevich, David M. Livingstone, Sally MacIntyre, Linda May, John M. Melack, Doerthe C. Mueller-Navara, Mikhail Naumenko, Peeter Noges, Tiina Noges, Ryan P. North, Pierre-Denis Plisnier, Anna Rigosi, Alon Rimmer, Michela Rogora, Lars G. Rudstam, James A. Rusak, Nico Salmaso, Nihar R. Samal, Daniel E. Schindler, Geoffrey Schladow, Martin Schmid, Silke R. Schmidt, Eugene A. Silow, M. Evren Soylu, Katrin Teubner, Piet Verburg, Ari Voutilainen, Andrew Watkinson, Craig E. Williamson, Guoqing Zhang
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 10773-10781
In this first worldwide synthesis of in situ and satellite-derived lake data, we find that lake summer surface water temperatures rose rapidly (global mean = 0.34°C decade−1) between 1985 and 2009. Our analyses show that surface water warming rates are dependent on combinations of climate and local characteristics, rather than just lake...