Analysis of mean seismic ground motion and its uncertainty based on the UCERF3 geologic slip rate model with uncertainty for California
Yuehua Zeng
2018, Seismological Research Letters (89) 1410-1419
The Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast v.3 (UCERF3) model (Field et al., 2014) considers epistemic uncertainty in fault‐slip rate via the inclusion of multiple rate models based on geologic and/or geodetic data. However, these slip rates are commonly clustered about their mean value and do not reflect the broader distribution...
Energetic costs of locomotion in bears: is plantigrade locomotion energetically economical?
Anthony M. Pagano, Anthony M. Carnahan, Charles T. Robbins, Megan A. Owen, Tammy Batson, Nate Wagner, Amy Cutting, Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey, Amy Hash, Terrie M. Williams
2018, Journal of Experimental Biology (221) 1-9
Ursids are the largest mammals to retain a plantigrade posture. This primitive posture has been proposed to result in reduced locomotor speed and economy relative to digitigrade and unguligrade species, particularly at high speeds. Previous energetics research on polar bears (Ursus maritimus) found locomotor costs were more than double predictions...
Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015
Cheryl A. Dieter, Molly A. Maupin, Rodney R. Caldwell, Melissa A. Harris, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, John K. Lovelace, Nancy L. Barber, Kristin S. Linsey
2018, Circular 1441
Water use in the United States in 2015 was estimated to be about 322 billion gallons per day (Bgal/d), which was 9 percent less than in 2010. The 2015 estimates put total withdrawals at the lowest level since before 1970, following the same overall trend of decreasing total withdrawals observed...
Summary of estimated water use in the United States in 2015
Molly A. Maupin
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3035
A total of 322 Bgal/d of water withdrawals was reported for eight categories of use in the United States in 2015, which was 9 percent less than in 2010 (354 Bgal/d), and continued a declining trend since 2005. The decline in total withdrawals in 2015 primarily was caused by significant...
Acute toxicity of sodium chloride and potassium chloride to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) in water exposures
Ning Wang, Chris D. Ivey, Rebecca A. Dorman, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Jeffery A. Steevens, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer, David R. Mount
2018, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (37) 3041-3049
Freshwater mussels (order Unionoida) are one of the most imperiled groups of animals in the world. However, many ambient water quality criteria and other environmental guideline values do not include data for freshwater mussels, in part because mussel toxicity test methods are comparatively new and data may not have been...
Laboratory tests of three Z‐Land Fairfield Nodal 5‐Hz, three‐component sensors
Adam T. Ringler, Robert Anthony, M.S Karplus, Austin Holland, David C. Wilson
2018, Seismological Research Letters (89) 1601-1608
We conduct a number of laboratory tests at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory to verify the self‐noise and fidelity in which 3 three‐component Fairfield Nodal Z‐Land, Generation 2, 5‐Hz sensors are able to record seismic signals. In addition to the incoherent self‐noise of the sensors, we estimate the sensitivity of the...
Bathymetric contour map, surface area and capacity table, and bathymetric difference map for Clearwater Lake near Piedmont, Missouri, 2017
Joseph M. Richards, Richard J. Huizinga
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3409
Clearwater Lake, on the Black River near Piedmont in Reynolds County, Missouri, was constructed in 1948 and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood-risk reduction, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat. The lake area is about 1,800 acres with about 34 miles of shoreline at the...
Evolution of the 2015 Cotopaxi eruption revealed by combined geochemical & seismic observations
Silvana Hidalgo, Jean Battaglia, Santiago Arellano, Daniel Sierra, Benjamin Bernard, Rene Parra, Peter J. Kelly, Florian Dinger, Charlotte Barrington, Pablo Samaniego
2018, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (19) 2087-2108
Through integration of multiple data streams to monitor volcanic unrest scientists are able to make more robust eruption forecast and to obtain a more holistic interpretation of volcanic systems. We examined gas emission and gas geochemistry, seismic and petrologic data recorded during the 2015 unrest of Cotopaxi (Ecuador) in order...
Sampling strategies to improve passive optical remote sensing of river bathymetry
Carl J. Legleiter, Brandon Overstreet, Paul J. Kinzel
2018, Remote Sensing (10)
Passive optical remote sensing of river bathymetry involves establishing a relation between depth and reflectance that can be applied throughout an image to produce a depth map. Building upon the Optimal Band Ratio Analysis (OBRA) framework, we introduce sampling strategies for constructing calibration data sets that lead to strong...
Respiratory hazard assessment of combined exposure to complete gasoline exhaust and respirable volcanic ash in a multicellular human lung model at the air-liquid interface
Ines Tomasek, Claire J. Horwell, Christoph Bisig, David Damby, Pierre Comte, Jan Czerwinski, Alke Petri-Fink, Martin J D Clift, Barbara Drasler, Barbara Rothen-Rutishauer
2018, Environmental Pollution (238) 977-987
Communities resident in urban areas located near active volcanoes can experience volcanic ash exposures during, and following, an eruption, in addition to sustained exposures to high concentrations of anthropogenic air pollutants (e.g., vehicle exhaust emissions). Inhalation of anthropogenic pollution is known to cause the onset of, or exacerbate, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases....
Variation in plant defense suppresses herbivore performance
Ian S. Pearse, Ryan Paul, Paul J. Ode
2018, Current Biology (28) 1981-1986
Defensive variability of crops and natural systems can alter herbivore communities and reduce herbivory. However, it is still unknown how defense variability translates into herbivore suppression. Nonlinear averaging and constraints in physiological tracking (also more generally called time-dependent effects) are the two mechanisms by which defense variability might impact herbivores....
Reverse weathering in marine sediments and the geochemical cycle of potassium in seawater: Insights from the K isotopic composition (41K/39K) of deep-sea pore-fluids
Danielle P. Santiago Ramos, Leah E. Morgan, Nicholas S. Lloyd, John A. Higgins
2018, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (236) 99-120
In situ Al-silicate formation, also known as “reverse weathering,” is an important sink of many of the major and minor cations in seawater (e.g. Mg, K, and Li). However, the importance of this sink in global geochemical cycles and isotopic budgets of these elements remains poorly constrained. Here, we report on the...
Hydrological regime and climate interactively shape riparian vegetation composition along the Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Bradley J. Butterfield, Emily C. Palmquist, Barbara Ralston
2018, Applied Vegetation Science (21) 572-583
QuestionHow closely do riparian plant communities track hydrological and climatic variation in space, and how do interactions among hydrological and climatic filters influence success of flow management strategies?LocationGrand Canyon, Arizona, USA.MethodsMulti‐year vegetation surveys were conducted across three hydrological...
A method to value nature-related webcam viewing: The value of virtual use with application to brown bear webcam viewing
John B. Loomis, Leslie Richardson, Christopher Huber, Jeffrey Skibins, Ryan Sharp
2018, Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy (7) 452-462
There are an estimated 16,000 nature related remote web cameras that provide users around the world with an opportunity to view wildlife. Because there is no monetary price to view the webcams, we utilise variations in the viewers’ opportunity cost of time to estimate consumer surplus. We apply this model...
Exposure to synthetic hydraulic fracturing waste influences the mucosal bacterial community structure of the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) epidermis
Heather S. Galbraith, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Daniel E. Spooner, Luke R. Iwanowicz, David Keller, Paula M. Zelanko, Cynthia R. Adams
2018, AIMS Microbiology (4) 413-427
Production of natural gas using unconventional technologies has risen as demand for alternative fuels has increased. Impacts on the environment from waste generated from these processes are largely unexplored. In particular, the outcomes of organismal exposure to hydraulic fracturing waste have not been rigorously evaluated. We evaluated the effects of...
A framework for identifying and characterising coral reef “oases” against a backdrop of degradation
James R. Guest, Peter J. Edmunds, Ruth D. Gates, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Andreas J Andersson, Brian B. Barnes, Iliana Chollett, Travis A. Courtney, Robin Elahi, Kevin Gross, Elizabeth A. Lenz, Satoshi Mitarai, Peter J. Mumby, Hannah R. Nelson, Britt A. Parker, Hollie M. Putnam, Caroline S. Rogers, Lauren T. Toth
2018, Journal of Applied Ecology (55) 2865-2875
Human activities have led to widespread ecological decline; however, the severity of degradation is spatially heterogeneous due to some locations resisting, escaping, or rebounding from disturbances.We developed a framework for identifying oases within coral reef regions using long‐term monitoring data. We calculated standardised estimates of coral cover (z‐scores) to...
Adaptation with climate uncertainty: An examination of agricultural land use in the United States
Jianhong E. Mu, Bruce A. McCarl, Benjamin M. Sleeter, John T. Abatzoglou, Hongliang Zhang
2018, Land Use Policy (77) 392-401
This paper examines adaptation responses to climate change through adjustment of agricultural land use. The climate drivers we examine are changes in long-term climate normals (e.g., 10-year moving averages) and changes in inter-annual climate variability. Using US county level data over 1982 to 2012 from Census of Agriculture, we find...
Characterizing the sponge grounds of Grays Canyon, Washington, USA
Abby N. Powell, M. Elizabeth Clarke, Erica Fruh, Jason Chaytor, Henry M. Reiswig, Curt E. Whitmire
2018, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (150) 146-155
Deep-sea sponge grounds are relatively understudied ecosystems that may provide key habitats for a large number of fish and invertebrates including commercial species. Glass sponge grounds have been discovered from the tropics to polar regions but there are only a few places with high densities of dictyonine sponges. Dictyonine glass...
Book review: A new view on the species abundance distribution Stochastic communities: A mathematical theory of biodiversity
Donald L. DeAngelis
2018, Trends in Ecology and Evolution (33) 572-574
The sampled relative abundances of species of a taxonomic group, whether birds, trees, or moths, in a natural community at a particular place vary in a way that suggests a consistent underlying pattern, referred to as the species abundance distribution (SAD). Preston [1] conjectured that the numbers of species, plotted...
Estimating lag to peak between rainfall and peak streamflow with a mixed-effects model
Pamela J. Lombard, David Holtschlag
2018, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) (54) 949-961
We test the use of a mixed-effects model for estimating lag to peak for small basins in Maine (drainage areas from 0.8 to 78 km2). Lag to peak is defined as the time between the center of volume of the excess rainfall during a storm event and the resulting peak...
Suspended-sediment concentrations and loads in the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers decreased by half between 1980 and 2015
Scott Mize, Jennifer C. Murphy, Timothy H. Diehl, Dennis K. Demcheck
2018, Journal of Hydrology (564) 1-11
The Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) model was used to derive estimates of suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) and suspended-sediment load (SSL), their dependence on discharge, and their trends with confidence intervals, for one site each on the lowermost Mississippi...
Combined effects of temperature and salinity on the physiology of two geographically-distant eastern oyster populations
S. M. Casas, R. Filgueira, R. Lavaud, L. A. Comeau, Megan La Peyre, J. F. La Peyre
2018, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (506) 82-90
Understanding why a species occupies a certain geographic range and predicting how they will be affected by climate change require characterizing physiological traits in geographically-distant populations. The objective of this study was to perform a direct comparison of two eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations that occupy contrasting temperature and salinity...
Variation in home range size and patterns in adult female American crocodiles Crocodylus acutus
Kristen M. Hart, Jeffrey S. Beauchamp, Michael S. Cherkiss, Frank Mazzotti
2018, Endangered Species Research (36) 161-171
The American crocodile Crocodylus acutus is a threatened species that uses relatively deep, open-water habitats with low salinity. Adult female American crocodiles nest on sandy coastal beaches, islands or human-made berms, assist in the hatching process, and can travel long distances to nesting habitat. We satellite-tracked 15 adult female American crocodiles in...
Insular biogeographic origins and high phylogenetic distinctiveness for a recently depleted lizard fauna from Christmas Island, Australia
Paul M. Oliver, Mozes P. K. Blom, Harold G. Cogger, Robert N. Fisher, Jonathan Q. Richmond, John C. Z. Woinarski
2018, Biology Letters (14) 1-5
Striking faunal turnover across Asia and Australasia, most famously along the eastern edge of the Sunda Shelf or ‘Wallace's Line’, has been a focus of biogeographic research for over 150 years. Here, we investigate the origins of a highly threatened endemic lizard fauna (four species) on Christmas Island. Despite occurring...
DDT and related compounds in pore water of shallow sediments on the Palos Verdes Shelf, California, USA
Robert P. Eganhouse, Erica L. DiFilippo, James Pontolillo, William H. Orem, Paul C. Hackley, Brian Edwards
2018, Marine Chemistry (203) 78-90
For nearly two and a half decades following World War II, production wastes from the world's largest manufacturer of technical DDT (1-chloro-4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene) were discharged into sewers of Los Angeles County. Following treatment, the wastes were released via a submarine outfall system to nearshore coastal waters where a portion accumulated in...
