Atmospheric deposition to forests in the eastern USA
Martin R. Risch, John F. DeWild, David A. Gay, Leiming Zhang, Elizabeth W. Boyer, David P. Krabbenhoft
2017, Environmental Pollution (228) 8-18
Atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition to forests is important because half of the land cover in the eastern USA is forest. Mercury was measured in autumn litterfall and weekly precipitation samples at a total of 27 National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) monitoring sites in deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests in 16...
Evaluation of radon occurrence in groundwater from 16 geologic units in Pennsylvania, 1986–2015, with application to potential radon exposure from groundwater and indoor air
Eliza L. Gross
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5018
Results from 1,041 groundwater samples collected during 1986‒2015 from 16 geologic units in Pennsylvania, associated with 25 or more groundwater samples with concentrations of radon-222, were evaluated in an effort to identify variations in radon-222 activities or concentrations and to classify potential radon-222 exposure from groundwater and indoor air. Radon-222...
Causal mechanisms of soil organic matter decomposition: Deconstructing salinity and flooding impacts in coastal wetlands
Camille L. Stagg, Donald Schoolmaster, Ken W. Krauss, Nicole Cormier, William H. Conner
2017, Ecology (98) 2003-2018
Coastal wetlands significantly contribute to global carbon storage potential. Sea-level rise and other climate change-induced disturbances threaten coastal wetland sustainability and carbon storage capacity. It is critical that we understand the mechanisms controlling wetland carbon loss so that we can predict and manage these resources in anticipation of climate change....
Impact of tile drainage on evapotranspiration in South Dakota, USA, based on high spatiotemporal resolution evapotranspiration time series from a multi-satellite data fusion system
Yun Yang, Martha C. Anderson, Feng Gao, Christopher Hain, William P. Kustas, Tilden P. Meyers, Raymond G. Finocchiaro, Wade Crow, Jason Otkin, Liang Sun, Yang Yang
2017, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (10) 2250-2564
Soil drainage is a widely used agricultural practice in the midwest USA to remove excess soil water to potentially improve the crop yield. Research shows an increasing trend in baseflow and streamflow in the midwest over the last 60 years, which may be related to artificial drainage. Subsurface drainage (i.e.,...
Variable terrestrial GPS telemetry detection rates: Addressing the probability of successful acquisitions
Kirsten E. Ironside, David J. Mattson, David Choate, David Stoner, Terence R. Arundel, Jered R. Hansen, Tad Theimer, Brandon Holton, Brian Jansen, Joseph O. Sexton, Kathleen M. Longshore, Thomas C. Edwards Jr., Michael Peters
2017, Wildlife Society Bulletin (41) 329-341
Studies using global positioning system (GPS) telemetry rarely result in 100% fix success rates (FSR), which may bias datasets because data loss is systematic rather than a random process. Previous spatially explicit models developed to correct for sampling bias have been limited to small study areas, a small range of...
Persistence of native and exotic plants 10 years after prairie reconstruction
Diane L. Larson, J. B. Bright, Pauline Drobney, Jennifer L. Larson, Sara Vacek
2017, Restoration Ecology (25) 953-961
Prairie reconstructions are a critical component of preservation of the imperiled tallgrass prairie ecosystem in the Midwestern United States. Sustainability of this endeavor depends on establishment of persistent cover of planted native species and resistance to noxious weeds. The goal of this study was to understand the influence of early...
Poroelastic properties of the Arbuckle Group in Oklahoma derived from well fluid level response to the 3 September 2016 Mw 5.8 Pawnee and 7 November 2016 Mw 5.0 Cushing earthquakes
Kayla A. Kroll, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Kyle E. Murray
2017, Seismological Research Letters (88) 963-970
The Arbuckle Group (Arbuckle) is a basal sedimentary unit that is the primary target for saltwater disposal in Oklahoma. Thus, the reservoir characteristics of the Arbuckle, including how the poroelastic properties change laterally and over time are of significant interest. We report observations of fluid level changes in two monitoring...
Magnitude of flood flows for selected annual exceedance probabilities for streams in Massachusetts
Phillip J. Zarriello
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5156
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, determined the magnitude of flood flows at selected annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) at streamgages in Massachusetts and from these data developed equations for estimating flood flows at ungaged locations in the State. Flood magnitudes were determined for the...
Evaluation of the streamgage network for estimating streamflow statistics at ungaged sites in Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania and New York
Ronald A. Sloto, Marla H. Stuckey, Scott A. Hoffman
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5149
The current (2015) streamgage network in Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania and New York was evaluated in order to design a network that would meet the hydrologic needs of many partners and serve a variety of purposes and interests, including estimation of streamflow statistics at ungaged sites....
Defining opportunities for collaboration across data life cycles
Jake F. Weltzin, Jennifer M. Bayer, Rebecca A. Scully
2017, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (98)
Monitoring natural resources - water, forests, and animal populations—is required to support effective management of natural resources. However, because monitoring activities are often specific to a discipline, issue, or agency, it is typically difficult to integrate data to answer questions that transcend geopolitical and jurisdictional boundaries. How do we reach...
Eighty years of cooperative water science
Mandy L. Stone
2017, General Information Product 174
The Equus Beds aquifer in south-central Kansas is a primary water source for the city of Wichita. The Equus Beds aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project was developed to help the city of Wichita meet increasing current and future demands. The Equus Beds ASR project is a recent part of...
Impacts to ecosystem services from aquatic acidification: Using FEGS-CS to understand the impacts of air pollution
Claire O’Dea, Sarah M. Anderson, Timothy Sullivan, Dixon H. Landers, C. Frank Casey
2017, Ecosphere (8)
Increases in anthropogenic emissions of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) have resulted in increases in the associated atmospheric deposition of acidic compounds. In sensitive watersheds, this deposition has initiated a cascade of negative environmental effects on aquatic ecosystems, resulting in a degradation or loss of valuable ecosystem goods and services....
Geophysical data collected during the 2014 minute 319 pulse flow on the Colorado River below Morelos Dam, United States and Mexico
Jeffrey R. Kennedy, James B. Callegary, Jamie P. Macy, Jaime Reyes-Lopez, Marco Perez-Flores
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1050
Geophysical methods were used to monitor infiltration during a water release, referred to as a “pulse flow,” in the Colorado River delta in March and April 2014. The pulse flow was enabled by Minute 319 of the 1944 United States–Mexico Treaty concerning water of the Colorado River. Fieldwork was carried...
Drought, multi-seasonal climate, and wildfire in northern New Mexico
Ellis Q. Margolis, Connie A. Woodhouse, Thomas W. Swetnam
2017, Climatic Change (142) 433-446
Wildfire is increasingly a concern in the USA, where 10 million acres burned in 2015. Climate is a primary driver of wildfire, and understanding fire-climate relationships is crucial for informing fire management and modeling the effects of climate change on fire. In the southwestern USA, fire-climate relationships have been informed...
Development of a coastal drought index using salinity data
Paul Conrads, Lisa S. Darby
2017, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (98) 753-766
A critical aspect of the uniqueness of coastal drought is the effects on the salinity dynamics of creeks, rivers, and estuaries. The location of the freshwater–saltwater interface along the coast is an important factor in the ecological and socioeconomic dynamics of coastal communities. Salinity is a critical response variable that...
Concentration and biochemical gradients of seston in Lake Ontario
Patrick T. Kelly, Brian Weidel, Matthew R. Paufve, Brian P. O'Malley, James M. Watkins, Lars G. Rudstam, Stuart E. Jones
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 795-803
Spatial variability in resource quantity and quality may have important implications for the distribution and productivity of primary consumers. In Lake Ontario, ecosystem characteristics suggest the potential for significant spatial heterogeneity in seston quantity and quality, particularly due to the potential for nearshore-offshore gradients in allochthonous nutrient supply, and the...
Enhanced CO2 uptake at a shallow Arctic Ocean seep field overwhelms the positive warming potential of emitted methane
John W. Pohlman, J. Greinert, Carolyn D. Ruppel, A Silyakova, L Vielstadte, Michael Casso, J Mienert, S Bunz
2017, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (114) 5355-5360
Continued warming of the Arctic Ocean in coming decades is projected to trigger the release of teragrams (1 Tg = 106 tons) of methane from thawing subsea permafrost on shallow continental shelves and dissociation of methane hydrate on upper continental slopes. On the shallow shelves (<100 m...
Quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities in the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center
Kathleen E. Conn, Raegan L. Huffman, Cynthia Barton
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1044
In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Office of Water Quality in the Water Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey, a quality-assurance plan has been created for use by the Washington Water Science Center (WAWSC) in conducting water-quality activities. This qualityassurance plan documents the standards, policies, and...
Additive impacts of experimental climate change increase risk to an ectotherm at the Arctic's edge
Jon M. Davenport, Blake R. Hossack, LeeAnn Fishback
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 2262-2271
Globally, Arctic and Subarctic regions have experienced the greatest temperature increases during the last 30 years. These extreme changes have amplified threats to the freshwater ecosystems that dominate the landscape in many areas by altering water budgets. Several studies in temperate environments have examined the adaptive capacity of organisms to enhance...
Beyond exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity: A response based ecological framework to assess species climate change vulnerability
Lucas B. Fortini, Olivia Schubert
2017, Climate Change Responses (4)
As the impacts of global climate change on species are increasingly evident, there is a clear need to adapt conservation efforts worldwide. Species vulnerability assessments (VAs) are increasingly used to summarize all relevant information to determine a species’ potential vulnerability to climate change and are frequently the first step in...
Report of the workshop on evidence-based design of national wildlife health programs
Natalie T. Nguyen, J. Paul Duff, Dolores Gavier-Widen, Tiggy Grillo, Hongxuan He, Hang Lee, Parntep Ratanakorn, Jolianne M. Rijks, Marie-Pierre Ryser-Degiorgis, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Craig Stephen, Toni Tana, Marcela Uhart, Patrick Zimmer
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1038
SummaryThis report summarizes a Wildlife Disease Association sponsored workshop held in 2016. The overall objective of the workshop was to use available evidence and selected subject matter expertise to define the essential functions of a National Wildlife Health Program and the resources needed to deliver a robust and reliable program,...
Evaluation of Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) and snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) nesting on modified islands at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, California—2016 Annual Report
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Cheryl Strong, David Trachtenbarg, Crystal A. Shore
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1055
Executive SummaryIn order to address the 2008/10 and Supplemental 2014 NOAA Fisheries Biological Opinion for operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) developed and have begun implementation of Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) management plans. This implementation...
Using publicly available data to quantify plant–pollinator interactions and evaluate conservation seeding mixes in the Northern Great Plains
Clint Otto, Samuel O’Dell, R. B. Bryant, Ned H. Jr. Euliss, Rachel Bush, Matthew Smart
2017, Environmental Entomology (46) 565-578
Concern over declining pollinators has led to multiple conservation initiatives for improving forage for bees in agroecosystems. Using data available through the Pollinator Library (npwrc.usgs.gov/pollinator/), we summarize plant–pollinator interaction data collected from 2012–2015 on lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and private lands enrolled in U.S. Department...
Review: The size of the risk: Histories of multiple use in the Great Basin by Leisl Carr Childers
Craig A. Johnson
2017, Pacific Historical Review (86) 348-349
In The Size of the Risk, Leisl Carr Childers chronicles the changing ways in which public lands of the Great Basin have been managed from the latter half of the nineteenth century through the late 1970s. The main focus is the State of Nevada, which constitutes the core of the...
Evidence for distributed clockwise rotation of the crust in the northwestern United States from fault geometries and focal mechanisms
Thomas M. Brocher, Ray E. Wells, Andrew P. Lamb, Craig S. Weaver
2017, Tectonics (36) 787-818
Paleomagnetic and GPS data indicate that Washington and Oregon have rotated clockwise for the past 16 Myr. Late Cenozoic and Quaternary fault geometries, seismicity lineaments, and focal mechanisms provide evidence that this rotation is accommodated by north directed thrusting and right-lateral strike-slip faulting in Washington, and SW to W directed normal...
