Categorisation of northern California rainfall for periods with and without a radar brightband using stable isotopes and a novel automated precipitation collector
Tyler B. Coplen, Paul J. Neiman, Allen B. White, F. Martin Ralph
2015, Tellus, Series A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography (67) 1-48
During landfall of extratropical cyclones between 2005 and 2011, nearly 1400 precipitation samples were collected at intervals of 30-min time resolution with novel automated collectors at four NOAA sites in northern California [Alta (ATA), Bodega Bay (BBY), Cazadero (CZD) and Shasta Dam (STD)] during 43 events. Substantial decreases were commonly...
Substantial contribution of biomethylation to aquifer arsenic cycling
Scott C. Maguffin, Matthew F. Kirk, Ashley R. Daigle, Stephen R. Hinkle, Qusheng Jin
2015, Nature Geoscience (8) 290-293
Microbes play a prominent role in transforming arsenic to and from immobile forms in aquifers1. Much of this cycling involves inorganic forms of arsenic2, but microbes can also generate organic forms through methylation3, although this process is often considered insignificant in aquifers4, 5, 6, 7. Here we identify the presence...
Estimating the risks for adverse effects of total phosphorus in receiving streams with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
Gregory E. Granato, Susan C. Jones
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET 2015)
Studies from North Carolina (NC) indicate that increasing concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and other constituents are correlated to adverse effects on stream ecosystems as evidenced by differences in benthic macroinvertebrate populations in streams across the state. As a result, stringent in-stream criteria based on the Water Quality Assessed by...
Removal of terrestrial DOC in aquatic ecosystems of a temperate river network
W. M. Wollheim, R. J. Stewart, George R. Aiken, Kenna D. Butler, Nathaniel B. Morse, J. Salisbury
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 6671-6679
Surface waters play a potentially important role in the global carbon balance. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes are a major transfer of terrestrial carbon to river systems, and the fate of DOC in aquatic systems is poorly constrained. We used a unique combination of spatially distributed sampling of...
Strong-motion observations of the M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence and development of the N-shake strong-motion network
Amod Dixit, Adam T. Ringler, Danielle F. Sumy, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Susan E. Hough, Stacey Martin, Steven Gibbons, James H. Luetgert, John Galetzka, Surya Shrestha, Sudhir Rajaure, Daniel E. McNamara
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 1533-1539
We present and describe strong-motion data observations from the 2015 M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence collected using existing and new Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) and U.S. Geological Survey NetQuakes sensors located in the Kathmandu Valley. A comparison of QCN data with waveforms recorded by a conventional strong-motion (NetQuakes) instrument validates...
Tidal marsh susceptibility to sea-level rise: importance of local-scale models
Karen M. Thorne, Kevin J. Buffington, Deborah L. Elliott-Fisk, John Y. Takekawa
2015, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 290-304
Increasing concern over sea-level rise impacts to coastal tidal marsh ecosystems has led to modeling efforts to anticipate outcomes for resource management decision making. Few studies on the Pacific coast of North America have modeled sea-level rise marsh susceptibility at a scale relevant to local wildlife populations and plant communities....
High-resolution remote sensing of water quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary
Cedric G. Fichot, Bryan D. Downing, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, David R. Thompson, Michelle M. Gierach
2015, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 573-583
The San Francisco Bay–Delta Estuary watershed is a major source of freshwater for California and a profoundly human-impacted environment. The water quality monitoring that is critical to the management of this important water resource and ecosystem relies primarily on a system of fixed water-quality monitoring stations, but the limited spatial...
Quantifying the adaptive cycle
David G. Angeler, Craig R. Allen, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Lance H. Gunderson, Olle Hjerne, Monika Winder
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
The adaptive cycle was proposed as a conceptual model to portray patterns of change in complex systems. Despite the model having potential for elucidating change across systems, it has been used mainly as a metaphor, describing system dynamics qualitatively. We use a quantitative approach for testing premises (reorganisation, conservatism, adaptation)...
Evaluation of the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) air temperature data products
Lei Ji, Gabriel B. Senay, James P. Verdin
2015, Journal of Hydrometeorology (16) 2463-2480
There is a high demand for agrohydrologic models to use gridded near-surface air temperature data as the model input for estimating regional and global water budgets and cycles. The Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) developed by combining simulation models with observations provides a long-term gridded meteorological dataset at the...
Water quality and fish dynamics in forested wetlands associated with an oxbow lake
Caroline S. Andrews, Leandro E. Miranda, Robert Kroger
2015, Southeastern Naturalist (14) 623-634
Forested wetlands represent some of the most distinct environments in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Depending on season, water in forested wetlands can be warm, stagnant, and oxygen-depleted, yet may support high fish diversity. Fish assemblages in forested wetlands are not well studied because of difficulties in sampling heavily structured...
Evaluation of three aging techniques and back-calculated growth for introduced Blue Catfish from Lake Oconee, Georgia
Michael D. Homer Jr., James T. Peterson, Cecil A. Jennings
2015, Southeastern Naturalist (14) 740-756
Back-calculation of length-at-age from otoliths and spines is a common technique employed in fisheries biology, but few studies have compared the precision of data collected with this method for catfish populations. We compared precision of back-calculated lengths-at-age for an introducedIctalurus furcatus (Blue Catfish) population among 3 commonly used cross-sectioning techniques....
Roost habitat of Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in the canyonlands of Utah
David W. Willey, Charles van Riper III
2015, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (127) 690-696
In large portions of their geographic range, Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) roost in forest-dominated environments, but in some areas the owls use relatively arid rocky canyonlands. We measured habitat characteristics at 133 male roosts (n = 20 males) during 1992-95, and 56 female roosts (n = 13 females)...
Combining NLCD and MODIS to create a land cover-albedo database for the continental United States
J. Wickham, Christopher A. Barnes, M.S. Nash, T.G. Wade
2015, Remote Sensing of Environment (170) 143-152
Land surface albedo is an essential climate variable that is tightly linked to land cover, such that specific land cover classes (e.g., deciduous broadleaf forest, cropland) have characteristic albedos. Despite the normative of land-cover class specific albedos, there is considerable variability in albedo within a land cover class. The National...
Developing a conservation strategy to maximize persistence of an endangered freshwater mussel species while considering management effectiveness and cost
David R. Smith, Sarah E. McRae, Tom Augspurger, Judith A. Ratcliffe, Robert B. Nichols, Chris B. Eads, Tim Savidge, Arthur E. Bogan
2015, Freshwater Science (34) 1324-1339
We used a structured decision-making process to develop conservation strategies to increase persistence of Dwarf Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) in North Carolina, USA, while accounting for uncertainty in management effectiveness and considering costs. Alternative conservation strategies were portfolios of management actions that differed by location of management actions on the landscape....
Differences in ecosystem carbon distribution and nutrient cycling linked to forest tree species composition in a mid-successional boreal forest
April M. Melvin, Michelle C. Mack, Jill F. Johnstone, A. David McGuire, Helene Genet, Edward A.G. Schuur
2015, Ecosystems (18) 1472-1488
In the boreal forest of Alaska, increased fire severity associated with climate change is expanding deciduous forest cover in areas previously dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana). Needle-leaf conifer and broad-leaf deciduous species are commonly associated with differences in tree growth, carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, and C...
Conodont biostratigraphy of the Permian-Triassic boundary sequence at Lung Cam, Vietnam
Bruce R. Wardlaw, Merlynd K. Nestell, Galina P. Nestell, Brooks B. Ellwood, Luu Thi Phuong Lan
2015, Micropaleontology (61) 313-334
The occurrences of a few specimens of Clarkina and many specimens of Hindeodus at the Permian-Triassic boundary section at Lung Cam, Vietnam allow accurate graphic correlation to the P-T boundary stratotype at Meishan, China. One species of Clarkina, ten species and two subspecies of Hindeodus, and the apparatuses of Hindeodus...
Conodont faunas from a complete basinal succession of the upper part of the Wordian (Middle Permian, Guadalupian, West Texas)
Bruce R. Wardlaw, Merlynd K. Nestell
2015, Micropaleontology (61) 257-292
In the southern part of the Patterson Hills just to the west of the Guadalupe Mountains escarpment ofWest Texas, a 29m outcrop of alternating calcareous siltstone and silty limestone with a few thin fine sandstone interbeds displays the overlap occurrence of a narrowmorphotype of Jinogondolella nankingensis (herein named J. nankingensis...
Determining climate change management priorities: A case study from Wisconsin
Olivia E. LeDee, Christine Ribic
2015, Journal of Conservation Planning (11) 1-12
A burgeoning dialogue exists regarding how to allocate resources to maximize the likelihood of long-term biodiversity conservation within the context of climate change. To make effective decisions in natural resource management, an iterative, collaborative, and learning-based decision process may be more successful than a strictly consultative approach. One important, early...
SPARROW modeling of nitrogen sources and transport in rivers and streams of California and adjacent states, U.S.
Dina Saleh, Joseph L. Domagalski
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 1487-1507
The SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) model was used to evaluate the spatial distribution of total nitrogen (TN) sources, loads, watershed yields, and factors affecting transport and decay in the stream network of California and portions of adjacent states for the year 2002. The two major TN sources...
Quantifying the residence time and flushing characteristics of a shallow, back-barrier estuary: Application of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models
Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju
2015, Estuaries and Coasts (38) 1719-1734
Estuarine residence time is a major driver of eutrophication and water quality. Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH), New Jersey, is a lagoonal back-barrier estuary that is subject to anthropogenic pressures including nutrient loading, eutrophication, and subsequent declines in water quality. A combination of hydrodynamic and particle tracking modeling was used...
Seismic hazard in the Intermountain West
Kathleen Haller, Morgan P. Moschetti, Charles Mueller, Sanaz Rezaeian, Mark D. Petersen, Yuehua Zeng
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) S149-S176
The 2014 national seismic-hazard model for the conterminous United States incorporates new scientific results and important model adjustments. The current model includes updates to the historical catalog, which is spatially smoothed using both fixed-length and adaptive-length smoothing kernels. Fault-source characterization improved by adding faults, revising rates of activity, and incorporating...
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve: Geologic resources inventory report
Chad P. Hults, Christina A. Neal
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/1033
This GRI report is a companion document to previously completed GRI digital geologic map data. It was written for resource managers to support science-informed decision making. It may also be useful for interpretation. The report was prepared using available geologic information, and the NPS Geologic Resources Division conducted no new...
Sources and transport of phosphorus to rivers in California and adjacent states, U.S., as determined by SPARROW modeling
Joseph L. Domagalski, Dina Saleh
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 1463-1486
The SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed attributes) model was used to simulate annual phosphorus loads and concentrations in unmonitored stream reaches in California, U.S., and portions of Nevada and Oregon. The model was calibrated using de-trended streamflow and phosphorus concentration data at 80 locations. The model explained 91% of...
Assessment of model estimates of land-atmosphere CO2 exchange across northern Eurasia
M.A. Rawlins, A. D. McGuire, J.S. Kimball, P. Dass, D. Lawrence, E. Burke, X. Chen, C. Delire, C. Koven, A. MacDougall, S. Peng, A. Rinke, K. Saito, W. Zhang, R. Alkama, T. J. Bohn, P. Ciais, B. Decharme, I. Gouttevin, T. Hajima, D. Ji, G. Krinner, D.P. Lettenmaier, P. Miller, J.C. Moore, B. Smith, T. Sueyoshi
2015, Biogeosciences (12) 4385-4405
A warming climate is altering land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, with a potential for increased vegetation productivity as well as the mobilization of permafrost soil carbon stores. Here we investigate land-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO2) cycling through analysis of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and its component fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP)...
2014 Update of the Pacific Northwest portion of the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps
Arthur D. Frankel, Rui Chen, Mark D. Petersen, Morgan P. Moschetti, Brian L. Sherrod
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) S131-S148
Several aspects of the earthquake characterization were changed for the Pacific Northwest portion of the 2014 update of the national seismic hazard maps, reflecting recent scientific findings. New logic trees were developed for the recurrence parameters of M8-9 earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) and for the eastern edge...
