Development of a new semi-analytical model for cross-borehole flow experiments in fractured media
Delphine Roubinet, James Irving, Frederick D. Day-Lewis
2015, Advances in Water Resources (76) 97-108
Analysis of borehole flow logs is a valuable technique for identifying the presence of fractures in the subsurface and estimating properties such as fracture connectivity, transmissivity and storativity. However, such estimation requires the development of analytical and/or numerical modeling tools that are well adapted to the complexity of the problem....
Sources of fine sediment stored in agricultural lowland streams, Midwest, USA
Jasmeet Lamba, Anita M. Thompson, K.G. Karthikeyan, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
2015, Geomorphology (236) 44-53
Agricultural activities can accelerate the offsite transport of productive soil from fields leading to stream water quality degradation. Identification of the nature and relative contribution of different sources to fine-grained sediment (e.g., silts, clays) in streams is important to effectively focus agricultural best management...
Anomalous solute transport in saturated porous media: Relating transport model parameters to electrical and nuclear magnetic resonance properties
Ryan D Swanson, Andrew Binley, Kristina Keating, Samantha France, Gordon Osterman, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Kamini Singha
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 1264-1283
The advection-dispersion equation (ADE) fails to describe commonly observed non-Fickian solute transport in saturated porous media, necessitating the use of other models such as the dual-domain mass-transfer (DDMT) model. DDMT model parameters are commonly calibrated via curve fitting, providing little insight into the relation between effective parameters and physical properties...
Aeolian responses to climate variability during the past century on Mesquite Lake Playa, Mojave Desert
John W. Whitney, George N. Breit, S.E. Buckingham, Richard L. Reynolds, Rian C. Bogle, Lifeng Luo, Harland L. Goldstein, John M. Vogel
2015, Geomorphology (230) 13-25
The erosion and deposition of sediments by wind from 1901 to 2013 have created large changes in surface features of Mesquite Lake playa in the Mojave Desert. The decadal scale recurrence of sand-sheet development, migration, and merging with older dunes appears related to decadal climatic changes of drought and wetness...
Microscopical characterization of carbon materials derived from coal and petroleum and their interaction phenomena in making steel electrodes, anodes and cathode blocks for the Microscopy of Carbon Materials Working Group of the ICCP
G. Predeanu, C. Panaitescu, M. Bălănescu, G. Bieg, A.G. Borrego, M. A. Diez, Paul C. Hackley, B. Kwiecinska, M. Marques, Maria Mastalerz, M. Misz-Kennan, S. Pusz, I. Suarez-Ruiz, S. Rodrigues, A. K. Singh, A. K. Varma, A. Zdravkov, D. Zivotić
2015, International Journal of Coal Geology (139) 63-79
This paper describes the evaluation of petrographic textures representing the structural organization of the organic matter derived from coal and petroleum and their interaction phenomena in the making of steel electrodes, anodes and cathode blocks.This work represents the results of the Microscopy of Carbon Materials Working Group in...
Aquatic invertebrate food base for waterbirds at Wetland Reserve Program easements in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Jessica L. Tapp, Elisabeth B. Webb
2015, Wetlands (35) 183-192
Migratory waterbirds depend on invertebrates as a key source of dietary protein, but few studies have quantified aquatic invertebrates or their response to management on privately owned wetlands. Our objectives were to quantify the effects of wetland management provided through the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI) on invertebrate biomass, family...
The aging of America's reservoirs: In-reservoir and downstream physical changes and habitat implications
Kyle E. Juracek
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 168-184
Reservoirs are important for various purposes including flood control, water supply, power generation, and recreation. The aging of America's reservoirs and progressive loss of water storage capacity resulting from ongoing sedimentation, coupled with increasing societal needs, will cause the social, economic, environmental, and political importance of reservoirs to continually increase....
Ground motion observations of the 2014 South Napa earthquake
Annemarie S. Baltay, John Boatwright
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 355-360
Ground motions of the South Napa earthquake (24 August 2014; M 6.0) were recorded at 19 stations within 20 km and 292 stations within 100 km of the rupture surface trace, generating peak ground motions in excess of 50%g and 50 cm/s in and near Napa Valley. This large dataset allows us to compare the...
Suspended-sediment trapping in the tidal reach of an estuarine tributary channel
Maureen A. Downing-Kunz, David H. Schoellhamer
2015, Estuaries and Coasts (38) 2198-2212
Evidence of decreasing sediment supply to estuaries and coastal oceans worldwide illustrates the need for accurate and updated estimates. In the San Francisco Estuary (Estuary), recent research suggests a decrease in supply from its largest tributaries, implying the increasing role of smaller, local tributaries in sediment supply to this estuary....
Ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of CO2 in a temperate herbaceous peatland in the Sanjiang Plain of northeast China
Xiaoyan Zhu, Changchun Song, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Yuedong Guo, Xinhow Zhang, Jiaoyue Wang
2015, Ecological Engineering (75) 16-23
Northern peatlands contain a considerable share of the terrestrial carbon pool, which will be affected by future climatic variability. Using the static chamber technique, we investigated ecosystem respiration and soil respiration over two growing seasons (2012 and 2013) in a Carex lasiocarpa-dominated peatland in the Sanjiang Plain in China. We...
Genetic diversity and host specificity varies across three genera of blood parasites in ducks of the Pacific Americas Flyway
Andrew B. Reeves, Matthew M. Smith, Brandt W. Meixell, Joseph P. Fleskes, Andrew M. Ramey
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Birds of the order Anseriformes, commonly referred to as waterfowl, are frequently infected by Haemosporidia of the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon via dipteran vectors. We analyzed nucleotide sequences of the Cytochrome b (Cytb) gene from parasites of these genera detected in six species of ducks from Alaska and California,...
Petrologic testament to changes in shallow magma storage and transport during 30+ years of recharge and eruption at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i
Carl R. Thornber, Tim R. Orr, Christina Heliker, Richard P. Hoblitt
Rebecca Carey, Valerie Cayol, Michael P. Poland, Dominique Weis, editor(s)
2015, Geophysical Monograph 8
Petrologic monitoring of Kīlauea Volcano from January 1983 to October 2013 has yielded an extensive record of glass, phenocryst, melt inclusion, and bulk-lava chemistry from well-quenched lava. When correlated with 30+ years of geophysical and geologic monitoring, petrologic details testify to physical maturation of summit-to-rift magma plumbing associated with...
The role of water in unconventional in situ energy resource extraction technologies
Tanya J. Gallegos, Carleton R. Bern, Justin E. Birdwell, Seth S. Haines, Mark A. Engle
Satinder Ahuja, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Food, energy, and water: The chemistry connection
Global trends toward developing new energy resources from lower grade, larger tonnage deposits that are not generally accessible using “conventional” extraction methods involve variations of subsurface in situ extraction techniques including in situ oil shale retorting, hydraulic fracturing of petroleum reservoirs, and in situ recovery of uranium. Although these methods are...
Assessing the likely effectiveness of multispecies management for imperiled desert fishes with niche overlap analysis
P Laub, Phaedra E. Budy
2015, Conservation Biology (29) 1153-1163
A critical decision in species conservation is whether to target individual species or a complex of ecologically similar species. Management of multispecies complexes is likely to be most effective when species share similar distributions, threats, and response to threats. We used niche overlap analysis to assess ecological similarity of...
Geochemical conditions and the occurrence of selected trace elements in groundwater basins used for public drinking-water supply, Desert and Basin and Range hydrogeologic provinces, 2006-11: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Michael T. Wright, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5173
The geochemical conditions, occurrence of selected trace elements, and processes controlling the occurrence of selected trace elements in groundwater were investigated in groundwater basins of the Desert and Basin and Range (DBR) hydrogeologic provinces in southeastern California as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring...
Geomorphology and flood-plain vegetation of the Sprague and lower Sycan Rivers, Klamath Basin, Oregon
James E. O'Connor, Patricia F. McDowell, Pollyanna Lind, Christine G. Rasmussen, Mackenzie K. Keith
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5223
This study provides information on channel and flood-plain processes and historical trends to guide effective restoration and monitoring strategies for the Sprague River Basin, a primary tributary (via the lower Williamson River) of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. The study area covered the lower, alluvial segments of the Sprague River system,...
Data Collection and Simulation of Ecological Habitat and Recreational Habitat in the Shenandoah River, Virginia
Jennifer L. Krstolic
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5005
This report presents updates to methods, describes additional data collected, documents modeling results, and discusses implications from an updated habitat-flow model that can be used to predict ecological habitat for fish and recreational habitat for canoeing on the main stem Shenandoah River in Virginia. Given a 76-percent increase in population...
Characterizing the distribution of an endangered salmonid using environmental DNA analysis
Matthew B. Laramie, David S. Pilliod, Caren S. Goldberg
2015, Biological Conservation (183) 29-37
Determining species distributions accurately is crucial to developing conservation and management strategies for imperiled species, but a challenging task for small populations. We evaluated the efficacy of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for improving detection and thus potentially refining the known distribution of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Methow and...
Quantification of eDNA shedding rates from invasive bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Katy E. Klymus, Cathy A. Richter, Duane Chapman, Craig P. Paukert
2015, Biological Conservation (183) 77-84
Wildlife managers can more easily mitigate the effects of invasive species if action takes place before a population becomes established. Such early detection requires sensitive survey tools that can detect low numbers of individuals. Due to their high sensitivity, environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys hold promise as an early detection method...
Geographically isolated wetlands: Rethinking a misnomer
David M. Mushet, Aram J.K. Calhoun, Laurie C. Alexander, Matthew J. Cohen, Edward S. DeKeyser, Laurie G. Fowler, Charles R. Lane, Megan W. Lang, Mark C. Rains, Susan C. Walls
2015, Wetlands (35) 423-431
We explore the category “geographically isolated wetlands” (GIWs; i.e., wetlands completely surrounded by uplands at the local scale) as used in the wetland sciences. As currently used, the GIW category (1) hampers scientific efforts by obscuring important hydrological and ecological differences among multiple wetland functional types, (2) aggregates wetlands in...
Intercontinental genetic structure and gene flow in Dunlin (Calidris alpina), a potential vector of avian influenza
Mark P. Miller, Susan M. Haig, Thomas D. Mullins, Luzhang Ruan, Bruce Casler, Alexei Dondua, H. River Gates, J. Matthew Johnson, Steven J. Kendall, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Diane Tracy, Olga P. Valchuk, Richard B. Lanctot
2015, Evolutionary Applications (8) 149-171
Waterfowl (Anseriformes) and shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are the most common wild vectors of influenza A viruses. Due to their migratory behavior, some may transmit disease over long distances. Migratory connectivity studies can link breeding and nonbreeding grounds while illustrating potential interactions among populations that may spread diseases. We investigated Dunlin (Calidris...
The influence of disturbed habitat on the spatial ecology of Argentine black and white tegu (Tupinambis merianae), a recent invader in the Everglades ecosystem (Florida, USA)
Page E. Klug, Robert N. Reed, Frank J. Mazzotti, Michelle A. McEachern, Joy J. Vinci, Katelin K. Craven, Amy A. Yackel Adams
2015, Biological Invasions (17) 1785-1797
The threat of invasive species is often intensified in disturbed habitat. To optimize control programs, it is necessary to understand how degraded habitat influences the behavior of invasive species. We conducted a radio telemetry study to characterize movement and habitat use of introduced male Argentine black and white tegus (Tupinambis...
Chemical constituents in groundwater from multiple zones in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2009-13
Roy C. Bartholomay, Candice B. Hopkins, Neil V. Maimer
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5002
From 2009 to 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project office, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, collected water-quality samples from multiple water-bearing zones in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer. Water samples were collected from 11 monitoring wells completed in about 250–750 feet of the...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for New Hampshire
William J. Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2014-3110
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications important to New Hampshire, including flood mitigation, land development, agriculture, transportation planning and design, infrastructure asset inventory and management, and many others. For the State of New Hampshire, elevation data are critical for many business uses such as flood risk...
Origin of Atlantic Sturgeon collected off the Delaware coast during spring months
Isaac Wirgin, Matthew W. Breece, Dewayne A. Fox, Lorraine Maceda, Kevin W. Wark, Tim L. King
2015, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (35) 20-30
Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus was federally listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as five distinct population segments (DPS). Currently, at least 18 estuaries coastwide host spawning populations and the viability of these vary, requiring differing levels of protection. Subadults emigrate from their natal estuaries to marine waters where they are...
