Combining state-and-transition simulations and species distribution models to anticipate the effects of climate change
Brian W. Miller, Leonardo Frid, Tony Chang, N. B. Piekielek, Andrew J. Hansen, Jeffrey T. Morisette
2015, AIMS Environmental Science (2) 400-426
State-and-transition simulation models (STSMs) are known for their ability to explore the combined effects of multiple disturbances, ecological dynamics, and management actions on vegetation. However, integrating the additional impacts of climate change into STSMs remains a challenge. We address this challenge by combining an STSM with species distribution modeling (SDM)....
Seafloor geomorphic manifestations of gas venting and shallow subbottom gas hydrate occurrences
C. K. Paull, D. W. Caress, Hans Thomas, Eve M. Lundsten, Kayce Anderson, Roberto Gwiazda, M Riedel, Mary McGann, J C Herguera
2015, Geosphere (11) 491-513
High-resolution multibeam bathymetry data collected with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) complemented by compressed high-intensity radar pulse (Chirp) profiles and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) observations and sediment sampling reveal a distinctive rough topography associated with seafloor gas venting and/or near-subsurface gas hydrate accumulations. The surveys provide 1 m bathymetric grids...
An assessment of sauger population characteristics on two Tennessee River reservoirs
Christy L. Graham, Phillip William Bettoli, Timothy N. Churchill
2015, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2) 101-108
In 1992, a 356-mm minimum length limit (MLL) was enacted on Kentucky Lake and a 381-mm MLL was enacted on Watts Bar Lake, two mainstem reservoirs on the Tennessee River, in an attempt to reduce exploitation and improve the size structure of the sauger (Sander canadensis) populations. The objectives...
Reaction modeling of drainage quality in the Duluth Complex, northern Minnesota, USA
Robert R. Seal, Kim Lapakko, Nadine M. Piatak, Laurel G. Woodruff
2015, Conference Paper
Reaction modeling can be a valuable tool in predicting the long-term behavior of waste material if representative rate constants can be derived from long-term leaching tests or other approaches. Reaction modeling using the REACT program of the Geochemist’s Workbench was conducted to evaluate long-term drainage quality affected by disseminated Cu-Ni-(Co-)-PGM...
Hydrothermal, biogenic, and seawater components in metalliferous black shales of the Brooks Range, Alaska: Synsedimentary metal enrichment in a carbonate ramp setting
John F. Slack, David Selby, Julie A. Dumoulin
2015, Economic Geology (110) 653-675
Trace element and Os isotope data for Lisburne Group metalliferous black shales of Middle Mississippian (early Chesterian) age in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska suggest that metals were sourced chiefly from local seawater (including biogenic detritus) but also from externally derived hydrothermal fluids. These black shales are interbedded with...
Thin‐ or thick‐skinned faulting in the Yakima fold and thrust belt (WA)? Constraints from kinematic modeling of the saddle mountains anticline
Gabriele Casale, Thomas L. Pratt
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 745-752
The Yakima fold and thrust belt (YFTB) deforms the Columbia River Basalt Group flows of Washington State. The YFTB fault geometries and slip rates are crucial parameters for seismic‐hazard assessments of nearby dams and nuclear facilities, yet there are competing models for the subsurface fault geometry involving shallowly rooted versus...
An integrated approach to conjunctive-use analysis with the one-water hydrologic flow model, MODFLOW-OWHM
Scott Boyce, Randall T. Hanson
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings: MODFLOW and more 2015: Modeling a complex world
The MODFLOW-2005 (MF) family of hydrologic simulators has diverged into multiple versions designed for specific needs, thus limiting their use to their respective designs. The One-Water Hydrologic Flow Model (MF-OWHM v1.0) is an integrated hydrologic flow model that is an enhanced fusion of multiple MF versions. While maintaining compatibility with...
Paleoseismologic evidence for large-magnitude (Mw 7.5-8.0) earthquakes on the Ventura blind thrust fault: Implications for multifault ruptures in the Transverse Ranges of southern California
Lee J. McAuliffe, James F. Dolan, Edward J. Rhodes, Judith Hubbard, John H. Shaw, Thomas L. Pratt
2015, Geosphere (11) 1629-1650
Detailed analysis of continuously cored boreholes and cone penetrometer tests (CPTs), high-resolution seismic-reflection data, and luminescence and 14C dates from Holocene strata folded above the tip of the Ventura blind thrust fault constrain the ages and displacements of the two (or more) most recent earthquakes. These two earthquakes, which are...
Climate change and vulnerability of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in a fire-prone landscape.
Jeffrey A. Falke, Rebecca L. Flitcroft, Jason B. Dunham, Kristina M. McNyset, Paul F. Hessburg, Gordon H. Reeves
2015, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (72) 304-318
Linked atmospheric and wildfire changes will complicate future management of native coldwater fishes in fire-prone landscapes, and new approaches to management that incorporate uncertainty are needed to address this challenge. We used a Bayesian network (BN) approach to evaluate population vulnerability of...
Paleoseismic evidence for late Holocene tectonic deformation along the Saddle mountain fault zone, Southeastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Elizabeth Barnett, Brian L. Sherrod, Jonathan F. Hughes, Harvey M. Kelsey, Jessica L. Czajkowski, Timothy J. Walsh, Trevor A. Contreras, Elizabeth R. Schermer, Robert J. Carson
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 38-71
Trench and wetland coring studies show that northeast‐striking strands of the Saddle Mountain fault zone ruptured the ground about 1000 years ago, generating prominent scarps. Three conspicuous subparallel fault scarps can be traced for 15 km on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery, traversing the foothills of the southeast Olympic Mountains:...
Using SO2 camera imagery and seismicity to examine degassing and gas accumulation at Kīlauea Volcano, May 2010
Patricia A Nadeau, Cynthia A. Werner, Gregory P. Waite, Simon A Carn, Ian D Brewer, Tamar Elias, Andrew Sutton, Christoph Kern
2015, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (300) 70-80
SO2 camera measurements at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, in May of 2010 captured two occurrences of lava lake rise and fall within the Halema'um'au Crater summit vent. During high lava stands we observed diminished SO2 emission rates and decreased seismic tremor. Similar events at Kīlauea have been described as the result...
Effects of rapid urbanization on streamflow, erosion, and sedimentation in a desert stream in the American Southwest
John W. Whitney, Patrick A. Glancy, Susan E. Buckingham, Arthur C. Ehrenberg
2015, Anthropocene (10) 29-42
Rapid urbanization has resulted in a series of sequential effects on a desert stream in the American Southwest. Lower Las Vegas Wash was a dry wash characterized by infrequent flood deposition when Las Vegas, Nevada was established in 1905. Wastewater effluent was discharged into the wash in low volumes for...
Golden Eagle predation of an adult turkey vulture
Clint W. Boal
2015, Bulletin of the Texas Ornithological Society (48) 53-55
The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a large, apex predator that occurs at low densities, has a long life span, experiences delayed maturity, has low reproductive rates, and has no natural predators (Watson 1997, Kochert et al. 2002). Golden Eagles are sensitive to anthropogenic driven landscape changes in land cover...
Analysis and selection of magnitude relations for the Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities
Christopher B. DuRoss, Susan Olig, David Schwartz
2015, Conference Paper, Basin and Range Province Seismic Hazards Summit III, Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 15-5
Prior to calculating time-independent and -dependent earthquake probabilities for faults in the Wasatch Front region, the Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities (WGUEP) updated a seismic-source model for the region (Wong and others, 2014) and evaluated 19 historical regressions on earthquake magnitude (M). These regressions relate M to fault parameters...
Integrating climate change into northeast and midwest State Wildlife Action Plans
Michelle D. Staudinger, Toni L. Morelli, Alexander Bryan, editor(s)
2015, Report
The Department of Interior Northeast Climate Science Center (NE CSC) conducts research that responds to the regional natural resource management community’s needs to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate change. The NE CSC is supported by a consortium of partners that includes the University of Massachusetts Amherst, College of Menominee...
Getting out of harm's way - evacuation from tsunamis
Jeanne M. Jones, Nathan J. Wood, Leslie C. Gordon
2015, Sound Waves: Coastal science and research news from across the USGS (2015)
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have developed a new mapping tool, the Pedestrian Evacuation Analyst, for use by researchers and emergency managers to estimate how long it would take for someone to travel on foot out of a tsunami-hazard zone. The ArcGIS software extension, released in September 2014,...
Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation
Christopher H. Conaway, Randal B. Thomas, Nabil Saad, James J. Thordsen, Yousif K. Kharaka
2015, Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies (51) 344-358
This work examines the performance and limitations of a wet chemical oxidation carbon analyser interfaced with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (WCO-CRDS) in a continuous flow (CF) configuration for measuring δ13C of dissolved organic carbon (δ13C-DOC) in natural water samples. Low-chloride matrix (<5 g Cl/L) DOC solutions were analysed with as little as...
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2014
Betsy L. Bodamer Scarbro, William Edwards, Carrie Gawne, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Richard T. Kraus, Mark W. Rogers, Taylor Stewart
2015, Report, Compiled reports to the Great Lakes Fishery commission of the annual bottom trawl and acoustics surveys, 2014
In 2014, the USGS LEBS successfully completed large vessel surveys in all three of Lake Erie’s basins. Lake Erie Biological Station’s primary vessel surveys included the Western Basin Forage Fish Assessment and East Harbor Forage Fish Assessment as well as contributing to the cooperative multi-agency Central Basin Hydroacoustics Assessment, the...
2014 National Park visitor spending effects: economic contributions to local communities, states, and the nation
Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Christopher Huber, Lynne Koontz
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/EQD/NRR—2015/947
The National Park System covers more than 84 million acres and is comprised of more than 401 sites across the Nation. These lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) serve as recreational destinations for visitors from across the Nation and around the world. On vacations or on day trips,...
Suspended-sediment dynamics in the tidal reach of a San Francisco Bay tributary
Gregory Shellenbarger, Maureen A. Downing-Kunz, David H. Schoellhamer
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 17th physics of estuaries and coastal seas (PECS) conference
To better understand suspended-sediment transport in a tidal slough adjacent to a large wetland restoration project, we deployed continuously-measuring temperature, salinity, depth, turbidity, and velocity sensors since 2010, and added a dissolved-oxygen sensor in 2012, at a near-bottom location in Alviso Slough (Alviso, California USA). Alviso Slough is the downstream...
Tsunami geology in paleoseismology
Yuichi Nishimura, Bruce E. Jaffe
2015, Report, The Contribution of Palaeoseismology to Seismic Hazard Assessment in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations
The 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Tohoku-oki disasters dramatically demonstrated the destructiveness and deadliness of tsunamis. For the assessment of future risk posed by tsunamis it is necessary to understand past tsunami events. Recent work on tsunami deposits has provided new information on paleotsunami events, including their recurrence interval and...
Combined effects of climate, predation, and density dependence on Greater and Lesser Scaup population dynamics
Beth E. Ross, Mevin Hooten, Jean-Michel DeVink, David N. Koons
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 1606-1617
An understanding of species relationships is critical in the management and conservation of populations facing climate change, yet few studies address how climate alters species interactions and other population drivers. We use a long-term, broad-scale data set of relative abundance to examine the influence of climate, predators, and density dependence...
Synthesis of geological, structural, and geochronologic data (phase V, deliverable 53)
Dwight Bradley, Paul O'Sullivan, Michael A. Cosca, Holly Motts, John D. Horton, Cliff D. Taylor, Georges Beaudoin, Gregory K. Lee, Jahan Ramezani, Daniel N. Bradley, James V. Jones III, Samuel Bowring
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-A
This report is a companion to the new Geologic Map of Mauritania (Bradley and others, 2015; referred to herein as “Deliverable 51”) and the new Structural Geologic Map of Mauritania (Bradley and others, 2015a; referred to herein as “Deliverable 52”). Section 1 contains explanatory information for these two digital maps....
Mineral potential for nickel, copper, platinum group elements(PGE), and chromium deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 67)
Cliff D. Taylor, Erin E. Marsh, Eric D. Anderson
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-G
PRISM-I summary documents mention the presence of mafic-ultramafic igneous intrusive rocks in several areas of Mauritania and a number of chromium (Cr) and copper-nickel (Cu-Ni (±Co, Au)) occurrences associated with them. Permissive geologic settings generally include greenstone belts of any age, layered mafic-ultramafic and unlayered gabbro-anorthosite intrusive complexes in cratonic...
Geochemistry areas and sample sites, and multielement and single element geochemistry maps of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 58)
Stuart A. Giles, Robert G. Eppinger
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-D1
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...