Quantifying and predicting fuels and the effects of reduction treatments along successional and invasion gradients in sagebrush habitats
Douglas J. Shinneman, David S. Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Nancy F. Glenn
2015, Report
Sagebrush shrubland ecosystems in the Great Basin are prime examples of how altered successional trajectories can create dynamic fuel conditions and, thus, increase uncertainty about fire risk and behavior. Although fire is a natural disturbance in sagebrush, post-fire environments are highly susceptible to conversion to an invasive grass-fire regime (often...
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....
Long-term growth-increment chronologies reveal diverse influences of climate forcing on freshwater and forest biota in the Pacific Northwest
Bryan A. Black, Jason B. Dunham, Brett W. Blundon, Jayne Brim-Box, Alan J. Tepley
2015, Global Change Biology (21) 594-604
Analyses of how organisms are likely to respond to a changing climate have focused largely on the direct effects of warming temperatures, though changes in other variables may also be important, particularly the amount and timing of precipitation. Here, we develop a network of eight growth-increment width chronologies for freshwater...
Do laboratory species protect endangered species? Interspecies variation in responses to 17β-estradiol, a model endocrine active compound
Zachary G. Jorgenson, Kevin J. Buhl, Stephen E. Bartell, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
2015, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (68) 204-215
Although the effects of estrogens on model laboratory species are well documented, their utility as surrogates for other species, including those listed as endangered, are less clear. Traditionally, conservation policies are evaluated based on model organism responses but are intended to protect all species in an environment. We tested the...
Seasonal variability in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the southwest Virginia coalfields
Sara E. Sweeten, Alexander Silvis, W. Mark Ford
2015, Conference Paper, 2nd Proceedings of Environmental Considerations in Energy Production
No abstract available....
Origins and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter in groundwater
Yuan Shen, Francis H. Chapelle, Eric W. Strom, Ronald Benner
2015, Biogeochemistry (122) 61-78
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in groundwater influences water quality and fuels microbial metabolism, but its origins, bioavailability and chemical composition are poorly understood. The origins and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bioavailable DOM were monitored during a long-term (2-year) study of groundwater in a fractured-rock aquifer in the...
Migrations and swimming capabilities of endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) to guide passage designs in the fragmented Yellowstone River
P. J. Braaten, Caroline M. Elliott, Jason C. Rhoten, D. B. Fuller, Brandon J. McElroy
2015, Restoration Ecology (23) 186-195
Fragmentation of the Yellowstone River is hypothesized to preclude recruitment of endangered Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon) by impeding upstream spawning migrations and access to upstream spawning areas, thereby limiting the length of free-flowing river required for survival of early life stages. Building on this hypothesis, the reach of the Yellowstone River affected...
Low productivity of Chinook salmon strongly correlates with high summer stream discharge in two Alaskan rivers in the Yukon drainage
Jason R. Neuswanger, Mark S. Wipfli, Matthew J. Evenson, Nicholas F. Hughes, Amanda E. Rosenberger
2015, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (72) 1125-1137
Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations are declining for unknown reasons, creating hardship for thousands of stakeholders in subsistence and commercial fisheries. An informed response to this crisis requires understanding the major sources of variation in Chinook salmon productivity. However, simple stock–recruitment models leave much of the variation in...
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...
Small lakes show muted climate change signal in deepwater temperatures
Luke A. Winslow, Jordan S. Read, Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Paul C. Hanson
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 355-361
Water temperature observations were collected from 142 lakes across Wisconsin, USA, to examine variation in temperature of lakes exposed to similar regional climate. Whole lake water temperatures increased across the state from 1990 to 2012, with an average trend of 0.042°C yr−1 ± 0.01°C yr−1. In large (>0.5 km2) lakes, the positive temperature trend was...
A scientific basis for restoring fish spawning habitat in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Bruce A. Manny, Edward F. Roseman, Gregory W. Kennedy, James C. Boase, Jaquelyn Craig, David H. Bennion, Jennifer Read, Lynn Vaccaro, Justin A. Chiotti, Richard Drouin, Roseanne Ellison
2015, Restoration Ecology (23) 149-156
Loss of functional habitat in riverine systems is a global fisheries issue. Few studies, however, describe the decision-making approach taken to abate loss of fish spawning habitat. Numerous habitat restoration efforts are underway and documentation of successful restoration techniques for spawning habitat of desirable fish species in large rivers connecting...
Guide to luminescence dating techniques and their application for paleoseismic research
Harrison J. Gray, Shannon A. Mahan, Tammy M. Rittenour, Michelle Summa Nelson
William R. Lund, editor(s)
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings volume: Basin and range province seismic hazards summit III, 2015 (Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 15-5)
Over the past 25 years, luminescence dating has become a key tool for dating sediments of interest in paleoseismic research. The data obtained from luminescence dating has been used to determine timing of fault displacement, calculate slip rates, and estimate earthquake recurrence intervals. The flexibility of luminescence is a key...
Shoreface response and recovery to Hurricane Sandy: Fire Island, NY
Timothy R. Nelson, Cheryl J. Hapke
Ping Wang, Julie D. Rosati, Jun Cheng, editor(s)
2015, Conference Paper, The proceedings of the coastal sediments 2015
The shoreface of Fire Island was extensively modified by Hurricane Sandy and subsequent storms in the following winter months. The changes were evaluated using various morphometrics of the shoreface from four bathymetric surveys, one prior to Hurricane Sandy, and three over the course of twenty months following Sandy. The datasets...
2014-2015 Partnership accomplishments report on joint activities: National Gap Analysis Program and LANDFIRE
Anne Davidson, Alexa McKerrow, Don Long, Todd Earnhardt
2015, Report
The intended target audience for this document initially is management and project technical specialist and scientists involved in the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) and the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools - (LANDFIRE) program to help communicate coordination activities to all involved parties. This document is also intended to...
Application and utility of a low-cost unmanned aerial system to manage and conserve aquatic resources in four Texas rivers
Timothy W. Birdsong, Megan Bean, Timothy B. Grabowski, Thomas B. Hardy, Thomas Heard, Derrick Holdstock, Kristy Kollaus, Stephan J. Magnelia, Kristina Tolman
2015, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2015) 80-85
Low-cost unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have recently gained increasing attention in natural resources management due to their versatility and demonstrated utility in collection of high-resolution, temporally-specific geospatial data. This study applied low-cost UAS to support the geospatial data needs of aquatic resources management projects in four Texas rivers. Specifically,...
Landsat maps (phase V, deliverable 60), ASTER maps (phase V, deliverable 62), ASTER_DEM maps (phase V, deliverable 63), and spectral remote sensing in support of PRISM-II mineral resource assessment project, Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverables 61 and 64)
Barnaby W. Rockwell, Daniel H. Knepper, John D. Horton
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-E
Multispectral satellite data acquired by the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensors were processed and interpreted in support of the PRISM-II project (Second Projet de Renforcement Institutionnel du Secteur Minier de la Republique Islamique...
Countrywide digital elevation models for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania—SRTM and ASTER (phase V, deliverable 65)
Gregory K. Lee
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-F
A digital elevation model (DEM) of the entire country of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania was produced using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data as required for deliverable 65 of the contract. In addition, because of significant recent advancements of availability, seamlessness, and validity of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and...
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...
Mineral potential tracts for orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, (phase V, deliverable 69)
Richard J. Goldfarb, Erin E. Marsh, Eric D. Anderson, John D. Horton, Carol A. Finn, Georges Beaudoin
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-H
The gold resources of Mauritania presently include two important deposits and a series of poorly studied prospects. The Tasiast belt of deposits, which came into production in 2007, is located in the southwestern corner of the Rgueïbat Shield and defines a world-class Paleoproterozoic(?) orogenic gold ore system. The producing Guelb...
Evidence of the St. Clair-Detroit River system as a dispersal corridor and nursery habitat for transient larval burbot
Darrin E. McCullough, Edward F. Roseman, Kevin M. Keeler, Robin L. DeBruyne, Jeremy J. Pritt, Patricia A. Thompson, Stacey A. Ireland, Jason E. Ross, Dustin Bowser, Robert D. Hunter, Dana Kristina Castle, Jason Fischer, Stacy A. Provo
2015, Hydrobiologia (757) 21-34
Burbot Lota lota are distributed across the Laurentian Great Lakes where they occupy a top piscivore role. The St. Clair-Detroit River System is known to provide a migration corridor as well as spawning and nursery habitat for many indigenous fishes of economic and ecological significance. However, knowledge is scant of the...
Ordovician of Germany Valley, West Virginia
John T. Haynes, Keith E. Goggin, Randall C. Orndorff, Lisa R. Goggin
2015, Stratigraphy (12) 1-45
This trip will consist of stops at five locations (Fig. 1) that provide a detailed look at the strata in a major part of the Ordovician section in Germany Valley, Pendleton County, West Virginia. At these stops, we will highlight a varied sequence of carbonate and siliciclastic strata that accumulated during the...
Mineral potential for incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 87)
Cliff D. Taylor, Stuart A. Giles
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-Q
Review of PRISM-I documents and the National inventory of mineral occurrences suggests that resources of U, Th, Nb, Ta, Be, rare earth elements (REEs) and fluorite are known in Mauritania and have been exploited in the past at the Bou Naga alkaline complex. Several different deposit types are indicated by...
Database of mineral deposits in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverables 90 and 91)
Erin E. Marsh, Eric D. Anderson
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-S
Three ore deposits databases from previous studies were evaluated and combined with new known mineral occurrences into one database, which can now be used to manage information about the known mineral occurrences of Mauritania. The Microsoft Access 2010 database opens with the list of tables and forms held within the...
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II) phase V (phase V, deliverable 92)
John D. Horton, Cliff D. Taylor
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-T
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...
A comparison of survey methods for documenting presence of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bats) at roosting areas in Western Virginia
John K. Huth, Alexander Silvis, Paul R. Moosman Jr., W. Mark Ford, Sara E. Sweeten
2015, Virginia Journal of Science (66) 413-425
Many aspects of foraging and roosting habitat of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bat), an emergent rock roosting-obligate, are poorly described. Previous comparisons of effectiveness of acoustic sampling and mist-net captures have not included Eastern Small-Footed Bat. Habitat requirements of this species differ from congeners in the region, and it is...
