Simulation of natural flows in major river basins in Alabama
Alexandria M. Hunt, Ana María García
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5021
The Office of Water Resources (OWR) in the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is charged with the assessment of the State’s water resources. This study developed a watershed model for the major river basins that are within Alabama or that cross Alabama’s borders, which serves as a...
Organizing phenological data resources to inform natural resource conservation
Alyssa H. Rosemartin, Theresa Crimmins, Carolyn A.F. Enquist, Katharine L. Gerst, Jherime L. Kellermann, Erin E. Posthumus, Ellen G. Denny, Patricia Guertin, Lee Marsh, Jake F. Weltzin
2014, Biological Conservation (173) 90-97
Changes in the timing of plant and animal life cycle events, in response to climate change, are already happening across the globe. The impacts of these changes may affect biodiversity via disruption to mutualisms, trophic mismatches, invasions and population declines. To understand the nature, causes and consequences of changed, varied...
An approach for filtering hyperbolically positioned underwater acoustic telemetry data with position precision estimates
Trevor D. Meckley, Christopher M. Holbrook, C. Michael Wagner, Thomas R. Binder
2014, Animal Biotelemetry (2)
Background Telemetry systems that estimate animal positions with hyperbolic positioning algorithms also provide a technology-specific estimate of position precision (e.g., horizontal position error (HPE) for the VEMCO positioning system). Position precision estimates (e.g., dilution of precision for a global positioning system (GPS)) have been used extensively to identify and remove positions...
Standardized phenology monitoring methods to track plant and animal activity for science and resource management applications
Ellen G. Denny, Katharine L. Gerst, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Geraldine L. Tierney, Theresa Crimmins, Carolyn A.F. Enquist, Patricia Guertin, Alyssa H. Rosemartin, Mark D. Schwartz, Kathryn A. Thomas, Jake F. Weltzin
2014, International Journal of Biometeorology (58) 591-601
Phenology offers critical insights into the responses of species to climate change; shifts in species’ phenologies can result in disruptions to the ecosystem processes and services upon which human livelihood depends. To better detect such shifts, scientists need long-term phenological records covering many taxa and across a broad geographic distribution....
Mercury speciation in the Mt. Amiata mining district (Italy): interplay between urban activities and mercury contamination
Valentina Rimondi, Fabrizio Bardelli, Marco Benvenuti, Pilario Costagliola, John E. Gray, Pierfranco Lattanzi
2014, Chemical Geology (380) 110-118
A fundamental step to evaluate the biogeochemical and eco-toxicological significance of Hg dispersion in the environment is to determine speciation of Hg in solid matrices. In this study, several analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), sequential chemical extractions (SCEs), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) were...
Quantifying the effectiveness of conservation measures to control the spread of anthropogenic hybridization in stream salmonids: A climate adaptation case study
Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Matthew Boyer, Leslie A. Jones, Amber Steed, Jeffrey L. Kershner
2014, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (34) 642-652
Quantifying the effectiveness of management actions to mitigate the effects of changing climatic conditions (i.e., climate adaptation) can be difficult, yet critical for conservation. We used population genetic data from 1984 to 2011 to assess the degree to which ambient climatic conditions and targeted suppression of sources of nonnative Rainbow...
Prevalence, transmission, and genetic diversity of blood parasites infecting tundra-nesting geese in Alaska
Andrew M. Ramey, John A. Reed, Joel A. Schmutz, Tom F. Fondell, Brandt W. Meixell, Jerry W. Hupp, David H. Ward, John Terenzi, Craig R. Ely
2014, Canadian Journal of Zoology (92) 699-706
A total of 842 blood samples collected from five species of tundra-nesting geese in Alaska was screened for haemosporidian parasites using molecular techniques. Parasites of the generaLeucocytozoon Danilewsky, 1890, Haemoproteus Kruse, 1890, and Plasmodium Marchiafava and Celli, 1885 were detected in 169 (20%), 3 (<1%), and 0 (0%) samples, respectively. Occupancy modeling was used to...
Invasive hybridization in a threatened species is accelerated by climate change
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Ryan P. Kovach, Leslie A. Jones, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Matthew C. Boyer, Robb F. Leary, Winsor H. Lowe, Gordon Luikart, Fred W. Allendorf
2014, Nature Climate Change (4) 620-624
Climate change will decrease worldwide biodiversity through a number of potential pathways1, including invasive hybridization<a id="ref-link-section-d51451e531" title="Hoffmann, A. A. & Sgro, C....
Factors affecting temporal variability of arsenic in groundwater used for drinking water supply in the United States
Joseph D. Ayotte, Marcel Belaval, Scott A. Olson, Karen R. Burow, Sarah M. Flanagan, Stephen R. Hinkle, Bruce D. Lindsey
2014, Science of the Total Environment (505) 1370-1379
The occurrence of arsenic in groundwater is a recognized environmental hazard with worldwide importance and much effort has been focused on surveying and predicting where arsenic occurs. Temporal variability is one aspect of this environmental hazard that has until recently received less attention than other aspects. For this study, we...
Regional differentiation among populations of the Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)
Kristen M. Hart, Margaret E. Hunter, Tim L. King
2014, Conservation Genetics (15) 593-603
The Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a brackish-water turtle species whose populations have been fragmented due to anthropogenic activity such as development of coastal habitat and entrapment in commercial blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) fishing gear. Genetic analyses can improve conservation efforts for the long-term protection of the species. We used...
Tsunami forecast by joint inversion of real-time tsunami waveforms and seismic of GPS data: application to the Tohoku 2011 tsunami
Wei Yong, Andrew V. Newman, Gavin P. Hayes, Vasily V. Titov, Liujuan Tang
2014, Pure and Applied Geophysics (171) 3281-3305
Correctly characterizing tsunami source generation is the most critical component of modern tsunami forecasting. Although difficult to quantify directly, a tsunami source can be modeled via different methods using a variety of measurements from deep-ocean tsunameters, seismometers, GPS, and other advanced instruments, some of which in or near real time....
Tsunami vertical-evacuation planning in the U.S. Pacific Northwest as a geospatial, multi-criteria decision problem
Nathan Wood, Jeanne Jones, John Schelling, Mathew Schmidtlein
2014, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (9) 68-83
Tsunami vertical-evacuation (TVE) refuges can be effective risk-reduction options for coastal communities with local tsunami threats but no accessible high ground for evacuations. Deciding where to locate TVE refuges is a complex risk-management question, given the potential for conflicting stakeholder priorities and multiple, suitable sites. We use the coastal community...
Development of flood-inundation maps for the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Christiana R. Czuba, James D. Fallon, Corby R. Lewis, Diane F. Cooper
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5079
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.3-mile reach of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota, were developed through a multi-agency effort by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in collaboration with the National Weather Service. The inundation maps, which can be accessed...
Assessing climate-change risks to cultural and natural resources in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA
James R. Hatten, Stephen M. Waste, Alec G. Maule
2014, Climatic Change (124) 363-370
We provide an overview of an interdisciplinary special issue that examines the influence of climate change on people and fish in the Yakima River Basin, USA. Jenni et al. (2013) addresses stakeholder-relevant climate change issues, such as water availability and uncertainty, with decision analysis tools. Montag et al. (2014) explores...
Groundwater levels and water quality during a 96-hour aquifer test in Pickaway County, Ohio, 2012
Ralph J. Haefner, Donna L. Runkle, Brian E. Mailot
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5040
During October–November 2012, a 96-hour aquifer test was performed at a proposed well field in northern Pickaway County, Ohio, to investigate groundwater with elevated nitrate concentrations. Earlier sampling done by the City of Columbus revealed that some wells had concentrations of nitrate that approached 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L), whereas...
Temperature data acquired from the DOI/GTN-P Deep Borehole Array on the Arctic Slope of Alaska, 1973-2013
Gary D. Clow
2014, Earth System Science Data (6) 201-218
A homogeneous set of temperature measurements obtained from the DOI/GTN-P Deep Borehole Array between 1973 and 2013 is presented; DOI/GTN-P is the US Department of the Interior contribution to the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P). The 23-element array is located on the Arctic Slope of Alaska, a region of cold...
Glacial geology of the Shingobee River headwaters area, north-central Minnesota
Robert C. Melchior
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5165
During middle and late Wisconsin time in the Shingobee River headwaters area, the Laurentide Wadena lobe, Hewitt and Itasca phases, produced terminal and ground moraine along with a variety of associated glacial features. The stratigraphic record is accessible and provides details of depositional mode as well as principal glacial events...
Discharge, water temperature, and selected meteorological data for Vancouver Lake, Vancouver, Washington, water years 2011-13
James R. Foreman, Cameron A. Marshall, Rich W. Sheibley
2014, Data Series 849
The U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership in a 2-year intensive study to quantify the movement of water and nutrients through Vancouver Lake in Vancouver, Washington. This report is intended to assist the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership in evaluating potential courses of action to mitigate seasonally...
Spatial distribution of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) emergences along a highly dynamic beach in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Margaret M. Lamont, Chris Houser
2014, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (453) 98-107
As coastlines change due to sea level rise and an increasing human presence, understanding how species, such as marine turtles, respond to alterations in habitat is necessary for proper management and conservation. Survey data from a major nesting beach in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where a revetment was installed,...
Tailoring point counts for inference about avian density: dealing with nondetection and availability
Fred A. Johnson, Robert M. Dorazio, Traci D. Castellon, Julien Martin, Jay O. Garcia, James D. Nichols
2014, Natural Resource Modeling (27) 163-177
Point counts are commonly used for bird surveys, but interpretation is ambiguous unless there is an accounting for the imperfect detection of individuals. We show how repeated point counts, supplemented by observation distances, can account for two aspects of the counting process: (1) detection of birds conditional on being available...
Organic substances in produced and formation water from unconventional natural gas extraction in coal and shale
William H. Orem, Calin A. Tatu, Matthew S. Varonka, Harry E. Lerch, Anne L. Bates, Mark A. Engle, Lynn M. Crosby, Jennifer McIntosh
2014, International Journal of Coal Geology (126) 20-31
Organic substances in produced and formation water from coalbed methane (CBM) and gas shale plays from across the USA were examined in this study. Disposal of produced waters from gas extraction in coal and shale is an important environmental issue because of the large volumes of water involved and the...
Large biases in regression-based constituent flux estimates: causes and diagnostic tools
Robert M. Hirsch
2014, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (50) 1401-1424
It has been documented in the literature that, in some cases, widely used regression-based models can produce severely biased estimates of long-term mean river fluxes of various constituents. These models, estimated using sample values of concentration, discharge, and date, are used to compute estimated fluxes for a multiyear period at...
Insights into biodegradation through depth-resolved microbial community functional and structural profiling of a crude-oil contaminant plume
Nicole Fahrenfeld, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Zach Bailey, Amy Pruden
2014, Microbial Ecology (68) 453-462
Small-scale geochemical gradients are a key feature of aquifer contaminant plumes, highlighting the need for functional and structural profiling of corresponding microbial communities on a similar scale. The purpose of this study was to characterize the microbial functional and structural diversity with depth across representative redox zones of a hydrocarbon...
Early signs of recovery of Acropora palmata in St. John, US Virgin Islands
E. M. Muller, Caroline S. Rogers, R. van Woesik
2014, Marine Biology (161) 359-365
Since the 1980s, diseases have caused significant declines in the population of the threatened Caribbean coral Acropora palmata. Yet it is largely unknown whether the population densities have recovered from these declines and whether there have been any recent shifts in size-frequency distributions toward large colonies. It is also unknown...
Low-altitude photographic transects of the Arctic Network of National Park Units and Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, July 2013
Bruce G. Marcot, M. Torre Jorgenson, Anthony R. DeGange
2014, Data Series 846
During July 16–18, 2013, low-level photography flights were conducted (with a Cessna 185 with floats and a Cessna 206 with tundra tires) over the five administrative units of the National Park Service Arctic Network (Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates of the Arctic National Park and...
