Glacier variability in the conterminous United States during the twentieth century
Gregory J. McCabe, Andrew G. Fountain
2013, Climate Change (116) 565-577
Glaciers of the conterminous United States have been receding for the past century. Since 1900 the recession has varied from a 24 % loss in area (Mt. Rainier, Washington) to a 66 % loss in the Lewis Range of Montana. The rates of retreat are generally similar with a rapid loss in...
Reconsidering residency: Characterization and conservation implications of complex migratory patterns of shortnose sturgeon (Acispenser brevirostrum)
Phillip E. Dionne, Gayle B. Zydlewski, Michael T. Kinnison, Joseph D. Zydlewski, Gail S. Wippelhauser
2013, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (70) 119-127
Efforts to conserve endangered species usually involve attempts to define and manage threats at the appropriate scale of population processes. In some species that scale is localized; in others, dispersal and migration link demic units within larger metapopulations. Current conservation strategies for endangered shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) assume the species...
A comparison of data-driven groundwater vulnerability assessment methods
Alessandro Sorichetta, Cristiano Ballabio, Marco Masetti, Gilpin R. Robinson Jr., Simone Sterlacchini
2013, Groundwater (51) 866-879
Increasing availability of geo-environmental data has promoted the use of statistical methods to assess groundwater vulnerability. Nitrate is a widespread anthropogenic contaminant in groundwater and its occurrence can be used to identify aquifer settings vulnerable to contamination. In this study, multivariate Weights of Evidence (WofE) and Logistic Regression (LR) methods,...
Tree-ring records of variation in flow and channel geometry
M.F. Merigliano, J.M. Friedman, M. L. Scott
2013, Book chapter, Reference module in earth systems and environmental sciences; Treatise on geomorphology, Volume 12
We review the use of tree rings to date flood disturbance, channel change, and sediment deposition, with an emphasis on rivers in semi-arid landscapes in the western United States. As watershed area decreases and aridity increases, large floods have a more pronounced and sustained effect on channel width and location,...
The benefits of improved national elevation data
Gregory I. Snyder
2013, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (79) 105-110
This article describes how the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) has identified substantial benefits that could come about if improved elevation data were publicly available for current and emerging applications and business uses such as renewable energy, precision agriculture, and intelligent vehicle navigation and safety. In order to support these...
A statistical analysis of the global historical volcanic fatalities record
Melanie Rose Auker, Robert Stephen John Sparks, Lee Siebert, H. S. Crosweller, John W. Ewert
2013, Journal of Applied Volcanology (2) 1-24
A new database of volcanic fatalities is presented and analysed, covering the period 1600 to 2010 AD. Data are from four sources: the Smithsonian Institution, Witham (2005), CRED EM-DAT and Munich RE. The data were combined and formatted, with a weighted average fatality figure used where more than one...
Channel unit use by Smallmouth Bass: Do land-use constraints or quantity of habitat matter?
Shannon K. Brewer
2013, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (33) 351-358
I examined how land use influenced the distribution of Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in channel units (discrete morphological features—e.g., pools) of streams in the Midwestern USA. Stream segments (n = 36), from four clusters of different soil and runoff conditions, were identified that had the highest percent of forest (n = 12), pasture (n =...
Vertical structure use by the Stout Iguana (Cyclura pinguis) on Guana Island, BVI
Christopher A. Cheek, Shay Hlavaty, Rebecca N. Perkins, Mark A. Peyton, Caitlin N. Ryan, Jennifer C. Zavaleta, Clint W. Boal, Gad Perry
2013, IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians (20) 112-118
The Stout Iguana (Cyclura pinguis) is a critically endangered species endemic to the Puerto Rico Bank and currently restricted to the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Our study on Guana Island, BVI, focused on vertical structure use. Based on previous incidental observations, we hypothesized that Stout Iguanas use vertical structures and...
Diurnal activity patterns of Black-Necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) during the non-breeding season in the eastern Caribbean
Laura Navarrete, Blake A. Grisham, Maria Kalyvaki, E. Kathleen McGaughey, Krista Mougey, Ben R. Skipper, Gad Perry, Clint W. Boal
2013, Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (26) 17-21
Diurnal activity patterns of resident Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) were observed on Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, during October 2010. Stilts were principally engaged in foraging and idle behaviors. The amount of time engaged in particular behaviors was relatively constant throughout the day, except during mid-afternoon when idleness increased and...
Non-overlapping distributions of feral sheep (Ovis aries) and Stout Iguanas (Cyclura pinguis) on Guana Island, British Virgin Islands
Ben R. Skipper, Blake A. Grisham, Maria Kalyvaki, Kathleen McGaughey, Krista Mougey, Laura Navarrete, Renee Rondeau, Clint W. Boal, Gad Perry
2013, IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians (20) 7-15
Stout Iguanas (Cyclura pinguis) remain one of the most critically endangered reptiles in the world. Factors contributing to that status include habitat loss, predation by introduced species, and competition with introduced herbivores. On Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, the presence of feral sheep (Ovis aries) has been a hypothesized detriment...
Biochar effect on maize yield and soil characteristics in five conservation farming sites in Zambia
Gerard Cornelissen, Vegard Martinsen, Victor Shitumbanuma, Vanja Alling, Gijs D. Breedveld, David W. Rutherford, Magnus Sparrevik, Sarah E. Hale, Alfred Obia, Jan Mulder
2013, Agronomy Journal (3) 256-274
Biochar addition to agricultural soils can improve soil fertility, with the added bonus of climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. Conservation farming (CF) is precision farming, often combining minimum tillage, crop rotation and residue retention. In the present farmer-led field trials carried out in Zambia, the use of a low...
Sorption of pure N2O to biochars and other organic and inorganic materials under anhydrous conditions
Gerard Cornelissen, David W. Rutherford, Hans Peter H. Arp, Peter Dorsch, Charlene N. Kelly, Colleen E. Rostad
2013, Environmental Science & Technology (47) 7704-7712
Suppression of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil is commonly observed after amendment with biochar. The mechanisms accounting for this suppression are not yet understood. One possible contributing mechanism is N2O sorption to biochar. The sorption of N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) to four biochars was measured in an anhydrous...
Desert fires fueled by native annual forbs: Effects of fire on communities of plants and birds in the Lower Sonoran Desert of Arizona
Todd C. Esque, Robert H. Webb, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Charles van Riper III, Chris McCreedy, Lindsay A. Smythe
2013, Southwestern Naturalist (58) 223-233
In 2005, fire ignited by humans swept from Yuma Proving Grounds into Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, burning ca. 9,255 ha of Wilderness Area. Fuels were predominantly the native forb Plantago ovata. Large fires at low elevations were rare in the 19th and 20th centuries, and fires fueled by native...
Origin of the Blytheville Arch, and long-term displacement on the New Madrid seismic zone, central United States
Thomas L. Pratt, Robert Williams, Jackson K. Odum, William J. Stephenson
2013, GSA Special Papers (493) 1-15
The southern arm of the New Madrid seismic zone of the central United States coincides with the buried, ~110 km by ~20 km Blytheville Arch antiform within the Cambrian–Ordovician Reelfoot rift graben. The Blytheville Arch has been interpreted at various times as a compressive structure, an igneous intrusion, or a...
Comparison of DNA preservation methods for environmental bacterial community samples
Michael A. Gray, Zoe A. Pratte, Christina A. Kellogg
2013, FEMS Microbiology Ecology (83) 468-477
Field collections of environmental samples, for example corals, for molecular microbial analyses present distinct challenges. The lack of laboratory facilities in remote locations is common, and preservation of microbial community DNA for later study is critical. A particular challenge is keeping samples frozen in transit. Five nucleic acid preservation methods...
Statewide summary for Mississippi
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Ali Leggett, Cindy A. Thatcher
2013, Report, Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
The Mississippi coastline is 113 linear kilometers (70 miles) long and its estuaries cover approximately 594 km (369 mi; Figure 1) (Handley and others, 2007). It has a man-made sand beach 43.5 km (27 mi) long and 595.5 km (370 mi) of shoreline (Klein and others, b., 1998). The Mississippi...
Hybrid seine for full fish community collections
James E. McKenna, Emily M. Waldt, Ross Abbett, Anthony David, James Snyder
2013, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (28) 125-131
Seines are simple and effective fish collection gears, but the net mesh size influences how well the catch represents the fish communities. We designed and tested a hybrid seine with a dual-mesh bag (1/4″ and 1/8″) and compared the fish assemblage collected by each mesh. The fine-mesh net retained three...
The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) as a model for testing food-value theory
Henry M. Streby, Sean M. Peterson, Brian Scholtens, Adrian P. Monroe, David E. Andersen
2013, The American Midland Naturalist (169) 214-220
Food-value theory states that territorial animals space themselves such that each territory contains adequate food for rearing young. The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) is often cited as a species for which this hypothesis is supported because ovenbird territory size is inversely related to ground-invertebrate abundance within territories. However, little is known...
Persistence and potential effects of complex organic contaminant mixtures in wastewater-impacted streams
Larry B. Barber, Steffanie H. Keefe, Greg K. Brown, Edward T. Furlong, James L. Gray, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael T. Meyer, Mark W. Sandstrom, Steven D. Zaugg
2013, Environmental Science & Technology (47) 2177-2188
Natural and synthetic organic contaminants in municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents can cause ecosystem impacts, raising concerns about their persistence in receiving streams. In this study, Lagrangian sampling, in which the same approximate parcel of water is tracked as it moves downstream, was conducted at Boulder Creek, Colorado and...
The Idaho cobalt belt
Arthur A. Bookstrom
2013, Northwest Geology (42) 149-162
The Idaho cobalt belt (ICB) is a northwest-trending belt of cobalt (Co) +/- copper (Cu)-bearing deposits and prospects in the Salmon River Mountains of east-central Idaho, U.S.A. The ICB is about 55 km long and 10 km long in its central part, which contains multiple strata-bound ore zones in the...
Seismicity associated with the May 2010 eruption of South Sarigan Seamount, Northern Mariana Islands
Cheryl Searcy
2013, Seismological Research Letters (84) 1055-1061
On 29 May 2010, at approximately 11:48 UTC, an undersea volcano south of Sarigan in the Northern Mariana Islands (Figs. 1 and 2) erupted sending a cloud of volcanic ash and water vapor to 40,000 feet (12 km; Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center). Bathymetric data (Stern and Smoot, 1998; Embley et al., 2007)...
Status and trends of pelagic prey fishes in Lake Huron, 2012
David M. Warner, Timothy P. O’Brien, Steven A. Farha, Jeff Schaeffer, Stephen Lenart
2013, Conference Paper
The USGS Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) conducted acoustic/midwater trawl surveys of Lake Huron during 1997 and annually during 2004-2012. The 2012 survey was conducted during September and October, and included transects in Lake Huron’s Main Basin, Georgian Bay, and North Channel. Pelagic fish density (638 fish/ha) was lower in...
Ambient seismic noise interferometry in Hawai'i reveals long-range observability of volcanic tremor
Silke Ballmer, Cecily J. Wolfe, Paul G. Okubo, Matthew M. Haney, Clifford H. Thurber
2013, Geophysical Journal International (194) 512-523
The use of seismic noise interferometry to retrieve Green's functions and the analysis of volcanic tremor are both useful in studying volcano dynamics. Whereas seismic noise interferometry allows long-range extraction of interpretable signals from a relatively weak noise wavefield, the characterization of volcanic tremor often requires a dense seismic array...
WICCI Wildlife Working Group Report
Olivia E. LeDee, Suzanne Hagell, K. Martin, David McFarland, Michael Meyer, Andy Paulios, Christine A. Ribic, D. Sample, Timothy R. Van Deelen
2013, Report
Wisconsin is world-renowned for its diversity of ecological landscapes and wildlife populations. The northern forests, southern prairies, and interior and coastal wetlands of the state are home to more than 500 terrestrial animal species. These animals supply the Wisconsin public with aesthetic, cultural, and economic benefits; our identity and economy...
Tamarisk in riparian woodlands: A bird’s eye view
Mark K. Sogge, Eben H. Paxton, Charles van Riper III
Anna Sher, Martin F. Quigley, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Tamarix: a case study of ecological change in the American West
This chapter presents a “bird's eye” view of tamarisk and examines some issues surrounding the management of tamarisk in riparian woodlands. The focus on birds is based on the fact that they are a relatively well-studied group that can provide important insights into the role of tamarisk in riparian ecosystems....
