Refugial isolation and divergence in the Narrowheaded Gartersnake species complex (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) as revealed by multilocus DNA sequence data
Dustin A. Wood, Amy G. Vandergast, A. Lemos Espinal, Robert N. Fisher, A.T. Holycross
2011, Molecular Ecology (20) 3856-3878
Glacial–interglacial cycles of the Pleistocene are hypothesized as one of the foremost contributors to biological diversification. This is especially true for cold‐adapted montane species, where range shifts have had a pronounced effect on population‐level divergence. Gartersnakes of the Thamnophis rufipunctatus species complex are restricted to cold headwater streams in the highlands of...
Groundwater budgets for Detrital, Hualapai, and Sacramento Valleys, Mohave County, Arizona, 2007-08
Bradley D. Garner, Margot Truini
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5159
The United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, initiated an investigation of the hydrogeology and water resources of Detrital, Hualapai, and Sacramento Valleys in northwestern Arizona in 2005, and this report is part of that investigation. Water budgets were developed for Detrital, Hualapai, and...
The Lake Tahoe Basin Land Use Simulation Model
William M. Forney, I. Benson Oldham
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1275
This U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report describes the final modeling product for the Tahoe Decision Support System project for the Lake Tahoe Basin funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act and the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program. This research was conducted by the U.S. Geological...
Vegetation and substrate properties of aeolian dune fields in the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Amy E. Draut
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1195
This report summarizes vegetation and substrate properties of aeolian landscapes in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Arizona, in Grand Canyon National Park. Characterizing these parameters provides a basis from which to assess future changes in this ecosystem, including the spread of nonnative plant species. Differences are apparent between...
Bedrock geologic map of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, and accompanying conodont data
Alison B. Till, Julie A. Dumoulin, Melanie B. Werdon, Heather A. Bleick
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3131
This 1:500,000-scale geologic map depicts the bedrock geology of Seward Peninsula, western Alaska, on the North American side of the Bering Strait. The map encompasses all of the Teller, Nome, Solomon, and Bendeleben 1:250,000-scale quadrangles, and parts of the Shishmaref, Kotzebue, Candle, and Norton Bay 1:250,000-scale quadrangles (sh. 1; sh....
Microbial ecology of deep-water mid-Atlantic canyons
Christina A. Kellogg
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3102
The research described in this fact sheet will be conducted from 2012 to 2014 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's DISCOVRE (DIversity, Systematics, and COnnectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems) Program. This integrated, multidisciplinary effort will be investigating a variety of topics related to unique and fragile deep-sea ecosystems from...
Methods for processing and imaging marsh foraminifera
Chandra A. Dreher, James G. Flocks
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3098
This study is part of a larger U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project to characterize the physical conditions of wetlands in southwestern Louisiana. Within these wetlands, groups of benthic foraminifera-shelled amoeboid protists living near or on the sea floor-can be used as agents to measure land subsidence, relative sea-level rise, and...
Organic compounds assessed in Chattahoochee River water used for public supply near Atlanta, Georgia, 2004-05
W. Brian Hughes, Cristal L. Younker
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3062
An investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program characterized the occurrence of 266 organic compounds in source water and finished water from the Chattahoochee River, which is the main water-supply source for the Atlanta metropolitan area. Source water is stream water collected at a surface-water...
BioData: a national aquatic bioassessment database
Dorene MacCoy
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3112
BioData is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) web-enabled database that for the first time provides for the capture, curation, integration, and delivery of bioassessment data collected by local, regional, and national USGS projects. BioData offers field biologists advanced capabilities for entering, editing, and reviewing the macroinvertebrate, algae, fish, and supporting...
Water-quality characteristics of urban storm runoff at selected sites in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, February 2006 through November 2009
C. Paul Frederick
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5199
Water samples were collected at three watersheds in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, during February 2006 through November 2009 for continued evaluation of urban storm runoff. The watersheds represented land uses characterized predominantly as established commercial, industrial, and residential. The following water-quality data are reported: physical and chemical-related properties, fecal...
Cenozoic tectonic reorganizations of the Death Valley region, southeast California and southwest Nevada
Christopher J. Fridrich, Ren A. Thompson
2011, Professional Paper 1783
The Death Valley region, of southeast California and southwest Nevada, is distinct relative to adjacent regions in its structural style and resulting topography, as well as in the timing of basin-range extension. Cenozoic basin-fill strata, ranging in age from greater than or equal to 40 to approximately 2 million years...
Simulations of groundwater flow and particle-tracking analysis in the zone of contribution to a public-supply well in San Antonio, Texas
Richard L. Lindgren, Natalie A. Houston, MaryLynn Musgrove, Lynne S. Fahlquist, Leon J. Kauffman
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5149
In 2006, a public-supply well in San Antonio, Texas, was selected for intensive study to assess the vulnerability of public-supply wells in the Edwards aquifer to contamination by a variety of compounds. A local-scale, steady-state, three-dimensional numerical groundwater-flow model was developed and used in this study to evaluate the movement...
Wind energy and wildlife research at the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Susan L. Phillips
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3134
The United States has embarked on a goal to increase electricity generation from clean, renewable sources by 2012. Towards this end, wind energy is emerging as a widely distributed form of renewable energy throughout the country. The national goal is for energy from wind to supply 20 percent of the...
Regional assessments of the Nation's water quality—Improved understanding of stream nutrient sources through enhanced modeling capabilities
Stephen D. Preston, Richard B. Alexander, Michael D. Woodside
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3114
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed assessments of stream nutrients in six major regions extending over much of the conterminous United States. SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) models were developed for each region to explain spatial patterns in monitored stream nutrient loads in relation to human activities...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Sud Province, north-central Africa
Michael E. Brownfield, T. R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Ronald R. Charpentier, T. A. Cook, R. M. Pollastro, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3029
The Sud Province located in north-central Africa recently was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids resources as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) World Oil and Gas Assessment. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimated mean volumes of 7.31 billion barrels of...
Groundwater levels for selected wells in Upper Kittitas County, Washington
E.T. Fasser, R. J. Julich
2011, Data Series 649
Groundwater levels for selected wells in Upper Kittitas County, Washington, are presented on an interactive, web-based map to document the spatial distribution of groundwater levels in the study area measured during spring 2011. Groundwater-level data and well information were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey using standard techniques and are...
Land-use planning for nearshore ecosystem services—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model
Kristin Byrd
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3067
The 2,500 miles of shoreline and nearshore areas of Puget Sound, Washington, provide multiple benefits to people—"ecosystem services"—including important fishing, shellfishing, and recreation industries. To help resource managers plan for expected growth in coming decades, the U.S. Geological Survey Western Geographic Science Center has developed the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio...
Tools and methods for evaluating and refining alternative futures for coastal ecosystem management—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model
Kristin B. Byrd, Jason R. Kreitler, William B. Labiosa
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1279
The U.S. Geological Survey Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model (PSEPM) is a decision-support tool that uses scenarios to evaluate where, when, and to what extent future population growth, urban growth, and shoreline development may threaten the Puget Sound nearshore environment. This tool was designed to be used iteratively in a...
A dryland river transformed—the Little Colorado, 1936–2010
Debra L. Block, Margaret Hiza Redsteer
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3099
The Little Colorado River, in northeastern Arizona, is a major tributary of the Colorado River. Over a span of 74 years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has mapped substantial migration of the river channel between the City of Winslow and the Navajo Nation community of Leupp (Tólchíí kooh). In a...
Hydrogeology, chemical characteristics, and water sources and pathways in the zone of contribution of a public-supply well in San Antonio, Texas
MaryLynn Musgrove, Lynne Fahlquist, Gregory P. Stanton, Natalie A. Houston, Richard J. Lindgren
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5146
In 2001, the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a series of studies on the transport of anthropogenic and natural contaminants (TANC) to public-supply wells (PSWs). The main goal of the TANC project was to better understand the source, transport, and receptor factors that control...
Rapid wetland expansion during European settlement and its implication for marsh survival under modern sediment delivery rates
Matthew L. Kirwan, A. Brad Murray, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, D. Reide Corbett
2011, Geology (39) 507-510
Fluctuations in sea-level rise rates are thought to dominate the formation and evolution of coastal wetlands. Here we demonstrate a contrasting scenario in which land-use–related changes in sediment delivery rates drive the formation of expansive marshland, and vegetation feedbacks maintain their morphology despite recent sediment supply reduction. Stratigraphic analysis and...
Plasmodium relictum
C. T. Atkinson
2011, Book chapter, Invasive Species Compendium
Seasonal seepage investigation on an urbanized reach of the lower Boise River, southwestern Idaho, water year 2010
Marshall L. Williams
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5181
The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources Treasure Valley Comprehensive Aquifer Management Planning effort investigated seasonal groundwater gains and losses on the Boise River, Idaho, starting in November 2009 through August 2010. The investigation was conducted using seepage runs in 11 subreaches over a...
Rapid cooling rates at an active mid-ocean ridge from zircon thermochronology
Axel K. Schmitt, Michael R. Perfit, Kenneth H. Rubin, Daniel F. Stockli, Matthew C. Smith, Laurie A. Cotsonika, Georg F. Zellmer, W. Ian Ridley
2011, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (302) 349-358
Oceanic spreading ridges are Earth's most productive crust generating environment, but mechanisms and rates of crustal accretion and heat loss are debated. Existing observations on cooling rates are ambiguous regarding the prevalence of conductive vs. convective cooling of lower oceanic crust. Here, we report the discovery and dating of zircon...
Pythons in Burma: Short-tailed python (Reptilia: Squamata)
George R. Zug, Steve W. Gotte, Jeremy F. Jacobs
2011, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington (124) 112-136
Short-tailed pythons, Python curtus species group, occur predominantly in the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. The discovery of an adult female in Mon State, Myanmar, led to a review of the distribution of all group members (spot-mapping of all localities of confirmed occurrence) and an examination of morphological variation in...
