Geohydrology, simulation of regional groundwater flow, and assessment of water-management strategies, Twentynine Palms area, California
Zhen Li, Peter Martin
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5249
The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms, California, overlies the Surprise Spring, Deadman, Mesquite, and Mainside subbasins of the Morongo groundwater basin in the southern Mojave Desert. Historically, the MCAGCC has relied on groundwater pumped from the Surprise Spring subbasin to provide all of its potable water...
Relative abundance and distribution of fishes within an established Area of Critical Environmental Concern, of the Amargosa River Canyon and Willow Creek, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California
G. Gary Scoppettone, Mark E. Hereford, Peter H. Rissler, Danielle M. Johnson, Antonio Salgado
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1161
The Amargosa River Canyon of San Bernardino and Inyo County, California, has been designated by the Bureau of Land Management as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, due in part to its unique flora and fauna. As a task of the Area of Critical Environmental Concern implementation plan, a survey...
Coastal habitat degradation and green sea turtle diets in Southeastern Brazil
Robson G. Santos, Agnaldo Silva Martins, Julyana da Nobrega Farias, Antunes Paulo Horta, Hudson Tercio Pinheiro, Cecilia Baptistotte, Jeffrey A. Seminoff, George H. Balazs, Thierry M. Work
2011, Marine Pollution Bulletin (62) 1297-1302
To show the influence of coastal habitat degradation on the availability of food for green turtles (Chelonia mydas), we assessed the dietary preferences and macroalgae community at a feeding area in a highly urbanized region. The area showed low species richness and was classified as degraded. We examined stomach contents...
Complementary models of tree species-soil relationships in old-growth temperate forests
Alison Cross, Steven S. Perakis
2011, Ecosystems (14) 248-260
Ecosystem-level studies identify plant–soil feedbacks as important controls on soil nutrient availability, particularly for nitrogen and phosphorus. Although site- and species-specific studies of tree species–soil relationships are relatively common, comparatively fewer studies consider multiple co-existing species in old-growth forests across a range of sites that vary in underlying soil fertility....
Comparing the role of fuel breaks across southern California national forests
Alexandra D. Syphard, Jon E. Keeley, Teresa J. Brennan
2011, Forest Ecology and Management (261) 2038-2048
Fuel treatment of wildland vegetation is the primary approach advocated for mitigating fire risk at the wildland–urban interface (WUI), but little systematic research has been conducted to understand what role fuel treatments play in controlling large fires, which factors influence this role, or how the role of fuel treatments may...
Stable-isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in precipitation at Norman, Oklahoma, 1996–2008
Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Martha A. Scholl, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Jason R. Masoner, Scott Christenson, Haiping Qi
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5262
Precipitation samples for measurement of stable-isotope ratios of hydrogen (delta2H) and oxygen (delta18O) were collected at the Norman Landfill Research Site in Norman, Oklahoma, from May 1996 to October 2008. Rainfall amounts also were measured at the site (U.S. Geological Survey gaging station 07229053) during the collection period. The delta2H...
Availability of groundwater data for California, water year 2010
Mary Ray, Patricia Orlando
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3060
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the groundwater resources of California each water year (October 1-September 30). These data constitute a valuable database for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. This...
Location and extent of Tertiary structures in Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska, and mantle dynamics that focus deformation and subsidence
Peter J. Haeussler, Richard W. Saltus
2011, Professional Paper 1776-D
This report is a new compilation of the location and extent of folds and faults in Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska. Data sources are previously published maps, well locations, and seismic-reflection data. We also utilize interpretation of new aeromagnetic data and some proprietary seismic-reflection data. Some structures are remarkably well displayed...
Chemically-mediated interactions between macroalgae Dictyota spp. and multiple life-history stages of the coral Porites astreoides
Valerie J. Paul, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Linda J. Walters, Raphael Ritson-Williams, Kevin S. Beach, Mikel A. Becerro
2011, Marine Ecology Progress Series (426) 161-170
Competition between corals and macroalgae is often assumed to occur on reefs, especially those that have undergone shifts from coral to algal dominance; however, data examining these competitive interactions, especially during the early life-history stages of corals, are scarce. We conducted a series of field and outdoor seawater-table experiments to...
A Holocene record of endogenic iron and manganese precipitation, isotopic composition of endogenic carbonate, and vegetation history in a lake-fen complex in northwestern Minnesota
Walter E. Dean, Lisa A. Doner
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1106
Little Shingobee Lake and Fen are part of an extensive network of lakes and wetlands in the Shingobee River headwaters area of northwestern Minnesota. Prior to about 9800 radiocarbon years, most of the lakes in the Shingobee watershed area were interconnected to form glacial Lake Willobee. From 9800 to 7700...
Acute Toxicity of Sodium Fluorescein to Ashy Pebblesnails Fluminicola fuscus
Kelly A. Stockton, Christine M. Moffitt, David L. Blew, C. Neil Farmer
2011, Report
Water resource agencies and groundwater scientists use fluorescein dyes to trace ground water flows that supply surface waters that may contain threatened or endangered mollusk species. Since little is known of the toxicity of sodium fluorescein to mollusks, we tested the toxicity of sodium fluorescein to the ashy pebblesnail Fluminicola...
Estimated 2008 groundwater potentiometric surface and predevelopment to 2008 water-level change in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque area, central New Mexico
Sarah E. Falk, Laura M. Bexfield, Scott K. Anderholm
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3162
The water-supply requirements of the Albuquerque metropolitan area of central New Mexico have historically been met almost exclusively by groundwater withdrawal from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Previous studies have indicated that the large quantity of groundwater withdrawal relative to recharge has resulted in water-level declines in the aquifer...
Estimated probabilities, volumes, and inundation area depths of potential postwildfire debris flows from Carbonate, Slate, Raspberry, and Milton Creeks, near Marble, Gunnison County, Colorado
Michael R. Stevens, Jennifer L. Flynn, Verlin C. Stephens, Kristine L. Verdin
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5047
During 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Gunnison County, initiated a study to estimate the potential for postwildfire debris flows to occur in the drainage basins occupied by Carbonate, Slate, Raspberry, and Milton Creeks near Marble, Colorado. Currently (2010), these drainage basins are unburned but could be burned...
Numerical simulation of the groundwater-flow system in the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed and Vicinity, Pierce County, Washington
Kenneth H. Johnson, Mark E. Savoca, Burt Clothier
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5086
A groundwater-flow model was developed to contribute to an improved understanding of water resources in the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed. The model covers an area of about 491 square miles in western Pierce County, Washington, and is bounded to the northeast by the Puyallup River valley, to the southwest by the...
Assessment of in-place oil shale resources of the Green River Formation, Greater Green River Basin in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah
R. C. Johnson, T.J. Mercier, Michael E. Brownfield
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3063
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently (2011) completed an assessment of in-place oil shale resources, regardless of grade, in the Eocene Green River Formation of the Greater Green River Basin in southwestern Wyoming, northwestern Colorado, and northeastern Utah. Green River Formation oil shale also is present in the Piceance Basin...
Movement of bull trout in the upper Jarbidge River watershed, Idaho and Nevada, 2008-09--A supplement to Open-File Report 2010-1033
Carrie S. Munz, M. Brady Allen, Patrick J. Connolly
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1090
We monitored bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in 2008 and 2009 as a continuation of our work in 2006 and 2007, which involved the tagging of 1,536 bull trout with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River and their tributaries in northeastern...
Development and application of indices to assess the condition of benthic algal communities in U.S. streams and rivers
Marina Potapova, Daren M. Carlisle
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1126
Multi-metric indices (MMIs) are a measure of a combination of characteristics of biological communities and are used as indicators of water quality and ecological health. Although MMIs for algal communities have been developed for specific regions of the United States, none of the indices have national applicability. The MMIs described...
Analytical results for municipal biosolids samples from a monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado (U.S.A.), 2010
J.G. Crock, D. B. Smith, T. J. B. Yager, C. J. Berry, M. G. Adams
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1146
Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver (Metro District), a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colo., has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of nonirrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colo., U.S.A. In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S....
Coastal subsidence in Oregon, USA during the giant Cascadia earthquake of AD 1700
A. D. Hawkes, B. P. Horton, A.R. Nelson, C. H. Vane, Y. Sawai
2011, Quaternary Science Reviews (30) 364-376
Quantitative estimates of land-level change during the giant AD 1700 Cascadia earthquake along the Oregon coast are inferred from relative sea-level changes reconstructed from fossil foraminiferal assemblages preserved within the stratigraphic record. A transfer function, based upon a regional training set of modern sediment samples from Oregon estuaries, is calibrated...
Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities
Jennifer Firn, Joslin L. Moore, Andrew S. MacDougall, Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Janneke HilleRisLambers, W. Stanley Harpole, Elsa E. Cleland, Cynthia S. Brown, Johannes M.H. Knops, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Kelly A. Farrell, John D. Bakker, Lydia R. O’Halloran, Peter B. Adler, Scott L. Collins, Carla M. D'Antonio, Michael J. Crawley, Elizabeth M. Wolkovich, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Brett A. Melbourne, Yann Hautier, John W. Morgan, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Adam Kay, Rebecca McCulley, Kendi F. Davies, Carly J. Stevens, Cheng-Jin Chu, Karen D. Holl, Julia A. Klein, Phillip A. Fay, Nicole Hagenah, Kevin P. Kirkman, Yvonne M. Buckley
2011, Ecology Letters (14) 274-281
Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants are more abundant in introduced vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts in populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous...
The effect of offering distance education on enrollment in onsite training at the National Conservation Training Center
Joan M. Ratz, Rudy M. Schuster, Ann H. Marcy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1138
The objective of this study was to explore the effect that providing distance education courses would have on enrollment in courses offered on the campus of the National Conservation Training Center. This is an exploratory study and the results should be interpreted as preliminary rather than conclusive. The study included...
USGS science for the Nation's changing coasts: Shoreline change research
Cheryl J. Hapke, E. Robert Thieler
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3073
The demands of increasing human population in the coastal zone create competition with coastal habitat preservation and with recreational and commercial uses of the coast and nearshore waters. As climate changes over the coming century, these problems facing coastal communities will likely worsen. Good management and policy decision-making require baseline...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations, Gulf Coast, 2010
Krystal Pearson, R. F. Dubiel, O.N. Pearson, Janet K. Pitman
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3046
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 957 million barrels of undiscovered oil, 3.6 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, and 363 million barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in the Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations in onshore lands and State waters...
Discrete choice modeling of shovelnose sturgeon habitat selection in the Lower Missouri River
T.W. Bonnot, Mark L. Wildhaber, J.J. Millspaugh, Aaron J. DeLonay, Robert B. Jacobson, J.L. Bryan
2011, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (27) 291-300
Substantive changes to physical habitat in the Lower Missouri River, resulting from intensive management, have been implicated in the decline of pallid (Scaphirhynchus albus) and shovelnose (S. platorynchus) sturgeon. To aid in habitat rehabilitation efforts, we evaluated habitat selection of gravid, female shovelnose sturgeon during the spawning season in two sections...
Scaling of peak flows with constant flow velocity in random self-similar networks
Brent M. Troutman, Ricardo Mantilla, Vijay K. Gupta
2011, Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (18) 489-502
A methodology is presented to understand the role of the statistical self-similar topology of real river networks on scaling, or power law, in peak flows for rainfall-runoff events. We created Monte Carlo generated sets of ensembles of 1000 random self-similar networks (RSNs) with geometrically distributed interior and exterior generators having...
