College and university environmental programs as a policy problem (Part 1): Integrating Knowledge, education, and action for a better world?
S.G. Clark, M.B. Rutherford, M.R. Auer, D.N. Cherney, R.L. Wallace, David J. Mattson, D. A. Clark, L. Foote, N. Krogman, P. Wilshusen, T. Steelman
2011, Environmental Management (47) 701-715
The environmental sciences/studies movement, with more than 1000 programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, is unified by a common interest—ameliorating environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. Unfortunately, environmental programs have struggled in their efforts to integrate knowledge across disciplines and educate students to...
A distribution-based parameterization for improved tomographic imaging of solute plumes
Adam Pidlisecky, K. Singha, F. D. Day-Lewis
2011, Geophysical Journal International (187) 214-224
Difference geophysical tomography (e.g. radar, resistivity and seismic) is used increasingly for imaging fluid flow and mass transport associated with natural and engineered hydrologic phenomena, including tracer experiments, in situ remediation and aquifer storage and recovery. Tomographic data are collected over time, inverted and differenced against a background image to produce ‘snapshots’...
Geographic profiling to assess the risk of rare plant poaching in natural areas
J.A. Young, F.T. Van Manen, C.A. Thatcher
2011, Environmental Management (48) 577-587
We demonstrate the use of an expert-assisted spatial model to examine geographic factors influencing the poaching risk of a rare plant (American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius L.) in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA. Following principles of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), we identified a hierarchy of 11 geographic factors deemed important...
Suspended material availability and filtration-biodeposition processes performed by a native and invasive bivalve species in streams
C.L. Atkinson, M.R. First, A.P. Covich, Stephen P. Opsahl, S.W. Golladay
2011, Hydrobiologia (667) 191-204
Unionid mussels are among the most threatened group of freshwater organisms globally. They are known for their ability to filter food particles from flowing and standing waters. However, invasive bivalve species, such as the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in North America, have the potential to overlap in feeding and potentially...
Feature-based and statistical methods for analyzing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill with AVIRIS imagery
R.S. Rand, R. N. Clark, K.E. Livo
2011, Proceedings of SPIE (8158)
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill covered a very large geographical area in the Gulf of Mexico creating potentially serious environmental impacts on both marine life and the coastal shorelines. Knowing the oil's areal extent and thickness as well as denoting different categories of the oil's physical state is important for...
Ammonium in thermal waters of Yellowstone National Park: Processes affecting speciation and isotope fractionation
J.M. Holloway, D. Kirk Nordstrom, J.K. Böhlke, R. Blaine McCleskey, J.W. Ball
2011, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (75) 4611-4636
Dissolved inorganic nitrogen, largely in reduced form (NH4(T)≈NH4(aq)++NH3(aq)o), has been documented in thermal waters throughout Yellowstone National Park, with concentrations ranging from a few micromolar along the Firehole River to millimolar concentrations at Washburn Hot Springs. Indirect evidence from rock nitrogen analyses and previous work on organic compounds associated with...
Oil and gas resource potential north of the Arctic Circle
Donald L. Gautier, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald Charpentier, Arthur Grantz, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas E. Moore, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, J.H. Schuenemeyer, K. Sorensen, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Zenon C. Valin, Craig J. Wandrey
2011, Geological Society Memoir (35) 151-161
The US Geological Survey recently assessed the potential for undiscovered conventional petroleum in the Arctic. Using a new map compilation of sedimentary elements, the area north of the Arctic Circle was subdivided into 70 assessment units, 48 of which were quantitatively assessed. The Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) was a geologically...
Cover sequences at the northern margin of the Antongil Craton, NE Madagascar
W. Bauer, G. J. Walsh, B. De Waele, Ronald J. Thomas, M. S. A. Horstwood, L. Bracciali, D. I. Schofield, U. Wollenberg, D. J. Lidke, I.T. Rasaona, M.H. Rabarimanana
2011, Precambrian Research (189) 292-312
The island of Madagascar is a collage of Precambrian, generally high-grade metamorphic basement domains, that are locally overlain by unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks and poorly understood low-grade metasediments. In the Antalaha area of NE Madagascar, two distinct cover sequences rest on high-grade metamorphic and igneous basement rocks of the Archaean Antongil...
Mysis diluviana population and cohort dynamics in Lake Ontario before and after the establishment of Dreissena spp., Cercopagis pengoi, and Bythotrephes longimanus
Ora E. Johannsson, Kelly L. Bowen, Kristen T. Holeck, Maureen G. Walsh
2011, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (68) 795-811
We investigated population responses of Mysis to ecosystem changes induced by invasion of dreissenids and predatory cladocerans, Cercopagis and Bythotrephes. Lake productivity declined as dreissenids invaded the offshore region. Whole-lake mysid biomass was compared before (early 1990s) and after (2002–2007) the invasion period; it declined 40%–45%. Abundance of young mysids...
In situ measurements of post-fire debris flows in southern California: Comparisons of the timing and magnitude of 24 debris-flow events with rainfall and soil moisture conditions
J. W. Kean, D.M. Staley, S.H. Cannon
2011, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (116)
Debris flows often occur in burned steeplands of southern California, sometimes causing property damage and loss of life. In an effort to better understand the hydrologic controls on post-fire debris-flow initiation, timing and magnitude, we measured the flow stage, rainfall, channel bed pore fluid pressure and hillslope soil-moisture accompanying 24...
New technique for quantification of elemental hg in mine wastes and its implications for mercury evasion into the atmosphere
A.D. Jew, C.S. Kim, James J. Rytuba, M.S. Gustin, Gordon E. Brown Jr.
2011, Environmental Science & Technology (45) 412-417
Mercury in the environment is of prime concern to both ecosystem and human health. Determination of the molecular-level speciation of Hg in soils and mine wastes is important for understanding its sequestration, mobility, and availability for methylation. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy carried out under ambient P-T conditions...
Climatic controls on the snowmelt hydrology of the northern Rocky Mountains
Gregory T. Pederson, S.T. Gray, T. Ault, W. Marsh, Daniel B. Fagre, A.G. Bunn, C.A. Woodhouse, L.J. Graumlich
2011, Journal of Climate (24) 1666-1687
The northern Rocky Mountains (NRMs) are a critical headwaters region with the majority of water resources originating from mountain snowpack. Observations showing declines in western U.S. snowpack have implications for water resources and biophysical processes in high-mountain environments. This study investigates oceanic and atmospheric controls underlying changes in timing, variability,...
Mars Global Digital Dune Database (MGD3): North polar region (MC-1) distribution, applications, and volume estimates
R.K. Hayward
2011, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (36) 1967-1972
The Mars Global Digital Dune Database (MGD3) now extends from 90°N to 65°S. The recently released north polar portion (MC‐1) of MGD3 adds ~844 000 km2 of moderate‐ to large‐size dark dunes to the previously released equatorial portion (MC‐2 to MC‐29) of the database. The database, available in GIS‐ and...
Diurnal trends in methylmercury concentration in a wetland adjacent to Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
D. L. Naftz, J.R. Cederberg, D. P. Krabbenhoft, K. R. Beisner, J. Whitehead, J. Gardberg
2011, Chemical Geology (283) 78-86
A 24-h field experiment was conducted during July 2008 at a wetland on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake (GSL) to assess the diurnal cycling of methylmercury (MeHg). Dissolved (< 0.45 μm) MeHg showed a strong diurnal variation with consistently decreasing concentrations during daylight periods and...
Alteration of streamflow magnitudes and potential ecological consequences: A multiregional assessment
Daren M. Carlisle, David M. Wolock, Michael R. Meador
2011, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (9) 264-270
Human impacts on watershed hydrology are widespread in the US, but the prevalence and severity of stream‐flow alteration and its potential ecological consequences have not been quantified on a national scale. We assessed streamflow alteration at 2888 streamflow monitoring sites throughout the conterminous US. The magnitudes of mean annual (1980–2007)...
The dynamical core, physical parameterizations, and basic simulation characteristics of the atmospheric component AM3 of the GFDL global coupled model CM3
L.J. Donner, B.L. Wyman, R.S. Hemler, L.W. Horowitz, Y. Ming, M. Zhao, J.-C. Golaz, P. Ginoux, S.-J. Lin, M.D. Schwarzkopf, J. Austin, G. Alaka, W.F. Cooke, T.L. Delworth, S.M. Freidenreich, C.T. Gordon, S.M. Griffies, I.M. Held, W.J. Hurlin, S.A. Klein, T.R. Knutson, A.R. Langenhorst, H.-C. Lee, Y. Lin, B.I. Magi, S.L. Malyshev, Paul Milly, V. Naik, M.J. Nath, R. Pincus, J.J. Ploshay, V. Ramaswamy, C.J. Seman, E. Shevliakova, J.J. Sirutis, W.F. Stern, R.J. Stouffer, R.J. Wilson, M. Winton, A.T. Wittenberg, F. Zeng
2011, Journal of Climate (24) 3484-3519
The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) has developed a coupled general circulation model (CM3) for the atmosphere, oceans, land, and sea ice. The goal of CM3 is to address emerging issues in climate change, including aerosol–cloud interactions, chemistry–climate interactions, and coupling between the troposphere and stratosphere. The model is also...
Formation pressure testing at the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope: Operational summary, history matching, and interpretations
B. Anderson, S. Hancock, S. Wilson, C. Enger, Timothy S. Collett, R. Boswell, R. Hunter
2011, Marine and Petroleum Geology (28) 478-492
In February 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy, BP Exploration (Alaska), and the U.S. Geological Survey, collected open-hole pressure-response data, as well as gas and water sample collection, in a gas hydrate reservoir (the BPXA-DOE-USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well) using Schlumberger's Modular Dynamics Formation Tester (MDT)...
Mercury export from the Yukon River Basin and potential response to a changing climate
P. F. Schuster, Robert G. Striegl, G. R. Aiken, David P. Krabbenhoft, J. F. Dewild, K. Butler, B. Kamark, M. Dornblaser
2011, Environmental Science & Technology (45) 9262-9267
We measured mercury (Hg) concentrations and calculated export and yield from the Yukon River Basin (YRB) to quantify Hg flux from a large, permafrost-dominated, high-latitude watershed. Exports of Hg averaged 4400 kg Hg yr–1. The average annual yield for the YRB during the study period was 5.17 μg m–2 yr–1, which...
Chronological framework for the deglaciation of the Lake Michigan lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet from ice-walled lake deposits
B. Curry, J. Petras
2011, Journal of Quaternary Science (26) 402-410
A revised chronological framework for the deglaciation of the Lake Michigan lobe of the south‐central Laurentide Ice Sheet is presented based on radiocarbon ages of plant macrofossils archived in the sediments of low‐relief ice‐walled lakes. We analyze the precision and accuracy of 15 AMS 14C ages of plant macrofossils obtained from...
Magnetic susceptibility as a proxy for investigating microbially mediated iron reduction
F.M. Mewafy, E.A. Atekwana, D.D. Werkema, L.D. Slater, D. Ntarlagiannis, A. Revil, M. Skold, Geoffrey N. Delin
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
We investigated magnetic susceptibility (MS) variations in hydrocarbon contaminated sediments. Our objective was to determine if MS can be used as an intrinsic bioremediation indicator due to the activity of iron-reducing bacteria. A contaminated and an uncontaminated core were retrieved from a site contaminated with crude oil near Bemidji, Minnesota...
Micropaleontologic record of Quaternary paleoenvironments in the Central Albemarle Embayment, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Stephen J. Culver, Kathleen M. Farrell, David J. Mallinson, Debra A. Willard, Benjamin P. Horton, Stanley R. Riggs, E. Robert Thieler, John F. Wehmiller, Peter Parham, Scott W. Snyder, Caroline Hillier
2011, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (305) 227-249
To understand the temporal and spatial variation of eustatic sea-level fluctuations, glacio–hydro–isostacy, tectonics, subsidence, geologic environments and sedimentation patterns for the Quaternary of a passive continental margin, a nearly complete stratigraphic record that is fully integrated with a three dimensional chronostratigraphic framework, and paleoenvironmental information are necessary. The Albemarle...
Application of the CO2-PENS risk analysis tool to the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming
P.H. Stauffer, R.J. Pawar, R.C. Surdam, Z. Jiao, H. Deng, B.C. Lettelier, H.S. Viswanathan, D.L. Sanzo, G. N. Keating
2011, Energy Procedia (4) 4084-4091
We describe preliminary application of the CO2-PENS performance and risk analysis tool to a planned geologic CO2 sequestration demonstration project in the Rock Springs Uplift (RSU), located in south western Wyoming. We use data from the RSU to populate CO2-PENS, an evolving system-level modeling tool developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory....
Use of fatty acid analysis to determine dispersal of Caspian Terns in the Columbia River Basin, U.S.A.
C. J. Maranto, J. K. Parrish, D. P. Herman, A. E. Punt, J. D. Olden, M. T. Brett, Daniel D. Roby
2011, Conservation Biology (25) 736-746
Lethal control, which has been used to reduce local abundances of animals in conflict with humans or with endangered species, may not achieve management goals if animal movement is not considered. In populations with emigration and immigration, lethal control may induce compensatory immigration, if the source of attraction remains unchanged....
Associated terrestrial and marine fossils in the late-glacial Presumpscot Formation, southern Maine, USA, and the marine reservoir effect on radiocarbon ages
W.B. Thompson, C.B. Griggs, N.G. Miller, R.E. Nelson, T.K. Weddle, T.M. Kilian
2011, Quaternary Research (75) 552-565
Excavations in the late-glacial Presumpscot Formation at Portland, Maine, uncovered tree remains and other terrestrial organics associated with marine invertebrate shells in a landslide deposit. Buds of Populus balsamifera (balsam poplar) occurred with twigs of Picea glauca (white spruce) in the Presumpscot clay. Tree rings in Picea logs indicate that the trees all...
Magma at depth: A retrospective analysis of the 1975 unrest at Mount Baker, Washington, USA
Juliet G. Crider, David Frank, Stephen D. Malone, Michael P. Poland, Cynthia Werner, Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach
2011, Bulletin of Volcanology (73) 175-189
Mount Baker volcano displayed a short interval of seismically-quiescent thermal unrest in 1975, with high emissions of magmatic gas that slowly waned during the following three decades. The area of snow-free ground in the active crater has not returned to pre-unrest levels, and fumarole gas geochemistry shows a decreasing magmatic...
