Revisiting the Earth's sea-level and energy budgets from 1961 to 2008
John A. Church, Neil J. White, Leonard F. Konikow, Catia M. Domingues, J. Graham Cogley, Eric Rignot, Jonathan M. Gregory, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Andrew J. Monaghan, Isabella Velicogna
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
We review the sea-level and energy budgets together from 1961, using recent and updated estimates of all terms. From 1972 to 2008, the observed sea-level rise (1.8 0.2 mm yr-1 from tide gauges alone and 2.1 0.2 mm yr -1 from a combination of tide gauges and altimeter observations) agrees...
Thermal erosion of a permafrost coastline: Improving process-based models using time-lapse photography
C. Wobus, R. Anderson, I. Overeem, N. Matell, G. Clow, F. Urban
2011, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (43) 474-484
Coastal erosion rates locally exceeding 30 m y-1 have been documented along Alaska's Beaufort Sea coastline, and a number of studies suggest that these erosion rates have accelerated as a result of climate change. However, a lack of direct observational evidence has limited our progress in quantifying the specific processes...
Seismic hazard and risk assessments for Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan, China, area
F. Xie, Z. Wang, J. Liu
2011, Pure and Applied Geophysics (168) 731-738
Seismic hazard and risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Tangshan, China, area were estimated from 500-year intensity observations. First, we digitized the intensity observations (maps) using ArcGIS with a cell size of 0.1 × 0.1°. Second, we performed a statistical analysis on the digitized intensity data, determined an average b value (0.39), and derived the intensity–frequency relationship...
Effects of temperature changes on maize production in Mozambique
L. Harrison, J. Michaelsen, Chris Funk, G. Husak
2011, Climate Research (46) 211-222
We examined intraseasonal changes in maize phenology and heat stress exposure over the 1979-2008 period, using Mozambique meteorological station data and maize growth requirements in a growing degree-day model. Identifying historical effects of warming on maize growth is particularly important in Mozambique because national food security is highly dependent on...
Floristic composition, beta diversity, and nestedness of reference sites for restoration of xeroriparian areas
Vanessa B. Beauchamp, P.B. Shafroth
2011, Ecological Applications (21) 465-473
In restoration ecology, reference sites serve as models for areas to be restored and can provide a standard of comparison for restoration project outcomes. When reference sites are located a relatively long distance from associated restoration projects, differences in climate, disturbance history, and biogeography can increase beta diversity and may...
Inter-specific coral chimerism: Genetically distinct multicellular structures associated with tissue loss in Montipora capitata
Thierry M. Work, Zac H. Forsman, Zoltan Szabo, Teresa D. Lewis, Greta S. Aeby, Robert J. Toonen
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
Montipora white syndrome (MWS) results in tissue-loss that is often lethal to Montipora capitata, a major reef building coral that is abundant and dominant in the Hawai'ian Archipelago. Within some MWS-affected colonies in Kane'ohe Bay, Oahu, Hawai'i, we saw unusual motile multicellular structures within gastrovascular canals (hereafter referred to as invasive gastrovascular...
Using normalized difference vegetation index to estimate carbon fluxes from small rotationally grazed pastures
R.H. Skinner, B.K. Wylie, T.G. Gilmanov
2011, Agronomy Journal (103) 972-979
Satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data have been extensively used for estimating gross primary productivity (GPP) and yield of grazing lands throughout the world. However, the usefulness of satellite-based images for monitoring rotationally-grazed pastures in the northeastern United States might be limited because paddock size is often smaller than...
Proactive aquatic ecotoxicological assessment of room-temperature ionic liquids
K. J. Kulacki, D. T. Chaloner, James H. Larson, D. M. Costello, M. A. Evans-White, K. M. Docherty, R. J. Bernot, M. A. Brueseke, C. F. Kulpa, G. A. Lamberti
2011, Current Organic Chemistry (15) 1918-1927
Aquatic environments are being contaminated with a myriad of anthropogenic chemicals, a problem likely to continue due to both unintentional and intentional releases. To protect valuable natural resources, novel chemicals should be shown to be environmentally safe prior to use and potential release into the environment. Such proactive assessment is...
Winter habitat associations of diurnal raptors in Californias Central Valley
E.R. Pandolrno, M.P. Herzog, S.L. Hooper, Z. Smith
2011, Western Birds (42) 62-84
The wintering raptors of California's Central Valley are abundant and diverse. Despite this, little information exists on the habitats used by these birds in winter. We recorded diurnal raptors along 19 roadside survey routes throughout the Central Valley for three consecutive winters between 2007 and 2010. We obtained data sufficient...
Role of origin and release location in pre-spawning distribution and movements of anadromous alewife
Holly J. Frank, M. E. Mather, Joseph M. Smith, Robert M. Muth, John T. Finn
2011, Fisheries Management and Ecology (18) 12-24
Capturing adult anadromous fish that are ready to spawn from a self sustaining population and transferring them into a depleted system is a common fisheries enhancement tool. The behaviour of these transplanted fish, however, has not been fully evaluated. The movements of stocked and native anadromous alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson),...
Compensatory effects of recruitment and survival when amphibian populations are perturbed by disease
E. Muths, R. D. Scherer, D. S. Pilliod
2011, Journal of Applied Ecology (48) 873-879
The need to increase our understanding of factors that regulate animal population dynamics has been catalysed by recent, observed declines in wildlife populations worldwide. Reliable estimates of demographic parameters are critical for addressing basic and applied ecological questions and understanding the response of parameters to perturbations (e.g. disease, habitat loss,...
Early in-flight detection of SO2 via Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy: A feasible aviation safety measure to prevent potential encounters with volcanic plumes
L. Vogel, B. Galle, C. Kern, Granados H. Delgado, V. Conde, P. Norman, S. Arellano, O. Landgren, P. Lubcke, Nieves J.M. Alvarez, Gonzales L. Cardenas, U. Platt
2011, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions (4) 2827-2881
Volcanic ash constitutes a risk to aviation, mainly due to its ability to cause jet engines to fail. Other risks include the possibility of abrasion of windshields and potentially serious damage to avionic systems. These hazards have been widely recognized 5 since the early 1980s, when volcanic ash provoked several...
An observation of a partially albinistic zenaida macroura (Mourning Dove)
James Berdeen, David L. Otis
2011, Southeastern Naturalist (10) 185-188
Abstract Three of the 4 forms of albinism that occur in avifauna have been detected in Zenaida macroura (Mourning Dove). Albinism is rare in this species, and the incidence rate of each age and sex cohort is not well known. Consequently, we examined the pigmentation of Mourning Doves encountered in...
New aerial survey and hierarchical model to estimate manatee abundance
Catherine A. Langtimm, Robert Dorazio, B.M. Stith, T.J. Doyle
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 399-412
Monitoring the response of endangered and protected species to hydrological restoration is a major component of the adaptive management framework of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) lives at the marine-freshwater interface in southwest Florida and is likely to be affected by hydrologic restoration....
Geology and petroleum potential of the Arctic Alaska petroleum province
Kenneth J. Bird, David W. Houseknecht
2011, Geological Society Memoir 485-499
The Arctic Alaska petroleum province encompasses all lands and adjacent continental shelf areas north of the Brooks Range–Herald Arch orogenic belt and south of the northern (outboard) margin of the Beaufort Rift shoulder. Even though only a small part is thoroughly explored, it is one of the most prolific petroleum...
The secret to successful solute-transport modeling
Leonard F. Konikow
2011, Ground Water (49) 144-159
Modeling subsurface solute transport is difficult—more so than modeling heads and flows. The classical governing equation does not always adequately represent what we see at the field scale. In such cases, commonly used numerical models are solving the wrong equation. Also, the transport equation is hyperbolic where advection is dominant,...
An analytical framework to assist decision makers in the use of forest ecosystem model predictions
Guy R. Larocque, Jagtar S. Bhatti, J.C. Ascough, J. Liu, N. Luckai, D. Mailly, L. Archambault, Andrew M. Gordon
2011, Environmental Modelling and Software (26) 280-288
The predictions from most forest ecosystem models originate from deterministic simulations. However, few evaluation exercises for model outputs are performed by either model developers or users. This issue has important consequences for decision makers using these models to develop natural resource management policies, as they cannot evaluate the extent to...
Geology and petroleum potential of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province, Russia
Christopher J. Schenk
2011, Geological Society Memoir 283-294
The Timan–Pechora Basin Province represents the northeastern-most cratonic block of Eastern European Russia. More than 16 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 40 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG) have been discovered in this basin. Three geological assessment units (AU) were defined for assessing the potential for undiscovered oil and...
Recent surface temperature trends in the interior of East Antarctica from borehole firn temperature measurements and geophysical inverse methods
A. Muto, T. A. Scambos, K. Steffen, A.G. Slater, Gary D. Clow
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
We use measured firn temperatures down to depths of 80 to 90 m at four locations in the interior of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica to derive surface temperature histories spanning the past few decades using two different inverse methods. We find that the mean surface temperatures near the ice...
Sea ice loss enhances wave action at the Arctic coast
I. Overeem, R. Scott Anderson, C.W. Wobus, Gary D. Clow, Frank E. Urban, N. Matell
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Erosion rates of permafrost coasts along the Beaufort Sea accelerated over the past 50 years synchronously with Arctic‐wide declines in sea ice extent, suggesting a causal relationship between the two. A fetch‐limited wave model driven by sea ice position and local wind data from northern Alaska indicates that the exposure...
Effects of black bear relocation on elk calf recruitment at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
J. Yarkovich, J. D. Clark, J.L. Murrow
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 1145-1154
Previous research from 2001 to 2006 on an experimentally released elk (Cervus elaphus) population at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP or Park) indicated that calf recruitment (i.e., calves reaching 1 yr of age per adult female elk) was low (0.306, total SE = 0.090) resulting in low or negative population growth...
Evaluation of TRIGRS (transient rainfall infiltration and grid-based regional slope-stability analysis)'s predictive skill for hurricane-triggered landslides: A case study in Macon County, North Carolina
Z. Liao, Y. Hong, D. Kirschbaum, R.F. Adler, J.J. Gourley, R. Wooten
2011, Natural Hazards (58) 325-339
The key to advancing the predictability of rainfall-triggered landslides is to use physically based slope-stability models that simulate the transient dynamical response of the subsurface moisture to spatiotemporal variability of rainfall in complex terrains. TRIGRS (transient rainfall infiltration and grid-based regional slope-stability analysis) is a USGS landslide prediction model, coded...
Three-dimensional model of an ultramafic feeder system to the Nikolai Greenstone mafic large igneous province, central Alaska Range
Jonathan M.G. Glen, Jeanine M. Schmidt, G. G. Connard
2011, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (12)
The Amphitheater Mountains and southern central Alaska Range expose a thick sequence of Triassic Nikolai basalts that is underlain by several mafic‐ultramafic complexes, the largest and best exposed being the Fish Lake and Tangle (FL‐T) mafic‐ultramafic sills that flank the Amphitheater Mountains synform. Three‐dimensional (3‐D) modeling of gravity and magnetic...
Whole-edifice ice volume change A.D. 1970 to 2007/2008 at Mount Rainier, Washington, based on LiDAR surveying
T. W. Sisson, J.E. Robinson, D.D. Swinney
2011, Geology (39) 639-642
Net changes in thickness and volume of glacial ice and perennial snow at Mount Rainier, Washington State, have been mapped over the entire edifice by differencing between a highresolution LiDAR (light detection and ranging) topographic survey of September-October 2007/2008 and the 10 m lateral resolution U.S. Geological Survey digital elevation...
Host and viral ecology determine bat rabies seasonality and maintenance
D.B. George, C.T. Webb, Matthew L. Farnsworth, T. J. O'Shea, R. A. Bowen, D.L. Smith, T.R. Stanley, L.E. Ellison, C. E. Rupprecht
2011, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (108) 10208-10213
Rabies is an acute viral infection that is typically fatal. Most rabies modeling has focused on disease dynamics and control within terrestrial mammals (e.g., raccoons and foxes). As such, rabies in bats has been largely neglected until recently. Because bats have been implicated as natural reservoirs for several emerging zoonotic...