National ecosystem assessments supported by scientific and local knowledge
J. E. Herrick, V.C. Lessard, K.E. Spaeth, P.L. Shaver, R.S. Dayton, D.A. Pyke, L. Jolley, J.J. Goebel
2010, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (8) 403-408
An understanding of the extent of land degradation and recovery is necessary to guide land-use policy and management, yet currently available land-quality assessments are widely known to be inadequate. Here, we present the results of the first statistically based application of a new approach to national assessments that integrates scientific...
Quaternary Sea-ice history in the Arctic Ocean based on a new Ostracode sea-ice proxy
T. M. Cronin, L. Gemery, W.M. Briggs, M. Jakobsson, L. Polyak, E. M. Brouwers
2010, Quaternary Science Reviews (29) 3415-3429
Paleo-sea-ice history in the Arctic Ocean was reconstructed using the sea-ice dwelling ostracode Acetabulastoma arcticum from late Quaternary sediments from the Mendeleyev, Lomonosov, and Gakkel Ridges, the Morris Jesup Rise and the Yermak Plateau. Results suggest intermittently high levels of perennial sea ice in the central Arctic Ocean during Marine...
Sharing the floodplain: Mediated modeling for environmental management
S.S. Metcalf, E. Wheeler, T. K. BenDor, S.J. Lubinski, B.M. Hannon
2010, Environmental Modelling and Software (25) 1282-1290
Complex ecosystems, such as the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), present major management challenges. Such systems often provide a range of ecosystem services that are differentially valued by stakeholders representing distinct interests (e.g., agriculture, conservation, navigation) or institutions (e.g., federal and state agencies). When no single entity has the knowledge or...
Targeting land-use change for nitratenitrogen load reductions in an agricultural watershed
M.K. Jha, K. E. Schilling, Philip W. Gassman, C.F. Wolter
2010, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (65) 342-352
The research was conducted as part of the USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project. The objective of the project was to evaluate the environmental effects of land-use changes, with a focus on understanding how the spatial distribution throughout a watershed influences their effectiveness.The Soil and Water AssessmentTool (SWAT) water quality model...
Micromorphology and stable-isotope geochemistry of historical pedogenic siderite formed in PAH-contaminated alluvial clay soils, Tennessee, U.S.A
S.G. Driese, Greg A. Ludvigson, J.A. Roberts, D.A. Fowle, Luis A. Gonzalez, J.J. Smith, V.M. Vulava, L.D. McKay
2010, Journal of Sedimentary Research (80) 943-954
Alluvial clay soil samples from six boreholes advanced to depths of 400-450 cm (top of limestone bedrock) from the Chattanooga Coke Plant (CCP) site were examined micromorphologically and geochemically in order to determine if pedogenic siderite (FeCO3) was present and whether siderite occurrence was related to organic contaminant distribution. Samples...
An analysis of the carbon balance of the Arctic Basin from 1997 to 2006
A. D. McGuire, D.J. Hayes, D. W. Kicklighter, M. Manizza, Q. Zhuang, M. Chen, M.J. Follows, K.R. Gurney, J.W. McClelland, J. M. Melillo, B. J. Peterson, R.G. Prinn
2010, Tellus, Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology (62) 455-474
This study used several model-based tools to analyse the dynamics of the Arctic Basin between 1997 and 2006 as a linked system of land-ocean-atmosphere C exchange. The analysis estimates that terrestrial areas of the Arctic Basin lost 62.9 Tg C yr-1 and that the Arctic Ocean gained 94.1 Tg C...
A fresh look at road salt: Aquatic toxicity and water-quality impacts on local, regional, and national scales
S.R. Corsi, D.J. Graczyk, S.W. Geis, N.L. Booth, K.D. Richards
2010, Environmental Science & Technology (44) 7376-7382
A new perspective on the severity of aquatic toxicity impact of road salt was gained by a focused research effort directed at winter runoff periods. Dramatic impacts were observed on local, regional, and national scales. Locally, samples from 7 of 13 Milwaukee, Wisconsin area streams exhibited toxicity in Ceriodaphnia dubia...
Estimating aboveground biomass for broadleaf woody plants and young conifers in Sierra Nevada, California, forests
T.W. McGinnis, C.D. Shook, Jon E. Keeley
2010, Western Journal of Applied Forestry (25) 203-209
Quantification of biomass is fundamental to a wide range of research and natural resource management goals. An accurate estimation of plant biomass is essential to predict potential fire behavior, calculate carbon sequestration for global climate change research, assess critical wildlife habitat, and so forth. Reliable allometric equations from simple field...
Direct and indirect responses of tallgrass prairie butterflies to prescribed burning
Jennifer A. Vogel, Rolf R. Koford, Diane M. Debinski
2010, Journal of Insect Conservation (14) 663-677
Fire is an important tool in the conservation and restoration of tallgrass prairie ecosystems. We investigated how both the vegetation composition and butterfly community of tallgrass prairie remnants changed in relation to the elapsed time (in months) since prescribed fire. Butterfly richness and butterfly abundance were positively correlated with the...
Numerical simulation of a low-lying barrier island's morphological response to Hurricane Katrina
C.A. Lindemer, N.G. Plant, Jack A. Puleo, D.M. Thompson, T.V. Wamsley
2010, Coastal Engineering (57) 985-995
Tropical cyclones that enter or form in the Gulf of Mexico generate storm surge and large waves that impact low-lying coastlines along the Gulf Coast. The Chandeleur Islands, located 161. km east of New Orleans, Louisiana, have endured numerous hurricanes that have passed nearby. Hurricane Katrina (landfall near Waveland MS,...
The New Albany shale in Illinois: Emerging play or prolific source
Joan Crockett, David E. Morse
2010, Oil & Gas Journal (108) 72-79
The New Albany shale (Upper Devonian) in the Illinois basin is the primary hydrocarbon source rock for the basins nearly 4 billion bbl of oil production to date. The gas play is well-established in Indiana and Western Kentucky. One in-situ oil producing well was reported in a multiply competed well...
Complex adaptive systems and game theory: An unlikely union
M. Hadzikadic, T. Carmichael, C. Curtin
2010, Complexity (16) 34-42
A Complex Adaptive System is a collection of autonomous, heterogeneous agents, whose behavior is defined with a limited number of rules. A Game Theory is a mathematical construct that assumes a small number of rational players who have a limited number of actions or strategies available to them. The CAS...
Fault-related clay authigenesis along the Moab Fault: Implications for calculations of fault rock composition and mechanical and hydrologic fault zone properties
J.G. Solum, N.C. Davatzes, D.A. Lockner
2010, Journal of Structural Geology (32) 1899-1911
The presence of clays in fault rocks influences both the mechanical and hydrologic properties of clay-bearing faults, and therefore it is critical to understand the origin of clays in fault rocks and their distributions is of great importance for defining fundamental properties of faults in the shallow crust. Field mapping...
Genetic characterization of Neotropical Jabiru Storks: Insights for conservation
I.F. Lopes, S. M. Haig, S.N.D. Lama
2010, Waterbirds (33) 425-437
Jabiru Stork (Jabiru mycteria is listed under Appendix I of CITES and considered threatened in Central America. The first population genetic analysis of Jabiru Storks was carried out using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences (520 bp) and five heterologous microsatellite loci. Samples were collected from the field (N =...
Shallow magma accumulation at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, revealed by microgravity surveys
Daniel J. Johnson, Albert A. Eggers, Marco Bagnardi, Maurizio Battaglia, Michael P. Poland, Asta Miklius
2010, Geology (38) 1139-1142
Using microgravity data collected at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i (United States), between November 1975 and January 2008, we document significant mass increase beneath the east margin of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, within Kīlauea's summit caldera. Surprisingly, there was no sustained uplift accompanying the mass accumulation. We propose that the positive gravity residual in...
The role of African dust in the formation of Quaternary soils on Mallorca, Spain and implications for the genesis of Red Mediterranean soils
D.R. Muhs, J. Budahn, A. Avila, G. Skipp, J. Freeman, D. Patterson
2010, Quaternary Science Reviews (29) 2518-2543
African dust additions explain the origin of terra rossa soils that are common on the carbonate-platform island of Mallorca, Spain. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses indicate that Quaternary carbonate eolianites on Mallorca have a very high purity, usually composed of more than 90% carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite, and aragonite). In contrast,...
Report of the COSPAR mars special regions colloquium
G. Kminek, J.D. Rummel, C.S. Cockell, R. Atlas, N. Barlow, D. Beaty, W. Boynton, M. Carr, S. Clifford, C.A. Conley, A.F. Davila, A. Debus, P. Doran, M. Hecht, J. Heldmann, J. Helbert, V. Hipkin, G. Horneck, Thomas L. Kieft, G. Klingelhoefer, M. Meyer, H. Newsom, G.G. Ori, J. Parnell, D. Prieur, F. Raulin, D. Schulze-Makuch, J.A. Spry, P.E. Stabekis, E. Stackebrandt, J. Vago, M. Viso, M. Voytek, L. Wells, F. Westall
2010, Advances in Space Research (46) 811-829
In this paper we present the findings of a COSPAR Mars Special Regions Colloquium held in Rome in 2007. We review and discuss the definition of Mars Special Regions, the physical parameters used to define Mars Special Regions, and physical features on Mars that can be interpreted as Mars Special...
Rehabilitation for bilateral amputation of fingers
Martin A. Stapanian, Adrienne Stapanian, Keith E. Staley
2010, American Journal of Occupational Therapy (64) 923-928
We describe reconstructive surgeries, therapy, prostheses, and adaptations for a patient who experienced bilateral amputation of all five fingers of both hands through the proximal phalanges in January 1992. The patient made considerable progress in the use of his hands in the 10 mo after amputation, including nearly a 120%...
Comparison of watershed disturbance predictive models for stream benthic macroinvertebrates for three distinct ecoregions in western US
Ian R. Waite, Larry R. Brown, Jonathan G. Kennen, Jason T. May, Thomas F. Cuffney, James L. Orlando, Kimberly A. Jones
2010, Ecological Indicators (10) 1125-1136
The successful use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of stream condition in bioassessments has led to heightened interest throughout the scientific community in the prediction of stream condition. For example, predictive models are increasingly being developed that use measures of watershed disturbance, including urban and agricultural land-use, as explanatory variables to...
Potential environmental influences on variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism among Arizona populations of the western diamond-backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
Melissa Amarello, Erica M. Nowak, Emily N. Taylor, Gordon W. Schuett, Roger A. Repp, Philip C. Rosen, David L. Hardy Sr.
2010, Journal of Arid Environments (74) 1443-1449
Differences in resource availability and quality along environmental gradients are important influences contributing to intraspecific variation in body size, which influences numerous life-history traits. Here, we examined variation in body size and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in relation to temperature, seasonality, and precipitation among 10 populations located throughout Arizona of...
Liquefaction caused by the 2009 Olancha, California (USA), M5.2 earthquake
T.L. Holzer, A. S. Jayko, E. Hauksson, J.P.B. Fletcher, T.E. Noce, M.J. Bennett, C.M. Dietel, K.W. Hudnut
2010, Engineering Geology (116) 184-188
The October 3, 2009 (01:16:00 UTC), Olancha M5.2 earthquake caused extensive liquefaction as well as permanent horizontal ground deformation within a 1.2 km2area earthquake in Owens Valley in eastern California (USA). Such liquefaction is rarely observed during earthquakes of M ≤ 5.2. We conclude that subsurface conditions, not unusual ground...
Hurricane storm surge and amphibian communities in coastal wetlands of northwestern Florida
Margaret S. Gunzburger, William B. Hughes, William J. Barichivich, Jennifer S. Staiger
2010, Wetlands Ecology and Management (18) 651-663
Isolated wetlands in the Southeastern United States are dynamic habitats subject to fluctuating environmental conditions. Wetlands located near marine environments are subject to alterations in water chemistry due to storm surge during hurricanes. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of storm surge overwash on wetland amphibian...
A 15 000-year record of climate change in northern New Mexico, USA, inferred from isotopic and elemental contents of bog sediments
L. M. Cisneros-Dozal, J.M. Heikoop, J. Fessenden, R. Scott Anderson, P.A. Meyers, Craig D. Allen, M. Hess, T. Larson, G. Perkins, M. Rearick
2010, Journal of Quaternary Science (25) 1001-1007
Elemental (C, N, Pb) and isotopic (δ13C, δ15N) measurements of cored sediment from a small bog in northern New Mexico reveal changes in climate during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Abrupt increases in Pb concentration and δ13C values ca. 14 420 cal. YBP indicate significant runoff to the shallow lake that...
Stratigraphic response across a structurally dynamic shelf: The latest guadalupian composite sequence at Walnut Canyon, New Mexico, U.S.A
J. Rush, C. Kerans
2010, Journal of Sedimentary Research (80) 808-828
The uppermost Yates and Tansill formations (Late Permian), as exposed along Walnut Canyon in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA, provide a unique opportunity to document the depositional architecture of a progradational, oversteepened, and mechanically failure-prone carbonate platform. Detailed facies mapping permitted critical assessment of depositional processes operating along...
Shell anomalies observed in a population of Archaias angulatus (Foraminifera) from the Florida Keys (USA) sampled in 1982-83 and 2006-07
H.C. Souder, B. McCloskey, P. Hallock, R. Byrne
2010, Marine Micropaleontology (77) 71-81
Archived specimens of Archaias angulatus collected live at a depth of < 2. m in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo, Florida, in June, September and December 1982, and March 1983, were compared to specimens collected live from the same site and months in 2006-07. Shells were examined...
