Finite-frequency wave propagation through outer rise fault zones and seismic measurements of upper mantle hydration
Nathaniel C. Miller, Daniel Lizarralde
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 7982-7990
Effects of serpentine-filled fault zones on seismic wave propagation in the upper mantle at the outer rise of subduction zones are evaluated using acoustic wave propagation models. Modeled wave speeds depend on azimuth, with slowest speeds in the fault-normal direction. Propagation is fastest along faults, but, for fault widths on...
Gravity change from 2014 to 2015, Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Jeffrey R. Kennedy
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1155
Relative-gravity data and absolute-gravity data were collected at 68 stations in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona, in May–June 2015 for the purpose of estimating aquifer-storage change. Similar data from 2014 and a description of the survey network were published in U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1086....
Examination of flood characteristics at selected streamgages in the Meramec River Basin, eastern Missouri, December 2015–January 2016
Robert R. Holmes Jr., Todd A. Koenig, Paul H. Rydlund Jr., David C. Heimann
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1140
OverviewHeavy rainfall resulted in major flooding in the Meramec River Basin in eastern Missouri during late December 2015 through early January 2016. Cumulative rainfall from December 14 to 29, 2015, ranged from 7.6 to 12.3 inches at selected precipitation stations in the basin with flooding driven by the heaviest precipitation...
Generalized sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River, 1968–2014
David C. Heimann
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5097
Sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River were developed in a study led by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The scope of the study included the development of a long-term (post-impoundment, 1968–2014) average annual sediment budget and selected annual, monthly, and daily...
Altered hydrologic and geomorphic processes and bottomland hardwood plant communities of the lower White River Basin
Sammy L. King, Richard F. Keim, Cliff R. Hupp, Brandon L. Edwards, Whitney A. Kroschel, Erin L. Johnson, J. Wesley Cochran
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1113
Introduction The work explained in this report was conducted to assess geomorphic adjustment of the lower White River, Arkansas, to hydrologic modifications and establish forest age and community structure within selected communities within the floodplain. Also, the HEC–GeoRAS model was evaluated for predicting flood depth and duration within the floodplain. Hydrologic...
Projected shifts in fish species dominance in Wisconsin lakes under climate change
Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Jordan S. Read, Jonathan F. Hansen, Luke Winslow
2016, Global Change Biology (23) 1463-1476
Temperate lakes may contain both coolwater fish species such as walleye (Sander vitreus) and warmwater fish species such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Recent declining walleye and increasing largemouth bass populations have raised questions regarding the future trajectories and management actions for these species. We developed a thermodynamic model of...
Emerging tools for continuous nutrient monitoring networks: Sensors advancing science and water resources protection
Brian Pellerin, Beth A Stauffer, Dwane A Young, Daniel J. Sullivan, Suzanne B. Bricker, Mark R Walbridge, Gerard A Clyde, Denice M Shaw
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 993-1008
Sensors and enabling technologies are becoming increasingly important tools for water quality monitoring and associated water resource management decisions. In particular, nutrient sensors are of interest because of the well-known adverse effects of nutrient enrichment on coastal hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and impacts to human health. Accurate and...
Marine magnetic survey and onshore gravity and magnetic survey, San Pablo Bay, northern California
David A. Ponce, Kevin M. Denton, Janet Tilden Watt
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1150
IntroductionFrom November 2011 to August 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected more than 1,000 line-kilometers (length of lines surveyed in kilometers) of marine magnetic data on San Pablo Bay, 98 onshore gravity stations, and over 27 line-kilometers of ground magnetic data in northern California. Combined magnetic and gravity investigations...
Greenhouse gas emissions from a created brackish marsh in eastern North Carolina
Yo-Jin Shiau, Michael R. Burchell, Ken W. Krauss, François Birgand, Stephen W. Broome
2016, Wetlands (36) 1009-1024
Tidal marsh creation helps remediate global warming because tidal wetlands are especially proficient at sequestering carbon (C) in soils. However, greenhouse gas (GHG) losses can offset the climatic benefits gained from C storage depending on how these tidal marshes are constructed and managed. This study attempts to determine the GHG...
Evaluating harvest-based control of invasive fish with telemetry: Performance of sea lamprey traps in the Great Lakes
Christopher Holbrook, Roger A. Bergstedt, Jessica M. Barber, Gale A Bravener, Michael L. Jones, Charles C. Krueger
2016, Ecological Applications (26) 1595-1609
Physical removal (e.g., harvest via traps or nets) of mature individuals may be a cost-effective or socially acceptable alternative to chemical control strategies for invasive species, but requires knowledge of the spatial distribution of a population over time. We used acoustic telemetry to determine the current and possible future role...
Assessing groundwater depletion and dynamics using GRACE and InSAR: Potential and limitations
Pascal Castellazzi, Richard Martel, Devin L. Galloway, Laurent Longuevergne, Alfonso Rivera
2016, Groundwater (54) 768-780
In the last decade, remote sensing of the temporal variation of ground level and gravity has improved our understanding of groundwater dynamics and storage. Mass changes are measured by GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites, whereas ground deformation is measured by processing synthetic aperture radar satellites data using the...
Ionic molal conductivities, activity coefficients, and dissociation constants of HAsO42− and H2AsO4− from 5 to 90°C and ionic strengths from 0.001 up to 3 mol kg−1 and applications in natural systems
Xiangyu Zhu, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, Rucheng Wang
2016, Chemical Geology (441) 177-190
Arsenic is known to be one of the most toxic inorganic elements, causing worldwide environmental contamination. However, many fundamental properties related to aqueous arsenic species are not well known which will inhibit our ability to understand the geochemical behavior of arsenic (e.g. speciation, transport, and solubility). Here, the electrical conductivity...
Entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish in junction gaps between commercial barges operating on the Illinois Waterway
Jeremiah J. Davis, P. Ryan Jackson, Frank L. Engel, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Rebecca N. Neeley, Samuel T. Finney, Elizabeth A. Murphy
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 837-848
Large Electric Dispersal Barriers were constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) to prevent the transfer of invasive fish species between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin while simultaneously allowing the passage of commercial barge traffic. We investigated the potential for entrainment, retention, and transport...
U.S. Geological Survey—Energy and Wildlife Research Annual Report for 2016
Mona Khalil, editor(s)
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1147
Recent growth and development of renewable energy and unconventional oil and gas extraction are rapidly diversifying the energy supply of the United States. Yet, as our Nation works to advance energy security and conserve wildlife, some conflicts have surfaced. To address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting...
Detecting the movement and spawning activity of bigheaded carps with environmental DNA
Richard A. Erickson, Christopher B. Rees, Alison A. Coulter, Christopher M. Merkes, S. Grace McCalla, Katherine F Touzinsky, Liza R. Walleser, Reuben R. Goforth, Jon Amberg
2016, Molecular Ecology Resources (16) 957-965
Bigheaded carps are invasive fishes threatening to invade the Great Lakes basin and establish spawning populations, and have been monitored using environmental DNA (eDNA). Not only does eDNA hold potential for detecting the presence of species, but may also allow for quantitative comparisons like relative abundance of species across time...
Renewable energy and wildlife conservation
Mona Khalil
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3067
The renewable energy sector is rapidly expanding and diversifying the power supply of the country. Yet, as our Nation works to advance renewable energy and to conserve wildlife, some conflicts arise. To address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting innovative research and developing workable solutions to reduce...
Projected wetland densities under climate change: Habitat loss but little geographic shift in conservation strategy
Helen Sofaer, Susan K. Skagen, Joseph J. Barsugli, Benjamin S. Rashford, Gordon C. Reese, Jennifer A. Hoeting, Andrew W. Wood, Barry R. Noon
2016, Ecological Applications (26) 1677-1692
Climate change poses major challenges for conservation and management because it alters the area, quality, and spatial distribution of habitat for natural populations. To assess species’ vulnerability to climate change and target ongoing conservation investments, researchers and managers often consider the effects of projected changes in climate and land use...
Genetic analysis shows that morphology alone cannot distinguish asian carp eggs from those of other cyprinid species
James H. Larson, S. Grace McCalla, Duane Chapman, Christopher B. Rees, Brent C. Knights, Jonathan M. Vallazza, Amy E. George, William B. Richardson, Jon Amberg
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 1053-1058
Fish eggs and embryos (hereafter collectively referred to as “eggs”) were collected in the upper Mississippi River main stem (~300 km upstream of previously reported spawning by invasive Asian carp) during summer 2013. Based on previously published morphological characteristics, the eggs were identified as belonging to Asian carp. A subsample...
Growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss under size-selective pressure limited by seasonal bioenergetic and environmental constraints
Jamie N. Thompson, David A. Beauchamp
2016, Journal of Fish Biology (89) 1720-1739
Increased freshwater growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss improved survival to smolt and adult stages, thus prompting an examination of factors affecting growth during critical periods that influenced survival through subsequent life stages. For three tributaries with contrasting thermal regimes, a bioenergetics model was used to evaluate how feeding rate...
Predation by Northern Pikeminnow and tiger muskellunge on juvenile salmonids in a high–head reservoir: Implications for anadromous fish reintroductions
Mark H. Sorel, Adam G. Hansen, Kristin A. Connelly, Andrew C. Wilson, Erin D. Lowery, David A. Beauchamp
2016, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (145) 521-536
The feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids into reservoirs above high-head dams is affected by the suitability of the reservoir habitat for rearing and the interactions of the resident fish with introduced fish. We evaluated the predation risk to anadromous salmonids considered for reintroduction in Merwin Reservoir on the North Fork...
Modeling water quality, temperature, and flow in Link River, south-central Oregon
Annett B. Sullivan, Stewart A. Rounds
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1146
The 2.1-km (1.3-mi) Link River connects Upper Klamath Lake to the Klamath River in south-central Oregon. A CE-QUAL-W2 flow and water-quality model of Link River was developed to provide a connection between an existing model of the upper Klamath River and any existing or future models of Upper Klamath...
Quaternary geologic map of the Wolf Point 1° × 2° quadrangle, Montana and North Dakota
David S. Fullerton, Roger B. Colton, Charles A. Bush
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1142
The Wolf Point quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km2 (6,210 mi2). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S.-Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes the Peerless Plateau and Flaxville Plain. The primary river is the Missouri River.The map units are surficial deposits and materials,...
Determination of heat purgeable and ambient purgeable volatile organic compounds in water by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Donna L. Rose, Mark W. Sandstrom, Lucinda K. Murtagh
2016, Techniques and Methods 5-B12
Two new analytical methods have been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) that allow the determination of 37 heat purgeable volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (USGS Method O-4437-16 [NWQL Laboratory Schedule (LS) 4437]) and 49 ambient purgeable VOCs (USGS Method O-4436-16 [NWQL LS 4436]) in...
Assessment of managed aquifer recharge at Sand Hollow Reservoir, Washington County, Utah, updated to conditions through 2014
Thomas M. Marston, Victor M. Heilweil
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1078
Sand Hollow Reservoir in Washington County, Utah, was completed in March 2002 and is operated primarily for managed aquifer recharge by the Washington County Water Conservancy District. From 2002 through 2014, diversions of about 216,000 acre-feet from the Virgin River to Sand Hollow Reservoir have allowed the reservoir to...
Consistent response of bird populations to climate change on two continents
Philip A. Stephens, Lucy R. Mason, Rhys E. Green, Richard D. Gregory, John R. Sauer, Jamie Alison, Ainars Aunins, Lluis Brotons, Stuart H.M. Butchart, Tommaso Campedelli, Tomasz Chodkiewicz, Przemyslaw Chylarecki, Olivia Crowe, Jaanus Elts, Virginia Escandell, Ruud P.B. Foppen, Henning Heldbjerg, Sergi Herrando, Magne Husby, Frederic Jiguet, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Ake Lindstrom, David G. Noble, Jean-Yves Paquet, Jiri Reif, Thomas Sattler, Tibor Szep, Norbert Teufelbauer, Sven Trautmann, Arco Van Strien, Chris van Turnhout, Petr Vorisek, Stephen G. Willis
2016, Science (352) 84-87
Global climate change is a major threat to biodiversity. Large-scale analyses have generally focused on the impacts of climate change on the geographic ranges of species and on phenology, the timing of ecological phenomena. We used long-term monitoring of the abundance of breeding birds across Europe and the United States...
