A strategy for recovering continuous behavioral telemetry data from Pacific walruses
Anthony S. Fischbach, Chadwick V. Jay
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 599-604
Tracking animal behavior and movement with telemetry sensors can offer substantial insights required for conservation. Yet, the value of data collected by animal-borne telemetry systems is limited by bandwidth constraints. To understand the response of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) to rapid changes in sea ice availability, we required continuous...
Estimating 40 years of nitrogen deposition in global biomes using the SCIAMACHY NO2 column
Xuehe Lu, Xiuying Zhang, Jinxun Liu, Jiaxin Jin
2016, International Journal of Remote Sensing (37) 4964-4978
Owing to human activity, global nitrogen (N) cycles have been altered. In the past 100 years, global N deposition has increased. Currently, the monitoring and estimating of N deposition and the evaluation of its effects on global carbon budgets are the focus of many researchers. NO2 columns retrieved by space-borne sensors...
Use of free water by nesting lesser prairie-chickens
Samantha G. Robinson, David A. Haukos, Daniel S. Sullins, Reid T. Plumb
2016, Southwestern Naturalist (61) 187-193
The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a grassland grouse of semiarid regions. Use of free water has been hypothesized as necessary for egg formation during drought. We assessed the use of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, δ2H) to determine if female lesser prairie-chickens use and incorporate free water during egg formation by...
Geomorphic responses of Duluth-area streams to the June 2012 flood, Minnesota
Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Christopher A. Ellison, Christiana R. Czuba, Benjamin M. Young, Molly M. McCool, Joel T. Groten
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5104
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, completed a geomorphic assessment of 51 Duluth-area stream sites in 20 basins to describe and document the stream geomorphic changes associated with the June 2012 flood. Heavy rainfall caused flood peaks with annual exceedance probabilities of...
Factors affecting wetland connectivity for wintering semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) in the Caribbean
Morgan A. Parks, Jaime A. Collazo, Katsi R. Ramos Alvarez
2016, Waterbirds (39) 250-259
Wetland connectivity provides migratory shorebirds varying options to meet energy requirements to survive and complete their annual cycle. Multiple factors mediate movement and residency of spatially segregated wetlands. Information on these factors is lacking in the tropics, yet such information is invaluable for conservation design. The influence of seven biotic...
Biochemical and clinical responses of Common Eiders to implanted satellite transmitters
Christopher J. Latty, Tuula E. Hollmen, Margaret R. Petersen, Abby Powell, Russel D. Andrews
2016, The Condor (118) 489-501
Implanted biologging devices, such as satellite-linked platform transmitter terminals (PTTs), have been used widely to delineate populations and identify movement patterns of sea ducks. Although in some cases these ecological studies could reveal transmitter effects on behavior and mortality, experiments conducted under controlled conditions can provide valuable information to understand...
First steps for mitigating bycatch of Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus: Identifying overlap of foraging areas and fisheries in Chile
Ryan Carle, Jonathan J. Felis, Verónica López, Josh Adams, Peter Hodum, Jessie Beck, Valentina Colodro, Rodrigo Vega, Andres Gonzalez
2016, Conference Paper, Seventh Meeting of the Seabird Bycatch Working Group
The Pink-footed Shearwater, Ardenna creatopus, is listed as in danger of extinction by Chile and under Annex 1 of ACAP, with an estimated global population of approximately 56,000 individuals. Incidental bycatch of this species in fisheries is thought to be an important cause in population decline (i.e. annual estimated mortality...
Shale gas development effects on the songbird community in a central Appalachian forest
Laura S. Farwell, Petra Wood, James Sheehan, Gregory A. George
2016, Biological Conservation (201) 78-91
In the last decade, unconventional drilling for natural gas from the Marcellus-Utica shale has increased exponentially in the central Appalachians. This heavily forested region contains important breeding habitat for many neotropical migratory songbirds, including several species of conservation concern. Our goal was to examine effects of unconventional gas development on...
Resource management and operations in southwest South Dakota: Climate change scenario planning workshop summary January 20-21, 2016, Rapid City, SD
Nicholas A. Fisichelli, Gregor W. Schuurman, Amy J. Symstad, Andrea Ray, Brian Miller, Molly Cross, Erika Rowland
2016, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/NRR—2016/1289
The Scaling Climate Change Adaptation in the Northern Great Plains through Regional Climate Summaries and Local Qualitative-Quantitative Scenario Planning Workshops project synthesizes climate data into 3-5 distinct but plausible climate summaries for the northern Great Plains region; crafts quantitative summaries of these climate futures for two focal areas; and applies...
Iron oxide minerals in dust-source sediments from the Bodélé Depression, Chad: Implications for radiative properties and Fe bioavailability of dust plumes from the Sahara
Bruce M. Moskowitz, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein, Thelma Beroquo, Raymond F. Kokaly, Charlie S Bristow
2016, Aeolian Research (22) 93-106
Atmospheric mineral dust can influence climate and biogeochemical cycles. An important component of mineral dust is ferric oxide minerals (hematite and goethite) which have been shown to influence strongly the optical properties of dust plumes and thus affect the radiative forcing of global dust. Here we report on the iron...
Three-dimensional numerical modeling of mixing at the junction of the Calumet-Sag Channel and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal: A comparison between density-driven and advection-driven mixing
Dongchen Wang, Som Dudda, P. Ryan Jackson, Marcelo H. Garcia
George Constantinescu, Marcelo H. Garcia, Dan Hanes, editor(s)
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics (River Flows 2016)
The Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) includes the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) and the Calumet-Sag Channel (Cal-Sag), the two primary, man-made connections between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitors diversion of Great Lakes water at a streamgage just downstream of...
Evaluating integration of inland bathymetry in the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program, 2014
Cynthia Miller-Corbett
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1126
Inland bathymetry survey collections, survey data types, features, sources, availability, and the effort required to integrate inland bathymetric data into the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program are assessed to help determine the feasibility of integrating three-dimensional water feature elevation data into The National Map. Available data from wading, acoustic,...
Nesting ecology of Whimbrels in boreal Alaska
Christopher M. Harwood, Robert E. Gill Jr., Abby Powell
2016, Wader Study (123) 99-113
Breeding ecology studies of boreal waders have been relatively scarce in North America. This paucity is due in part to boreal habitats being difficult to access, and boreal waders being widely dispersed and thus difficult to monitor. Between 2008 and 2014 we studied the nesting ecology of Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus in...
Associations of stream health to altered flow and water temperature in the Sierra Nevada, California
Daren Carlisle, S. Mark Nelson, Jason T. May
2016, Ecohydrology (9) 930-941
Alteration of streamflow and thermal conditions may adversely affect lotic invertebrate communities, but few studies have assessed these phenomena using indicators that control for the potentially confounding influence of natural variability. We designed a study to assess how flow and thermal alteration influence stream health – as indicated by the...
Elucidating the role of vegetation in the initiation of rainfall-induced shallow landslides: Insights from an extreme rainfall event in the Colorado Front Range
Luke McGuire, Francis K. Rengers, Jason W. Kean, Jeffrey A. Coe, Benjamin B. Mirus, Rex L. Baum, Jonathan W. Godt
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 9084-9092
More than 1100 debris flows were mobilized from shallow landslides during a rainstorm from 9 to 13 September 2013 in the Colorado Front Range, with the vast majority initiating on sparsely vegetated, south facing terrain. To investigate the physical processes responsible for the observed aspect control, we made measurements of...
Forward modeling of gravity data using geostatistically generated subsurface density variations
Geoffrey Phelps
2016, Geophysics (81) G81-G94
Using geostatistical models of density variations in the subsurface, constrained by geologic data, forward models of gravity anomalies can be generated by discretizing the subsurface and calculating the cumulative effect of each cell (pixel). The results of such stochastically generated forward gravity anomalies can be compared with the observed gravity...
Safety of the molluscicide Zequanox (R) to nontarget macroinvertebrates Gammarus lacustris (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) and Hexagenia spp. (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae)
Diane L. Waller, James A. Luoma, Richard A. Erickson
2016, Management of Biological Invasions (7) 269-280
Zequanox® is a commercial formulation of the killed bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A), that was developed to control dreissenid mussels. In 2014, Zequanox became the second product registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for use in open water environments as a molluscicide. Previous nontarget studies demonstrated the...
Documentation of a groundwater flow model developed to assess groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina
John P. Masterson, Jason P. Pope, Michael N. Fienen, Jack Monti, Jr., Mark R. Nardi, Jason S. Finkelstein
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5076
The U.S. Geological Survey developed a groundwater flow model for the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to northeastern North Carolina as part of a detailed assessment of the groundwater availability of the area and included an evaluation of how these resources have changed over...
Sustainability of groundwater supplies in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system
John P. Masterson, Jason P. Pope
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3046
Groundwater is the Nation’s principal reserve of freshwater. It provides about half our drinking water, is essential to food production, and facilitates business and industry in developing economic well-being. Groundwater is also an important source of water for sustaining the ecosystem health of rivers, wetlands, and estuaries throughout the country....
Assessment of groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system From Long Island, New York, to North Carolina
John P. Masterson, Jason P. Pope, Michael N. Fienen, Jack Monti, Jr., Mark R. Nardi, Jason S. Finkelstein
2016, Professional Paper 1829
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey began a multiyear regional assessment of groundwater availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain (NACP) aquifer system in 2010 as part of its ongoing regional assessments of groundwater availability of the principal aquifers of the Nation. The goals of this national assessment are to document...
Regional chloride distribution in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina
Emmanuel G. Charles
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5034
The aquifers of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain are the principal source of water supply for the region’s nearly 20 million residents. Water quality and water levels in the aquifers, and maintenance of streamflow, are of concern because of the use of this natural resource for water supply and because...
Probabilistic assessment of erosion and flooding risk in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Nathaniel G. Plant, Thomas Wahl, Joseph W. Long
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (121) 3029-3043
We assess erosion and flooding risk in the northern Gulf of Mexico by identifying interdependencies among oceanographic drivers and probabilistically modeling the resulting potential for coastal change. Wave and water level observations are used to determine relationships between six hydrodynamic parameters that influence total water level and therefore erosion and...
Model calibration criteria for estimating ecological flow characteristics
Marc Vis, Rodney Knight, Sandra Poole, William J. Wolfe, Jan Seibert
Lutz Breuer, Philipp Kraft, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Hydro-ecological modeling
Quantification of streamflow characteristics in ungauged catchments remains a challenge. Hydrological modeling is often used to derive flow time series and to calculate streamflow characteristics for subsequent applications that may differ from those envisioned by the modelers. While the estimation of model parameters for ungauged catchments is a challenging research...
Approaches to stream solute load estimation for solutes with varying dynamics from five diverse small watershed
Brent T. Aulenbach, Douglas A. Burns, James B. Shanley, Ruth D. Yanai, Kikang Bae, Adam Wild, Yang Yang, Dong Yi
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Estimating streamwater solute loads is a central objective of many water-quality monitoring and research studies, as loads are used to compare with atmospheric inputs, to infer biogeochemical processes, and to assess whether water quality is improving or degrading. In this study, we evaluate loads and associated errors to determine the...
Temperature is better than precipitation as a predictor of plant community assembly across a dryland region
Bradley J. Butterfield, Seth M. Munson
2016, Journal of Vegetation Science (27) 938-947
QuestionHow closely do plant communities track climate? Research suggests that plant species converge toward similar environmental tolerances relative to the environments that they experience. Whether these patterns apply to severe environments or scale up to plant community-level patterns of relative climatic tolerances is poorly understood. Using estimates of species' climatic...
