Clinal patterns in genetic variation for northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens): Conservation status and population histories
Craig A. Stockwell, Justin D.L. Fisher, Kyle I. McLean
2016, Wetlands (36) 437-443
The security of the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) varies spatially with populations east and west of North Dakota considered as secure and at risk, respectively. We used genetic markers to characterize the conservation status of northern leopard frog populations across North Dakota. We used multiple regression analyses...
Geology of the eastern Piedmont in Virginia
J. Wright Horton Jr., Brent E. Owens, Paul C. Hackley, William C. Burton, Paul E. Sacks, James P. Hibbard
Christopher M. Bailey, W. Cullen Sherwood, L. Scott Eaton, David S. Powars, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, The geology of Virginia (Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication 18)
No abstract available....
The Permian–Triassic transition in Colorado
James S. Hagadorn, Karen R. Whitely, Bonita L. Lahey, Charles M. Henderson, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
2016, GSA Field Guides (44) 73-92
The Lykins Formation and its equivalents in Colorado are a stratigraphically poorly constrained suite of redbeds and intercalated stromatolitic carbonates, which is hypothesized to span the Permian-Triassic boundary. Herein we present a preliminary detrital zircon geochronology, new fossil occurrences, and δ13C chemostratigraphy for exposures along the Front Range and...
Overpressure development through time using 4D pressure-volume-temperature modeling in the deep Anadarko Basin, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas
Debra K. Higley
2016, Book chapter, Hydrocarbon source rocks in unconventional plays, Rocky Mountain region: RMAG guidebook
No abstract available....
mizuRoute version 1: A river network routing tool for a continental domain water resources applications
Naoki Mizukami, Martyn P. Clark, Kevin Sampson, Bart Nijssen, Yixin Mao, Hilary McMillan, Roland J. Viger, Steven L. Markstrom, Lauren E. Hay, Ross Woods, Jeffrey R. Arnold, Levi D. Brekke
2016, Geoscientific Model Development (9) 2223-2238
This paper describes the first version of a stand-alone runoff routing tool, mizuRoute. The mizuRoute tool post-processes runoff outputs from any distributed hydrologic model or land surface model to produce spatially distributed streamflow at various spatial scales from headwater basins to continental-wide river systems. The tool can utilize both traditional...
Using large-scale flow experiments to rehabilitate Colorado River ecosystem function in Grand Canyon: Basis for an adaptive climate-resilient strategy
Theodore S. Melis, William E. Pine III, Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Shaleen Jain, Roger S. Pulwarty
Kathleen Miller, Alan F. Hamlet, Douglas S. Kenney, Kelly T. Redmond, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Water policy and planning in a variable and changing climate
Adaptive management of Glen Canyon Dam is improving downstream resources of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park. The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (AMP), a federal advisory committee of 25 members with diverse special interests tasked to advise the U.S. Department...
Enabling science support for better decision-making when responding to chemical spills
Jennifer L. Weidhass, Andrea M. Dietrich, Nathan J. DeYonker, R. Ryan Dupont, William T. Foreman, Daniel Gallagher, Jennifer E. G. Gallagher, Andrew J. Whelton, William Alexander
2016, Journal of Environmental Quality (45) 1490-1500
Chemical spills and accidents contaminate the environment and disrupt societies and economies around the globe. In the United States there were approximately 172,000 chemical spills that affected US waterbodies from 2004 to 2014. More than 8000 of these spills involved non–petroleum-related chemicals. Traditional emergency responses or incident command structures (ICSs)...
Statistically extracted fundamental watershed variables for estimating the loads of total nitrogen in small streams
Scott C. Kronholm, Paul D. Capel, Silvia Terziotti
2016, Environmental Modeling & Assessment (21) 681-690
Accurate estimation of total nitrogen loads is essential for evaluating conditions in the aquatic environment. Extrapolation of estimates beyond measured streams will greatly expand our understanding of total nitrogen loading to streams. Recursive partitioning and random forest regression were used to assess 85 geospatial, environmental, and watershed variables across 636...
Structured decision making as a framework for large-scale wildlife harvest management decisions
Kelly F. Robinson, Angela K. Fuller, Jeremy E. Hurst, Bryan L. Swift, Arthur Kirsch, James F. Farquhar, Daniel J. Decker, William F. Siemer
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Fish and wildlife harvest management at large spatial scales often involves making complex decisions with multiple objectives and difficult tradeoffs, population demographics that vary spatially, competing stakeholder values, and uncertainties that might affect management decisions. Structured decision making (SDM) provides a formal decision analytic framework for evaluating difficult decisions by...
Comparison of survey techniques on detection of northern flying squirrels
Corinne A. Diggins, L. Michelle Gilley, Christine A. Kelly, W. Mark Ford
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 654-662
The ability to detect a species is central to the success of monitoring for conservation and management purposes, especially if the species is rare or endangered. Traditional methods, such as live capture, can be labor-intensive, invasive, and produce low detection rates. Technological advances and new approaches provide opportunities to more...
Panel regressions to estimate low-flow response to rainfall variability in ungaged basins
Maoya Bassiouni, Richard M. Vogel, Stacey A. Archfield
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 9470-9494
Multicollinearity and omitted-variable bias are major limitations to developing multiple linear regression models to estimate streamflow characteristics in ungaged areas and varying rainfall conditions. Panel regression is used to overcome limitations of traditional regression methods, and obtain reliable model coefficients, in particular to understand the elasticity of streamflow to rainfall....
Semiautomatic mapping of permafrost in the Yukon Flats, Alaska
Mats Lundh Gulbrandsen, Burke J. Minsley, Lyndsay B. Ball, Thomas Mejer Hansen
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 12131-12137
Thawing of permafrost due to global warming can have major impacts on hydrogeological processes, climate feedback, arctic ecology, and local environments. To understand these effects and processes, it is crucial to know the distribution of permafrost. In this study we exploit the fact that airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data are sensitive...
Development of a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle stock assessment model
Benny J. Gallaway, William Gazey, Charles W. Caillouet Jr., Pamela T. Plotkin, F. Alberto Abreu Grobois, Anthony F. Amos, Patrick M. Burchfield, Raymond R. Carthy, Marco A. Castro Martinez, John G. Cole, Andrew T. Coleman, Melissa Cook, Steven F. DiMarco, Sheryan P. Epperly, Masami Fujiwara, Daniel Gomez Gamez, Gary L. Graham, Wade L. Griffin, Francisco Illescas Martinez, Margaret M. Lamont, Rebecca L. Lewison, Kenneth J. Lohmann, James M. Nance, Jonathan Pitchford, Nathan Freeman Putman, Scott W. Raborn, Jeffrey K. Rester, Jack J. Rudloe, Laura Sarti Martinez, Mark Schexnayder, Jeffrey R. Schmid, Donna J. Shaver, Christopher Slay, Anton D. Tucker, Mandy Tumlin, Thane Wibbels, Blanca M. Zapata Najera
2016, Gulf of Mexico Science (33) 138-157
We developed a Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) stock assessment model to evaluate the relative contributions of conservation efforts and other factors toward this critically endangered species’ recovery. The Kemp’s ridley demographic model developed by the Turtle Expert Working Group (TEWG) in 1998 and 2000 and updated for the binational recovery...
87Sr/86Sr isotope ratio analysis by laser ablation MC-ICP-MS in scales, spines, and fin rays as a nonlethal alternative to otoliths for reconstructing fish life history
Malte Willmes, Justin J. G. Glessner, Scott A. Carleton, Paul C. Gerrity, James A. Hobbs
2016, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (73) 1852-1860
Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in otoliths are a well-established tool to determine origins and movement patterns of fish. However, otolith extraction requires sacrificing fish, and when working with protected or endangered species, the use of nonlethal samples such as scales, spines, and fin rays is preferred. Unlike otoliths that are...
Adaptive management for soil ecosystem services
Hannah E. Birge, Rebecca A. Bevans, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Sara G. Baer, Diana H. Wall
2016, Journal of Environmental Management (183) 371-378
Ecosystem services provided by soil include regulation of the atmosphere and climate, primary (including agricultural) production, waste processing, decomposition, nutrient conservation, water purification, erosion control, medical resources, pest control, and disease mitigation. The simultaneous production of these multiple services arises from complex interactions among diverse aboveground and belowground communities across...
High nitrate concentrations in some Midwest United States streams in 2013 after the 2012 drought
Peter C. Van Metre, Jeffrey W. Frey, MaryLynn Musgrove, Naomi Nakagaki, Sharon L. Qi, Barbara Mahler, Michael E. Wieczorek, Daniel T. Button
2016, Journal of Environmental Quality (45) 1696-1704
Nitrogen sources in the Mississippi River basin have been linked to degradation of stream ecology and to Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. In 2013, the USGS and the USEPA characterized water quality stressors and ecological conditions in 100 wadeable streams across the midwestern United States. Wet conditions in 2013 followed a...
Increasing aeolian dust deposition to snowpacks in the Rocky Mountains inferred from snowpack, wet deposition, and aerosol chemistry
David W. Clow, Mark W. Williams, Paul F. Schuster
2016, Atmospheric Environment (146) 183-194
Mountain snowpacks are a vital natural resource for ∼1.5 billion people in the northern Hemisphere, helping to meet human and ecological demand for water in excess of that provided by summer rain. Springtime warming and aeolian dust deposition accelerate snowmelt, increasing the risk of water shortages during late summer, when...
Interactions among vegetation, climate, and herbivory control greenhouse gas fluxes in a subarctic coastal wetland
K.C. Kelsey, A.J. Leffler, K.H. Beard, Joel A. Schmutz, R.T. Choi, J.M. Welker
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (121) 2960-2975
High-latitude ecosystems are experiencing the most rapid climate changes globally, and in many areas these changes are concurrent with shifts in patterns of herbivory. Individually, climate and herbivory are known to influence biosphere-atmosphere greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange; however, the interactive effects of climate and herbivory in driving GHG...
Missing link between the Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults
Janet Watt, David A. Ponce, Thomas E. Parsons, Patrick E. Hart
2016, Science Advances (2) 1-8
The next major earthquake to strike the ~7 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area will most likely result from rupture of the Hayward or Rodgers Creek faults. Until now, the relationship between these two faults beneath San Pablo Bay has been a mystery. Detailed subsurface imaging provides definitive...
Statistical comparison of methods for estimating sediment thickness from Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) seismic methods: An example from Tylerville, Connecticut, USA
Carole D. Johnson, John W. Lane Jr.
2016, Conference Paper, Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2016
Determining sediment thickness and delineating bedrock topography are important for assessing groundwater availability and characterizing contamination sites. In recent years, the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) seismic method has emerged as a non-invasive, cost-effective approach for estimating the thickness of unconsolidated sediments above bedrock. Using a three-component seismometer, this method uses...
Temporal and spatial trends in nutrient and sediment loading to Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA
Robert Coats, Jack Lewis, Nancy L. Alvarez, Patricia Arneson
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 1347-1365
Since 1980, the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) has provided stream-discharge and water quality data—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended sediment—at more than 20 stations in Lake Tahoe Basin streams. To characterize the temporal and spatial patterns in nutrient and sediment loading to the lake, and improve the usefulness...
Comment on “Reconciliation of the Devils Hole climate record with orbital forcing”
Isaac J. Winograd
2016, Science (354) 296-296
Moseley et al. (Reports, 8 January 2016, p. 165) postulate an increase in dissolved thorium isotope 230Th with depth below the water table as the explanation for the differing ages of Termination II. Flow of geothermal water through the Devils Hole caverns precludes this explanation. Deposition of younger secondary calcite...
Haemosporidian parasite infections in grouse and ptarmigan: Prevalence and genetic diversity of blood parasites in resident Alaskan birds
Matthew M. Smith, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Richard Merizon
2016, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife (5) 229-239
Projections related to future climate warming indicate the potential for an increase in the distribution and prevalence of blood parasites in northern regions. However, baseline data are lacking for resident avian host species in Alaska. Grouse and ptarmigan occupy a diverse range of habitat types throughout the northern hemisphere and...
New organic reference materials for hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen stable isotope-ratio measurements: caffeines, n-alkanes, fatty acid methyl esters, glycines, L-valines, polyethylenes, and oils
Arndt Schimmelmann, Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen, Willi A. Brand, Jon Fong, Wolfram Meier-Augenstein, Helen F. Kemp, Blaza Toman, Annika Ackermann, Sergey Assonov, Anita Aerts-Bijma, Ramona Brejcha, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Tamim Darwish, Martin Elsner, Matthias Gehre, Heike Geilmann, Manfred Groning, Jean-Francois Helie, Sara Herrero-Martin, Harro A.J. Meijer, Peter E. Sauer, Alex L. Sessions, Roland A. Werner
2016, Analytical Chemistry (88) 4294-4302
An international project developed, quality-tested, and determined isotope−δ values of 19 new organic reference materials (RMs) for hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen stable isotope-ratio measurements, in addition to analyzing pre-existing RMs NBS 22 (oil), IAEA-CH-7 (polyethylene foil), and IAEA-600 (caffeine). These new RMs enable users to normalize measurements of samples to...
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) subsidize gray wolves (Canis lupus) during a moose (Alces americanus) decline: A case of apparent competition?
Shannon Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech
2016, Canadian Field-Naturalist (130) 308-314
Moose (Alces americanus) in northeastern Minnesota have declined by 55% since 2006. Although the cause is unresolved, some studies have suggested that Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) contributed to the decline. After the Moose decline, wolves could either decline or switch prey. To determine which occurred in our study area, we...
