Review of suspended sediment in lower South Bay relevant to light attenuation and phytoplankton blooms
David H. Schoellhamer, Gregory Shellenbarger, Maureen A. Downing-Kunz, Andrew J. Manning
2016, Report, Lower South Bay Nutrient Synthesis
Lower South Bay (LSB), a shallow subembayment of San Francisco Bay (SFB), is situated south of the Dumbarton Bridge, and is surrounded by, and interconnected with, a network of sloughs, marshes, and former salt ponds undergoing restoration (Figure ES.1). LSB receives 120 million gallons per day of treated wastewater effluent...
Regional geophysics of western Utah and eastern Nevada, with emphasis on the Confusion Range
Edward A. Mankinen, Peter D. Rowley, Gary L. Dixon, Edwin H. McKee
2016, Book
As part of a long term geologic and hydrologic study of several regional groundwater flow systems in western Utah and eastern Nevada, the U.S. Geological Survey was contracted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority to provide geophysical data. The primary object of these data was to enable construction of the...
A comparison of NLCD 2011 and LANDFIRE EVT 2010: Regional and national summaries.
Alexa McKerrow, Jon Dewitz, Donald G. Long, Kurtis Nelson, Joel A. Connot, Jim Smith
2016, Report
In order to provide the land cover user community a summary of the similarity and differences between the 2011 National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) and the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Program Existing Vegetation 2010 Data (LANDFIRE EVT), the two datasets were compared at a national (conterminous U.S.)...
Northeast and Midwest regional species and habitats at greatest risk and most vulnerable to climate impacts
Michelle D. Staudinger, Laura Hilberg, Maria Janowiak, C.O. Swanton
2016, Report, Integrating climate change into the state wildlife action plans
The objectives of this Chapter are to describe climate change vulnerability, it’s components, the range of assessment methods being implemented regionally, and examples of training resources and tools. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments (CCVAs) have already been conducted for numerous Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their dependent 5 habitats...
Prediction of lake depth across a 17-state region in the United States
Samantha K. Oliver, Patricia A. Soranno, C. Emi Fergus, Tyler Wagner, Luke A. Winslow, Caren E. Scott, Katherine E. Webster, John A. Downing, Emily H. Stanley
2016, Inland Waters (6) 314-324
Lake depth is an important characteristic for understanding many lake processes, yet it is unknown for the vast majority of lakes globally. Our objective was to develop a model that predicts lake depth using map-derived metrics of lake and terrestrial geomorphic features. Building on previous models that use local topography...
Regional water table (2014) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, southwestern Mojave Desert, California
Nick F. Teague, Meghan C. Dick, Sally F. House, Dennis A. Clark
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1105
Data for static water-levels measured in about 610 wells during March-April 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Mojave Water Agency (MWA), and other local water districts were compiled to construct a regional water-table map. This map shows the...
Downstream passage and impact of turbine shutdowns on survival of silver American Eels at five hydroelectric dams on the Shenandoah River
Sheila Eyler, Stuart A. Welsh, David R. Smith, Mary Rockey
2016, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (145) 964-976
Hydroelectric dams impact the downstream migrations of silver American Eels Anguilla rostrata via migratory delays and turbine mortality. A radiotelemetry study of American Eels was conducted to determine the impacts of five run-of-the-river hydroelectric dams located over a 195-km stretch of the Shenandoah River, Virginia–West Virginia, during fall 2007–summer 2010....
A comparison of observed and predicted ground motions from the 2015 MW7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake
Susan E. Hough, Stacey S. Martin, V. Gahalaut, A. Joshi, M. Landes, R. Bossu
2016, Natural Hazards (84) 1661-1684
We use 21 strong motion recordings from Nepal and India for the 25 April 2015 moment magnitude (MW) 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake together with the extensive macroseismic intensity data set presented by Martin et al. (Seism Res Lett 87:957–962, 2015) to analyse the distribution of...
Use of multiple age tracers to estimate groundwater residence times and long-term recharge rates in arid southern Oman
Th. Muller, K. Osenbruck, G. Strauch, S. Pavetich, K.-S. Al-Mashaikhi, C. Herb, S. Merchel, G. Rugel, W. Aeschbach, Ward E. Sanford
2016, Applied Geochemistry (74) 67-83
Multiple age tracers were measured to estimate groundwater residence times in the regional aquifer system underlying southwestern Oman. This area, known as the Najd, is one of the most arid areas in the world and is planned to be the main agricultural center of the Sultanate of Oman in the...
Adjusting particle-size distributions to account for aggregation in tephra-deposit model forecasts
Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, A.J. Durant
2016, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (16) 9399-9420
Volcanic ash transport and dispersion (VATD) models are used to forecast tephra deposition during volcanic eruptions. Model accuracy is limited by the fact that fine-ash aggregates (clumps into clusters), thus altering patterns of deposition. In most models this is accounted for by ad hoc changes to model input, representing...
Interactions of landscape disturbances and climate change dictate ecological pattern and process: spatial modeling of wildfire, insect, and disease dynamics under future climates
Rachel A. Loehman, Robert E. Keane, Lisa M. Holsinger, Zhiwei Wu
2016, Landscape Ecology (32) 1447-1459
ContextInteractions among disturbances, climate, and vegetation influence landscape patterns and ecosystem processes. Climate changes, exotic invasions, beetle outbreaks, altered fire regimes, and human activities may interact to produce landscapes that appear and function beyond historical analogs.ObjectivesWe used the mechanistic ecosystem-fire...
Toxicants in folk remedies: Implications of elevated blood lead in an American-born infant due to imported diaper powder
Mateusz P. Karwowski, Suzette A. Morman, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Terence Law, Mark Kellogg, Alan D. Woolf
2016, Environmental Geochemistry and Health (39) 1133-1143
Though most childhood lead exposure in the USA results from ingestion of lead-based paint dust, non-paint sources are increasingly implicated. We present interdisciplinary findings from and policy implications of a case of elevated blood lead (13–18 mcg/dL, reference level <5 mcg/dL) in a 9-month-old infant, linked to a non-commercial Malaysian folk diaper...
Germination and growth of native and invasive plants on soil associated with biological control of tamarisk (Tamarix spp.)
Rebecca A. Sherry, Patrick B. Shafroth, Jayne Belnap, Steven M. Ostoja, Sasha C. Reed
2016, Invasive Plant Science and Management (9) 290-307
Introductions of biocontrol beetles (tamarisk beetles) are causing dieback of exotic tamarisk in riparian zones across the western United States, yet factors that determine plant communities that follow tamarisk dieback are poorly understood. Tamarisk-dominated soils are generally higher in nutrients, organic matter, and salts than nearby soils, and these soil...
A gas-tracer injection for evaluating the fate of methane in a coastal plain stream: Degassing versus in-stream oxidation
Victor M. Heilweil, D. Kip Solomon, Thomas H. Darrah, Troy E. Gilmore, David P. Genereux
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 10504-10511
Methane emissions from streams and rivers have recently been recognized as an important component of global greenhouse budgets. Stream methane is lost as evasion to the atmosphere or in-stream methane oxidation. Previous studies have quantified evasion and oxidation with point-scale measurements. In this study, dissolved gases (methane, krypton) were injected...
Paleogeographic implications of Late Miocene lacustrine and nonmarine evaporite deposits in the Lake Mead region: Immediate precursors to the Colorado River
James E. Faulds, Charlotte Schreiber, Victoria E. Langenheim, Nicholas H. Hinz, Tom Shaw, Matthew T. Heizler, Michael E Perkins, Mohammed El Tabakh, Michael J. Kunk
2016, Geosphere (12) 721-767
Thick late Miocene nonmarine evaporite (mainly halite and gypsum) and related lacustrine limestone deposits compose the upper basin fill in half grabens within the Lake Mead region of the Basin and Range Province directly west of the Colorado Plateau in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. Regional relations and geochronologic...
Fire effects on wildlife in Central Hardwoods and Appalachian regions
Craig A. Harper, W. Mark Ford, Marcus A. Lashley, Christopher Moorman, Michael C. Stambaugh
2016, Fire Ecology (12) 127-159
Fire is being prescribed and used increasingly to promote ecosystem restoration (e.g., oak woodlands and savannas) and to manage wildlife habitat in the Central Hardwoods and Appalachian regions, USA. However, questions persist as to how fire affects hardwood forest communities and associated wildlife, and how fire should be used to...
Concordance in diagnostic testing for respiratory pathogens of bighorn sheep
Daniel P. Walsh, E. Frances Cassirer, Michael D. Bonds, Daniel R. Brown, William H. Edwards, Glen C. Weiser, Mark L. Drew, Robert E. Briggs, Karen A. Fox, Michael W. Miller, Sudarvili Shanthalingam, Subramaniam Srikumaran, Thomas E. Besser
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (101) 25575-25587
Reliable diagnostic tests are essential for disease investigation and management. This is particularly true for diseases of free-ranging wildlife where sampling is logistically difficult precluding retesting. Clinical assays for wildlife diseases frequently vary among laboratories because of lack of appropriate standardized commercial kits. Results of diagnostic testing may also be...
Implications of projected climate change for groundwater recharge in the western United States
Thomas Meixner, Andrew H. Manning, David A. Stonestrom, Diana M. Allen, Hoori Ajami, Kyle W. Blasch, Andrea E. Brookfield, Christopher L. Castro, Jordan F. Clark, David Gochis, Alan L. Flint, Kirstin L. Neff, Rewati Niraula, Matthew Rodell, Bridget R. Scanlon, Kamini Singha, Michelle Ann Walvoord
2016, Journal of Hydrology (534) 124-138
Existing studies on the impacts of climate change on groundwater recharge are either global or basin/location-specific. The global studies lack the specificity to inform decision making, while the local studies do little to clarify potential changes over large regions (major river basins, states, or groups of states), a scale often...
Northern long-eared bat day-roosting and prescribed fire in the central Appalachians
W. Mark Ford, Alexander Silvis, Joshua B. Johnson, John W. Edwards, Milu Karp
2016, Fire Ecology (12) 13-27
The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis Trovessart) is a cavity-roosting species that forages in cluttered upland and riparian forests throughout the oak-dominated Appalachian and Central Hardwoods regions. Common prior to white-nose syndrome, the population of this bat species has declined to functional extirpation in some regions in the Northeast and...
Elevated bladder cancer in northern New England: The role of drinking water and arsenic
Dalsu Baris, Richard Wadell, Laura Freeman, Molly Schwenn, Joanne Colt, Joseph D. Ayotte, Mary Ward, John Nuckols, Alan Schned, Brian Jackson, Castine Clerkin, Nathanial Rothman, Lee Moore, Anne Taylor, Gilpin Robinson, Monawar G. Hosain, Carla Armenti, Richard McCoy, Claudine Samanic, Robert Hoover, Joseph Fraumeni, Alison Johnson, Margaret Karagas, Debra Silverman
2016, Journal of the National Cancer Institute (108)
Background: Bladder cancer mortality rates have been elevated in northern New England for at least five decades. Incidence rates in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are about 20% higher than the United States overall. We explored reasons for this excess, focusing on arsenic in drinking water from private wells, which...
An automated approach for mapping persistent ice and snow cover over high latitude regions
David J. Selkowitz, Richard R. Forster
2016, Remote Sensing (8)
We developed an automated approach for mapping persistent ice and snow cover (glaciers and perennial snowfields) from Landsat TM and ETM+ data across a variety of topography, glacier types, and climatic conditions at high latitudes (above ~65°N). Our approach exploits all available Landsat scenes acquired during the late summer (1...
Fluid-faulting evolution in high definition: Connecting fault structure and frequency-magnitude variations during the 2014 Long Valley Caldera, California earthquake swarm
David R. Shelly, William L. Ellsworth, David P. Hill
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research (212) 1776-1795
An extended earthquake swarm occurred beneath southeastern Long Valley Caldera between May and November 2014, culminating in three magnitude 3.5 earthquakes and 1145 cataloged events on 26 September alone. The swarm produced the most prolific seismicity in the caldera since a major unrest episode in 1997-1998. To gain insight into...
Application of genetics and genomics to wildlife epidemiology
Julie A. Blanchong, Stacie J. Robinson, Michael D. Samuel, Jeffery T Foster
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 593-608
Wildlife diseases can have significant impacts on wildlife conservation and management. Many of the pathogens that affect wildlife also have important implications for domestic animal and human health. However, management interventions to prevent or control wildlife disease are hampered by uncertainties about the complex interactions between pathogens and free-ranging wildlife. We often lack...
Nature vs. nurture: Evidence for social learning of conflict behaviour in grizzly bears
Andrea T. Morehouse, Tabitha A. Graves, Nathaniel Mikle, Mark S. Boyce
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
The propensity for a grizzly bear to develop conflict behaviours might be a result of social learning between mothers and cubs, genetic inheritance, or both learning and inheritance. Using non-invasive genetic sampling, we collected grizzly bear hair samples during 2011–2014 across southwestern Alberta, Canada. We targeted private agricultural lands for...
A manual to identify sources of fluvial sediment
Allen C. Gellis, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Joseph Schubauer-Berigan
2016, Report
Sediment is an important pollutant of concern that can degrade and alter aquatic habitat. A sediment budget is an accounting of the sources, storage, and export of sediment over a defined spatial and temporal scale. This manual focuses on field approaches to estimate a sediment budget. We also highlight the...
