Insights into shallow magmatic processes at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, from a multiyear continuous gravity time series
Michael P. Poland, Daniele Carbone
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (121) 5477-5492
Continuous gravity data collected near the summit eruptive vent at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, during 2011–2015 show a strong correlation with summit-area surface deformation and the level of the lava lake within the vent over periods of days to weeks, suggesting that changes in gravity reflect variations in volcanic activity. Joint...
Experimental warming in a dryland community reduced plant photosynthesis and soil CO2 efflux although the relationship between the fluxes remained unchanged
Timothy M. Wertin, Jayne Belnap, Sasha C. Reed
2016, Functional Ecology (31) 297-305
1. Drylands represent our planet's largest terrestrial biome and, due to their extensive area, maintain large stocks of carbon (C). Accordingly, understanding how dryland C cycling will respond to climate change is imperative for accurately forecasting global C cycling and future climate. However, it remains difficult to predict how increased...
Characterizing potentially induced earthquake rate changes in the Brawley Seismic Zone, southern California
Andrea L. Llenos, Andrew J. Michael
2016, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (106) 2045-2062
The Brawley seismic zone (BSZ), in the Salton trough of southern California, has a history of earthquake swarms and geothermal energy exploitation. Some earthquake rate changes may have been induced by fluid extraction and injection activity at local geothermal fields, particularly at the North Brawley Geothermal Field (NBGF) and at...
Organic petrology and geochemistry of mudrocks from the lacustrine Lucaogou Formation, Santanghu Basin, northwest China: Application to lake basin evolution
Paul C. Hackley, Neil Fishman, Tao Wu, Gregory Baugher
2016, International Journal of Coal Geology (168) 20-34
Exploration for tight oil in the frontier Santanghu Basin of northwest China has resulted in recent commercial discoveries sourced from the lacustrine Upper Permian Lucaogou Formation, already considered a “world class source rock” in the Junggar Basin to the west. Here we apply an integrated analytical program to carbonate-dominated mudrocks...
Maxent modeling for predicting potential distribution of goitered gazelle in central Iran: the effect of extent and grain size on performance of the model
Rasoul Khosravi, Mahmoud-Reza Hemami, Mansoureh Malekian, Alan L. Flint, Lorraine E. Flint
2016, Turkish Journal of Zoology (40) 574-585
The spatial scale of environmental layers is an important factor to consider in developing an understanding of ecological processes. This study employed Maxent modeling to investigate the geographic distribution of goitered gazelle, Gazella subgutturosa (Güldenstädt, 1780), in central Iran using uncorrelated variables at a spatial resolution of 250 m. We...
Persistent slip rate discrepancies in the eastern California (USA) shear zone
Eileen Evans, Wayne R. Thatcher, Frederick Pollitz, Jessica R. Murray
2016, Geology (44) 691-694
Understanding fault slip rates in the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ) using GPS geodesy is complicated by potentially overlapping strain signals due to many sub-parallel strike-slip faults and by inconsistencies with geologic slip rates. The role of fault system geometry in describing ECSZ deformation may be investigated with total variation...
Shale-gas assessment: Comparison of gas-in-place versus performance-based approaches
H. Stueck, David W. Houseknecht, D. Franke, Donald L. Gautier, A. Bahr, S. Ladage
2016, Natural Resources Research (25) 315-329
The recent interest in exploration for shale gas increases the demand for a reliable, compatible resource assessment. Many different assessment methods are used, commonly depending on types and quantity of data available, which may lead to significantly divergent results for the same shale-gas play. This study compares results obtained using...
Timing of ice retreat alters seabird abundances and distributions in the southeast Bering Sea
Martin Renner, Sigrid Salo, Lisa B. Eisner, Kathy J. Kuletz, Jarrod A. Santora, Patrick Ressler, Carol Ladd, John F. Piatt, Gary S. Drew, George L. Hunt
2016, Biology Letters (12)
Timing of spring sea-ice retreat shapes the southeast Bering Sea food web. We compared summer seabird densities and average bathymetry depth distributions between years with early (typically warm) and late (typically cold) ice retreat. Averaged over all seabird species, densities in early-ice-retreat-years were 10.1% (95% CI: 1.1–47.9%) of that in...
Duration of fuels reduction following prescribed fire in coniferous forests of U.S. national parks in California and the Colorado Plateau
Phillip J. van Mantgem, Laura Lalemand, MaryBeth Keifer, Jeffrey M. Kane
2016, Forest Ecology and Management (379) 265-272
Prescribed fire is a widely used forest management tool, yet the long-term effectiveness of prescribed fire in reducing fuels and fire hazards in many vegetation types is not well documented. We assessed the magnitude and duration of reductions in surface fuels and modeled fire hazards in coniferous forests across nine...
Highly conductive horizons in the Mesoproterozoic Belt-Purcell Basin: Sulfidic early basin strata as key markers of Cordilleran shortening and Eocene extension
Paul A. Bedrosian, Stephen E. Box
2016, Book chapter, Belt basin: Window to Mesoproterozoic Earth
We investigated the crustal structure of the central Mesoproterozoic Belt Basin in northwestern Montana and northern Idaho using a crustal resistivity section derived from a transect of new short- and long-period magnetotelluric (MT) stations. Two- and three-dimensional resistivity models were generated from these data in combination with data collected previously...
Resource management and operations in central North Dakota: Climate change scenario planning workshop summary November 12-13, 2015, Bismarck, ND
Nicholas A. Fisichelli, Gregor Schuurman, Amy J. Symstad, Andrea Ray, Jonathan M. Friedman, Brian Miller, Erika Rowland
2016, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/NRR--2016/1262
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...
Regulation of the hunting season as a tool for adaptive harvest management — First results for pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus
Jesper Madsen, Kevin K. Clausen, Thomas K. Christensen, Fred A. Johnson
2016, Wildlife Biology (22) 204-208
Adjustment of hunting season length is often used to regulate harvest of waterbirds but the effects are disputed. We describe the first results of season length extension on the harvest of the pink-footed goose, which has been selected as the first test case of adaptive harvest management of waterbirds in...
National protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of bees
Sam Droege, Joseph D. Engler, Elizabeth A. Sellers, Lee O’Brien
2016, Report
This national protocol framework is a standardized tool for the inventory and monitoring of the approximately 4,200 species of native and non-native bee species that may be found within the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, this protocol framework may also...
Delta smelt habitat in the San Francisco Estuary: A reply to Manly, Fullerton, Hendrix, and Burnham’s “Comments on Feyrer et al. Modeling the effects of future outflow on the abiotic habitat of an imperiled estuarine fish"
Frederick V. Feyrer, Ken B. Newman, Matthew Nobriga, Ted Sommer
2016, Estuaries and Coasts (39) 287-289
Manly et al. (2015) commented on the approach we (Feyrer et al. 2011) used to calculate an index of the abiotic habitat of delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus. The delta smelt is an annual fish species endemic to the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) in California, USA. Conserving the delta smelt population...
Differences found in the macroinvertebrate community composition in the presence or absence of the invasive alien crayfish, Orconectes hylas
Brandye T. Freeland-Riggert, Stefan H. Cairns, Barry C. Poulton, Chris M. Riggert
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Introductions of alien species into aquatic ecosystems have been well documented, including invasions of crayfish species; however, little is known about the effects of these introductions on macroinvertebrate communities. The woodland crayfish (Orconectes hylas (Faxon)) has been introduced into the St. Francis River watershed in southeast Missouri and has displaced...
Seismo-acoustic evidence for an avalanche driven phreatic eruption through a beheaded hydrothermal system: An example from the 2012 Tongariro eruption
A.D. Jolly, P. Jousset, J.J. Lyons, R. Carniel, R. Fournier, B. Fry, C. Miller
2016, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (286) 331-347
The 6 August 2012 Te Maari eruption comprises a complex eruption sequence including multiple eruption pulses, a debris avalanche that propagated ~ 2 km from the vent, and the formation of a 500 m long, arcuate chasm, located ~ 300 m from the main eruption vent. The eruption included 6 distinct...
Genetic variation at the MHC DRB1 locus is similar across Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) colonies regardless of plague history
Kacy R. Cobble, Katy J. Califf, Nathan E. Stone, Megan M. Shuey, Dawn Birdsell, Rebecca E. Colman, James M. Schupp, Maliha Aziz, Roger Van Andel, Tonie E. Rocke, David M. Wagner, Joseph D. Busch
2016, Ecology and Evolution (6) 2624-2651
Yersinia pestis was introduced to North America around 1900 and leads to nearly 100% mortality in prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies during epizootic events, which suggests this pathogen may exert a strong selective force. We characterized genetic diversity at an MHC class II locus (DRB1) in Gunnison's prairie dog (C. gunnisoni)...
Application of organic petrography in North American shale petroleum systems: A review
Paul C. Hackley, Brian J. Cardott
2016, International Journal of Coal Geology (163) 8-51
Organic petrography via incident light microscopy has broad application to shale petroleum systems, including delineation of thermal maturity windows and determination of organo-facies. Incident light microscopy allows practitioners the ability to identify various types of organic components and demonstrates that solid bitumen is the dominant organic matter occurring in shale...
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,...
The role of crystallization-driven exsolution on the sulfur mass balance in volcanic arc magmas
Yanqing Su, Christian Huber, Olivier Bachmann, Zoltan Zajacz, Heather M. Wright, Jorge A. Vazquez
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (121) 5624-5640
The release of large amounts of sulfur to the stratosphere during explosive eruptions affects the radiative balance in the atmosphere and consequentially impacts climate for up to several years after the event. Quantitative estimations of the processes that control the mass balance of sulfur between melt, crystals, and vapor bubbles...
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...
Balanced sediment fluxes in southern California’s Mediterranean-climate zone salt marshes
Jordan A. Rosencranz, Neil K. Ganju, Richard F. Ambrose, Sandra M. Brosnahan, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Glen M. MacDonald, John Y. Takekawa, Karen M. Thorne
2016, Estuaries and Coasts (39) 1035-1049
Salt marsh elevation and geomorphic stability depends on mineral sedimentation. Many Mediterranean-climate salt marshes along southern California, USA coast import sediment during El Niño storm events, but sediment fluxes and mechanisms during dry weather are potentially important for marsh stability. We calculated tidal creek sediment fluxes within a...
Age and growth of round gobies in Lake Huron: Implications for food web dynamics
You J. Duan, Charles P. Madenjian, Cong X. Xie, James S. Diana, Timothy P. O’Brien, Ying M. Zhao, Ji X. He, Steve A. Farha, Bin Huo
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 1443-1451
Although the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) has become established throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes, information is scarce on spatial variation in round goby growth between and within lakes. Based on a sample of 754 specimens captured in 2014, age, growth, and mortality of round gobies at four locations in Lake...
Actions and dialog to change perceptions and increase engagement of underrepresented minorities in fisheries and aquatic sciences: Report to membership from a special session in Portland
Christine M. Moffitt
2016, Fisheries (41) 66-67
No abstract available....
Dome growth, collapse, and valley fill at Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, from 1995 to 2013: Contributions from satellite radar measurements of topographic change
D. W. D. Arnold, J. Biggs, G. Wadge, S. K. Ebmeier, H. M. Odbert, Michael P. Poland
2016, Geosphere (12) 1300-1315
Frequent high-resolution measurements of topography at active volcanoes can provide important information for assessing the distribution and rate of emplacement of volcanic deposits and their influence on hazard. At dome-building volcanoes, monitoring techniques such as LiDAR and photogrammetry often provide a limited view of the area affected by the eruption....