California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, Spring 2016
M. Tim Tinker, Brian B. Hatfield
2016, Data Series 1018
The 2016 census of southern sea otters Enhydra lutris nereis was conducted in May along the mainland coast of central California and in April at San Nicolas Island in southern California. The 3-year average of combined counts from the mainland range and San Nicolas Island was 3,272. This is the first...
Flood-inundation map library for the Licking River and South Fork Licking River near Falmouth, Kentucky
Jeremiah G. Lant
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5108
Digital flood inundation maps for a 17-mile reach of Licking River and 4-mile reach of South Fork Licking River near Falmouth, Kentucky, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with Pendleton County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Louisville District. The inundation maps, which can be accessed...
Collapsing avian community on a Hawaiian island
Eben H. Paxton, Richard J. Camp, P. Marcos Gorresen, Lisa H. Crampton, David L. Leonard Jr., Eric VanderWerf
2016, Science Advances (2)
The viability of many species has been jeopardized by numerous negative factors over the centuries, but climate change is predicted to accelerate and increase the pressure of many of these threats, leading to extinctions. The Hawaiian honeycreepers, famous for their spectacular adaptive radiation, are predicted to experience negative responses to...
Magma transfer at Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy) before the 1538 AD eruption
Mauro A. Di Vito, Valerio Acocella, Giuseppe Aiello, Diana Barra, Maurizio Battaglia, Antonio Carandente, Carlo Del Gaudio, Sandro de Vita, Giovanni P. Ricciardi, Ciro Ricco, Roberto Scandone, Filippo Terrasi
2016, Scientific Reports (6)
Calderas are collapse structures related to the emptying of magmatic reservoirs, often associated with large eruptions from long-lived magmatic systems. Understanding how magma is transferred from a magma reservoir to the surface before eruptions is a major challenge. Here we exploit the historical, archaeological and geological record of Campi Flegrei...
Development of ion-exchange collectors for monitoring atmospheric deposition of inorganic pollutants in Alaska parklands
William G. Brumbaugh, Jesse W. Arms, Greg L. Linder, Vanessa D. Melton
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5096
Between 2010 and 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a series of laboratory and field experiments designed to develop methodology to support the National Park Service’s long-term atmospheric pollutant monitoring efforts in parklands of Arctic Alaska. The goals of this research were to develop passive sampling methods that could be...
Methods for estimating selected spring and fall low-flow frequency statistics for ungaged stream sites in Iowa, based on data through June 2014
David A. Eash, Kimberlee K. Barnes, Padraic S. O'Shea
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5111
A statewide study was led to develop regression equations for estimating three selected spring and three selected fall low-flow frequency statistics for ungaged stream sites in Iowa. The estimation equations developed for the six low-flow frequency statistics include spring (April through June) 1-, 7-, and 30-day mean low flows for...
Mediterranean biomes: Evolution of their vegetation, floras and climate
Philip W. Rundel, Mary T.K. Arroyo, R.M. Cowling, J. E. Keeley, B.B. Lamont, Pablo Vargas
2016, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics (47) 383-407
Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) possess the highest levels of plant species richness in the world outside of the wet tropics. Sclerophyll vegetation similar to today’s mediterranean-type shrublands was already present on oligotrophic soils in the wet and humid climate of the Cretaceous, with fire-adapted Paleogene lineages in southwestern Australia and the...
Inter-population differences in salinity tolerance and osmoregulation of juvenile wild and hatchery-born Sacramento splittail
Christine E. Verhille, Theresa F. Dabruzzi, Dennis E. Cocherell, Brian Mahardja, Frederick V. Feyrer, Theodore C. Foin, Melinda R. Baerwald, Nann A. Fangue
2016, Conservation Physiology (4)
The Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) is a minnow endemic to the highly modified San Francisco Estuary of California, USA and its associated rivers and tributaries. This species is composed of two genetically distinct populations, which, according to field observations and otolith strontium signatures, show largely allopatric distribution patterns as recently...
Foraging at the wildland–urban interface decouples weather as a driver of recruitment for desert bighorn sheep
Kathleen M. Longshore, Chris E. Lowrey, Patrick Cummings
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 494-499
A growing number of ungulate populations are living within or near the wildland–urban interface. When resources at the interface are of greater quality than that of adjacent natural habitat, wildlife can be attracted to these developed areas. Little is known about how use of the wildland–urban interface by wildlife may...
The importance of species name synonyms in literature searches
Gerald Guala
2016, PLoS ONE (11) e0162648
The synonyms of biological species names are shown to be an important component in comprehensive searches of electronic scientific literature databases but they are not well leveraged within the major literature databases examined. For accepted or valid species names in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) which have synonyms in...
Pockmark asymmetry and seafloor currents in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil
U. Schattner, M. Lazar, L. A. P. Souza, Uri S. ten Brink, M. M. Mahiques
2016, Geo-Marine Letters (36) 457-464
Pockmarks form by gas/fluid expulsion into the ocean and are preserved under conditions of negligible sedimentation. Ideally, they are circular at the seafloor and symmetrical in profile. Elliptical pockmarks are more enigmatic. They are associated with seafloor currents while asymmetry is connected to sedimentation patterns. This study examines these associations...
A world of minerals in your mobile device
Jane E. Jenness, Joyce A. Ober, Aleeza Wilkins, Joseph Gambogi
2016, General Information Product 167
Mobile phones and other high-technology communications devices could not exist without mineral commodities. More than one-half of all components in a mobile device—including its electronics, display, battery, speakers, and more—are made from mined and semiprocessed materials (mineral commodities). Some mineral commodities can be recovered as byproducts during the production and...
Element concentrations in surface soils of the Coconino Plateau, Grand Canyon region, Coconino County, Arizona
Bradley S. Van Gosen
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1160
This report provides the geochemical analyses of a large set of background soils collected from the surface of the Coconino Plateau in northern Arizona. More than 700 soil samples were collected at 46 widespread areas, sampled from sites that appear unaffected by mineralization and (or) anthropogenic contamination. The soils were...
Comparison of methods for quantifying surface sublimation over seasonally snow-covered terrain
Graham A. Sexstone, David W. Clow, David I. Stannard, Steven R. Fassnacht
2016, Hydrological Processes (30) 3373-3389
Snow sublimation can be an important component of the snow-cover mass balance, and there is considerable interest in quantifying the role of this process within the water and energy balance of snow-covered regions. In recent years, robust eddy covariance (EC) instrumentation has been used to quantify snow sublimation over snow-covered...
Prerequisites for understanding climate-change impacts on northern prairie wetlands
Michael J. Anteau, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Max Post van der Burg, Aaron T. Pearse
2016, Wetlands (36) 299-307
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) contains ecosystems that are typified by an extensive matrix of grasslands and depressional wetlands, which provide numerous ecosystem services. Over the past 150 years the PPR has experienced numerous landscape modifications resulting in agricultural conversion of 75–99 % of native prairie uplands and drainage of...
Vegetative response to water availability on the San Carlos Apache Reservation
Roy Petrakis, Zhuoting Wu, Jason McVay, Barry R. Middleton, Dennis G. Dye, John M. Vogel
2016, Forest Ecology and Management (378) 14-23
On the San Carlos Apache Reservation in east-central Arizona, U.S.A., vegetation types such as ponderosa pine forests, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and grasslands have significant ecological, cultural, and economic value for the Tribe. This value extends beyond the tribal lands and across the Western United States. Vegetation across the Southwestern United States...
Potential of environmental DNA to evaluate Northern pike (Esox lucius) eradication efforts: An experimental test and case study
Kristine J. Dunker, Adam J. Sepulveda, Robert L. Massengill, Jeffrey B. Olsen, Ora L. Russ, John K. Wenburg, Anton Antonovich
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Determining the success of invasive species eradication efforts is challenging because populations at very low abundance are difficult to detect. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has recently emerged as a powerful tool for detecting rare aquatic animals; however, detectable fragments of DNA can persist over time despite absence of the targeted...
An evaluation of rapid methods for monitoring vegetation characteristics of wetland bird habitat
Brian G. Tavernia, James E. Lyons, Brian W. Loges, Andrew Wilson, Jaime A. Collazo, Michael C. Runge
2016, Wetlands Ecology and Management (24) 495-505
Wetland managers benefit from monitoring data of sufficient precision and accuracy to assess wildlife habitat conditions and to evaluate and learn from past management decisions. For large-scale monitoring programs focused on waterbirds (waterfowl, wading birds, secretive marsh birds, and shorebirds), precision and accuracy of habitat measurements must be balanced with...
Enriching the national map database for multi-scale use: Introducing the visibilityfilter attribution
Andrew J. Stauffer, Seth Webinger, Brittany Roche
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings, AutoCarto2016
The US Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Geospatial Technical Operations Center is prototyping and evaluating the ability to filter data through a range of scales using 1:24,000-scale The National Map (TNM) datasets as the source. A “VisibilityFilter” attribute is under evaluation that can be added to all TNM vector data themes...
Moving from awareness to action: Advancing climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning for Idaho and Montana National Forests
Jessi Kershner, Andrea Woodward, Alicia A. Torregrosa
2016, Report
The rugged landscapes of northern Idaho and western Montana support biodiverse ecosystems, and provide a variety of natural resources and services for human communities. However, the benefits provided by these ecosystems may be at risk as changing climate magnifies existing stressors and allows new stressors to...
Behavior and movements of adult spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Chehalis River Basin, southwestern Washington, 2015
Theresa L. Liedtke, Mara S. Zimmerman, Ryan G. Tomka, Curt Holt, Lyle Jennings
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1158
Recent interest in flood control and restoration strategies in the Chehalis River Basin has increased the need to understand the current status and ecology of spring Chinook salmon. Based on the extended period between freshwater entry and spawn timing, spring Chinook salmon have the longest exposure of all adult...
Groundwater-level change and evaluation of simulated water levels for irrigated areas in Lahontan Valley, Churchill County, west-central Nevada, 1992 to 2012
David W. Smith, Susan G. Buto, Toby L. Welborn
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5045
The acquisition and transfer of water rights to wetland areas of Lahontan Valley, Nevada, has caused concern over the potential effects on shallow aquifer water levels. In 1992, water levels in Lahontan Valley were measured to construct a water-table map of the shallow aquifer prior to the effects of...
Water temperature effects from simulated dam operations and structures in the Middle Fork Willamette River, western Oregon
Norman L. Buccola, Daniel F. Turner, Stewart A. Rounds
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1159
Significant FindingsStreamflow and water temperature in the Middle Fork Willamette River (MFWR), western Oregon, have been regulated and altered since the construction of Lookout Point, Dexter, and Hills Creek Dams in 1954 and 1961, respectively. Each year, summer releases from the dams typically are cooler than pre-dam conditions, with the...
Paleoflood investigations to improve peak-streamflow regional-regression equations for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado, 2015
Michael S. Kohn, Michael R. Stevens, Tessa M. Harden, Jeanne E. Godaire, Ralph E. Klinger, Amanullah Mommandi
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5099
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, developed regional-regression equations for estimating the 50-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, 0.2-percent annual exceedance-probability discharge (AEPD) for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado. A total of 188 streamgages, consisting of 6,536 years of record and a...
HESS Opinions: Repeatable research: what hydrologistscan learn from the Duke cancer research scandal
Michael Fienen, Mark Bakker
2016, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (20) 3739-3743
In the past decade, difficulties encountered in reproducing the results of a cancer study at Duke University resulted in a scandal and an investigation which concluded that tools used for data management, analysis, and modeling were inappropriate for the documentation of the study, let alone the reproduction of the results....
