Intertidal salt marshes as an important source of inorganic carbon to the coastal ocean
Zhaohui Aleck Wang, Kevin D. Kroeger, Neil K. Ganju, Meagan Gonneea Eagle, Sophie N. Chu
2016, Limnology and Oceanography (61) 1916-1931
Dynamic tidal export of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to the coastal ocean from highly productive intertidal marshes and its effects on seawater carbonate chemistry are thoroughly evaluated. The study uses a comprehensive approach by combining tidal water sampling of CO2parameters across seasons, continuous in situ measurements of biogeochemically-relevant parameters and...
Significance of groundwater discharge along the coast of Poland as a source of dissolved metals to the southern Baltic Sea
Beata Szymczycha, Kevin D. Kroeger, Janusz Pempkowiak
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (109) 151-162
Fluxes of dissolved trace metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) via groundwater discharge along the southern Baltic Sea have been assessed for the first time. Dissolved metal concentrations in groundwater samples were less variable than in seawater and were generally one or two orders of magnitude...
Source characterization and tsunami modeling of submarine landslides along the Yucatán Shelf/Campeche Escarpment, southern Gulf of Mexico
Jason D. Chaytor, Eric L. Geist, Charles K. Paull, David W Caress, Roberto Gwiazda, Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi, Mario Rebolledo Vieyra
2016, Pure and Applied Geophysics (173) 4101-4116
Submarine landslides occurring along the margins of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) represent a low-likelihood, but potentially damaging source of tsunamis. New multibeam bathymetry coverage reveals that mass wasting is pervasive along the Yucatán Shelf edge with several large composite landslides possibly removing as much as 70 km3 of the Cenozoic...
Methane turnover and environmental change from Holocene biomarker records in a thermokarst lake in Arctic Alaska
Marcus Elvert, John W. Pohlman, Kevin W. Becker, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Kai-Uwe Hinrichs, Matthew J. Wooller
2016, The Holocene (26) 1766-1777
Arctic lakes and wetlands contribute a substantial amount of methane to the contemporary atmosphere, yet profound knowledge gaps remain regarding the intensity and climatic control of past methane emissions from this source. In this study, we reconstruct methane turnover and environmental conditions, including estimates of mean annual and summer temperature,...
Finite-frequency wave propagation through outer rise fault zones and seismic measurements of upper mantle hydration
Nathaniel C. Miller, Daniel Lizarralde
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 7982-7990
Effects of serpentine-filled fault zones on seismic wave propagation in the upper mantle at the outer rise of subduction zones are evaluated using acoustic wave propagation models. Modeled wave speeds depend on azimuth, with slowest speeds in the fault-normal direction. Propagation is fastest along faults, but, for fault widths on...
Gravity change from 2014 to 2015, Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Jeffrey R. Kennedy
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1155
Relative-gravity data and absolute-gravity data were collected at 68 stations in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona, in May–June 2015 for the purpose of estimating aquifer-storage change. Similar data from 2014 and a description of the survey network were published in U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1086....
Generalized sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River, 1968–2014
David C. Heimann
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5097
Sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River were developed in a study led by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The scope of the study included the development of a long-term (post-impoundment, 1968–2014) average annual sediment budget and selected annual, monthly, and daily...
Examination of flood characteristics at selected streamgages in the Meramec River Basin, eastern Missouri, December 2015–January 2016
Robert R. Holmes Jr., Todd A. Koenig, Paul H. Rydlund Jr., David C. Heimann
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1140
OverviewHeavy rainfall resulted in major flooding in the Meramec River Basin in eastern Missouri during late December 2015 through early January 2016. Cumulative rainfall from December 14 to 29, 2015, ranged from 7.6 to 12.3 inches at selected precipitation stations in the basin with flooding driven by the heaviest precipitation...
Altered hydrologic and geomorphic processes and bottomland hardwood plant communities of the lower White River Basin
Sammy L. King, Richard F. Keim, Cliff R. Hupp, Brandon L. Edwards, Whitney A. Kroschel, Erin L. Johnson, J. Wesley Cochran
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1113
Introduction The work explained in this report was conducted to assess geomorphic adjustment of the lower White River, Arkansas, to hydrologic modifications and establish forest age and community structure within selected communities within the floodplain. Also, the HEC–GeoRAS model was evaluated for predicting flood depth and duration within the floodplain. Hydrologic...
Projected shifts in fish species dominance in Wisconsin lakes under climate change
Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Jordan S. Read, Jonathan F. Hansen, Luke Winslow
2016, Global Change Biology (23) 1463-1476
Temperate lakes may contain both coolwater fish species such as walleye (Sander vitreus) and warmwater fish species such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Recent declining walleye and increasing largemouth bass populations have raised questions regarding the future trajectories and management actions for these species. We developed a thermodynamic model of...
Emerging tools for continuous nutrient monitoring networks: Sensors advancing science and water resources protection
Brian Pellerin, Beth A Stauffer, Dwane A Young, Daniel J. Sullivan, Suzanne B. Bricker, Mark R Walbridge, Gerard A Clyde, Denice M Shaw
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 993-1008
Sensors and enabling technologies are becoming increasingly important tools for water quality monitoring and associated water resource management decisions. In particular, nutrient sensors are of interest because of the well-known adverse effects of nutrient enrichment on coastal hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and impacts to human health. Accurate and...
Evaluating harvest-based control of invasive fish with telemetry: Performance of sea lamprey traps in the Great Lakes
Christopher Holbrook, Roger A. Bergstedt, Jessica M. Barber, Gale A Bravener, Michael L. Jones, Charles C. Krueger
2016, Ecological Applications (26) 1595-1609
Physical removal (e.g., harvest via traps or nets) of mature individuals may be a cost-effective or socially acceptable alternative to chemical control strategies for invasive species, but requires knowledge of the spatial distribution of a population over time. We used acoustic telemetry to determine the current and possible future role...
Greenhouse gas emissions from a created brackish marsh in eastern North Carolina
Yo-Jin Shiau, Michael R. Burchell, Ken W. Krauss, François Birgand, Stephen W. Broome
2016, Wetlands (36) 1009-1024
Tidal marsh creation helps remediate global warming because tidal wetlands are especially proficient at sequestering carbon (C) in soils. However, greenhouse gas (GHG) losses can offset the climatic benefits gained from C storage depending on how these tidal marshes are constructed and managed. This study attempts to determine the GHG...
Assessing groundwater depletion and dynamics using GRACE and InSAR: Potential and limitations
Pascal Castellazzi, Richard Martel, Devin L. Galloway, Laurent Longuevergne, Alfonso Rivera
2016, Groundwater (54) 768-780
In the last decade, remote sensing of the temporal variation of ground level and gravity has improved our understanding of groundwater dynamics and storage. Mass changes are measured by GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites, whereas ground deformation is measured by processing synthetic aperture radar satellites data using the...
Marine magnetic survey and onshore gravity and magnetic survey, San Pablo Bay, northern California
David A. Ponce, Kevin M. Denton, Janet Tilden Watt
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1150
IntroductionFrom November 2011 to August 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected more than 1,000 line-kilometers (length of lines surveyed in kilometers) of marine magnetic data on San Pablo Bay, 98 onshore gravity stations, and over 27 line-kilometers of ground magnetic data in northern California. Combined magnetic and gravity investigations...
Ionic molal conductivities, activity coefficients, and dissociation constants of HAsO42− and H2AsO4− from 5 to 90°C and ionic strengths from 0.001 up to 3 mol kg−1 and applications in natural systems
Xiangyu Zhu, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, Rucheng Wang
2016, Chemical Geology (441) 177-190
Arsenic is known to be one of the most toxic inorganic elements, causing worldwide environmental contamination. However, many fundamental properties related to aqueous arsenic species are not well known which will inhibit our ability to understand the geochemical behavior of arsenic (e.g. speciation, transport, and solubility). Here, the electrical conductivity...
Entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish in junction gaps between commercial barges operating on the Illinois Waterway
Jeremiah J. Davis, P. Ryan Jackson, Frank L. Engel, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Rebecca N. Neeley, Samuel T. Finney, Elizabeth A. Murphy
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 837-848
Large Electric Dispersal Barriers were constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) to prevent the transfer of invasive fish species between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin while simultaneously allowing the passage of commercial barge traffic. We investigated the potential for entrainment, retention, and transport...
U.S. Geological Survey—Energy and Wildlife Research Annual Report for 2016
Mona Khalil, editor(s)
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1147
Recent growth and development of renewable energy and unconventional oil and gas extraction are rapidly diversifying the energy supply of the United States. Yet, as our Nation works to advance energy security and conserve wildlife, some conflicts have surfaced. To address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting...
Gut content analysis of Lake Michigan waterbirds in years with avian botulism type E mortality, 2010–2012
David A. Essian, Jennifer G. Chipault, Brenda M. Lafrancois, Jill B.K. Leonard
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 1118-1128
Waterbird die-offs caused by Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E) have occurred sporadically in the Great Lakes since the late 1960s, with a recent pulse starting in the late 1990s. In recent die-offs, round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) have been implicated as vectors for the transfer of BoNT/E to fish-eating birds...
Genetic analysis shows that morphology alone cannot distinguish asian carp eggs from those of other cyprinid species
James H. Larson, S. Grace McCalla, Duane Chapman, Christopher B. Rees, Brent C. Knights, Jonathan M. Vallazza, Amy E. George, William B. Richardson, Jon Amberg
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 1053-1058
Fish eggs and embryos (hereafter collectively referred to as “eggs”) were collected in the upper Mississippi River main stem (~300 km upstream of previously reported spawning by invasive Asian carp) during summer 2013. Based on previously published morphological characteristics, the eggs were identified as belonging to Asian carp. A subsample...
Modeling water quality, temperature, and flow in Link River, south-central Oregon
Annett B. Sullivan, Stewart A. Rounds
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1146
The 2.1-km (1.3-mi) Link River connects Upper Klamath Lake to the Klamath River in south-central Oregon. A CE-QUAL-W2 flow and water-quality model of Link River was developed to provide a connection between an existing model of the upper Klamath River and any existing or future models of Upper Klamath...
Renewable energy and wildlife conservation
Mona Khalil
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3067
The renewable energy sector is rapidly expanding and diversifying the power supply of the country. Yet, as our Nation works to advance renewable energy and to conserve wildlife, some conflicts arise. To address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting innovative research and developing workable solutions to reduce...
Marine phosphorites as potential resources for heavy rare earth elements and yttrium
James R. Hein, Andrea Koschinsky, Mariah Mikesell, Kira Mizell, Craig R. Glenn, Ray Wood
2016, Minerals (6)
Marine phosphorites are known to concentrate rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) during early diagenetic formation. Much of the REY data available are decades old and incomplete, and there has not been a systematic study of REY distributions in marine phosphorite deposits that formed over a range of oceanic environments....
Detecting the movement and spawning activity of bigheaded carps with environmental DNA
Richard A. Erickson, Christopher B. Rees, Alison A. Coulter, Christopher M. Merkes, S. Grace McCalla, Katherine F Touzinsky, Liza R. Walleser, Reuben R. Goforth, Jon Amberg
2016, Molecular Ecology Resources (16) 957-965
Bigheaded carps are invasive fishes threatening to invade the Great Lakes basin and establish spawning populations, and have been monitored using environmental DNA (eDNA). Not only does eDNA hold potential for detecting the presence of species, but may also allow for quantitative comparisons like relative abundance of species across time...
Growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss under size-selective pressure limited by seasonal bioenergetic and environmental constraints
Jamie N. Thompson, David A. Beauchamp
2016, Journal of Fish Biology (89) 1720-1739
Increased freshwater growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss improved survival to smolt and adult stages, thus prompting an examination of factors affecting growth during critical periods that influenced survival through subsequent life stages. For three tributaries with contrasting thermal regimes, a bioenergetics model was used to evaluate how feeding rate...
