Conservation status of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to projected sea-ice declines
Eric V. Regehr, Kristin L. Laidre, H. Resit Akcakaya, Steven C. Amstrup, Todd C. Atwood, Nicholas J. Lunn, Martyn E. Obbard, Harry Stern, Gregory W. Thiemann, Øystein Wiig
2016, Biology Letters (12) 1-5
Loss of Arctic sea ice owing to climate change is the primary threat to polar bears throughout their range. We evaluated the potential response of polar bears to sea-ice declines by (i) calculating generation length (GL) for the species, which determines the timeframe for conservation assessments; (ii) developing a standardized...
Status of scientific knowledge of North American sturgeon
Tim J. Haxton, Kenneth J. Sulak, L. Hildebrand
2016, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (32) 5-10
Sturgeon and paddlefish were historically the dominant large fishes in all major Northern American Rivers. All ten species have been affected the past 150 years from anthropogenic stressors such that they are considered imperiled by various jurisdictions. Status papers have been presented for each species as part of a special...
Gray wolf exposure to emerging vector-borne diseases in Wisconsin with comparison to domestic dogs and humans
Rocio F. Jara, Adrian P. Wydeven, Michael D. Samuel
2016, PLoS ONE (11) 1-17
World-wide concern over emerging vector-borne diseases has increased in recent years for both animal and human health. In the United Sates, concern about vector-borne diseases in canines has focused on Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and heartworm which infect domestic and wild canids. Of these diseases, Lyme and anaplasmosis are also...
Growth, food consumption, and energy status of juvenile pallid sturgeon fed natural or artificial diets
Hilary A. Meyer, Steven R. Chipps, Brian D. S. Graeb, Robert A. Klumb
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 388-396
Stocking of hatchery-raised fish is an important part of the pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus recovery program. In the wild, juvenile pallid sturgeon consume primarily aquatic insects, although little is known about specific dietary needs. In hatchery settings, pallid sturgeon are fed commercial diets that are formulated for salmonids. To compare...
Toward a national, sustained U.S. ecosystem assessment
Stephen T. Jackson, Clifford S. Duke, Stephanie E. Hampton, Katharine L. Jacobs, Lucas N. Joppa, Karim-Aly S. K. Kassam, Harold A. Mooney, Laura A. Ogden, Mary Ruckelshaus, Jason F. Shogren
2016, Science (354) 838-839
The massive investment of resources devoted to monitoring and assessment of economic and societal indicators in the United States is neither matched by nor linked to efforts to monitor and assess the ecosystem services and biodiversity that support economic and social well-being. Although national-scale assessments of biodiversity (1) and ecosystem...
The 2015 Fillmore earthquake swarm and possible crustal deformation mechanisms near the bottom of the eastern Ventura Basin, California
Egill Hauksson, Jennifer Andrews, Andreas Plesch, John H. Shaw, David R. Shelly
2016, Seismological Research Letters (87) 807-815
The 2015 Fillmore swarm occurred about 6 km west of the city of Fillmore in Ventura, California, and was located beneath the eastern part of the actively subsiding Ventura basin at depths from 11.8 to 13.8 km, similar to two previous swarms in the area. Template‐matching event detection showed that it started...
Controls on the geochemical evolution of Prairie Pothole Region lakes and wetlands over decadal time scales
Martin B. Goldhaber, Christopher T. Mills, David M. Mushet, R. Blaine McCleskey, Jennifer Rover
2016, Wetlands (36) 255-272
One hundred sixty-seven Prairie Pothole lakes, ponds and wetlands (largely lakes) previously analyzed chemically during the late 1960’s and early to mid-1970’s were resampled and reanalyzed in 2011–2012. The two sampling periods differed climatically. The earlier sampling took place during normal to slightly dry conditions, whereas the latter occurred during...
Spatial and ecological variation in dryland ecohydrological responses to climate change: implications for management
Kyle A. Palmquist, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, John B. Bradford, William K. Lauenroth
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Ecohydrological responses to climate change will exhibit spatial variability and understanding the spatial pattern of ecological impacts is critical from a land management perspective. To quantify climate change impacts on spatial patterns of ecohydrology across shrub steppe ecosystems in North America, we asked the following question: How will climate change...
Shifting currents: Progress, setbacks, and shifts in policy and practice
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Charles Dunning, Dale M. Robertson
2016, Report
The Wisconsin Academy’s initial Waters of Wisconsin project (WOW I) facilitated a statewide conversation between 2000 and 2003 around one main question: How can we ensure healthy aquatic ecosystems and clean, abundant water supplies for tomorrow’s Wisconsin? Robust participation in this conversation underscored the important role citizens have in the...
Earthquake source properties from pseudotachylite
Nicholas M. Beeler, Giulio Di Toro, Stefan Nielsen
2016, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (106) 2764-2776
The motions radiated from an earthquake contain information that can be interpreted as displacements within the source and therefore related to stress drop. Except in a few notable cases, the source displacements can neither be easily related to the absolute stress level or fault strength, nor attributed to a particular...
Occurrence and concentrations of selected trace elements, halogenated organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in streambed sediments and results of water-toxicity testing in Westside Creeks and the San Antonio River, San Antonio, Texas, 2014
Cassi L. Crow, Jennifer T. Wilson, James L. Kunz
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5136
Sediment samples and samples for water-toxicity testing were collected during 2014 from several streams in San Antonio, Texas, known locally as the Westside Creeks (Alazán, Apache, Martínez, and San Pedro Creeks) and from the San Antonio River. Samples were collected during base flow and after periods of stormwater runoff (poststorm...
Weather as a proximate explanation for fission–fusion dynamics in female northern long-eared bats
Krista J. Patriquin, Marty L. Leonard, Hugh G. Broders, W. Mark Ford, Eric R. Britzke, Alexander Silvis
2016, Animal Behaviour (122) 47-57
Fission–fusion dynamics appear common among temperate bats where females form roost groups that change in size and composition, as females switch roosts almost daily. One hypothesis for frequent roost switching is that females move to find suitable thermal conditions as ambient conditions change. Tests of this hypothesis have, however, been...
Detection of water and/or hydroxyl on asteroid (16) Psyche
Driss Takir, Vishnu Reddy, Juan A. Sanchez, Michael K. Shepard, Joshua P. Emery
2016, Astronomical Journal (153)
In order to search for evidence of hydration on M-type asteroid (16) Psyche, we observed this object in the 3 μm spectral region using the long-wavelength cross-dispersed (LXD: 1.9–4.2 μm) mode of the SpeX spectrograph/imager at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. Our observations show that Psyche exhibits a 3 μm absorption feature, attributed...
Multi-decadal increases in dissolved organic carbon and alkalinity flux from the Mackenzie drainage basin to the Arctic Ocean
Suzanne E. Tank, Robert G. Striegl, James W. McClelland, Steven V. Kokelj
2016, Environmental Research Letters (11) 1-10
Riverine exports of organic and inorganic carbon (OC, IC) to oceans are intricately linked to processes occurring on land. Across high latitudes, thawing permafrost, alteration of hydrologic flow paths, and changes in vegetation may all affect this flux, with subsequent implications for regional and global carbon (C) budgets. Using a...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Dnieper-Donets Basin and North Carpathian Basin Provinces, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Poland, 2015
Timothy R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3082
Using a geology-based methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 13 million barrels of oil and 2,643 billion cubic feet of natural gas in the Dnieper-Donets Basin and North Carpathian Basin Provinces of Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Poland....
Mountain goat abundance and population trends in the Olympic Mountains, northwestern Washington, 2016
Kurt J. Jenkins, Patricia J. Happe, Katherine F. Beirne, William T. Baccus
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1185
Executive SummaryWe estimated abundance and trends of non-native mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in the Olympic Mountains of northwestern Washington, based on aerial surveys conducted during July 13–24, 2016. The surveys produced the seventh population estimate since the first formal aerial surveys were conducted in 1983. This was the second population...
Annualized earthquake loss estimates for California and their sensitivity to site amplification
Rui Chen, Kishor S. Jaiswal, D Bausch, H Seligson, C.J. Wills
2016, Seismological Research Letters (87) 1363-1372
Input datasets for annualized earthquake loss (AEL) estimation for California were updated recently by the scientific community, and include the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), site‐response model, and estimates of shear‐wave velocity. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s loss estimation tool, Hazus, was updated to include the most recent census...
Aqueous exposure to the progestin, levonorgestrel, alters anal fin development and reproductive behavior in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Tyler E. Frankel, Michael T. Meyer, Edward F. Orlando
2016, General and Comparative Endocrinology (234) 161-169
Endogenous progestogens are important regulators of vertebrate reproduction. Synthetic progestins are components of human contraceptive and hormone replacement pharmaceuticals. Both progestogens and progestins enter the environment through a number of sources, and have been shown to cause profound effects on reproductive health in various aquatic vertebrates. Progestins are designed to...
Vive la résistance: genome-wide selection against introduced alleles in invasive hybrid zones
Ryan P. Kovach, Brian K. Hand, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Ted F. Cosart, Matthew C. Boyer, Helen H. Neville, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Stephen J. Amish, Kellie Carim, Shawn R. Narum, Winsor H. Lowe, Fred W. Allendorf, Gordon Luikart
2016, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (283)
Evolutionary and ecological consequences of hybridization between native and invasive species are notoriously complicated because patterns of selection acting on non-native alleles can vary throughout the genome and across environments. Rapid advances in genomics now make it feasible to assess locus-specific and genome-wide patterns of natural selection acting on invasive...
Quantifying gas emissions from the 946 CE Millennium Eruption of Paektu volcano, Democratic People's Republic of Korea/China
Kayla Iacovino, Kim Ju-Song, Thomas W. Sisson, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Ri Ku-Hun, Jang Jong-Nam, Song Kun-Ho, Ham Song-Hwan, Clive Oppenheimer, James O.S. Hammond, Amy Donovan, Kosima Weber-Liu, Ryu Kum-Ran
2016, Science Advances (2) 1-11
Paektu volcano (Changbaishan) is a rhyolitic caldera that straddles the border between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China. Its most recent large eruption was the Millennium Eruption (ME; 23 km3 DRE) circa 946 CE, which resulted in the release of copious magmatic volatiles (H2O, CO2, sulfur, and...
Lidar-based mapping of flood control levees in south Louisiana
Cindy A. Thatcher, Samsung Lim, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Dustin R. Kimbrow
2016, International Journal of Remote Sensing (37) 5708-5725
Flood protection in south Louisiana is largely dependent on earthen levees, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the state’s levee system has received intense scrutiny. Accurate elevation data along the levees are critical to local levee district managers responsible for monitoring and maintaining the extensive system of non-federal levees...
Was everything bigger in Texas? Characterization and trends of a land-based recreational shark fishery
Matthew J. Ajemian, Philip D. Jose, John T. Froeschke, Mark L. Wildhaber, Gregory W. Stunz
2016, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (8) 553-566
Although current assessments of shark population trends involve both fishery-independent and fishery-dependent data, the latter are generally limited to commercial landings that may neglect nearshore coastal habitats. Texas has supported the longest organized land-based recreational shark fishery in the United States, yet no studies have used this “non-traditional” data source...
Model description and evaluation of the mark-recapture survival model used to parameterize the 2012 status and threats analysis for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Catherine A. Langtimm, William L. Kendall, Cathy A. Beck, Howard I. Kochman, Amy L. Teague, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Claudia L. Penaloza
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1163
This report provides supporting details and evidence for the rationale, validity and efficacy of a new mark-recapture model, the Barker Robust Design, to estimate regional manatee survival rates used to parameterize several components of the 2012 version of the Manatee Core Biological Model (CBM) and Threats Analysis (TA). The CBM...
Characterization and relation of precipitation, streamflow, and water-quality data at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson and Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado, water years 2013–14
Michael J. Holmberg, Stogner, James F. Bruce
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5145
To evaluate the influence of military training activities on streamflow and water quality, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Army, began a hydrologic data collection network on the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson in 1978 and on the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in 1983....
Collection methods and descriptions of coral cores extracted from massive corals in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A.
Michael S. Weinzierl, Christopher D. Reich, T. Donald Hickey, Lucy A. Bartlett, Ilsa B. Kuffner
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1182
Cores from living coral colonies were collected from Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A., to obtain skeletal records of past coral growth and allow geochemical reconstruction of environmental variables during the corals’ centuries-long lifespans. The samples were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project...
