Geomorphic and geologic controls of geohazards induced by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake
J.S. Kargel, G.J. Leonard, D. H. Shugar, U. K. Haritashya, A. Bevington, E.J. Fielding, K. Fujita, M. Geertsema, E. S. Miles, J. Steiner, E. Anderson, S. Bajracharya, G.W. Bawden, D. F. Breashears, A. Byers, B. Collins, M. R. Dhital, A. Donnellan, T. L. Evans, M. L. Geai, M. T. Glasscoe, D. Green, D. R. Gurung, R. Heijenk, A. Hilborn, K. Hudnut, C. Huyck, W. W. Immerzeel, Jiang Li, R. Jibson, A. Kaab, N. R. Khanal, D. Kirschbaum, P. D. A. Kraaijenbrink, D. Lamsal, Liu Shiyin, Lv Mingyang, D. McKinney, N. K. Nahirnick, Nan Zhuotong, S. Ojha, J. Olsenholler, T. H. Painter, M. Pleasants, K. C. Pratima, Q. I. Yuan, B.H. Raup, D. Regmi, D. R. Rounce, A. Sakai, Shangguan Donghui, J. M. Shea, A. B. Shrestha, A. Shukla, D. Stumm, M. van der Kooij, K. Voss, Wang Xin, B. Weihs, Wu Lizong, Yao Xiaojun, M. R. Yoder, N. Young
2016, Science (351)
The Gorkha earthquake (magnitude 7.8) on 25 April 2015 and later aftershocks struck South Asia, killing ~9000 people and damaging a large region. Supported by a large campaign of responsive satellite data acquisitions over the earthquake disaster zone, our team undertook a satellite image survey of the earthquakes’ induced geohazards...
Uncertainty in Vs30-based site response
Eric M. Thompson, David J. Wald
2016, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (106) 453-463
Methods that account for site response range in complexity from simple linear categorical adjustment factors to sophisticated nonlinear constitutive models. Seismic‐hazard analysis usually relies on ground‐motion prediction equations (GMPEs); within this framework site response is modeled statistically with simplified site parameters that include the time‐averaged shear‐wave velocity to 30 m (VS30)...
Effects of streamflows on stream-channel morphology in the eastern Niobrara National Scenic River, Nebraska, 1988–2010
Nathaniel J. Schaepe, Jason S. Alexander, Kiernan Folz-Donahue
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5004
The Niobrara River is an important and valuable economic and ecological resource in northern Nebraska that supports ecotourism, recreational boating, wildlife, fisheries, agriculture, and hydroelectric power. Because of its uniquely rich resources, a 122-kilometer reach of the Niobrara River was designated as a National Scenic River in 1991, which has...
The effect of suspended sediment and color on ultraviolet spectrophotometric nitrate sensors
Teri T. Snazelle
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1014
Four commercially available ultraviolet nitrate spectrophotometric sensors were evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) to determine the effects of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) on sensor accuracy. The evaluated sensors were: the Hach NITRATAX plus sc (5-millimeters (mm) path length), Hach...
Spatially explicit rangeland erosion monitoring using high-resolution digital aerial imagery
Jeffrey K. Gillan, Jason W. Karl, Nichole N. Barger, Ahmed Elaksher, Michael C. Duniway
2016, Rangeland Ecology and Management (69) 95-107
Nearly all of the ecosystem services supported by rangelands, including production of livestock forage, carbon sequestration, and provisioning of clean water, are negatively impacted by soil erosion. Accordingly, monitoring the severity, spatial extent, and rate of soil erosion is essential for long-term sustainable management. Traditional field-based methods of monitoring erosion...
Hydrologic conditions, recharge, and baseline water quality of the surficial aquifer system at Jekyll Island, Georgia, 2012-13
Debbie W. Gordon, Lynn J. Torak
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1017
An increase of groundwater withdrawals from the surficial aquifer system on Jekyll Island, Georgia, prompted an investigation of hydrologic conditions and water quality by the U.S. Geological Survey during October 2012 through December 2013. The study demonstrated the importance of rainfall as the island’s main source of recharge to maintain...
Predictability of horizontal water vapor transport relative to precipitation: Enhancing situational awareness for forecasting western U.S. extreme precipitation and flooding
David A. Lavers, Duane E. Waliser, F. Martin Ralph, Michael D. Dettinger
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 2275-2282
The western United States is vulnerable to socioeconomic disruption due to extreme winter precipitation and floods. Traditionally, forecasts of precipitation and river discharge provide the basis for preparations. Herein we show that earlier event awareness may be possible through use of horizontal water vapor transport (integrated vapor transport (IVT)) forecasts....
Slow-moving and far-travelled dense pyroclastic flows during the Peach Spring super-eruption
Olivier Roche, David C. Buesch, Greg A. Valentine
2016, Nature Communications (7) 1-8
Explosive volcanic super-eruptions of several hundred cubic kilometres or more generate long run-out pyroclastic density currents the dynamics of which are poorly understood and controversial. Deposits of one such event in the southwestern USA, the 18.8 Ma Peach Spring Tuff, were formed by pyroclastic flows that travelled >170 km...
The pace of past climate change vs. potential bird distributions and land use in the United States
Brooke L. Bateman, Anna M. Pidgeon, Volker C. Radeloff, Jeremy VanDerWal, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Stephen J. Vavrus, Patricia J. Heglund
2016, Global Change Biology (22) 1130-1144
Climate change may drastically alter patterns of species distributions and richness, but predicting future species patterns in occurrence is challenging. Significant shifts in distributions have already been observed, and understanding these recent changes can improve our understanding of potential future changes. We assessed how past climate change affected potential breeding...
Network global navigation satellite system surveys to harmonize American and Canadian datum for the Lake Champlain Basin
Robert H. Flynn, Paul H. Rydlund Jr., Daniel J. Martin
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5009
Historically high flood levels were observed during flooding in Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River from late April through May 2011. Flooding was caused by record spring precipitation and snowmelt from the third highest cumulative snowfall year on record, which included a warm, saturated late spring snowpack. Flood stage was...
Identifying and preserving high-water mark data
Todd A. Koenig, Jennifer L. Bruce, Jim O’Connor, Benton D. McGee, Robert R. Holmes Jr., Ryan Hollins, Brandon T. Forbes, Michael S. Kohn, Mathew Schellekens, Zachary W. Martin, Marie C. Peppler
2016, Techniques and Methods 3-A24
High-water marks provide valuable data for understanding recent and historical flood events. The proper collection and recording of high-water mark data from perishable and preserved evidence informs flood assessments, research, and water resource management. Given the high cost of flooding in developed areas, experienced hydrographers, using the best available techniques,...
Landscape characteristics and livestock presence influence common ravens: Relevance to greater sage-grouse conservation
Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Kristy Howe, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Michael L. Casazza, David J. Delehanty
2016, Ecosphere (7) e01203
Common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter, raven) population abundance in the sagebrush steppe of the American West has increased threefold during the previous four decades, largely as a result of unintended resource subsidies from human land-use practices. This is concerning because ravens frequently depredate nests of species of conservation concern, such...
Variation of energy and carbon fluxes from a restored temperate freshwater wetland and implications for carbon market verification protocols
Frank Anderson, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Cove Sturtevant, Sarah Knox, Lauren Hastings, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Matteo Detto, Erin L. Hestir, Judith Z. Drexler, Robin L. Miller, Jaclyn Matthes, Joseph Verfaillie, Dennis Baldocchi, Richard L. Snyder, Roger Fujii
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (121) 777-795
Temperate freshwater wetlands are among the most productive terrestrial ecosystems, stimulating interest in using restored wetlands as biological carbon sequestration projects for greenhouse gas reduction programs. In this study, we used the eddy covariance technique to measure surface energy carbon fluxes from a constructed, impounded freshwater wetland during two annual...
Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire: an expert assessment
Benjamin W. Abbott, Jeremy B. Jones, Edward A.G. Schuur, F.S. Chapin, William B. Bowden, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte, Howard E. Epstein, Michael D. Flannigan, Tamara K. Harms, Teresa N. Hollingsworth, Michelle C. Mack, A. David McGuire, Susan M. Natali, Adrian V. Rocha, Suzanne E. Tank, Merrit R. Turetsky, Jorien E. Vonk, Kimberly P. Wickland, George R. Aiken
2016, Environmental Research Letters (11) 1-13
As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases...
Limited evidence of intercontinental dispersal of avian paramyxovirus serotype 4 by migratory birds
Andrew B. Reeves, Rebecca L. Poulson, Denys Muzyka, Haruko Ogawa, Kunitoshi Imai, Vuong Nghia Bui, Jeffrey S. Hall, Mary Pantin-Jackwood, David E. Stallknecht, Andrew M. Ramey
2016, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (40) 104-108
Avian paramyxovirus serotype 4 (APMV-4) is a single stranded RNA virus that has most often been isolated from waterfowl. Limited information has been reported regarding the prevalence, pathogenicity, and genetic diversity of AMPV-4. To assess the intercontinental dispersal of this viral agent, we sequenced the fusion gene of...
Increased body mass of ducks wintering in California's Central Valley
Joseph P. Fleskes, Julie L. Yee, Gregory S. Yarris, Daniel L. Loughman
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 679-690
Waterfowl managers lack the information needed to fully evaluate the biological effects of their habitat conservation programs. We studied body condition of dabbling ducks shot by hunters at public hunting areas throughout the Central Valley of California during 2006–2008 compared with condition of ducks from 1979 to 1993. These time...
Habitat selection by juvenile Mojave Desert tortoises
Brian D Todd, Brian J. Halstead, Lindsay P. Chiquoine, J. Mark Peaden, Kurt A. Buhlmann, Tracey D. Tuberville, Aleta Nafus
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 720-728
Growing pressure to develop public lands for renewable energy production places several protected species at increased risk of habitat loss. One example is the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a species often at the center of conflicts over public land development. For this species and others on public lands, a...
Assessing spring direct mortality to avifauna from wind energy facilities in the Dakotas
Brianna J. Graff, Jonathan A. Jenks, Joshua D. Stafford, Kent C. Jensen, Troy W. Grovenburg
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 736-745
The Northern Great Plains (NGP) contains much of the remaining temperate grasslands, an ecosystem that is one of the most converted and least protected in the world. Within the NGP, the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) provides important habitat for >50% of North America's breeding waterfowl and many species of shorebirds,...
Supporting diverse data providers in the open water data initiative: Communicating water data quality and fitness of use
Sara Larsen, Stuart Hamilton, Jessica M. Lucido, Bradley D. Garner, Dwane Young
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 859-872
Shared, trusted, timely data are essential elements for the cooperation needed to optimize economic, ecologic, and public safety concerns related to water. The Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI) will provide a fully scalable platform that can support a wide variety of data from many diverse providers. Many of these will...
Uncertainty analysis of the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model at multiple flux tower sites
Mingshi Chen, Gabriel B. Senay, Ramesh K. Singh, James P. Verdin
2016, Journal of Hydrology (536) 384-399
Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of the water cycle – ET from the land surface returns approximately 60% of the global precipitation back to the atmosphere. ET also plays an important role in energy transport among the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. Current regional to global and daily to annual...
DOI/GTN-P Climate and active-layer data acquired in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 1998–2014
Frank E. Urban, Gary D. Clow
2016, Data Series 977
This report provides data collected by the climate monitoring array of the U.S. Department of the Interior on Federal lands in Arctic Alaska over the period August 1998 to July 2014; this array is part of the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (DOI/GTN-P). In addition to presenting data, this report...
The physiology of mangrove trees with changing climate
Catherine E. Lovelock, Ken W. Krauss, Michael J. Osland, Ruth Reef, Marilyn C. Ball
Frederick C. Meinzer, Ulo Niinemets, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Tree physiology: Adaptations and responses in a changing environment
Mangrove forests grow on saline, periodically flooded soils of the tropical and subtropical coasts. The tree species that comprise the mangrove are halophytes that have suites of traits that confer differing levels of tolerance of salinity, aridity, inundation and extremes of temperature. Here we review how climate change and elevated...
Groundwater quality, age, and susceptibility and vulnerability to nitrate contamination with linkages to land use and groundwater flow, Upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin, Colorado, 2013
Tristan P. Wellman, Michael G. Rupert
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5020
The Upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin is located about 25 kilometers east of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The primary aquifer is a productive section of unconsolidated deposits that overlies bedrock units of the Denver Basin and is a critical resource for local water needs, including irrigation, domestic, and commercial use. The...
Geologic map of the Sauvie Island quadrangle, Multnomah and Columbia Counties, Oregon, and Clark County, Washington
Russell C. Evarts, Jim O’Connor, Charles M. Cannon
2016, Scientific Investigations Map 3349
Introduction The Sauvie Island 7.5' quadrangle is situated in the Puget-Willamette Lowland northwest of downtown Portland, Oreg. This lowland, which extends from Puget Sound to west-central Oregon, is a complex structural and topographic trough between the Coast Range and the Cascade Range. Since late Eocene time, the Cascade Range has been...
Benefits and limitations of using decision analytic tools to assess uncertainty and prioritize Landscape Conservation Cooperative information needs
Max Post van der Burg, Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Tracy R. Holcombe, Richard D. Nelson
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 280-290
The Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of partnerships throughout North America that are tasked with integrating science and management to support more effective delivery of conservation at a landscape scale. In order to achieve this integration, some LCCs have adopted the approach of providing their partners with better...
