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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
