Rapid fluvial incision of a late Holocene lava flow: Insights from LiDAR, alluvial stratigraphy, and numerical modeling
Kristin Sweeney, Joshua J. Roering
2016, GSA Bulletin (129) 500-512
Volcanic eruptions fundamentally alter landscapes, paving over channels, decimating biota, and emplacing fresh, unweathered material. The fluvial incision of blocky lava flows is a geomorphic puzzle. First, high surface permeability and lack of sediment should preclude geomorphically effective surface runoff and dissection. Furthermore, past work has demonstrated the importance of...
Calibrated acoustic emission system records M -3.5 to M -8 events generated on a saw-cut granite sample
Gregory C. McLaskey, David A. Lockner
2016, Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (49) 4527-4536
Acoustic emission (AE) analyses have been used for decades for rock mechanics testing, but because AE systems are not typically calibrated, the absolute sizes of dynamic microcrack growth and other physical processes responsible for the generation of AEs are poorly constrained. We describe a calibration technique for the AE recording...
Age, distribution and style of deformation in Alaska north of 60°N: Implications for assembly of Alaska
Thomas E. Moore, Stephen E. Box
2016, Tectonophysics (691) 133-170
The structural architecture of Alaska is the product of a complex history of deformation along both the Cordilleran and Arctic margins of North America involving oceanic plates, subduction zones and strike-slip faults and with continental elements of Laurentia, Baltica, and Siberia. We use geological constraints to assign regions of deformation...
Mid-21st-century climate changes increase predicted fire occurrence and fire season length, Northern Rocky Mountains, United States
Karin L. Riley, Rachel A. Loehman
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Climate changes are expected to increase fire frequency, fire season length, and cumulative area burned in the western United States. We focus on the potential impact of mid-21st-century climate changes on annual burn probability, fire season length, and large fire characteristics including number and size for a study area in...
New findings of twisted-wing parasites (Strepsiptera) in Alaska
Molly Mcdermott
2016, Newsletter of the Alaska Entomological Society (9) 6-8
Strepsipterans are a group of insects with a gruesome life history and an enigmatic evolutionary past. Called ‘twisted-wing parasites’, they are minute parasitoids with a very distinct morphology (Figure 1). Alternatively thought to be related to ichneumon wasps, Diptera (flies), Coleoptera (beetles), and even Neuroptera (net-winged insects) (Pohl and Beutel,...
Spatial prediction of wheat Septoria leaf blotch (Septoria tritici) disease severity in central Ethiopia
Tewodros Wakie, Sunil Kumar, Gabriel B. Senay, Abera Takele, Alemu Lencho
2016, Ecological Informatics (36) 15-30
A number of studies have reported the presence of wheat septoria leaf blotch (Septoria tritici; SLB) disease in Ethiopia. However, the environmental factors associated with SLB disease, and areas under risk of SLB disease, have not been studied. Here, we tested the hypothesis that environmental variables can adequately explain observed...
A suspended dive-net technique for catching territorial divers
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Daniel Rizzolo, Kenneth G. Wright, Joel A. Schmutz
2016, Ringing and Migration (31) 19-22
A variety of methods such as night-lighting and lift nets have been used to catch divers (Gavidae), although 24-hour daylight in the Arctic summer and the remote nature of field sites can make the use of these traditional methods impossible. Our research required capture of adult divers at remote locations...
Filling the interspace—restoring arid land mosses: source populations, organic matter, and overwintering govern success
Lea Condon, David A. Pyke
2016, Ecology and Evolution (6) 7623-7632
Biological soil crusts contribute to ecosystem functions and occupy space that could be available to invasive annual grasses. Given disturbances in the semiarid shrub steppe communities, we embarked on a set of studies to investigate restoration potential of mosses in sagebrush steppe ecosystems. We examined establishment and growth of two...
Development of novel microsatellite markers for the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and their utility in cross-species amplification
Christy Haughey, George K. Sage, Gabriel Degange, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. Talbot
2016, Avian Biology Research (9) 195-199
The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is a large forest raptor with a Holarctic distribution and, in some portions of its range, a species of conservation concern. To augment previously reported genetic markers, 13 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed to establish individual identification and familial relationships, to assess levels of...
Environmental drivers of differences in microbial community structure in crude oil reservoirs across a methanogenic gradient
Jenna L. Shelton, Denise M. Akob, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Noah Fierer, John R. Spear, Peter D. Warwick, John E. McCray
2016, Frontiers in Microbiology (7)
Stimulating in situ microbial communities in oil reservoirs to produce natural gas is a potentially viable strategy for recovering additional fossil fuel resources following traditional recovery operations. Little is known about what geochemical parameters drive microbial population dynamics in biodegraded, methanogenic oil reservoirs. We investigated if microbial community structure was...
King Rail (Rallus elegans) Nesting and Brood Rearing Ecology at Red Slough WMA, SE Oklahoma
David G. Krementz, Karen L. Willard, M. Carroll, Katie M. Dugger
2016, Waterbirds (39) 241-249
Regional meteorological drivers and long term trends of winter-spring nitrate dynamics across watersheds in northeastern North America
Jill Crossman, M Catherine Eimers, Nora J. Casson, Douglas A. Burns, John L. Campbell, Gene E Likens, Myron J Mitchell, Sarah J. Nelson, James B. Shanley, Shaun A. Watmough, Kara L Webster
2016, Biogeochemistry (130) 247-265
This study evaluated the contribution of winter rain-on-snow (ROS) events to annual and seasonal nitrate (N-NO3) export and identified the regional meteorological drivers of inter-annual variability in ROS N-NO3 export (ROS-N) at 9 headwater streams located across Ontario, Canada and the northeastern United States. Although on average only 3.3 %...
Long-term continuous acoustical suspended-sediment measurements in rivers – Theory, evaluation, and results from 14 stations on five rivers
David J. Topping, Scott Wright, Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Dean
2016, Conference Paper, River Flow 2016, Proceedings of the International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics
We have developed a physically based method for using two acoustic frequencies to measure suspended-silt-and-clay concentration, suspended-sand concentration, and suspended-sand median grain size in river cross sections at 15-minute intervals over decadal timescales. The method is strongly grounded in the extensive scientific literature on the scattering of sound by...
Migratory bird habitat in relation to tile drainage and poorly drained hydrologic soil groups
Brandi Kastner, Victoria G. Christensen, Tanja N. Williamson, Christopher A. Sanocki
2016, Conference Paper, 10th International Drainage Symposium Conference
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is home to more than 50% of the migratory waterfowl in North America. Although the PPR provides an abundance of temporary and permanent wetlands for nesting and feeding, increases in commodity prices and agricultural drainage practices have led to a trend of wetland drainage. The...
Organizing environmental flow frameworks to meet hydropower mitigation needs
Ryan A. McManamay, Shannon K. Brewer, Henriette Jager, Matthew J. Troia
2016, Environmental Management (58) 365-385
The global recognition of the importance of natural flow regimes to sustain the ecological integrity of river systems has led to increased societal pressure on the hydropower industry to change plant operations to improve downstream aquatic ecosystems. However, a complete reinstatement of natural flow regimes is often unrealistic when balancing...
Evaluation of gas production potential from gas hydrate deposits in National Petroleum Reserve Alaska using numerical simulations
Manish S. Nandanwar, Brian J. Anderson, Taiwo Ajayi, Timothy S. Collett, Margarita V. Zyrianova
2016, Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering (36) 760-772
An evaluation of the gas production potential of Sunlight Peak gas hydrate accumulation in the eastern portion of the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA) of Alaska North Slope (ANS) is conducted using numerical simulations, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gas hydrate Life Cycle Assessment program. A field...
Effects of land use and sample location on nitrate-stream flow hysteresis descriptors during storm events
Lawrence S. Feinson, Jacob Gibs, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Jessica D. Garrett
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 1493-1508
The U.S. Geological Survey's New Jersey and Iowa Water Science Centers deployed ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometric sensors at water-quality monitoring sites on the Passaic and Pompton Rivers at Two Bridges, New Jersey, on Toms River at Toms River, New Jersey, and on the North Raccoon River near Jefferson, Iowa to continuously measure...
Analyses of infrequent (quasi-decadal) large groundwater recharge events in the northern Great Basin: Their importance for groundwater availability, use, and management
Melissa D. Masbruch, Christine Rumsey, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, David D. Susong, Tom Pruitt
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 7819-7836
There has been a considerable amount of research linking climatic variability to hydrologic responses in the western United States. Although much effort has been spent to assess and predict changes in surface water resources, little has been done to understand how climatic events and changes affect groundwater resources. This study...
Temperature and hydrology affect methane emissions from Prairie Pothole Wetlands
Sheel Bansal, Brian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro
2016, Wetlands (36) 371-381
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) in central North America consists of millions of depressional wetlands that each have considerable potential to emit methane (CH4). Changes in temperature and hydrology in the PPR from climate change may affect methane fluxes from these wetlands. To assess the potential effects of changes in...
Effects of consumption-oriented versus trophy-oriented fisheries on Muskellunge population size structure in northern Wisconsin
Matthew D. Faust, Michael J. Hansen
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 1336-1346
To determine whether a consumption-oriented fishery was compatible with a trophy-oriented fishery for Muskellunge Esox masquinongy, we modeled effects of a spearing fishery and recreational angling fishery on population size structure (i.e., numbers of fish ≥ 102, 114, and 127 cm) in northern Wisconsin. An individual-based simulation model was used...
Dense surface seismic data confirm non-double-couple source mechanisms induced by hydraulic fracturing
Jeremy Pesicek, Konrad Cieslik, Marc-Andre Lambert, Pedro Carrillo, Brad Birkelo
2016, Geophysics (81) KS207-KS217
We have determined source mechanisms for nine high-quality microseismic events induced during hydraulic fracturing of the Montney Shale in Canada. Seismic data were recorded using a dense regularly spaced grid of sensors at the surface. The design and geometry of the survey are such that the recorded P-wave amplitudes essentially...
Review of footnotes and annotations to the 1949–2013 tables of standard atomic weights and tables of isotopic compositions of the elements (IUPAC Technical Report)
Tyler B. Coplen, Norman E. Holden
2016, Pure and Applied Chemistry (88) 689-699
The Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights uses annotations given in footnotes that are an integral part of the Tables of Standard Atomic Weights to alert users to the possibilities of quite extraordinary occurrences, as well as sources with abnormal atomic-weight values outside an otherwise acceptable range. The basic...
Application of decision science to resilience management in Jamaica Bay
Mitchell J. Eaton, Angela K. Fuller, Fred A. Johnson, M. P. Hare, Richard C. Stedman
E.W. Sanderson, W. D. Solecki, J.R. Waldman, A. S. Paris, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Prospects for resilience: Insights from New York City's Jamaica Bay
This book highlights the growing interest in management interventions designed to enhance the resilience of the Jamaica Bay socio-ecological system. Effective management, whether the focus is on managing biological processes or human behavior or (most likely) both, requires decision makers to anticipate how the managed system will respond to...
Chemical and isotopic changes in Williston Basin brines during long-term oil production: An example from the Poplar dome, Montana
Zell E. Peterman, Joanna N. Thamke
2016, AAPG Bulletin (100) 1619-1632
Brine samples were collected from 30 conventional oil wells producing mostly from the Charles Formation of the Madison Group in the East and Northwest Poplar oil fields on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana. Dissolved concentrations of major ions, trace metals, Sr isotopes, and stable isotopes (oxygen and hydrogen) were...
Comment on “Reconciliation of the Devils Hole climate record with orbital forcing”
Tyler B. Coplen
2016, Science (354) 296-296
Moseley et al.’s (Reports, 8 January 2016, p. 165) preferred-Termination-II age is subjective, as evidenced by variation in their Termination-II ages of 2500 years per meter. Termination-II-age bias decreases to zero at ~1.5 meters below the present-day water table, if one assumes linear variation with core-sample height. Maintaining the required...
