The road to Yucca Mountain—Evolution of nuclear waste disposal in the United States
John S. Stuckless, Robert A. Levich
2016, Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (22) 1-25
The generation of electricity by nuclear power and the manufacturing of atomic weapons have created a large amount of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. There is a world-wide consensus that the best way to protect mankind and the environment is to dispose of this waste in a deep...
Corrigendum to “Widespread occurrence of (per)chlorate in the Solar System” [Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 430 (2015) 470–476]
W. Andrew Jackson, Alfonso F. Davila, Derek W. G. Sears, John D. Coates, Christopher P. McKay, Maeghan Brundrett, Nubia Estrada, J.K. Bohlke
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (436) 142-143
The authors regret that two sets of data (Atacama (Rao et al., 2010) and Mars Meteorite Range (Kounaves et al., 2014)) in Fig. 2 of our article were plotted in the wrong units. The correction does not change the relationship between ClO<mrow...
Fertility of the early post-eruptive surfaces of Kasatochi Island volcano
G. J. Michaelson, Bronwen Wang, C. L. Ping
2016, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (48) 45-59
In the four years after the 2008 eruption and burial of Kasatochi Island volcano, erosion and the return of bird activity have resulted in new and altered land surfaces and initiation of ecosystem recovery. We examined fertility characteristics of the recently deposited pyroclastic surfaces, patches of legacy pre-eruptive surface soil...
At the foot of the smoking mountains: The 2014 scientific investigations in the Islands of the Four Mountains
Virginia Hatfield, Kale Bruner, Dixie West, Arkady Savinetsky, Olga Krylovich, Bulat Khasanov, Dmitry Vasyukov, Zhanna Antipushina, Mitsuru Okuno, Susan Crockford, Kirsten Nicolaysen, Breanyn MacInnes, Lyman Persico, Pavel Izbekov, Christina A. Neal, Thomas Bartlett III, Lydia Loopesko, Anne Fulton
2016, Arctic Anthropology (53) 141-159
An interdisciplinary research team conducted archaeological, geological, and biological investigations in the Islands of the Four Mountains, Alaska during the summer of 2014 as part of a three-year project to study long-term geological and ecological patterns and processes with respect to human settlement. Researchers investigated three archaeological sites on Chuginadak...
Comparison of measurement- and proxy-based Vs30 values in California
Alan K. Yong
2016, Earthquake Spectra (32) 171-192
This study was prompted by the recent availability of a significant amount of openly accessible measured VS30 values and the desire to investigate the trend of using proxy-based models to predict VS30 in the absence of measurements. Comparisons between measured and model-based values were performed. The measured data included 503...
Evidence for nonuniform permafrost degradation after fire in boreal landscapes
Burke J. Minsley, Neal J. Pastick, Bruce K. Wylie, Dana R.N. Brown, M. Andy Kass
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (121) 320-335
Fire can be a significant driver of permafrost change in boreal landscapes, altering the availability of soil carbon and nutrients that have important implications for future climate and ecological succession. However, not all landscapes are equally susceptible to fire-induced change. As fire frequency is expected to increase in the high...
Erosional and depositional history of the Atlantic passive margin as recorded in detrital zircon fission-track ages and lithic detritus in Atlantic Coastal plain sediments
C. W. Naeser, N.D. Naeser, Lucy E. Edwards, Robert E. Weems, C. Scott Southworth, Wayne L. Newell
2016, American Journal of Science (316) 110-168
Comparison of fission-track (FT) ages of detrital zircons recovered from Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments to FT ages of zircons from bedrock in source terranes in the Appalachians provides a key to understanding the provenance of the sediments and, in turn, the erosional and depositional history of the Atlantic passive...
Differences in impacts of Hurricane Sandy on freshwater swamps on the Delmarva Peninsula, Mid−Atlantic Coast, USA
Beth A. Middleton
2016, Ecological Engineering (87) 62-70
Hurricane wind and surge may have different influences on the subsequent composition of forests. During Hurricane Sandy, while damaging winds were highest near landfall in New Jersey, inundation occurred along the entire eastern seaboard from Georgia to Maine. In this study, a comparison of damage from salinity intrusion vs. wind/surge...
Book review: Mineral resource estimation
Mark J. Mihalasky
2016, Economic Geology (111) 272-274
Mineral Resource Estimation is about estimating mineral resources at the scale of an ore deposit and is not to be mistaken with mineral resource assessment, which is undertaken at a significantly broader scale, even if similar data and geospatial/geostatistical methods are used. The book describes geological, statistical, and geostatistical tools...
Characterization of gas hydrate distribution using conventional 3D seismic data in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea
Xiujuan Wang, Jin Qiang, Timothy S. Collett, Hesheng Shi, Shengxiong Yang, Chengzhi Yan, Yuanping Li, Zhenzhen Wang, Duanxin Chen
2016, Interpretation (4) SA25-SA37
A new 3D seismic reflection data volume acquired in 2012 has allowed for the detailed mapping and characterization of gas hydrate distribution in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the South China Sea. Previous studies of core and logging data showed that gas hydrate occurrence at high concentrations is controlled...
Analysis of brook trout spatial behavior during passage attempts in corrugated culverts using near-infrared illumination video imagery
Normand E. Bergeron, Pierre-Marc Constantin, Elsa Goerig, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
2016, Conference Paper
We used video recording and near-infrared illumination to document the spatial behavior of brook trout of various sizes attempting to pass corrugated culverts under different hydraulic conditions. Semi-automated image analysis was used to digitize fish position at high temporal resolution inside the culvert, which allowed calculation of various spatial behavior...
Dynamic occupancy models for explicit colonization processes
Kristin M. Broms, Mevin Hooten, Devin S. Johnson, Res Altwegg, Loveday Conquest
2016, Ecology (97) 194-204
The dynamic, multi-season occupancy model framework has become a popular tool for modeling open populations with occupancies that change over time through local colonizations and extinctions. However, few versions of the model relate these probabilities to the occupancies of neighboring sites or patches. We present a modeling framework that incorporates...
Impacts of climate change on land-use and wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America
Benjamin S. Rashford, Richard M. Adams, Jun Wu, Richard A. Voldseth, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Brett Werner, W. Carter Johnson
2016, Regional Environmental Change (16) 515-526
Wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is closely linked to climate. A warmer and drier climate, as predicted, will negatively affect the productivity of PPR wetlands and the services they provide. The effect of climate change on wetland productivity, however, will not only depend on...
Prospecting for marine gas hydrate resources
Ray Boswell, Craig Shipp, Thomas Reichel, Dianna Shelander, Tetsuo Saeki, Matthew Frye, William Shedd, Timothy S. Collett, Daniel R. McConnell
2016, Interpretation (4) SA13-SA24
As gas hydrate energy assessment matures worldwide, emphasis has evolved away from confirmation of the mere presence of gas hydrate to the more complex issue of prospecting for those specific accumulations that are viable resource targets. Gas hydrate exploration now integrates the unique pressure and temperature preconditions for gas hydrate...
Greenhouse gas fluxes from salt marshes exposed to chronic nutrient enrichment
Gail L. Chmura, Lisa Kellman, Lee van Ardenne, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
We assessed the impact of nutrient additions on greenhouse gas fluxes using dark static chambers in a microtidal and a macrotidal marsh along the coast of New Brunswick, Canada approximately monthly over a year. Both were experimentally fertilized for six years with varying levels of N and P. For unfertilized,...
Density, distribution, and genetic structure of grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem
Katherine C. Kendall, Amy C. Macleod, Kristina L. Boyd, John Boulanger, J. Andrew Royle, Wayne F. Kasworm, David Paetkau, Michael F. Proctor, Tabitha A. Graves, Kim Annis
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 314-331
The conservation status of the 2 threatened grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem (CYE) of northern Montana and Idaho had remained unchanged since designation in 1975; however, the current demographic status of these populations was uncertain. No rigorous data on population density and distribution or analysis of...
An assessment of the cultivated cropland class of NLCD 2006 using a multi-source and multi-criteria approach
Patrick Danielson, Limin Yang, Suming Jin, Collin G. Homer, Darrell Napton
2016, Remote Sensing (8)
We developed a method that analyzes the quality of the cultivated cropland class mapped in the USA National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006. The method integrates multiple geospatial datasets and a Multi Index Integrated Change Analysis (MIICA) change detection method that captures spectral changes to identify the spatial distribution and...
Monogenetic volcanoes fed by interconnected dikes and sills in the Hopi Buttes volcanic field, Navajo Nation, USA
James D. Muirhead, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Giuseppe Re, James D. L. White, Michael H. Ort
2016, Bulletin of Volcanology (78) 1-16
Although monogenetic volcanic fields pose hazards to major cities worldwide, their shallow magma feeders (<500 m depth) are rarely exposed and, therefore, poorly understood. Here, we investigate exposures of dikes and sills in the Hopi Buttes volcanic field, Arizona, to shed light on the nature of its magma feeder system. Shallow...
Avian response to fire in pine–oak forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park following decades of fire suppression
Eli T. Rose, Theodore R. Simons
2016, The Condor (118) 179-193
Fire suppression in southern Appalachian pine–oak forests during the past century dramatically altered the bird community. Fire return intervals decreased, resulting in local extirpation or population declines of many bird species adapted to post-fire plant communities. Within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, declines have been strongest for birds inhabiting xeric...
Estimating golden-cheeked warbler immigration: Implications for the spatial scale of conservation
A. Duarte, F.W. Weckerly, M. Schaub, Jeffrey S. Hatfield
2016, Animal Conservation (19) 65-74
Understanding the factors that drive population dynamics is fundamental to species conservation and management. Since the golden-cheeked warbler Setophaga chrysoparia was first listed as endangered, much effort has taken place to monitor warbler abundance, occupancy, reproduction and survival. Yet, despite being directly related to local population dynamics, movement rates have...
Potential drivers of virulence evolution in aquaculture
David A. Kennedy, Gael Kurath, Ilana L. Brito, Maureen K. Purcell, Andrew F. Read, James R. Winton, Andrew R. Wargo
2016, Evolutionary Applications (9) 344-354
Infectious diseases are economically detrimental to aquaculture, and with continued expansion and intensification of aquaculture, the importance of managing infectious diseases will likely increase in the future. Here, we use evolution of virulence theory, along with examples, to identify aquaculture practices that might lead to the evolution of increased pathogen...
A typology of time-scale mismatches and behavioral interventions to diagnose and solve conservation problems
Robyn S. Wilson, David J. Hardisty, Rebecca S. Epanchin-Niell, Michael C. Runge, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Dean L. Urban, Lynn A. Maguire, Alan Hastings, Peter J. Mumby, Debra P. C. Peters
2016, Conservation Biology (30) 42-49
Ecological systems often operate on time scales significantly longer or shorter than the time scales typical of human decision making, which causes substantial difficulty for conservation and management in socioecological systems. For example, invasive species may move faster than humans can diagnose problems and initiate solutions, and climate systems may...
Winter distribution and use of high elevation caves as foraging sites by the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus semotus
Frank Bonaccorso, Kristina Montoya-Aiona, Corinna A. Pinzari, Christopher M. Todd
2016, Technical Report HCSU-068
We examine altitudinal movements involving unusual use of caves by Hawaiian hoary bats, Lasiurus cinereus semotus, during winter and spring in the Mauna Loa Forest Reserve (MLFR), Hawai‘i Island. Acoustic detection of hoary bat vocalizations, were recorded with regularity outside 13 lava tube cave entrances situated between 2,200 to 3,600...
Effects of Climate and land use on diversity, prevalence, and seasonal transmission of avian hematozoa in American Samoa
Carter T. Atkinson, Ruth B. Utuzurrum, Joshua O. Seamon, Mark A. Schmaedick, Dennis Lapointe, Chloe Apelgren, Ariel N. Egan, William Watcher-Weatherwax
2016, Technical Report HCSU-072
The indigenous forest birds of American Samoa are increasingly threatened by changing patterns of rainfall and temperature that are associated with climate change as well as environmental stressors associated with agricultural and urban development, invasive species, and new introductions of avian diseases and disease vectors. Long term changes in their...
Geochemistry of formation waters from the Wolfcamp and “Cline” shales: Insights into brine origin, reservoir connectivity, and fluid flow in the Permian Basin, USA
Mark A. Engle, Francisco R. Reyes, Matthew S. Varonka, William H. Orem, Ma Lin, Adam J. Ianno, Tiffani M. Westphal, Pei Xu, Kenneth C. Carroll
2016, Chemical Geology (425) 76-92
Despite being one of the most important oil producing provinces in the United States, information on basinal hydrogeology and fluid flow in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico is lacking. The source and geochemistry of brines from the basin were investigated (Ordovician- to...
