Conifer density within lake catchments predicts fish mercury concentrations in remote subalpine lakes
Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Garth Herring, Branden L. Johnson, Rick Graw
2016, Environmental Pollution (212) 279-289
Remote high-elevation lakes represent unique environments for evaluating the bioaccumulation of atmospherically deposited mercury through freshwater food webs, as well as for evaluating the relative importance of mercury loading versus landscape influences on mercury bioaccumulation. The increase in mercury deposition to these systems over the past century, coupled with their...
Physical and chemical constraints limit the habitat window for an endangered mussel
Cara Campbell, Karen L. Prestegaard
2016, Hydrobiologia (772) 77-91
Development of effective conservation and restoration strategies for freshwater pearly mussels requires identification of environmental constraints on the distributions of individual mussel species. We examined whether the spatial distribution of the endangered Alasmidonta heterodon in Flat Brook, a tributary of the upper Delaware River, was constrained by water chemistry (i.e.,...
Endangered species management and ecosystem restoration: Finding the common ground
Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, Thuy-Vy D. Bui, Joshua M. Hull, Joy D. Albertson, Valary K. Bloom, Steven Bobzien, Jennifer McBroom, Marilyn Latta, Peggy Olofson, Tobias M. Rohmer, Steven E. Schwarzbach, Donald R. Strong, Erik Grijalva, Julian K. Wood, Shannon Skalos, John Y. Takekawa
2016, Ecology and Society (21)
Management actions to protect endangered species and conserve ecosystem function may not always be in precise alignment. Efforts to recover the California Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus obsoletus; hereafter, California rail), a federally and state-listed species, and restoration of tidal marsh ecosystems in the San Francisco Bay estuary provide a prime...
Does biodiversity protect humans against infectious disease? Reply
Chelsea L. Wood, Kevin D. Lafferty, Giulio DeLeo, Hillary S. Young, Peter J. Hudson, Armand M. Kuris
2016, Ecology (97) 543-546
The dilution effect is the sort of idea that everyone wants to be true. If nature protects humans against infectious disease, imagine the implications: nature's value could be tallied in terms of human suffering avoided. This makes a potent argument for conservation, convincing even to those who would otherwise be disinclined...
Reflectance spectroscopy (0.35–8 μm) of ammonium-bearing minerals and qualitative comparison to Ceres-like asteroids
Breanne L. Berg, Edward A. Cloutis, P. Beck, P. Vernazza, Janice L Bishop, Driss Takir, V. Reddy, D. Applin, Paul Mann
2016, Icarus (265) 218-237
Ammonium-bearing minerals have been suggested to be present on Mars, Ceres, and various asteroids and comets. We undertook a systematic study of the spectral reflectance properties of ammonium-bearing minerals and compounds that have possible planetary relevance (i.e., ammonium carbonates, chlorides, nitrates, oxalates, phosphates, silicates, and sulfates). Various synthetic and natural...
Continental Shelf Morphology and Stratigraphy Offshore San Onofre, CA: The Interplay Between Rates of Eustatic Change and Sediment Supply
Shannon Klotsko, Neal W. Driscoll, Graham Kent, Daniel S. Brothers
2016, Marine Geology (369) 116-126
New high-resolution CHIRP seismic data acquired offshore San Onofre, southern California reveal that shelf sediment distribution and thickness are primarily controlled by eustatic sea level rise and sediment supply. Throughout the majority of the study region, a prominent abrasion platform and associated shoreline cutoff are observed in the subsurface from...
Integrated risk and recovery monitoring of ecosystem restorations on contaminated sites
Michael J. Hooper, Stephen J. Glomb, David Harper, Timothy B. Hoelzle, Lisa M. McIntosh, David R. Mulligan
2016, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (12) 284-295
Ecological restorations of contaminated sites balance the human and ecological risks of residual contamination with the benefits of ecological recovery and the return of lost ecological function and ecosystem services. Risk and recovery are interrelated dynamic conditions, changing as remediation and restoration activities progress through implementation into long-term management and...
Salinity effects on plasma ion levels, cortisol, and osmolality in Chinook salmon following lethal sampling
Heather Stewart, David L. G. Noakes, Karen M. Cogliati, James Peterson, Martin H. Iversen, Carl B. Schreck
2016, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology (192) 38-43
Studies on hydromineral balance in fishes frequently employ measurements of electrolytes following euthanasia. We tested the effects of fresh- or salt-water euthanasia baths of tricaine mesylate (MS-222) on plasma magnesium (Mg2+) and sodium (Na+) ions, cortisoland osmolality in fish exposed to saltwater challenges, and the ion and steroid hormone fluctuations over time...
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...
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...
Elevated Rocky Mountain elk numbers prevent positive effects of fire on quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) recruitment
David Solance Smith, Stephen M. Fettig, Matthew A. Bowker
2016, Forest Ecology and Management (362) 46-54
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is the most widespread tree species in North America and has supported a unique ecosystem for tens of thousands of years, yet is currently threatened by dramatic loss and possible local extinctions. While multiple factors such as climate change and fire suppression are thought to contribute...
Mercury in fish and macroinvertebrates from New York's streams and rivers: A compendium of data sources
Karen Riva-Murray, Douglas A. Burns
2016, Report 16-07
The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled a list of existing data sets, from selected sources, containing mercury (Hg) concentration data in fish and macroinvertebrate samples that were collected from flowing waters of New York State from 1970 through 2014. Data sets selected for inclusion in this report were limited to...
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...
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...
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...
Evaluating geothermal and hydrogeologic controls on regional groundwater temperature distribution
Erick R. Burns, Steven E. Ingebritsen, Michael Manga, Colin F. Williams
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 1328-1344
A one-dimensional (1-D) analytic solution is developed for heat transport through an aquifer system where the vertical temperature profile in the aquifer is nearly uniform. The general anisotropic form of the viscous heat generation term is developed for use in groundwater flow simulations. The 1-D solution is extended to more...
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...
Recent rates of carbon accumulation in montane fens ofYosemite National Park, California, U.S.A.
Judith Z. Drexler, Christopher C. Fuller, James L. Orlando, Peggy E. Moore
2016, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (47) 657-659
Little is known about recent rates of carbon storage in montane peatlands, particularly in the western United States. Here we report on recent rates of carbon accumulation (past 50 to 100 years) in montane groundwater-fed peatlands (fens) of Yosemite National Park in central California, U.S.A. Peat cores were collected at...
Ungulate reproductive parameters track satellite observations of plant phenology across latitude and climatological regimes
David Stoner, Joseph O. Sexton, Jyoteshwar Nagol, Heather H. Bernales, Thomas C. Edwards Jr.
2016, PLoS ONE (11) 1-19
The effect of climatically-driven plant phenology on mammalian reproduction is one key to predicting species-specific demographic responses to climate change. Large ungulates face their greatest energetic demands from the later stages of pregnancy through weaning, and so in seasonal environments parturition dates should match periods of high primary productivity. Interannual...
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...
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...
Constraints on the source parameters of low-frequency earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault
Amanda M. Thomas, Gregory C. Beroza, David R. Shelly
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 1464-1471
Low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) are small repeating earthquakes that occur in conjunction with deep slow slip. Like typical earthquakes, LFEs are thought to represent shear slip on crustal faults, but when compared to earthquakes of the same magnitude, LFEs are depleted in high-frequency content and have lower corner frequencies, implying longer...
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...
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...
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,...
