Natural disturbance shapes benthic intertidal macroinvertebrate communities of high latitude river deltas
Roy T. Churchwell, Steve J. Kendall, Amy L. Blanchard, Kenneth H. Dunton, Abby N. Powell
2016, Estuaries and Coasts (39) 798-814
Unlike lower latitude coastlines, the estuarine nearshore zones of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea are icebound and frozen up to 9 months annually. This annual freezing event represents a dramatic physical disturbance to fauna living within intertidal sediments. The main objectives of this study were to describe the benthic communities of Beaufort...
Water-quality data and Escherichia coli predictions for selected karst catchments of the upper Duck River watershed in central Tennessee, 2007–10
Jennifer C. Murphy, James Farmer, Alice Layton
2016, Data Series 1003
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Tennessee Duck River Development Agency, monitored water quality at several locations in the upper Duck River watershed between October 2007 and September 2010. Discrete water samples collected at 24 sites in the watershed were analyzed for water quality, and Escherichia coli (E....
Shifts in the distribution of molting Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) indicate ecosystem change in the Arctic
Matthew G. Sexson, Margaret R. Petersen, Greg A. Breed, Abby N. Powell
2016, The Condor (118) 463-476
Shifts in the distribution of benthivorous predators provide an indication of underlying environmental changes in benthic-mediated ecosystems. Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri) are benthivorous sea ducks that spend the nonbreeding portion of their annual cycle in the Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort, and East Siberian seas. Sea ducks generally molt in biologically...
Refined depositional history and dating of the Tongaporutuan reference section, north Taranaki, New Zealand: new volcanic ash U-Pb zircon ages, biostratigraphy and sedimentation rates
K.L. Maier, Martin P. Crundwell, Matthew A. Coble, Peter R. Kingsley-Smith, Stephan A. Graham
2016, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics (59) 313-329
This study presents new radiometric ages from volcanic ash beds within a c. 1900 m thick, progradational, deep-water clastic slope succession of late Miocene age exposed along the north Taranaki coast of the North Island, New Zealand. The ash beds yield U–Pb zircon ages ranging from 10.63 ± 0.65 Ma...
Comparison of geochemical data obtained using four brine sampling methods at the SECARB Phase III Anthropogenic Test CO2 injection site, Citronelle Oil Field, Alabama
Christopher H. Conaway, James J. Thordsen, Michael A. Manning, Paul J. Cook, Robert C. Trautz, Burt Thomas, Yousif K. Kharaka
2016, International Journal of Coal Geology (162) 85-95
The chemical composition of formation water and associated gases from the lower Cretaceous Paluxy Formation was determined using four different sampling methods at a characterization well in the Citronelle Oil Field, Alabama, as part of the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) Phase III Anthropogenic Test, which is an integrated...
Greenhouse gas fluxes of a shallow lake in south-central North Dakota, USA
Brian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro, Robert A. Gleason, Charles F. Dahl
2016, Wetlands (36) 779-787
Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes of aquatic ecosystems in the northern Great Plains of the U.S. represent a significant data gap. Consequently, a 3-year study was conducted in south-central North Dakota, USA, to provide an initial estimate of GHG fluxes from a large, shallow lake. Mean GHG fluxes were 0.02 g...
Ashy Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma homochroa mist-netting and capture rates in the California Channel Islands, 2004–2007
Josh Adams
2016, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (44) 71-82
The California Channel Islands (CCI) provide essential nesting habitat for a significant portion of the world’s Ashy Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma homochroa (ASSP) breeding population, but true abundance at this locality is not well known. Land-based nocturnal mistnetting has been conducted sporadically in the CCI since 1976, with variation in techniques and...
Occurrence, morphometrics, and plumage variability among Leach’s Storm-Petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa in the California Channel Islands, 1976–2015
Josh Adams, Harry R. Carter, Gerard McChesney, Darrell L. Whitworth
2016, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (44) 113-119
We mist-netted and examined Leach’s Storm-Petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa (LESP) caught during 1991–2015 at three locations in the California Channel Islands (CCI): Prince Island, Santa Barbara-Sutil islands and Scorpion Rock. Although mist-netting methods and effort varied between two study periods (1991–1995, 2004–2007 and 2015), during 750 h effort we captured 41...
Impacts of climate change and renewable energy development on habitat of an endemic squirrel, Xerospermophilus mohavensis, in the Mojave Desert, USA
Richard D. Inman, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth E. Nussear, Philip Leitner, Marjorie D. Matocq, Peter J. Weisberg, Thomas E. Dilts
2016, Biological Conservation (200) 112-121
Predicting changes in species distributions under a changing climate is becoming widespread with the use of species distribution models (SDMs). The resulting predictions of future potential habitat can be cast in light of planned land use changes, such as urban expansion and energy development to identify areas with potential conflict....
Predation on larval suckers in the Williamson River Delta revealed by molecular genetic assays—A pilot study
Danielle M. Hereford, Carl O. Ostberg, Summer M. Burdick
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1094
Predation of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) during larval egress to Upper Klamath Lake from the Williamson River is poorly understood but may be an important factor limiting recruitment into adult spawning populations. Native and non-native piscivores are abundant in nursery wetland habitat,...
Earthquake outlook for the San Francisco Bay region 2014–2043
Brad T. Aagaard, J. Luke Blair, John Boatwright, Susan H. Garcia, Ruth A. Harris, Andrew J. Michael, David P. Schwartz, Jeanne S. DiLeo
Kate Jacques, Carolyn Donlin, editor(s)
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3020
Using information from recent earthquakes, improved mapping of active faults, and a new model for estimating earthquake probabilities, the 2014 Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities updated the 30-year earthquake forecast for California. They concluded that there is a 72 percent probability (or likelihood) of at least one earthquake of...
Anthropogenic disturbance and environmental associations with fish assemblage structure in two nonwadeable rivers
T. P. Parks, Michael C. Quist, C.L. Pierce
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 66-84
Nonwadeable rivers are unique ecosystems that support high levels of aquatic biodiversity, yet they have been greatly altered by human activities. Although riverine fish assemblages have been studied in the past, we still have an incomplete understanding of how fish assemblages respond to both natural and anthropogenic influences in large...
Water resources of Washington Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
2016, Fact Sheet 2015-3083
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Washington Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-resource management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on the availability,...
Concentration trends for lead and calcium-normalized lead in fish fillets from the Big River, a mining-contaminated stream in southeastern Missouri USA
Christopher J. Schmitt, Michael J. McKee
2016, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (97) 593-600
Lead (Pb) and calcium (Ca) concentrations were measured in fillet samples of longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) and redhorse suckers (Moxostoma spp.) collected in 2005–2012 from the Big River, which drains a historical mining area in southeastern Missouri and where a consumption advisory is in effect due to elevated Pb concentrations...
Geologic evolution of the lower Connecticut River valley: Influence of bedrock geology, glacial deposits, and sea level
Janet Radway Stone, Ralph S. Lewis
2016, Guidebook 8
This fieldtrip illustrates the character of the lower Connecticut River bedrock valley, in particular its depth, and the lithology and structure of bedrock units it crosses. It examines the character and distribution of the glaciodeltaic terraces that partially fill the valley and discusses the depth of postglacial incision into them....
California State Waters Map Series — Monterey Canyon and vicinity, California
Peter Dartnell, Katherine L. Maier, Mercedes D. Erdey, Bryan E. Dieter, Nadine E. Golden, Samuel Y. Johnson, Stephen R. Hartwell, Guy R. Cochrane, Andrew C. Ritchie, David P. Finlayson, Rikk G. Kvitek, Ray W. Sliter, H. Gary Greene, Clifton W. Davenport, Charles A. Endris, Lisa M. Krigsman
Peter Dartnell, Susan A. Cochran, editor(s)
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1072
IntroductionIn 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration,...
Book review: Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act: Environmental litigation and the crippling battle over America's lands, endangered species, and critical habitats
John F. Organ
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 1336-1337
Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act is authored by Lowell E. Baier, an attorney, political scientist, and historian whose conservation portfolio includes the J. N. “Ding” Darling Conservation Award from the National Wildlife Federation (2016), Citizen Conservationist Award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2013), Conservationist of...
Jaguar surveying and monitoring in the United States
Melanie Culver
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1095
Because of the jaguar’s (Panthera onca) endangered status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 throughout its range (from Arizona in the north to Argentina in the south), jaguar individuals and populations are monitored to varying degrees throughout their range. Knowledge gained from monitoring jaguars is helpful for wildlife...
Salmon redd identification using environmental DNA (eDNA)
David S. Pilliod, Matthew B. Laramie
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1091
IntroductionThe purpose of this project was to develop a technique to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to distinguish between redds made by Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and redds made by Coho salmon (O. kisutch) and to distinguish utilized redds from test/abandoned redds or scours that have the appearance of redds. The...
Bathymetric survey and digital elevation model of Little Holland Tract, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Alexander G. Snyder, Jessica R. Lacy, Andrew W. Stevens, Emily M. Carlson
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1093
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a bathymetric survey in Little Holland Tract, a flooded agricultural tract, in the northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the “Delta”) during the summer of 2015. The new bathymetric data were combined with existing data to generate a digital elevation model (DEM) at 1-meter resolution. Little Holland...
Evidence for serial discontinuity in the fish community of a heavily impounded river
Leandro E. Miranda, D.J. Dembkowski
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 1187-1195
In the Tennessee River, USA, we examined lengthwise patterns in fish community structure and species richness within and among nine reservoirs organized in sequence and connected through navigational locks. Within reservoirs, the riverine, transition and lacustrine zones supported distinct, although overlapping, nearshore fish assemblages; differences were also reflected in measures...
Retention of riveted aluminum leg bands by wild turkeys
Duane R. Diefenbach, Wendy C. Vreeland, Mary Jo Casalena, Michael V. Schiavone
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 162-164
In order for mark–recapture models to provide unbiased estimates of population parameters, it is critical that uniquely identifying tags or marks are not lost. We double-banded male and female wild turkeys with aluminum rivet bands and estimated the probability that a bird would be recovered with both bands <1–225 wk...
A comparison of acoustic montoring methods for common anurans of the northeastern United States
Corinne Brauer, Therese Donovan, Ruth M. Mickey, Jonathan Katz, Brian R. Mitchell
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 140-149
Many anuran monitoring programs now include autonomous recording units (ARUs). These devices collect audio data for extended periods of time with little maintenance and at sites where traditional call surveys might be difficult. Additionally, computer software programs have grown increasingly accurate at automatically identifying the calls of species. However, increased...
Resisting resilience theory: a response to Connell, Sean D, and Ghedini, Giulia
Shana M. Sundstrom, Craig R. Allen, Lance Gunderson
2016, Trends in Ecology and Evolution (31) 412-413
Estimation of daily mean streamflow for ungaged stream locations in the Delaware River Basin, water years 1960–2010
Marla H. Stuckey
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5157
The ability to characterize baseline streamflow conditions, compare them with current conditions, and assess effects of human activities on streamflow is fundamental to water-management programs addressing water allocation, human-health issues, recreation needs, and establishment of ecological flow criteria. The U.S. Geological Survey, through the National Water Census, has developed the...
