Estimating carbon sequestration in the piedmont ecoregion of the United States from 1971 to 2010
Jinxun Liu, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Zhiliang Zhu, Linda S. Heath, Zhengxi Tan, Tamara Wilson, Jason T. Sherba, Decheng Zhou
2016, Carbon Balance and Management (11) 1-13
Background: Human activities have diverse and profound impacts on ecosystem carbon cycles. The Piedmont ecoregion in the eastern United States has undergone significant land use and land cover change in the past few decades. The purpose of this study was to use newly available land use and land cover change...
Dam operations affect route-specific passage and survival of juvenile Chinook salmon at a main-stem diversion dam
Russell W. Perry, Tobias J. Kock, Ian I Couter, Thomas M Garrison, Joel D Hubble, David B Child
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 2009-2019
Diversion dams can negatively affect emigrating juvenile salmon populations because fish must pass through the impounded river created by the dam, negotiate a passage route at the dam and then emigrate through a riverine reach that has been affected by reduced river discharge. To quantify the effects of a main-stem...
Operational thermal remote sensing and lava flow monitoring at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Matthew R. Patrick, James P. Kauahikaua, Tim R. Orr, Ashley G. Davies, Michael S. Ramsey
2016, Geological Society of London Special Publications (426) 489-503
Hawaiian volcanoes are highly accessible and well monitored by ground instruments. Nevertheless, observational gaps remain and thermal satellite imagery has proven useful in Hawai‘i for providing synoptic views of activity during intervals between field visits. Here we describe the beginning of a thermal remote sensing programme at the US Geological...
Aspects of the reproductive ecology of female turtles in New Mexico
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Mickey Agha, Charlie Painter, Levi Cole, Austin Fitzgerald, Kevin Narum, Randy Jennings
2016, Western North American Naturalist (76) 291-297
Data on reproductive ecology of turtles in New Mexico are limited, and some species living there are among the least studied in the United States. We trapped 4 native species of turtles (Apalone spinifera, Chrysemys picta, Pseudemys gorzugi, and Trachemys gaigeae gaigeae) in the Rio Grande and Black River (Pecos...
Late Neogene deformation of the Chocolate Mountains Anticlinorium: Implications for deposition of the Bouse Formation and early evolution of the Lower Colorado River
Sue Beard, Gordon B. Haxel, Rebecca J. Dorsey, Kristin A. McDougall, Carl E. Jacobsen
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings for the 2016 Desert Symposium
Deformation related to late Neogene dextral shear can explain a shift from an estuarine to lacustrine depositional environment in the southern Bouse Formation north of Yuma, Arizona. We infer that late Neogene deformation in the Chocolate Mountain Anticlinorium (CMA) created a barrier that blocked an estuary inlet, and that pre-existing...
Aeromagnetic map of northwest Utah and adjacent parts of Nevada and Idaho
Victoria E. Langenheim
2016, Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 16-4
Two aeromagnetic surveys were flown to promote further understanding of the geology and structure in northwest Utah and adjacent parts of Nevada and Idaho by serving as a basis for geophysical interpretations and by supporting geological mapping, water and mineral resource investigations, and other topical studies. Although this area is...
Eruptive history of Mammoth Mountain and its mafic periphery, California
Wes Hildreth, Judy Fierstein
2016, Professional Paper 1812
This report and accompanying geologic map portray the eruptive history of Mammoth Mountain and a surrounding array of contemporaneous volcanic units that erupted in its near periphery. The moderately alkaline Mammoth eruptive suite, basaltic to rhyodacitic, represents a discrete new magmatic system, less than 250,000 years old, that followed decline...
High spatio-temporal resolution observations of crater-lake temperatures at Kawah Ijen volcano, East Java, Indonesia
Jennifer L. Lewicki, Corentin Caudron, Vincent van Hinsberg, George Hilley
2016, Bulletin of Volcanology (78)
The crater lake of Kawah Ijen volcano, East Java, Indonesia, has displayed large and rapid changes in temperature at point locations during periods of unrest, but measurement techniques employed to-date have not resolved how the lake’s thermal regime has evolved over both space and time. We applied a novel approach...
Hyperspectral surveying for mineral resources in Alaska
Raymond F. Kokaly, Garth E. Graham, Todd M. Hoefen, Karen D. Kelley, Michaela R. Johnson, Bernard E. Hubbard
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3029
Alaska is a major producer of base and precious metals and has a high potential for additional undiscovered mineral resources. However, discovery is hindered by Alaska’s vast size, remoteness, and rugged terrain. New methods are needed to overcome these obstacles in order to fully evaluate Alaska’s geology and mineral resource...
Identifying Kittlitz's Murrelet nesting habitat in North America at the landscape scale
Jonathan J. Felis, Michelle L. Kissling, Robb S.A. Kaler, Leah A. Kenney, Matthew J. Lawonn
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 323-333
The Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a small, non-colonial seabird endemic to marine waters of Alaska and eastern Russia that may have experienced significant population decline in recent decades, in part because of low reproductive success and terrestrial threats. Although recent studies have shed new light on Kittlitz's Murrelet nesting...
The Pilot Valley shoreline: An early record of Lake Bonneville dynamics
David M. Miller, Geoffrey Phelps
2016, Book chapter, Developments in Earth Surface Processes 20
The Pilot Valley shoreline is named for distinctive gravel beaches on the eastern, northern, and western sides of Pilot Valley playa, Utah. The shoreline has been identified across the Bonneville basin where it is characterized by one to three beach crests between ~ 1305 and 1309 m elevation, all overlain by deep-water...
Assessing landslide potential on coastal bluffs near Mukilteo, Washington—Geologic site characterization for hydrologic monitoring
Benjamin B. Mirus, Joel B. Smith, Benjamin Stark, York Lewis, Abigail Michel, Rex L. Baum
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1082
During the summer 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey collected geologic and geotechnical data for two sites on coastal bluffs along the eastern shore of Puget Sound, Washington. The U.S. Geological Survey also installed hydrologic instrumentation at the sites and collected specimens for laboratory testing. The two sites are located on...
Geology and hydrocarbon potential of the Hartford-Deerfield Basin, Connecticut and Massachusetts
James L. Coleman
2016, GCSSEPM Foundation Perkins-Rosen Research Conference Proceedings (34) 195-214
The Hartford-Deerfield basin, a Late Triassic to Early Jurassic rift basin located in central Connecticut and Massachusetts, is the northernmost basin of the onshore Mesozoic rift basins in the eastern United States. The presence of asphaltic petroleum in outcrops indicates that at least one active petroleum system has existed within...
Dermocystidium sp. infection in Blue Ridge Sculpin captured in Maryland
Vicki S. Blazer, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Craig D. Snyder, Erin Snook, Cynthia R. Adams
2016, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (28) 143-149
Raised pale cysts were observed on Blue Ridge Sculpin Cottus caeruleomentum during stream fish community surveys in Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland. When examined histologically, preserved sculpin exhibited multiple cysts containing spherical endospores with a refractile central body characteristic of Dermocystidiumspp. Cysts were not observed on the gills or internally. The...
Community fisheries in eastern South Dakota: Angler demographics, use, and factors influencing satisfaction
Michael J. Greiner, David O. Lucchesi, Steven R. Chipps, Larry M. Gigliotti
2016, Human Dimensions of Wildlife (21) 254-263
We surveyed anglers on five community fishing lakes near Brookings, South Dakota to assess angler use and satisfaction. The community lakes attracted younger anglers when compared to statewide and national averages. Overall, satisfaction was generally high (74%) among anglers fishing community lakes. Logistic regression analysis showed that harvest rate, anglers...
Examination of the Reelfoot Rift Petroleum System, south-central United States, and the elements that remain for potential exploration and development
James L. Coleman, Thomas L. Pratt
2016, GCSSEPM Foundation Perkins-Rosen Research Conference Proceedings (34) 345-371
The Reelfoot rift is one segment of a late Proterozoic(?) to early Paleozoic intracontinental rift complex in the south-central United States. The rift complex is situated beneath Mesozoic to Cenozoic strata of the Mississippi embayment of southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, and western Tennessee and Kentucky. The rift portion of...
Episodic bedrock erosion by gully-head migration, Colorado High Plains, USA
Francis K. Rengers, G.E. Tucker, Shannon Mahan
2016, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (41) 1574-1582
This study explores the frequency of bedrock exposure in a soil-mantled low-relief (i.e. non-mountainous) landscape. In the High Plains of eastern Colorado, gully headcuts are among the few erosional features that will incise through the soil mantle to expose bedrock. We measured the last time of bedrock exposure using optically...
Historical habitat barriers prevent ring-like genetic continuity throughout the distribution of threatened Alameda Striped Racers (Coluber lateralis euryxanthus)
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Dustin A. Wood, Karen Swaim, Robert N. Fisher, Amy G. Vandergast
2016, Herpetologica (72) 202-213
We used microsatellites and mtDNA sequences to examine the mixed effects of geophysical, habitat, and contemporary urban barriers on the genetics of threatened Alameda Striped Racers (Coluber lateralis euryxanthus), a species with close ties to declining coastal scrub and chaparral habitat in the eastern San Francisco Bay area of California....
Completion summary for boreholes TAN-2271 and TAN‑2272 at Test Area North, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Brian V. Twining, Roy C. Bartholomay, Mary Hodges
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5088
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, drilled and constructed boreholes TAN-2271 and TAN-2272 for stratigraphic framework analyses and long-term groundwater monitoring of the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory in southeast Idaho. Borehole TAN-2271 initially was cored...
Genetic reconstruction of a bullfrog invasion to elucidate vectors of introduction and secondary spread
Pauline L. Kamath, Adam J. Sepulveda, Megan J. Layhee
2016, Ecology and Evolution (6) 5221-5233
Reconstructing historical colonization pathways of an invasive species is critical for uncovering factors that determine invasion success and for designing management strategies. The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is endemic to eastern North America, but now has a global distribution and is considered to be one of the worst invaders in...
Small-scale barriers mitigate desertification processes and enhance plant recruitment in a degraded semiarid grassland
Stephen E. Fick, Cheryl E. Decker, Michael C. Duniway, Mark E. Miller
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Anthropogenic desertification is a problem that plagues drylands globally; however, the factors which maintain degraded states are often unclear. In Canyonlands National Park on the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah, many degraded grasslands have not recovered structure and function >40 yr after release from livestock grazing pressure, necessitating active...
Environment, host, and fungal traits predict continental-scale white-nose syndrome in bats
David T.S. Hayman, Juliet R.C. Pulliam, Jonathan C. Marshall, Paul M. Cryan, Colleen T. Webb
2016, Science Advances (2)
White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease killing bats in eastern North America, but disease is not seen in European bats and is less severe in some North American species. We show that how bats use energy during hibernation and fungal growth rates under different environmental conditions can explain how some...
Evaluating the potential effects of hurricanes on long-term sediment accumulation in two micro-tidal sub-estuaries: Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Marci E. Marot, Christopher G. Smith, Alisha M. Ellis, Cathryn J. Wheaton
2016, Data Series 993
Barnegat Bay, located along the eastern shore of New Jersey, was significantly impacted by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a multidisciplinary study of sediment transport and hydrodynamics to understand the mechanisms that govern estuarine and wetland responses to storm forcing. This report...
Changes between early development (1930–60) and recent (2005–15) groundwater-level altitudes and dissolved-solids and nitrate concentrations In and near Gaines, Terry, and Yoakum Counties, Texas
Jonathan V. Thomas, Andrew Teeple, Jason Payne, Scott Ikard
2016, Scientific Investigations Map 3355
Llano Estacado Underground Water Conservation District, Sandy Land Underground Water Conservation District, and South Plains Underground Water Conservation District manage groundwater resources in a part of west Texas near the Texas-New Mexico State line. Declining groundwater levels have raised concerns about the amount of available groundwater in the study area...
A new specimen of Agorophius pygmaeus (Agorophiidae, Odontoceti, Cetacea) from the Early Oligocene Ashley Formation of South Carolina, USA
Stephen J. Godfrey, Mark D. Uhen, Jason E. Osborne, Lucy E. Edwards
2016, Journal of Paleontology (90) 154-169
The holotype partial skull of Agorophius pygmaeus (the monotypic form for both the genus Agorophius and the Family Agorophiidae) has been missing for approximately 140 years. Since the discovery of Agorophius pygmaeus, many additional taxa and specimens have been placed in the Family Agorophiidae, only to be reclassified and removed later. This has created confusion...
