Can pore-clogging by ash explain post-fire runoff?
Cathelijne R. Stoof, Anouk I. Gevaert, Christine Baver, Bahareh Hassanpour, Veronica L. Morales, Wei Zhang, Deborah A. Martin, Shree K. Giri, Tammo S. Steenhuis
2016, International Journal of Wildland Fire (25) 294-305
Ash plays an important role in controlling runoff and erosion processes after wildfire and has frequently been hypothesised to clog soil pores and reduce infiltration. Yet evidence for clogging is incomplete, as research has focussed on identifying the presence of ash in soil; the actual flow processes remain unknown. We...
Model analysis of check dam impacts on long-term sediment and water budgets in southeast Arizona, USA
Laura M. Norman, Rewati Niraula
2016, Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology (16) 125-137
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of check dam infrastructure on soil and water conservation at the catchment scale using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). This paired watershed study includes a watershed treated with over 2000 check dams and a Control watershed which has...
Do intracoelomic telemetry transmitters alter the post-release behaviour of migratory fish?
Alexander D.M. Wilson, Todd A. Hayden, Christopher S. Vandergoot, Richard T. Kraus, John M. Dettmers, Steven J. Cooke, Charles C. Krueger
2016, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (26) 292-300
Electronic tags have become a common tool in fish research, enhancing our understanding of how fish interact with their environment and move among different habitats, for estimating mortality and recording internal physiological states. An often-untested assumption of electronic tagging studies is that tagged fish are representative of untagged conspecifics and...
Ecological relevance of current water quality assessment unit designations in impaired rivers
Megan J. Layhee, Adam J. Sepulveda, Andrew Ray, Greg Mladenka, Lynn Van Every
2016, Science of the Total Environment (536) 198-205
Managers often nest sections of water bodies together into assessment units (AUs) to monitor and assess water quality criteria. Ideally, AUs represent an extent of waters with similar ecological, watershed, habitat and land-use conditions and no overlapping characteristics with other waters. In the United States, AUs are typically based on...
Assessment of unconventional tight-gas resources of the Magallanes Basin Province, Chile, 2015
Christopher J. Schenk, Ronald R. Charpentier, Janet K. Pitman, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Michael E. Brownfield, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kristen R. Marra
2016, Fact Sheet 2015-3085
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed a technically recoverable mean resource of 8.3 trillion cubic feet of unconventional tight gas in the Zona Glauconitica of the Magallanes Basin Province, Chile....
Sediment supply versus local hydraulic controls on sediment transport and storage in a river with large sediment loads
David J. Dean, David J. Topping, John C. Schmidt, Ronald E. Griffiths, Thomas A. Sabol
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (121) 82-110
The Rio Grande in the Big Bend region of Texas, USA, and Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico, undergoes rapid geomorphic changes as a result of its large sediment supply and variable hydrology; thus, it is a useful natural laboratory to investigate the relative importance of flow strength and sediment supply in...
Multiple mortality events in bats: a global review
Thomas J. O’Shea, Paul M. Cryan, David TH Hayman, Raina K. Plowright, Daniel G. Streicker
2016, Mammal Review (46) 175-190
Despite conservation concerns for many species of bats, factors causing mortality in bats have not been reviewed since 1970. Here, we review and qualitatively describe trends in the occurrence and apparent causes of multiple mortality events (MMEs) in bats around the world. We compiled a database of MMEs,...
Isotopic composition of inorganic mercury and methylmercury downstream of a historical gold mining region
Patrick M. Donovan, Joel D. Blum, Michael B. Singer, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Martin T.K. Tsui
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 1691-1702
We measured total mercury (THg) and monomethyl mercury (MMHg) concentrations and mercury (Hg) isotopic compositions in sediment and aquatic organisms from the Yuba River (California, USA) to identify Hg sources and biogeochemical transformations downstream of a historical gold mining region. Sediment THg concentrations and δ202Hg decreased from the upper Yuba...
Salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) in the United States—Developing research, monitoring, and management strategies
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Erin L. Muths, Rachel A. Katz, Stefano Canessa, M. J. Adams, Jennifer R. Ballard, Lee Berger, Cheryl J. Briggs, Jeremy T. H. Coleman, Matthew J. Gray, M. Camille Harris, Reid N. Harris, Blake R. Hossack, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Jonathan E. Kolby, Karen R. Lips, Robert E. Lovich, Hamish I. McCallum, Joseph R. Mendelson III, Priya Nanjappa, Deanna H. Olson, Jenny G. Powers, Katherine L. D. Richgels, Robin E. Russell, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Annemarieke Spitzen-van der Sluijs, Mary Kay Watry, Douglas C. Woodhams, C. LeAnn White
2016, Open-File Report 2015-1233
The recently (2013) identified pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), poses a severe threat to the distribution and abundance of salamanders within the United States and Europe. Development of a response strategy for the potential, and likely, invasion of Bsal into the United States is crucial to protect global salamander...
Impacts of Climate Change on Regulated Streamflow, Hydrologic Extremes, Hydropower Production, and Sediment Discharge in the Skagit River Basin
Se-Yeun Lee, Alan F. Hamlet, Eric E. Grossman
2016, Northwest Science (90) 23-43
Previous studies have shown that the impacts of climate change on the hydrologic response of the Skagit River are likely to be substantial under natural (i.e. unregulated) conditions. To assess the combined effects of changing natural flow and dam operations that determine impacts to regulated flow, a new integrated daily-time-step...
Increasing virulence, but not infectivity, associated with serially emergent virus strains of a fish rhabdovirus
Rachel Breyta, Douglas McKenney, Tarin Tesfaye, Kotaro Ono, Gael Kurath
2016, Virus Evolution (2)
Surveillance and genetic typing of field isolates of a fish rhabdovirus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), has identified four dominant viral genotypes that were involved in serial viral emergence and displacement events in steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in western North America. To investigate drivers of these landscape-scale events, IHNV isolates...
Factors affecting post-control reinvasion by seed of an invasive species, Phragmites australis, in the central Platte River, Nebraska.
Susan M. Galatowitsch, Diane L. Larson, Jennifer L. Larson
2016, Biological Invasions (18) 2505-2516
Invasive plants, such as Phragmites australis, can profoundly affect channel environments of large rivers by stabilizing sediments and altering water flows. Invasive plant removal is considered necessary where restoration of dynamic channels is needed to provide critical habitat for species of conservation concern. However, these programs are widely reported to...
Summary of U.S. Geological Survey studies conducted in cooperation with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, central Oklahoma, 2011–14
William J. Andrews, Carol Becker, Derek W. Ryter, S. Jerrod Smith
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5182
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted hydrologic studies and published three U.S. Geological Survey scientific investigations reports in cooperation with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation from 2011 to 2014 to characterize the quality and quantity of water resources. The study areas of those reports consisted of approximately 960 square miles in parts...
Changes in streamflow characteristics in Wisconsin as related to precipitation and land use
Warren A. Gebert, Herbert S. Garn, William J. Rose
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5140
Streamflow characteristics were determined for 15 longterm streamflow-gaging stations for the periods 1915–2008, 1915–68, and 1969–2008 to identify trends. Stations selected represent flow characteristics for the major river basins in Wisconsin. Trends were statistically significant at the 95 percent confidence level at 13 of the 15 streamflow-gaging stations for various...
Population dynamics and evaluation of alternative management strategies for nonnative Lake Trout in Priest Lake, Idaho
Elizabeth L. Ng, Jim P. Fredericks, Michael C. Quist
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 40-54
Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush have been introduced widely throughout the western USA to enhance recreational fisheries, but high predatory demand can create challenges for management of yield and trophy fisheries alike. Lake Trout were introduced to Priest Lake, Idaho, during the 1920s, but few fishery-independent data are available to guide...
Resprouting and seeding hypotheses: A test of the gap-dependent model using resprouting and obligate seeding subspecies of Arctostaphylos
Jon E. Keeley, V. Thomas Parker, Michael C. Vasey
2016, Plant Ecology (217) 743-750
Ecological factors favoring either postfire resprouting or postfire obligate seeding in plants have received considerable attention recently. Three ecological models have been proposed to explain patterns of these two life history types. In this study, we test these three models using data from California chaparral. We take an...
Evidence for an ice shelf covering the central Arctic Ocean during the penultimate glaciation
Martin Jakobsson, Johan Nilsson, Leif G. Anderson, Jan Backman, Goran Bjork, Thomas M. Cronin, Nina Kirchner, Andrey Koshurnikov, Larry Mayer, Riko Noormets, Matthew O’Regan, Christian Stranne, Roman Ananiev, Natalia Barrientos Macho, Dennis Cherniykh, Helen Coxall, Bjorn Eriksson, Tom Floden, Laura Gemery, Orjan Gustafsson, Kevin Jerram, Carina Johansson, Alexey Khortov, Rezwan Mohammad, Igor Semiletov
2016, Nature Communications (7)
The hypothesis of a km-thick ice shelf covering the entire Arctic Ocean during peak glacial conditions was proposed nearly half a century ago. Floating ice shelves preserve few direct traces after their disappearance, making reconstructions difficult. Seafloor imprints of ice shelves should, however, exist where ice grounded along their flow...
Differential uplift and incision of the Yakima River terraces, central Washington State
Adrian M. Bender, Colin B. Amos, Paul R. Bierman, Dylan Rood, Lydia M. Staisch, Harvey M. Kelsey, Brian Sherrod
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research (121) 365-384
The fault-related Yakima folds deform Miocene basalts and younger deposits of the Columbia Plateau in central Washington State. Geodesy implies ~2 mm/yr of NNE directed shortening across the folds, but until now the distribution and rates of Quaternary deformation among individual structures has been unclear. South of Ellensburg, Washington, the Yakima...
Tomographic image of a seismically active volcano: Mammoth Mountain, California
Phillip B. Dawson, Bernard A. Chouet, Andrew M. Pitt
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (121) 114-133
High-resolution tomographic P wave, S wave, and VP/VS velocity structure models are derived for Mammoth Mountain, California, using phase data from the Northern California Seismic Network and a temporary deployment of broadband seismometers. An anomalous volume (5.1 × 109 to 5.9 × 1010m3) of low P and low S wave...
Radiocarbon dating of silica sinter deposits in shallow drill cores from the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Shaul Hurwitz, John McGeehin
2016, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (310) 132-136
To explore the timing of hydrothermal activity at the Upper Geyser Basin (UGB) in Yellowstone National Park, we obtained seven new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon 14C ages of carbonaceous material trapped within siliceous sinter. Five samples came from depths of 15–152 cm within the Y-1 well, and two samples were from...
Hydrologic conditions in the South Coast aquifer, Puerto Rico, 2010–15
Sigfredo Torres-Gonzalez, Jose M. Rodriguez
2016, Open-File Report 2015-1215
In 1958, the U.S. Geological Survey began documenting hydrologic conditions, including groundwater levels, groundwater withdrawals for agricultural irrigation and public water supply, and water quality, in the South Coast aquifer, Puerto Rico. This information has improved the understanding of the water resources of the region. The hydrologic data indicate that...
Lake oxygen isotopes as recorders of North American Rocky Mountain hydroclimate: Holocene patterns and variability at multi-decadal to millennial time scales
Lesleigh Anderson, Max Berkelhammer, John A. Barron, Byron A. Steinman, Bruce P. Finney, Mark B. Abbott
2016, Global and Planetary Change (137) 131-148
Lake sediment oxygen isotope records (calcium carbonate-δ18O) in the western North American Cordillera developed during the past decade provide substantial evidence of Pacific ocean–atmosphere forcing of hydroclimatic variability during the Holocene. Here we present an overview of 18 lake sediment δ18O records along with a new compilation of lake water...
Assessing the impact of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy on the morphology and modern sediment thickness on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York
William C. Schwab, Wayne E. Baldwin, Jane F. Denny
2016, Open-File Report 2015-1238
This report documents the changes in seabed morphology and modern sediment thickness detected on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York, before and after Hurricanes Irene and Sandy made landfall. Comparison of acoustic backscatter imagery, seismic-reflection profiles, and bathymetry collected in 2011 and in 2014 show that...
Exposure of native bees foraging in an agricultural landscape to current-use pesticides
Michelle Hladik, Mark W. Vandever, Kelly L. Smalling
2016, Science of the Total Environment (542) 469-477
The awareness of insects as pollinators and indicators of environmental quality has grown in recent years, partially in response to declines in honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations. While most pesticide research has focused on honey bees, there has been less work on native bee populations. To determine the exposure of...
Hydrogeological framework, numerical simulation of groundwater flow, and effects of projected water use and drought for the Beaver-North Canadian River alluvial aquifer, northwestern Oklahoma
Derek W. Ryter, Jessica S. Correll
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5183
This report describes a study of the hydrology, hydrogeological framework, numerical groundwater-flow models, and results of simulations of the effects of water use and drought for the Beaver-North Canadian River alluvial aquifer, northwestern Oklahoma. The purpose of the study was to provide analyses, including estimating equal-proportionate-share (EPS) groundwater-pumping rates and...
