Sustainable water management under future uncertainty with eco-engineering decision scaling
N LeRoy Poff, Casey M Brown, Theodore E. Grantham, John H Matthews, Margaret A. Palmer, Caitlin M Spence, Robert L. Wilby, Marjolijn Haasnoot, Guillermo F Mendoza, Kathleen C Dominique, Andres Baeza
2015, Nature Climate Change (6) 25-34
Managing freshwater resources sustainably under future climatic and hydrological uncertainty poses novel challenges. Rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure and construction of new dams are widely viewed as solutions to diminish climate risk, but attaining the broad goal of freshwater sustainability will require expansion of the prevailing water resources management paradigm beyond...
An examination of gender differences in the American Fisheries Society peer-review process
Grace Handley, Cynthia M Frantz, Patrick Kocovsky, Dennis R. DeVries, Steven J. Cooke, Julie Claussen
2015, Fisheries (40) 442-451
This study investigated the possibility of gender differences in outcomes throughout the peer review process of American Fisheries Society (AFS) journals. For each manuscript submitted to four AFS journals between January 2003 and December 2010, we collated information regarding the gender and nationality of authors, gender of associate editor, gender...
Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow in fractured-rock aquifers of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Physiographic Provinces, Bedford County, Virginia
Kurt J. McCoy, Bradley A. White, Richard M. Yager, George E. Harlow Jr.
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5113
An annual groundwater budget was computed as part of a hydrogeologic characterization and monitoring effort of fractured-rock aquifers in Bedford County, Virginia, a growing 764-square-mile (mi2) rural area between the cities of Roanoke and Lynchburg, Virginia. Data collection in Bedford County began in the 1930s when continuous stream gages were...
USGS compilation of geographic information system (GIS) data of coal mines and coal-bearing areas in Mongolia
Michael H. Trippi, Harvey E. Belkin
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1144
Geographic information system (GIS) information may facilitate energy studies, which in turn provide input for energy policy decisions. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled GIS data representing coal mines, deposits (including those with and without coal mines), occurrences, areas, basins, and provinces of Mongolia as of 2009. These data...
Long-term effects of wildfire on greater sage-grouse - integrating population and ecosystem concepts for management in the Great Basin
Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Brian G. Prochazka, Kevin E. Doherty, Matthew L. Brooks, Michael L. Casazza
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1165
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereinafter, sage-grouse) are a sagebrush obligate species that has declined concomitantly with the loss and fragmentation of sagebrush ecosystems across most of its geographical range. The species currently is listed as a candidate for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Increasing wildfire frequency and...
Fire patterns in the range of the greater sage-grouse, 1984-2013 - Implications for conservation and management
Matthew L. Brooks, John R. Matchett, Douglas J. Shinneman, Peter S. Coates
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1167
Fire ranks among the top three threats to the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) throughout its range, and among the top two threats in the western part of its range. The national research strategy for this species and the recent U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3336 call for science-based...
Influence of changes in wetland inundation extent on net fluxes of carbon dioxide and methane in northern high latitudes from 1993 to 2004
Qianlai Zhuang, Xudong Zhu, Yujie He, Catherine Prigent, Jerry M. Melillo, A. David McGuire, Ronald G. Prinn, David W. Kicklighter
2015, Environmental Research Letters (10)
Estimates of the seasonal and interannual exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) between land ecosystems north of 45°N and the atmosphere are poorly constrained, in part, because of uncertainty in the temporal variability of water-inundated land area. Here we apply a process-based biogeochemistry model to evaluate how interannual...
Legacy effects of wildfire on stream thermal regimes and rainbow trout ecology: an integrated analysis of observation and individual-based models
Amanda E. Rosenberger, Jason B. Dunham, Jason R. Neuswanger, Steven F. Railsback
2015, Freshwater Science (34) 1571-1584
Management of aquatic resources in fire-prone areas requires understanding of fish species’ responses to wildfire and of the intermediate- and long-term consequences of these disturbances. We examined Rainbow Trout populations in 9 headwater streams 10 y after a major wildfire: 3 with no history of severe wildfire in the watershed...
Changing arctic ecosystems—What is causing the rapid increase of snow geese in northern Alaska?
Jerry W. Hupp, David H. Ward, Mary E. Whalen, John M. Pearce
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3062
Through the Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) informs key resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information on current and future ecosystem response to a warming climate. The Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of northern Alaska is a key study area within the USGS...
Slip pulse and resonance of Kathmandu basin during the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal imaged with space geodesy
John Galetzka, D. Melgar, J.F. Genrich, J. Geng, S. Owen, E. O. Lindsey, X. Xu, Y. Bock, J.-P. Avouac, L. B. Adhikari, B. N. Upreti, B. Pratt-Sitaula, T. N. Bhattarai, B. P. Sitaula, A. Moore, Kenneth W. Hudnut, W. Szeliga, J. Normandeau, M. Fend, M Flouzat, L. Bollinger, P. Shrestha, B. Koirala, U. Gautam, M. Bhatterai, R. Gupta, T. Kandel, C. Timsina, S.N. Sapkota, S. Rajaure, N. Maharjan
2015, Science (349) 1091-1095
Detailed geodetic imaging of earthquake rupture enhances our understanding of earthquake physics and induced ground shaking. The April 25, 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake is the first example of a large continental megathrust rupture beneath a high-rate (5 Hz) GPS network. We use GPS and InSAR data to model...
Avian influenza H5N1 viral and bird migration networks in Asia
Huaivu Tian, Sen Zhou, Lu Dong, Thomas P. Van Boeckel, Yujun Cui, Scott H. Newman, John Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, Xiangming Xiao, Yarong Wu, Bernard Cazelles, Shanqian Huang, Ruifu Yang, Bryan T. Grenfell, Bing Xu
2015, PNAS (112) 172-177
The spatial spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 and its long-term persistence in Asia have resulted in avian influenza panzootics and enormous economic losses in the poultry sector. However, an understanding of the regional long-distance transmission and seasonal patterns of the virus is still lacking. In this...
USGS role and response to highly pathogenic avian influenza
M. Camille Harris, A. Keith Miles, John M. Pearce, Diann J. Prosser, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Mary E. Whalen
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3059
Avian influenza viruses are naturally occurring in wild birds such as ducks, geese, swans, and gulls. These viruses generally do not cause illness in wild birds, however, when spread to poultry they can be highly pathogenic and cause illness and death in backyard and commercial farms. Outbreaks may cause devastating...
USGS highly pathogenic avian influenza research strategy
M. Camille Harris, A. Keith Miles, John M. Pearce, Diann J. Prosser, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Mary E. Whalen
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3060
Avian influenza viruses are naturally occurring in wild birds such as ducks, geese, swans, and gulls. These viruses generally do not cause illness in wild birds, however, when spread to poultry they can be highly pathogenic and cause illness and death in backyard and commercial farms. Outbreaks may cause devastating...
Attacking invasive grasses
Jon E. Keeley
2015, Applied Vegetation Science (18) 541-542
In grasslands fire may play a role in the plant invasion process, both by creating disturbances that potentially favour non-native invasions and as a possible tool for controlling alien invasions. Havill et al. (Applied Vegetation Science, 18, 2015, this issue) determine how native and non-native species respond to different fire...
Sea-floor morphology and sedimentary environments in southern Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island
Katherine Y. McMullen, Lawrence J. Poppe, Dann S. Blackwood, Matthew J. Nardi, Matthew A. Andring
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1149
Multibeam echosounder data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration along with sediment samples and still and video photography of the sea floor collected by the U.S. Geological Survey were used to interpret sea-floor features and sedimentary environments in southern Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, as part of a long-term...
Linking climate change and health outcomes: Examining the relationship between temperature, precipitation and birth weight in Africa
Kathryn Grace, Frank Davenport, Heidi Hanson, Christopher C. Funk, Shraddhanand Shukla
2015, Global Environmental Change (35) 125-137
This paper examined the relationship between birth weight, precipitation, and temperature in 19 African countries. We matched recorded birth weights from Demographic and Health Surveys covering 1986 through 2010 with gridded monthly precipitation and temperature data derived from satellite and ground-based weather stations. Observed weather patterns during various stages of...
Chemical and ancillary data associated with bed sediment, young of year Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) tissue, and mussel (Mytilus edulis and Geukensia demissa) tissue collected after Hurricane Sandy in bays and estuaries of New Jersey and New York, 2013–14
Kelly L. Smalling, Ashok D. Deshpande, Vicki Blazer, Heather S. Galbraith, Bruce W. Dockum, Kristin M. Romanok, Kaitlyn Colella, Anna C. Deetz, Irene J. Fisher, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Beth Sharack, Lisa Summer, DeMond Timmons, John J. Trainor, Daniel Wieczorek, Jennifer Samson, Timothy J. Reilly, Michael J. Focazio
2015, Data Series 956
This report describes the methods and data associated with a reconnaissance study of young of year bluefish and mussel tissue samples as well as bed sediment collected as bluefish habitat indicators during August 2013–April 2014 in New Jersey and New York following Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. This study was...
Status assessment and conservation plan for the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
Janet M. Ruth
2015, Report
The Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) breeds in grassland habitats throughout much of the U.S., southern and southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico. Additional subspecies are resident in Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. It winters primarily in the coastal states of the southeastern U.S., southern portions of the southwestern...
Waterbird use of catfish ponds and migratory bird habitat initiative wetlands in Mississippi
James S. Feaga, Francisco Vilella, Richard M. Kaminski, J. Brian Davis
2015, Waterbirds (38) 269-281
Aquaculture can provide important surrogate habitats for waterbirds. In response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the National Resource Conservation Service enacted the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative through which incentivized landowners provided wetland habitats for migrating waterbirds. Diversity and abundance of waterbirds in six production and four idled aquaculture...
Factors controlling the abundance of rainbow trout in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon in a reach utilized by endangered humpback chub
Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Charles B. Yackulic
2015, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (73) 105-124
We estimated the abundance, survival, movement, and recruitment of non-native rainbow trout in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon to determine what controls their abundance near the Little Colorado River (LCR) confluence where endangered humpback chub rear. Over a 3-year period, we tagged more than 70,000 trout and recovered over...
How spatio-temporal habitat connectivity affects amphibian genetic structure
Alexander G. Watts, P Schlichting, S Billerman, B Jesmer, S Micheletti, M.-J. Fortin, W. C. Funk, P Hapeman, Erin L. Muths, M.A. Murphy
2015, Frontiers in Genetics (6)
Heterogeneous landscapes and fluctuating environmental conditions can affect species dispersal, population genetics, and genetic structure, yet understanding how biotic and abiotic factors affect population dynamics in a fluctuating environment is critical for species management. We evaluated how spatio-temporal habitat connectivity influences dispersal and genetic structure in a population of...
Paleolimnological records of nitrogen deposition in shallow, high-elevation lakes of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Sarah A. Spaulding, Megan K. Otu, Alexander P. Wolfe, Jill Baron
2015, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (47) 703-717
Reactive nitrogen (Nr) from anthropogenic sources has been altering ecosystem function in lakes of the Rocky Mountains, other regions of western North America, and the Arctic over recent decades. The response of biota in shallow lakes to atmospheric deposition of Nr, however, has not been considered. Benthic algae are dominant...
The Palos Verdes Fault offshore southern California: late Pleistocene to present tectonic geomorphology, seascape evolution and slip rate estimate based on AUV and ROV surveys
Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Charles K. Paull, Mary L. McGann, David W. Caress
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (120) 4734-4758
The Palos Verdes Fault (PVF) is one of few active faults in Southern California that crosses the shoreline and can be studied using both terrestrial and subaqueous methodologies. To characterize the near-seafloor fault morphology, tectonic influences on continental slope sedimentary processes and late Pleistocene to present slip rate, a grid...
Seismicity of the Earth 1900‒2013 Mediterranean Sea and vicinity
Matthew W. Herman, Gavin P. Hayes, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Rebecca Turner, Bethan Turner, Jennifer Jenkins, Sian Davies, Amy Parker, Allison Sinclair, Harley M. Benz, Kevin P. Furlong, Antonio Villaseñor
2015, Open-File Report 2010-1083-Q
The Mediterranean region is seismically active due to the convergence of the Africa Plate with the Eurasia plate. Present day Africa-Eurasia motion ranges from ~4 millimeters per year (mm/yr) in a northwest-southeast direction in the western Mediterranean to ~10 mm/yr (north-south) in the eastern Mediterranean. The Africa-Eurasia plate boundary is...
Bistability of mangrove forests and competition with freshwater plants
Jiang Jiang, Douglas O Fuller, Su Yean Teh, Lu Zhai, Hock Lye Koh, Donald L. DeAngelis, L.D.S.L. Sternberg
2015, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (213) 283-290
Halophytic communities such as mangrove forests and buttonwood hammocks tend to border freshwater plant communities as sharp ecotones. Most studies attribute this purely to underlying physical templates, such as groundwater salinity gradients caused by tidal flux and topography. However, a few recent studies hypothesize that self-reinforcing feedback between vegetation and...
