Discharge, suspended sediment, bedload, and water quality in Clear Creek, western Nevada, water years 2010-12
Jena M. Huntington, Charles S. Savard
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5124
Clear Creek is a small stream that drains the eastern Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe, flows roughly parallel to the U.S. Highway 50 corridor, and discharges to the Carson River near Carson City, Nevada. Historical and ongoing development in the drainage basin is thought to be affecting Clear Creek and...
Fluvial geomorphology and suspended-sediment transport during construction of the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project in Roanoke, Virginia, 2005–2012
John D. Jastram, Jennifer L. Krstolic, Douglas Moyer, Kenneth Hyer
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5111
Beginning in 2005, after decades of planning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) undertook a major construction effort to reduce the effects of flooding on the city of Roanoke, Virginia—the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project (RRFRP). Prompted by concerns about the potential for RRFRP construction-induced geomorphological instability and sediment...
Effects of Hydrocarbon Extraction on Landscapes of the Appalachian Basin
Terry E. Slonecker, Lesley E. Milheim, Coral M. Roig-Silva, Siddiq S. Kalaly
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3064
An important and sometimes overlooked aspect of contemporary natural gas exploration, development, and delivery activities is the geographic profile and spatial footprint that these activities have on the land surface. The function of many ecosystems and the goods and services they provide, in large part, are the result of their...
Evaluation and comparison of methods to estimate irrigation withdrawal for the National Water Census Focus Area Study of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin in southwestern Georgia
Jaime A. Painter, Lynn J. Torak, John Jones
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5118
Methods to estimate irrigation withdrawal using nationally available datasets and techniques that are transferable to other agricultural regions were evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin focus area study of the National Water Census (ACF–FAS). These methods investigated the spatial, temporal, and quantitative...
Long-term trends in reservoir water quality and quantity in two major river basins of the southern Great Plains
D. Dawson, Matthew M. VanLandeghem, William H. Asquith, Reynaldo Patino
2015, Land and Reservoir Management (31) 254-279
Trends in water quality and quantity were assessed for 11 major reservoirs of the Brazos and Colorado river basins in the southern Great Plains (maximum period of record, 1965–2010). Water quality, major contributing-stream inflow, storage, local precipitation, and basin-wide total water withdrawals were analyzed. Inflow and storage decreased and total...
Field guide to the Mesozoic arc and accretionary complex of South-Central Alaska, Indian to Hatcher Pass
Susan M. Karl, P.J. Oswald, Chad P. Hults
2015, Book, Fieldtrip Guidebook
This field trip traverses exposures of a multi-generation Mesozoic magmatic arc and subduction-accretion complex that had a complicated history of magmatic activity and experienced variations in composition and deformational style in response to changes in the tectonic environment. This Mesozoic arc formed at an unknown latitude to the south, was...
Increasing Northern Hemisphere water deficit
Gregory J. McCabe, David M. Wolock
2015, Climatic Change (132) 237-249
A monthly water-balance model is used with CRUTS3.1 gridded monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) data to examine changes in global water deficit (PET minus actual evapotranspiration) for the Northern Hemisphere (NH) for the years 1905 through 2009. Results show that NH deficit increased dramatically near the year 2000 during...
Monitoring gas emissions can help forecast volcanic eruptions
Christoph Kern, J. Maarten de Moor, Bo Galle
2015, Eos, Earth and Space Science News (96) 6-6
As magma ascends in active volcanoes, dissolved volatiles partition from melt into a gas phase, rise, and are released into the atmosphere from volcanic vents. The major components of high-temperature volcanic gas are typically water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Volcanologists have long recognized that measuring the chemical composition and emission rates...
Application of a coupled vegetation competition and groundwater simulation model to study effects of sea level rise and storm surges on coastal vegetation
Su Yean Teh, Michael Turtora, Donald L. DeAngelis, Jiang Jiang, Leonard G. Pearlstine, Thomas J. Smith, Hock Lye Koh
2015, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (3) 1149-1177
Global climate change poses challenges to areas such as low-lying coastal zones, where sea level rise (SLR) and storm-surge overwash events can have long-term effects on vegetation and on soil and groundwater salinities, posing risks of habitat loss critical to native species. An early warning system is urgently needed to...
Environmental DNA sampling protocol - filtering water to capture DNA from aquatic organisms
Matthew B. Laramie, David S. Pilliod, Caren S. Goldberg, Katherine M. Strickler
2015, Techniques and Methods 2-A13
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is an effective method of determining the presence of aquatic organisms such as fish, amphibians, and other taxa. This publication is meant to guide researchers and managers in the collection, concentration, and preservation of eDNA samples from lentic and lotic systems. A sampling workflow diagram...
Bedrock geologic map of the Worcester South quadrangle, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Gregory J. Walsh, Arthur J. Merschat
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3345
The bedrock geology of the 7.5-minute Worcester South quadrangle, Massachusetts, consists of deformed Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic crystalline metamorphic and intrusive igneous rocks in three fault-bounded terranes (zones), including the Avalon, Nashoba, and Merrimack zones (Zen and others, 1983). This quadrangle spans the easternmost occurrence of Ganderian margin arc-related rocks (Nashoba...
Summarizing components of U.S. Department of the Interior vulnerability assessments to focus climate adaptation planning
Laura M. Thompson, Michelle D. Staudinger, Shawn L. Carter
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1110
A secretarial order identified climate adaptation as a critical performance objective for future management of U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) lands and resources in response to global change. Vulnerability assessments can inform climate adaptation planning by providing insight into what natural resources are most at risk and why. Three...
Reconnaissance surficial geologic map of the Taylor Mountains quadrangle, southwestern Alaska
Frederic H. Wilson
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3334
This map and accompanying digital files are the result of the interpretation of aerial photographs from the 1950s as well as more modern imagery. The area, long considered a part of Alaska that was largely not glaciated (see Karlstrom, 1964; Coulter and others, 1965; or Péwé, 1975), actually has a...
Methods for estimating the magnitude and frequency of peak streamflows at ungaged sites in and near the Oklahoma Panhandle
S. Jerrod Smith, Jason M. Lewis, Grant M. Graves
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5134
This report presents the results of a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to estimate the magnitude and frequency of peak streamflows from regional regression equations for ungaged stream sites in and near the Oklahoma Panhandle. These methods relate basin characteristics (physiographic and...
The 2004–2008 dome-building eruption at Mount St. Helens, Washington: Epilogue
Daniel Dzurisin, Seth C. Moran, Michael Lisowski, Steve P. Schilling, Kyle R. Anderson, Cynthia A. Werner
2015, Bulletin of Volcanology (77)
The 2004–2008 dome-building eruption at Mount St. Helens ended during winter 2007–2008 at a time when field observations were hampered by persistent bad weather. As a result, recognizing the end of the eruption was challenging—but important for scientists trying to understand how and why long-lived eruptions end and for public...
Geologic map of the Masters 7.5' quadrangle, Weld and Morgan Counties, Colorado
Margaret E. Berry, Janet L. Slate, James B. Paces, Paul R. Hanson, Theodore R. Brandt
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3344
The Masters 7.5' quadrangle is located along the South Platte River corridor on the semiarid plains of eastern Colorado and contains surficial deposits that record alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes that have operated in concert with environmental changes from Pleistocene to present time. The South Platte River, originating high in...
Chemical and biotic characteristics of prairie lakes and large wetlands in south-central North Dakota—Effects of a changing climate
David M. Mushet, Martin B. Goldhaber, Christopher T. Mills, Kyle I. McLean, Vanessa M. Aparicio, R. Blaine McCleskey, JoAnn M. Holloway, Craig A. Stockwell
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5126
The climate of the prairie pothole region of North America is known for variability that results in significant interannual changes in water depths and volumes of prairie lakes and wetlands; however, beginning in July 1993, the climate of the region shifted to an extended period of increased precipitation that has...
Population dynamics of the Cui-ui of Pyramid Lake, Nevada: A Potamodromous catostomid subject to failed reproduction
Gayton G. Scoppettone, Peter H. Rissler, Mark C. Fabes, Sean P. Shea
2015, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (35) 853-864
Fishes of the Truckee River basin (California and Nevada) evolved in an aquatic system that has been episodically diminished by extended drought. For potamodromous species, such as the endangered Cui-ui endemic to Pyramid Lake, Nevada, prehistoric episodic severe drought presumably led to periods of failed reproduction due to restricted access...
Comparison of electronarcosis and carbon dioxide sedation effects on travel time in adult Chinook and Coho Salmon
Shane G Keep, M. Brady Allen, Joseph S Zendt
2015, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (35) 906-912
The immobilization of fish during handling is crucial in avoiding injury to fish and is thought to reduce handling stress. Chemical sedatives have been a primary choice for fish immobilization. However, most chemical sedatives accumulate in tissues, and often food fishes must be held until accumulations degrade to levels safe...
Larger trees suffer most during drought in forests worldwide
Amy C. Bennett, Nathan G. McDowell, Craig D. Allen, Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira
2015, Nature Plants (1)
The frequency of severe droughts is increasing in many regions around the world as a result of climate change. Droughts alter the structure and function of forests. Site- and region-specific studies suggest that large trees, which play keystone roles in forests and can be disproportionately important to ecosystem carbon storage and hydrology,...
Will the effects of sea-level rise create ecological traps for Pacific Island seabirds?
Michelle H. Reynolds, Karen Courtot, Paul Berkowitz, Curt D. Storlazzi, Janet Moore, Elizabeth Flint
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
More than 18 million seabirds nest on 58 Pacific islands protected within vast U.S. Marine National Monuments (1.9 million km2). However, most of these seabird colonies are on low-elevation islands and sea-level rise (SLR) and accompanying high-water perturbations are predicted to escalate with climate change. To understand how SLR may...
Hydrothermal alteration and diagenesis of terrestrial lacustrine pillow basalts: Coordination of hyperspectral imaging with laboratory measurements
Rebecca N Greenberger, John F Mustard, Edward A. Cloutis, Paul Mann, Janette H. Wilson, Roberta L Flemming, Kevin Robertson, Mark R Salvatore, Christopher Edwards
2015, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (171) 174-200
We investigate an outcrop of ∼187 Ma lacustrine pillow basalts of the Talcott Formation exposed in Meriden, Connecticut, USA, focusing on coordinated analyses of one pillow lava to characterize the aqueous history of these basalts in the Hartford Basin. This work uses a suite of multidisciplinary measurements, including hyperspectral...
Ultraviolet vision may be widespread in bats
P. Marcos Gorresen, Paul M. Cryan, David C. Dalton, Sandy Wolf, Frank Bonaccorso
2015, Acta Chiropterologica (17) 193-198
Insectivorous bats are well known for their abilities to find and pursue flying insect prey at close range using echolocation, but they also rely heavily on vision. For example, at night bats use vision to orient across landscapes, avoid large obstacles, and locate roosts. Although lacking sharp visual acuity, the...
Regional seismic-wave propagation from the M5.8 23 August 2011, Mineral, Virginia, earthquake
Frederick Pollitz, Walter D. Mooney
2015, GSA Special Papers (509) 95-116
The M5.8 23 August 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake was felt over nearly the entire eastern United States and was recorded by a wide array of seismic broadband instruments. The earthquake occurred ~200 km southeast of the boundary between two distinct geologic belts, the Piedmont and Blue Ridge terranes to the...
Causes of mortality and temporal patterns in breeding season survival of lesser prairie-chickens in shinnery oak prairies
Blake A. Grisham, Clint W. Boal
2015, Wildlife Society Bulletin (39) 536-542
Baseline survival and mortality data for lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) are lacking for shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) prairies. An understanding of the causes and timing of mortalities and breeding season survival in this ecoregion is important because shinnery oak prairies have hotter and drier environmental conditions, as well as different...
