An assessment of the cultivated cropland class of NLCD 2006 using a multi-source and multi-criteria approach
Patrick Danielson, Limin Yang, Suming Jin, Collin G. Homer, Darrell Napton
2016, Remote Sensing (8)
We developed a method that analyzes the quality of the cultivated cropland class mapped in the USA National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2006. The method integrates multiple geospatial datasets and a Multi Index Integrated Change Analysis (MIICA) change detection method that captures spectral changes to identify the spatial distribution and...
Erosional and depositional history of the Atlantic passive margin as recorded in detrital zircon fission-track ages and lithic detritus in Atlantic Coastal plain sediments
C. W. Naeser, N.D. Naeser, Lucy E. Edwards, Robert E. Weems, C. Scott Southworth, Wayne L. Newell
2016, American Journal of Science (316) 110-168
Comparison of fission-track (FT) ages of detrital zircons recovered from Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments to FT ages of zircons from bedrock in source terranes in the Appalachians provides a key to understanding the provenance of the sediments and, in turn, the erosional and depositional history of the Atlantic passive...
Mercury in fish and macroinvertebrates from New York's streams and rivers: A compendium of data sources
Karen Riva-Murray, Douglas A. Burns
2016, Report 16-07
The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled a list of existing data sets, from selected sources, containing mercury (Hg) concentration data in fish and macroinvertebrate samples that were collected from flowing waters of New York State from 1970 through 2014. Data sets selected for inclusion in this report were limited to...
Mountain pine beetle host selection between lodgepole and ponderosa pines in the southern Rocky Mountains
Daniel R. West, Jenny S. Briggs, William R. Jacobi, Jose F. Negron
2016, Environmental Entomology (45) 127-141
Recent evidence of range expansion and host transition by mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) has suggested that MPB may not primarily breed in their natal host, but will switch hosts to an alternate tree species. As MPB populations expanded in lodgepole pine forests in the southern Rocky Mountains, we...
Recent rates of carbon accumulation in montane fens ofYosemite National Park, California, U.S.A.
Judith Z. Drexler, Christopher C. Fuller, James L. Orlando, Peggy E. Moore
2016, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (47) 657-659
Little is known about recent rates of carbon storage in montane peatlands, particularly in the western United States. Here we report on recent rates of carbon accumulation (past 50 to 100 years) in montane groundwater-fed peatlands (fens) of Yosemite National Park in central California, U.S.A. Peat cores were collected at...
Ungulate reproductive parameters track satellite observations of plant phenology across latitude and climatological regimes
David Stoner, Joseph O. Sexton, Jyoteshwar Nagol, Heather H. Bernales, Thomas C. Edwards Jr.
2016, PLoS ONE (11) 1-19
The effect of climatically-driven plant phenology on mammalian reproduction is one key to predicting species-specific demographic responses to climate change. Large ungulates face their greatest energetic demands from the later stages of pregnancy through weaning, and so in seasonal environments parturition dates should match periods of high primary productivity. Interannual...
Avian response to fire in pine–oak forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park following decades of fire suppression
Eli T. Rose, Theodore R. Simons
2016, The Condor (118) 179-193
Fire suppression in southern Appalachian pine–oak forests during the past century dramatically altered the bird community. Fire return intervals decreased, resulting in local extirpation or population declines of many bird species adapted to post-fire plant communities. Within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, declines have been strongest for birds inhabiting xeric...
Survival of female mallards along the Vermont-Quebec border region
Jerry R. Longcore, Daniel G. McAuley, Dennis M. Heisey, Christine M. Bunck, David A. Clugston
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 355-367
Understanding effects of location and timing of harvest seasons on mortality of ducks and geese from hunting is important in forming regulations that sustain viable waterfowl populations throughout their range. During 1990 and 1991 we alternately marked 80 hatching year (HY), female mallards along the Vermont–Quebec border; half with radio-transmitters...
Constraints on the source parameters of low-frequency earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault
Amanda M. Thomas, Gregory C. Beroza, David R. Shelly
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 1464-1471
Low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) are small repeating earthquakes that occur in conjunction with deep slow slip. Like typical earthquakes, LFEs are thought to represent shear slip on crustal faults, but when compared to earthquakes of the same magnitude, LFEs are depleted in high-frequency content and have lower corner frequencies, implying longer...
Fertility of the early post-eruptive surfaces of Kasatochi Island volcano
G. J. Michaelson, Bronwen Wang, C. L. Ping
2016, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (48) 45-59
In the four years after the 2008 eruption and burial of Kasatochi Island volcano, erosion and the return of bird activity have resulted in new and altered land surfaces and initiation of ecosystem recovery. We examined fertility characteristics of the recently deposited pyroclastic surfaces, patches of legacy pre-eruptive surface soil...
Corrigendum to “Widespread occurrence of (per)chlorate in the Solar System” [Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 430 (2015) 470–476]
W. Andrew Jackson, Alfonso F. Davila, Derek W. G. Sears, John D. Coates, Christopher P. McKay, Maeghan Brundrett, Nubia Estrada, J.K. Bohlke
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (436) 142-143
The authors regret that two sets of data (Atacama (Rao et al., 2010) and Mars Meteorite Range (Kounaves et al., 2014)) in Fig. 2 of our article were plotted in the wrong units. The correction does not change the relationship between ClO<mrow...
Density, distribution, and genetic structure of grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem
Katherine C. Kendall, Amy C. Macleod, Kristina L. Boyd, John Boulanger, J. Andrew Royle, Wayne F. Kasworm, David Paetkau, Michael F. Proctor, Tabitha A. Graves, Kim Annis
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 314-331
The conservation status of the 2 threatened grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem (CYE) of northern Montana and Idaho had remained unchanged since designation in 1975; however, the current demographic status of these populations was uncertain. No rigorous data on population density and distribution or analysis of...
Salinity effects on plasma ion levels, cortisol, and osmolality in Chinook salmon following lethal sampling
Heather Stewart, David L. G. Noakes, Karen M. Cogliati, James T. Peterson, Martin H. Iversen, Carl B. Schreck
2016, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology (192) 38-43
Studies on hydromineral balance in fishes frequently employ measurements of electrolytes following euthanasia. We tested the effects of fresh- or salt-water euthanasia baths of tricaine mesylate (MS-222) on plasma magnesium (Mg2+) and sodium (Na+) ions, cortisoland osmolality in fish exposed to saltwater challenges, and the ion and steroid hormone fluctuations over time...
Monogenetic volcanoes fed by interconnected dikes and sills in the Hopi Buttes volcanic field, Navajo Nation, USA
James D. Muirhead, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Giuseppe Re, James D. L. White, Michael H. Ort
2016, Bulletin of Volcanology (78) 1-16
Although monogenetic volcanic fields pose hazards to major cities worldwide, their shallow magma feeders (<500 m depth) are rarely exposed and, therefore, poorly understood. Here, we investigate exposures of dikes and sills in the Hopi Buttes volcanic field, Arizona, to shed light on the nature of its magma feeder system. Shallow...
Comparison of measurement- and proxy-based Vs30 values in California
Alan K. Yong
2016, Earthquake Spectra (32) 171-192
This study was prompted by the recent availability of a significant amount of openly accessible measured VS30 values and the desire to investigate the trend of using proxy-based models to predict VS30 in the absence of measurements. Comparisons between measured and model-based values were performed. The measured data included 503...
Lithospheric rheology constrained from twenty-five years of postseismic deformation following the 1989 Mw 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake
Mong-Han Huang, Roland Burgmann, Frederick Pollitz
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (435) 147-158
The October 17, 1989 Mw 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake provides the first opportunity of probing the crustal and upper mantle rheology in the San Francisco Bay Area since the 1906 Mw 7.9 San Francisco earthquake. Here we use geodetic observations including GPS and InSAR to characterize...
Mapping extent and change in surface mines within the United States for 2001 to 2006
Christopher E. Soulard, William Acevedo, Stephen V. Stehman, Owen P. Parker
2016, Land Degradation and Development (27) 248-257
A complete, spatially explicit dataset illustrating the 21st century mining footprint for the conterminous United States does not exist. To address this need, we developed a semi-automated procedure to map the country's mining footprint (30-m pixel) and establish a baseline to monitor changes in mine extent over time. The process...
The road to Yucca Mountain—Evolution of nuclear waste disposal in the United States
John S. Stuckless, Robert A. Levich
2016, Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (22) 1-25
The generation of electricity by nuclear power and the manufacturing of atomic weapons have created a large amount of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. There is a world-wide consensus that the best way to protect mankind and the environment is to dispose of this waste in a deep...
Who Knew? Inconnu
F. Joseph Margraf
2016, Fisheries (41) 70-70
In 1999, I moved to Alaska to serve as unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and professor of fisheries in the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. What was unusual about this move was that before...
Prospecting for marine gas hydrate resources
Ray Boswell, Craig Shipp, Thomas Reichel, Dianna Shelander, Tetsuo Saeki, Matthew Frye, William Shedd, Timothy S. Collett, Daniel R. McConnell
2016, Interpretation (4) SA13-SA24
As gas hydrate energy assessment matures worldwide, emphasis has evolved away from confirmation of the mere presence of gas hydrate to the more complex issue of prospecting for those specific accumulations that are viable resource targets. Gas hydrate exploration now integrates the unique pressure and temperature preconditions for gas hydrate...
Characterization of gas hydrate distribution using conventional 3D seismic data in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea
Xiujuan Wang, Jin Qiang, Timothy S. Collett, Hesheng Shi, Shengxiong Yang, Chengzhi Yan, Yuanping Li, Zhenzhen Wang, Duanxin Chen
2016, Interpretation (4) SA25-SA37
A new 3D seismic reflection data volume acquired in 2012 has allowed for the detailed mapping and characterization of gas hydrate distribution in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the South China Sea. Previous studies of core and logging data showed that gas hydrate occurrence at high concentrations is controlled...
Evidence for nonuniform permafrost degradation after fire in boreal landscapes
Burke J. Minsley, Neal J. Pastick, Bruce K. Wylie, Dana R.N. Brown, M. Andy Kass
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (121) 320-335
Fire can be a significant driver of permafrost change in boreal landscapes, altering the availability of soil carbon and nutrients that have important implications for future climate and ecological succession. However, not all landscapes are equally susceptible to fire-induced change. As fire frequency is expected to increase in the high...
Impacts of climate change on land-use and wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America
Benjamin S. Rashford, Richard M. Adams, Jun Wu, Richard A. Voldseth, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Brett Werner, W. Carter Johnson
2016, Regional Environmental Change (16) 515-526
Wetland productivity in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is closely linked to climate. A warmer and drier climate, as predicted, will negatively affect the productivity of PPR wetlands and the services they provide. The effect of climate change on wetland productivity, however, will not only depend on...
Greenhouse gas fluxes from salt marshes exposed to chronic nutrient enrichment
Gail L. Chmura, Lisa Kellman, Lee van Ardenne, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
We assessed the impact of nutrient additions on greenhouse gas fluxes using dark static chambers in a microtidal and a macrotidal marsh along the coast of New Brunswick, Canada approximately monthly over a year. Both were experimentally fertilized for six years with varying levels of N and P. For unfertilized,...
Dimensionless erosion laws for cohesive sediment
Joseph S. Walder
2016, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering (142) 1-13
A method of achieving a dimensionless collapse of erosion-rate data for cohesive sediments is proposed and shown to work well for data collected in flume-erosion tests on mixtures of sand and mud (silt plus clay sized particles) for a wide range of mud fraction. The data collapse...
