Methylmercury bioaccumulation in stream food webs declines with increasing primary production
David Walters, D.F. Raikow, C.R. Hammerschmidt, M.G. Mehling, A. Kovach, J.T. Oris
2015, Environmental Science & Technology (49) 7762-7769
Opposing hypotheses posit that increasing primary productivity should result in either greater or lesser contaminant accumulation in stream food webs. We conducted an experiment to evaluate primary productivity effects on MeHg accumulation in stream consumers. We varied light for 16 artificial streams creating a productivity gradient (oxygen production =0.048–0.71 mg...
Evolution of Mars’ Northern Polar Seasonal CO2 deposits: variations in surface brightness and bulk density
Christopher P. Mount, Timothy N. Titus
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (120) 1252-1266
Small scale variations of seasonal ice are explored at different geomorphic units on the Northern Polar Seasonal Cap (NPSC). We use seasonal rock shadow measurements, combined with visible and thermal observations, to calculate density over time. The coupling of volume density and albedo allows us to determine the microphysical state...
Survival and growth of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish at low salinities
Pamela J. Schofield, Dane H. Huge, Troy C. Rezek, Daniel H. Slone, James A. Morris Jr.
2015, Aquatic Invasions (10) 333-337
Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish [Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles (Bennett, 1828)] are now established throughout the Western North Atlantic. Several studies have documented negative effects of lionfish on marine fauna including significant changes to reef fish community composition. Established populations of lionfish have been documented in several estuaries, and there is concern...
The influence of prefire tree growth and crown condition on postfire mortality of sugar pine following prescribed fire in Sequoia National Park
Jonathan C. B. Nesmith, Adrian J. Das, Kevin L. O’Hara, Phillip J. van Mantgem
2015, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (45) 910-919
Tree mortality is a vital component of forest management in the context of prescribed fires; however, few studies have examined the effect of prefire tree health on postfire mortality. This is especially relevant for sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Douglas), a species experiencing population declines due to a suite of anthropogenic factors....
The importance of range edges for an irruptive species during extreme weather events
Brooke L. Bateman, Anna M. Pidgeon, Volker C. Radeloff, Andrew J. Allstadt, H. Resit Akcakaya, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Stephen J. Vavrus, Patricia J. Heglund
2015, Landscape Ecology (30) 1095-1110
Context Threats to wildlife species from extreme events, such as droughts, are predicted to increase in frequency and magnitude with climate change. Extreme events can cause mortality and community-level changes, but for some mobile species, movement away from areas affected may be a viable option. Objectives <p id="Par2" class="Para...
Application of Bayesian Networks to hindcast barrier island morphodynamics
Kathleen E. Wilson, Peter N. Adams, Cheryl J. Hapke, Erika E. Lentz, Owen T. Brenner
2015, Coastal Engineering (102) 30-43
Prediction of coastal vulnerability is of increasing concern to policy makers, coastal managers and other stakeholders. Coastal regions and barrier islands along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are subject to frequent, large storms, whose waves and storm surge can dramatically alter beach morphology, threaten infrastructure, and impact local economies....
Lake Ontario water quality during the 2003 and 2008 intensive field years and comparison with long-term trends
K. T. Holeck, L. G. Rudstam, J. M. Watkins, F. J. Luckey, J. R. Lantry, Brian F. Lantry, E. S. Trometer, M. A. Koops, Terry B. Johnson
2015, Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management (18) 7-17
Phosphorus loading declined between the 1970s and the 1990s, leading to oligotrophication of the offshore waters of Lake Ontario during that time period. Using lake-wide data from the intensive field years of 2003 and 2008 and from available long-term data sets on several trophic state indicators (total phosphorus [TP], soluble...
Sea lamprey mark type, marking rate, and parasite-host relationships for lake trout and other species in Lake Ontario
Brian F. Lantry, Jean V. Adams, Gavin Christie, Teodore Schaner, James Bowlby, Michael Keir, Jana Lantry, Paul Sullivan, Daniel Bishop, Ted Treska, Bruce Morrison
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 266-279
We examined how attack frequency by sea lampreys on fishes in Lake Ontario varied in response to sea lamprey abundance and preferred host abundance (lake trout > 433 mm). For this analysis we used two gill net assessment surveys, one angler creel survey, three salmonid spawning run datasets, one adult sea lamprey assessment, and...
Hydrogeologic data and water-quality data from a thick unsaturated zone at a proposed wastewater-treatment facility site, Yucca Valley, San Bernardino County, California, 2008-11
David O’Leary, Dennis A. Clark, John A. Izbicki
2015, Data Series 925
The Hi-Desert Water District, in the community of Yucca Valley, California, is considering constructing a wastewater-treatment facility and using the reclaimed water to recharge the aquifer system through surface spreading. The Hi-Desert Water District is concerned with possible effects of this recharge on water quality in the underlying groundwater system;...
Restoration of oyster reefs in an estuarine lake: population dynamics and shell accretion
Sandra M. Casas, Jerome F. La Peyre, Megan La Peyre
2015, Marine Ecology Progress Series (524) 171-184
Restoration activities inherently depend on understanding the spatial and temporal variation in basic demographic rates of the species of interest. For species that modify and maintain their own habitat such as the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, understanding demographic rates and their impacts on population and habitat success are crucial to...
Surface monitoring of microseismicity at the Decatur, Illinois, CO2 sequestration demonstration site
J. Ole Kaven, Stephen H. Hickman, Arthur F. McGarr, William L. Ellsworth
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 1096-1101
Sequestration of CO2 into subsurface reservoirs can play an important role in limiting future emission of CO2 into the atmosphere (e.g., Benson and Cole, 2008). For geologic sequestration to become a viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, large-volume injection of supercritical CO2 into deep sedimentary formations is required. These...
Water-quality trends in the Scituate reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, 1983-2012
Kirk P. Smith
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5058
The Scituate Reservoir is the primary source of drinking water for more than 60 percent of the population of Rhode Island. Water-quality and streamflow data collected at 37 surface-water monitoring stations in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, from October 2001 through September 2012, water years (WYs) 2002-12, were...
Simulation of nitrogen attenuation in a subterranean estuary, representative of the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts
John A. Colman, Carl S. Carlson, C. Robinson
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1085
A two-dimensional model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to assess flow and chemical reaction associated with groundwater discharge through the subterranean estuary representative of coastal salt ponds of southern Cape Cod. The model simulated both the freshwater and saltwater flow...
Hydrologic model of the Modesto Region, California, 1960-2004
Steven P. Phillips, Diane L. Rewis, Jonathan A. Traum
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5045
Strategies for managing water supplies and groundwater quality in the Modesto region of the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, are being formulated and evaluated by the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers Groundwater Basin Association. Management issues and goals in the basin include an area in the lower part of the basin...
Effects of oyster harvest activities on Louisiana reef habitat and resident nekton communities
Steve Beck, Megan K. LaPeyre
2015, Fishery Bulletin (113) 327-340
Oysters are often cited as “ecosystem engineers” because they modify their environment. Coastal Louisiana contains extensive oyster reef areas that have been harvested for decades, and whether differences in habitat functions exist between those areas and nonharvested reefs is unclear. We compared reef physical structure and resident community metrics between...
Assessment of general health of fishes collected at selected sites in the Great Lakes Basin In 2012
Patricia M. Mazik, Ryan P. Braham, Cassidy M. Hahn, Vicki Blazer
2015, Report
During the past decade, there has been a substantive increase in the detection of “emerging contaminants”, defined as a new substance, chemical, or metabolite in the environment; or a legacy substance with a newly expanded distribution, altered release, or a newly recognized effect (such as endocrine disruption). Emerging contaminants include...
Elevational gradient in clutch size of Red-faced Warblers
Kristen G. Dillon, Courtney J. Conway
2015, Journal of Field Ornithology (86) 163-172
Our understanding of life history evolution has benefited from debates regarding the underlying causes, and geographic ubiquity, of spatial patterns in avian clutch sizes. Past studies have revealed that birds lay smaller clutch sizes at higher elevation. However, in most previous studies, investigators have failed to adequately control for elevational...
Mapping wetlands and surface water in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America: Chapter 16
Jennifer R. Rover, David M. Mushet
2015, Book chapter, Remote sensing of wetlands: Applications and advances
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is one of the most highly productive wetland regions in the world. Prairie Pothole wetlands serve as a primary feeding and breeding habitat for more than one-half of North America’s waterfowl population, as well as a variety of songbirds, waterbirds, shorebirds, and other wildlife. During...
Sixth International Limnogeology Congress: abstract volume, Reno, Nevada, June 15-19, 2015
Michael R. Rosen, Andrew S. Cohen, Matthew Kirby, Elizabeth Gierlowski-Kordesch, Scott W. Starratt, Blas L. Valero Garces, Johan Varekamp, editor(s)
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1092
Limnogeology is the study of modern lakes and lake deposits in the geologic record. Limnogeologists have been active since the 1800s, but interest in limnogeology became prevalent in the early 1990s when it became clear that lake deposits contain continental environmental and climate records. A society that is focused on...
Sixth International Limnogeology Congress: field trip guidebook, Reno, Nevada, June 15-19, 2015
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1108
Limnogeology is the study of modern lakes and lake deposits in the geologic record. Limnogeologists have been active since the 1800s, but interest in Limnogeology became prevalent in the early 1990s when it became clear that lake deposits contain continental environmental and climate records. A society that is focused on...
Landscape disturbance from unconventional and conventional oil and gas development in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, USA
Terry E. Slonecker, Lesley E. Milheim
2015, Environments (2) 200-220
The spatial footprint of unconventional (hydraulic fracturing) and conventional oil and gas development in the Marcellus Shale region of the State of Pennsylvania was digitized from high-resolution, ortho-rectified, digital aerial photography, from 2004 to 2010. We used these data to measure the spatial extent of oil and gas development and...
Control of nitrogen and phosphorus transport by reservoirs in agricultural landscapes
Stephen M. Powers, Jennifer L. Tank, Dale M. Robertson
2015, Biogeochemistry (124) 417-439
Reservoirs often receive excess nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) lost from agricultural land, and may subsequently influence N and P delivery to inland and coastal waters through internal processes such as nutrient burial, denitrification, and nutrient turnover. Currently there is a need to better understand how reservoirs affect nutrient transport...
Geomorphic consequences of volcanic eruptions in Alaska: A review
Christopher F. Waythomas
2015, Geomorphology (246) 123-145
Eruptions of Alaska volcanoes have significant and sometimes profound geomorphic consequences on surrounding landscapes and ecosystems. The effects of eruptions on the landscape can range from complete burial of surface vegetation and preexisting topography to subtle, short-term perturbations of geomorphic and ecological systems. In some cases, an eruption will...
Hydrologic data from wells at or in the vicinity of the San Juan coal mine, San Juan County, New Mexico
Anne M. Stewart, Nicole Thomas
2015, Data Series 933
In 2010, in cooperation with the Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) of the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated a 4-year assessment of hydrologic conditions at the San Juan coal mine (SJCM), located about 14 miles west-northwest of the city...
Multi-elemental analysis of aqueous geochemical samples by quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Ruth E. Wolf, Monique Adams
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1010
Typically, quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is used to determine as many as 57 major, minor, and trace elements in aqueous geochemical samples, including natural surface water and groundwater, acid mine drainage water, and extracts or leachates from geological samples. The sample solution is aspirated into the inductively coupled...
