Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2015
Betsy L. Bodamer Scarbro, W.H. Edwards, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Richard T. Kraus, M. R. Rogers, A. L. Schoonyan, T. R. Stewart
2016, Report
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Lake Erie Biological Station (LEBS) successfully completed large vessel surveys in all three of Lake Erie’s basins. Lake Erie Biological Station’s primary vessel surveys included the Western Basin Forage Fish Assessment and East Harbor Fish Community Assessment as well as contributing to the...
Estuaries: Life on the edge: Chapter 19
James E. Cloern, Patrick L. Barnard, Erin Beller, John C. Callaway, Letitia Grenier, Edwin D. Grosholz, Robin Grossinger, Kathryn Hieb, James T. Holligaugh, Noah Knowles, Martha Sutula, Samuel Veloz, Kerstin Wasson, Alison Whipple
2016, Book chapter, Ecosystems of California
No abstract available....
By-products of porphyry copper and molybdenum deposits
David A. John, Ryan D. Taylor
Philip L. Verplanck, Murray W. Hitzman, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Rare earth and critical elements in ore deposits
Porphyry Cu and porphyry Mo deposits are large to giant deposits ranging up to >20 and 1.6 Gt of ore, respectively, that supply about 60 and 95% of the world’s copper and molybdenum, as well as significant amounts of gold and silver. These deposits form from hydrothermal systems that affect...
Stronger or longer: Discriminating between Hawaiian and Strombolian eruption styles
Bruce F. Houghton, Jacopo Taddeucci, D. Andronico, H Gonnerman, M Pistolesi, Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr, Don Swanson, M Edmonds, Rebecca J. Carey, P. Scarlato
2016, Geology (44) 163-166
The weakest explosive volcanic eruptions globally, Strombolian explosions and Hawaiian fountaining, are also the most common. Yet, despite over a hundred years of observations, no classifications have offered a convincing, quantitative way of demarcating these two styles. New observations show that the two styles are distinct in their eruptive timescale,...
Influence of land-atmosphere feedbacks on temperature and precipitation extremes in the GLACE-CMIP5 ensemble
Ruth Lorenz, Daniel Argueso, Markus G. Donat, Andrew J. Pitman, Bart van den Hurk, Alexis Berg, David M. Lawrence, Frederique Cheruy, Agnes Ducharne, Stefan Hagemann, Arndt Meier, Paul C.D. Milly, Sonia I Seneviratne
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (121) 607-623
We examine how soil moisture variability and trends affect the simulation of temperature and precipitation extremes in six global climate models using the experimental protocol of the Global Land-Atmosphere Coupling Experiment of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 5 (GLACE-CMIP5). This protocol enables separate examinations of the influences of soil moisture...
Louisiana waterthrush and benthic macroinvertebrate response to shale gas development
Petra Wood, Mack W. Frantz, Douglas A. Becker
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 423-433
Because shale gas development is occurring over large landscapes and consequently is affecting many headwater streams, an understanding of its effects on headwater-stream faunal communities is needed. We examined effects of shale gas development (well pads and associated infrastructure) on Louisiana waterthrush Parkesia motacilla and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in 12...
A GIS model of habitat suitability for Solanum conocarpum (Solanaceae) in St. John, US Virgin Islands
Matthew D. Palumbo, Jonathan P. Fleming, Omar A. Monsegur, Francisco Vilella
2016, Caribbean Naturalist (36) 1-10
Solanum conocarpum (Solanaceae) (Marron Bacora) is a rare, dry-forest shrub endemic to the island of St. John, US Virgin Islands, considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Given its status as a species of conservation concern, we incorporated environmental characteristics of 3 observed populations and 5 additional known locations...
Kriging and local polynomial methods for blending satellite-derived and gauge precipitation estimates to support hydrologic early warning systems
Andrew Verdin, Christopher C. Funk, Balaji Rajagopalan, William Kleiber
2016, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (54) 2552-2562
Robust estimates of precipitation in space and time are important for efficient natural resource management and for mitigating natural hazards. This is particularly true in regions with developing infrastructure and regions that are frequently exposed to extreme events. Gauge observations of rainfall are sparse but capture the precipitation process with...
Coupling centennial-scale shoreline change to sea-level rise and coastal morphology in the Gulf of Mexico using a Bayesian network
Nathaniel G. Plant
2016, Earth's Future (4)
Predictions of coastal evolution driven by episodic and persistent processes associated with storms and relative sea-level rise (SLR) are required to test our understanding, evaluate our predictive capability, and to provide guidance for coastal management decisions. Previous work demonstrated that the spatial variability of long-term shoreline change can be predicted...
Structural geometry of the Valley and Ridge and Plateaus provinces
Mark A. Evans, Randall C. Orndorff, William S. Henika
2016, Book chapter, The geology of Virginia (Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication 18)
The Valley and Ridge physiographic province comprises the area between the Blue Ridge province on the east and the Appalachian Plateau province on the west. The province consists of Paleozoic carbonate and clastic rocks that were folded and thrust faulted during the Alleghanian orogeny. The Appalachian Plateau province consists of mostly flat lying to gently...
Hydropedology: Synergistic integration of soil science and hydrology in the Critical Zone
H.S. Lin, J.J. McDonnell, John R. Nimmo, Y. A. Pachepsky
2016, Hydrological Processes (29) 4559-4561
Soil and water are the two critical components of theEarth’s Critical Zone (Figure 1): Soil modulates the connection between bedrock and the atmospheric boundary layer and water is a major driving force and transport agent between these two zones....
Implications of the methodological choices for hydrologic portrayals of climate change over the contiguous United States: Statistically downscaled forcing data and hydrologic models
Naoki Mizukami, Martyn P. Clark, Ethan D. Gutmann, Pablo A. Mendoza, Andrew J. Newman, Bart Nijssen, Ben Livneh, Lauren E. Hay, Jeffrey R. Arnold, Levi D. Brekke
2016, Journal of Hydrometeorology (17) 75-98
Continental-domain assessments of climate change impacts on water resources typically rely on statistically downscaled climate model outputs to force hydrologic models at a finer spatial resolution. This study examines the effects of four statistical downscaling methods [bias-corrected constructed analog (BCCA), bias-corrected spatial disaggregation applied at daily (BCSDd) and monthly scales...
Tectonic tremor
David R. Shelly
2016, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards
Tectonic, non-volcanic tremor is a weak vibration of ground, which cannot be felt by humans but can be detected by sensitive seismometers. It is defined empirically as a low-amplitude, extended duration seismic signal associated with the deep portion (∼20–40 km depth) of some major faults. It is typically observed most clearly...
Biological soil crusts
Jayne Belnap
2016, Book chapter, Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas
No abstract available....
Soil phosphorus cycling in tropical soils: An ultisol and oxisol perspective
Sasha C. Reed, Tana E. Wood
2016, Book chapter, Soil phosphorus
Phosphorus (P) is essential for life. It is the backbone of our DNA, provides energy for biological reactions, and is an integral component of cell membranes. As such, it is no surprise that P availability plays a strong role in regulating ecosystem structure and function (Wassen et al. 2005, Elser...
Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, Gordon H. Kruse, Franz J. Mueter, Bryan A. Black, David C. Douglas, James L. Bodkin
2016, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (8) 502-521
Nearshore marine habitats are productive and vulnerable owing to their connections to pelagic and terrestrial landscapes. To understand how ocean basin- and local-scale conditions may influence nearshore species, we developed an annual index of nearshore production (spanning the period 1972–2010) from growth increments recorded in otoliths of representative pelagic-feeding (Black...
Geology and geomorphology of the Carolina Sandhills, Chesterfield County, South Carolina
Christopher S. Swezey, Bradley A. Fitzwater, G. Richard Whittecar
2016, Book
This two-day field trip focuses on the geology and geomorphology of the Carolina Sandhills in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. This area is located in the updip portion of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain province, supports an ecosystem of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) and wiregrass (Aristida stricta), and contains three major...
Status of alewife and rainbow smelt in U.S. waters of Lake Ontario, 2015
Maureen Walsh, Brian Weidel, Michael J. Connerton, Jeremy P. Holden
2016, NYSDEC Lake Ontario Annual Report 2015-12a
In 2015 the joint USGS and NYSDEC surveys for Alewife and Rainbow Smelt were combined for the first time into a comprehensive spring pelagic prey fish survey. The adult Alewife abundance and weight indices in 2015 increased slightly from 2014 levels, and adult Alewife abundance has remained relatively stable for...
Status and trends of the Lake Huron offshore demersal fish community, 1976-2015
Edward F. Roseman, Margret Ann Chriscinske, Dana Kristina Castle, Carson G. Prichard
2016, Report, Compiled reports to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission of the annual bottom trawl and acoustics surveys, 2015
The USGS Great Lakes Science Center has conducted trawl surveys to assess annual changes in the offshore demersal fish community of Lake Huron since 1973. Sample sites include five ports in U.S. waters with less frequent sampling near Goderich, Ontario. The 2015 fall bottom trawl survey was carried out between...
The concept of stress in fish
Carl B. Schreck, Lluis Tort
2016, Fish Physiology (35) 1-34
The general physiological response of fish to threatening situations, as with all vertebrates, is referred to as stress. A stress response is initiated almost immediately following the perception of a stressor. Mildly stressful situations can have beneficial or positive effects (eustress), while higher severities induce <a...
The leatherback turtle: Biology and conservation
Raymond R. Carthy
2016, Herpetological Review (47) 703-705
No abstract available....
Brackish marsh zones as a waterfowl habitat resource in submerged aquatic vegetation beds in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Kristin DeMarco, Eva R. Hillmann, Michael G. Brasher, Megan K. LaPeyre
2016, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (3) 261-269
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds are shallow coastal habitats that are increasingly exposed to the effects of sea-level rise (SLR). In the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM), an area especially vulnerable to SLR, the abundance and distribution of SAV food resources (seeds, rhizomes, and tissue) can influence the carrying...
Status of pelagic prey fishes in Lake Michigan, 2015
David M. Warner, Randall M. Claramunt, Steve A. Farha, Dale Hanson, Timothy J. Desorcie, Timothy P. O’Brien
2016, Report, Compiled reports to the Great Lake Fishery Commission of the annual bottom trawl and acoustics surveys, 2015
Acoustic surveys were conducted in late summer/early fall during the years 1992-1996 and 2001-2015 to estimate pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan. Midwater trawling during the surveys as well as target strength provided a measure of species and size composition of the fish community for use in scaling acoustic...
Local environmental context conditions the impact of Russian olive in a heterogeneous riparian ecosystem
Graham M. Tuttle, Gabrielle L. Katz, Jonathan M. Friedman, Andrew P. Norton
2016, Invasive Plant Science and Management (9) 272-289
Local abiotic and biotic conditions can alter the strength of exotic species impacts. To better understand the effects of exotic species on invaded ecosystems and to prioritize management efforts, it is important that exotic species impacts are put in local environmental context. We studied how differences in plant community composition,...
The Bear River's history and diversion: Constraints, unsolved problems, and implications for the Lake Bonneville record: Chapter 2
Joel L. Pederson, Susanne U. Janecke, Marith C. Reheis, Darrell S. Kaufmann, Robert Q. Oaks Jr.
2016, Book chapter, Developments in earth surface processes
The shifting course of the Bear River has influenced the hydrologic balance of the Bonneville basin through time, including the magnitude of Lake Bonneville. This was first recognized by G.K. Gilbert and addressed in the early work of Robert Bright, who focused on the southeastern Idaho region of Gem...
