Dry years decrease abundance of American alligators in the Florida Everglades
J. Hardin Waddle, Laura A. Brandt, Brian M. Jeffery, Frank J. Mazzotti
2015, Wetlands (35) 865-875
The Everglades has been greatly reduced and is threatened by land use change and altered hydrology. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan calls for monitoring and assessment of key ecosystem attributes, one of which is abundance of American alligators. We examined 10 years of alligator night spotlight counts from Arthur R. Marshall...
Drivers and synergies in the management of inland fisheries: Searching for sustainable solutions
Abigail Lynch, Beard Jr.
2015, Conference Paper, Enhancing sustainability of inland fisheries through cross-sectoral collaboration
Freshwater is a shared resource. Water challenges (i.e., too much, too little, too dirty) are recognized to have global implications. Many sectors rely upon water and, in some cases, the limited availability of water leads to tough decisions. Though inland fish and fisheries play important roles in providing food security,...
A rapid estimation of near field tsunami run-up
Sebastian Riqueime, Mauricio Fuentes, Gavin P. Hayes, Jamie Campos
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research (120) 6487-6500
Many efforts have been made to quickly estimate the maximum run-up height of tsunamis associated with large earthquakes. This is a difficult task, because of the time it takes to construct a tsunami model using real time data from the source. It is possible to construct a database of potential...
National Earthquake Information Center systems overview and integration
Michelle R. Guy, John M. Patton, Jeremy Fee, Mike Hearne, Eric Martinez, D. Ketchum, Charles Worden, Vince Quitoriano, Edward Hunter, Gregory Smoczyk, Stan Schwarz
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1120
Overview The primary mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is comprehensive global earthquake monitoring (M4.5 or larger) and complete seismic monitoring of the United States for all significant earthquakes (M3.0 or larger or felt). In recent years, the NEIC has assumed a more prominent role...
A further note on the scientific name of Bullocks’ Oriole
R. Terry Chesser
2015, Zootaxa (3956) 444-444
Chesser (2013) intended to introduce a justified emendation to Icterus bullockii under Article 32.5.1 of the Code (ICZN 1999), because the name honors both William Bullock, Sr., and William Bullock, Jr. However, the correction bullockorum is "incorrect" and therefore is an unjustified emendation (Article 33.2.3). Under the assumption that the...
Key seabird areas in southern New England identified using a community occupancy model
Allan F. O’Connell, Nicholas P. Flanders, Beth Gardner, Kristopher J. Winiarski, Peter W. C. Paton, Taber Allison
2015, Marine Ecology Progress Series (533) 277-290
Seabirds are of conservation concern, and as new potential risks to seabirds are arising, the need to provide unbiased estimates of species’ distributions is growing. We applied community occupancy models to detection/non-detection data collected from repeated aerial strip-transect surveys conducted in 2 large study plots off southern New England, USA;...
Source mechanism of small long-period events at Mount St. Helens in July 2005 using template matching, phase-weighted stacking, and full-waveform inversion
Robin S. Matoza, Bernard A. Chouet, Phillip B. Dawson, Peter M. Shearer, Matthew M. Haney, Gregory P. Waite, Seth C. Moran, T. Dylan Mikesell
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research (120) 6351-6364
Long-period (LP, 0.5-5 Hz) seismicity, observed at volcanoes worldwide, is a recognized signature of unrest and eruption. Cyclic LP “drumbeating” was the characteristic seismicity accompanying the sustained dome-building phase of the 2004–2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens (MSH), WA. However, together with the LP drumbeating was a near-continuous, randomly occurring series...
The importance of dunes on a variety of planetary surfaces
Timothy N. Titus, James R. Zimbelman, Jani Radebaugh
2015, Eos, Earth and Space Science News (96)
Scientists observe aeolian bed forms, or dune-like structures, throughout the solar system in a range of locations, from bodies with only transient atmospheres, such as comets, to places with thick atmospheres, such as Venus and the Earth’s ocean floor. Determining the source of sand and the different dune formations that...
The influence of logjams on largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) concentrations on the lower Roanoke River, a large sand-bed river
Edward R. Schenk, Jeremy W. McCargo, Bertrand Moulin, Cliff R. Hupp, Jean M. Richter
2015, River Research and Applications (31) 704-711
This study examines the relation between logjams and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) on the alluvial sand-bed lower Roanoke River. Disparate data sets from previous bank erosion, fisheries, and large wood studies were used to compare the distribution of largemouth bass with logjam frequency. Logjams are related to the frequency of...
Dynamic models of an earthquake and tsunami offshore Ventura, California
Kenny J. Ryan, Eric L. Geist, Michael Barall, David D. Oglesby
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 6599-6606
The Ventura basin in Southern California includes coastal dip-slip faults that can likely produce earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater and significant local tsunamis. We construct a 3-D dynamic rupture model of an earthquake on the Pitas Point and Lower Red Mountain faults to model low-frequency ground motion and the...
Evaluating the importance of abiotic and biotic drivers on Bythotrephes biomass in Lakes Superior and Michigan
Kevin M. Keeler, David B. Bunnell, James S. Diana, Jean V. Adams, Justin G. Mychek-Londer, David M. Warner, Daniel Yule, Mark R. Vinson
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 150-160
The ability of planktivorous fishes to exert top-down control on Bythotrephes potentially has far-reaching impacts on aquatic food-webs, given previously described effects of Bythotrephes on zooplankton communities. We estimated consumption of Bythotrephes by planktivorous and benthivorous fishes, using bioenergetics and daily ration models at nearshore (18 m), intermediate (46 m),...
Principles of effective USA federal fire management plans
Marc D. Meyer, Susan L. Roberts, Robin Wills, Matthew L. Brooks, Eric M. Winford
2015, Fire Ecology (11) 59-83
Federal fire management plans are essential implementation guides for the management of wildland fire on federal lands. Recent changes in federal fire policy implementation guidance and fire science information suggest the need for substantial changes in federal fire management plans of the United States. Federal land management agencies are also...
Growth and contribution of stocked channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818): the importance of measuring post-stocking performance
David R. Stewart, James M. Long
2015, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (31) 695-703
In this study it was sought to quantify post-stocking growth, survival, and contribution of advanced size (178 mm total length [TL]) channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus fingerlings, something rarely done. Channel catfish populations were evaluated before (May 2010) and after (May to August 2011 and 2012) stocking. Relative abundance, stocking contribution, and growth were...
Water-budgets and recharge-area simulations for the Spring Creek and Nittany Creek Basins and parts of the Spruce Creek Basin, Centre and Huntingdon Counties, Pennsylvania, Water Years 2000–06
John W. Fulton, Dennis W. Risser, R. Steve Regan, John F. Walker, Randall J. Hunt, Richard G. Niswonger, Scott A. Hoffman, Steven L. Markstrom
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5073
This report describes the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with ClearWater Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to develop a hydrologic model to simulate a water budget and identify areas of greater than average recharge for the Spring Creek Basin in central...
Collections management plan for the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Data Library
Kelleen M. List, Brian J. Buczkowski, Linda P. McCarthy, Alice M. Orton
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1141
The U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center has created a Data Library to organize, preserve, and make available the field, laboratory, and modeling data collected and processed by Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff. This Data Library supports current research efforts by providing unique,...
Riparian vegetation, Colorado River, and climate: five decades of spatiotemporal dynamics in the Grand Canyon with river regulation
Joel B. Sankey, Barbara E. Ralston, Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Laura E. Cagney
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research (120) 1532-1547
Documentation of the interacting effects of river regulation and climate on riparian vegetation has typically been limited to small segments of rivers or focused on individual plant species. We examine spatiotemporal variability in riparian vegetation for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon relative to river regulation and climate, over the...
Trends in Rocky Mountain amphibians and the role of beaver as a keystone species
Blake R. Hossack, William R. Gould, Debra A. Patla, Erin L. Muths, Rob Daley, Kristin Legg, P. Stephen Corn
2015, Biological Conservation (187) 260-269
Despite prevalent awareness of global amphibian declines, there is still little information on trends for many widespread species. To inform land managers of trends on protected landscapes and identify potential conservation strategies, we collected occurrence data for five wetland-breeding amphibian species in four national parks in the U.S. Rocky Mountains...
Assessing threats from coral and crustose coralline algae disease on the reefs of New Caledonia
Greta S. Aeby, Aline Tribollet, Gregory Lasne, Thierry M. Work
2015, Marine and Freshwater Research (34) 393-406
The present study reports the results of the first quantitative survey of lesions on coral and crustose coralline algae (CCA) on reefs in the lagoon of New Caledonia. Surveys on inshore and offshore reefs were conducted at 13 sites in 2010, with 12 sites resurveyed in 2013. Thirty coral diseases...
Dust control products at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Texas: environmental safety and performance
Bethany K. Kunz, Edward E. Little
2015, Transportation Research Record 64-71
Controlling fugitive dust while protecting natural resources is a challenge faced by all managers of unpaved roads. Unfortunately, road managers choosing between dust control products often have little objective environmental information to aid their decisions. To address this information gap, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
The effects of body size and climate on post-weaning survival of elephant seals at Heard Island
Clive R McMahon, Leslie New, E.J. Fairley, M.A. Hindell, H.R. Burton
2015, Journal of Zoology (297) 301-308
The population size of southern elephant seals in the southern Indian and Pacific Oceans decreased precipitously between the 1950s and 1990s. To investigate the reasons behind this, we studied the population of southern elephant seals at Heard Island between 1949 and 1954, using data collected by the early Australian National...
Using 15-minute acoustic data to analyze suspended-sediment dynamics in the Rio Grande in the Big Bend Region
David J. Dean, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, Thomas A. Sabol, John C. Schmidt, Jeffery B. Bennett
2015, Conference Paper
The Rio Grande in the Big Bend region is subject to rapid geomorphic change consisting of channel narrowing during years of low flow, and channel widening during rare, large, long duration floods. Since the 1940s, there have been large declines in mean and peak stream flow, and the channel has...
A conceptual model for site-level ecology of the giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley, California
Brian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Eric C. Hansen, Rick D. Scherer, Laura C. Patterson
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1152
Giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) comprise a species of semi-aquatic snakes precinctive to marshes in the Central Valley of California (Hansen and Brode, 1980; Rossman and others, 1996). Because more than 90 percent of their historical wetland habitat has been converted to other uses (Frayer and others, 1989; Garone, 2007), giant...
2013 volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
James P. Dixon, Cheryl Cameron, Robert G. McGimsey, Christina A. Neal, Chris Waythomas
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5110
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, and seismic events at 18 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2013. Beginning with the 2013 AVO Summary of Events, the annual description of the AVO seismograph network and activity, once a stand-alone publication, is now part of...
The Boulder magnetic observatory
Jeffrey J. Love, Carol A. Finn, Kolby L. Pedrie, Cletus C. Blum
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1125
The Boulder magnetic observatory has, since 1963, been operated by the Geomagnetism Program of the U.S. Geological Survey in accordance with Bureau and national priorities. Data from the observatory are used for a wide variety of scientific purposes, both pure and applied. The observatory also supports developmental projects within the...
A new temperature profiling probe for investigating groundwater-surface water interaction
Ramon C. Naranjo, Robert Turcotte
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 7790-7797
Measuring vertically nested temperatures at the streambed interface poses practical challenges that are addressed here with a new discrete subsurface temperature profiling probe. We describe a new temperature probe and its application for heat as a tracer investigations to demonstrate the probe's utility. Accuracy and response time of temperature measurements...
