Return to normal streamflows and water levels: summary of hydrologic conditions in Georgia, 2013
Andrew E. Knaak, Kerry Caslow, Michael F. Peck
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3024
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) Georgia office, in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, maintains a long-term hydrologic monitoring network of more than 340 real-time continuous-record streamflow-gaging stations (streamgages), including 10 real-time lake-level monitoring stations, 67 real-time surface-water-quality monitors, and several water-quality...
Long-term controls of soil organic carbon with depth and time: a case study from the Cowlitz River Chronosequence, WA USA
Corey R. Lawrence, Jennifer W. Harden, Xiaomei Xu, Marjorie S. Schulz, Susan E. Trumbore
2015, Geoderma (247-248) 73-87
Over timescales of soil development (millennia), the capacity of soils to stabilize soil organic carbon (SOC) is linked to soil development through changes in soil mineralogy and other soil properties. In this study, an extensive dataset of soil profile chemistry and mineralogy is compiled from the Cowlitz River Chronosequence (CRC),...
Upstream dispersal of an invasive crayfish aided by a fish passage facility
Stuart A. Welsh, Zachary J. Loughman
2015, Management of Biological Invasions (6) 287-294
Fish passage facilities for reservoir dams have been used to restore habitat connectivity within riverine networks by allowing upstream passage for native species. These facilities may also support the spread of invasive species, an unintended consequence and potential downside of upstream passage structures. We documented...
Effects of dispersal on total biomass in a patchy, heterogeneous system: Analysis and experiment
Bo Zhang, Xin Liu, Donald L. DeAngelis, Wei-Ming Ni, G Geoff Wang
2015, Mathematical Biosciences (264) 54-62
An intriguing recent result from mathematics is that a population diffusing at an intermediate rate in an environment in which resources vary spatially will reach a higher total equilibrium biomass than the population in an environment in which the same total resources are distributed homogeneously. We extended the current mathematical...
Status of Pelagic Prey Fishes in Lake Michigan, 2014
David M. Warner, Steven A. Farha, Randall M. Claramunt, Dale Hanson, Timothy P. O’Brien
2015, Report
Acoustic surveys were conducted in late summer/early fall during the years 1992-1996 and 2001-2014 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...
Comment on Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, ELAPIDAE): request for confirmation of availability of the generic name and for the nomenclatural validation of the journal in which it was published (Case 3601; BZN 70:234–237; 71:30–38; 133-135,181-182 ,252-253)
Anders G.J. Rhodin, Hinrich Kaiser, Peter Paul van Dijk, Wolfgang Wuster, Mark O’Shea, Michael Archer, Mark Auliya, Luigi Boitani, Roger Bour, Viola Clausnitzer, Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath, Brian I. Crother, Juan M. Daza, Carlos A. Driscoll, Oscar Flores-Villela, Jack Frazier, Uwe Fritz, Alfred L. Gardner, Claude Gascon, Arthur Georges, Frank Glaw, Felipe G. Grazziotin, Colin P. Groves, Gerhard Haszprunar, Peter Havas, Jean-Marc Hero, Michael Hoffmann, Marinus S. Hoogmoed, Brian D. Horne, John B. Iverson, Manfred Jach, Christopher L. Jenkins, Richard K.B. Jenkins, A. Ross Kiester, J. Scott Keogh, Thomas E. Lacher Jr., Jeffrey E. Lovich, Luca Luiselli, D. Luke Mahler, David P. Mallon, Roderic Mast, Roy W. McDiarmid, John Measey, Russell A. Mittermeier, Sanjay Molur, Volker Mosbrugger, Robert W. Murphy, Darren Naish, Manfred Niekisch, Hidetoshi Ota, James F. Parham, Michael J. Parr, Nicolas J. Pilcher, Ronald H. Pine, Anthony B. Rylands, James G. Sanderson, Jay M. Savage, Wulf Schleip, Gustavo J. Scrocchi, H. Bradley Shaffer, Eric N. Smith, Robert Sprackland, Simon N. Stuart, Holger Vetter, Laurie J. Vitt, Tomas Waller, Grahame Webb, Edward O. Wilson, Hussam Zaher, Scott Thomson
2015, Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature (72) 65-78
In Case 3601 Raymond Hoser has asked the Commission to validate for the purposes of nomenclature the name Spracklandus Hoser, 2009, and ‘the journal in which it was published,’ issue 7 of the Australasian Journal of Herpetology (AJH). We note that the entire run of AJH has been written, edited,...
Efficacy of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-CL145A) spray dried powder for controlling zebra mussels adhering to test substrates
James A. Luoma, Todd J. Severson, Kerry L. Weber, Denise A. Mayer
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1050
A mobile bioassay trailer was used to assess the efficacy of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-CL145A) spray dried powder (SDP) formulation for controlling zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) from two midwestern lakes: Lake Carlos (Alexandria, Minnesota) and Shawano Lake (Shawano, Wisconsin). The effects of SDP exposure concentration and exposure duration on zebra mussel survival were...
Field-based description of rhyolite lava flows of the Calico Hills Formation, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada
Donald S. Sweetkind, Shiera C. Bova
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5022
Contaminants introduced into the subsurface of Pahute Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, by underground nuclear testing are of concern to the U.S. Department of Energy and regulators responsible for protecting human health and safety. The potential for contaminant movement away from the underground test areas at Pahute Mesa and into...
Geographic distribution: Boiga irregularis (Brown treesnake)
Adam Knox, Elden Holldorf, Robert N. Reed, Sylvan Igisomar, Steve W. Gotte
2015, Herpetological Review (46) 61
Rota: Rota Seaport (14.136502°N, 145.135351°E; WGS84). 3 September 2014. Shelwyn Taisacan, Robert Ulloa. Verified by G. Zug. USNM 581745. Snake (42 g, 810 mm SVL, 1020 mm total length) captured in a mouse-baited trap hung on the fence perimeter of the Rota Seaport. Because the Northern Marianas Islands are historically...
Re-estimating temperature-dependent consumption parameters in bioenergetics models for juvenile Chinook salmon
John M. Plumb, Christine M. Moffitt
2015, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (144) 323-330
Researchers have cautioned against the borrowing of consumption and growth parameters from other species and life stages in bioenergetics growth models. In particular, the function that dictates temperature dependence in maximum consumption (Cmax) within the Wisconsin bioenergetics model for Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha produces estimates that are lower than those measured in...
Observations of territorial breeding common ravens caching eggs of greater sage-grouse
Kristy B. Howe, Peter S. Coates
2015, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (6) 187-190
Previous investigations using continuous video monitoring of greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus nests have unambiguously identified common ravens Corvus corax as an important egg predator within the western United States. The quantity of greater sage-grouse eggs an individual common raven consumes during the nesting period and the extent to which common ravens actively hunt greater...
Evidence for the assimilation of ancient glacier organic carbon in a proglacial stream food web
Jason Fellman, Eran Hood, Peter A. Raymond, J.H. Hudson, Maura Bozeman, Mayumi L. Arimitsu
2015, Limnology and Oceanography (60) 1118-1128
We used natural abundance δ13C, δ15N, and Δ14C to compare trophic linkages between potential carbon sources (leaf litter, epilithic biofilm, and particulate organic matter) and consumers (aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish) in a nonglacial stream and two reaches of the heavily glaciated Herbert River. We tested the hypothesis that proglacial stream...
Streamflow of 2014: water year summary
Xiaodong Jian, David M. Wolock, Harry L. Jenter, Steve Brady
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3026
The maps and graphs in this summary describe streamflow conditions for water year 2014 (October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014) in the context of the 85-year period from 1930 through 2014, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Streamflow...
River-evolution and tectonic implications of a major Pliocene aggradation on the lower Colorado River: The Bullhead Alluvium
Keith A. Howard, Kyle House, Rebecca J. Dorsey, Phillip A. Pearthree
2015, Geosphere (11) 1-30
The ∼200-m-thick riverlaid Bullhead Alluvium along the lower Colorado River downstream of Grand Canyon records massive early Pliocene sediment aggradation following the integration of the upper and lower Colorado River basins. The distribution and extent of the aggraded sediments record (1) evolving longitudinal profiles of the river valley with implications...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Nevada
William J. Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3028
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Nevada, elevation data are critical for infrastructure and construction management, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation,...
Status and trends of prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2014
David B. Bunnell, Charles P. Madenjian, Timothy J. Desorcie, Melissa Jean Kostich, Whitney Woelmer, Jean V. Adams
2015, Report
The U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center has conducted lake-wide surveys of the fish community in Lake Michigan each fall since 1973 using standard 12-m bottom trawls towed along contour at depths of 9 to 110 m at each of seven index transects. The resulting data on relative...
Isotopic disproportionation during hydrogen isotopic analysis of nitrogen-bearing organic compounds
Sreejesh Nair, Heike Geilmann, Tyler B. Coplen, Haiping Qi, Matthias Gehre, Arndt Schimmelmann, Willi A. Brand
2015, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (29) 878-884
Rationale High-precision hydrogen isotope ratio analysis of nitrogen-bearing organic materials using high-temperature conversion (HTC) techniques has proven troublesome in the past. Formation of reaction products other than molecular hydrogen (H2) has been suspected as a possible cause of incomplete H2 yield and hydrogen isotopic fractionation. Methods The classical...
Biological indicators of changes in water quality and habitats of the coastal and estuarine areas of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem; Chapter 11
Anna Wachnicka, G. Lynn Wingard
James A. Entry, Andrew D. Gottlieb, Krish Jayachandran, Andrew Ogram, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Microbiology of the Everglades Ecosystem
This chapter summarizes the application of various biological indicators to studying the anthropogenic and natural changes in water quality and habitats that have occurred in the coastal and estuarine areas of the Greater Everglades ecosystem....
Marsh rabbit mortalities tie pythons to the precipitous decline of mammals in the Everglades
Robert A. McCleery, Adia Sovie, Robert N. Reed, Mark W. Cunningham, Margaret E. Hunter, Kristen M. Hart
2015, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (282)
To address the ongoing debate over the impact of invasive species on native terrestrial wildlife, we conducted a large-scale experiment to test the hypothesis that invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) were a cause of the precipitous decline of mammals in Everglades National Park (ENP). Evidence linking pythons to mammal...
Polar bear population dynamics in the southern Beaufort Sea during a period of sea ice decline
Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Trent L. McDonald, Ian Stirling, Andrew E. Derocher, Evan S. Richardson, Eric V. Regehr, David C. Douglas, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, Steven C. Amstrup
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 634-651
In the southern Beaufort Sea of the United States and Canada, prior investigations have linked declines in summer sea ice to reduced physical condition, growth, and survival of polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Combined with projections of population decline due to continued climate warming and the ensuing loss of sea ice...
Storage and mobilization of natural and septic nitrate in thick unsaturated zones, California
John A. Izbicki, Alan L. Flint, David R. O’Leary, Tracy Nishikawa, Peter Martin, Russell D. Johnson, Dennis A. Clark
2015, Journal of Hydrology (524) 147-165
Mobilization of natural and septic nitrate from the unsaturated zone as a result of managed aquifer recharge has degraded water quality from public-supply wells near Yucca Valley in the western Mojave Desert, California. The effect of nitrate storage and potential for denitrification in the unsaturated zone to mitigate increasing nitrate...
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope trophic enrichment factors for Steller sea lion vibrissae relative to milk and fish/invertebrate diets
Craig A. Stricker, Aaron M. Christ, Michael B. Wunder, Andrew C. Doll, Sean D. Farley, Lorrie D. Rea, David A. S. Rosen, R. D. Scherer, Dominic J. Tollit
2015, Marine Ecology Progress Series (523) 255-266
Nutritional constraints have been proposed as a contributor to population declines in the endangered Steller sea lion Eumetopias jubatus in some regions of the North Pacific. Isotopic analysis of vibrissae (whiskers) is a potentially useful approach to resolving the nutritional ecology of this species because long-term (up to 8 yr)...
The impact of Hurricane Sandy on the shoreface and inner shelf of Fire Island, New York: large bedform migration but limited erosion
John A. Goff, Roger D. Flood, James A. Austin Jr., William C. Schwab, Beth A. Christensen, Cassandra M. Browne, Jane F. Denny, Wayne E. Baldwin
2015, Continental Shelf Research (98) 13-25
We investigate the impact of superstorm Sandy on the lower shoreface and inner shelf offshore the barrier island system of Fire Island, NY using before-and-after surveys involving swath bathymetry, backscatter and CHIRP acoustic reflection data. As sea level rises over the long term, the shoreface and inner shelf are eroded...
Nonequilibrium clumped isotope signals in microbial methane
David T. Wang, Danielle S. Gruen, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Kai-Uwe Hinrichs, Lucy C. Stewart, James F. Holden, Alexander N. Hristov, John W. Pohlman, Penny L. Morrill, Martin Konneke, Kyle B. Delwiche, Eoghan P. Reeves, Chelsea N. Sutcliffe, Daniel J. Ritter, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Harold F. Hemond, Michael D. Kubo, Dawn Cardace, Tori M. Hoehler, Shuhei Ono
2015, Science (348) 428-431
Methane is a key component in the global carbon cycle with a wide range of anthropogenic and natural sources. Although isotopic compositions of methane have traditionally aided source identification, the abundance of its multiply-substituted “clumped” isotopologues, e.g., 13CH3D, has recently emerged as a proxy for determining methane-formation temperatures; however, the...
Porewater dynamics of silver, lead and copper in coastal sediments and implications for benthic metal fluxes
Linda H. Kalnejais, W. R. Martin, Michael H. Bothner
2015, Science of the Total Environment (517) 178-194
To determine the conditions that lead to a diffusive release of dissolved metals from coastal sediments, porewater profiles of Ag, Cu, and Pb have been collected over seven years at two contrasting coastal sites in Massachusetts, USA. The Hingham Bay (HB) site is a contaminated location in Boston Harbor, while...
