Testing assumptions for conservation of migratory shorebirds and coastal managed wetlands
Jaime Collazo, James Lyons, Garth Herring
2015, Wetlands Ecology and Management
Managed wetlands provide critical foraging and roosting habitats for shorebirds during migration; therefore, ensuring their availability is a priority action in shorebird conservation plans. Contemporary shorebird conservation plans rely on a number of assumptions about shorebird prey resources and migratory behavior to determine stopover habitat requirements. For example,...
Development and characterization of polymorphic microsatellitemarkers for the crested caracara, Caracara cheriway
Erin E. Vaughn, James F. Dwyer, Joan L. Morrison, Melanie Culver
2015, Conservation Genetics Resources (7) 557-559
We isolated novel microsatellites from the crested caracara (Caracara cheriway) with a shotgun pyrosequencing approach. We tested 80 loci for polymorphism among 20 individuals from the threatened Florida population. Fourteen loci were polymorphic. The mean number of alleles was 2.21 (range 2–3) and the mean observed heterozygosity was 0.41 (range...
Detection probabilities of electrofishing, hoop nets, and benthic trawls for fishes in two western North American rivers
Christopher D. Smith, Michael C. Quist, Ryan S. Hardy
2015, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (6) 371-391
Research comparing different sampling techniques helps improve the efficiency and efficacy of sampling efforts. We compared the effectiveness of three sampling techniques (small-mesh hoop nets, benthic trawls, boat-mounted electrofishing) for 30 species in the Green (WY, USA) and Kootenai (ID, USA) rivers by estimating conditional detection probabilities (probability of detecting...
Seismic hazard assessment: Honing the debate, testing the models
Ross Stein, Mark W. Stirling
2015, Eos, Earth and Space Science News
Four workshops held in 2013–2014 at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis brought together university, government, and insurance industry scientists from countries that straddle plate boundaries and those in plate interiors. Participants were invited; the workshops’ goals involved developing tests of Probabilistic Seismic...
Underpressure in Mesozoic and Paleozoic rock units in the Midcontinent of the United States
Philip H. Nelson, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Ronald M. Drake II
2015, AAPG Bulletin (99) 1861-1892
Potentiometric surfaces for Paleozoic strata, based on water well levels and selected drill-stem tests, reveal the control on hydraulic head exerted by outcrops in eastern Kansas and Oklahoma. From outcrop in the east, the westward climb of hydraulic head is much less than that of the land surface, with heads...
The cost of karst subsidence and sinkhole collapse in the United States compared with other natural hazards
David J. Weary
2015, Conference Paper, 14th Sinkhole Conference
Rocks with potential for karst formation are found in all 50 states. Damage due to karst subsidence and sinkhole collapse is a natural hazard of national scope. Repair of damage to buildings, highways, and other infrastructure represents a significant national cost. Sparse and incomplete data show that the average cost...
Artificial reefs and reef restoration in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Matthew W. McLean, Edward F. Roseman, Jeremy J. Pritt, Gregory W. Kennedy, Bruce A. Manny
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 1-8
We reviewed the published literature to provide an inventory of Laurentian Great Lakes artificial reef projects and their purposes. We also sought to characterize physical and biological monitoring for artificial reef projects in the Great Lakes and determine the success of artificial reefs in meeting project objectives. We found records...
Head-of-tide bottleneck of particulate material transport from watersheds to estuaries
Scott H. Ensign, Gregory E. Noe, Cliff R. Hupp, Katherine Skalak
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 10671-10679
We measured rates of sediment, C, N, and P accumulation at four floodplain sites spanning the nontidal through oligohaline Choptank and Pocomoke Rivers, Maryland, USA. Ceramic tiles were used to collect sediment for a year and sediment cores were collected to derive decadal sedimentation rates using 137Cs. The results showed...
Geologic framework for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in sandstone reservoirs of the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Cotton Valley Group, U.S. Gulf of Mexico region
Jennifer D. Eoff, Russell F. Dubiel, Ofori N. Pearson, Katherine J. Whidden
2015, Conference Paper
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is assessing the undiscovered oil and gas resources in sandstone reservoirs of the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous Cotton Valley Group in onshore areas and State waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region. The assessment is based on geologic elements of a total petroleum system. Four...
Environmental DNA calibration study interim technical review report December 2014
Kelly Baerwaldt, Meredith L. Bartron, Kurt Schilling, Debbie Lee, Edmond Russo, Trudy Estes, Richard Fischer, Beth Fleming, Michael P. Guilfoyle, Jack Killgore, Richard Lance, Edward Perkins, Martin Schultz, David Smith, Jon J. Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark P. Gaikowski, Katy E. Klymus, Catherine A. Richter
2015, Report
The Environmental DNA Calibration Study (ECALS) is a multi-year study to improve the understanding and interpretation of the detection of Asian carp DNA in environmental samples (eDNA) used in early detection monitoring. eDNA surveillance programs seek to detect the presence of genetic material (DNA in cells sloughed off in slime,...
Effects of population reduction on white-tailed deer home-range dynamics
Shawn M. Crimmins, John W. Edwards, Tyler A Campbell, W. Mark Ford, Patrick D. Keyser, Brad F. Miller, Karl V. Miller
2015, Northeastern Naturalist (22) 403-412
Management strategies designed to reduce the negative impacts of overabundant Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) populations on forest regeneration may be influenced by changes in both population density and timber harvest. However, there is conflicting evidence as to how such changes in per capita resource availability influence home-range patterns. We compared home-range patterns...
Testing the effectiveness of automated acoustic sensors for monitoring vocal activity of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus
Jenna L. Cragg, Alan E. Burger, John F. Piatt
2015, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (43) 151-160
Cryptic nest sites and secretive breeding behavior make population estimates and monitoring of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus difficult and expensive. Standard audio-visual and radar protocols have been refined but require intensive field time by trained personnel. We examined the detection range of automated sound recorders (Song Meters; Wildlife Acoustics Inc.)...
Foundations of water quality monitoring and assessment in the United States
Donna N. Myers
Satinder Ahuja, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Food, Energy, and Water: The Chemistry Connection
No abstract available....
Upstream dam passage and use of an eel ladder by the common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)
Stuart A. Welsh, Zachary J. Loughman
2015, Herpetological Review (46) 176-179
No abstract available....
Regulating services as measures of ecological resilience on DoD lands
Paul L. Angermeier, Amy M. Villamagna
2015, Report
Knowledge of the capacity and flow of ecosystem services can help DoD land managers make decisions that enhance cost-effectiveness, minimize environmental damage, and maximize resources available for military missions. We demonstrated a methodology to quantify and map selected regulating services (RS), which helps land managers envision tradeoffs. Our objectives were...
Point-source stochastic-method simulations of ground motions for the PEER NGA-East Project
David Boore
2015, Report, NGA-East Median Ground-Motion Models for the Central and Eastern North America Region
Ground-motions for the PEER NGA-East project were simulated using a point-source stochastic method. The simulated motions are provided for distances between of 0 and 1200 km, M from 4 to 8, and 25 ground-motion intensity measures: peak ground velocity (PGV), peak ground acceleration (PGA), and 5%-damped pseudoabsolute...
Geologic maps of the eastern Alaska Range, Alaska (1:63,360 scale)
Warren J. Nokleberg, John N. Aleinikoff, Gerard C. Bond, Oscar J. Ferrians Jr., Paige L. Herzon, Ian M. Lange, Ronny T. Miyaoka, Donald H. Richter, Carl E. Schwab, Steven R. Silva, Thomas E. Smith, Richard E. Zehner
2015, Report
This report provides a description of map units for a suite of 44 inch-to-mile (1:63,360-scale) geologic quadrangle maps of the eastern Alaska Range. This report also contains a geologic and tectonic summary and a comprehensive list of references pertaining to geologic mapping and specialized studies of the region. In addition...
Science foundation Chapter 5 Appendix 5.1: Case study shore birds: Western sandpipers (Calidris mauri) and American avocets (Recurvirostra Americana)
Cheryl Strong, Joshua T. Ackerman
2015, Report, The baylands and climate change what we can do: Baylands ecosystem habitat goals science update 2015
Western sandpipers (Calidris mauri) are small (22-35 g) sexually dimorphic sandpipers, with males typically smaller than females. Western sandpipers frequently occur in mixed species flocks along with other Calidris species, including least sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) and dunlin (Calidris alpina), in the San Francisco Bay Estuary (SFBE) and are the most...
Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima Torr.): State of our knowledge and future challenges
Rosemary L. Pendleton, Burton K. Pendleton, Susan E. Meyer, Bryce A. Richardson, Todd C. Esque, Stanley G. Kitchen
2015, Conference Paper, The Colorado plateau VI: Science and management at the landscape scale
Covering 130,000 square miles and a wide range of elevations from desert to alpine in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, the Colorado Plateau has long fascinated researchers. The Colorado Plateau VI provides readers with a plethora of updates and insights into land conservation and management questions currently surrounding the...
Science foundation Chapter 5 Appendix 5.1: Case study Forester's tern (Sterna forsteri) and California least tern (Sternula antillarum browni)
Joshua T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Cheryl Strong
2015, Report, The baylands and climate change what we can do: Baylands ecosystem habitat goals science update 2015
This case study considers two tern species that breed within the San Francisco Bay Estuary, Forster’s Terns (Sterna forsteri) and California Least Terns (Sternula antillarum browni). Forster’s Terns are medium-sized (140 g) terns that breed in coastal and interior marshes of North America. Forster’s Terns can exploit ephemeral habitats, and...
Science foundation Chapter 5 Appendix 5.1: Case study diving ducks
John Y. Takekawa, Susan De La Cruz, Joshua T. Ackerman, Gregory S. Yarris
2015, Report, The baylands and climate change what we can do: Baylands ecosystem habitat goals science update 2015
Diving ducks are the most abundant group of waterfowl that overwinter in the open bays and ponds of San Francisco Bay (SFB). Species within this group are primarily benthivores that dive to obtain their macroinvertebrate prey in bottom sediments, although at times they may eat plant matter or forage in...
Earthquake geology of the Bulnay Fault (Mongolia)
Magali Rizza, Jean-Franciois Ritz, Carol S. Prentice, Ricardo Vassallo, Regis Braucher, Christophe Larroque, A. Arzhannikova, S. Arzhanikov, Shannon A. Mahan, M. Massault, J-L. Michelot, M. Todbileg
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 72-93
The Bulnay earthquake of July 23, 1905 (Mw 8.3-8.5), in north-central Mongolia, is one of the world's largest recorded intracontinental earthquakes and one of four great earthquakes that occurred in the region during the 20th century. The 375-km-long surface rupture of the left-lateral, strike-slip, N095°E trending Bulnay Fault associated with...
The evolution of mapping habitat for northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina): A comparison of photo-interpreted, Landsat-based, and lidar-based habitat maps
Steven H. Ackers, Raymond J. Davis, K. Olsen, Katie M. Dugger
2015, Remote Sensing of Environment (156) 361-373
Wildlife habitat mapping has evolved at a rapid pace over the last few decades. Beginning with simple, often subjective, hand-drawn maps, habitat mapping now involves complex species distribution models (SDMs) using mapped predictor variables derived from remotely sensed data. For species that inhabit large geographic areas, remote sensing technology...
Regional tectonic setting for the Trinidad earthquake swarms (2000-2012) from gravity and magnetic data
Carol A. Finn, Mason A. Kass, Bruce D. Smith
2015, Conference Paper, Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems
Earthquakes in the Raton basin near Trinidad, Colorado, (Figure 1) are located (Rubenstein et. al., 2014) near a major gravity and magnetic boundary. These earthquakes also occur in an area of hydrocarbon production that includes several high-capacity produced water injection wells. This presentation gives a very basic outline of the...
Combining split-beam and dual-frequency identification sonars to estimate abundance of anadromous fishes in the Roanoke River, North Carolina
Jacob B. Hughes, Joseph E. Hightower
2015, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (35) 229-240
Riverine hydroacoustic techniques are an effective method for evaluating abundance of upstream migrating anadromous fishes. To use these methods in the Roanoke River, North Carolina, at a wide site with uneven bottom topography, we used a combination of split-beam sonar and dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) deployments. We aimed a split-beam...
