Regression Equations for Monthly and Annual Mean and Selected Percentile Streamflows for Ungaged Rivers in Maine
Robert W. Dudley
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5151
In an effort to delineate hydrologic conditions in Maine, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Maine Department of Transportation, used streamflow data to develop dependent variables for 130 regression equations for estimating monthly and annual mean and 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, 95, and 99 percentile...
Uranium-series ages of fossil corals from Mallorca, Spain: The "Neotyrrhenian" high stand of the Mediterranean Sea revisited
Daniel R. Muhs, Kathleen R. Simmons, Naomi Porat
2015, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (438) 408-424
The emergent marine deposits of the Mediterranean basin have been recognized as an important record of Quaternary sea level history for more than a century. Previous workers identified what have been interpreted to be two separate high stands of sea in the late Quaternary, namely the “Eutyrrhenian” (thought to...
Surveillance potential of non-native Hawaiian birds for detection of West Nile Virus
Erik K. Hofmeister, Robert J. Dusek, Christopher J. Brand
2015, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (93) 701-708
West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in North America in 1999. Alaska and Hawaii (HI) remain the only U.S. states in which transmission of WNV has not been detected. Dead bird surveillance has played an important role in the detection of the virus geographically, as well as temporally. In...
Estimating regional landbird populations from enhanced North American Breeding Bird Surveys
Daniel J. Twedt
2015, Journal of Field Ornithology (86) 352-368
Estimating the size of bird populations is central to effective conservation planning and prudent management. I updated estimated regional bird populations for the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi using data from 275 North American Breeding Bird Surveys from 2009 to 2013. However, regional bird populations estimated from count surveys...
California State Waters Map Series — Offshore of Fort Ross, California
Samuel Y. Johnson, Peter Dartnell, Nadine E. Golden, Stephen R. Hartwell, Mercedes D. Erdey, H. Gary Greene, Guy R. Cochrane, Rikk G. Kvitek, Michael W. Manson, Charles A. Endris, Bryan E. Dieter, Janet Watt, Lisa M. Krigsman, Ray W. Sliter, Erik N. Lowe, John L. Chin
Samuel Y. Johnson, Susan A. Cochran, editor(s)
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1211
Introduction In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration,...
Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in permafrost soils and aquatic systems: a meta-analysis
Jorien E. Vonk, Suzanne E. Tank, Paul J. Mann, Robert G.M. Spencer, Claire C. Treat, Robert G. Striegl, Benjamin W. Abbott, Kimberly P. Wickland
2015, Biogeosciences (12) 6915-6930
As Arctic regions warm and frozen soils thaw, the large organic carbon pool stored in permafrost becomes increasingly vulnerable to decomposition or transport. The transfer of newly mobilized carbon to the atmosphere and its potential influence upon climate change will largely depend on the degradability of carbon delivered to aquatic...
Variability within nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska
Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Heather A. Coletti, Thomas A Dean, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Katrin Iken, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Brenda Konar, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Monson, Marnie Shepherd, Ben P. Weitzman
2015, Report, Quantifying temporal and spatial ecosystem variability across the northern Gulf of Alaska to understand mechanisms of change. Science synthesis report for the Gulf Watch Alaska Program
Nearshore marine habitats, which represent the interface among air, land and sea, form a critical component of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) ecosystem. As an interface, the nearshore facilitates transfer of water, nutrients and biota between terrestrial and oceanic systems, creating zones of high productivity. The nearshore provides a variety...
Early Permian conodont fauna and stratigraphy of the Garden Valley Formation, Eureka County, Nevada
Bruce R. Wardlaw, Dora M. Gallegos, Valery V. Chernykh, Walter S. Snyder
2015, Stratigraphy (12) 197-215
The lower Part of the Garden Valley Formation yields two distinct conodont faunas. One of late Asselian age dominated by Mesogondolella and Streptognathodus and one of Artinskian age dominated by Sweetognathus with Mesogondolella. The Asselian fauna contains the same species as those found in the type area of the Asselian...
A framework for decision points to trigger adaptive management actions in long-term incidental take permits
Daniel Dalthorp, Manuela M. Huso
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1227
Introduction The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has begun to issue incidental take permits (ITPs) to wind power companies to allow limited take of bird and bat species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, or the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Huso...
Assessment of undiscovered sandstone-hosted uranium resources in the Texas Coastal Plain, 2015
Mark J. Mihalasky, Susan M. Hall, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Kathleen R. Tureck, Mark T. Hannon, George N. Breit, Robert A. Zielinski, Brent Elliott
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3069
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 220 million pounds of recoverable uranium oxide (U3O8 ) remaining as potential undiscovered resources in southern Texas. This estimate used a geology-based assessment method for Tertiary sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in the Texas Coastal Plain sedimentary strata (fig.1)....
Petrology and reservoir quality of the Gaikema Sandstone: Initial impressions
Kenneth P. Helmold, Richard G. Stanley
2015, Report
The Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) and Division of Oil & Gas (DOG) are currently conducting a study of the hydrocarbon potential of Cook Inlet basin (LePain and others, 2011). The Tertiary stratigraphic section of the basin includes coal-bearing units that are prolific gas reservoirs, particularly the Neogene...
Rapid characterization of the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence and its seismotectonic context
Gavin P. Hayes, Richard W. Briggs, William D. Barnhart, William L. Yeck, Daniel E. McNamara, David J. Wald, Jennifer Nealy, Harley M. Benz, Ryan D. Gold, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Kristin Marano, Paul S. Earle, Mike Hearne, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Lisa A. Wald, Sergey Samsonov
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 1557-1567
Earthquake response and related information products are important for placing recent seismic events into context and particularly for understanding the impact earthquakes can have on the regional community and its infrastructure. These tools are even more useful if they are available quickly, ahead of detailed information from the areas affected...
Seismic hazard in the eastern United States
Charles Mueller, Oliver S. Boyd, Mark D. Petersen, Morgan P. Moschetti, Sanaz Rezaeian, Allison Shumway
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) 85-107
The U.S. Geological Survey seismic hazard maps for the central and eastern United States were updated in 2014. We analyze results and changes for the eastern part of the region. Ratio maps are presented, along with tables of ground motions and deaggregations for selected cities. The Charleston fault model was...
Evaluating predictors of local dabbling duck abundance during migration: Managing the spectrum of conditions faced by migrants
Kevin Aagaard, Shawn M. Crimmins, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Brian G. Tavernia, James E. Lyons
2015, Wildfowl (65) 100-120
The development of robust modelling techniques to derive inferences from large-scale migratory bird monitoring data at appropriate scales has direct relevance to their management. The Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring programme (IWMM) represents one of the few attempts to monitor migrating waterbirds across entire flyways using targeted local surveys. This...
Factors associated with the deposition of Cladophora on Lake Michigan beaches in 2012
Stephen C. Riley, Taaja R. Tucker, Jean V. Adams, Lisa R. Fogarty, Brenda Moraska Lafrancois
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 1094-1105
Deposition of the macroalgae Cladophora spp. was monitored on 18 beaches around Lake Michigan during 2012 at a high temporal frequency. We observed a high degree of spatial variability in Cladophora deposition among beaches on Lake Michigan, even within local regions, with no clear regional pattern in the intensity of...
Forty years of grizzly bear recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Frank T. van Manen, Cecily M. Costello, Kerry A. Gunther, Mark A. Haroldson
2015, Yellowstone Science (23) 4-6
No abstract available....
Depth, ice thickness, and ice-out timing cause divergent hydrologic responses among Arctic lakes
Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Anna K. Liljedahl, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Jeffery A. Welker
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 9379-9401
Lakes are prevalent in the Arctic and thus play a key role in regional hydrology. Since many Arctic lakes are shallow and ice grows thick (historically 2-m or greater), seasonal ice commonly freezes to the lake bed (bedfast ice) by winter's end. Bedfast ice fundamentally alters lake energy balance and...
Non-invasive flow path characterization in a mining-impacted wetland
James Bethune, Jackie Randell, Robert L. Runkel, Kamini Singha
2015, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (183) 29-39
Time-lapse electrical resistivity (ER) was used to capture the dilution of a seasonal pulse of acid mine drainage (AMD) contamination in the subsurface of a wetland downgradient of the abandoned Pennsylvania mine workings in central Colorado. Data were collected monthly from mid-July to late October of 2013, with an additional...
A new record of the late Pleistocene coral Pocillopora palmata from the Dry Tortugas, Florida reef tract, USA
Lauren T. Toth, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards
2015, Palaios (30) 827-835
Pocilloporid corals dominated shallow-water environments in the Caribbean during much of the Cenozoic; however, the regional diversity of this family declined over the last 15 My, culminating with the extinction of its final member, Pocillopora palmata, during the latest Pleistocene. Here we present a new record of P. palmata from...
Quantifying soil carbon loss and uncertainty from a peatland wildfire using multi-temporal LiDAR
Ashwan D. Reddy, Todd Hawbaker, F. Wurster, Zhiliang Zhu, S. Ward, Doug Newcomb, R. Murray
2015, Remote Sensing of Environment (170) 306-316
Peatlands are a major reservoir of global soil carbon, yet account for just 3% of global land cover. Human impacts like draining can hinder the ability of peatlands to sequester carbon and expose their soils to fire under dry conditions. Estimating soil carbon loss from peat fires can be challenging...
Challenges to a molecular approach to prey identification in the Burmese python, Python molurus bivittatus
Bryan Falk, Robert N. Reed
2015, PeerJ (3)
Molecular approaches to prey identification are increasingly useful in elucidating predator–prey relationships, and we aimed to investigate the feasibility of these methods to document the species identities of prey consumed by invasive Burmese pythons in Florida. We were particularly interested in the diet of young snakes, because visual identification of...
The 1868 Hayward fault, California, earthquake: Implications for earthquake scaling relations on partially creeping faults
Susan E. Hough, Stacey Martin
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 2894-2909
The 21 October 1868 Hayward, California, earthquake is among the best-characterized historical earthquakes in California. In contrast to many other moderate-to-large historical events, the causative fault is clearly established. Published magnitude estimates have been fairly consistent, ranging from 6.8 to 7.2, with 95% confidence limits including values as low as...
U.S. Geological Survey National Water Census: Colorado River Basin Geographic Focus Area Study
Breton W. Bruce, David W. Clow, Molly A. Maupin, Matthew P. Miller, Gabriel B. Senay, Graham A. Sexstone, David D. Susong
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3080
Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) concept of a national census (or accounting) of water resources has evolved over the last several decades as the Nation has experienced increasing concern over water availability for multiple competing uses. The implementation of a USGS National Water Census was described in the USGS 2007...
Seasonal variation in habitat use of juvenile Steelhead in a tributary of Lake Ontario
Emily W. Studdert, James H. Johnson
2015, Northeastern Naturalist (22) 717-729
We examined seasonal-habitat use by subyearling and yearling Oncorhynchus mykiss (Rainbow Trout or Steelhead) in Trout Brook, a tributary of the Salmon River, NY. We determined daytime fish-habitat use and available habitat during August and October of the same year and observed differences in habitat selection among year classes. Water...
Portfolio theory as a management tool to guide conservation and restoration of multi-stock fish populations
Mark R. DuFour, Cassandra J. May, Edward F. Roseman, Stuart A. Ludsin, Christopher S. Vandergoot, Jeremy J. Pritt, Michael E. Fraker, Jeremiah J. Davis, Jeffery T. Tyson, Jeffery G. Miner, Elizabeth A. Marschall, Christine M. Mayer
2015, Ecosphere (6)
Habitat degradation and harvest have upset the natural buffering mechanism (i.e., portfolio effects) of many large-scale multi-stock fisheries by reducing spawning stock diversity that is vital for generating population stability and resilience. The application of portfolio theory offers a means to guide management activities by quantifying the importance of multi-stock...
