Influence of grazing and land use on stream-channel characteristics among small dairy farms in the Eastern United States
Genevieve Brand, Bruce C. Vondracek, Nicholas R. Jordan
2015, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (30) 524-536
Rotational grazing (RG) is a livestock management practice that rotates grazing cattle on a scale of hours to days among small pastures termed paddocks. It may beneficially affect stream channels, relative to other livestock management practices. Such effects and other beneficial effects on hydrology are important to RG's potential to...
The importance of considering shifts in seasonal changes in discharges when predicting future phosphorus loads in streams
Meredith B. LaBeau, Alex S. Mayer, Veronica Griffis, David Jr. Watkins, Dale M. Robertson, Rabi Gyawali
2015, Biogeochemistry (126) 153-172
In this work, we hypothesize that phosphorus (P) concentrations in streams vary seasonally and with streamflow and that it is important to incorporate this variation when predicting changes in P loading associated with climate change. Our study area includes 14 watersheds with a range of land uses throughout the U.S....
General herpetological collecting is size-biased for five Pacific lizards
Gordon H. Rodda, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Earl W. Campbell III, Thomas H. Fritts
2015, Journal of Herpetology (49) 507-512
Accurate estimation of a species' size distribution is a key component of characterizing its ecology, evolution, physiology, and demography. We compared the body size distributions of five Pacific lizards (Carlia ailanpalai, Emoia caeruleocauda, Gehyra mutilata, Hemidactylus frenatus, and Lepidodactylus lugubris) from general herpetological collecting (including visual surveys and glue boards) with...
Removal of terrestrial DOC in aquatic ecosystems of a temperate river network
W. M. Wollheim, R. J. Stewart, George R. Aiken, Kenna D. Butler, Nathaniel B. Morse, J. Salisbury
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 6671-6679
Surface waters play a potentially important role in the global carbon balance. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes are a major transfer of terrestrial carbon to river systems, and the fate of DOC in aquatic systems is poorly constrained. We used a unique combination of spatially distributed sampling of...
Geologic cross sections and preliminary geologic map of the Questa Area, Taos County, New Mexico
Paul W. Bauer, V. J. S. Grauch, Peggy S. Johnson, Ren A. Thompson, Benjamin J. Drenth, Keith I. Kelson
2015, Open-File Report 578
In 2011, the senior authors were contacted by Ron Gardiner of Questa, and Village of Questa Mayor Esther Garcia, to discuss the existing and future groundwater supply for the Village of Questa. This meeting led to the development of a plan in 2013 to perform an integrated geologic, geophysical, and...
Natural and unnatural oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico
Ian R. MacDonald, O. Garcia-Pineda, A. Beet, S. Daneshgar Asl, L. Feng, D. G. Graettinger, D. French-McCay, J. Holmes, C. Hu, F. Huffer, I. Leifer, F. Mueller-Karger, A. Solow, M. Silva, Gregg A. Swayze
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (120) 8364-8380
When wind speeds are 2 – 10 m s−1, reflective contrasts in the ocean surface make oil slicks visible to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) under all sky conditions. Neural network analysis of satellite SAR images quantified the magnitude and distribution of surface oil in the Gulf of Mexico from persistent,...
Tidal marsh susceptibility to sea-level rise: importance of local-scale models
Karen M. Thorne, Kevin J. Buffington, Deborah L. Elliott-Fisk, John Y. Takekawa
2015, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 290-304
Increasing concern over sea-level rise impacts to coastal tidal marsh ecosystems has led to modeling efforts to anticipate outcomes for resource management decision making. Few studies on the Pacific coast of North America have modeled sea-level rise marsh susceptibility at a scale relevant to local wildlife populations and plant communities....
PCB concentrations of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) vary by sex
Charles P. Madenjian, Mark P. Ebener, Maria S. Sepulveda
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 1185-1190
We determined whole-fish polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in 26 female lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and 34 male lake whitefish from northern Lake Huron. In 5 of the 26 female lake whitefish, we also determined PCB concentrations in the somatic tissue and ovaries. In addition, bioenergetics modeling was used to determine...
Strong-motion observations of the M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence and development of the N-shake strong-motion network
Amod Dixit, Adam T. Ringler, Danielle F. Sumy, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Susan E. Hough, Stacey Martin, Steven Gibbons, James H. Luetgert, John Galetzka, Surya Shrestha, Sudhir Rajaure, Daniel E. McNamara
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 1533-1539
We present and describe strong-motion data observations from the 2015 M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence collected using existing and new Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) and U.S. Geological Survey NetQuakes sensors located in the Kathmandu Valley. A comparison of QCN data with waveforms recorded by a conventional strong-motion (NetQuakes) instrument validates...
Predicting spatial distribution of postfire debris flows and potential consequences for native trout in headwater streams
Edwin R Sedell, Robert E. Gresswell, Thomas E. McMahon
2015, Freshwater Science (34) 1558-1570
Habitat fragmentation and degradation and invasion of nonnative species have restricted the distribution of native trout. Many trout populations are limited to headwater streams where negative effects of predicted climate change, including reduced stream flow and increased risk of catastrophic fires, may further jeopardize their persistence. Headwater streams in steep...
Interpretation of S waves generated by near-surface chemical explosions at SAFOD
Fred F. Pollitz, William L. Ellsworth, Justin L. Rubinstein
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 2835-2851
A series of near-surface chemical explosions conducted at the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) were recorded by high-frequency downhole receiver arrays in separate experiments in November 2003 and May 2005. The 2003 experiment involved ∼100 kg shots detonated along a 46-km-long line (Hole–Ryberg line) centered on SAFOD and recorded...
Assessment of model estimates of land-atmosphere CO2 exchange across northern Eurasia
M.A. Rawlins, A. D. McGuire, J.S. Kimball, P. Dass, D. Lawrence, E. Burke, X. Chen, C. Delire, C. Koven, A. MacDougall, S. Peng, A. Rinke, K. Saito, W. Zhang, R. Alkama, T. J. Bohn, P. Ciais, B. Decharme, I. Gouttevin, T. Hajima, D. Ji, G. Krinner, D.P. Lettenmaier, P. Miller, J.C. Moore, B. Smith, T. Sueyoshi
2015, Biogeosciences (12) 4385-4405
A warming climate is altering land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, with a potential for increased vegetation productivity as well as the mobilization of permafrost soil carbon stores. Here we investigate land-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO2) cycling through analysis of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and its component fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP)...
Roost habitat of Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in the canyonlands of Utah
David W. Willey, Charles van Riper III
2015, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (127) 690-696
In large portions of their geographic range, Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) roost in forest-dominated environments, but in some areas the owls use relatively arid rocky canyonlands. We measured habitat characteristics at 133 male roosts (n = 20 males) during 1992-95, and 56 female roosts (n = 13 females)...
Large-scale control site selection for population monitoring: an example assessing Sage-grouse trends
Bradley C. Fedy, Michael S. O’Donnell, Zachary H. Bowen
2015, Wildlife Society Bulletin (39) 700-712
Human impacts on wildlife populations are widespread and prolific and understanding wildlife responses to human impacts is a fundamental component of wildlife management. The first step to understanding wildlife responses is the documentation of changes in wildlife population parameters, such as population size. Meaningful assessment of population changes in potentially...
Fire effects on aquatic ecosystems: An assessment of the current state of the science
Rebecca J. Bixby, Scott D. Cooper, Robert E. Gresswell, Lee E. Brown, Clifford N. Dahm, Kathleen A. Dwire
2015, Freshwater Science (34) 1340-1350
Fire is a prevalent feature of many landscapes and has numerous and complex effects on geological, hydrological, ecological, and economic systems. In some regions, the frequency and intensity of wildfire have increased in recent years and are projected to escalate with predicted climatic and landuse changes. In addition, prescribed burns...
Differences in ecosystem carbon distribution and nutrient cycling linked to forest tree species composition in a mid-successional boreal forest
April M. Melvin, Michelle C. Mack, Jill F. Johnstone, A. David McGuire, Helene Genet, Edward A.G. Schuur
2015, Ecosystems (18) 1472-1488
In the boreal forest of Alaska, increased fire severity associated with climate change is expanding deciduous forest cover in areas previously dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana). Needle-leaf conifer and broad-leaf deciduous species are commonly associated with differences in tree growth, carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, and C...
Updates to building-code maps for the 2015 NEHRP recommended seismic provisions
Nico Luco, Robert Bachman, C.B Crouse, James R. Harris, John D. Hooper, Charles A. Kircher, Phillp Caldwell, Kenneth S. Rukstales
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) S245-S271
With the 2014 update of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) as a basis, the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) has updated the earthquake ground motion maps in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, with partial...
Low resistivity and permeability in actively deforming shear zones on the San Andreas Fault at SAFOD
Carolyn A. Morrow, David A. Lockner, Stephen H. Hickman
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research (120) 8240-8258
The San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) scientific drillhole near Parkfield, California crosses the San Andreas Fault at a depth of 2.7 km. Downhole measurements and analysis of core retrieved from Phase 3 drilling reveal two narrow, actively deforming zones of smectite-clay gouge within a roughly 200 m-wide...
Seismic source characterization for the 2014 update of the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model
Morgan P. Moschetti, Peter M. Powers, Mark D. Petersen, Oliver S. Boyd, Rui Chen, Edward H. Field, Arthur D. Frankel, Kathleen Haller, Stephen Harmsen, Charles S. Mueller, Russell Wheeler, Yuehua Zeng
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) S31-S57
We present the updated seismic source characterization (SSC) for the 2014 update of the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for the conterminous United States. Construction of the seismic source models employs the methodology that was developed for the 1996 NSHM but includes new and updated data, data types, source models,...
Ground motion models used in the 2014 U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps
Sanaz Rezaeian, Mark D. Petersen, Morgan P. Moschetti
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) S59-S84
The National Seismic Hazard Maps (NSHMs) are an important component of seismic design regulations in the United States. This paper compares hazard using the new suite of ground motion models (GMMs) relative to hazard using the suite of GMMs applied in the previous version of the maps. The new source...
2014 Update of the Pacific Northwest portion of the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps
Arthur D. Frankel, Rui Chen, Mark D. Petersen, Morgan P. Moschetti, Brian L. Sherrod
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) S131-S148
Several aspects of the earthquake characterization were changed for the Pacific Northwest portion of the 2014 update of the national seismic hazard maps, reflecting recent scientific findings. New logic trees were developed for the recurrence parameters of M8-9 earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) and for the eastern edge...
Sources and transport of phosphorus to rivers in California and adjacent states, U.S., as determined by SPARROW modeling
Joseph L. Domagalski, Dina Saleh
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 1463-1486
The SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed attributes) model was used to simulate annual phosphorus loads and concentrations in unmonitored stream reaches in California, U.S., and portions of Nevada and Oregon. The model was calibrated using de-trended streamflow and phosphorus concentration data at 80 locations. The model explained 91% of...
The nest-concealment hypothesis: New insights from a comparative analysis
Kathi L. Borgmann, Courtney J. Conway
2015, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (127) 646-660
Selection of a breeding site is critical for many animals, especially for birds whose offspring are stationary during development. Thus, birds are often assumed to prefer concealed nest sites. However, 74% of studies (n = 106) that have evaluated this relationship for open-cup nesting songbirds in North America failed to support...
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve: Geologic resources inventory report
Chad P. Hults, Christina A. Neal
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2015/1033
This GRI report is a companion document to previously completed GRI digital geologic map data. It was written for resource managers to support science-informed decision making. It may also be useful for interpretation. The report was prepared using available geologic information, and the NPS Geologic Resources Division conducted no new...
Book review: Natural resources in Afghanistan: Geographic and geologic perspectives on centuries of conflict
Jeff L. Doebrich
2015, Economic Geology (110) 1907-1908
This book is the outcome of four decades of work in Afghanistan by the author, John (Jack) Shroder. His travels and research throughout Afghanistan and his understanding of its place in regional and world history provide the foundation for this comprehensive 572-page reference. The book describes the interrelated nature of...
