Categorisation of northern California rainfall for periods with and without a radar brightband using stable isotopes and a novel automated precipitation collector
Tyler B. Coplen, Paul J. Neiman, Allen B. White, F. Martin Ralph
2015, Tellus, Series A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography (67) 1-48
During landfall of extratropical cyclones between 2005 and 2011, nearly 1400 precipitation samples were collected at intervals of 30-min time resolution with novel automated collectors at four NOAA sites in northern California [Alta (ATA), Bodega Bay (BBY), Cazadero (CZD) and Shasta Dam (STD)] during 43 events. Substantial decreases were commonly...
Mineral Resource of the Month: Lime
Lisa A. Corathers
2015, Earth (December 2015)
Lime is the common term for several chemicals in three major categories: quicklime, hydrated lime and refractory dead-burned dolomite. Lime is almost never found naturally. It is primarily manufactured by burning limestone in kilns, followed by hydration when necessary. ...
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...
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...
Evaluating potential conservation conflicts between two listed species: Sea otters and black abalone
Peter T. Raimondi, Laura J. Jurgens, M. Tim Tinker
2015, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics (96) 3102-3108
Population consequences of endangered species interacting as predators and prey have been considered theoretically and legally, but rarely investigated in the field. We examined relationships between spatially variable populations of a predator, the California sea otter, Enhydra lutris nereis, and a prey species, the black abalone, Haliotis cracherodii. Both species are federally...
Powell Center Newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 1
Jill S. Baron, Marty Goldhaber
2015, Report
Bi-annual newsletter for the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, covering news through July of 2015...
Book review: Bats: A world of science and mystery.
Paul M. Cryan
2015, Biological Conservation (192) 323-323
This book has something for everyone, from casual seekers of fascinating eye candy to professional scientists interested in the latest discoveries. Without losing sight of how mysterious bats remain despite decades of research, the authors deftly introduce readers to bats and the people who study them. The book...
A comparison of thermal infrared to fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing for evaluation of groundwater discharge to surface water
Danielle K Hare, Martin A. Briggs, Donald O. Rosenberry, Dave Boutt, John W. Lane Jr.
2015, Journal of Hydrology (530) 153-166
Groundwater has a predictable thermal signature that can be used to locate discrete zones of discharge to surface water. As climate warms, surface water with strong groundwater influence will provide habitat stability and refuge for thermally stressed aquatic species, and is therefore critical to locate and protect. Alternatively, these discrete...
Observed decrease in atmospheric mercury explained by global decline in anthropogenic emissions
Yanxu Zhang, Daniel J. Jacob, Hannah M. Horowitz, Long Chen, Helen M. Amos, David P. Krabbenhoft, Franz Slemr, Vincent L. St. Louis, Elsie M. Sunderland
2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (133) 526-531
Observations of elemental mercury (Hg0) at sites in North America and Europe show large decreases (∼1–2% y−1) from 1990 to present. Observations in background northern hemisphere air, including Mauna Loa Observatory (Hawaii) and CARIBIC (Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container) aircraft flights,...
What is the Anthropocene?
Lucy E. Edwards
2015, Eos, Earth and Space Science News (97) 6-7
Since Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer introduced the word “Anthropocene” in 2000, scientists and nonscientists alike have used the word to highlight the concept that we are now living in a time when the global environment, at some level, is shaped by humankind rather than vice versa. Humans have significantly...
Exploring drought controls on spring phenology
Jesslyn F. Brown, Gretchen Meier
M. Hayes, M. Trnka, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Evaluation of drought and drought impacts through interdisciplinary methods
The timing of spring phenology can be influenced by several drivers. Many studies have shown the effect of temperature on spring vegetation growth, but the role of moisture is complex and not as well researched. We explored drivers for aspen spring phenology in the mountains of the western U.S. While...
Aerial-broadcast application of diphacinone bait for rodent control in Hawai`i: Efficacy and non-target species risk assessment
David Foote, Eric B. Spurr, Gerald D. Lindsey, Charlotte Forbes Perry
2015, Technical Report HCSU-071
Introduced rats (Rattus rattus, R. exulans, and R. norvegicus) have been implicated in the decline or extinction of numerous species of plants and animals in Hawai‘i. This study investigated the efficacy of aerial-broadcast application of Ramik® Green baits containing 50 ppm (0.005%) diphacinone in reducing rat and mouse populations and...
Observations of net soil exchange of CO2 in a dryland show experimental warming increases carbon losses in biocrust soils
Anthony N. Darrouzet-Nardi, Sasha C. Reed, Edmund E. Grote, Jayne Belnap
2015, Biogeochemistry 363-378
Many arid and semiarid ecosystems have soils covered with well-developed biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) made up of mosses, lichens, cyanobacteria, and heterotrophs living at the soil surface. These communities are a fundamental component of dryland ecosystems, and are critical to dryland carbon (C) cycling. To examine the effects of...
Habitat influences distribution of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer
Tyler S. Evans, Megan S. Kirchgessner, B. Eyler, Christopher W. Ryan, W. David Walter
2015, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 284-291
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that was first detected in 1967 in a captive research facility in Colorado. In the northeastern United States, CWD was first confirmed in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in 2005. Because CWD is a new and emerging disease with a spatial distribution...
Coastal change from a massive sediment input: Dam removal, Elwha River, Washington, USA
Jonathan A. Warrick, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Andrew W. Stevens, Ian M. Miller, George M. Kaminsky, Melissa M. Foley
2015, Conference Paper, The Proceedings of the Coastal Sediments 2015
The removal of two large dams on the Elwha River, Washington, provides an ideal opportunity to study coastal morphodynamics during increased sediment supply. The dam removal project exposed ~21 million cubic meters (~30 million tonnes) of sediment in the former reservoirs, and this sediment was allowed to erode by natural...
Rare earth elements in sedimentary phosphate deposits: Solution to the global REE crisis?
Poul Emsbo, Patrick I. McLaughlin, George N. Breit, Edward A. du Bray, Alan E. Koenig
2015, Gondwana Research (27) 776-785
The critical role of rare earth elements (REEs), particularly heavy REEs (HREEs), in high-tech industries has created a surge in demand that is quickly outstripping known global supply and has triggered a worldwide scramble to discover new sources. The chemical analysis of 23 sedimentary phosphate deposits (phosphorites) in the United...
Operational considerations for implementing regional sediment management plans in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Steven G. Underwood, Syed M. Khalil, Mark R. Byrnes, Gregory D. Steyer, Richard C Raynie
2015, Conference Paper, The Proceedings of the Coastal Sediments 2015
Development of a comprehensive and stakeholder-driven Regional Sediment Management plan can provide the basis for long-term sustainable resource use and protection. This paper highlights three operational components that can positively influence sediment management at a regional scale, including (1) integration of an operational sediment budget, (2) development of a monitoring...
A broader definition of occupancy: A reply to Hayes and Monofils
Quresh Fatif, Martha M. Ellis, Courtney L. Amundson
2015, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 192-194
Occupancy models are widely used to analyze presence–absence data for a variety of taxa while accounting for observation error (MacKenzie et al. 2002, 2006; Tyre et al. 2003; Royle and Dorazio 2008). Hayes and Monfils (2015) question their use for analyzing avian point count data...
Remote sensing systems – Platforms and sensors: Aerial, satellites, UAVs, optical, radar, and LiDAR
Sudhanshu S. Panda, Mahesh N. Rao, Prasad S. Thenkabail, James E. Fitzerald
2015, Book chapter, Remotely sensed data characterization, classification, and accuracies
The American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing defined remote sensing as the measurement or acquisition of information of some property of an object or phenomenon, by a recording device that is not in physical or intimate contact with the object or phenomenon under study (Colwell et al., 1983). Environmental Systems...
Flooding in the South Platte River and Fountain Creek Basins in eastern Colorado, September 9–18, 2013
Robert A. Kimbrough, Robert R. Holmes Jr.
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5119
On September 9, 2013, rain began to fall in eastern Colorado as a large low-pressure system pulled plumes of tropical moisture northward from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. By September 16, 2013, as much as 12 to 20 inches of rain had fallen in the foothills of...
Landsat—Earth observation satellites
U.S. Geological Survey
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3081
Since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth’s land surface, providing data that serve as valuable resources for land use/land change research. The data are useful to a number of applications including forestry, agriculture, geology, regional planning, and education. Landsat is a joint effort of the...
Research on the effects of wildland fire and fire management on federally listed species and their habitats on San Clemente Island, Southern California
Jon E. Keeley, Teresa J. Brennan
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1194
This report is temporarily unavailable....
Health and condition of endangered juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers relative to water quality and fish assemblages in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California
Summer M. Burdick, Diane G. Elliott, Carl O. Ostberg, Carla M. Conway, Amari Dolan-Caret, Marshal S. Hoy, Kevin P. Feltz, Kathy R. Echols
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1217
Executive Summary Most mortality of endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, appears to occur within the first year of life. However, juvenile suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, appear to survive longer and may even recruit to the spawning populations. Our goal...
Unconventional energy resources: 2015 review. Shale gas and liquids
Neil S. Fishman, Kent Bowker, Harris Cander, Brian Cardott, Marc Charette, Kenneth Chew, Thomas Chidsey, Russell F. Dubiel, Sven O. Egenhoff, Catherine B. Enomoto, Ursula Hammes, William Harrison, Shu Jiang, Julie A. LeFever, Jock McCracken, Stephen Nordeng, Richard Nyahay, Stephen Sonnenberg, Michael Vanden Berg
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Energy Minerals Division, editor(s)
2015, Natural Resources Research (24) 467-470
Introduction As the source rocks from which petroleum is generated, organic-rich shales have always been considered an important component of petroleum systems. Over the last few years, it has been realized that in some mudrocks, sufficient hydrocarbons remain in place to allow for commercial development, although...
Disparity between state fish consumption advisory systems for methylmercury and US Environmental Protection Agency recommendations: A case study of the South Central United States
Kimberly Adams, Ray W. Drenner, Matthew M. Chumchal, David I. Donato
2015, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (35) 247-251
Fish consumption advisories are used to inform citizens in the United States about noncommercial game fish with hazardous levels of methylmercury (MeHg). The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) suggests issuing a fish consumption advisory when concentrations of MeHg in fish exceed a human health screening value of 300 ng/g. However, states...
