Impacts of fire management on aboveground tree carbon stocks in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
John R. Matchett, James A. Lutz, Leland W. Tarnay, Douglas G. Smith, Kendall M.L. Becker, Matthew L. Brooks
2015, Report, Natural Resource Report NPS/SIEN/NRR—2015/910
Forest biomass on Sierra Nevada landscapes constitutes one of the largest carbon stocks in California, and its stability is tightly linked to the factors driving fire regimes. Research suggests that fire suppression, logging, climate change, and present management practices in Sierra Nevada forests have altered historic patterns of landscape carbon...
Determining origin in a migratory marine vertebrate: a novel method to integrate stable isotopes and satellite tracking
Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Anton D. Tucker, Kristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Ikuko Fujisaki, David S. Addison, Katherine L. Mansfield, Katrina F. Phillips, Michael B. Wunder, Gabriel J. Bowen, Mariela Pajuelo, Alan B. Bolten, Karen A. Bjorndal
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 320-335
Stable isotope analysis is a useful tool to track animal movements in both terrestrial and marine environments. These intrinsic markers are assimilated through the diet and may exhibit spatial gradients as a result of biogeochemical processes at the base of the food web. In the marine environment, maps to predict...
Mineral potential for volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, (phase V, deliverable 77)
Cliff D. Taylor, Stuart A. Giles
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-L
Potential for base- and precious-metal-bearing volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (VMS) exists in Mauritania in the greenstone belts of the southwestern Rgueïbat Shield and in the allochthonous portions of the central and southern Mauritanides. Additional potential exists for VMS deposits within the Tiris Complex of the central Rgueïbat Shield. Volcanosedimentary successions...
Reported industrial minerals occurrences and permissive areas for other occurrences in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, (phase V, deliverable 89)
William H. Langer
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-R
Previous PRISM reports discuss a variety of industrial minerals. Gypsum, phosphate, salt, stone, sulfur, and ilmenite command the majority of the attention in the earlier geologic reports. (Ilmenite is evaluated in a separate U.S. Geological Survey report in the current study). Asbestos, arsenic, barite, fluorite, and kaolin are listed in...
Database creation, data quality assessment, and geochemical maps (phase V, deliverable 59)—Final report on compilation and validation of geochemical data
Robert G. Eppinger, Stuart A. Giles, Gregory K. Lee, Steven M. Smith
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-D
Under the World Bank-funded Second Projet de Renforcement Institutionnel du Secteur Minier de la Republique Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II), this Phase V geochemistry report follows earlier Phase I and Phase II summary reports on geochemical data (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007 and Eppinger, 2007; respectively). All the reports are based on...
Evaluation of vector coastline features extracted from 'structure from motion'-derived elevation data
Nicole Kinsman, Ann E. Gibbs, Matt Nolan
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Coastal Sediments 2015
For extensive and remote coastlines, the absence of high-quality elevation models—for example, those produced with lidar—leaves some coastal populations lacking one of the essential elements for mapping shoreline positions or flood extents. Here, we compare seven different elevation products in a lowlying area in western Alaska to establish their appropriateness...
Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 83)
Cliff D. Taylor, Carol A. Finn, Eric D. Anderson, M. Y. Joud, M. A. Taleb, John D. Horton
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-O
High-grade hematitic iron ores (or HIF, containing 60–65 percent Fe) have been mined in Mauritania from Superior-type iron deposits since 1952. Depletion of the high grade ores in recent years has resulted in a number of new projects focused on lower grade magnetite ores in Algoma-type banded iron formation (or...
National Park Service vegetation inventory program: Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnesota
Kevin D. Hop, Jim Drake, Andrew C. Strassman, Erin E. Hoy, Joseph Jakusz, Shannon Menard, Jennifer Dieck
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR—2015/1002
The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MISS) vegetation mapping project is an initiative of the National Park Service (NPS) Vegetation Inventory Program (VIP) to classify and map vegetation types of MISS. (Note: “MISS” is also referred to as “park” throughout this report.) The goals of the project are to...
Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of Larsen C Ice-Shelf thinning
P. R. Holland, A. Brisbourne, H. F. J. Corr, Daniel Mcgrath, K. Purdon, J. Paden, H. A. Fricker, F. S. Paolo, A.H. Fleming
2015, The Cryosphere (9) 1005-1024
The catastrophic collapses of Larsen A and B ice shelves on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula have caused their tributary glaciers to accelerate, contributing to sea-level rise and freshening the Antarctic Bottom Water formed nearby. The surface of Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS), the largest ice shelf on the peninsula, is...
The Yellowstone “hot spot” track results from migrating basin-range extension
Gillian R. Foulger, Robert L. Christiansen, Don L. Anderson
Gillian R. Foulger, Michele Lustrino, Scott D. King, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, The interdisciplinary earth: A volume in honor of Don L. Anderson (GSA Special Papers volume 514)
Whether the volcanism of the Columbia River Plateau, eastern Snake River Plain, and Yellowstone (western U.S.) is related to a mantle plume or to plate tectonic processes is a long-standing controversy. There are many geological mismatches with the basic plume model as well as logical flaws, such as citing data...
Synthesis of geophysical data (phase V, deliverable 55)
Carol A. Finn, Eric D. Anderson
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-B
Aeromagnetic and radiometric data were used to map shallow Precambrian basement lithology and structure and determine the depth to magnetic basement, which in most cases, corresponds to the depth to crystalline basement of interest for mineral exploration. These depths, along with those determined from gravity data, help identify basins with...
Mineral potential for incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 87)
Cliff D. Taylor, Stuart A. Giles
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-Q
Review of PRISM-I documents and the National inventory of mineral occurrences suggests that resources of U, Th, Nb, Ta, Be, rare earth elements (REEs) and fluorite are known in Mauritania and have been exploited in the past at the Bou Naga alkaline complex. Several different deposit types are indicated by...
Database of mineral deposits in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverables 90 and 91)
Erin E. Marsh, Eric D. Anderson
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-S
Three ore deposits databases from previous studies were evaluated and combined with new known mineral occurrences into one database, which can now be used to manage information about the known mineral occurrences of Mauritania. The Microsoft Access 2010 database opens with the list of tables and forms held within the...
Hydrogeologic map of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 56), Synthesis of hydrologic data (phase V, deliverable 57), and chemical hydrologic map of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (added value)
Michael J. Friedel, Carol A. Finn, John D. Horton
2015, Open-File Report 2013-1280-C
A hydrogeologic study was conducted to support mineral-resource assessment activities in Mauritania, Africa. Airborne magnetic depth estimates reveal two primary groundwater basins: the porous coastal Continental Terminal Basin (fill deposits); and the interior, fractured interior Taoudeni Basin. In the Continental Terminal Basin, there is uniform vertical recharge and localized discharge...
Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills
Philip T. Harte
2015, Remediation Journal (24) 69-75
The distributional pattern of dissolved arsenic concentrations from landfill plumes can provide clues to the source of arsenic contamination. Under simple idealized conditions, arsenic concentrations along flow paths in aquifers proximal to a landfill will decrease under anthropogenic sources but potentially increase under in situ sources. This paper presents several...
Low productivity of Chinook salmon strongly correlates with high summer stream discharge in two Alaskan rivers in the Yukon drainage
Jason R. Neuswanger, Mark S. Wipfli, Matthew J. Evenson, Nicholas F. Hughes, Amanda E. Rosenberger
2015, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (72) 1125-1137
Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations are declining for unknown reasons, creating hardship for thousands of stakeholders in subsistence and commercial fisheries. An informed response to this crisis requires understanding the major sources of variation in Chinook salmon productivity. However, simple stock–recruitment models leave much of the variation in...
Assessing distribution and movement of blue catfish in Kansas reservoirs
Martha E. Mather, Kayla M. Gerber, Zachary Peterson
2015, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-117-2015
This report is organized into three chapters that address six objectives. The first chapter addresses objectives 1-3. The second chapter addresses objectives 4-5. The third chapter addresses objective 6. The objectives for the project are listed below for reference....
Shortnose sturgeon in the Gulf of Maine: Use of spawning habitat in the Kennebec System and response to dam removal
Gail S. Wippelhauser, Gayle B. Zydlewski, Micah Kieffer, James Sulikowski, Michael T. Kinnison
2015, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (144) 742-752
Evidence has become available in this century indicating that populations of the endangered Shortnose Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum migrate outside their natal river systems, but the full extent and functional basis of these migrations are not well understood. Between 2007 and 2013, 40 Shortnose Sturgeon captured and tagged in four Gulf of Maine...
Climate tolerances and habitat requirements jointly shape the elevational distribution of the American Pika (Ochotona princeps), with implications for climate change effects
Leah H. Yandow, Anna D. Chalfoun, Daniel F. Doak
2015, PLoS ONE (10) 1-21
Some of the most compelling examples of ecological responses to climate change are elevational range shifts of individual species, which have been observed throughout the world. A growing body of evidence, however, suggests substantial mediation of simple range shifts due to climate change by other limiting factors. Understanding limiting factors...
Duckling survival, fecundity, and habitat selection of mottled duck broods on the upper Texas Gulf Coast
Elizabeth A. Rigby, David A. Haukos
2015, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2) 156-163
Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) on the western Gulf Coast have exhibited a steep population decline since the mid 1990s. Low rates of breeding incidence and nest success have been implicated in this decline, but duckling survival and the habitat needs of broods have not been previously investigated in this region....
Mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) movements in the Texas Chenier Plain Region
Jena A. Moon, David A. Haukos, Warren C. Conway
2015, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2) 255-267
As a surrogate species for Strategic Habitat Conservation, the mottled duck (Anas fulgivula) is an indicator species to coastal marsh health and function. Currently, biologists have a relatively poor understanding of regional mottled duck movements. We outfitted adult female mottled ducks with solar satellite transmitters during summer 2009–2011. Movement patterns...
Combined effects of climate, predation, and density dependence on Greater and Lesser Scaup population dynamics
Beth E. Ross, Mevin Hooten, Jean-Michel DeVink, David N. Koons
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 1606-1617
An understanding of species relationships is critical in the management and conservation of populations facing climate change, yet few studies address how climate alters species interactions and other population drivers. We use a long-term, broad-scale data set of relative abundance to examine the influence of climate, predators, and density dependence...
Application and utility of a low-cost unmanned aerial system to manage and conserve aquatic resources in four Texas rivers
Timothy W. Birdsong, Megan Bean, Timothy B. Grabowski, Thomas B. Hardy, Thomas Heard, Derrick Holdstock, Kristy Kollaus, Stephan J. Magnelia, Kristina Tolman
2015, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2015) 80-85
Low-cost unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have recently gained increasing attention in natural resources management due to their versatility and demonstrated utility in collection of high-resolution, temporally-specific geospatial data. This study applied low-cost UAS to support the geospatial data needs of aquatic resources management projects in four Texas rivers. Specifically,...
Robust global ocean cooling trend for the pre-industrial Common Era
Helen V. McGregor, Michael N. Evans, Hugues Goosse, Guillaume Leduc, Belen Martrat, Jason A. Addison, P. Graham Mortyn, Delia W. Oppo, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Steven J. Phipps, Kandasamy Selvaraj, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Helena L. Filipsson, Vasile Ersek
2015, Nature Geoscience (8) 671-677
The oceans mediate the response of global climate to natural and anthropogenic forcings. Yet for the past 2,000 years — a key interval for understanding the present and future climate response to these forcings — global sea surface temperature changes and the underlying driving mechanisms are poorly constrained. Here we...
Introduction to the special issue on the 2012 Haida Gwaii and 2013 Craig earthquakes at the Pacific–North America plate boundary (British Columbia and Alaska)
Thomas S. James, John F. Cassidy, Garry C. Rogers, Peter J. Haeussler
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 1053-1057
The 27 October 2012 Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii thrust earthquake and the 5 January 2013 Mw 7.5 Craig strike‐slip earthquake are the focus of this special issue. They occurred along the transform boundary between the Pacific and North American plates (Fig. 1). The most identifiable feature of the plate boundary, the strike‐slip Queen Charlotte fault,...
