Switching predominance of organic versus inorganic carbon exports from an intermediate-size subarctic watershed
Mark M. Dornblaser, Robert G. Striegl
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 386-394
Hydrologic exports of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC, DOC) reflect permafrost conditions in arctic and subarctic river basins. DIC yields in particular, increase with decreased permafrost extent. We investigated the influence of permafrost extent on DIC and DOC yield in a tributary of the Yukon River, where the upper...
Digital geospatial presentation of geoelectrical and geotechnical data for the lower American River and flood plain, east Sacramento, California
Lyndsay B. Ball, Bethany L. Burton, Michael H. Powers, Theodore H. Asch
2015, Data Series 902
To characterize the extent and thickness of lithologic units that may have differing scour potential, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has performed several geoelectrical surveys of the lower American River channel and flood plain between Cal Expo and the Rio Americano High...
USGS compilation of geographic information system (GIS) data representing coal mines and coal-bearing areas in China
Michael H. Trippi, Harvey E. Belkin, Shifeng Dai, Susan J. Tewalt, Chiu-Jung Chou
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1219
Geographic information system (GIS) information may facilitate energy studies, which in turn provide input for energy policy decisions. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled geographic information system (GIS) data representing the known coal mine locations and coal-mining areas of China as of 2001. These data are now available for...
Future wave and wind projections for United States and United-States-affiliated Pacific Islands
Curt D. Storlazzi, James B. Shope, Li H. Erikson, Christine A. Hegermiller, Patrick L. Barnard
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1001
Changes in future wave climates in the tropical Pacific Ocean from global climate change are not well understood. Spatially and temporally varying waves dominate coastal morphology and ecosystem structure of the islands throughout the tropical Pacific. Waves also impact coastal infrastructure, natural and cultural resources, and coastal-related economic activities of...
Evaluating the piscicide rotenone as an option for eradication of invasive Mozambique tilapia in a Hawaiian brackish-water wetland complex
Leo Nico, Ronald A. Englund, Howard L. Jelks
2015, Management of Biological Invasions (6) 83-104
Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus were recently discovered in ‘Aimakapā Fishpond, a 12-hectare brackish-water wetland complex in Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, on the Island of Hawai’i. As a possible eradication method, we evaluated rotenone, a natural piscicide used in fish management and the active ingredient in plants traditionally used by indigenous Hawaiians for...
Direct measurement of asperity contact growth in quartz at hydrothermal conditions
Nicholas M. Beeler, Stephen H. Hickman
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (120) 3599-3616
Earthquake recurrence requires interseismic fault restrengthening which results from solid state deformation in room-temperature friction and indentation experiments. In contrast exhumed fault zones show solution-transport processes such as pressure solution and contact overgrowths influence fault zone properties . In the absence of fluid flow, overgrowths are driven by gradients in...
Depth-dependent groundwater quality sampling at City of Tallahassee test well 32, Leon County, Florida, 2013
W. Scott McBride, Michael A. Wacker
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1255
Public-supply wells sometimes produce water of less than desirable quality because contaminants can migrate to the open interval of wells through preferential pathways. If these pathways can be identified, zones that produce poor quality water can be excluded during the well-construction process. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed geophysical testing...
An experimental investigation of chemical communication in the polar bear
Megan A. Owen, Ronald R. Swaisgood, C. Slocomb, Steven C. Amstrup, George M. Durner, Kristin S. Simac, Allan P. Pessier
2015, Journal of Zoology (295) 36-43
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus), with its wide-ranging movements, solitary existence and seasonal reproduction, is expected to favor chemosignaling over other communication modalities. However, the topography of its Arctic sea ice habitat is generally lacking in stationary vertical substrates routinely used for targeted scent marking in other bears. These environmental...
Instrumenting caves to collect hydrologic and geochemical data: case study from James Cave, Virginia
Madeline E. Schreiber, Benjamin F. Schwartz, William Orndorff, Daniel H. Doctor, Sarah D. Eagle, Jonathan D. Gerst
2015, Book chapter, Advances in watershed science and assessment
Karst aquifers are productive groundwater systems, supplying approximately 25 % of the world’s drinking water. Sustainable use of this critical water supply requires information about rates of recharge to karst aquifers. The overall goal of this project is to collect long-term, high-resolution hydrologic and geochemical datasets at James Cave, Virginia,...
Determining the importance of model calibration for forecasting absolute/relative changes in streamflow from LULC and climate changes
Rewati Niraula, Thomas Meixner, Laura M. Norman
2015, Journal of Hydrology (522) 439-451
Land use/land cover (LULC) and climate changes are important drivers of change in streamflow. Assessing the impact of LULC and climate changes on streamflow is typically done with a calibrated and validated watershed model. However, there is a debate on the degree of calibration required. The objective of this study...
Occurrence and trends of selected nutrients, other chemical constituents, diatoms, and cyanobacteria in bottom sediment, Lake Maxinkuckee, northern Indiana
Kyle E. Juracek
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5199
Bottom-sediment cores collected in 2013 were used to investigate the recent and predevelopment (pre-1863) occurrence of selected nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus), carbon, 39 trace elements, diatoms, cyanobacterial akinetes, and 3 radionuclides in the bottom sediment of Lake Maxinkuckee, a kettle lake in northern Indiana. Total nitrogen concentrations in...
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: source-to-sink sediment budget and synthesis
Jonathan A. Warrick, Jennifer A. Bountry, Amy E. East, Christopher S. Magirl, Timothy J. Randle, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Andrew C. Ritchie, George R. Pess, Vivian Leung, Jeff J. Duda
2015, Geomorphology (246) 729-750
Understanding landscape responses to sediment supply changes constitutes a fundamental part of many problems in geomorphology, but opportunities to study such processes at field scales are rare. The phased removal of two large dams on the Elwha River, Washington, exposed 21 ± 3 million m3, or ~ 30 million tonnes (t), of sediment that had been deposited...
Shear-wave velocity and site-amplification factors for 50 Australian sites determined by the spectral analysis of surface waves method
Robert E. Kayen, Bradley A. Carkin, Trevor I. Allen, Clive Collins, Andrew McPherson, Diane L. Minasian
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1264
One-dimensional shear-wave velocity (VS ) profiles are presented at 50 strong motion sites in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. The VS profiles are estimated with the spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) method. The SASW method is a noninvasive method that indirectly estimates the VS at depth from variations in the Rayleigh wave phase...
Simulated runoff at many stream locations in the Methow River Basin, Washington
Mark C. Mastin
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1011
A collaborative Bureau of Reclamation-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) team has been brought together to incorporate a conceptual geomorphic-habitat model with a process-based trophic model to understand the processes important to stream habitat for anadromous fish populations. The Methow River Basin was selected as a test basin for this hybrid geomorphic-habitat/trophic...
Spring resource phenology and timing of songbird migration across the Gulf of Mexico
Eben H. Paxton, Emily B. Cohen, Zoltan Nemeth, Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Kristina L. Paxton, Robert H. Diehl, Frank R. Moore
2015, Studies in Avian Biology 63-82
Migratory songbirds are advancing their arrival to breeding areas in response to climatic warming at temperate latitudes. Less is understood about the impacts of climate changes outside the breeding period. Every spring, millions of migrating songbirds that overwinter in the Caribbean and Central and South America stop to rest and<br...
3D Elevation Program: summary for Nebraska
William J. Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2014-3112
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Nebraska, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, geologic resource...
3D Elevation Program: summary for Vermont
William J. Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3002
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Vermont, elevation data are critical for hazard mitigation, geologic resource assessment, natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, flood risk management, infrastructure...
Distribution and biophysical processes of beaded streams in Arctic permafrost landscapes
Christopher D. Arp, Matthew S. Whitman, Benjamin M. Jones, Guido Grosse, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Kurt C. Heim
2015, Biogeosciences (12) 29-47
Beaded streams are widespread in permafrost regions and are considered a common thermokarst landform. However, little is known about their distribution, how and under what conditions they form, and how their intriguing morphology translates to ecosystem functions and habitat. Here we report on a Circum-Arctic survey of beaded streams and...
Growth rates and variances of unexploited wolf populations in dynamic equilibria
L. David Mech, John Fieberg
2015, Wildlife Society Bulletin (39) 41-48
Several states have begun harvesting gray wolves (Canis lupus), and these states and various European countries are closely monitoring their wolf populations. To provide appropriate perspective for determining unusual or extreme fluctuations in their managed wolf populations, we analyzed natural, long-term, wolf-population-density trajectories totaling 130 years of data from 3...
Areas contributing recharge to production wells and effects of climate change on the groundwater system in the Chipuxet River and Chickasheen Brook Basins, Rhode Island
Paul J. Friesz, Janet Radway Stone
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5216
The Chipuxet River and Chickasheen Brook Basins in southern Rhode Island are an important water resource for public and domestic supply, irrigation, recreation, and aquatic habitat. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Rhode Island Department of Health, began a study in 2012 as part of an effort to...
Simulated big sagebrush regeneration supports predicted changes at the trailing and leading edges of distribution shifts
Daniel R. Schlaepfer, Kyle A. Taylor, Victoria E. Pennington, Kellen N. Nelson, Trace E. Martin, Caitlin M. Rottler, William K. Lauenroth, John B. Bradford
2015, Ecosphere (6)
Many semi-arid plant communities in western North America are dominated by big sagebrush. These ecosystems are being reduced in extent and quality due to economic development, invasive species, and climate change. These pervasive modifications have generated concern about the long-term viability of sagebrush habitat and sagebrush-obligate wildlife species (notably greater...
Late Quaternary slip history of the Mill Creek strand of the San Andreas fault in San Gorgonio Pass, southern California: The role of a subsidiary left-lateral fault in strand switching
Katherine J. Kendrick, Jonathan C. Matti, Shannon A. Mahan
2015, Geological Society of America Bulletin (127) 825-849
The fault history of the Mill Creek strand of the San Andreas fault (SAF) in the San Gorgonio Pass region, along with the reconstructed geomorphology surrounding this fault strand, reveals the important role of the left-lateral Pinto Mountain fault in the regional fault strand switching. The Mill Creek strand has...
Effects of hierarchical roost removal on northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colonies
Alexander Silvis, W. Mark Ford, Eric R. Britzke
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Forest roosting bats use a variety of ephemeral roosts such as snags and declining live trees. Although conservation of summer maternity habitat is considered critical for forest-roosting bats, bat response to roost loss still is poorly understood. To address this, we monitored 3 northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colonies...
North America's net terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990–2009
A.W. King, R.J. Andres, K.J. Davis, M. Hafer, D.J. Hayes, Deborah N. Huntzinger, Bernardus de Jong, W.A. Kurz, A. David McGuire, Rodrigo I. Vargas, Y. Wei, Tristram O. West, Christopher W. Woodall
2015, Biogeosciences (12) 399-414
Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land–atmosphere...
Farallon de Medinilla seabird and Tinian moorhen analyses
Richard J. Camp, Christina R. Leopold, Kevin W. Brinck, Franz Juola
2015, Technical Report HCSU-060
This report assesses the trends in brown booby (Sula leucogaster), masked booby (S. dactylatra), and red-footed booby (S. sula) counts collected on Farallon de Medinilla and Mariana common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus guami) counts on Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to help elucidate patterns in bird numbers. During either...
