Nitrogen transport within an agricultural landscape: insights on how hydrology, biogeochemistry, and the landscape intersect to control the fate and transport of nitrogen in the Mississippi Delta
Jeannie R. B. Barlow, Robert Kröger
2014, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (69) 11A-16A
Nitrogen (N) is a ubiquitous contaminant throughout agricultural landscapes due to both the application of inorganic and organic fertilizers to agricultural fields and the general persistence of nitrate (NO3 ) in oxygenated aqueous environments (Denver et al. 2010; Domagalski et al. 2008; Green et al. 2008; Coupe 2001; Nolan and...
Science during crisis: the application of social science during major environmental crises
Gary Machlis, Kris Ludwig
Michael J. Manfredo, Jerry J. Vaske, Andreas Rechkemmer, Esther Duke, editor(s)
2014, Book chapter, Understanding society and natural resources: forging new strands in integration across the social sciences
Historical and contemporary experience suggests that science plays an increasingly critical role in governmental and institutional responses to major environmental crises. Recent examples include major western wildfires (2009), the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2010), the Fukushima nuclear accident (2011), and Hurricane Sandy (2012). The application of science during such crises has...
A comparison of two sampling designs for fish assemblage assessment in a large river
Ian A. Kiraly, Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Joseph D. Zydlewski, Daniel Hayes
2014, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (143) 508-518
We compared the efficiency of stratified random and fixed-station sampling designs to characterize fish assemblages in anticipation of dam removal on the Penobscot River, the largest river in Maine. We used boat electrofishing methods in both sampling designs. Multiple 500-m transects were selected randomly and electrofished in each of nine...
Anadromous sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are ecosystem engineers in a spawning tributary
Robert S. Hogg, Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Joseph D. Zydlewski, Kevin S. Simon
2014, Freshwater Biology (59) 1294-1307
Sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) disturb the substratum during nest construction and alter the physical habitat, potentially affecting other stream organisms. We quantified differences in depth, velocity, fine-sediment coverage, embeddedness, intragravel permeability and benthic invertebrate assemblages (density and diversity) among nest mounds, nest pits and undisturbed reference locations...
Selection of forest canopy gaps by male Cerulean Warblers in West Virginia
Kelly A. Perkins, Petra Bohall Wood
2014, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (126) 288-297
Forest openings, or canopy gaps, are an important resource for many forest songbirds, such as Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea). We examined canopy gap selection by this declining species to determine if male Cerulean Warblers selected particular sizes, vegetative heights, or types of gaps. We tested whether these parameters differed among...
Productivity and carbon dioxide exchange of leguminous crops: estimates from flux tower measurements
Tagir G. Gilmanov, John M. Baker, Carl J. Bernacchi, David P. Billesbach, George G. Burba, Saulo Castro, Jiquan Chen, Werner Eugster, Marc L. Fischer, John A. Gamon, Maheteme T. Gebremedhin, Aaron J. Glenn, Timothy J. Griffis, Jerry L. Hatfield, Mark W. Heuer, Daniel M. Howard, Monique Y. Leclerc, Henry W. Loescher, Oliver Marloie, Tilden P. Meyers, Albert Olioso, Rebecca L. Phillips, John H. Prueger, R. Howard Skinner, Andrew E. Suyker, Mario Tenuta, Bruce K. Wylie
2014, Agronomy Journal (106) 545-559
Net CO2 exchange data of legume crops at 17 flux tower sites in North America and three sites in Europe representing 29 site-years of measurements were partitioned into gross photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration by using the nonrectangular hyperbolic light-response function method. The analyses produced net CO2 exchange data and new ecosystem-scale ecophysiological...
The evolution of seismic monitoring systems at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Paul G. Okubo, Jennifer S. Nakata, Robert Y. Koyanagi
Michael P. Poland, T. Jane Takahashi, Claire M. Landowski, editor(s)
2014, Professional Paper 1801-2
In the century since the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) put its first seismographs into operation at the edge of Kīlauea Volcano’s summit caldera, seismic monitoring at HVO (now administered by the U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]) has evolved considerably. The HVO seismic network extends across the entire Island of Hawai‘i and...
Status of whitebarkpine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: A step-trend analysis comparing 2004-2007 to 2008-2011
Erin Shanahan, Kathryn M. Irvine, Dave Roberts, Andrea R. Litt, Kristin Legg, Rob Daley, Nina Chambers
2014, Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/GRYN/NRTR—2014/917
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a foundation and keystone species in upper subalpine environments of the northern Rocky Mountains that strongly influences the biodiversity and productivity of high-elevation ecosystems (Tomback et al. 2001, Ellison et al. 2005). Throughout its historic range, whitebark pine has decreased significantly as a major component...
Contaminants of legacy and emerging concern in largescale suckers (Catostomus macrocheilus) and the foodweb in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, USA
Elena B. Nilsen, Steven D. Zaugg, David A. Alvarez, Jennifer L. Morace, Ian R. Waite, Timothy D. Counihan, Jill M. Hardiman, Leticia Torres, Reynaldo Patino, Matthew G. Mesa, Robert Grove
2014, Science of the Total Environment (484) 344-352
We investigated occurrence, transport pathways, and effects of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants and other endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in aquatic media and the foodweb in the lower Columbia River. In 2009 and 2010, foodweb sampling at three sites along a gradient of contaminant exposure near Skamania (Washington), Columbia...
Component geochronology in the polyphase ca. 3920 Ma Acasta Gneiss
Stephen J. Mojzsis, Nicole L. Cates, Guillaume Caro, Dustin Trail, Oleg Abramov, Martin Guitreau, Janne Blichert-Toft, Michelle D. Hopkins, Wouter Bleeker
2014, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (133) 68-96
The oldest compiled U–Pb zircon ages for the Acasta Gneiss Complex in the Northwest Territories of Canada span about 4050–3850 Ma; yet older ca. 4200 Ma xenocrystic U–Pb zircon ages have also been reported for this terrane. The AGC expresses at least 25 km2 of outcrop exposure, but only a small subset of this...
Characterizing lentic freshwater fish assemblages using multiple sampling methods
Jesse R. Fischer, Michael C. Quist
2014, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (186) 4461-4474
Characterizing fish assemblages in lentic ecosystems is difficult, and multiple sampling methods are almost always necessary to gain reliable estimates of indices such as species richness. However, most research focused on lentic fish sampling methodology has targeted recreationally important species, and little to no information is available regarding the influence...
Influence of habitat characteristics on shore-spawning kokanee
Steven L. Whitlock, Michael C. Quist, Andrew M. Dux
2014, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (143) 1404-1418
Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and kokanee (lacustrine Sockeye Salmon) commonly spawn in both lentic and lotic environments; however, the habitat requirements of shore spawners are virtually unknown relative to those of stream spawners. A laboratory experiment and an in situ incubation study were conducted to better understand the influence of habitat characteristics...
Accounting for tagging-to-harvest mortality in a Brownie tag-recovery model by incorporating radio-telemetry data
Frances E. Buderman, Duane R. Diefenbach, Mary Jo Casalena, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Bret D. Wallingford
2014, Ecology and Evolution (4) 1439-1450
The Brownie tag-recovery model is useful for estimating harvest rates but assumes all tagged individuals survive to the first hunting season; otherwise, mortality between time of tagging and the hunting season will cause the Brownie estimator to be negatively biased. Alternatively, fitting animals with radio transmitters can be used to...
Using urban forest assessment tools to model bird habitat potential
Susannah B. Lerman, Keith H. Nislow, David J. Nowak, Stephen DeStefano, David I. King, D. Todd Jones-Farrand
2014, Landscape and Urban Planning (122) 29-40
The alteration of forest cover and the replacement of native vegetation with buildings, roads, exotic vegetation, and other urban features pose one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. As more land becomes slated for urban development, identifying effective urban forest wildlife management tools becomes paramount to ensure the urban...
The role of protected area wetlands in waterfowl habitat conservation: implications for protected area network design
William S. Beatty, Dylan C. Kesler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Andrew H. Raedeke, Luke W. Naylor, Dale D. Humburg
2014, Biological Conservation (176) 144-152
The principal goal of protected area networks is biodiversity preservation, but efficacy of such networks is directly linked to animal movement within and outside area boundaries. We examined wetland selection patterns of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) during non-breeding periods from 2010 to 2012 to evaluate the utility of protected areas to...
Geophysical framework of the Peninsular Ranges batholith—Implications for tectonic evolution and neotectonics
Victoria E. Langenheim, Robert C. Jachens, Carlos Aiken
2014, GSA Memoirs (211) 1-20
The crustal structure of the Peninsular Ranges batholith can be divided geophysically into two parts: (1) a western mafic part that is dense, magnetic, and characterized by relatively high seismic velocities (>6.25 km/s), low heat flow (<60 mW/m2), and relatively sparse seismicity, and (2) an eastern, more felsic part that...
A VS30 map for California with geologic and topographic constraints
Eric Thompson, David J. Wald, Charles Worden
2014, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (104) 2313-2321
For many earthquake engineering applications, site response is estimated through empirical correlations with the time‐averaged shear‐wave velocity to 30 m depth (VS30). These applications therefore depend on the availability of either site‐specific VS30 measurements or VS30 maps at local, regional, and global scales. Because VS30 measurements are sparse, a proxy frequently is needed to estimate VS30 at unsampled locations....
Development of a globally applicable model for near real-time prediction of seismically induced landslides
M. Anna Nowicki, David J. Wald, Michael W. Hamburger, Mike Hearne, Eric M. Thompson
2014, Engineering Geology (173) 54-65
Substantial effort has been invested to understand where seismically induced landslides may occur in the future, as they are a costly and frequently fatal threat in mountainous regions. The goal of this work is to develop a statistical model for estimating the spatial distribution of landslides in near real-time around...
A global assessment of the conservation status of the American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
Rob Clay, Arne J. Lesterhuis, Shiloh A. Schulte, Stephen Brown, Debra Reynolds, Theodore R. Simons
2014, International Wader Studies (20) 62-82
The American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus is the most widely distributed of the four oystercatcher species in the Western Hemisphere. Its range covers almost the entire Atlantic Coast from northeastern United States to southern Argentina; on the Pacific Coast it is found from northern Mexico to central Chile. This assessment covers the entire range of the...
Ongoing drought-induced uplift in the western United States.
Adrian Antal Borsa, Duncan Carr Agnew, Daniel R. Cayan
2014, Science (345) 1587-1590
The western United States has been experiencing severe drought since 2013. The solid earth response to the accompanying loss of surface and near-surface water mass should be a broad region of uplift. We use seasonally adjusted time series from continuously operating global positioning system stations to measure this uplift, which...
Survival of hatchery Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Mitchill, 1815) in the Suwannee River, Florida: a 19-year evaluation
Kenneth J. Sulak, Michael T. Randall, James P. Clugston
2014, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (30) 1428-1440
An experimental release of 1192 hatchery-reared, individually PIT tagged, 220 days old (296–337 mm TL) Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, was undertaken in 1992 in the Suwannee River, Florida. The original objectives of the 1992 release experiment were to: (1) evaluate survival rate of cultured Gulf sturgeon in the wild vs survival...
Mercury and methylmercury stream concentrations in a Coastal Plain watershed: A multi-scale simulation analysis
Christopher D. Knightes, Heather E. Golden, Celeste A. Journey, Gary M. Davis, Paul Conrads, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark E. Brigham, Paul M. Bradley
2014, Environmental Pollution (187) 182-192
Mercury is a ubiquitous global environmental toxicant responsible for most US fish advisories. Processes governing mercury concentrations in rivers and streams are not well understood, particularly at multiple spatial scales. We investigate how insights gained from reach-scale mercury data and model simulations can be applied at broader watershed scales using...
One hundred volatile years of volcanic gas studies at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
A.J. Sutton, Tamar Elias
Michael P. Poland, T. Jane Takahashi, Claire M. Landowski, editor(s)
2014, Professional Paper 1801-7
The first volcanic gas studies in Hawai‘i, beginning in 1912, established that volatile emissions from Kīlauea Volcano contained mostly water vapor, in addition to carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. This straightforward discovery overturned a popular volatile theory of the day and, in the same action, helped affirm Thomas A. Jaggar,...
Key recovery factors for the August 24, 2014, South Napa Earthquake
Kenneth W. Hudnut, Thomas M. Brocher, Carol S. Prentice, John Boatwright, Benjamin A. Brooks, Brad T. Aagaard, J. Luke Blair, Jon Peter B. Fletcher, Jemile Erdem, Charles W. Wicks Jr., Jessica R. Murray, Fred F. Pollitz, John O. Langbein, Jerry L. Svarc, David P. Schwartz, Daniel J. Ponti, Suzanne Hecker, Stephen B. DeLong, Carla M. Rosa, Brenda Jones, Rynn M. Lamb, Anne M. Rosinski, Timothy P. McCrink, Timothy E. Dawson, Gordon G. Seitz, Craig Glennie, Darren Hauser, Todd Ericksen, Dan Mardock, Don F. Hoirup, Jonathan D. Bray, Ron S. Rubin
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1249
Through discussions between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) following the South Napa earthquake, it was determined that several key decision points would be faced by FEMA for which additional information should be sought and provided by USGS and its partners. This report addresses...
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: A natural laboratory for studying basaltic volcanism
Robert I. Tilling, James P. Kauahikaua, Steven R. Brantley, Christina A. Neal
Michael P. Poland, T. Jane Takahashi, Claire M. Landowski, editor(s)
2014, Professional Paper 1801-1
In the beginning of the 20th century, geologist Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., argued that, to fully understand volcanic and associated hazards, the expeditionary mode of studying eruptions only after they occurred was inadequate. Instead, he fervently advocated the use of permanent observatories to record and measure volcanic phenomena—at and below...
