Comparison of the physical and geotechnical properties of gas-hydrate-bearing sediments from offshore India and other gas-hydrate-reservoir systems
William J. Winters, R.W. Wilcox-Cline, P. Long, S.K. Dewri, P. Kumar, Laura A. Stern, Laura A. Kerr
2014, Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology (58) 139-167
The sediment characteristics of hydrate-bearing reservoirs profoundly affect the formation, distribution, and morphology of gas hydrate. The presence and type of gas, porewater chemistry, fluid migration, and subbottom temperature may govern the hydrate formation process, but it is the host sediment that commonly dictates final hydrate habit, and whether...
The role of citizen science in bird conservation: The Christmas Bird Count and Breeding Bird Survey
John R. Sauer, Gregory S. Butcher
2014, All Bird Bulletin 3-6
Many birders in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are critical participants in bird monitoring and conservation activities. This linkage between recreational birders and avian conservation surveys is not new. It was established long before the internet and long before any fast communication facilitated the connection of birders to scientists....
Paleogeomorphology of the early Colorado River inferred from relationships in Mohave and Cottonwood Valleys, Arizona, California and Nevada
Philip Pearthree, Kyle House
2014, Geosphere (10) 1139-1160
Geologic investigations of late Miocene–early Pliocene deposits in Mohave and Cottonwood valleys provide important insights into the early evolution of the lower Colorado River system. In the latest Miocene these valleys were separate depocenters; the floor of Cottonwood Valley was ∼200 m higher than the floor of Mohave Valley. When...
Estimating the volcanic emission rate and atmospheric lifetime of SO2 from space: a case study for Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i
Steffen Beirle, Christoph Hormann, Malouse Penning de Vries, Stefan Dorner, Christoph Kern, Thomas Wagner
2014, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (14) 8309-8322
We present an analysis of SO2 column densities derived from GOME-2 satellite measurements for the Kīlauea volcano (Hawai`i) for 2007–2012. During a period of enhanced degassing activity in March–November 2008, monthly mean SO2 emission rates and effective SO2 lifetimes are determined simultaneously from the observed downwind plume evolution and meteorological wind fields, without...
Iron oxide minerals in dust of the Red Dawn event in eastern Australia, September 2009
Richard L. Reynolds, Stephen R. Cattle, Bruce M. Moskowitz, Harland L. Goldstein, Kimberly Yauk, Cody B. Flagg, Thelma S. Berquo, Raymond F. Kokaly, Suzette A. Morman, George N. Breit
2014, Aeolian Research (15) 1-13
Iron oxide minerals typically compose only a few weight percent of bulk atmospheric dust but are important for potential roles in forcing climate, affecting cloud properties, influencing rates of snow and ice melt, and fertilizing marine phytoplankton. Dust samples collected from locations across eastern Australia (Lake Cowal, Orange, Hornsby, and...
Carryover effects and climatic conditions influence the postfledging survival of greater sage-grouse
Erik J. Blomberg, James S. Sedinger, Daniel Gibson, Peter S. Coates, Michael L. Casazza
2014, Ecology and Evolution (4) 4488-4499
Prebreeding survival is an important life history component that affects both parental fitness and population persistence. In birds, prebreeding can be separated into pre- and postfledging periods; carryover effects from the prefledging period may influence postfledging survival. We investigated effects of body condition at fledging, and climatic variation, on postfledging...
A comparison of passive and active acoustic sampling for a bat community impacted by White-nose syndrome
Laci S. Coleman, W. Mark Ford, Christopher A. Dobony, Eric R. Britzke
2014, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (5) 217-226
In the summers of 2011 and 2012, we compared passive and active acoustic sampling for bats at 31 sites at Fort Drum Military Installation, New York. We defined active sampling as acoustic sampling that occurred in 30-min intervals between the hours of sunset and 0200 with a user present to...
Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States
Jason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Edward T. Furlong, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, James L. Gray, Eric A. Schwab
2014, Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts (16) 2335-2354
To better understand the composition of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in landfill leachate, fresh leachate from 19 landfills was sampled across the United States during 2011. The sampled network included 12 municipal and 7 private landfills with varying landfill waste compositions, geographic and climatic settings, ages of waste, waste...
Monitoring fish distributions along electrofishing segments
Leandro E. Miranda
2014, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (186) 8899-8905
Electrofishing is widely used to monitor fish species composition and relative abundance in streams and lakes. According to standard protocols, multiple segments are selected in a body of water to monitor population relative abundance as the ratio of total catch to total sampling effort. The standard protocol provides an assessment of...
Mark-resight abundance estimation under incomplete identification of marked individuals
Brett T. McClintock, Jason M. Hill, Lowell Fritz, Kathryn Chumbley, Katie Luxa, Duane R. Diefenbach
2014, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (5) 1294-1304
Often less expensive and less invasive than conventional mark–recapture, so-called 'mark-resight' methods are popular in the estimation of population abundance. These methods are most often applied when a subset of the population of interest is marked (naturally or artificially), and non-invasive sighting data can be simultaneously collected...
On the effects of scale for ecosystem services mapping
Adrienne Gret-Regamey, Bettina Weibel, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Marika Ferrari, Davide Geneletti, Hermann Klug, Uta Schirpke, Ulrike Tappeiner
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
Ecosystems provide life-sustaining services upon which human civilization depends, but their degradation largely continues unabated. Spatially explicit information on ecosystem services (ES) provision is required to better guide decision making, particularly for mountain systems, which are characterized by vertical gradients and isolation with high topographic complexity, making them particularly sensitive...
Geomorphological Fieldwork
Mary J Thornbush, Casey D Allen, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
2014, Book
Geomorphological Fieldwork addresses a topic that always remains popular within the geosciences and environmental science. More specifically, the volume conveys a growing legacy of field-based learning for young geomorphologists that can be used as a student book for field-based university courses and postgraduate research requiring fieldwork or field schools. The...
Verifying success of artificial spawning reefs in the St. Clair-Detroit River System for lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817)
Emliy K. Bouckaert, Nancy A. Auer, Edward F. Roseman, James Boase
2014, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (30) 1393-1401
Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) were historically abundant in the St. Clair – Detroit River System (SCDRS), a 160 km river/channel network. In the SCDRS, lake sturgeon populations have been negatively affected by the loss/degradation of natural spawning habitat. To address habitat loss for lake sturgeon and other species, efforts are underway...
Book review: Implementing the Endangered Species Act on the Platte Basin water commons
Mark H. Sherfy
2014, The Prairie Naturalist (46) 115-116
The Platte River is a unique midcontinent ecosystem that is world-renowned for its natural resources, particularly the spectacular spring concentrations of migratory birds, such as sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis), ducks, and geese. The Platte River basin also provides habitat for four federally listed endangered or threatened species—interior least tern (Sternula...
Mineral resource of the month: Mica
Jason C. Willett
2014, Earth (December 2014)
The mica mineral group includes 34 phyllosilicate minerals, all with a layered, platy texture. The mineral has been known for millennia: Mica was first mined in India about 4,000 years ago, where it was used primarily in medicines. The Mayans used it for decorative effect in stucco to...
Potential reduction in terrestrial salamander ranges associated with Marcellus shale development
Adrianne B. Brand, Amber N. M. Wiewel, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2014, Biological Conservation (180) 233-240
Natural gas production from the Marcellus shale is rapidly increasing in the northeastern United States. Most of the endemic terrestrial salamander species in the region are classified as ‘globally secure’ by the IUCN, primarily because much of their ranges include state- and federally protected lands, which have been presumed to...
Eruptions at Lone Star geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA: 2. Constraints on subsurface dynamics
Jean Vandemeulebrouck, Robert A. Sohn, Maxwell L. Rudolph, Shaul Hurwitz, Michael Manga, Malcolm J.S. Johnston, S. Adam Soule, Darcy McPhee, Jonathan M. G. Glen, Leif Karlstrom, Fred Murphy
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (119) 8688-8707
We use seismic, tilt, lidar, thermal, and gravity data from 32 consecutive eruption cycles of Lone Star geyser in Yellowstone National Park to identify key subsurface processes throughout the geyser's eruption cycle. Previously, we described measurements and analyses associated with the geyser's erupting jet dynamics. Here we show that seismicity...
U.S. Geological Survey unconventional petroleum systems research in south Mississippi: Observations on burial history and thermal maturity in the Cretaceous
Paul C. Hackley, Brett J. Valentine, Catherine B. Enomoto, James L. Coleman
2014, Mississippi Geological Society Bulletin (63) 9-15
Shale hydrocarbon ‘resource’ plays have revolutionized the United States energy mix over the last 5 years. These plays are diverse in lithology and age but share the common feature of occurring in ‘tight’ formations which require hydraulic (hydro-) fracturing for economic flow rates. In general, economic success requires an organic-rich reservoir with a...
Spectroscopic remote sensing of plant stress at leaf and canopy levels using the chlorophyll 680 nm absorption feature with continuum removal
Ieda Del’Arco Sanches, Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho, Raymond F. Kokaly
2014, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (97) 111-122
This paper explores the use of spectral feature analysis to detect plant stress in visible/near infrared wavelengths. A time series of close range leaf and canopy reflectance data of two plant species grown in hydrocarbon-contaminated soil was acquired with a portable spectrometer. The ProSpecTIR-VS airborne imaging spectrometer was used to...
The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: Lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill
James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Stanley D. Rice, Craig O. Matkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, Brooke Maslo, Julie L. Lockwood
2014, Book chapter, Coastal conservation
Oil spilled from ships or other sources into the marine environment often occurs in close proximity to coastlines, and oil frequently accumulates in coastal habitats. As a consequence, a rich, albeit occasionally controversial, body of literature describes a broad range of effects of spilled oil across several habitats, communities,...
Shale: an overlooked option for US nuclear waste disposal
Christopher E. Neuzil
2014, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Toss a dart at a map of the United States and, more often than not, it will land where shale can be found underground. A drab, relatively featureless sedimentary rock that historically attracted little interest, shale (as used here, the term includes clay and a range of clay-rich rocks) is...
Neoproterozoic–Cambrian stratigraphic framework of the Anti-Atlas and Ouzellagh promontory (High Atlas), Morocco
Jose Javier Alvaro, Fouad Benziane, Robert Thomas, Gregory J. Walsh, Abdelaziz Yazidi
2014, Journal of African Earth Sciences (98) 19-33
In the last two decades, great progress has been made in the geochronological, chrono- and chemostratigraphic control of the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian from the Anti-Atlas Ranges and the Ouzellagh promontory (High Atlas). As a result, the Neoproterozoic is lithostratigraphically subdivided into: (i) the Lkest-Taghdout Group (broadly interpreted at c. 800–690 Ma)...
Characterizing phosphorus dynamics in tile-drained agricultural fieldsof eastern Wisconsin
Allison Madison, Matthew Ruark, Todd D. Stuntebeck, Matthew J. Komiskey, Laura W. Good, Nancy Drummy, Eric Cooley
2014, Journal of Hydrology (519 A) 892-901
Artificial subsurface drainage provides an avenue for the rapid transfer of phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields to surface waters. This is of particular interest in eastern Wisconsin, where there is a concentrated population of dairy farms and high clay content soils prone to macropore development. Through collaboration with private landowners,...
Investigating organic matter in Fanno Creek, Oregon, Part 3 of 3: identifying and quantifying sources of organic matter to an urban stream
Jami H. Goldman, Stewart A. Rounds, Mackenzie K. Keith, Steven Sobieszczyk
2014, Journal of Hydrology (519) 3028-3041
The sources, transport, and characteristics of organic matter (OM) in Fanno Creek, an urban stream in northwest Oregon, were assessed and quantified using: (1) optical instruments to calculate transported loads of dissolved, particulate, and total organic carbon, (2) fluorescence spectroscopy and stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) to elucidate sources and...
Investigating organic matter in Fanno Creek, Oregon, Part 2 of 3: sources, sinks, and transport of organic matter with fine sediment
Mackenzie K. Keith, Steven Sobieszczyk, Jami H. Goldman, Stewart A. Rounds
2014, Journal of Hydrology (519) 3010-3027
Organic matter (OM) is abundant in Fanno Creek, Oregon, USA, and has been tied to a variety of water-quality concerns, including periods of low dissolved oxygen downstream in the Tualatin River, Oregon. The key sources of OM in Fanno Creek and other Tualatin River tributaries have not been fully identified,...