Migration, foraging, and residency patterns for Northern Gulf loggerheads: implications of local threats and international movements
Kristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Autumn R. Sartain-Iverson, Ikuko Fujisaki
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM) loggerheads (Caretta caretta) make up one of the smallest subpopulations of this threatened species and have declining nest numbers. We used satellite telemetry and a switching state-space model to identify distinct foraging areas used by 59 NGoM loggerheads tagged during 2010–2013. We tagged turtles after...
Effects of hydrologic modifications on salinity and formation of hypoxia in the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet and adjacent waterways, southeastern Louisiana, 2008 to 2012
Christopher M. Swarzenski, Scott V. Mize
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5077
The Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) was constructed between 1958 and 1968 to provide a safer and shorter route between the Gulf of Mexico and the Port of New Orleans for ocean-going vessels. In 2006, the U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to develop and implement a...
Whiting events in SW Florida coastal waters: a case study using MODIS medium-resolution data
Jacqueline Long, Chuanmin Hu, Lisa Robbins
2014, Remote Sensing Letters (5) 539-547
Whitings, floating patches of calcium carbonate mud, have been found in both shallow carbonate banks and freshwater environments around the world. Although these events have been studied for many decades, much of their characteristics remain unknown. Recent sightings of whitings near Ten Thousand Islands, Florida suggest a phenomenon that has...
The Early Jurassic Bokan Mountain peralkaline granitic complex (southeastern Alaska): geochemistry, petrogenesis and rare-metal mineralization
Jaroslav Dostal, Daniel J. Kontak, Susan M. Karl
2014, LITHOS (202-203) 395-412
The Early Jurassic (ca. 177 Ma) Bokan Mountain granitic complex, located on southern Prince of Wales Island, southernmost Alaska, cross-cuts Paleozoic igneous and metasedimentary rocks of the Alexander terrane of the North American Cordillera and was emplaced during a rifting event. The complex is a circular body (~3 km in...
The rock coast of the USA
Cheryl J. Hapke, Peter N. Adams, Jonathan Allan, Andrew Ashton, Gary B. Griggs, Monty A. Hampton, Joseph Kelly, Adam P. Young
2014, Book chapter, Rock coast geomorphology
The coastline of the USA is vast and comprises a variety of landform types including barrier islands, mainland beaches, soft bluffed coastlines and hard rocky coasts. The majority of the bluffed and rocky coasts are found in the northeastern part of the country (New England) and along the Pacific coast....
Precipitation isotopes link regional climate patterns to water supply in a tropical mountain forest, eastern Puerto Rico
Martha A. Scholl, Sheila F. Murphy
2014, Water Resources Research (50) 4305-4322
Like many mountainous areas in the tropics, watersheds in the Luquillo Mountains of eastern Puerto Rico have abundant rainfall and stream discharge and provide much of the water supply for the densely populated metropolitan areas nearby. Projected changes in regional temperature and atmospheric dynamics as a result of global warming...
Identifying dominant controls on hydrologic parameter transfer from gauged to ungauged catchments: a comparative hydrology approach
R. Singh, S.A. Archfield, T. Wagener
2014, Journal of Hydrology (517) 985-996
Daily streamflow information is critical for solving various hydrologic problems, though observations of continuous streamflow for model calibration are available at only a small fraction of the world’s rivers. One approach to estimate daily streamflow at an ungauged location is to transfer rainfall–runoff model parameters calibrated at a gauged (donor)...
Identification of Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria from a low-pH contaminated former uranium mine
Denise M. Akob, Tsing Bohu, Andrea Beyer, Franziska Schaffner, Matthias Handel, Carol A. Johnson, Dirk Merten, Georg Büchel, Kai Uwe Totsche, Kirsten Küsel
2014, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (80) 5086-5097
Biological Mn oxidation is responsible for producing highly reactive and abundant Mn oxide phases in the environment that can mitigate metal contamination. However, little is known about Mn oxidation in low-pH environments, where metal contamination often is a problem as the result of mining activities. We isolated two Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria...
Asphaltene content and composition as a measure of Deepwater Horizon oil spill losses within the first 80 days
M. D. Lewan, A. Warden, R.F. Dias, Z.K. Lowry, T.L. Hannah, P. G. Lillis, R.F. Kokaly, T.M. Hoefen, G.A. Swayze, C.T. Mills, S.H. Harris, G.S. Plumlee
2014, Organic Geochemistry (75) 54-60
The composition and content of asphaltenes in spilled and original wellhead oils from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) incident provide information on the amount of original oil lost and the processes most responsible for the losses within the first 80 days of the active spill. Spilled oils were collected from open...
The southern megalopolis: using the past to predict the future of urban sprawl in the Southeast U.S.
Adam Terando, Jennifer Costanza, Curtis Belyea, Robert R. Dunn, Alexa McKerrow, Jaime Collazo
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
The future health of ecosystems is arguably as dependent on urban sprawl as it is on human-caused climatic warming. Urban sprawl strongly impacts the urban ecosystems it creates and the natural and agro-ecosystems that it displaces and fragments. Here, we project urban sprawl changes for the next 50 years for...
Changing amounts and sources of moisture in the U.S. southwest since the Last Glacial Maximum in response to global climate change
Weimin Feng, Benjamin F. Hardt, Jay L. Banner, Kevin J. Meyer, Eric W. James, MaryLynn Musgrove, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng, Angela Min
2014, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (401) 47-56
The U.S. southwest has a limited water supply and is predicted to become drier in the 21st century. An improved understanding of factors controlling moisture sources and availability is aided by reconstruction of past responses to global climate change. New stable isotope and growth-rate records for a central Texas speleothem...
Colorado River campsite monitoring, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1998-2012
Matt Kaplinski, Joe Hazel, Rod Parnell, Daniel R. Hadley, Paul Grams
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1161
River rafting trips and hikers use sandbars along the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons as campsites. The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on campsite areas on sandbars along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Campsite area was measured annually from...
SAFRR tsunami scenario: Impacts on California ecosystems, species, marine natural resources, and fisheries
Deborah Brosnan, Anne Wein, Rick Wilson
Stephanie L. Ross, Lucile Jones, editor(s)
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1170-G
We evaluate the effects of the SAFRR Tsunami Scenario on California’s ecosystems, species, natural resources, and fisheries. We discuss mitigation and preparedness approaches that can be useful in Tsunami planning. The chapter provides an introduction to the role of ecosystems and natural resources in tsunami events (Section 1). A separate...
Imaging P and S attenuation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region, northern California
Donna Eberhart-Phillips, Clifford Thurber, Jon Peter B. Fletcher
2014, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (104) 2322-2336
We obtain 3-D Qp and Qs models for the Delta region of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, a large fluvial-agricultural portion of the Great Valley located between the Sierra Nevada batholith and the San Francisco Bay - Coast Ranges region of active faulting. Path attenuation t* values have been...
Occurrence and transport of nitrogen in the Big Sunflower River, northwestern Mississippi, October 2009-June 2011
Jeannie R.B. Barlow, Richard H. Coupe
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5107
The Big Sunflower River Basin, located within the Yazoo River Basin, is subject to large annual inputs of nitrogen from agriculture, atmospheric deposition, and point sources. Understanding how nutrients are transported in, and downstream from, the Big Sunflower River is key to quantifying their eutrophying effects on the Gulf. Recent...
Annual agricultural pesticide use for Midwest Stream-Quality Assessment, 2012-13
Nancy T. Baker, Wesley W. Stone
2014, Data Series 863
This report provides estimates of annual agricultural use of 190 pesticide compounds for counties and selected watersheds of Midwestern States for 2012 and 2013 compiled for subsequent analysis by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, Midwest Stream-Quality Assessment (MSQA). One of the goals of MSQA is to characterize contaminants at perennial-stream...
Estimation of methane concentrations and loads in groundwater discharge to Sugar Run, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Victor M. Heilweil, Dennis W. Risser, Randall W. Conger, Paul L. Grieve, Scott A. Hynek
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1126
A stream-sampling study was conducted to estimate methane concentrations and loads in groundwater discharge to a small stream in an active shale-gas development area of northeastern Pennsylvania. Grab samples collected from 15 streams in Bradford, Lycoming, Susquehanna, and Tioga Counties, Pa., during a reconnaissance survey in May and June 2013...
Concentrations and transport of suspended sediment, nutrients, and pesticides in the lower Mississippi-Atchafalaya River subbasin during the 2011 Mississippi River flood, April through July
Heather L. Welch, Richard H. Coupe, Brent T. Aulenbach
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5100
High streamflow associated with the April–July 2011 Mississippi River flood forced the simultaneous opening of the three major flood-control structures in the lower Mississippi-Atchafalaya River subbasin for the first time in history in order to manage the amount of water moving through the system. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected...
Repeated multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys of 15 selected bridge crossings along the Missouri River from Niobrara to Rulo, Nebraska, during the flood of 2011
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5062
In 2011, unprecedented flooding in the Missouri River prompted transportation agencies to increase the frequency of monitoring riverbed elevations near bridges that cross the Missouri River. Hydrographic surveys were completed in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Roads, using a multibeam echosounder at 15 highway bridges spanning the Missouri River...
Unsupported inferences of high-severity fire in historical dry forests of the western United States: Response to Williams and Baker
Peter Z. Fule, Thomas W. Swetnam, Peter M. Brown, Donald A. Falk, David L. Peterson, Craig D. Allen, Gregory H. Aplet, Mike A. Battaglia, Dan Binkley, Calvin Farris, Robert E. Keane, Ellis Q. Margolis, Henri Grissino-Mayer, Carol Miller, Carolyn Hull Sieg, Carl Skinner, Scott L. Stephens, Alan Taylor
2014, Global Ecology and Biogeography (23) 825-830
Reconstructions of dry western US forests in the late 19th century in Arizona, Colorado and Oregon based on General Land Office records were used by Williams & Baker (2012; Global Ecology and Biogeography, 21, 1042–1052; hereafter W&B) to infer past fire regimes with substantial moderate and high-severity burning. The authors...
Assessing the solubility controls on vanadium in groundwater, northeastern San Joaquin Valley, CA
Michael T. Wright, Kenneth G. Stollenwerk, Kenneth Belitz
2014, Applied Geochemistry (48) 41-52
The solubility controls on vanadium (V) in groundwater were studied due to concerns over possible harmful health effects of ingesting V in drinking water. Vanadium concentrations in the northeastern San Joaquin Valley ranged from <3 μg/L to 70 μg/L with a median of 21 μg/L. Concentrations of V were highest...
Analysis of the impact of spatial resolution on land/water classifications using high-resolution aerial imagery
Nicholas M. Enwright, William R. Jones, Adrienne L. Garber, Matthew J. Keller
2014, International Journal of Remote Sensing (35) 5280-5288
Long-term monitoring efforts often use remote sensing to track trends in habitat or landscape conditions over time. To most appropriately compare observations over time, long-term monitoring efforts strive for consistency in methods. Thus, advances and changes in technology over time can present a challenge. For instance, modern camera technology has...
Geologic logs of geotechnical cores from the subsurface Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Katherine L. Maier, Daniel J. Ponti, John C. Tinsley III, Emma Gatti, Mark Pagenkopp
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1127
This report presents and summarizes descriptive geologic logs of geotechnical cores collected from 2009–12 in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California, by the California Department of Water Resources. Graphic logs are presented for 1,785.7 ft of retained cores from 56 borehole sites throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Most core sections are...
Platinum-group elements: So many excellent properties
Michael L. Zientek, Patricia J. Loferski
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3064
The platinum-group elements (PGE) include platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium. These metals have similar physical and chemical properties and occur together in nature. The properties of PGE, such as high melting points, corrosion resistance, and catalytic qualities, make them indispensable to many industrial applications. PGE are strategic and...
Characterization of salinity loads and selenium loads in the Smith Fork Creek region of the Lower Gunnison River Basin, western Colorado, 2008-2009
Rodney J. Richards, Joshua I. Linard, Christopher M. Hobza
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5101
The lower Gunnison River Basin of the Colorado River Basin has elevated salinity and selenium levels. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of June 24, 1974 (Public Law 93–320, amended by Public Law 98–569), authorized investigation of the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit Salinity Control Project by the U.S. Department...
