Parameter optimization, sensitivity, and uncertainty analysis of an ecosystem model at a forest flux tower site in the United States
Yiping Wu, Shuguang Liu, Zhihong Huang, Wende Yan
2014, Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (6) 405-419
Ecosystem models are useful tools for understanding ecological processes and for sustainable management of resources. In biogeochemical field, numerical models have been widely used for investigating carbon dynamics under global changes from site to regional and global scales. However, it is still challenging to optimize parameters and estimate parameterization uncertainty...
Five centuries of tsunamis and land-level changes in the overlapping rupture area of the 1960 and 2010 Chilean earthquakes
Lisa L. Ely, Marco Cisternas, Robert L. Wesson, Tina Dura
2014, Geology (42) 995-998
A combination of geological and historical records from south-central Chile provides a means to address general questions about the stability of megathrust rupture patches and the range of variation expected among earthquakes and tsunamis along a particular stretch of a subduction zone. The Tirúa River estuary (38.3°S) records four large...
Site response in the eastern United States: A comparison of Vs30 measurements with estimates from horizontal:vertical spectral ratios
Daniel E. McNamara, William J. Stephenson, Jackson K. Odum, Robert Williams, Lind Gee
2014, GSA Special Papers (509) 67-79
Earthquake damage is often increased due to local ground-motion amplification caused by soft soils, thick basin sediments, topographic effects, and liquefaction. A critical factor contributing to the assessment of seismic hazard is detailed information on local site response. In order to address and quantify the site response at seismograph stations...
Characterization of the porosity distribution in the upper part of the karst Biscayne aquifer using common offset ground penetrating radar, Everglades National Park, Florida
Gregory S. Mountain, Xavier Comas, Kevin J. Cunningham
2014, Journal of Hydrology (515) 223-236
The karst Biscayne aquifer is characterized by a heterogeneous spatial arrangement of porosity and hydraulic conductivity, making conceptualization difficult. The Biscayne aquifer is the primary source of drinking water for millions of people in south Florida; thus, information concerning the distribution of karst features that concentrate the groundwater flow...
U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: 2012 annual report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Carleton R. Bern, Laura Biewick, Gregory K. Boughton, Natasha B. Carr, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Melanie L. Clark, Bradford C. Fedy, Katharine Foster, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, Matthew G. Hethcoat, Collin G. Homer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Douglas Keinath, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Jessica Montag, Christopher J. Potter, Spencer Schell, Sarah L. Shafer, David B. Smith, Michael J. Sweat, Anna B. Wilson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1093
Southwest Wyoming contains abundant energy resources, wildlife, habitat, open spaces, and outdoor recreational opportunities. Although energy exploration and development have been taking place in the region since the late 1800s, the pace of development for fossil fuels and renewable energy increased significantly in the early 2000s. This and the associated...
Resource partitioning in two stream salamanders, Dicamptodon tenebrosus and Rhyacotriton cascadae, from the Oregon Cascade Mountains
Wynn W. Cudmore, R. Bruce Bury
2014, American Midland Naturalist (172) 191-199
We investigated the potential for resource partitioning between the Coastal giant salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) and the Cascade torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton cascadae) by examining their diet and microhabitats in forest streams. Larval D. tenebrosus and R. cascadae fed primarily upon aquatic insect larvae. We found similar foods in larval and adult...
Wolf population regulation revisited: again
Ronald E. McRoberts, L. David Mech
2014, Journal of Wildlife Management (78) 963-967
The long-accepted conclusion that wolf density is regulated by nutrition was recently challenged, and the conclusion was reached that, at greater levels of prey biomass, social factors such as intraspecific strife and territoriality tend to regulate wolf density. We reanalyzed the data used in that study for 2 reasons: 1)...
Discharge, water quality, and native fish abundance in the Virgin River, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, in support of Pah Tempe Springs discharge remediation efforts
Matthew P. Miller, Patrick M. Lambert, Thomas B. Hardy
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1104
Pah Tempe Springs discharge hot, saline, low dissolved-oxygen water to the Virgin River in southwestern Utah, which is transported downstream to Lake Mead and the Colorado River. The dissolved salts in the Virgin River negatively influence the suitability of this water for downstream agricultural, municipal, and industrial use. Therefore, various...
Effects of reintroduced beaver (Castor canadensis) on riparian bird community structure along the upper San Pedro River, southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico
Glenn E. Johnson, Charles van Riper III
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1121
Chapter 1.—We measured bird abundance and richness along the upper San Pedro River in 2005 and 2006, in order to document how beavers (Castor canadensis) may act as ecosystem engineers after their reintroduction to a desert riparian area in the Southwestern United States. In areas where beavers colonized, we found...
Graptemys gibbonsi Lovich and McCoy -- Pascagoula Map Turtle
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
2014, Book chapter, Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles
DEFINITION. The Pascagoula Map Turtle, Graptemys gibbonsi, is a large riverine species that exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, where females attain a maximum carapace length (CL) of 295 mm and males a maximum of 141 mm (Lovich et al. 2009). Mean adult female CL (248 mm) can be well over twice...
Hematite-bearing materials surrounding Candor Mensa in Candor Chasma, Mars: Implications for hematite origin and post-emplacement modification
Robin L. Fergason, Lisa R. Gaddis, A. D. Rogers
2014, Icarus (237) 350-365
The Valles Marineris canyon system on Mars is of enduring scientific interest in part due to the presence of interior mounds that contain extensive layering and water-altered minerals, such as crystalline gray hematite and hydrated sulfates. The presence of hematite and hydrated sulfate minerals is important because their...
Analysis of potential water-supply management options, 2010-60, and documentation of revisions to the model of the Irwin Basin Aquifer System, Fort Irwin National Training Center, California
Lois M. Voronin, Jill N. Densmore, Peter Martin
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5081
The Fort Irwin National Training Center is considering several alternatives to manage their limited water-supply sources in the Irwin Basin. An existing three-dimensional, finite-difference groundwater-flow model—the U.S. Geological Survey’s MODFLOW—of the aquifer system in the basin was updated and the initial input dataset was supplemented with groundwater withdrawal data for...
Discovery and analysis of time delay sources in the USGS personal computer data collection platform (PCDCP) system
Timothy C. White, Edward A. Sauter, Duff C. Stewart
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5045
Intermagnet is an international oversight group which exists to establish a global network for geomagnetic observatories. This group establishes data standards and standard operating procedures for members and prospective members. Intermagnet has proposed a new One-Second Data Standard, for that emerging geomagnetic product. The standard specifies that all data collected...
Mapping habitat for multiple species in the Desert Southwest
Richard D. Inman, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque, Amy G. Vandergast, Stacie A. Hathaway, Dustin A. Wood, Kelly R. Barr, Robert N. Fisher
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1134
Many utility scale renewable energy projects are currently proposed across the Mojave Ecoregion. Agencies that manage biological resources throughout this region need to understand the potential impacts of these renewable energy projects and their associated infrastructure (for example, transmission corridors, substations, access roads, etc.) on species movement, genetic exchange among...
Dynamic response to strike-slip tectonic control on the deposition and evolution of the Baranof Fan, Gulf of Alaska
Maureen A. L. Walton, Sean P. S. Gulick, Robert S. Reece, Ginger A. Barth, Gail L. Christeson, Harm J. VanAvendonk
2014, Geosphere (10) 680-691
The Baranof Fan is one of three large deep-sea fans in the Gulf of Alaska, and is a key component in understanding large-scale erosion and sedimentation patterns for southeast Alaska and western Canada. We integrate new and existing seismic reflection profiles to provide new constraints on the Baranof Fan area,...
Geologic map of Mars
Kenneth L. Tanaka, James A. Skinner, James M. Dohm, Rossman P. Irwin III, Eric J. Kolb, Corey M. Fortezzo, Thomas Platz, Gregory G. Michael, Trent M. Hare
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3292
This global geologic map of Mars, which records the distribution of geologic units and landforms on the planet's surface through time, is based on unprecedented variety, quality, and quantity of remotely sensed data acquired since the Viking Orbiters. These data have provided morphologic, topographic, spectral, thermophysical, radar sounding, and other...
Mercury in fishes from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Brandon M. Kowalski, James J. Willacker, Christian E. Zimmerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1145
In this study, mercury (Hg) concentrations were examined in fishes from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, the largest and one of the most remote units in the national park system. The goals of the study were to (1) examine the distribution of Hg in select lakes of Wrangell-St....
Historical and contemporary imagery to assess ecosystem change on the Arctic coastal plain of northern Alaska
Ken D. Tape, John M. Pearce, Dennis H. Walworth, Brandt W. Meixell, Tom F. Fondell, David D. Gustine, Paul L. Flint, Jerry W. Hupp, Joel A. Schmutz, David H. Ward
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1140
The Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska is a complex landscape of lakes, streams, and wetlands scattered across low-relief tundra that is underlain by permafrost. This region of the Arctic has experienced a warming trend over the past three decades leading to thawing of on-shore permafrost and the disappearance of...
A methodological toolkit for field assessments of artisanally mined alluvial diamond deposits
Peter G. Chirico, Katherine C. Malpeli
2014, Techniques and Methods 11-D2
This toolkit provides a standardized checklist of critical issues relevant to artisanal mining-related field research. An integrated sociophysical geographic approach to collecting data at artisanal mine sites is outlined. The implementation and results of a multistakeholder approach to data collection, carried out in the assessment of Guinea’s artisanally mined diamond...
Streamflow statistics for unregulated and regulated conditions for selected locations on the Upper Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers, Montana and Wyoming, 1928-2002
Katherine J. Chase
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5115
Major floods in 1996 and 1997 intensified public debate about the effects of human activities on the Yellowstone River. In 1999, the Yellowstone River Conservation District Council was formed to address conservation issues on the river. The Yellowstone River Conservation District Council partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...
The persistent problem of lead poisoning in birds from ammunition and fishing tackle
Susan M. Haig, Jesse D'Elia, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Jeanne M. Fair, Jennifer Gervais, Garth Herring, James W. Rivers, John H. Schulz
2014, The Condor (116) 408-428
Lead (Pb) is a metabolic poison that can negatively influence biological processes, leading to illness and mortality across a large spectrum of North American avifauna (>120 species) and other organisms. Pb poisoning can result from numerous sources, including ingestion of bullet fragments and shot pellets left in animal carcasses, spent...
Guild-specific responses of avian species richness to LiDAR-derived habitat heterogeneity
Peter J. Weisberg, Thomas E. Dilts, Miles E. Becker, Jock S. Young, Diane C. Wong-Kone, Wesley E. Newton, Elisabeth M. Ammon
2014, Acta Oecologica (59) 72-83
Ecological niche theory implies that more heterogeneous habitats have the potential to support greater biodiversity. Positive heterogeneity-diversity relationships have been found for most studies investigating animal taxa, although negative relationships also occur and the scale dependence of heterogeneity-diversity relationships is little known. We investigated multi-scale, heterogeneity-diversity relationships for bird communities...
Baseline groundwater quality from 34 wells in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, 2011 and 2013
Ronald A. Sloto
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1116
Wayne County, Pennsylvania, is underlain by the Marcellus Shale, which currently (2014) is being developed elsewhere in Pennsylvania for natural gas. All residents of largely rural Wayne County rely on groundwater for water supply, primarily from bedrock aquifers (shales and sandstones). This study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in...
Calibration of a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model for parts of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
John W. Fulton, Chad R. Wagner
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5145
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, developed a validated two-dimensional Resource Management Associates2 (RMA2) hydrodynamic model of parts of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers (Three Rivers) to help assess the effects of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) on...
Estimating reach-specific fish movement probabilities in rivers with a Bayesian state-space model: application to sea lamprey passage and capture at dams
Christopher M. Holbrook, Nicholas S. Johnson, Juan P. Steibel, Michael B. Twohey, Thomas R. Binder, Charles C. Krueger, Michael L. Jones
2014, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (71) 1713-1729
Improved methods are needed to evaluate barriers and traps for control and assessment of invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Great Lakes. A Bayesian state-space model provided reach-specific probabilities of movement, including trap capture and dam passage, for 148 acoustic tagged invasive sea lamprey in the lower Cheboygan River,...
