Comparison of historical streamflows to 2013 Streamflows in the Williamson, Sprague, and Wood Rivers, Upper Klamath Lake Basin, Oregon
Glen W. Hess, Adam J. Stonewall
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1128
In 2013, the Upper Klamath Lake Basin, Oregon, experienced a dry spring, resulting in an executive order declaring a state of drought emergency in Klamath County. The 2013 drought limited the water supply and led to a near-total cessation of surface-water diversions for irrigation above Upper Klamath Lake once regulation...
Geologic map of MTM -30247, -35247, and -40247 quadrangles, Reull Vallis region of Mars
Scott C. Mest, David A. Crown
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3245
Mars Transverse Mercator (MTM) –30247, –35247, and –40247 quadrangles cover a portion of southern Hesperia Planum and the highlands of eastern Promethei Terra, east of the Hellas basin. The map area (lat 27.5–42.5° S., long 110–115° E.) consists of cratered ancient highland materials of moderate relief, isolated knobs and massifs...
Floods of 2011 in New York
Richard Lumia, Gary D. Firda, Travis L. Smith
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5058
Record rainfall combined with above-average temperatures and substantial spring snowmelt resulted in record flooding throughout New York during 2011. Rainfall totals in eastern New York were the greatest since 1895 and as much as 60 percent above the long-term average within the Catskill Mountains area and the Susquehanna River Basin....
Can they dig it? Functional morphology and semifossoriality among small-eared shrews, genus Cryptotis (Mammalia, Soricidae)
Neal Woodman, Sarah A. Gaffney
2014, Journal of Morphology (275) 745-759
Small-eared shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae: Cryptotis), exhibit modifications of the forelimb skeleton that have been interpreted as adaptations for semifossoriality. Most species inhabit remote regions, however, and their locomotory and foraging behaviors remain mostly speculative. To better understand the morphological modifications in the absence of direct observations, we quantified variation in...
A multiscale assessment of tree avoidance by prairie birds
Sarah J. Thompson, Todd W. Arnold, Courtney L. Amundson
2014, The Condor (116) 303-315
In North America, grassland bird abundances have declined, likely as a result of loss and degradation of prairie habitat. Given the expense and limited opportunity to procure new grasslands, managers are increasingly focusing on ways to improve existing habitat for grassland birds, using techniques such as tree removal. To examine...
Assessment of metal and trace element contamination in water, sediment, plants, macroinvertebrates, and fish in Tavasci Marsh, Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona
Kimberly R. Beisner, Nicholas V. Paretti, Anne M.D. Brasher, Christopher C. Fuller, Matthew P. Miller
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5069
Tavasci Marsh is a large freshwater marsh within the Tuzigoot National Monument in central Arizona. It is the largest freshwater marsh in Arizona that is unconnected to the Colorado River and is designated as an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society. The marsh has been altered significantly by previous...
Review and bibliometric analysis of published literature citing data produced by the Gap Analysis Program (GAP)
Joan M. Ratz, Shannon J. Conk
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1294
The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produces geospatial datasets providing information on land cover, predicted species distributions, stewardship (ownership and conservation status), and an analysis dataset which synthesizes the other three datasets. The intent in providing these datasets is to support the conservation of biodiversity....
A quantitative life history of endangered humpback chub that spawn in the Little Colorado River: variation in movement, growth, and survival
Charles B. Yackulic, Michael D. Yard, Josh Korman, David R. Van Haverbeke
2014, Ecology and Evolution (4) 1006-1018
While the ecology and evolution of partial migratory systems (defined broadly to include skip spawning) have been well studied, we are only beginning to understand how partial migratory populations are responding to ongoing environmental change. Environmental change can lead to differences in the fitness of residents and migrants, which could...
A semi-automated method of monitoring dam passage of American Eels Anguilla rostrata
Stuart A. Welsh, Joni L. Aldinger
2014, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (34) 702-709
Fish passage facilities at dams have become an important focus of fishery management in riverine systems. Given the personnel and travel costs associated with physical monitoring programs, automated or semi-automated systems are an attractive alternative for monitoring fish passage facilities. We designed and tested a semi-automated system for eel ladder...
Landsat and water: case studies of the uses and benefits of landsat imagery in water resources
Larisa O. Serbina, Holly M. Miller
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1108
The Landsat program has been collecting and archiving moderate resolution earth imagery since 1972. The number of Landsat users and uses has increased exponentially since the enactment of a free and open data policy in 2008, which made data available free of charge to all users. Benefits from the information...
Correlations of daily flows at streamgages in and near West Virginia, 1930-2011, and streamflow characteristics relevant to the use of index streamgages
Terence Messinger, Katherine S. Paybins
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5061
Correlation of flows at pairs of streamgages were evaluated using a Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient to better identify gages that can be used as index gages to estimate daily flow at ungaged stream sites in West Virginia. Much of West Virginia (77 percent) is within areas where Spearman’s rho for...
Inundation of a barrier island (Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, USA) during a hurricane: Observed water-level gradients and modeled seaward sand transport
Christopher R. Sherwood, Joseph W. Long, Patrick Dickhudt, P. Soupy Dalyander, David M. Thompson, Nathaniel G. Plant
2014, JGR Earth Surface (119) 1498-1515
Large geomorphic changes to barrier islands may occur during inundation, when storm surge exceeds island elevation. Inundation occurs episodically and under energetic conditions that make quantitative observations difficult. We measured water levels on both sides of a barrier island in the northern Chandeleur Islands during inundation by Hurricane Isaac. Wind...
InSAR detects increase in surface subsidence caused by an Arctic tundra fire
Lin Liu, Elchin E. Jafarov, Kevin M. Schaefer, Benjamin M. Jones, Howard A. Zebker, Christopher A. Williams, John Rogan, Tingjun Zhang
2014, Geophysical Research Letters (41) 3906-3913
Wildfire is a major disturbance in the Arctic tundra and boreal forests, having a significant impact on soil hydrology, carbon cycling, and permafrost dynamics. This study explores the use of the microwave Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique to map and quantify ground surface subsidence caused by the Anaktuvuk River...
Modeling turbidity type and intensity effects on the growth and starvation mortality of age-0 yellow perch
Nathan M Manning, Jonathan M. Bossenbroek, Christine M. Mayer, David B. Bunnell, Jeff T. Tyson, Lars G. Rudstam, James R. Jackson
2014, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (71) 1544-1553
We sought to quantify the possible population-level influence of sediment plumes and algal blooms on yellow perch (Perca flavescens), a visual predator found in systems with dynamic water clarity. We used an individual-based model (IBM), which allowed us to include variance in water clarity and the distribution of individual sizes....
Differentiating moss from higher plants is critical in studying the carbon cycle of the boreal biome
Wenping Yuan, Shuguang Liu, Wenjie Dong, Shunlin Liang, Shuqing Zhao, Jingming Chen, Wenfang Xu, Xianglan Li, Alan Barr, T. Andrew Black, Wende Yan, Michael Goulden, Liisa Kulmala, Anders Lindroth, Hank A. Margolis, Yojiro Matsuura, Eddy Moors, Michiel van der Molen, Takeshi Ohta, Kim Pilegaard, Andrej Varlagin, Timo Vesala
2014, Nature Communications (5)
The satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which is used for estimating gross primary production (GPP), often includes contributions from both mosses and vascular plants in boreal ecosystems. For the same NDVI, moss can generate only about one-third of the GPP that vascular plants can because of its much lower...
Interpretation of high-resolution imagery for detecting vegetation cover composition change after fuels reduction treatments in woodlands
Jason W. Karl, Jeffrey K. Gillan, Nichole N. Barger, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Michael C. Duniway
2014, Ecological Indicators (45) 570-578
The use of very high resolution (VHR; ground sampling distances < ∼5 cm) aerial imagery to estimate site vegetation cover and to detect changes from management has been well documented. However, as the purpose of monitoring is to document change over time, the ability to detect changes from imagery at...
Summary of U.S. Geological Survey reports documenting flood profiles of streams in Iowa, 1963-2012
David A. Eash
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5085
This report is part of an ongoing program that is publishing flood profiles of streams in Iowa. The program is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa Highway Research Board (Project HR-140). Information from flood profiles is used by engineers...
High-resolution swath interferometric data collected within Muskeget Channel, Massachusetts
Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Jane F. Denny, William W. Danforth, Wayne E. Baldwin, Barry J. Irwin
2014, Open-File Report 2012-1258
Swath interferometric bathymetery data were collected within and around Muskeget Channel and along select nearshore areas south and east of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Data were collected aboard the U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Rafael in October and November 2010 in a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the...
Hydrogeology and water quality of the stratified-drift aquifer in the Pony Hollow Creek Valley, Tompkins County, New York
Edward F. Bugliosi, Todd S. Miller, Richard J. Reynolds
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5059
The lithology, areal extent, and the water-table configuration in stratified-drift aquifers in the northern part of the Pony Hollow Creek valley in the Town of Newfield, New York, were mapped as part of an ongoing aquifer mapping program in Tompkins County. Surficial geologic and soil maps, well and test-boring records,...
Spatiotemporal variations in estrogenicity, hormones, and endocrine-disrupting compounds in influents and effluents of selected wastewater-treatment plants and receiving streams in New York, 2008-09
Barry P. Baldigo, Patrick J. Phillips, Anne G. Ernst, James L. Gray, Jocelyn Hemming
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5015
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in wastewater effluents have been linked to changes in sex ratios, intersex (in males), behavioral modifications, and developmental abnormalities in aquatic organisms. Yet efforts to identify and regulate specific EDCs in complex mixtures are problematic because little is known about the estrogen activity (estrogenicity) levels of many...
Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the eastern United States
Zhi-Liang Zhu, Bradley C. Reed, editor(s)
2014, Professional Paper 1804
This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to conduct a comprehensive national assessment of storage and flux (flow) of carbon and the fluxes of other greenhouse gases in ecosystems of the Eastern United States. These carbon...
Hydrostratigraphic interpretation of test-hole and borehole geophysical data, Kimball, Cheyenne, and Deuel Counties, Nebraska, 2011-12
Christopher M. Hobza, Steven S. Sibray
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1103
Recently (2004) adopted legislation in Nebraska requires a sustainable balance between long-term supplies and uses of surface-water and groundwater and requires Natural Resources Districts to understand the effect of groundwater use on surface-water systems when developing a groundwater-management plan. The South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) is located in the...
Hydrogeologic aspects of the Knippa Gap area in eastern Uvalde and western Medina counties, Texas
Rebecca B. Lambert, Allan K. Clark, Diana E. Pedraza, Robert R. Morris
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3045
The Edwards aquifer is the primary source of potable water for the San Antonio area in south-central Texas. The Knippa Gap area is a structural low (trough) postulated to channel or restrict flow in the Edwards aquifer in eastern Uvalde and western Medina Counties, Tex. To better understand the function...
Hydrologic data for the Obed River watershed, Tennessee
Rodney R. Knight, William J. Wolfe, George S. Law
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1102
The Obed River watershed drains a 520-square-mile area of the Cumberland Plateau physiographic region in the Tennessee River basin. The watershed is underlain by conglomerate, sandstone, and shale of Pennsylvanian age, which overlie Mississippian-age limestone. The larger creeks and rivers of the Obed River system have eroded gorges through the...
Geologic map of the Granite 7.5' quadrangle, Lake and Chaffee Counties, Colorado
Ralph R. Shroba, Karl S. Kellogg, Theodore R. Brandt
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3294
The geologic map of the Granite 7.5' quadrangle, Lake and Chaffee Counties, Colorado, portrays the geology in the upper Arkansas valley and along the lower flanks of the Sawatch Range and Mosquito Range near the town of Granite. The oldest rocks, exposed in the southern and eastern parts of the...
