Holocene earthquakes and right-lateral slip on the left-lateral Darrington-Devils Mountain fault zone, northern Puget Sound, Washington
Stephen F. Personius, Richard W. Briggs, Alan R. Nelson, Elizabeth R Schermer, J. Zebulon Maharrey, Brian L. Sherrod, Sarah A. Spaulding, Lee-Ann Bradley
2014, Geosphere (10) 1482-1500
Sources of seismic hazard in the Puget Sound region of northwestern Washington include deep earthquakes associated with the Cascadia subduction zone, and shallow earthquakes associated with some of the numerous crustal (upper-plate) faults that crisscross the region. Our paleoseismic investigations on one of the more prominent crustal faults, the Darrington–Devils...
Factors influencing nest survival and productivity of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) in Alaska
Daniel Rizzolo, Joel A. Schmutz, Sarah E. McCloskey, Thomas F. Fondell
2014, The Condor (116) 574-587
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) numbers in Alaska have fluctuated dramatically over the past 3 decades; however, the demographic processes contributing to these population dynamics are poorly understood. To examine spatial and temporal variation in productivity, we estimated breeding parameters at 5 sites in Alaska: at Cape Espenberg and the Copper...
Predicting East African spring droughts using Pacific and Indian Ocean sea surface temperature indices
Christopher C. Funk, Andrew Hoell, Shraddhanand Shukla, Ileana Blade, Brant Liebmann, Jason B. Roberts, Franklin R. Robertson
2014, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (11) 3111-3136
In southern Ethiopia, Eastern Kenya, and southern Somalia poor boreal spring rains in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 contributed to severe food insecurity and high levels of malnutrition. Predicting rainfall deficits in this region on seasonal and decadal time frames can help decision makers support disaster risk...
Distribution and prevalence of knemidokoptic mange in Hawai`i `Amakihi on the island of Hawaii
Jacqueline Gaudioso, Dennis LaPointe, Carter T. Atkinson, Chloe Apelgren
2014, Technical Report HCSU-055
Knemidokoptic mange was first observed on two Hawai‘i ‘Amakihi (Hemignathus virens) mist netted in Manuka Natural Area Reserve (NAR) on the Island of Hawai‘i in June 2007. Microscopic examination of skin scrapings from lesions of the infested individuals revealed the scaley-leg mite, Knemidokoptes jamaicensis. Continued surveillance at Manuka NAR (2007-2009)...
Productivity of forest birds at Hakalau Forest NWR
Eben H. Paxton, George C Cummins, Steven J. Kendall
2014, Technical Report HCSU-056
Hawai‘i has some of the most endangered avian species in the world, which face numerous threats from habitat loss, disease, climate change, and introduced species. This report details the results of a two-year productivity study of all forest bird species at Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai‘i Island. We found and...
Evaluating the long-term management of introduced ungulates to protect the palila, an endangered bird, and its criticial habitat in subalpine forest of Mauna Kea, Hawai'i
Paul C. Banko, Steven C. Hess, Paul G. Scowcroft, Chris Farmer, James D. Jacobi, Robert M. Stephens, Richard J. Camp, David L. Leonard Jr., Kevin W. Brinck, J.O. Juvik, S. P. Juvik
2014, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (46) 871-889
Under the multiple-use paradigm, conflicts may arise when protection of an endangered species must compete with other management objectives. To resolve such a conflict in the Critical Habitat of the endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper, palila (Loxioides bailleui), federal courts ordered the eradication of introduced ungulates responsible for damaging the māmane (Sophora...
A sub-national scale geospatial analysis of diamond deposit lootability: the case of the Central African Republic
Katherine C. Malpeli, Peter G. Chirico
2014, The Extractive Industries and Society (1) 249-259
The Central African Republic (CAR), a country with rich diamond deposits and a tumultuous political history, experienced a government takeover by the Seleka rebel coalition in 2013. It is within this context that we developed and implemented a geospatial approach for assessing the lootability of high value-to-weight resource deposits, using...
Diverse coral communities in mangrove habitats suggest a novel refuge from climate change
Kimberly K. Yates, Caroline S. Rogers, James J. Herlan, Gregg R. Brooks, Nathan A. Smiley, Rebekka A. Larson
2014, Biogeosciences (11) 4321-4337
Risk analyses indicate that more than 90% of the world's reefs will be threatened by climate change and local anthropogenic impacts by the year 2030 under "business-as-usual" climate scenarios. Increasing temperatures and solar radiation cause coral bleaching that has resulted in extensive coral mortality. Increasing carbon dioxide reduces seawater pH,...
MTpy: A Python toolbox for magnetotellurics
Lars Krieger, Jared R. Peacock
2014, Computers & Geosciences (72) 167-175
We present the software package MTpy that allows handling, processing, and imaging of magnetotelluric (MT) data sets. Written in Python, the code is open source, containing sub-packages and modules for various tasks within the standard MT data processing and handling scheme. Besides the independent definition of classes and functions, MTpy provides wrappers and...
Technical Note: Linking climate change and downed woody debris decomposition across forests of the eastern United States
Matthew B. Russell, Christopher W. Woodall, Anthony W. D’Amato, Shawn Fraver, John B. Bradford
2014, Biogeosciences (11) 6417-6425
Forest ecosystems play a critical role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Forest carbon (C) is stored through photosynthesis and released via decomposition and combustion. Relative to C fixation in biomass, much less is known about C depletion through decomposition of woody debris, particularly under a changing climate. It is assumed...
Last interglacial plant macrofossils and climates from Ziegler Reservoir, Snowmass Village, Colorado, USA
Laura E. Strickland, Richard G. Baker, Robert S. Thompson, Dane M. Miller
2014, Quaternary Research (82) 553-566
Ninety plant macrofossil taxa from the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site near Snowmass Village, Colorado, record environmental changes at high elevation (2705 m asl) in the Rocky Mountains during the Last Interglacial Period. Present-day vegetation is aspen forest (Populus tremuloides) intermixed with species of higher (Picea, Abies) and lower (Artemisia, Quercus) elevations. Stratigraphic units 4–13...
Aquifers of Arkansas: protection, management, and hydrologic and geochemical characteristics of groundwater resources in Arkansas
Timothy M. Kresse, Phillip D. Hays, Katherine R. Merriman, Jonathan A. Gillip, D. Todd Fugitt, Jane L. Spellman, Anna M. Nottmeier, Drew A. Westerman, Joshua M. Blackstock, James L. Battreal
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5149
Sixteen aquifers in Arkansas that currently serve or have served as sources of water supply are described with respect to existing groundwater protection and management programs, geology, hydrologic characteristics, water use, water levels, deductive analysis, projections of hydrologic conditions, and water quality. State and Federal protection and management programs are...
Status of groundwater levels and storage volume in the Equus Beds aquifer near Wichita, Kansas, 2012 to 2014
Cristi V. Hansen, Joshua A. Whisnant, Jennifer L. Lanning-Rush
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5185
Development of the Wichita well field in the Equus Beds aquifer in southwest Harvey County and northwest Sedgwick County began in the 1940s to supply water to the city of Wichita. The decline of water levels in the Equus Beds aquifer was noted soon after the development of the Wichita...
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Williston Basin, Central Montana Basins, and Montana Thrust Belt study areas
Marc L. Buursink, Matthew D. Merrill, William H. Craddock, Tina L. Roberts-Ashby, Sean T. Brennan, Madalyn S. Blondes, P.A. Freeman, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Celeste D. Lohr
Peter D. Warwick, M.D. Corum, editor(s)
2014, Open-File Report 2012-1024-J
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2). The methodology used by the USGS for the national CO2 assessment follows that of previous USGS work. This methodology is non-economic and is...
Groundwater-flow and land-subsidence model of Antelope Valley, California
Adam J. Siade, Tracy Nishikawa, Diane L. Rewis, Peter Martin, Steven P. Phillips
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5166
Antelope Valley, California, is a topographically closed basin in the western part of the Mojave Desert, about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The Antelope Valley groundwater basin is about 940 square miles and is separated from the northern part of Antelope Valley by faults and low-lying hills. Prior to...
A geologic and mineral exploration spatial database for the Stillwater Complex, Montana
Michael L. Zientek, Heather L. Parks
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5183
The Stillwater Complex is a Neoarchean, ultramafic to mafic layered intrusion exposed in the Beartooth Mountains in south-central Montana. This igneous intrusion contains magmatic mineralization that is variably enriched in strategic and critical commodities such as chromium, nickel, and the platinum-group elements. One deposit, the J-M Reef, is the sole...
Database for the geologic map of upper Eocene to Holocene volcanic and related rocks in the Cascade Range, Washington
Andrew D. Barron, David W. Ramsey, James G. Smith
2014, Data Series 842
This geospatial database for a geologic map of the Cascades Range in Washington state is one of a series of maps that shows Cascade Range geology by fitting published and unpublished mapping into a province-wide scheme of lithostratigraphic units. Geologic maps of the Eocene to Holocene Cascade Range in California...
Influence of fuels, weather and the built environment on the exposure of property to wildfire
Trent D. Penman, Luke S. Collins, Alexandra D. Syphard, Jon E. Keeley, Ross A. Bradstock
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
Wildfires can pose a significant risk to people and property. Billions of dollars are spent investing in fire management actions in an attempt to reduce the risk of loss. One of the key areas where money is spent is through fuel treatment – either fuel reduction (prescribed fire) or fuel...
Using vertical Fourier transforms to invert potential-field data to magnetization or density models in the presence of topography
Jeffrey Phillips
2014, Conference Paper, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 2014 Technical Program Expanded Abstracts
A physical property inversion approach based on the use of 3D (or 2D) Fourier transforms to calculate the potential-field within a 3D (or 2D) volume from a known physical property distribution within the volume is described. Topographic surfaces and observations at arbitrary locations are easily accommodated. The limitations of the...
Optimally managing water resources in large river basins for an uncertain future
Edwin A. Roehl Jr., Paul Conrads
2014, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 2014 South Carolina Water Resources Conference
Managers of large river basins face conflicting needs for water resources such as wildlife habitat, water supply, wastewater assimilative capacity, flood control, hydroelectricity, and recreation. The Savannah River Basin for example, has experienced three major droughts since 2000 that resulted in record low water levels in its reservoirs, impacting local...
Maps and geospatial data for the Shorty’s Island and Myrtle Bend substrate enhancement pilot projects, Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, 2014
Ryan L. Fosness
2014, Data Series 889
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, conducted a study to characterize the physical habitat occupied by Kootenai River white sturgeon during spawning and early-life phases. The objective was to gain a better understanding of spawning behavior, site selection, and type of habitat...
Groundwater-quality data in the North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer study unit, 2012: results from the California GAMA Program
George L. Bennett V, Miranda S. Fram
2014, Data Series 865
Groundwater quality in the 1,850-square-mile North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer (NSF-SA) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from April to August 2012, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program’s Priority Basin Project (PBP). The...
Lessons from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill: A biological perspective
Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Stanley D. Rice
2014, Book chapter, Impacts of Oil Spill Disasters on Marine Habitats and Fisheries in North America
On March 24, 1989, the tanker vessel Exxon Valdez altered its course to avoid floating ice, and ran aground on Bligh Reef in northeastern Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska (Figure 1). The tanker was carrying about 53 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude, a heavy oil, and an estimated 11...
Dual-domain mass-transfer parameters from electrical hysteresis: Theory and analytical approach applied to laboratory, synthetic streambed, and groundwater experiments
Martin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, John B. Ong, Judson W. Harvey, John W. Lane Jr.
2014, Water Resources Research (50) 8281-8299
Models of dual‐domain mass transfer (DDMT) are used to explain anomalous aquifer transport behavior such as the slow release of contamination and solute tracer tailing. Traditional tracer experiments to characterize DDMT are performed at the flow path scale (meters), which inherently incorporates heterogeneous exchange processes; hence, estimated “effective” parameters are...
The potential for sea-level-rise-induced barrier island loss: Insights from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, USA
Laura J. Moore, Kiki Patsch, Jeffrey H. List, S. Jeffress Williams
2014, Marine Geology (355) 244-259
As sea level rises and hurricanes become more intense, barrier islands around the world become increasingly vulnerable to conversion from self-sustaining migrating landforms to submerging or subaqueous sand bodies. To explore the mechanism by which such state changes occur and to assess the factors leading to island disintegration, we develop...
