Earthquake catalog for estimation of maximum earthquake magnitude, Central and Eastern United States: Part A, Prehistoric earthquakes
Russell L. Wheeler
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1025-A
Computation of probabilistic earthquake hazard requires an estimate of Mmax, the maximum earthquake magnitude thought to be possible within a specified geographic region. This report is Part A of an Open-File Report that describes the construction of a global catalog of moderate to large earthquakes, from which one can estimate...
Distribution and landscape controls of organic layer thickness and carbon within the Alaskan Yukon River Basin
Neal J. Pastick, Matthew B. Rigge, Bruce K. Wylie, M. Torre Jorgenson, Joshua R. Rose, Kristofer D. Johnson, Lei Ji
2014, Geoderma (230-231) 79-94
Understanding of the organic layer thickness (OLT) and organic layer carbon (OLC) stocks in subarctic ecosystems is critical due to their importance in the global carbon cycle. Moreover, post-fire OLT provides an indicator of long-term successional trajectories and permafrost susceptibility to thaw. To these ends, we 1) mapped OLT and...
Water levels and water quality in the Sparta-Memphis aquifer (middle Claiborne aquifer) in Arkansas, spring-summer 2011
T.P. Schrader
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5044
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the Arkansas Geological Survey, has monitored water levels in the Sparta Sand of Claiborne Group and Memphis Sand of Claiborne Group (herein referred to as “the Sparta Sand” and “the Memphis Sand,” respectively) since the 1920s. Groundwater...
Corticosterone metabolite concentrations in greater sage-grouse are positively associated with the presence of cattle grazing
M.D. Jankowski, Robin E. Russell, J. Christian Franson, Robert J. Dusek, M.K. Hines, M. Gregg, Erik K. Hofmeister
2014, Rangeland Ecology and Management (67) 237-246
The sagebrush biome in the western United States is home to the imperiled greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and encompasses rangelands used for cattle production. Cattle grazing activities have been implicated in the range-wide decline of the sage-grouse, but no studies have investigated the relationship between the physiological condition of sage-grouse...
Events affecting gold exploration in Venezuela since 1999
David R. Wilburn
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1068
The structure of the gold mining industry in Venezuela has changed significantly since 1999 as a result of Government policy changes and industry response to these changes. This report documents the policy decisions that have affected the mining industry, discusses the response of the industry on a site by site...
Physiological and ecological effects of increasing temperature on fish production in lakes of Arctic Alaska
Michael P. Carey, Christian E. Zimmerman
2014, Ecology and Evolution (4) 1981-1993
Lake ecosystems in the Arctic are changing rapidly due to climate warming. Lakes are sensitive integrators of climate-induced changes and prominent features across the Arctic landscape, especially in lowland permafrost regions such as the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska. Despite many studies on the implications of climate warming, how fish...
The shallow stratigraphy and sand resources offshore from Cat Island, Mississippi
Jack L. Kindinger, Jennifer L. Miselis, Noreen A. Buster
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1070
In collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected over 487 line kilometers (> 300 miles) of high-resolution geophysical data around Cat Island, Mississippi, to improve understanding of the island's geologic evolution and identify potential...
Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia
Arthur A. Bookstrom, Richard A. Len, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Gilpin R. Robinson Jr., Michael L. Zientek, Benjamin J. Drenth, Subhash Jaireth, Pamela M. Cossette, John C. Wallis
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5090-L
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts national and global assessments of resources (mineral, energy, water, and biologic) to provide science in support of decision making. Mineral resource assessments provide syntheses of available information about where mineral deposits are known and suspected to occur in the Earth’s crust and which commodities...
Unified facilities criteria 3-301-01: structural engineering
Sean M. McGowan, Sanaz Rezaeian, Nicolas Luco
2014, Report
This Unified Facility Criteria (UFC) provides requirements for structures designed and constructed for the Department of Defense (DoD). These technical requirements are based on the 2012 International Building Code (IBC 2012), as modified by UFC 1-200- 01. This information shall be used by structural engineers to develop design calculations, specifications, plans,...
Characterization of very-long-period seismicity accompanying summit activity at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i: 2007-2013
Phillip B. Dawson, Bernard A. Chouet
2014, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (278-279) 59-85
Eruptive activity returned to the summit region of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i with the formation of the “Overlook crater” within the Halema'uma'u Crater in March 2008. The new crater continued to grow through episodic collapse of the crater walls and as of late 2013 had grown into an approximately elliptical opening...
Weekly resolution particulate flux from a sediment trap in the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2008-2012
Julie N. Richey, Caitlin E. Reynolds, Eric Tappa, Robert Thunell
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1035
The U.S. Geological Survey anchored a sediment trap in the northern Gulf of Mexico to collect time-series data on sediment flux from 2008 to 2012. There are continuous measurements of total mass flux and organic carbon flux (ogC) at 7–14 day resolution from 2008 to 2012. The flux of calcium...
Comparison of three DNA extraction kits to establish maximum yield and quality of coral-associated microbial DNA
Erin J. Baker, Christina A. Kellogg
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1066
Coral microbiology is an expanding field, yet there is no standard DNA extraction protocol. Although many researchers depend on commercial extraction kits, no specific kit has been optimized for use with coral samples. Both soil and plant DNA extraction kits from MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., have been used by many...
Mapping large-area landscape suitability for honey bees to assess the influence of land-use change on sustainability of national pollination services
Alisa L. Gallant, Ned H. Euliss Jr., Zac Browning
2014, PLoS ONE (9) 1-14
Pollination is a critical ecosystem service affected by various drivers of land-use change, such as policies and programs aimed at land resources, market values for crop commodities, local land-management decisions, and shifts in climate. The United States is the world's most active market for pollination services by honey bees, and...
A new Liopropoma sea bass (Serranidae, Epinephelinae, Liopropomini) from deep reefs off Curaçao, southern Caribbean, with comments on depth distributions of western Atlantic liopropomins
Carole C. Baldwin, D. Ross Robertson
2014, ZooKeys (409) 71-92
Collecting reef-fish specimens using a manned submersible diving to 300 m off Curaçao, southern Caribbean, is resulting in the discovery of numerous new fish species. The new Liopropoma sea bass described here differs from other western Atlantic members of the genus in having VIII, 13 dorsal-fin rays; a moderately indented dorsal-fin margin;...
Hydrological controls on methylmercury distribution and flux in a tidal marsh
Hua Zhang, Kevan B. Moffett, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Steven M. Gorelick
2014, Environmental Science & Technology (48) 6795-6804
The San Francisco Estuary, California, contains mercury (Hg) contamination originating from historical regional gold and Hg mining operations. We measured hydrological and geochemical variables in a tidal marsh of the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve to determine the sources, location, and magnitude of hydrological fluxes of methylmercury (MeHg), a bioavailable...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the South Coast Interior groundwater basins, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Mary C. Parsons, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5023
Groundwater quality in the approximately 653-square-mile (1,691-square-kilometer) South Coast Interior Basins (SCI) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The South Coast Interior Basins study unit contains eight priority groundwater basins grouped into three study areas, Livermore,...
Groundwater quality in the South Coast Interior Basins, California
Mary C. Parsons, Kenneth Belitz
2014, Fact Sheet 2013-3088
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s untreated groundwater quality and increases public access...
Habitat coupling in a large lake system: delivery of an energy subsidy by an offshore planktivore to the nearshore zone of Lake Superior
Jason D. Stockwell, Daniel L. Yule, Thomas R. Hrabik, Michael E. Sierszen, Edmund J. Isaac
2014, Freshwater Biology (59) 1197-1212
1. We hypothesised that the autumn spawning migration of Lake Superior cisco (Coregonus artedi) provides a resource subsidy, in the form of energy-rich cisco eggs, from the offshore pelagic to the nearshore benthic community over winter, when alternate prey production is likely to be low. 2. We tested this...
Adaptive nest clustering and density-dependent nest survival in dabbling ducks
Kevin M. Ringelman, John M. Eadie, Joshua T. Ackerman
2014, Oikos (123) 239-247
Density-dependent population regulation is observed in many taxa, and understanding the mechanisms that generate density dependence is especially important for the conservation of heavily-managed species. In one such system, North American waterfowl, density dependence is often observed at continental scales, and nest predation has long been implicated as a key...
Two graphical user interfaces for managing and analyzing MODFLOW groundwater-model scenarios
Edward R. Banta
2014, Techniques and Methods 6-A50
Scenario Manager and Scenario Analyzer are graphical user interfaces that facilitate the use of calibrated, MODFLOW-based groundwater models for investigating possible responses to proposed stresses on a groundwater system. Scenario Manager allows a user, starting with a calibrated model, to design and run model scenarios by adding or modifying stresses...
Origins and delineation of saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer and changes in the distribution of saltwater in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Scott T. Prinos, Michael A. Wacker, Kevin J. Cunningham, David V. Fitterman
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5025
Intrusion of saltwater into parts of the shallow karst Biscayne aquifer is a major concern for the 2.5 million residents of Miami-Dade County that rely on this aquifer as their primary drinking water supply. Saltwater intrusion of this aquifer began when the Everglades were drained to provide dry land for...
Evaluation of sensor types and environmental controls on mapping biomass of coastal marsh emergent vegetation
Kristin B. Byrd, Jessica L. O'Connell, Stefania Di Tommaso, Maggi Kelly
2014, Remote Sensing of Environment (149) 166-180
There is a need to quantify large-scale plant productivity in coastal marshes to understand marsh resilience to sea level rise, to help define eligibility for carbon offset credits, and to monitor impacts from land use, eutrophication and contamination. Remote monitoring of aboveground biomass of emergent wetland vegetation will help address...
Evaluation of monkeypox virus infection of prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) using in vivo bioluminescent imaging
Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Angela M. Londono-Navas, Carol U. Meteyer, Nicola Pussini, Juan G. Lopera, Jorge E. Osorio, Tonie E. Rocke
2014, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (50) 524-536
Monkeypox (MPX) is a re-emerging zoonotic disease that is endemic in Central and West Africa, where it can cause a smallpox-like disease in humans. Despite many epidemiologic and field investigations of MPX, no definitive reservoir species has been identified. Using recombinant viruses expressing the firefly luciferase (luc) gene, we previously...
Gross and microscopic pathology of lesions in Pocillopora spp. from the subtropical eastern Pacific
Jenny Carolina Rodríguez-Villalobos, Axayacatl Rocha-Olivares, Thierry M. Work, Luis Eduardo Calderon-Aguilera, Jorge Abelardo Caceres-Martinez
2014, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (120) 9-17
Coral reefs are threatened by a variety of factors including diseases that have caused significant damage in some regions such as in the Caribbean. At present, no data are available on coral diseases in the Mexican Pacific where Pocillopora spp. is a dominant component of coral communities. Here, we describe gross and...
Land use patterns, ecoregion, and microcystin relationships in U.S. lakes and reservoirs: a preliminary evaluation
John R. Beaver, Erin E. Manis, Keith A. Loftin, Jennifer L. Graham, Amina I. Pollard, Richard M. Mitchell
2014, Harmful Algae (36) 57-62
A statistically significant association was found between the concentration of total microcystin, a common class of cyanotoxins, in surface waters of lakes and reservoirs in the continental U.S. with watershed land use using data from 1156 water bodies sampled between May and October 2007 as part of the USEPA National...
