Remediation scenarios for attenuating peak flows and reducing sediment transport in Fountain Creek, Colorado, 2013
Michael S. Kohn, John W. Fulton, Cory A. Williams, Stogner
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Fountain Creek Watershed, Flood Control and Greenway District assessed remediation scenarios to attenuate peak flows and reduce sediment loads in the Fountain Creek watershed. To evaluate these strategies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) hydrologic and hydraulic...
Development of a regionally consistent geospatial dataset of agricultural lands in the Upper Colorado River Basin, 2007-10
Susan G. Buto, Brittany L. Gold, Kimberly A. Jones
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5039
Irrigation in arid environments can alter the natural rate at which salts are dissolved and transported to streams. Irrigated agricultural lands are the major anthropogenic source of dissolved solids in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Understanding the location, spatial distribution, and irrigation status of agricultural lands and the method...
Variability in wood-frame building damage using broad-band synthetic ground motions: a comparative numerical study with recorded motions
Shiling Pei, John W. van de Lindt, Stephen H. Hartzell, Nicolas Luco
2014, Journal of Earthquake Engineering (18) 389-406
Earthquake damage to light-frame wood buildings is a major concern for North America because of the volume of this construction type. In order to estimate wood building damage using synthetic ground motions, we need to verify the ability of synthetically generated ground motions to simulate realistic damage for this structure...
Toxoplasmosis
Dolores E. Hill, J. P. Dubey, Rachel C. Abbott, Charles van Riper III, Elizabeth A. Enright
Rachel C. Abbott, Charles van Riper III, Elizabeth A. Enright, editor(s)
2014, Circular 1389
Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii), one of the better known and more widespread zoonotic diseases, originated in wildlife species and is now well established as a human malady. Food- and waterborne zoonoses, such as toxoplasmosis, are receiving increasing attention as components of disease emergence and resurgence. Toxoplasmosis is transmitted to humans via...
Simulated effects of existing and proposed surface-water impoundments and gas-well pads on streamflow and suspended sediment in the Cypress Creek watershed, Arkansas
Rheannon M. Hart
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5057
Cypress Creek is located in central Arkansas and is the main tributary to Brewer Lake, which serves as the primary water supply for Conway, Arkansas, and the surrounding areas. A model of the Cypress Creek watershed was developed and calibrated in cooperation with Southwestern Energy Company using detailed precipitation, streamflow,...
A review of environmental impacts of salts from produced waters on aquatic resources
Aïda M. Farag, David D. Harper
2014, International Journal of Coal Geology (126) 157-161
Salts are frequently a major constituent of waste waters produced during oil and gas production. These produced waters or brines must be treated and/or disposed and provide a daily challenge for operators and resource managers. Some elements of salts are regulated with water quality criteria established for the protection of...
Three-dimensional distribution of igneous rocks near the Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit in southwestern Alaska: constraints from regional-scale aeromagnetic data
Eric D. Anderson, Wei Zhou, Yaoguo Li, Murray W. Hitzman, Thomas Monecke, James R. Lang, Karen D. Kelley
2014, Geophysics (79) B63-B79
Aeromagnetic data helped us to understand the 3D distribution of plutonic rocks near the Pebble porphyry copper deposit in southwestern Alaska, USA. Magnetic susceptibility measurements showed that rocks in the Pebble district are more magnetic than rocks of comparable compositions in the Pike Creek–Stuyahok Hills volcano-plutonic complex. The reduced-to-pole transformation...
The long-term trends (1982-2006) in vegetation greenness of the alpine ecosystem in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Li Zhang, Huadong Guo, Cuizhen Wang, Lei Ji, Jing Li, Kun Wang, Lin Dai
2014, Environmental Earth Sciences (72) 1827-1841
The increased rate of annual temperature in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau exceeded all other areas of the same latitude in recent decades. The influence of the warming climate on the alpine ecosystem of the plateau was distinct. An analysis of alpine vegetation under changes in climatic conditions was conducted in this...
The influence of interspecific interactions on species range expansion rates
Jens-Christian Svenning, Dominique Gravel, Robert D. Holt, Frank M. Schurr, Wilfried Thuiller, Tamara Munkemuller, Katja H. Schiffers, Stefan Dullinger, Thomas C. Edwards Jr., Thomas Hickler, Steven I. Higgins, Julia E.M.S. Nabel, Jorn Pagel, Signe Normand
2014, Ecography (37) 1198-1209
Ongoing and predicted global change makes understanding and predicting species’ range shifts an urgent scientific priority. Here, we provide a synthetic perspective on the so far poorly understood effects of interspecific interactions on range expansion rates. We present theoretical foundations for how interspecific interactions may modulate range expansion rates, consider...
Self-imposed length limits in recreational fisheries
Christopher J. Chizinski, Dustin R. Martin, Keith L. Hurley, Kevin L. Pope
2014, Fisheries Research (155) 83-89
A primary motivating factor on the decision to harvest a fish among consumptive-orientated anglers is the size of the fish. There is likely a cost-benefit trade-off for harvest of individual fish that is size and species dependent, which should produce a logistic-type response of fish fate (release or harvest) as...
Testing the accuracy of a 1-D volcanic plume model in estimating mass eruption rate
Larry G. Mastin
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (119) 2474-2495
During volcanic eruptions, empirical relationships are used to estimate mass eruption rate from plume height. Although simple, such relationships can be inaccurate and can underestimate rates in windy conditions. One-dimensional plume models can incorporate atmospheric conditions and give potentially more accurate estimates. Here I present a 1-D model for plumes...
The Southeast Stream Quality Assessment
Peter C. Van Metre, Celeste A. Journey
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3023
In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) is assessing stream quality across the Piedmont and southern Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. The goal of the Southeast Stream Quality Assessment (SESQA) is to characterize multiple water-quality factors that are stressors to aquatic life—contaminants, nutrients,...
High fidelity does not preclude colonization: range expansion of molting Black Brant on the Arctic coast of Alaska
Paul L. Flint, Brandt W. Meixell, Edward J. Mallek
2014, Journal of Field Ornithology (85) 75-83
High rates of site fidelity have been assumed to infer static distributions of molting geese in some cases. To test this assumption, we examined movements of individually marked birds to understand the underlying mechanisms of range expansion of molting Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP)...
Greenhouse gases generated from the anaerobic biodegradation of natural offshore asphalt seepages in southern California
T.D. Lorenson, Florence L. Wong, Peter Dartnell, Ray W. Sliter
2014, Geo-Marine Letters (34) 281-295
Significant offshore asphaltic deposits with active seepage occur in the Santa Barbara Channel offshore southern California. The composition and isotopic signatures of gases sampled from the oil and gas seeps reveal that the coexisting oil in the shallow subsurface is anaerobically biodegraded, generating CO2 with secondary CH4 production. Biomineralization can...
Research, monitoring, and evaluation of emerging issues and measures to recover the Snake River fall Chinook salmon ESU, 1/1/2012 – 12/31/2013: Annual report, 1991-029-00
William P. Connor, Frank Mullins, Kenneth F. Tiffan, Russell W. Perry, John M. Erhardt, Scott J. St. John, Brad K. Bickford, Tobyn N. Rhodes
2014, Report
The portion of the Snake River fall Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ESU that spawns upstream of Lower Granite Dam transitioned from low to high abundance during 1992–2014 in association with U.S. Endangered Species Act recovery efforts and other Federally mandated actions. This annual report focuses on (1) numeric and habitat...
Comparing cropland net primary production estimates from inventory, a satellite-based model, and a process-based model in the Midwest of the United States
Zhengpeng Li, Shuguang Liu, Zhengxi Tan, Norman B. Bliss, Claudia J. Young, Tristram O. West, Stephen M. Ogle
2014, Ecological Modelling (277) 1-12
Accurately quantifying the spatial and temporal variability of net primary production (NPP) for croplands is essential to understand regional cropland carbon dynamics. We compared three NPP estimates for croplands in the Midwestern United States: inventory-based estimates using crop yield data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics...
Large scale Wyoming transportation data: a resource planning tool
Michael S. O'Donnell, Tammy S. Fancher, Aaron T. Freeman, Abra E. Ziegler, Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge
2014, Data Series 821
The U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center created statewide roads data for the Bureau of Land Management Wyoming State Office using 2009 aerial photography from the National Agriculture Imagery Program. The updated roads data resolves known concerns of omission, commission, and inconsistent representation of map scale, attribution, and ground...
From headwaters to coast: Influence of human activities on water quality of the Potomac River Estuary
Suzanne B. Bricker, Karen C. Rice, Owen P. Bricker III
2014, Aquatic Geochemistry (20) 291-323
The natural aging process of Chesapeake Bay and its tributary estuaries has been accelerated by human activities around the shoreline and within the watershed, increasing sediment and nutrient loads delivered to the bay. Riverine nutrients cause algal growth in the bay leading to reductions in light penetration with consequent declines...
Groundwater studies: principal aquifer surveys
Karen R. Burow, Kenneth Belitz
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3024
In 1991, the U.S. Congress established the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop nationally consistent long-term datasets and provide information about the quality of the Nation’s streams and groundwater. The USGS uses objective and reliable data, water-quality models, and systematic scientific studies to...
The impacts of recent permafrost thaw on land-atmosphere greenhouse gas exchange
Daniel J. Hayes, David W. Kicklighter, A. David McGuire, Min Chen, Qianlai Zhuang, Fengming Yuan, Jerry M. Melillo, Stan D. Wullschleger
2014, Environmental Research Letters (9)
Permafrost thaw and the subsequent mobilization of carbon (C) stored in previously frozen soil organic matter (SOM) have the potential to be a strong positive feedback to climate. As the northern permafrost region experiences as much as a doubling of the rate of warming as the rest of the Earth,...
Decision support system development at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Timothy J. Fox, J. C. Nelson, Jason J. Rohweder
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3021
A Decision Support System (DSS) can be defined in many ways. The working definition used by the U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) is, “A spatially based computer application or data that assists a researcher or manager in making decisions.” This is quite a broad definition—and it...
Water use characteristics of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) communities along an ecotone with marsh at a northern geographical limit
Ken W. Krauss, Karen L. McKee, Mark W. Hester
2014, Ecohydrology (7) 354-365
Mangroves are expanding into warm temperate-zone salt marsh communities in several locations globally. Although scientists have discovered that expansion might have modest effects on ecosystem functioning, water use characteristics have not been assessed relative to this transition. We measured early growing season sapflow (Js) and leaf transpiration (Tr) in Avicennia...
Accuracy of aging ducks in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey
Aaron T. Pearse, Douglas H. Johnson, Kenneth D. Richkus, Frank C. Rohwer, Robert R. Cox Jr., Paul I. Padding
2014, Wildlife Society Bulletin (38) 26-32
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts an annual Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey to estimate composition of harvested waterfowl by species, sex, and age (i.e., juv or ad). The survey relies on interpretation of duck wings by a group of experienced biologists at annual meetings (hereafter, flyway wingbees). Our objectives...
Laharz_py: GIS tools for automated mapping of lahar inundation hazard zones
Steve P. Schilling
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1073
Laharz_py is written in the Python programming language as a suite of tools for use in ArcMap Geographic Information System (GIS). Primarily, Laharz_py is a computational model that uses statistical descriptions of areas inundated by past mass-flow events to forecast areas likely to be inundated by hypothetical future events. The...
Assessment of potential shale oil and tight sandstone gas resources of the Assam, Bombay, Cauvery, and Krishna-Godavari Provinces, India, 2013
Timothy R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Craig J. Wandrey, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Donald L. Gautier
2014, Fact Sheet 2013-3113
Using a well performance-based geologic assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a technically recoverable mean volume of 62 million barrels of oil in shale oil reservoirs, and more than 3,700 billion cubic feet of gas in tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the Bombay and Krishna-Godavari Provinces of India. The...
