Hydrology and numerical simulation of groundwater movement and heat transport in Snake Valley and surrounding areas, Juab, Miller, and Beaver Counties, Utah, and White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada
Melissa D. Masbruch, Philip M. Gardner, Lynette E. Brooks
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5103
Snake Valley and surrounding areas, along the Utah-Nevada state border, are part of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system. The groundwater system in the study area consists of water in unconsolidated deposits in basins and water in consolidated rock underlying the basins and in the adjacent mountain blocks....
Guidelines for the collection of continuous stream water-temperature data in Alaska
Ryan C. Toohey, Edward G. Neal, Gary L. Solin
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1182
Objectives of stream monitoring programs differ considerably among many of the academic, Federal, state, tribal, and non-profit organizations in the state of Alaska. Broad inclusion of stream-temperature monitoring can provide an opportunity for collaboration in the development of a statewide stream-temperature database. Statewide and regional coordination could reduce overall monitoring...
Field‐readable alphanumeric flags are valuable markers for shorebirds: use of double‐marking to identify cases of misidentification
Erin A. Roche, Colin M. Dovichin, Todd W. Arnold
2014, Journal of Field Ornithology (85) 329-338
Implicit assumptions for most mark-recapture studies are that individuals do not lose their markers and all observed markers are correctly recorded. If these assumptions are violated, e.g., due to loss or extreme wear of markers, estimates of population size and vital rates will be biased. Double-marking experiments have been widely...
Water resources of Sabine Parish, Louisiana
Lawrence B. Prakken, Vincent E. White, John K. Lovelace
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3040
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on the availability,...
Widespread methane leakage from the sea floor on the northern US Atlantic margin
Adam Skarke, Carolyn Ruppel, Mali’o Kodis, Daniel S. Brothers, Elizabeth A. Lobecker
2014, Nature Geoscience (7) 657-661
Methane emissions from the sea floor affect methane inputs into the atmosphere, ocean acidification and de-oxygenation, the distribution of chemosynthetic communities and energy resources. Global methane flux from seabed cold seeps has only been estimated for continental shelves, at 8 to 65 Tg CH4 yr−1, yet other parts of marine...
Relatively high prevalence of pox-like lesions in Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) among nine species of migratory grassland passerines in Wisconsin, USA
Kevin S. Ellison, Erik K. Hofmeister, Christine A. Ribic, David W. Sample
2014, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (50) 810-816
Globally, Avipoxvirus species affect over 230 species of wild birds and can significantly impair survival. During banding of nine grassland songbird species (n = 346 individuals) in southwestern Wisconsin, USA, we noted species with a 2–6% prevalence of pox-like lesions (possible evidence of current infection) and 4–10% missing digits (potential evidence of...
Experimental investigation of changes in methane adsorption of bitumen-free Woodford Shale with thermal maturation induced by hydrous pyrolysis
Haiyan Hu, Tongwei Zhang, Jaclyn D. Wiggins-Camacho, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Michael D. Lewan, Xiayong Zhang
2014, Marine and Petroleum Geology (59) 114-128
This study quantifies the effects of organic-matter (OM) thermal maturity on methane (CH4) sorption, on the basis of five samples that were artificially matured through hydrous pyrolysis achieved by heating samples of immature Woodford Shale under five different time–temperature conditions. CH4-sorption isotherms at 35 °C, 50 °C, and 65 °C,...
Dissolved pesticide concentrations entering the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, California, 2012-13
James L. Orlando, Megan McWayne, Corey Sanders, Michelle Hladik
2014, Data Series 876
Surface-water samples were collected from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers where they enter the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, and analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey for a suite of 99 current-use pesticides and pesticide degradates. Samples were collected twice per month from May 2012 through July 2013 and from May...
Influence of septic systems on stream base flow in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin near Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, 2012
John S. Clarke, Jaime A. Painter
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5144
Septic systems were identified at 241,733 locations in a 2,539-square-mile (mi2) study area that includes all or parts of 12 counties in the Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, area. Septic system percolation may locally be an important component of streamflow in small drainage basins where it augments natural groundwater recharge, especially during...
Abiotic/biotic coupling in the rhizosphere: a reactive transport modeling analysis
Corey R. Lawrence, Carl Steefel, Kate Maher
2014, Procedia Earth and Planetary Science (10) 104-108
A new generation of models is needed to adequately simulate patterns of soil biogeochemical cycling in response changing global environmental drivers. For example, predicting the influence of climate change on soil organic matter storage and stability requires models capable of addressing complex biotic/abiotic interactions of rhizosphere and weathering processes. Reactive...
Effects of permafrost thaw on CO2 and CH4 exchange in a western Alaska peatland chronosequence
Carmel E. Johnston, Stephanie A. Ewing, Jennifer W. Harden, Ruth K. Varner, Kimberly P. Wickland, Joshua C. Koch, Christopher C. Fuller, Kristen L. Manies, M. Torre Jorgenson
2014, Environmental Research Letters (8) 1-12
Permafrost soils store over half of global soil carbon (C), and northern frozen peatlands store about 10% of global permafrost C. With thaw, inundation of high latitude lowland peatlands typically increases the surface-atmosphere flux of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. To examine the effects of lowland permafrost thaw over...
Resource manager information needs regarding hydrologic regime shifts for the North Pacific Landscape Conservation
Andrea Woodward, Karen Jenni
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1178
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of 22 public-private partnerships, defined by ecoregion, that share and provide science to ensure the sustainability of land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources in North America. LCCs were established by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) in recognition of the fact that...
Behavior and dam passage of juvenile Chinook salmon at Cougar Reservoir and Dam, Oregon, March 2012 - February 2013
John W. Beeman, Hal C. Hansel, Amy C. Hansen, Scott D. Evans, Philip V. Haner, Tyson Hatton, Eric E. Kofoot, Jamie M. Sprando, Collin Smith
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1177
The movements and dam passage of individual juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were studied at Cougar Reservoir and Dam, near Springfield, Oregon, during 2012 and 2013. Cougar Dam is a high-head flood-control reservoir with a temperature control tower as its outlet enabling selective withdrawals of water at various depths to...
Analysis of water quality in the Blue River watershed, Colorado, 1984 through 2007
Nancy J. Bauch, Lisa D. Miller, Sharon Yacob
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5129
Water quality of streams, reservoirs, and groundwater in the Blue River watershed in the central Rocky Mountains of Colorado has been affected by local geologic conditions, historical hard-rock metal mining, and recent urban development. With these considerations, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Summit Water Quality Committee, conducted...
High-resolution topography and geomorphology of select archeological sites in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona
Brian D. Collins, Skye C. Corbett, Joel B. Sankey, Helen C. Fairley
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5126
Along the Colorado River corridor between Glen Canyon Dam and Lees Ferry, Arizona, located some 25 km downstream from the dam, archaeological sites dating from 8,000 years before present through the modern era are located within and on top of fluvial and alluvial terraces of the prehistorically undammed river. These...
Integration of seismic-reflection and well data to assess the potential impact of stratigraphic and structural features on sustainable water supply from the Floridan aquifer system, Broward County, Florida
Kevin J. Cunningham
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1136
The U.S. Geological Survey and Broward County water managers commenced a 3.5-year cooperative study in July 2012 to refine the geologic and hydrogeologic framework of the Floridan aquifer system (FAS) in Broward County. A lack of advanced stratigraphic knowledge of the physical system and structural geologic anomalies (faults and fractures...
Calcium oxalate contribution to calcium cycling in forests of contrasting nutrient status
Jenny M. Dauer, Steven S. Perakis
2014, Forest Ecology and Management (334) 64-73
Calcium oxalate (Ca oxalate) is an insoluble biomineral that forms in plants and fungi, and occurs in soils across many types of ecosystems. Assessing how Ca oxalate may shape ecosystem Ca cycling requires information on the distribution of Ca oxalate among plant biomass, detritus, and mineral soil, and how it...
Aragonite saturation states and nutrient fluxes in coral reef sediments in Biscayne National Park, FL, USA
John T. Lisle, Christopher D. Reich, Robert B. Halley
2014, Marine Ecology Progress Series (509) 71-85
Some coral reefs, such as patch reefs along the Florida Keys reef tract, are not showing significant reductions in calcification rates in response to ocean acidification. It has been hypothesized that this recalcitrance is due to local buffering effects from biogeochemical processes driven by seagrasses. We investigated the influence that...
Uranium series, volcanic rocks
Jorge A. Vazquez
2014, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods
Application of U-series dating to volcanic rocks provides unique and valuable information about the absolute timing of crystallization and differentiation of magmas prior to eruption. The 238U–230Th and 230Th-226Ra methods are the most commonly employed for dating the crystallization of mafic to silicic magmas that erupt at volcanoes. Dates derived...
Construction, water-level, and water-quality data for multiple-well monitoring sites and test wells, Fort Irwin National Training Center, San Bernardino County, California, 2009-12
Adam R. Kjos, Jill N. Densmore, Joseph M. Nawikas, Anthony A. Brown
2014, Data Series 788
Because of increasing water demands at the U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army carried out a study to evaluate the water quality and potential groundwater supply of undeveloped basins within the U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center. In...
Sediment and water chemistry of the San Juan River and Escalante River deltas of Lake Powell, Utah, 2010-2011
Nancy J. Hornewer
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1096
Recent studies have documented the presence of trace elements, organic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and radionuclides in sediment from the Colorado River delta and from sediment in some side canyons in Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona. The fate of many of these contaminants is of significant concern to the...
SAHM:VisTrails (Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling for VisTrails): training course
Tracy Holcombe
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3007
VisTrails is an open-source management and scientific workflow system designed to integrate the best of both scientific workflow and scientific visualization systems. Developers can extend the functionality of the VisTrails system by creating custom modules for bundled VisTrails packages. The Invasive Species Science Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)...
Simulating water-quality trends in public-supply wells in transient flow systems
J. Jeffrey Starn, Christopher T. Green, Stephen R. Hinkle, Amvrossios C. Bagtzoglou, Bernard J. Stolp
2014, Ground Water (52) 53-62
Models need not be complex to be useful. An existing groundwater-flow model of Salt Lake Valley, Utah, was adapted for use with convolution-based advective particle tracking to explain broad spatial trends in dissolved solids. This model supports the hypothesis that water produced from wells is increasingly younger with higher proportions...
Generating nested wetland catchments with readily-available digital elevation data may improve evaluations of land-use change on wetlands
Lisa A. McCauley, Michael J. Anteau
2014, Wetlands (34) 1123-1132
The important ecosystem functions wetlands perform are influenced by land-use changes in their surrounding uplands and thus, identifying the upland area that flows into a wetland is important. We provide a method to define wetland catchments as the portion of the landscape that flows into a wetland; we allowed catchments...
How hot is too hot? Live-trapped gray wolf rectal temperatures and 1-year survival
Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech
2014, Wildlife Society Bulletin (38) 767-772
The ability of physically restrained and anesthetized wolves to thermoregulate is lessened and could lead to reduced survival, yet no information is available about this subject. Therefore, we analyzed rectal temperatures related to survival 1 year post-capture from 173 adult (non-pup) gray wolves (Canis lupus) captured in modified foot-hold traps...
