The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: Lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill
James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Stanley D. Rice, Craig O. Matkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, Brooke Maslo, Julie L. Lockwood
2014, Book chapter, Coastal conservation
Oil spilled from ships or other sources into the marine environment often occurs in close proximity to coastlines, and oil frequently accumulates in coastal habitats. As a consequence, a rich, albeit occasionally controversial, body of literature describes a broad range of effects of spilled oil across several habitats, communities,...
Neoproterozoic–Cambrian stratigraphic framework of the Anti-Atlas and Ouzellagh promontory (High Atlas), Morocco
Jose Javier Alvaro, Fouad Benziane, Robert Thomas, Gregory J. Walsh, Abdelaziz Yazidi
2014, Journal of African Earth Sciences (98) 19-33
In the last two decades, great progress has been made in the geochronological, chrono- and chemostratigraphic control of the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian from the Anti-Atlas Ranges and the Ouzellagh promontory (High Atlas). As a result, the Neoproterozoic is lithostratigraphically subdivided into: (i) the Lkest-Taghdout Group (broadly interpreted at c. 800–690 Ma)...
Shale: an overlooked option for US nuclear waste disposal
Christopher E. Neuzil
2014, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Toss a dart at a map of the United States and, more often than not, it will land where shale can be found underground. A drab, relatively featureless sedimentary rock that historically attracted little interest, shale (as used here, the term includes clay and a range of clay-rich rocks) is...
Subsurface geologic features of the 2011 central Virginia earthquakes revealed by airborne geophysics
Anjana K. Shah, J. Wright Horton Jr., William C. Burton, David Spears, Amy K Gilmer
2014, GSA Special Papers (509) 509-517
Characterizing geologic features associated with major earthquakes provides insights into mechanisms contributing to fault slip and assists evaluation of seismic hazard. We use high-resolution airborne geophysical data combined with ground sample measurements to image subsurface geologic features associated with the 2011 moment magnitude (Mw) 5.8 central Virginia (USA) intraplate earthquake...
Response of plant community structure and primary productivity to experimental drought and flooding in an Alaskan fen
Amber C. Churchill, Merritt R. Turetsky, A. David McGuire, Teresa N. Hollingsworth
2014, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (45) 185-193
Northern peatlands represent a long-term net sink for atmospheric CO2, but these ecosystems can shift from net carbon (C) sinks to sources based on changing climate and environmental conditions. In particular, changes in water availability associated with climate control peatland vegetation and carbon uptake processes. We examined the influence of...
Metrics for comparing dynamic earthquake rupture simulations
Michael Barall, Ruth A. Harris
2014, Seismological Research Letters (86) 223-235
Earthquakes are complex events that involve a myriad of interactions among multiple geologic features and processes. One of the tools that is available to assist with their study is computer simulation, particularly dynamic rupture simulation. A dynamic rupture simulation is a numerical model of the physical processes that occur during...
Seismic instrumentation plan for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Weston A. Thelen
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5179
The seismic network operated by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is the main source of authoritative data for reporting earthquakes in the State of Hawaii, including those that occur on the State’s six active volcanoes (Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, Mauna Kea, Haleakalā, Lō‘ihi). Of these volcanoes, Kīlauea...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Ohio
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3111
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Ohio, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply...
Public-supply water use in Kansas, 1990-2012
Joan F. Kenny
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3116
This fact sheet describes water-use data collection and quantities of surface water and groundwater diverted for public supply in Kansas for the years 1990 through 2012. Data used in this fact sheet are from the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources and the Kansas Water Office. Water used...
Water-quality data from lakes in the Yukon Flats, Alaska, 2010-2011
Douglas R. Halm, Brad Griffith
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1181
Over a two-year period (2010–2011), in-place measurements were made and water-quality samples were collected from 122 lakes in the Yukon Flats, Alaska, during a U.S. Geological Survey lake biological diversity inventory. The U.S. Geological Survey National Research Program performed the chemical analyses on the retrieved water-quality samples. Results from the...
Pollinators in peril? A multipark approach to evaluating bee communities in habitats vulnerable to effects from climate change
Jessica Rykken, Ann Rodman, Sam Droege, Ralph Grundel
2014, Park Science (31) 84-90
In 2010, collaborators from the National Park Service (Ann Rodman, Yellowstone National Park), USGS (Sam Droege and Ralph Grundel), and Harvard University (Jessica Rykken) were awarded funding from the NPS Climate Change Response Program to launch just such an investigation in almost 50 units of the National Park System (fig....
Bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, and seafloor character of Farallon Escarpment and Rittenburg Bank, northern California
Peter Dartnell, Guy R. Cochrane, David P. Finlayson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1234
In 2011, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coastal and Marine Geology Program acquired bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data along the upper slope of the Farallon Escarpment and Rittenburg Bank within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary offshore of the San Francisco Bay area. The surveys were funded by...
Sources, transport, and trends for selected trace metals and nutrients in the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane River Basins, Idaho, 1990-2013
Gregory M. Clark, Christopher A. Mebane
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5204
Data collected at 18 streamflow-gaging and water-quality sampling sites in the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane River Basins of northern Idaho were used to estimate mean streamflow‑weighted concentrations and annual loads of total and dissolved cadmium, lead, and zinc, and total phosphorus (TP) and nitrogen (TN) for water years (WYs) 2009–13....
Lidar-revised geologic map of the Poverty Bay 7.5' quadrangle, King and Pierce Counties, Washington
Rowland W. Tabor, Derek B. Booth, Kathy Goetz Troost
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3317
For this map, we interpreted a 6-ft-resolution lidar digital elevation model combined with the geology depicted on the Geologic Map of the Poverty Bay 7.5' Quadrangle, King and Pierce Counties, Washington (Booth and others, 2004b). The authors of the 2004 map described, interpreted, and located the geology on the 1:24,000-scale...
Core data from offshore Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Shannon K. Hoy, Jason D. Chaytor, Uri S. ten Brink
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1227
In 2008, as a collaborative effort between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the U.S. Geological Survey, 20 giant gravity cores were collected from areas surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The regions sampled have had many large earthquake and landslide events, some of which are believed to have...
Archive of digital chirp subbottom profile data collected during USGS cruises 13BIM02 and 13BIM07 offshore of the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, 2013
Arnell S. Forde, Jennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Julie Bernier, Dana S. Wiese
2014, Data Series 897
On July 5–19 (cruise 13BIM02) and August 22–September 1 (cruise 13BIM07), 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geophysical surveys to investigate the geologic controls on barrier island evolution and medium-term and interannual sediment transport along the oil spill mitigation sand berm constructed at the north end...
Conservation buffer distance estimates for Greater Sage-Grouse: a review
Daniel J. Manier, Zachary H. Bowen, Matthew L. Brooks, Michael L. Casazza, Peter S. Coates, Patricia A. Deibert, Steven E. Hanser, Douglas H. Johnson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1239
This report was prepared at the request of the U.S. Department of the Interior and is a compilation and summary of published scientific studies that evaluate the influence of anthropogenic activities and infrastructure on Greater Sage-Grouse(Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations. The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient...
Blue Growth: the 2014 FAO State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture
Christine M. Moffitt, Lubia Cajas-Cano
2014, Fisheries (39) 552-553
The latest United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report (FAO 2014) addresses the prospect of feeding a human population set to rise to 9.6 billion by 2050. Aquaculture products now provide approximately one-half of all food fish consumed, and fish also provide important food security and economic growth. In the FAO...
Investigation of the high-frequency attenuation parameter, κ (kappa), from aftershocks of the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake
Corrie Neighbors, E. J. Liao, Elizabeth S. Cochran, G. J. Funning, A. I. Chung, J. F. Lawrence, C. M. Christensen, M. Miller, A. Belmonte, H. H. Andres Sepulveda
2014, Geophysical Journal International (200) 200-215
The Bío Bío region of Chile experienced a vigorous aftershock sequence following the 2010 February 27 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake. The immediate aftershock sequence was captured by two temporary seismic deployments: the Quake Catcher Network Rapid Aftershock Mobilization Program (QCN RAMP) and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology CHile Aftershock Mobilization Program...
U-Pb zircon age data for selected sedimentary, metasedimentary, and igneous rocks from northern and central Alaska
Thomas E. Moore
2014, Data Series 899
This publication contains the complete results of U-Pb zircon age dating studies of sedimentary and metasedimentary units from northern and central Alaska that are discussed and interpreted in other reports by the author. Most of the U-Pb ages are of detrital zircons from sandstones, although U-Pb ages from igneous and...
A new analysis of Mars "Special Regions": findings of the Second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2)
John D. Rummel, David W. Beaty, Melissa A. Jones, Corien Bakermans, Nadine G. Barlow, Penelope J. Boston, Vincent F. Chevrier, Benton C. Clark, Jean-Pierre P. de Vera, Raina V. Gough, John E. Hallsworth, James W. Head, Victoria J. Hipkin, Thomas L. Kieft, Alfred S. McEwen, Michael T. Mellon, Jill A. Mikucki, Wayne L. Nicholson, Christopher R. Omelon, Ronald Peterson, Eric E. Roden, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Kenneth L. Tanaka, Donna Viola, James J. Wray
2014, Astrobiology (14) 887-968
A committee of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has reviewed and updated the description of Special Regions on Mars as places where terrestrial organisms might replicate (per the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy). This review and update was conducted by an international team (SR-SAG2) drawn from both the biological...
Intrinsic variability in shell and soft tissue growth of the freshwater mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea
James H. Larson, Nathan L. Eckert, Michelle Bartsch
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
Freshwater mussels are ecologically and economically important members of many aquatic ecosystems, but are globally among the most imperiled taxa. Propagation techniques for mussels have been developed and used to boost declining and restore extirpated populations. Here we use a cohort of propagated mussels to estimate the intrinsic variability in...
Persistence of DNA in carcasses, slime and avian feces may affect interpretation of environmental DNA data
Christopher M. Merkes, S. Grace McCalla, Nathan R. Jensen, Mark P. Gaikowski, Jon J. Amberg
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
The prevention of non-indigenous aquatic invasive species spreading into new areas is a goal of many resource managers. New techniques have been developed to survey for species that are difficult to capture with conventional gears that involve the detection of their DNA in water samples (eDNA). This technique is currently...
Maintaining resilience in the face of climate change
Alejandro E. Camacho, T. Douglas Beard Jr.
2014, Book chapter, Social-ecological resilience and law
Climate change, when combined with more conventional stress from human exploitation, calls into question the capacity of both existing ecological communities and resource management institutions to experience disturbances while substantially retaining their same functions and identities (Zellmer and Gunderson 2009; Ruhl 2011). In other words, the physical and biological effects...
From streets to streams: assessing the toxicity potential in urban sediment
William R. Selbig
2014, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (10) 474-475
No abstract available....
