Correlations of daily flows at streamgages in and near West Virginia, 1930-2011, and streamflow characteristics relevant to the use of index streamgages
Terence Messinger, Katherine S. Paybins
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5061
Correlation of flows at pairs of streamgages were evaluated using a Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient to better identify gages that can be used as index gages to estimate daily flow at ungaged stream sites in West Virginia. Much of West Virginia (77 percent) is within areas where Spearman’s rho for...
Inundation of a barrier island (Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, USA) during a hurricane: Observed water-level gradients and modeled seaward sand transport
Christopher R. Sherwood, Joseph W. Long, Patrick Dickhudt, P. Soupy Dalyander, David M. Thompson, Nathaniel G. Plant
2014, JGR Earth Surface (119) 1498-1515
Large geomorphic changes to barrier islands may occur during inundation, when storm surge exceeds island elevation. Inundation occurs episodically and under energetic conditions that make quantitative observations difficult. We measured water levels on both sides of a barrier island in the northern Chandeleur Islands during inundation by Hurricane Isaac. Wind...
InSAR detects increase in surface subsidence caused by an Arctic tundra fire
Lin Liu, Elchin E. Jafarov, Kevin M. Schaefer, Benjamin M. Jones, Howard A. Zebker, Christopher A. Williams, John Rogan, Tingjun Zhang
2014, Geophysical Research Letters (41) 3906-3913
Wildfire is a major disturbance in the Arctic tundra and boreal forests, having a significant impact on soil hydrology, carbon cycling, and permafrost dynamics. This study explores the use of the microwave Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique to map and quantify ground surface subsidence caused by the Anaktuvuk River...
Modeling turbidity type and intensity effects on the growth and starvation mortality of age-0 yellow perch
Nathan M Manning, Jonathan M. Bossenbroek, Christine M. Mayer, David B. Bunnell, Jeff T. Tyson, Lars G. Rudstam, James R. Jackson
2014, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (71) 1544-1553
We sought to quantify the possible population-level influence of sediment plumes and algal blooms on yellow perch (Perca flavescens), a visual predator found in systems with dynamic water clarity. We used an individual-based model (IBM), which allowed us to include variance in water clarity and the distribution of individual sizes....
Differentiating moss from higher plants is critical in studying the carbon cycle of the boreal biome
Wenping Yuan, Shuguang Liu, Wenjie Dong, Shunlin Liang, Shuqing Zhao, Jingming Chen, Wenfang Xu, Xianglan Li, Alan Barr, T. Andrew Black, Wende Yan, Michael Goulden, Liisa Kulmala, Anders Lindroth, Hank A. Margolis, Yojiro Matsuura, Eddy Moors, Michiel van der Molen, Takeshi Ohta, Kim Pilegaard, Andrej Varlagin, Timo Vesala
2014, Nature Communications (5)
The satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which is used for estimating gross primary production (GPP), often includes contributions from both mosses and vascular plants in boreal ecosystems. For the same NDVI, moss can generate only about one-third of the GPP that vascular plants can because of its much lower...
Interpretation of high-resolution imagery for detecting vegetation cover composition change after fuels reduction treatments in woodlands
Jason W. Karl, Jeffrey K. Gillan, Nichole N. Barger, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Michael C. Duniway
2014, Ecological Indicators (45) 570-578
The use of very high resolution (VHR; ground sampling distances < ∼5 cm) aerial imagery to estimate site vegetation cover and to detect changes from management has been well documented. However, as the purpose of monitoring is to document change over time, the ability to detect changes from imagery at...
Summary of U.S. Geological Survey reports documenting flood profiles of streams in Iowa, 1963-2012
David A. Eash
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5085
This report is part of an ongoing program that is publishing flood profiles of streams in Iowa. The program is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa Highway Research Board (Project HR-140). Information from flood profiles is used by engineers...
High-resolution swath interferometric data collected within Muskeget Channel, Massachusetts
Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Jane F. Denny, William W. Danforth, Wayne E. Baldwin, Barry J. Irwin
2014, Open-File Report 2012-1258
Swath interferometric bathymetery data were collected within and around Muskeget Channel and along select nearshore areas south and east of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Data were collected aboard the U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Rafael in October and November 2010 in a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the...
Hydrogeology and water quality of the stratified-drift aquifer in the Pony Hollow Creek Valley, Tompkins County, New York
Edward F. Bugliosi, Todd S. Miller, Richard J. Reynolds
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5059
The lithology, areal extent, and the water-table configuration in stratified-drift aquifers in the northern part of the Pony Hollow Creek valley in the Town of Newfield, New York, were mapped as part of an ongoing aquifer mapping program in Tompkins County. Surficial geologic and soil maps, well and test-boring records,...
Spatiotemporal variations in estrogenicity, hormones, and endocrine-disrupting compounds in influents and effluents of selected wastewater-treatment plants and receiving streams in New York, 2008-09
Barry P. Baldigo, Patrick J. Phillips, Anne G. Ernst, James L. Gray, Jocelyn Hemming
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5015
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in wastewater effluents have been linked to changes in sex ratios, intersex (in males), behavioral modifications, and developmental abnormalities in aquatic organisms. Yet efforts to identify and regulate specific EDCs in complex mixtures are problematic because little is known about the estrogen activity (estrogenicity) levels of many...
Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the eastern United States
Zhi-Liang Zhu, Bradley C. Reed, editor(s)
2014, Professional Paper 1804
This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to conduct a comprehensive national assessment of storage and flux (flow) of carbon and the fluxes of other greenhouse gases in ecosystems of the Eastern United States. These carbon...
Hydrostratigraphic interpretation of test-hole and borehole geophysical data, Kimball, Cheyenne, and Deuel Counties, Nebraska, 2011-12
Christopher M. Hobza, Steven S. Sibray
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1103
Recently (2004) adopted legislation in Nebraska requires a sustainable balance between long-term supplies and uses of surface-water and groundwater and requires Natural Resources Districts to understand the effect of groundwater use on surface-water systems when developing a groundwater-management plan. The South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) is located in the...
Hydrogeologic aspects of the Knippa Gap area in eastern Uvalde and western Medina counties, Texas
Rebecca B. Lambert, Allan K. Clark, Diana E. Pedraza, Robert R. Morris
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3045
The Edwards aquifer is the primary source of potable water for the San Antonio area in south-central Texas. The Knippa Gap area is a structural low (trough) postulated to channel or restrict flow in the Edwards aquifer in eastern Uvalde and western Medina Counties, Tex. To better understand the function...
Hydrologic data for the Obed River watershed, Tennessee
Rodney R. Knight, William J. Wolfe, George S. Law
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1102
The Obed River watershed drains a 520-square-mile area of the Cumberland Plateau physiographic region in the Tennessee River basin. The watershed is underlain by conglomerate, sandstone, and shale of Pennsylvanian age, which overlie Mississippian-age limestone. The larger creeks and rivers of the Obed River system have eroded gorges through the...
Geologic map of the Granite 7.5' quadrangle, Lake and Chaffee Counties, Colorado
Ralph R. Shroba, Karl S. Kellogg, Theodore R. Brandt
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3294
The geologic map of the Granite 7.5' quadrangle, Lake and Chaffee Counties, Colorado, portrays the geology in the upper Arkansas valley and along the lower flanks of the Sawatch Range and Mosquito Range near the town of Granite. The oldest rocks, exposed in the southern and eastern parts of the...
Estuarine monitoring programs in the Albemarle Sound study area, North Carolina
Michelle Moorman, Katharine R. Kolb, Stacy Supak
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1110
Albemarle Sound was selected in 2012 as one of the two demonstration sites in the Nation to test and improve the design of the National Water Quality Monitoring Council’s National Monitoring Network (NMN) for U.S. Coastal Waters and their tributaries. The goal of the NMN for U.S. coastal waters and...
How complete is the ISC-GEM Global Earthquake Catalog?
Andrew J. Michael
2014, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (104) 1829-1837
The International Seismological Centre, in collaboration with the Global Earthquake Model effort, has released a new global earthquake catalog, covering the time period from 1900 through the end of 2009. In order to use this catalog for global earthquake studies, I determined the magnitude of completeness (Mc) as a function...
Using state-of-the-art technology to evaluate saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer of Miami-Dade County, Florida
Scott T. Prinos
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3050
The fresh groundwater supplies of many communities have been adversely affected or limited by saltwater intrusion. An insufficient understanding of the origin of intruded saltwater may lead to inefficient or ineffective water-resource management. A 2008–2012 cooperative U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Miami-Dade County study of saltwater intrusion describes state-of-the art...
Soil fluxes of methane, nitrous oxide, and nitric oxide from aggrading forests in coastal Oregon
Heather E. Erickson, Steven S. Perakis
2014, Soil Biology and Biochemistry (76) 268-277
Soil exchanges of greenhouse and other gases are poorly known for Pacific Northwest forests where gradients in nutrient availability and soil moisture may contribute to large variations in fluxes. Here we report fluxes of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and nitric oxide (NO) over multiple seasons from three naturally N-rich,...
Evaluation of groundwater and surface-water interactions in the Caddo Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Caddo County, Oklahoma, 2010-13
Shana L. Mashburn, S. Jerrod Smith
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5082
Streamflows, springs, and wetlands are important natural and cultural resources to the Caddo Nation. Consequently, the Caddo Nation is concerned about the vulnerability of the Rush Springs aquifer to overdrafting and whether the aquifer will continue to be a viable source of water to tribal members and other local residents...
Contaminants of emerging concern in ambient groundwater in urbanized areas of Minnesota, 2009-12
Melinda L. Erickson, Susan K. Langer, Jason L. Roth, Sharon E. Kroening
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5096
A study of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in ambient groundwater in urbanized areas of Minnesota was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. For this study, water samples were collected from November 2009 through June 2012 from 118 wells located in different...
W(h)ither the Oracle? Cognitive biases and other human challenges of integrated environmental modeling
Pierre D. Glynn
D.P. Ames, N. W. T. Quinn, A.E. Rizzoli, editor(s)
2014, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 7th International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software, June 15-19, San Diego, California, USA
Integrated environmental modeling (IEM) can organize and increase our knowledge of the complex, dynamic ecosystems that house our natural resources and control the quality of our environments. Human behavior, however, must be taken into account. Human biases/heuristics reflect adaptation over our evolutionary past to frequently experienced situations that affected our...
Morphology, ecology and biogeography of Stauroneis pachycephala P.T. Cleve (Bacillariophyta) and its transfer to the genus Envekadea
Islam Atazadeh, Mark B. Edlund, Bart van de Vijver, Keely Mills, Sarah A. Spaulding, Peter A. Gell, Simon Crawford, Andrew F. Barton, Sylvia S. Lee, Kathryn E. L. Smith, Peter Newall, Marina Potapova
2014, Diatom Research (29) 455-464
Stauroneis pachycephala was described in 1881 from the Baakens River, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Recently, it was found during surveys of the MacKenzie River (Victoria, Australia), the Florida Everglades (USA) and coastal marshes of Louisiana (USA). The morphology, ecology and geographic distribution of this species are described in this article....
Assessing and addressing the re-eutrophication of Lake Erie: central basin hypoxia
Donald Scavia, J. David Allan, Kristin K. Arend, Steven Bartell, Dmitry Beletsky, Nate S. Bosch, Stephen B. Brandt, Ruth D. Briland, Irem Daloglu, Joseph V. DePinto, David M. Dolan, Mary Anne Evans, Troy M. Farmer, Daisuke Goto, Haejin Han, Tomas O. Hook, Roger Knight, Stuart A. Ludsin, Doran Mason, Anna M. Michalak, R. Peter Richards, James Roberts, Daniel K. Rucinski, Edward Rutherford, David J. Schwab, Timothy M. Sesterhenn, Hongyan Zhang, Yuntao Zhou
2014, Journal of Great Lakes Research (40) 226-246
Relieving phosphorus loading is a key management tool for controlling Lake Erie eutrophication. During the 1960s and 1970s, increased phosphorus inputs degraded water quality and reduced central basin hypolimnetic oxygen levels which, in turn, eliminated thermal habitat vital to cold-water organisms and contributed to the extirpation of important benthic macroinvertebrate...
Males exceed females in PCB concentrations of cisco (Coregonus artedi) from Lake Superior
Charles P. Madenjian, Daniel L. Yule, Sergei M. Chernyak, Linda J. Begnoche, Eric K. Berglund, Edmund J. Isaac
2014, Science of the Total Environment (493) 377-383
We determined whole-fish polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations of 25 male and 25 female age-7 ciscoes (Coregonus artedi) captured from a spawning aggregation in Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, during November 2010. We also determined PCB concentrations in the ovaries and somatic tissue of five additional female ciscoes (ages 5–22). All 55...
