Chronic toxicity of nickel-spiked freshwater sediments: variation in toxicity among eight invertebrate taxa and eight sediments
John M. Besser, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Chris D. Ivey, James L. Kunz, Nile E. Kemble, Christian E. Schlekat, Emily R. Garman
2013, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (32) 2495-2506
This study evaluated the chronic toxicity of Ni-spiked freshwater sediments to benthic invertebrates. A 2-step spiking procedure (spiking and sediment dilution) and a 2-stage equilibration period (10 wk anaerobic and 1 wk aerobic) were used to spike 8 freshwater sediments with wide ranges of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS; 0.94–38 µmol/g) and total organic carbon...
Characterizing response of total suspended solids and total phosphorus loading to weather and watershed characteristics for rainfall and snowmelt events in agricultural watersheds
Mari E. Danz, Steven Corsi, Wesley R. Brooks, Roger T. Bannerman
2013, Journal of Hydrology (507) 249-261
Understanding the response of total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) to influential weather and watershed variables is critical in the development of sediment and nutrient reduction plans. In this study, rainfall and snowmelt event loadings of TSS and TP were analyzed for eight agricultural watersheds in Wisconsin, with...
Assessing grain-size correspondence between flow and deposits of controlled floods in the Colorado River, USA
Amy Draut, David M. Rubin
2013, Journal of Sedimentary Research (83) 962-973
Flood-deposited sediment has been used to decipher environmental parameters such as variability in watershed sediment supply, paleoflood hydrology, and channel morphology. It is not well known, however, how accurately the deposits reflect sedimentary processes within the flow, and hence what sampling intensity is needed to decipher records of recent or...
Erosional and depositional changes wrought by the flood of May 1978 in the channels of Powder River, southeastern Montana
Robert H. Meade, John A. Moody
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5035
Powder River’s second largest flood of record (1919–2012) moved through northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana during May 1978. Within a ninety-kilometer reach of the channel in southeastern Montana, the most prominent planform effects of the flood were the growth of meander bends by bank erosion (this was most intense just...
Occurrence of methane in groundwater of south-central New York State, 2012-systematic evaluation of a glaciated region by hydrogeologic setting
Paul M. Heisig, Tia-Marie Scott
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5190
A survey of methane in groundwater was undertaken to document methane occurrence on the basis hydrogeologic setting within a glaciated 1,810-square-mile area of south-central New York along the Pennsylvania border. Sixty-six wells were sampled during the summer of 2012. All wells were at least 1 mile from any known gas...
Maps showing thermal maturity of Upper Cretaceous marine shales in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming
Thomas M. Finn, Mark J. Pawlewicz
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3266
The Wind River Basin is a large Laramide (Late Cretaceous through Eocene) structural and sedimentary basin that encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming. The basin is bounded by the Washakie Range, Owl Creek, and southern Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east and northeast,...
Assaying environmental nickel toxicity using model nematodes
David Rudel, Chandler Douglas, Ian Huffnagle, John M. Besser, Christopher G. Ingersoll
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Although nickel exposure results in allergic reactions, respiratory conditions, and cancer in humans and rodents, the ramifications of excess nickel in the environment for animal and human health remain largely undescribed. Nickel and other cationic metals travel through waterways and bind to soils and sediments. To evaluate the potential toxic...
Virulence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) genotypes Ia, IVa, IVb, and IVc in five fish species.
Eveline J. Emmenegger, Chang Hoon Moon, Paul K. Hershberger, Gael Kurath
2013, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (107) 99-111
The susceptibility of yellow perch Perca flavescens, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha, koi Cyprinus carpio koi, and Pacific herring Clupea pallasii to 4 strains of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) was assessed. Fish were challenged via intraperitoneal injection with high (1 × 106 plaque-forming units, PFU) and...
Evaluation of the behavior and movement patterns of adult coho salmon and steelhead in the North Fork Toutle River, Washington, 2005-2009
Theresa L. Liedtke, Tobias J. Kock, Dennis W. Rondorf
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1290
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens severely affected the North Fork Toutle River (hereafter Toutle River), Washington, and threatened anadromous salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations in the basin. The Toutle River was further affected in 1989 when a sediment retention structure (SRS) was constructed to trap sediments in the upper...
Hydrology and water quality of Shell Lake, Washburn County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of diversion and changes in water level on the water quality of a shallow terminal lake
Paul F. Juckem, Dale M. Robertson
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5181
Shell Lake is a relatively shallow terminal lake (tributaries but no outlets) in northwestern Wisconsin that has experienced approximately 10 feet (ft) of water-level fluctuation over more than 70 years of record and extensive flooding of nearshore areas starting in the early 2000s. The City of Shell Lake (City) received...
Assessment of water-quality data from Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota--2008 through 2012
Brian A. Tangen, Raymond G. Finocchiaro, Robert A. Gleason, Michael J. Rabenberg, Charles F. Dahl, Mike J. Ell
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5183
ong Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located in south-central North Dakota, is an important habitat for numerous migratory birds and waterfowl, including several threatened or endangered species. The refuge is distinguished by Long Lake, which is approximately 65 square kilometers and consists of four primary water management units. Water levels in...
Detectability of thermal signatures associated with active formation of ‘chaos terrain’ on Europa
Oleg Abramov, J. Rathbun, Britney E. Schmidt, John R. Spencer
2013, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (384) 37-41
A recent study by Schmidt et al. (2011) suggests that Thera Macula, one of the “chaos regions” on Europa, may be actively forming over a large liquid water lens. Such a process could conceivably produce a thermal anomaly detectable by a future Europa orbiter or flyby mission, allowing for a...
Discerning crystal growth from diffusion profiles in zoned olivine by in situ Mg–Fe isotopic analyses
Corliss Kin I. Sio, Nicolas Dauphas, Fang-Zhen Teng, Marc Chaussidon, Rosalind T. Helz, Mathieu Roskosz
2013, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (123) 302-321
Mineral zoning is used in diffusion-based geospeedometry to determine magmatic timescales. Progress in this field has been hampered by the challenge to discern mineral zoning produced by diffusion from concentration gradients inherited from crystal growth. A zoned olivine phenocryst from Kilauea Iki lava lake (Hawaii) was selected for this study...
Hydration free energies of cyanide and hydroxide ions from molecular dynamics simulations with accurate force fields
Myung W. Lee, M. Meuwly
2013, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (15) 20303-20312
The evaluation of hydration free energies is a sensitive test to assess force fields used in atomistic simulations. We showed recently that the vibrational relaxation times, 1D- and 2D-infrared spectroscopies for CN(-) in water can be quantitatively described from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with multipolar force fields and slightly enlarged...
Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment: Work Plan
Natasha B. Carr, Steven L. Garman, Annika Walters, Andrea Ray, Cynthia P. Melcher, Jeff S. Wesner, Michael S. O’Donnell, Kirk R. Sherrill, Nils C. Babel, Zachary H. Bowen
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1223
The overall goal of the Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) being conducted for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is to provide information that supports regional planning and analysis for the management of ecological resources. The REA provides an assessment of baseline ecological conditions, an evaluation of current risks from drivers...
Elaphodus cephalophus (Artiodactyla: Cervidae)
David M. Leslie Jr., D. Lee, Richard W. Dolman
2013, Mammalian Species (45) 80-91
Elaphodus cephalophus Milne-Edwards, 1872 (tufted deer) is usually considered polytypic with 3 or 4 recognized subspecies, depending on the source. It is a small dark chocolate-brown deer typified by a tuft of hair on its crown, sharp upper canines that protrude downward from under the upper lip, and rudimentary antlers on...
The population history of endogenous retroviruses in mule deer (Odocoileus heminous)
Pauline L. Kamath, Daniel Elleder, Le Bao, Paul C. Cross, John H. Powell, Mary Poss
2013, Journal of Heredity (105) 173-187
Mobile elements are powerful agents of genomic evolution and can be exceptionally informative markers for investigating species and population-level evolutionary history. While several studies have utilized retrotransposon-based insertional polymorphisms to resolve phylogenies, few population studies exist outside of humans. Endogenous retroviruses are LTR-retrotransposons derived from retroviruses that have become stably...
Transient simulation of groundwater levels within a sandbar of the Colorado River, Marble Canyon, Arizona, 2004
Thomas A. Sabol, Abraham E. Springer
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1277
Seepage erosion and mass failure of emergent sandy deposits along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, are a function of the elevation of groundwater in the sandbar, fluctuations in river stage, the exfiltration of water from the bar face, and the slope of the bar face. In...
Cambarus (C.) hatfieldi, a new species of crayfish (Decapoda:Cambaridae) from the Tug Fork River Basin of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, USA
Zachary J. Loughman, Raquel A. Fagundo, Evan Lau, Stuart A. Welsh, Roger F. Thoma
2013, Zootaxa (3750) 223-236
Cambarus (Cambarus) hatfieldi is a stream-dwelling crayfish that appears to be endemic to the Tug Fork River system of West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky. Within this region, it is prevalent in all major tributaries in the basin as well as the Tug Fork River’s mainstem. The new species is morphologically...
Petrogenesis of Mount Rainier andesite: Magma flux and geologic controls on the contrasting differentiation styles at stratovolcanoes of the southern Washington Cascades
Thomas W. Sisson, V. J. M. Salters, P.B. Larson
2013, Geological Society of America Bulletin (126) 122-144
Quaternary Mount Rainier (Washington, USA) of the Cascades magmatic arc consists of porphyritic calc-alkaline andesites and subordinate dacites, with common evidence for mingling and mixing with less evolved magmas encompassing andesites, basaltic andesites, and rarely, basalts. Basaltic andesites and amphibole andesites (spessartites) that erupted from vents at the north foot...
Energy and Minerals Science at the U.S. Geological Survey
Richard C. Ferrero, Jonathan J. Kolak, Donald J. Bills, Zachary H. Bowen, Daniel J. Cordier, Tanya J. Gallegos, James R. Hein, Karen D. Kelley, Philip H. Nelson, Vito F. Nuccio, Jeanine M. Schmidt, Robert R. Seal II
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3111
The economy, national security, and standard of living of the United States depend on adequate and reliable supplies of energy and mineral resources. Based on population and consumption trends, the Nation’s and World’s use of energy and minerals is expected to grow, driving the demand for scientific understanding of resource...
Functional diversity supports the physiological tolerance hypothesis for plant species richness along climatic gradients
Marko J. Spasojevic, James B. Grace, Susan Harrison, Ellen Ingman Damschen
2013, Journal of Ecology (102) 447-455
1. The physiological tolerance hypothesis proposes that plant species richness is highest in warm and/or wet climates because a wider range of functional strategies can persist under such conditions. Functional diversity metrics, combined with statistical modeling, offer new ways to test whether diversity-environment relationships are consistent with this hypothesis. 2....
Effects of summer drawdown on the fishes and larval chironomids in Beulah Reservoir, Oregon
Brien P. Rose, Matthew G. Mesa
2013, Northwest Science (87) 207-218
Summer drawdown of Beulah Reservoir, Oregon, could adversely affect fish and invertebrate production, limit sport fishing opportunities, and hinder the recovery of threatened species. To assess the impacts of drawdown, we sampled fish and Chironomidae larvae in Beulah Reservoir in the springs of 2006 to 2008. The reservoir was reduced...
Distribution and movement of Big Spring spinedace (Lepidomeda mollispinis pratensis) in Condor Canyon, Meadow Valley Wash, Nevada
Ian G. Jezorek, Patrick J. Connolly
2013, Western North American Naturalist (3) 323-336
Big Spring spinedace (Lepidomeda mollispinis pratensis) is a cyprinid whose entire population occurs within a section of Meadow Valley Wash, Nevada. Other spinedace species have suffered population and range declines (one species is extinct). Managers, concerned about the vulnerability of Big Spring spinedace, have considered habitat restoration actions or translocation,...
Comparative microhabitat characteristics at oviposition sites of the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
Jeff A. Alvarez, David G. Cook, Julie L. Yee, Michael G. van Hattem, Darren R. Fong, Robert N. Fisher
2013, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (8) 539-551
We studied the microhabitat characteristics of 747 egg masses of the federally-threatened Rana draytonii (California red-legged frog) at eight sites in California. our study showed that a broad range of aquatic habitats are utilized by ovipositing R. draytonii, including sites with perennial and ephemeral water sources, natural and constructed wetlands,...