Demography and behavior of polar bears summering on land in Alaska
Elizabeth L. Peacock
2014, Report
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the southern Beaufort Sea population (SB) are spending increased time on the coastal North Slope of Alaska between July and October (Gleason and Rode 2010). The duration spent on land by polar bears, satellite collared on the sea-ice in the spring, during the summer and...
Transcriptomic effects-based monitoring for endocrine active chemicals: Assessing relative contribution of treated wastewater to downstream pollution
Dalma Martinovic-Weigelt, Alvine C. Mehinto, Gerald T. Ankley, Nancy D. Denslow, Larry B. Barber, Kathy Lee, Ryan J. King, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Anthony L. Schroeder, Daniel L. Villeneuve
2014, Environmental Science & Technology (48) 2385-2394
The present study investigated whether a combination of targeted analytical chemistry information with unsupervised, data-rich biological methodology (i.e., transcriptomics) could be utilized to evaluate relative contributions of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents to biological effects. The effects of WWTP effluents on fish exposed to ambient, receiving waters were studied at...
Locking horns with Hawai‘i’s non-native ungulate issues
Steve C. Hess
2014, Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference (26) 21-25
Conservation and management interests for sustained-yield hunting of non-native ungulates in Hawai‘i have conflicted with the conservation of native biota for several decades. Hawaiian ecosystems evolved in the absence of large mammals and all currently hunted animals in Hawai‘i are non-native species. The best-studied aspects of Hawai‘i’s ungulates have dealt...
Tsunami-generated sediment wave channels at Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA
James G. Moore, Richard A. Schweickert, Christopher A. Kitts
2014, Geosphere (10) 757-768
A gigantic ∼12 km3 landslide detached from the west wall of Lake Tahoe (California-Nevada, USA), and slid 15 km east across the lake. The splash, or tsunami, from this landslide eroded Tioga-age moraines dated as 21 ka. Lake-bottom short piston cores recovered sediment as old as 12 ka that did not...
Landscapes of Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California
R. Randall Schumann, Scott A. Minor, Daniel R. Muhs, Jeffery S. Pigati
2014, Book chapter, Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist
Santa Rosa Island (SRI) is the second-largest of the California Channel Islands. It is one of 4 east–west aligned islands forming the northern Channel Islands chain, and one of the 5 islands in Channel Islands National Park. The landforms, and collections of landforms called landscapes, of Santa Rosa Island have...
Estimating structural collapse fragility of generic building typologies using expert judgment
Kishor S. Jaiswal, D.J. Wald, D. Perkins, W. P. Aspinall, Anne S. Kiremidjian
George Deodatis, Bruce R. Ellingwood, Dan M. Frangopol, editor(s)
2014, Conference Paper, Safety, reliability, risk, and life-cycle performance of structures and infrastructures
The structured expert elicitation process proposed by Cooke (1991), hereafter referred to as Cooke’s approach, is applied for the first time in the realm of structural collapse-fragility assessment for selected generic construction types. Cooke’s approach works on the principle of objective calibration scoring of judgments coupled with hypothesis testing used...
Preliminary isostatic residual gravity map of the Tremonton 30' x 60' quadrangle, Box Elder and Cache Counties, Utah, and Franklin and Oneida Counties, Idaho
Victoria E. Langenheim, R.Q. Oaks, H. Willis, A.I. Hiscock, Bruce A. Chuchel, Jose J. Rosario, C.L. Hardwick
2014, Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 14-2
A new isostatic residual gravity map of the Tremonton 30' x 60' quadrangle of Utah is based on compilation of preexisting data and new data collected by the Utah and U.S. Geological Surveys. Pronounced gravity lows occur over North Bay, northwest of Brigham City, and Malad and Blue Creek Valleys,...
Frictional properties of exhumed fault gouges in DFDP-1 cores, Alpine Fault, New Zealand
Carolyn Boulton, Diane E. Moore, David A. Lockner, Virginia G. Toy, John Townend, Rupert Southerland
2014, Geophysical Research Letters (41) 356-362
Principal slip zone gouges recovered during the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP-1), Alpine Fault, New Zealand, were deformed in triaxial friction experiments at temperatures, T, of up to 350°C, effective normal stresses, σn′, of up to 156 MPa, and velocities between 0.01 and 3 µm/s. Chlorite/white mica-bearing DFDP-1A blue gouge, 90.62 m sample depth, is...
Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative regional hypotheses of ecological responses to flow alteration
Mary Davis, Shannon K. Brewer
2014, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-104-2014
No abstract available....
Petrology and chemistry of the Green Acres gabbro complex near Winchester, Riverside County, California
Byron R. Berger
Douglas M. Morton, Fred K. Miller, editor(s)
2014, Book chapter, Peninsular Ranges Batholith, Baja California and Southern California
The Cretaceous Green Acres layered igneous complex, northeast of Winchester, California, is composed of a suite of olivine- and hornblende-bearing gabbros in the Peninsular Ranges batholith within the Perris tectonic block. A consistent mineral assemblage is observed throughout the complex, but there is considerable textural and modal heterogeneity. Both preclude...
Triggered aseismic slip adjacent to the 6 February 2013 Mw 8.0 Santa Cruz Islands megathrust earthquake
Gavin P. Hayes, Kevin P. Furlong, Harley M. Benz, Matthew W. Herman
2014, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (388) 265-272
Aseismic or slow slip events have been observed in many subduction zones, but whether they affect the occurrence of earthquakes or result from stress changes caused by nearby events is unclear. In an area lacking direct geodetic observations, inferences can be made from seismological studies of co-seismic slip, associated stress...
Change-in-ratio
Mark S. Udevitz
2014, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Environmetrics
Change-in-ratio (CIR) methods are used to estimate parameters for ecological populations subject to differential removals from population subclasses. Subclasses can be defined according to criteria such as sex, age, or size of individuals. Removals are generally in the form of closely monitored sport or commercial harvests. Estimation is based on...
Toxicokinetics and coagulopathy threshold of the rodenticide diphacinone in eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio)
Barnett A. Rattner, K.E. Horak, Rebecca S. Lazarus, D.A. Goldade, J. J. Johnston
2014, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (33) 74-81
In the United States, new regulations on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides will likely be offset by expanded use of first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. In the present study, eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio) were fed 10 µg diphacinone/g wet weight food for 7 d, and recovery was monitored over a 21-d postexposure period. By day...
Hydrologic connectivity of floodplains, northern Missouri: implications for management and restoration of floodplain forest communities in disturbed landscapes
R. Jacobson, T. Faust
2014, River Research and Applications (30) 269-286
Hydrologic connectivity between the channel and floodplain is thought to be a dominant factor determining floodplain processes and characteristics of floodplain forests. We explored the role of hydrologic connectivity in explaining floodplain forest community composition along streams in northern Missouri, USA. Hydrologic analyses at 20 streamgages (207–5827 km2 area) document that...
Spatially explicit modeling of 1992-2100 land cover and forest stand age for the conterminous United States
Terry L. Sohl, Kristi L. Sayler, Michelle Bouchard, Ryan R. Reker, Aaron M. Friesz, Stacie L. Bennett, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Rachel R. Sleeter, Tamara Wilson, Christopher E. Soulard, Michelle Knuppe, Travis Van Hofwegen
2014, Ecological Applications (24) 1015-1036
Information on future land-use and land-cover (LULC) change is needed to analyze the impact of LULC change on ecological processes. The U.S. Geological Survey has produced spatially explicit, thematically detailed LULC projections for the conterminous United States. Four qualitative and quantitative scenarios of LULC change were developed, with characteristics consistent...
Contaminants from Cretaceous black shale: II. Effect of geology, weathering, climate, and land use on salinity and selenium cycling, Mancos Shale landscapes, southwestern United States
Michele L. Tuttle, Juli W. Fahy, John G. Elliott, Richard I. Grauch, Lisa L. Stillings
2014, Applied Geochemistry (46) 72-84
The Cretaceous Mancos Shale (MS) is a known nonpoint source for a significant portion of the salinity and selenium (Se) loads in the Colorado River in the southwestern United States and northwestern corner of Mexico. These two contaminants pose a serious threat to rivers in these arid regions where water...
Contaminants from Cretaceous black shale: I. Natural weathering processes controlling contaminant cycling in Mancos Shale, southwestern United States, with emphasis on salinity and selenium
Michele L. Tuttle, Juli W. Fahy, John G. Elliott, Richard I. Grauch, Lisa L. Stillings
2014, Applied Geochemistry (46) 57-71
Soils derived from black shale can accumulate high concentrations of elements of environmental concern, especially in regions with semiarid to arid climates. One such region is the Colorado River basin in the southwestern United States where contaminants pose a threat to agriculture, municipal water supplies, endangered aquatic species, and water-quality...
Routine screening of harmful microorganisms in beach sands: implications to public health
Raquel Sabino, R. Rodrigues, I. Costa, Carlos Carneiro, M. Cunha, A. Duarte, N. Faria, F.C. Ferriera, M.J. Gargate, C. Julio, M.L. Martins, Meredith Nevers, M. Oleastro, H. Solo-Gabriele, C. Verissimo, C. Viegas, Richard L. Whitman, J. Brandao
2014, Science of the Total Environment (472) 1062-1069
Beaches worldwide provide recreational opportunities to hundreds of millions of people and serve as important components of coastal economies. Beach water is often monitored for microbiological quality to detect the presence of indicators of human sewage contamination so as to prevent public health outbreaks associated with water contact. However, growing...
Unique characteristics of the trachea of the juvenile leatherback turtle facilitate feeding, diving and endothermy
John Davenport, T. Todd Jones, Thierry M. Work, George H. Balazs
2014, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (450) 40-46
The adult leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea overlaps in body size (300–500 kg) with many marine mammals, yet develops from a 50 g hatchling. Adults can dive deeper than 1200 m and have core body temperatures of 25 °C; hatchlings are near-surface dwellers. Juvenile leatherbacks have rarely been studied; here we...
Impact of climate variability on runoff in the north-central United States
Karen R. Ryberg, Wei Lin, Aldo V. Vecchia
2014, Journal of Hydrologic Engineering (19) 148-158
Large changes in runoff in the north-central United States have occurred during the past century, with larger floods and increases in runoff tending to occur from the 1970s to the present. The attribution of these changes is a subject of much interest. Long-term precipitation, temperature, and streamflow records were used...
The relation between invertebrate drift and two primary controls, discharge and benthic densities, in a large regulated river
Theodore A. Kennedy, Charles B. Yackulic, Wyatt F. Cross, Paul E. Grams, Michael D. Yard, Adam J. Copp
2014, Freshwater Biology (59) 557-572
1. Invertebrate drift is a fundamental process in streams and rivers. Studies from laboratory experiments and small streams have identified numerous extrinsic (e.g. discharge, light intensity, water quality) and intrinsic factors (invertebrate life stage, benthic density, behaviour) that govern invertebrate drift concentrations (# m−3), but the factors that govern invertebrate...
Correlation of gene expression and contaminat concentrations in wild largescale suckers: a field-based study
Helena E. Christiansen, Alvine C. Mehinto, Fahong Yu, Russell W. Perry, Nancy D. Denslow, Alec G. Maule, Matthew G. Mesa
2014, Science of the Total Environment (484) 379-389
Toxic compounds such as organochlorine pesticides (OCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants (PBDEs) have been detected in fish, birds, and aquatic mammals that live in the Columbia River or use food resources from within the river. We developed a custom microarray for largescale suckers (Catostomus macrocheilus)...
Climatic variation and tortoise survival: has a desert species met its match?
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Charles B. Yackulic, Jerry Freilich, Mickey Agha, Meaghan Austin, Katherine P. Meyer, Terence R. Arundel, Jered Hansen, Michael S. Vamstad, Stephanie A. Root
2014, Biological Conservation (169) 214-224
While demographic changes in short-lived species may be observed relatively quickly in response to climate changes, measuring population responses of long-lived species requires long-term studies that are not always available. We analyzed data from a population of threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a 2.59 km2 study plot in...
Ecological limit functions relating fish community response to hydrologic departures of the ecological flow regime in the Tennessee River basin, United States
Rodney R. Knight, Jennifer C. Murphy, William J. Wolfe, Charles F. Saylor, Amy K. Wales
2014, Ecohydrology (7) 1262-1280
Ecological limit functions relating streamflow and aquatic ecosystems remain elusive despite decades of research. We investigated functional relationships between species richness and changes in streamflow characteristics at 662 fish sampling sites in the Tennessee River basin. Our approach included the following: (1) a brief summary of relevant literature on...
Integration of stable carbon isotope, microbial community, dissolved hydrogen gas, and 2HH2O tracer data to assess bioaugmentation for chlorinated ethene degradation in fractured rocks
Kinga M. Revesz, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Julie D. Kirshtein, Claire R. Tiedeman, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Daniel J. Goode, Allen M. Shapiro, Mary A. Voytek, Pierre J. Lancombe, Eurybiades Busenberg
2014, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (156) 62-77
An in situ bioaugmentation (BA) experiment was conducted to understand processes controlling microbial dechlorination of trichloroethene (TCE) in groundwater at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, NJ. In the BA experiment, an electron donor (emulsified vegetable oil and sodium lactate) and a chloro-respiring microbial consortium were injected into...
