Complex resistivity signatures of ethanol biodegradation in porous media
Yves Robert Personna, Lee Slater, Dimitrios Ntarlagiannis, Dale D. Werkema, Zoltan Szabo
2013, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (153) 37-50
Numerous adverse effects are associated with the accidental release of ethanol (EtOH) and its persistence in the subsurface. Geophysical techniques may permit non-invasive, real time monitoring of microbial degradation of hydrocarbon. We performed complex resistivity (CR) measurements in conjunction with geochemical data analysis on three microbial-stimulated and two control columns...
The Sunny Point Formation: a new Upper Cretaceous subsurface unit in the Carolina Coastal Plain
Audra E. Balson, Jean Self-Trail, Dennis O. Terry Jr.
2013, Southeastern Geology (50) 1-16
This paper formally defines the Sunny Point Formation, a new Upper Cretaceous subsurface unit confined to the outer Atlantic Coastal Plain of North and South Carolina. Its type section is established in corehole NH-C-1-2001 (Kure Beach) from New Hanover County, North Carolina. The Sunny Point Formation consists of light-olive-gray to...
Nature's refineries — Metals and metalloids in arc volcanoes
R.W. Henley, Byron R. Berger
2013, Earth-Science Reviews (125) 146-170
Chemical data for fumaroles and for atmospheric gas and ash plumes from active arc volcanoes provide glimpses of the rates of release of metal and metalloids, such as Tl and Cd, from shallow and mid-crust magmas. Data from copper deposits formed in ancient volcanoes at depths of up to...
Experimental removal of woody vegetation does not increase nesting success or fledgling production in two grassland sparrows (Ammodramus) in Pennsylvania
Jason M. Hill, Duane R. Diefenbach
2013, The Auk (130) 764-773
The influence of vegetation structure on the probability of daily nest survival (DNS) for grassland passerines has received considerable attention. Some correlative studies suggest that the presence of woody vegetation lowers DNS. Over 3 years (2009–2011), we monitored 215 nests of the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and Henslow's Sparrow (A....
Thermal controls of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and invasive fishes under climate change
Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Jay R. Alder, Steven W. Hostetler, Robert E. Gresswell, Bradley Shepard
2013, Global Change Biology (19) 3069-3081
We combine large observed data sets and dynamically downscaled climate data to explore historic and future (2050–2069) stream temperature changes over the topographically diverse Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (elevation range = 824–4017 m). We link future stream temperatures with fish growth models to investigate how changing thermal regimes could influence the future distribution and...
A GIS and statistical approach to identify variables that control water quality in hydrothermally altered and mineralized watersheds, Silverton, Colorado, USA
Douglas B. Yager, Raymond H. Johnson, Barnaby W. Rockwell, Jonathan S. Caine, Kathleen S. Smith
2013, Environmental Earth Sciences (70) 1057-1082
Hydrothermally altered bedrock in the Silverton mining area, southwest Colorado, USA, contains sulfide minerals that weather to produce acidic and metal-rich leachate that is toxic to aquatic life. This study utilized a geographic information system (GIS) and statistical approach to identify watershed-scale geologic variables in the Silverton area that influence...
Overview of the magnetic signatures of the Palaeoproterozoic Rustenburg Layered Suite, Bushveld Complex, South Africa
Janine Cole, Carol A. Finn, Susan J. Webb
2013, Precambrian Research (236) 193-213
Aeromagnetic data clearly delineate the mafic rocks of the economically significant Bushveld Igneous Complex. This is mainly due to the abundance of magnetite in the Upper Zone of the Rustenburg Layered Suite of the Bushveld, but strongly remanently magnetised rocks in the Main Zone also contribute significantly in places....
Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science research plan 2013-18
E. Lynn Usery
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1189
The U.S. Geological Survey Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) was created in 2006 and since that time has provided research primarily in support of The National Map. The presentations and publications of the CEGIS researchers document the research accomplishments that include advances in electronic topographic map design,...
Borehole geophysical, fluid, and hydraulic properties within and near the freshwater/saline-water transition zone, San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer, south-central Texas, 2010-11
Jonathan V. Thomas, Gregory P. Stanton
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3078
The freshwater zone of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer is used by residents of San Antonio and numerous other rapidly growing communities in south-central Texas as their primary water supply source. This freshwater zone is bounded to the south and southeast by a saline-water zone with an...
Effects of a chronic lower range of triclosan exposure to a stream mesocosm community
C.T. Nietch, E.L. Quinlan, J. Lazorchak, C. Impellitteri, D. Raikow, David M. Walters
2013, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (32) 2874-2887
Triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) is an antimicrobial found in consumer soaps and toothpaste. It is in treated wastewater effluents at low part per billion concentrations, representing a potentially chronic exposure condition for biota inhabiting receiving streams. A naturally colonized benthos was created using flow-through indoor mesocosms. Then the benthic communities were dosed...
A comparison of adaptive sampling designs and binary spatial models: A simulation study using a census of Bromus inermis
Kathryn M. Irvine, Jamie Thornton, Vickie M. Backus, Matthew G. Hohmann, Erik A. Lehnhoff, Bruce D. Maxwell, Kurt Michels, Lisa Rew
2013, Environmetrics (24) 407-417
Commonly in environmental and ecological studies, species distribution data are recorded as presence or absence throughout a spatial domain of interest. Field based studies typically collect observations by sampling a subset of the spatial domain. We consider the effects of six different adaptive and two non-adaptive sampling designs and choice...
Validating predictions from climate envelope models
J. Watling, D. Bucklin, C. Speroterra, L. Brandt, C. Cabal, Stephanie S. Romañach, Frank J. Mazzotti
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Climate envelope models are a potentially important conservation tool, but their ability to accurately forecast species’ distributional shifts using independent survey data has not been fully evaluated. We created climate envelope models for 12 species of North American breeding birds previously shown to have experienced poleward range shifts. For each...
A comparative assessment of tools for ecosystem services quantification and valuation
Kenneth J. Bagstad, Darius J. Semmens, Sissel Waage, Robert Winthrop
2013, Ecosystem Services (5) 27-39
To enter widespread use, ecosystem service assessments need to be quantifiable, replicable, credible, flexible, and affordable. With recent growth in the field of ecosystem services, a variety of decision-support tools has emerged to support more systematic ecosystem services assessment. Despite the growing complexity of the tool landscape, thorough reviews of...
Changes in the structure and function of northern Alaskan ecosystems when considering variable leaf-out times across groupings of species in a dynamic vegetation model
E.S. Euskirchen, T.B. Carman, Anthony D. McGuire
2013, Global Change Biology (20) 963-978
The phenology of arctic ecosystems is driven primarily by abiotic forces, with temperature acting as the main determinant of growing season onset and leaf budburst in the spring. However, while the plant species in arctic ecosystems require differing amounts of accumulated heat for leaf-out, dynamic vegetation models simulated over regional...
Factors influencing the movement biology of migrant songbirds confronted with an ecological barrier
J. A. Smolinsky, Robert H. Diehl, T. A. Radzio, D. K. Delaney, F. R Moore
2013, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (67) 2041-2051
Whether or not a migratory songbird embarks on a long-distance flight across an ecological barrier is likely a response to a number of endogenous and exogenous factors. During autumn 2008 and 2009, we used automated radio tracking to investigate how energetic condition, age, and weather influenced the departure timing and...
Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment
Natasha B. Carr, Robert E. Means
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3062
The overall goal of the Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment (REA) 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 of ecosystem change (including energy development, fire,...
Seasonal flux and assemblage composition of planktic foraminifera from the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2008-2012
Caitlin E. Reynolds, Julie N. Richey, Richard Z. Poore
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1243
The U.S. Geological Survey anchored a sediment trap in the northern Gulf of Mexico beginning in 2008 to collect seasonal time-series data on the flux and assemblage composition of live planktic foraminifers. This report provides an update of the previous time-series data to include results from 2012. Ten species, or...
Partnering for science: proceedings of the USGS Workshop on Citizen Science
Megan Hines, Abigail Benson, David Govoni, Derek Masaki, Barbara Poore, Annie Simpson, Steven Tessler
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1234
What U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers?...
Anatomical and genetic variation of western Oxyloma (Pulmonata: Succineidae) concerning the endangered Kanab ambersnail (Oxyloma haydeni kanabense) in Arizona and Utah
Melanie Culver, Hans-Werner Herrmann, Mark Miller, Barry Roth, Jeff Sorenson
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5164
The land snail genus Oxyloma (Pulmonata: Succineidae) includes the Federally endangered Kanab ambersnail (Oxyloma haydeni kanabense Pilsbry), which is known at the time of this study from only two locations in the United States: Three Lakes, Utah, and Vaseys Paradise, Arizona, on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park....
Bathymetry, morphology, and lakebed geologic characteristics of potential Kokanee salmon spawning habitat in Lake Pend Oreille, Bayview and Lakeview quadrangles, Idaho
Gary J. Barton, Andrew M. Dux
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3272
Kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) are a keystone species in Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho, historically supporting a high-yield recreational fishery and serving as the primary prey for the threatened native bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and the Gerrard-strain rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). After 1965, the kokanee population rapidly declined and...
Geologic map of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Murray County, Oklahoma
Charles D. Blome, David J. Lidke, Ronald R. Wahl, James A. Golab
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3258
This 1:24,000-scale geologic map is a compilation of previous geologic maps and new geologic mapping of areas in and around Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The geologic map includes revisions of numerous unit contacts and faults and a number of previously “undifferentiated” rock units were subdivided in some areas. Numerous circular-shaped...
Design tradeoffs for trend assessment in aquatic biological monitoring programs
Martin E. Gurtz, John Van Sickle, Daren M. Carlisle, Steven G. Paulsen
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1222
Assessments of long-term (multiyear) temporal trends in biological monitoring programs are generally undertaken without an adequate understanding of the temporal variability of biological communities. When the sources and levels of variability are unknown, managers cannot make informed choices in sampling design to achieve monitoring goals in a cost-effective manner. We...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the South Coast Range-Coastal study unit, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Carmen A. Burton, Michael Land, Kenneth Belitz
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5053
Groundwater quality in the South Coast Range–Coastal (SCRC) study unit was investigated from May through November 2008 as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in the Southern Coast Range hydrologic province and includes parts of Santa...
Water resources of Assumption Parish, Louisiana
Lawrence B. Prakken, John K. Lovelace
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3061
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Assumption 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 management of this vital resource. Information on the availability,...
Groundwater quality in the South Coast Range Coastal groundwater basins, California
Carmen A. Burton, Kenneth Belitz
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3015
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s untreated groundwater quality and increases public...
