Recurring slope lineae in equatorial regions of Mars
Alfred S. McEwen, Colin M. Dundas, Sarah S. Mattson, Anthony D. Toigo, Lujendra Ojha, James J. Wray, Matthew Chojnacki, Shane Byrne, Scott L. Murchie, Nicolas Thomas
2014, Nature Geoscience (7) 53-58
The presence of liquid water is a requirement of habitability on a planet. Possible indicators of liquid surface water on Mars include intermittent flow-like features observed on sloping terrains. These recurring slope lineae are narrow, dark markings on steep slopes that appear and incrementally lengthen during warm seasons on low-albedo...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for South Dakota
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2013-3084
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 South Dakota, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management,...
Histological assessment of organs in sexually mature and post-spawning steelhead trout and insights into iteroparity
Zachary L. Penney, Christine M. Moffitt
2014, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (24) 781-801
Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are anadromous and iteroparous, but repeat-spawning rates are generally low. Like other anadromous salmonids, steelhead trout fast during freshwater spawning migrations, but little is known about the changes that occur in vital organs and tissues. We hypothesized that fish capable of repeat-spawning would not undergo the...
Natural heat storage in a brine-filled solar pond in the Tully Valley of central New York
Brett Hayhurst, William M. Kappel
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1266
The Tully Valley, located in southern Onondaga County, New York, has a long history of unusual natural hydrogeologic phenomena including mudboils (Kappel, 2009), landslides (Tamulonis and others, 2009; Pair and others, 2000), landsurface subsidence (Hackett and others, 2009; Kappel, 2009), and a brine-filled sinkhole or “Solar pond” (fig. 1), which...
A GIS-based vulnerability assessment of brine contamination to aquatic resources from oil and gas development in eastern Sheridan County, Montana
Todd M. Preston, Tara L. Chesley-Preston, Joanna N. Thamke
2014, Science of the Total Environment (472) 1152-1162
Water (brine) co-produced with oil in the Williston Basin is some of the most saline in the nation. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), characterized by glacial sediments and numerous wetlands, covers the northern and eastern portion of the Williston Basin. Sheridan County, Montana, lies within the PPR and has a...
Using SPMDs for monitoring hydrophobic organic compounds in urban river water in Korea compared with using conventional water grab samples
Un-Jung Kim, Hee Young Kim, David A. Alvarez, In-Seok Lee, Jeong-Eun Oh
2014, Science of the Total Environment (470-471) 1537-1544
We aimed to verify the effectiveness of semi-permeablemembrane devices (SPMDs) formonitoring hydrophobic organic compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), that are not easy to detect using conventional grab samples (because of their low concentrations), in water.We used SPMDs and grab samples to monitor PCBs and...
What do data used to develop ground-motion prediction equations tell us about motions near faults?
David M. Boore
2014, Pure and Applied Geophysics (171) 3023-3043
A large database of ground motions from shallow earthquakes occurring in active tectonic regions around the world, recently developed in the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Center’s NGA-West2 project, has been used to investigate what such a database can say about the properties and processes of crustal fault zones. There are a...
Prey availability, consumption, and quality contribute to variation in growth of subyearling Chinook Salmon rearing in riverine and reservoir habitats
Kenneth F. Tiffan, John M. Erhardt, Scott J. St. John
2014, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (143) 219-229
We examined prey availability, prey consumed, and diet energy content as sources of variation in growth of natural fall Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha subyearlings rearing in riverine and reservoir habitats in the Snake River. Subyearlings in riverine habitat primarily consumed aquatic insects (e.g., Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera), of which a high proportion was...
Utilizing thin-film solid-phase extraction to assess the effect of organic carbon amendments on the bioavailability of DDT and dieldrin to earthworms
Natasha A. Andrade, Tiziana Centofanti, Laura L. McConnell, Cathleen J. Hapeman, Alba Torrents, Nguyen Anh, W. Nelson Beyer, Rufus L. Chaney, Jeffrey M. Novak, Marya O. Anderson, Keri B. Cantrell
2014, Environmental Pollution (185) 307-313
Improved approaches are needed to assess bioavailability of hydrophobic organic compounds in contaminated soils. Performance of thin-film solid-phase extraction (TF-SPE) using vials coated with ethylene vinyl acetate was compared to earthworm bioassay (Lumbricus terrestris). A DDT and dieldrin contaminated soil was amended with four organic carbon materials to assess the...
Mangrove expansion and saltmarsh decline at mangrove poleward limits
Neil Saintilan, Nicholas C. Wilson, Kerrylee Rogers, Anusha Rajkaran, Ken W. Krauss
2014, Global Ecology and Biogeography (20) 147-157
Mangroves are species of halophytic intertidal trees and shrubs derived from tropical genera and are likely delimited in latitudinal range by varying sensitivity to cold. There is now sufficient evidence that mangrove species have proliferated at or near their poleward limits on at least five continents over the past half...
Comparative recruitment dynamics of Alewife and Bloater in Lakes Michigan and Huron
Paris D. Collingsworth, David B. Bunnell, Charles P. Madenjian, Stephen C. Riley
2014, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (143) 294-309
The predictive power of recruitment models often relies on the identification and quantification of external variables, in addition to stock size. In theory, the identification of climatic, biotic, or demographic influences on reproductive success assists fisheries management by identifying factors that have a direct and reproducible influence on the population...
The integration of social-ecological resilience and law
Ahjond S. Garmestani, Craig R. Allen, J.B. Ruhl, Crawford S. Holling
Ahjond S. Garmestani, Craig R. Allen, editor(s)
2014, Book chapter, Social-ecological resilience and law
No abstract available....
Thresholds for conservation and management: structured decision making as a conceptual framework
James D. Nichols, Mitchell J. Eaton, Julien Martin
Glenn R. Guntenspergen, editor(s)
2014, Book, Application of threshold concepts in natural resource decision making
A conceptual framework is provided for considering the threshold concept in natural resource management and conservation. We define three kinds of thresholds relevant to management and conservation. Ecological thresholds are values of system state variables at which small changes bring about substantial or specified changes in system dynamics. They are frequently incorporated...
11.12 - Volatile hydrocarbons and fuel oxygenates
Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2014, Book chapter, Treatise on Geochemistry
Petroleum hydrocarbons and fuel oxygenates are among the most commonly occurring and widely distributed contaminants in the environment. This chapter presents a summary of the sources, transport, fate, and remediation of volatile fuel hydrocarbons and fuel additives in the environment. Much research has focused on the transport and transformation processes...
Tick control: Trapping, bio-control, host management and other alternative strategies
Howard S. Ginsberg
Daniel E. Sonenshine, R. Michael Roe, editor(s)
2014, Book chapter, Biology of ticks
Biology of Ticks is the most comprehensive work on tick biology and tick-borne diseases. This second edition is a multi-authored work, featuring the research and analyses of renowned experts across the globe. Spanning two volumes, the book examines the systematics, biology, structure, ecological adaptations, evolution, genomics and the molecular processes...
Alternative waste residue materials for passive in situ prevention of sulfide-mine tailings oxidation: A field evaluation
Peter Nason, Raymond H. Johnson, Clara Neuschutz, Lena Alakangas, Bjorn Ohlander
2014, Journal of Hazardous Materials (267) 245-254
Novel solutions for sulfide-mine tailings remediation were evaluated in field-scale experiments on a former tailings repository in northern Sweden. Uncovered sulfide-tailings were compared to sewage-sludge biosolid amended tailings over 2 years. An application of a 0.2 m single-layer sewage-sludge amendment was unsuccessful at preventing oxygen ingress to underlying tailings. It merely...
Sustainability of water-supply at military installations, Kabul Basin, Afghanistan
Thomas J. Mack, Michael P. Chornack, Ingrid M. Verstraeten
Igor Linkov, editor(s)
2014, Book chapter, Sustainable cities and military installations
The Kabul Basin, including the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, is host to several military installations of Afghanistan, the United States, and other nations that depend on groundwater resources for water supply. These installations are within or close to the city of Kabul. Groundwater also is the potable supply for the...
Use of natural and applied tracers to guide targeted remediation efforts in an acid mine drainage system, Colorado Rockies, USA
Rory Cowie, Mark W. Williams, Mike Wireman, Robert L. Runkel
2014, Water (6) 745-777
Stream water quality in areas of the western United States continues to be degraded by acid mine drainage (AMD), a legacy of hard-rock mining. The Rico-Argentine Mine in southwestern Colorado consists of complex multiple-level mine workings connected to a drainage tunnel discharging AMD to passive treatment ponds that discharge to...
“Our vanishing glaciers”: One hundred years of glacier retreat in Three Sisters Area, Oregon Cascade Range
James E. O’Connor
2014, Oregon Historical Society Quarterly (114) 402-427
In August 1910, thirty-nine members of the Mazamas Mountaineering Club ascended the peaks of the Three Sisters in central Oregon. While climbing, geologist Ira A. Williams photographed the surrounding scenery, including images of Collier Glacier. One hundred years later, U.S. Geological Survey research hydrologist Jim E. O’Connor matched those documented...
Debris flows: Behavior and hazard assessment
Richard M. Iverson
2014, Geology Today (30) 15-20
Debris flows are water-laden masses of soil and fragmented rock that rush down mountainsides, funnel into stream channels, entrain objects in their paths, and form lobate deposits when they spill onto valley floors. Because they have volumetric sediment concentrations that exceed 40 percent, maximum speeds that surpass 10 m/s, and...
Ecological and evolutionary consequences of benthic community stasis in the very deep sea (>1500 m)
Martin A. Buzas, Lee-Ann C. Hayek, Stephen J. Culver, Bruce W. Hayward, Lisa E. Osterman
2014, Paleobiology (40) 102-112
An enigma of deep-sea biodiversity research is that the abyss with its low productivity and densities appears to have a biodiversity similar to that of shallower depths. This conceptualization of similarity is based mainly on per-sample estimates (point diversity, within-habitat, or α-diversity). Here, we use a measure of between-sample within-community...
2012 National Park visitor spending effects: economic contributions to local communities, states, and the nation
Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Christopher C. Huber, Lynne Koontz
2014, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/EQD/NRR-2014/765
The National Park Service (NPS) manages the nation's most iconic destinations that attract millions of visitors from across the nation and around the world. Trip-related spending by NPS visitors generates and supports a considerable amount of economic activity within park gateway communities. This economic effects analysis measures how NPS visitor...
Geographic variability in elevation and topographic constraints on the distribution of native and nonnative trout in the Great Basin
Dana R. Warren, Jason B. Dunham, David Hockman-Wert
2014, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (143) 205-218
Understanding local and geographic factors influencing species distributions is a prerequisite for conservation planning. Our objective in this study was to model local and geographic variability in elevations occupied by native and nonnative trout in the northwestern Great Basin, USA. To this end, we analyzed a large existing data set...
Leave no trace in the outdoors
Jeffrey L. Marion
2014, Book
The essential guide for enjoying the outdoors without harming the environment. - Details the seven core principles of Leave No Trace ethics and practices - Covers hiking, campfires, food storage, and personal hygiene - Endorsed by the USDI National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and...
Deep-sea coral record of human impact on watershed quality in the Mississippi River Basin
Nancy G. Prouty, E. Brendan Roark, Alan E. Koenig, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Fabian C. Batista, Benjamin D. Kocar, David Selby, Matthew D. McCarthy, Furu Mienis
2014, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (28) 29-43
One of the greatest drivers of historical nutrient and sediment transport into the Gulf of Mexico is the unprecedented scale and intensity of land use change in the Mississippi River Basin. These landscape changes are linked to enhanced fluxes of carbon and nitrogen pollution from the Mississippi River, and persistent...
