Evidence for 20th century climate warming and wetland drying in the North American Prairie Pothole Region
B. A. Werner, W. Carter Johnson, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
2013, Ecology and Evolution (3) 3471-3482
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is a globally important resource that provides abundant and valuable ecosystem goods and services in the form of biodiversity, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood attenuation, and water and forage for agriculture. Numerous studies have found these wetlands, which number in the millions,...
Nitrate Trends in Minnesota Rivers
Dave Wall, Dave Christopherson, Dave Lorenz, Gary Martin
2013, Book chapter, Nitrogen in Minnesota surface waters:
The objective of this study was to assess long-term trends (30 to 35 years) of flow-adjusted concentrations of nitrite+nitrate-N (hereinafter referred to as nitrate) in a way that would allow us to discern changing trends. Recognizing that these trends are commonly different from one river to another river and from...
Predicting invasion in grassland ecosystems: Is exotic dominance the real embarrassment of richness?
Eric Seabloom, Elizabeth Borer, Yvonne Buckley, Elsa E. Cleland, Kendi Davies, Jennifer Firn, W. Stanley Harpole, Yann Hautier, Eric M. Lind, Andrew MacDougall, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, Peter Adler, Juan Alberti, T. Michael Anderson, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori A. Biederman, Dana Blumenthal, Cynthia S. Brown, Lars A. Brudvig, Maria Caldeira, Cheng-Jin Chu, Michael J. Crawley, Pedro Daleo, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Carla M. D'Antonio, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Chris R. Dickman, Guozhen Du, Philip A. Fay, Paul Frater, Daniel S. Gruner, Nicole Hagenah, Andrew Hector, Aveliina Helm, Helmut Hillebrand, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Hope C. Humphries, Oscar Iribarne, Virginia L. Jin, Adam Kay, Kevin P. Kirkman, Julia A. Klein, Johannes M.H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Laura M. Ladwig, Lambrinos, G. John, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Qi Li, Wei Li, Rebecca McCulley, Brett Melbourne, Mitchell, E. Charles, Joslin L. Moore, John Morgan, Brent Mortensen, Lydia R. O’Halloran, Meelis Pärtel, Jesus Pascual, David A. Pyke, Anita C. Risch, Roberto Salguero-Gomez, Mahesh Sankaran, Martin Schuetz, Anna Simonsen, Melinda Smith, Carly Stevens, Lauren Sullivan, Glenda M. Wardle, Elizabeth M. Wolkovich, Peter D. Wragg, Justin Wright, Louie Yang
2013, Global Change Biology (19) 3677-3687
Invasions have increased the size of regional species pools, but are typically assumed to reduce native diversity. However, global-scale tests of this assumption have been elusive because of the focus on exotic species richness, rather than relative abundance. This is problematic because low invader richness can indicate invasion resistance by...
Creating potentiometric surfaces from combined water well and oil well data in the midcontinent of the United States
Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Philip H. Nelson
2013, Book, 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Expo: The Geological Society of America
For years, hydrologists have defined potentiometric surfaces using measured hydraulic-head values in water wells from aquifers. Down-dip, the oil and gas industry is also interested in the formation pressures of many of the same geologic formations for the purpose of hydrocarbon recovery. In oil and gas exploration, drillstem tests (DSTs)...
Characterization of cyanophyte biomass in a Bureau of Reclamation reservoir
Nancy S. Simon, Ahmad Abdul Ali, Kyle Michael Samperton, Charles S. Korson, Kris Fischer, Michael L. Hughes
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1156
The purpose of this study was to characterize the cyanophyte Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, (UKL) and, based on this description, explore uses for AFA, which would have commercial value. AFA collected from UKL in 2010 from eight sites during a period of approximately 2 weeks were...
Improving regression-model-based streamwater constituent load estimates derived from serially correlated data
Brent T. Aulenbach
2013, Journal of Hydrology (503) 55-66
A regression-model based approach is a commonly used, efficient method for estimating streamwater constituent load when there is a relationship between streamwater constituent concentration and continuous variables such as streamwater discharge, season and time. A subsetting experiment using a 30-year dataset of daily suspended sediment observations from the Mississippi River...
Evaluating greater sage-grouse seasonal space use relative to leks: Implications for surface use designations in sagebrush ecosystems
Michael L. Casazza, Peter S. Coates
2013, Journal of Wildlife Management (77) 1598-1609
The development of anthropogenic structures, especially those related to energy resources, in sagebrush ecosystems is an important concern among developers, conservationists, and land managers in relation to greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations. Sage-grouse are dependent on sagebrush ecosystems to meet their seasonal life-phase requirements, and research indicates that...
Is reduced benthic flux related to the Diporeia decline? Analysis of spring blooms and whiting events in Lake Ontario
James M. Watkins, Lars G. Rudstam, Darran L. Crabtree, Maureen Walsh
2013, Journal of Great Lakes Research (39) 395-403
Benthic monitoring by USGS off the southern shore of Lake Ontario from October 1993 to October 1995 provides a detailed view of the early stages of the decline of the native amphipod Diporeia. A loss of the 1994 and 1995 year classes of Diporeia preceded the disappearance of the native...
Gastric evacuation rate, index of fullness, and daily ration of Lake Michigan slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) and deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii)
Justin G. Mychek-Londer, David B. Bunnell
2013, Journal of Great Lakes Research (39) 327-335
Accurate estimates of fish consumption are required to understand trophic interactions and facilitate ecosystem-based fishery management. Despite their importance within the food-web, no method currently exists to estimate daily consumption for Great Lakes slimy (Cottus cognatus) and deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii). We conducted experiments to estimate gastric evacuation (GEVAC) and...
Development of a stock-recruitment model and assessment of biological reference points for the Lake Erie walleye fishery
Yingming Zhao, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Charles P. Madenjian
2013, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (33) 956-964
We developed an updated stock–recruitment relationship for Lake Erie Walleye Sander vitreus using the Akaike information criterion model selection approach. Our best stock–recruitment relationship was a Ricker spawner–recruit function to which spring warming rate was added as an environmental variable, and this regression model explained 39% of the variability in...
Spatial distribution of pelagic fish larvae in the northern main basin of Lake Huron
Edward F. Roseman, Timothy P. O’Brien
2013, Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management (16) 311-321
Larval fish occurrence in inshore and offshore zones in the northern main basin of Lake Huron was assessed during 2007 as part of a larger ecological examination of Lake Huron foodwebs and habitats. Day and night collections using neuston and conical nets at inshore (1.5–15 m depths) and offshore (37 and...
Habitat use of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York
James H. Johnson, Christopher C. Nack
2013, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (29) 1073-1079
American eel Anguilla rostrata populations are declining over much of their native range. Since American eels spend extended periods in freshwater, understanding their habitat requirements while freshwater residents is important for the management and conservation of this species. As there is little information on American eel habitat use in streams,...
A synthesized mating pheromone component increases adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) trap capture in management scenarios
Nicholas S. Johnson, Michael J. Siefkes, C. Michael Wagner, Heather Dawson, Huiyong Wang, Todd Steeves, Michael Twohey, Weiming Li
2013, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (70) 1101-1108
Application of chemical cues to manipulate adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) behavior is among the options considered for new sea lamprey control techniques in the Laurentian Great Lakes. A male mating pheromone component, 7a,12a,24-trihydroxy-3-one-5a-cholan-24-sulfate (3kPZS), lures ovulated female sea lamprey upstream into baited traps in experimental contexts with no odorant...
Moving across the border: Modeling migratory bat populations
Wiederholt Ruscena, Laura López-Hoffman, Jon Cline, Rodrigo Medellin, Paul M. Cryan, Amy Russell, Gary McCracken, Jay Diffendorfer, Darius J. Semmens
2013, Ecosphere (4)
The migration of animals across long distances and between multiple habitats presents a major challenge for conservation. For the migratory Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana), these challenges include identifying and protecting migratory routes and critical roosts in two countries, the United States and Mexico. Knowledge and conservation of bat...
Emergency assessment of post-fire debris-flow hazards for the 2013 Rim Fire, Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park, California
Dennis M. Staley
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1260
Wildfire can significantly alter the hydrologic response of a watershed to the extent that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. In this report, empirical models are used to predict the probability and magnitude of debris-flow occurrence in response to a 10-year rainstorm for the 2013...
Nitrate in the Mississippi River and its tributaries, 1980-2010: an update
Jennifer C. Murphy, Robert M. Hirsch, Lori A. Sprague
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5169
Nitrate concentration and flux were estimated from 1980 through 2010 at eight sites in the Mississippi River Basin as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). These estimates extend the results from a previous investigation that provided nitrate estimates from 1980 through 2008...
Injection-induced earthquakes
William L. Ellsworth
2013, Science (341) 142-143
Earthquakes in unusual locations have become an important topic of discussion in both North America and Europe, owing to the concern that industrial activity could cause damaging earthquakes. It has long been understood that earthquakes can be induced by impoundment of reservoirs, surface and underground mining, withdrawal of fluids and...
Tumors in sea turtles: The insidious menace of fibropapillomatosis
Thierry M. Work, George H. Balazs
2013, The Wildlife Professional (Fall 2013) 44-47
Early in July 2013, a colleague in New Caledonia reported the stranding of a green sea turtle on the far northwest of the island. The animal had washed up dead on a rocky beach with multiple large tumors on its neck and hind flippers. To all appearances, the turtle had...
Crustal structure and fault geometry of the 2010 Haiti earthquake from temporary seismometer deployments
Roby Douilly, Jennifer S. Haase, William L. Ellsworth, Marie-Paule Bouin, Eric Calais, Steeve J. Symithe, John G. Armbruster, Bernard Mercier de Lepinay, Anne Deschamps, Saint‐Louis Mildor, Mark E. Meremonte, Susan E. Hough
2013, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (103) 2305-2325
Haiti has been the locus of a number of large and damaging historical earthquakes. The recent 12 January 2010 Mw 7.0 earthquake affected cities that were largely unprepared, which resulted in tremendous losses. It was initially assumed that the earthquake ruptured the Enriquillo Plantain Garden fault (EPGF), a major active...
Groundwater contributions of flow, nitrate, and dissolved organic carbon to the lower San Joaquin River, California, 2006-08
Celia Zamora, Randy A. Dahlgren, Charles R. Kratzer, Bryan D. Downing, Ann D. Russell, Peter D. Dileanis, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Steven P. Phillips
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5151
The influence of groundwater on surface-water quality in the San Joaquin River, California, was examined for a 59-mile reach from the confluence with Salt Slough to Vernalis. The primary objective of this study was to quantify the rate of groundwater discharged to the lower San Joaquin River and the contribution...
Monitoring change in Great Salt Lake
David L. Naftz, Cory E. Angeroth, Michael L. Freeman, Ryan C. Rowland, Gregory Carling
2013, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (94) 289-296
Despite the ecological and economic importance of Great Salt Lake, only limited water quality monitoring has occurred historically. To change this, new monitoring stations and networks—gauges of lake level height and rate of inflow, moored buoys, and multiple lake-bottom sensors—will provide important information that can be used to make informed...
Migration and wintering areas of American Bitterns (Botaurus lentiginosus) that summer in central North America as determined by satellite and radio telemetry, 1998-2003
Guy Huschle, John E. Toepfer, David C. Douglas
2013, Waterbirds (36) 300-309
Twenty adult male American Bitterns (Botaurus lentiginosus) were marked on summer range in central North America with satellite tracking Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) to document migration routes and wintering range. Nineteen complete fall migration routes were documented for 17 individuals. Of the successful migrations, 63% (n = 12) went to...
Mineral Resource of the Month - Kyanite
Arnold O. Tanner
2013, Earth Magazine (58) 57-57
No abstract available...
Mineral Resource of the Month - Hafnium
George M. Bedinger
2013, Earth Magazine (58)
No abstract available...
Behaviors of southwestern native fishes in response to introduced catfish predators
David L. Ward, Chester R. Figiel Jr.
2013, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (4) 307-315
Native fishes reared in hatcheries typically suffer high predation mortality when stocked into natural environments. We evaluated the behavior of juvenile bonytail Gila elegans, roundtail chub Gila robusta, razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus, and Sonora sucker Catostomus insignis in response to introduced channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris....
