The landfall and inland penetration of a flood-producing atmospheric river in Arizona. Part I: observed synoptic-scale, orographic, and hydrometeorological characteristics
Paul J. Neiman, F. Martin Ralph, Benjamin J. Moore, Mimi Hughes, Kelly M. Mahoney, Jason M. Cordeira, Michael D. Dettinger
2013, Journal of Hydrometeorology (14) 460-484
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are a dominant mechanism for generating intense wintertime precipitation along the U.S. West Coast. While studies over the past 10 years have explored the impact of ARs in, and west of, California’s Sierra Nevada and the Pacific Northwest’s Cascade Mountains, their influence on the weather across the...
A national streamflow network gap analysis
Julie E. Kiang, David W. Stewart, Stacey A. Archfield, Emily B. Osborne, Ken Eng
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5013
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a gap analysis to evaluate how well the USGS streamgage network meets a variety of needs, focusing on the ability to calculate various statistics at locations that have streamgages (gaged) and that do not have streamgages (ungaged). This report presents the results of analysis...
Estimating thermal regimes of bull trout and assessing the potential effects of climate warming on critical habitats
Leslie A. Jones, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Lucy A. Marshall, Brian L. McGlynn, Jeffrey L. Kershner
2013, River Research and Applications (30) 204-216
Understanding the vulnerability of aquatic species and habitats under climate change is critical for conservation and management of freshwater systems. Climate warming is predicted to increase water temperatures in freshwater ecosystems worldwide, yet few studies have developed spatially explicit modelling tools for understanding the potential impacts. We parameterized a nonspatial...
Use of exposure history to identify patterns of immunity to pneumonia in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Raina K. Plowright, Kezia Manlove, E. Frances Cassirer, Thomas H. Besser, Peter J. Hudson
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Individual host immune responses to infectious agents drive epidemic behavior and are therefore central to understanding and controlling infectious diseases. However, important features of individual immune responses, such as the strength and longevity of immunity, can be challenging to characterize, particularly if they cannot be replicated or controlled in captive...
At-sea behavior varies with lunar phase in a nocturnal pelagic seabird, the swallow-tailed gull
Sebastian M. Cruz, Mevin Hooten, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Carolina B. Proano, David J. Anderson, Vsevolod Afanasyev, Martin Wikelski
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Strong and predictable environmental variability can reward flexible behaviors among animals. We used long-term records of activity data that cover several lunar cycles to investigate whether behavior at-sea of swallow-tailed gulls Creagrus furcatus, a nocturnal pelagic seabird, varied with lunar phase in the Galápagos Islands. A Bayesian hierarchical model showed...
Taming wildlife disease: bridging the gap between science and management
Maxwell B. Joseph, Joseph R. Mihaljevic, Ana Lisette Arellano, Jordan G. Kueneman, Paul C. Cross, Pieter T.J. Johnson
2013, Journal of Applied Ecology (50) 702-712
1.Parasites and pathogens of wildlife can threaten biodiversity, infect humans and domestic animals, and cause significant economic losses, providing incentives to manage wildlife diseases. Recent insights from disease ecology have helped transform our understanding of infectious disease dynamics and yielded new strategies to better manage wildlife diseases. Simultaneously, wildlife disease...
Inferential consequences of modeling rather than measuring snow accumulation in studies of animal ecology
Paul C. Cross, Robert W. Klaver, Angela Brennan, Scott Creel, Jon P. Beckmann, Megan D. Higgs, Brandon M. Scurlock
2013, Ecological Applications (23) 643-653
Abstract. It is increasingly common for studies of animal ecology to use model-based predictions of environmental variables as explanatory or predictor variables, even though model prediction uncertainty is typically unknown. To demonstrate the potential for misleading inferences when model predictions with error are used in place of direct measurements, we...
Fragmentation and thermal risks from climate change interact to affect persistence of native trout in the Colorado River basin
James Roberts, Kurt D. Fausch, Douglas P. Peterson, Mevin Hooten
2013, Global Change Biology (19) 1383-1398
Impending changes in climate will interact with other stressors to threaten aquatic ecosystems and their biota. Native Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT; Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus) are now relegated to 309 isolated high-elevation (>1700 m) headwater stream fragments in the Upper Colorado River Basin, owing to...
Spatial occupancy models for large data sets
Devin S. Johnson, Paul B. Conn, Mevin Hooten, Justina C. Ray, Bruce A. Pond
2013, Ecology (94) 801-808
Since its development, occupancy modeling has become a popular and useful tool for ecologists wishing to learn about the dynamics of species occurrence over time and space. Such models require presence–absence data to be collected at spatially indexed survey units. However, only recently have researchers recognized the need to correct...
Temporal variation and scale in movement-based resource selection functions
M.B. Hooten, E.M. Hanks, D.S. Johnson, M.W. Alldredge
2013, Statistical Methodology (17) 82-98
A common population characteristic of interest in animal ecology studies pertains to the selection of resources. That is, given the resources available to animals, what do they ultimately choose to use? A variety of statistical approaches have been employed to examine this question and each has advantages and disadvantages with...
Variation in body mass dynamics among sites in Black Brant Branta bernicla nigricans supports adaptivity of mass loss during moult
Thomas F. Fondell, Paul L. Flint, Joel A. Schmutz, Jason L. Schamber, Christopher A. Nicolai
2013, Ibis (155) 593-604
Birds employ varying strategies to accommodate the energetic demands of moult, one important example being changes in body mass. To understand better their physiological and ecological significance, we tested three hypotheses concerning body mass dynamics during moult. We studied Black Brant in 2006 and 2007 moulting at three sites in...
One hundred and six years of population and community dynamics of Sonoran Desert Laboratory perennials
Susana Rodriguez-Buritica, Helen Raichle, Robert H. Webb, Raymond M. Turner, Larry Venable
2013, Ecological Archives (94) 976-976
This data set constitutes all information associated with the Spalding-Shreve permanent vegetation plots from 1906 through 2012, which is the longest-running plant monitoring program in the world. The program consists of detailed maps of all Sonoran Desert perennial plants in 30 permanent plots located on Tumamoc Hill, near Tucson, Arizona,...
Field trial of a pulsed limestone diversion well
Philip L. Sibrell, C. Denholm, Margaret Dunn
2013, Conference Paper, 2nd Wyoming reclamation and restoration symposium and 30th annual meeting of the American society of mining and reclamation: Reclamation across industries
The use of limestone diversion wells to treat acid mine drainage (AMD) is well-known, but in many cases, acid neutralization is not as complete as would be desired. Reasons for this include channeling of the water through the limestone bed, and the slow reaction rate of the limestone gravel. A...
Concentration, flux, and the analysis of trends of total and dissolved phosphorus, total nitrogen, and chloride in 18 tributaries to Lake Champlain, Vermont and New York, 1990–2011
Laura Medalie
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5021
Annual concentration, flux, and yield for total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, total nitrogen, and chloride for 18 tributaries to Lake Champlain were estimated for 1990 through 2011 using a weighted regression method based on time, tributary streamflows (discharges), and seasonal factors. The weighted regression method generated two series of daily estimates...
Influence of richness and seeding density on invasion resistance in experimental tallgrass prairie restorations
Kristine T. Nemec, Craig R. Allen, Christopher J. Helzer, David A. Wedin
2013, Ecological Restoration (31) 168-185
In recent years, agricultural producers and non-governmental organizations and agencies have restored thousands of hectares of cropland to grassland in the Great Plains of the United States. However, little is known about the relationships between richness and seeding density in these restorations and resistance to invasive plant species. We assessed...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Wisconsin
William J. Carswell Jr.
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3032
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 Wisconsin, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply...
An individual-based model for population viability analysis of humpback chub in Grand Canyon
William Pine Pine III, Brian Healy, Emily Omana Smith, Melissa Trammell, Dave Speas, Rich Valdez, Mike Yard, Carl Walters, Rob Ahrens, Randy Vanhaverbeke, Dennis Stone, Wade Wilson
2013, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (33) 626-641
We developed an individual-based population viability analysis model (females only) for evaluating risk to populations from catastrophic events or conservation and research actions. This model tracks attributes (size, weight, viability, etc.) for individual fish through time and then compiles this information to assess the extinction risk of the population across...
Hydrogeology of the West Branch Delaware River basin, Delaware County, New York
Richard J. Reynolds
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5025
In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, began a study of the hydrogeology of the West Branch Delaware River (Cannonsville Reservoir) watershed. There has been recent interest by energy companies in developing the natural gas reserves that are trapped within...
Improving predictive power of physically based rainfall-induced shallow landslide models: a probablistic approach
S. Raia, M. Alvioli, M. Rossi, R.L. Baum, J. W. Godt, F. Guzzetti
2013, Geoscientific Model Development and Discussions (6) 1367-1426
Distributed models to forecast the spatial and temporal occurrence of rainfall-induced shallow landslides are deterministic. These models extend spatially the static stability models adopted in geotechnical engineering and adopt an infinite-slope geometry to balance the resisting and the driving forces acting on the sliding mass. An infiltration model is used...
In situ quantification of Br and Cl in minerals and fluid inclusions by LA-ICP-MS: a powerful tool to identify fluid sources
Johannes Hammerli, Brian Rusk, Carl Spandler, Poul Emsbo, Nicholas H.S. Oliver
2013, Chemical Geology (337-338) 75-87
Bromine and chlorine are important halogens for fluid source identification in the Earth's crust, but until recently we lacked routine analytical techniques to determine the concentration of these elements in situ on a micrometer scale in minerals and fluid inclusions. In this study, we evaluate the potential of in situ...
Resilience thinking and a decision-analytic approach to conservation: strange bedfellows or essential partners?
Fred A. Johnson, Byron K. Williams, James D. Nichols
2013, Ecology and Society (18)
There has been some tendency to view decision science and resilience theory as opposing approaches, or at least as contending perspectives, for natural resource management. Resilience proponents have been especially critical of optimization in decision science, at least for those cases where it is focused on the aggressive pursuit of...
Field survey and damage assessment of the Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of August 23, 2011
Helen R. Thomas, Katharine Turkle
2013, Open-File Report 2012-1198
The town of Mineral, Virginia (Va.), underwent an M=5.8 earthquake on August 23, 2011. A U.S. Geological Survey team was sent to visually inspect and document the damage in the cities of Richmond, Charlottesville, Louisa, and Mineral, Va. Our inspection concluded that the Modified Mercalli Intensity rating of moderate (V)...
Ecology of potential West Nile virus vectors in southeastern Louisiana: enzootic transmission in the relative absence of Culex quinquefasciatus
Marvin S. Godsey Jr., Raymond J. King, Kristen Burkhalter, Mark Delorey, Leah Colton, Dawn Charnetzky, Genevieve Sutherland, Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Lawrence A. Wilson, Michelle Coffey, Lesley E. Milheim, Viki G. Taylor, Charles Palmisano, Dawn M. Wesson, Stephen C. Guptill
2013, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (88) 986-996
A study of West Nile virus (WNV) ecology was conducted in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, from 2002 to 2004. Mosquitoes were collected weekly throughout the year using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps placed at 1.5 and 6 m above the ground and gravid traps. A total...
Monitoring and understanding changes in heat waves, cold waves, floods, and droughts in the United States: State of knowledge
Thomas C. Peterson, Richard R. Heim Jr., Robert M. Hirsch, Dale P. Kaiser, Harold Brooks, Noah S. Diffenbaugh, Randall M. Dole, Jason P. Giovannettone, Kristen Guirguis, Thomas R. Karl, Richard W. Katz, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Dennis P. Lettenmaier, Gregory J. McCabe, Christopher J. Paciorek, Karen R. Ryberg, BS Silva K Wolter, Siegfried Schubert, Viviane B. S. Silva, Brooke C. Stewart, Aldo V. Vecchia, Gabriele Villarini, Russell S. Vose, John Walsh, Michael Wehner, David Wolock, Klaus Wolter, Connie A. Woodhouse, Donald Wuebbles
2013, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (June 2013) 821-834
Weather and climate extremes have been varying and changing on many different time scales. In recent decades, heat waves have generally become more frequent across the United States, while cold waves have been decreasing. While this is in keeping with expectations in a warming climate, it turns out that decadal...
New perspectives on the geometry of the Albuquerque Basin, Rio Grande rift, New Mexico: Insights from geophysical models of rift-fill thickness
V. J. Grauch, Sean D. Connell
2013, Special Paper of the Geological Society of America (494) 427-462
Discrepancies among previous models of the geometry of the Albuquerque Basin motivated us to develop a new model using a comprehensive approach. Capitalizing on a natural separation between the densities of mainly Neogene basin fill (Santa Fe Group) and those of older rocks, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) geophysical model...
