Prioritization of constituents for national- and regional-scale ambient monitoring of water and sediment in the United States
Lisa D. Olsen, Joshua F. Valder, Janet M. Carter, John S. Zogorski
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5218
A total of 2,541 constituents were evaluated and prioritized for national- and regional-scale ambient monitoring of water and sediment in the United States. This prioritization was done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in preparation for the upcoming third decade (Cycle 3; 2013–23) of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program....
The geologic records of dust in the Quaternary
Daniel R. Muhs
2013, Aeolian Research (9) 3-48
Study of geologic records of dust composition, sources and deposition rates is important for understanding the role of dust in the overall planetary radiation balance, fertilization of organisms in the world’s oceans, nutrient additions to the terrestrial biosphere and soils, and for paleoclimatic reconstructions. Both glacial and non-glacial processes produce...
Whole rock geochemistry and grain-size analyses from sediment and rock near Tuba City Open Dump, Tuba City, Arizona
Raymond H. Johnson, Valerie K. Stucker, Robert Horton, James K. Otton
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1118
This report releases new information on grain-size distribution and whole rock geochemistry from samples collected in 2008 in and around Tuba City Open Dump, Tuba City, Arizona....
Reevaluation of lake trout and lake whitefish bioenergetics models
Charles P. Madenjian, Steve A. Pothoven, Yu-Chun Kao
2013, Journal of Great Lakes Research (39) 358-364
Using a corrected algorithm for balancing the energy budget, we reevaluated the Wisconsin bioenergetics model for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the laboratory and for lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in the laboratory and in the field. For lake trout, results showed that the bioenergetics model slightly overestimated food consumption by...
Greater sage-grouse winter habitat use on the eastern edge of their range
Christopher C. Swanson, Mark A. Rumble, Troy W. Grovenburg, Nicholas W. Kaczor, Robert W. Klaver, Katie M. Herman-Brunson, Jonathan A. Jenks, Kent C. Jensen
2013, Journal of Wildlife Management (77) 486-494
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) at the western edge of the Dakotas occur in the transition zone between sagebrush and grassland communities. These mixed sagebrush (Artemisia sp.) and grasslands differ from those habitats that comprise the central portions of the sage-grouse range; yet, no information is available on winter habitat selection...
Degassing of CO2, SO2, and H2S associated with the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska
Cynthia A. Werner, Peter J. Kelly, Michael P. Doukas, Taryn Lopez, Melissa Pfeffer, Robert G. McGimsey, Christina A. Neal
2013, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (259) 270-284
The 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska was particularly well monitored for volcanic gas emissions. We report 35 airborne measurements of CO2, SO2, and H2S emission rates that span from October 2008 to August 2010. The magmatic system degassed primarily as a closed system although minor amounts of open system...
Ground motions recorded in Rome during the April 2009 L’Aquila seismic sequence: site response and comparison with ground‐motion predictions based on a global dataset
Arrigo Caserta, David Boore, Antonio Rovelli, Aladino Govoni, Fabrizio Marra, Gieseppe Della Monica, Enzo Boschi
2013, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (103) 1860-1874
The mainshock and moderate‐magnitude aftershocks of the 6 April 2009 M 6.3 L’Aquila seismic sequence, about 90 km northeast of Rome, provided the first earthquake ground‐motion recordings in the urban area of Rome. Before those recordings were obtained, the assessments of the seismic hazard in Rome were based on intensity observations and theoretical...
Controls on dissolved organic carbon quantity and chemical character in temperate rivers of North America
Kevin W. Hanley, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Joseph Salisbury, Thomas G. Huntington, George R. Aiken
2013, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (27) 492-504
Understanding the processes controlling the transfer and chemical composition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in freshwater systems is crucial to understanding the carbon cycle and the effects of DOC on water quality. Previous studies have identified watershed-scale controls on bulk DOC flux and concentration among small basins but fewer studies...
Application of stable isotope ratio analysis for biodegradation monitoring in groundwater
Paul B. Hatzinger, J.K. Bohlke, Neil C. Sturchio
2013, Current Opinion in Biotechnology (24) 542-549
Stable isotope ratio analysis is increasingly being applied as a tool to detect, understand, and quantify biodegradation of organic and inorganic contaminants in groundwater. An important feature of this approach is that it allows degradative losses of contaminants to be distinguished from those caused by non-destructive processes such as dilution,...
Population size, survival, growth, and movements of Rana sierrae
Gary M. Fellers, Patrick M. Kleeman, David A. W. Miller, Brian J. Halstead, William A. Link
2013, Herpetologica (69) 147-162
Based on 2431 captures of 757 individual frogs over a 9-yr period, we found that the population of R. sierrae in one meadow–stream complex in Yosemite National Park ranged from an estimated 45 to 115 adult frogs. Rana sierrae at our relatively low elevation site (2200 m) grew at a...
Temporal variability of exchange between groundwater and surface water based on high-frequency direct measurements of seepage at the sediment-water interface
Donald O. Rosenberry, Rich W. Sheibley, Stephen E. Cox, Frederic W. Simonds, David L. Naftz
2013, Water Resources Research (49) 2975-2986
Seepage at the sediment-water interface in several lakes, a large river, and an estuary exhibits substantial temporal variability when measured with temporal resolution of 1 min or less. Already substantial seepage rates changed by 7% and 16% in response to relatively small rain events at two lakes in the northeastern...
Tectonic setting of the pebble and other copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry deposits within the evolving middle cretaceous continental margin of Northwestern North America
Richard J. Goldfarb, Eric Anderson, Craig J. Hart
2013, Economic Geology (108) 405-419
The Pebble Cu-Au-Mo deposit in southwestern Alaska, containing the largest gold resource of any known porphyry in the world, developed in a tectonic setting significantly different from that of the present-day. It is one of a series of metalliferous middle Cretaceous porphyritic granodiorite, quartz monzonite, and diorite bodies, evolved...
Recharge sources and residence times of groundwater as determined by geochemical tracers in the Mayfield Area, southwestern Idaho, 2011–12
Candice B. Hopkins
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5115
Parties proposing residential development in the area of Mayfield, Idaho are seeking a sustainable groundwater supply. During 2011–12, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, used geochemical tracers in the Mayfield area to evaluate sources of aquifer recharge and differences in groundwater residence time....
Geospace environment modeling 2008--2009 challenge: Dst index
L. Rastatter, M.M. Kuznetsova, A. Glocer, D. Welling, X. Meng, J. Raeder, M. Wittberger, V.K. Jordanova, Y. Yu, S. Zaharia, R.S. Weigel, S. Sazykin, R. Boynton, H. Wei, V. Eccles, W. Horton, M.L. Mays, J. Gannon
2013, Space Weather (11) 187-205
This paper reports the metrics-based results of the Dst index part of the 2008–2009 GEM Metrics Challenge. The 2008–2009 GEM Metrics Challenge asked modelers to submit results for four geomagnetic storm events and five different types of observations that can be modeled by statistical, climatological or physics-based models of the...
Microbial community responses to 17 years of altered precipitation are seasonally dependent and coupled to co-varying effects of water content on vegetation and soil C
Patrick O. Sorensen, Matthew J. Germino, Kevin P. Feris
2013, Soil Biology and Biochemistry (64) 155-163
Precipitation amount and seasonal timing determine the duration and distribution of water available for plant and microbial activity in the cold desert sagebrush steppe. In this study, we sought to determine if a sustained shift in the amount and timing of precipitation would affect soil microbial diversity, community composition, and...
Computed statistics at streamgages, and methods for estimating low-flow frequency statistics and development of regional regression equations for estimating low-flow frequency statistics at ungaged locations in Missouri
Rodney E. Southard
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5090
The weather and precipitation patterns in Missouri vary considerably from year to year. In 2008, the statewide average rainfall was 57.34 inches and in 2012, the statewide average rainfall was 30.64 inches. This variability in precipitation and resulting streamflow in Missouri underlies the necessity for water managers and users to...
Estimation of volume and mass and of changes in volume and mass of selected chat piles in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005-10
S. Jerrod Smith
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5011
From the 1890s through the 1970s the Picher mining district in northeastern Ottawa County, Oklahoma, was the site of mining and processing of lead and zinc ore. When mining ceased in about 1979, as much as 165–300 million tons of mine tailings, locally referred to as “chat,” remained in the...
Foraging area fidelity for Kemp's ridleys in the Gulf of Mexico
Donna J. Shaver, Kristen M. Hart, Ikuko Fujisaki, Cynthia Rubio, Autumn R. Sartain-Iverson, Jaime Peña, Patrick M. Burchfield, Daniel Gomez Gamez, Jaime Ortiz
2013, Ecology and Evolution (3) 2002-2012
For many marine species, locations of key foraging areas are not well defined. We used satellite telemetry and switching state-space modeling (SSM) to identify distinct foraging areas used by Kemp's ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) tagged after nesting during 1998–2011 at Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, USA (PAIS; N = 22),...
Reserve growth of oil and gas fields—Investigations and applications
Troy A. Cook
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5063
The reserve growth of fields has been a topic for ongoing discussion for over half a century and will continue to be studied well into the future. This is due to the expected size of the volumetric contribution of reserve growth to the future supply of oil and natural gas....
Complex spatial dynamics maintain northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) genetic diversity in a temporally varying landscape
David M. Mushet, Ned H. Euliss Jr., Yongjiu Chen, Craig A. Stockwell
2013, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (8) 163-175
In contrast to most local amphibian populations, northeastern populations of the Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) have displayed uncharacteristically high levels of genetic diversity that have been attributed to large, stable populations. However, this widely distributed species also occurs in areas known for great climatic fluctuations that should be reflected...
Hydrographic surveys of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers at selected bridges and through Bismarck, North Dakota, during the 2011 flood
Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch, Benjamin J. Dietsch
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5087
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and the North Dakota State Water Commission, completed hydrographic surveys at six Missouri River bridges and one Yellowstone River bridge during the 2011 flood of the Missouri River system. Bridges surveyed are located near the cities...
Efficacy of trap modifications for increasing capture rates of aquatic snakes in floating aquatic funnel traps
Brian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza
2013, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (8) 65-74
Increasing detection and capture probabilities of rare or elusive herpetofauna of conservation concern is important to inform the scientific basis for their management and recovery. The Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) is an example of a secretive, wary, and generally difficult-to-sample species about which little is known regarding its patterns of...
Analysis of 1997–2008 groundwater level changes in the upper Deschutes Basin, Central Oregon
Marshall W. Gannett, Kenneth E. Lite Jr.
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5092
Groundwater-level monitoring in the upper Deschutes Basin of central Oregon from 1997 to 2008 shows water-level declines in some places that are larger than might be expected from climate variations alone, raising questions regarding the influence of groundwater pumping, canal lining (which decreases recharge), and other human influences. Between the...
How does pedogenesis drive plant diversity?
Etienne Laliberte, James B. Grace, Michael A. Huston, Hans Lambers, Francois P. Teste, Benjamin L. Turner, David A. Wardle
2013, Trends in Ecology and Evolution (28) 331-340
Some of the most species-rich plant communities occur on ancient, strongly weathered soils, whereas those on recently developed soils tend to be less diverse. Mechanisms underlying this well-known pattern, however, remain unresolved. Here, we present a conceptual model describing alternative mechanisms by which pedogenesis (the process of soil formation) might...
Genomic patterns of introgression in rainbow and westslope cutthroat trout illuminated by overlapping paired-end RAD sequencing
Paul A. Hohenlohe, Mitch D. Day, Stephen J. Amish, Michael R. Miller, Nick Kamps-Hughes, Matthew C. Boyer, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Fred W. Allendorf, Eric A. Johnson, Gordon Luikart
2013, Molecular Ecology (22) 3002-3013
Rapid and inexpensive methods for genomewide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery and genotyping are urgently needed for population management and conservation. In hybridized populations, genomic techniques that can identify and genotype thousands of species-diagnostic markers would allow precise estimates of population- and individual-level admixture as well as identification of 'super...
