Survey of bats on Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, December 2011-April 2012
Joan C. Hagar, Tom Manning, Jenny Barnett
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1120
Bats are diverse and abundant in many ecosystems worldwide. They perform important ecosystem functions, particularly by consuming large quantities of insects (Cleveland and others, 2006; Jones and others, 2009; Kuhn and others, 2011). The importance of bats to biodiversity and to ecosystem integrity has been overlooked in many regions, largely...
Atomic weights of the elements 2011 (IUPAC Technical Report)
Michael E. Wieser, Norman Holden, Tyler B. Coplen, John K. Bohlke, Michael Berglund, Willi A. Brand, Paul De Bievre, Manfred Gröning, Robert D. Loss, Juris Meija, Takafumi Hirata, Thomas Prohaska, Ronny Schoenberg, Glenda O’Connor, Thomas Walczyk, Shige Yoneda, Xiang-Kun Zhu
2013, Pure and Applied Chemistry (85) 1047-1078
The biennial review of atomic-weight determinations and other cognate data has resulted in changes for the standard atomic weights of five elements. The atomic weight of bromine has changed from 79.904(1) to the interval [79.901, 79.907], germanium from 72.63(1) to 72.630(8), indium from 114.818(3) to 114.818(1), magnesium from 24.3050(6) to...
Bathymetric surveys of selected lakes in Missouri--2000-2008
Joseph M. Richards
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1101
Years of sediment accumulation and abnormally dry conditions in the Midwest in 1999 and 2000 led to the water level decline of many water-supply lakes in Missouri, and caused renewed interest in modernizing outdated area/volume tables for these lakes. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of...
The effect of increasing salinity and forest mortality on soil nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
Gregory B. Noe, Ken W. Krauss, B. Graeme Lockaby, William H. Conner, Cliff R. Hupp
2013, Biogeochemistry (114) 225-244
Tidal freshwater wetlands are sensitive to sea level rise and increased salinity, although little information is known about the impact of salinification on nutrient biogeochemistry in tidal freshwater forested wetlands. We quantified soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mineralization using seasonal in situ incubations of modified resin cores along spatial...
Arsenic and mercury in the soils of an industrial city in the Donets Basin, Ukraine
Kathryn M. Conko, Edward R. Landa, Allan Kolker, Kostiantyn Kozlov, Herman J. Gibb, Jose Centeno, Boris S. Panov, Yuri B. Panov
2013, Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal (22) 574-593
Soil and house dust collected in and around Hg mines and a processing facility in Horlivka, a mid-sized city in the Donets Basin of southeastern Ukraine, have elevated As and Hg levels. Surface soils collected at a former Hg-processing facility had up to 1300 mg kg−1 As and 8800 mg...
Bison grazing ecology at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado
Steve Germaine, Linda Zeigenfuss, Kathryn A. Schoenecker
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1112
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) National Wildlife Refuge reintroduced bison to a small pasture in 2007. Refuge managers needed information on the effects of bison grazing on vegetation communities in the bison pasture as well as information on how bison might affect other management priorities at RMA. In particular, RMA...
Improved estimates of filtered total mercury loadings and total mercury concentrations of solids from potential sources to Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington
Anthony J. Paulson, Kathleen E. Conn, John F. DeWild
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5081
Previous investigations examined sources and sinks of mercury to Sinclair Inlet based on historic and new data. This included an evaluation of mercury concentrations from various sources and mercury loadings from industrial discharges and groundwater flowing from the Bremerton naval complex to Sinclair Inlet. This report provides new data from...
Climate warming shifts carbon allocation from stemwood to roots in calcium-depleted spruce forests
Andrei Gennady Lapenis, Gregory B. Lawrence, Alexander Heim, Chengyang Zheng, Walter Shortle
2013, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (27) 101-107
Increased greening of northern forests, measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), has been presented as evidence that a warmer climate has increased both net primary productivity (NPP) and the carbon sink in boreal forests. However, higher production and greener canopies may accompany changes in carbon allocation that favor...
Nahcolite and halite deposition through time during the saline mineral phase of Eocene Lake Uinta, Piceance Basin, western Colorado
Ronald C. Johnson, Michael E. Brownfield
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1114
Halite and the sodium bicarbonate mineral nahcolite were deposited during the saline phase of Eocene Lake Uinta in the Piceance Basin, western Colorado. Variations in the area of saline mineral deposition through time were interpreted from studies of core and outcrop. Saline minerals were extensively leached by groundwater, so the...
Seawater circulation in sediments driven by interactions between seabed topography and fluid density
Leonard F. Konikow, M. Akhavan, C.D. Langevin, H.A. Michael, A.H. Sawyer
2013, Water Resources Research (49) 1386-1399
Measurements of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in coastal areas often show that the saltwater discharge component is substantially greater than the freshwater discharge. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain these high saltwater discharge values, including saltwater circulation driven by wave and tidal pumping, wave and tidal setup in intertidal...
Coal resources, reserves and peak coal production in the United States
Robert C. Milici, Romeo M. Flores, Gary D. Stricker
2013, International Journal of Coal Geology (113) 109-115
In spite of its large endowment of coal resources, recent studies have indicated that United States coal production is destined to reach a maximum and begin an irreversible decline sometime during the middle of the current century. However, studies and assessments illustrating coal reserve data essential for making accurate forecasts...
Procedure for calculating estimated ultimate recoveries of Bakken and Three Forks Formations horizontal wells in the Williston Basin
Troy A. Cook
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1109
Estimated ultimate recoveries (EURs) are a key component in determining productivity of wells in continuous-type oil and gas reservoirs. EURs form the foundation of a well-performance-based assessment methodology initially developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS; Schmoker, 1999). This methodology was formally reviewed by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists...
A USANS/SANS study of the accessibility of pores in the Barnett Shale to methane and water
Leslie F. Ruppert, Richard Sakurovs, Tomasz P. Blach, Lilin He, Yuri B. Melnichenko, David F. Mildner, Leo Alcantar-Lopez
2013, Energy & Fuels (27) 772-779
Shale is an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States. The gas is held in fine pores that need to be accessed by horizontal drilling and hydrofracturing techniques. Understanding the nature of the pores may provide clues to making gas extraction more efficient. We have investigated two...
Use of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) habitat models to predict breeding birds on the San Pedro River, Arizona
Tiffany Marie McFarland, Charles van Riper III
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1100
Successful management practices of avian populations depend on understanding relationships between birds and their habitat, especially in rare habitats, such as riparian areas of the desert Southwest. Remote-sensing technology has become popular in habitat modeling, but most of these models focus on single species, leaving their applicability to understanding broader...
Relation of watershed setting and stream nutrient yields at selected sites in central and eastern North Carolina, 1997-2008
Stephen L. Harden, Thomas F. Cuffney, Silvia Terziotti, Katharine R. Kolb
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5007
Data collected between 1997 and 2008 at 48 stream sites were used to characterize relations between watershed settings and stream nutrient yields throughout central and eastern North Carolina. The focus of the investigation was to identify environmental variables in watersheds that influence nutrient export for supporting the development and prioritization...
Visualizing flow fields using acoustic Doppler current profilers and the Velocity Mapping Toolbox
P. Ryan Jackson
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3028
The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide examples of how the U.S. Geological Survey is using acoustic Doppler current profilers for much more than routine discharge measurements. These instruments are capable of mapping complex three-dimensional flow fields within rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Using the Velocity Mapping Toolbox to...
Peak streamflows and runoff volumes for the Central United States, February through September, 2011
Robert R. Holmes Jr., Gregg J. Wiche, Todd A. Koenig, Steven K. Sando
2013, Professional Paper 1798-C
During 2011, excessive precipitation resulted in widespread flooding in the Central United States with 33 fatalities and approximately $4.2 billion in damages reported in the Souris/Red River of the North (Souris/Red) and Mississippi River Basins. At different times, beginning in late February 2011 and extending through September 2011, various rivers...
Trends in amphibian occupancy in the United States
M. J. Adams, David A.W. Miller, Erin Muths, Paul Stephen Corn, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Larissa L. Bailey, Gary M. Fellers, Robert N. Fisher, Walter J. Sadinski, Hardin Waddle, Susan C. Walls
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Though a third of amphibian species worldwide are thought to be imperiled, existing assessments simply categorize extinction risk, providing little information on the rate of population losses. We conducted the first analysis of the rate of change in the probability that amphibians occupy ponds and other comparable habitat features across...
Chronology from sediment cores collected in southwestern Everglades National Park, Florida
C.E. Bernhardt, G.L. Wingard, Debra A. Willard, M. E. Marot, B. Landacre, C. W. Holmes
2013, Open-File Report 2012-1275
Age model data are presented for 10 cores from the southwestern coastal mangrove zone of Everglades National Park, Florida, collected in Common Era (CE) 2004 and 2005 and used for paleoecological analysis. Carbon-14 (14C), lead-210 (210Pb), cesium-137 (137Cs), radium-226 (226Ra), and pollen biostratigraphic information is included, and age models were...
Impacts of migratory Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) on microbial water quality in the central Platte River, Nebraska, USA
Jason R. Vogel, Dale W. Griffin, Hon S. Ip, Nicholas J. Ashbolt, Matthew T. Moser, Jingrang Lu, Mary K. Beitz, Hodon Ryu, Jorge W. Santo Domingo
2013, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (224)
Wild birds have been shown to be significant sources of numerous types of pathogens that are relevant to humans and agriculture. The presence of large numbers of migratory birds in such a sensitive and important ecosystem as the Platte River in central Nebraska, USA, could potentially serve a significant source...
Surficial geologic map of the Mount Grace-Ashburnham-Monson-Webster 24-quadrangle area in central Massachusetts
Janet Radway Stone
2013, Open-File Report 2006-1260-I
The surficial geologic map shows the distribution of nonlithified earth materials at land surface in an area of 24 7.5-minute quadrangles (1,238 mi2 total) in central Massachusetts. Across Massachusetts, these materials range from a few feet to more than 500 ft in thickness. They overlie bedrock, which crops out in...
The northwest trending north Boquerón Bay-Punta Montalva Fault Zone; A through going active fault system in southwestern Puerto Rico
Coral Marie Howe, Eugenio Asencio, James Joyce
2013, Seismological Research Letters (84) 538-550
The North Boquerón Bay–Punta Montalva fault zone has been mapped crossing the Lajas Valley in southwest Puerto Rico. Identification of the fault was based upon detailed analysis of geophysical data, satellite images, and field mapping. The fault zone consists of a series of Cretaceous bedrock faults that reactivated and deformed...
Streamflow of 2012--Water Year Summary
Xiaodong Jian, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins, Steve Brady
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3026
The maps and graphs in this summary describe streamflow conditions for water year 2012 (October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012) in the context of the 83-year period from 1930 through 2012, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Streamflow...
Space can substitute for time in predicting climate-change effects on biodiversity
Jessica L. Blois, John W. Williams, Matthew C. Fitzpatrick, Stephen T. Jackson, Simon Ferrier
2013, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (110) 9374-9379
“Space-for-time” substitution is widely used in biodiversity modeling to infer past or future trajectories of ecological systems from contemporary spatial patterns. However, the foundational assumption—that drivers of spatial gradients of species composition also drive temporal changes in diversity—rarely is tested. Here, we empirically test the space-for-time assumption by constructing orthogonal...
White-nose syndrome in bats: Illuminating the darkness
Paul M. Cryan, Carol U. Meteyer, Justin G. Boyles, David S. Blehert
2013, BMC Biology (11)
Happy ten-year anniversary to BMC Biology! We can attest to the effectiveness of the journal in reaching a great diversity of scientists based on reader responses to our commentary [1] about bat white-nose syndrome (WNS) two years ago. WNS is still on course to rank among the most destructive wildlife...
