Kinetics of viral load and erythrocytic inclusion body formation in pacific herring artificially infected with erythrocytic necrosis virus
Jolene A. Glenn, Eveline J. Emmenegger, Courtney A. Grady, Sean R. Roon, Jacob L. Gregg, Carla M. Conway, James R. Winton, Paul K. Hershberger
2012, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (24) 195-200
Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) is a condition that affects marine and anadromous fish species, including herrings and salmonids, in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Infection is frequently associated with severe anemia and causes episodic mortality among wild and hatchery fish when accompanied by additional stressors; VEN can be presumptively diagnosed...
Spatial and temporal trends of freshwater mussel assemblages in the Meramec River Basin, Missouri, USA
Jo Ellen Hinck, Stephen E. McMurray, Andrew D. Roberts, M. Christopher Barnhart, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Ning Wang, Tom Augspurger
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 319-331
The Meramec River basin in east-central Missouri has one of the most diverse unionoid mussel faunas in the central United States with >40 species identified. Data were analyzed from historical surveys to test whether diversity and abundance of mussels in the Meramec River basin (Big, Bourbeuse, and Meramec rivers, representing...
Determination of selenium in fish from designated critical habitat of the Gunnison River, Colorado, summer 2011
Thomas W. May, Michael J. Walther
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1235
This report presents results for the summer 2011 sampling of muscle plugs from common carps (Cyprinus Linnaeus), roundtail chub (Gila robusta), and bonytail chub (Gila elegans) inhabiting critical habitat in the Gunnison River in Western Colorado. Total selenium in fish muscle plugs was determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Total...
Hydrogeology and water quality of the Floridan aquifer system and effect of Lower Floridan aquifer pumping on the Upper Floridan aquifer, Pooler, Chatham County, Georgia, 2011–2012
Gerard Gonthier
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5249
Two test wells were completed in Pooler, Georgia, in 2011 to investigate the potential of using the Lower Floridan aquifer as a source of water for municipal use. One well was completed in the Lower Floridan aquifer at a depth of 1,120 feet (ft) below land surface; the other well...
Elevated streamflows increase dam passage by juvenile coho salmon during winter: Implications of climate change in the Pacific Northwest
Tobias J. Kock, Theresa L. Liedtke, Dennis W. Rondorf, John D. Serl, Mike Kohn, Karin A. Bumbaco
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 1070-1079
A 4-year evaluation was conducted to determine the proportion of juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch passing Cowlitz Falls Dam, on the Cowlitz River, Washington, during winter. River and reservoir populations of coho salmon parr were monitored using radiotelemetry to determine if streamflow increases resulted in increased downstream movement and dam...
Global exploration and production capacity for platinum-group metals from 1995 through 2015
David R. Wilburn
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5164
Platinum-group metals (PGMs) are required in a variety of commercial, industrial, and military applications for many existing and emerging technologies, yet the United States is highly dependent on foreign sources of PGMs. Information on global exploration for PGMs since 1995 has been used in this study as a basis for...
Byproduct metals and rare-earth elements used in the production of light-emitting diodes—Overview of principal sources of supply and material requirements for selected markets
David R. Wilburn
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5215
The use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is expanding because of environmental issues and the efficiency and cost savings achieved compared with use of traditional incandescent lighting. The longer life and reduced power consumption of some LEDs have led to annual energy savings, reduced maintenance costs, and lower emissions of carbon...
Bathymetry of the Hong and Luoc River Junction, Red River Delta, Vietnam, 2010
Paul J. Kinzel, Jonathan M. Nelson, Duong Duc Toan, Mung Dinh Thanh, Yasuyuki Shimizu
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3235
The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Water Resources University in Hanoi, Vietnam, conducted a bathymetric survey of the junction of the Hong and Luoc Rivers. The survey was done to characterize the channel morphology of this delta distributary network and provide input for hydrodynamic and sediment transport models....
Assessment of photographs from wildlife monitoring cameras in Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore, California
William A. Lellis, Carrie J. Blakeslee, Laurie K. Allen, Bruce F. Molnia, Susan D. Price, R. Sky Bristol, Brent Stewart
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1249
Between 2007 and 2010, National Park Service (NPS) staff at the Point Reyes National Seashore, California, collected over 300,000 photographic images of Drakes Estero from remotely operated wildlife monitoring cameras. The purpose of the systems was to obtain photographic data to help understand possible relationships between anthropogenic activities and Pacific...
Alluvial diamond resource potential and production capacity assessment of Guinea
Peter G. Chirico, Katherine C. Malpeli, Mark Van Bockstael, Mamadou Diaby, Kabinet Cisse, Thierno Amadou Diallo, Mahmoud Sano
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5256
In May of 2000, a meeting was convened in Kimberley, South Africa, by representatives of the diamond industry and leaders of African governments to develop a certification process intended to assure that export shipments of rough diamonds were free of conflict concerns. Outcomes of the meeting were formally supported later...
A comparative and experimental evaluation of performance of stocked diploid and triploid brook trout
Phaedra E. Budy, G.P. Thiede, A. Dean, D. Olsen, G. Rowley
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 1211-1224
Despite numerous negative impacts, nonnative trout are still being stocked to provide economically and socially valuable sport fisheries in western mountain lakes. We evaluated relative performance and potential differences in feeding strategy and competitive ability of triploid versus diploid brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis in alpine lakes, as well as behavioral...
Adaptive breeding habitat selection: Is it for the birds?
Anna D. Chalfoun, Kenneth A. Schmidt
2012, The Auk (129) 589-599
The question of why animals choose particular habitats has important implications for understanding behavioral evolution and distribution of organisms in the wild and for delineating between habitats of different quality for conservation and management. Habitats chosen by animals can influence fitness outcomes via the costs (e.g., predation risk) and benefits...
Constancy of local spread rates for buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare L.) in the Arizona Upland of the Sonoran Desert
Aaryn D. Olsson, Julio L. Betancourt, Michael A. Crimmins, Stuart E. Marsh
2012, Journal of Arid Environments (87) 136-143
In North American deserts, grass invasions threaten native vegetation via competition and altered fire regimes. Accurate prediction and successful mitigation of these invasions hinge on estimation of spread rates and their degree of constancy in time and space. We used high-resolution aerial photographs from 11 sites in the Santa Catalina...
Soil-water dynamics and unsaturated storage during snowmelt following wildfire
Brian A. Ebel, E.S. Hinckley, Deborah A. Martin
2012, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (16) 1401-1417
Many forested watersheds with a substantial fraction of precipitation delivered as snow have the potential for landscape disturbance by wildfire. Little is known about the immediate effects of wildfire on snowmelt and near-surface hydrologic responses, including soil-water storage. Montane systems at the rain-snow transition have soil-water dynamics that are further...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Aynak mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter E in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
2012, Data Series 709-E
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Badakhshan mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter F in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Scott A. Arko, Michelle L. Harbin
2012, Data Series 709-F
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
Modeling future conservation of Hawaiian Honeycreepers by mosquito management and translocation of disease-tolerant Amakihi
Peter H. F. Hobbelen, Michael D. Samuel, Dennis Lapointe, Carter T. Atkinson
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
Avian malaria is an important cause of the decline of endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers. Because of the complexity of this disease system we used a computer model of avian malaria in forest birds to evaluate how two proposed conservation strategies: 1) reduction of habitat for mosquito larvae and 2) establishment of...
Landscape consequences of natural gas extraction in Greene and Tioga Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004-2010
E.T. Slonecker, L.E. Milheim, C.M. Roig-Silva, G.B. Fisher
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1220
Increased demands for cleaner burning energy, coupled with the relatively recent technological advances in accessing unconventional hydrocarbon-rich geologic formations, have led to an intense effort to find and extract natural gas from various underground sources around the country. One of these sources, the Marcellus Shale, located in the Allegheny Plateau,...
Environmental fate model for ultra-low-volume insecticide applications used for adult mosquito management
Jerome J. Schleier III, Robert K.D. Peterson, Kathryn M. Irvine, Lucy M. Marshall, David K. Weaver, Collin J. Preftakes
2012, Science of the Total Environment (438) 72-79
One of the more effective ways of managing high densities of adult mosquitoes that vector human and animal pathogens is ultra-low-volume (ULV) aerosol applications of insecticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses models that are not validated for ULV insecticide applications and exposure assumptions to perform their human and ecological...
Phenology and duration of remigial moult in Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) and White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca) on the Pacific coast of North America
Rian D. Dickson, Daniel Esler, Jerry W. Hupp, E.M. Anderson, J.R. Evenson, J. Barrett
2012, Canadian Journal of Zoology (90) 932-944
By quantifying phenology and duration of remigial moult in Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata (L., 1758)) and White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca (L., 1758)), we tested whether timing of moult is dictated by temporal optima or constraints. Scoters (n = 3481) were captured during moult in Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington, and...
Understanding pesticides in California's Delta
Kathryn Kuivila, James L. Orlando
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3132
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) is the hub of California’s water system and also an important habitat for imperiled fish and wildlife. Aquatic organisms are exposed to mixtures of pesticides that flow through the maze of Delta water channels from sources including agricultural, landscape, and urban pest-control applications. While...
Tree mortality patterns following prescribed fire for Pinus and Abies across the southwestern United States
Philip J. van Mantgem, Jonathan C. B. Nesmith, MaryBeth Keifer, Matthew Brooks
2012, Forest Ecology and Management (289) 463-469
The reintroduction of fire to historically fire-prone forests has been repeatedly shown to reduce understory fuels and promote resistance to high severity fire. However, there is concern that prescribed fire may also have unintended consequences, such as high rates of mortality for large trees and fire-tolerant Pinus species. To test...
Evaluation of streambed scour at bridges over tidal waterways in Alaska
Jeffrey S. Conaway, Paul V. Schauer
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5245
The potential for streambed scour was evaluated at 41 bridges that cross tidal waterways in Alaska. These bridges are subject to several coastal and riverine processes that have the potential, individually or in combination, to induce streambed scour or to damage the structure or adjacent channel. The proximity of a...
Local and landscape associations between wintering dabbling ducks and wetland complexes in Mississippi
Aaron T. Pearse, Richard M. Kaminski, Kenneth J. Reinecke, Stephen J. Dinsmore
2012, Wetlands (32) 859-869
Landscape features influence distribution of waterbirds throughout their annual cycle. A conceptual model, the wetland habitat complex, may be useful in conservation of wetland habitats for dabbling ducks (Anatini). The foundation of this conceptual model is that ducks seek complexes of wetlands containing diverse resources to meet dynamic...
Reference hydrologic networks I. The status and potential future directions of national reference hydrologic networks for detecting trends
Paul H. Whitfield, Donald H. Burn, Jamie Hannaford, Helene Higgins, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Terry Marsh, Ulrich Looser
2012, Hydrological Sciences Journal (57) 1-18
Identifying climate-driven trends in river flows on a global basis is hampered by a lack of long, quality time series data for rivers with relatively undisturbed regimes. This is a global problem compounded by the lack of support for essential long-term monitoring. Experience demonstrates that, with clear strategic objectives, and...
