Spatial ecology of refuge selection by an herbivore under risk of predation
Tammy L. Wilson, Andrew P. Rayburn, Thomas C. Edwards Jr.
2012, Ecosphere (3)
Prey species use structures such as burrows to minimize predation risk. The spatial arrangement of these resources can have important implications for individual and population fitness. For example, there is evidence that clustered resources can benefit individuals by reducing predation risk and increasing foraging opportunity concurrently, which leads to higher...
Regional moisture balance control of landslide motion: implications for landslide forecasting in a changing climate
Jeffrey A. Coe
2012, Geology (40) 323-326
I correlated 12 years of annual movement of 18 points on a large, continuously moving, deep-seated landslide with a regional moisture balance index (moisture balance drought index, MBDI). I used MBDI values calculated from a combination of historical precipitation and air temperature data from A.D. 1895 to 2010, and downscaled...
Rotenone persistence model for montane streams
Peter J. Brown, Alexander V. Zale
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 560-569
The efficient and effective use of rotenone is hindered by its unknown persistence in streams. Environmental conditions degrade rotenone, but current label instructions suggest fortifying the chemical along a stream based on linear distance or travel time rather than environmental conditions. Our objective was to develop models that use measurements...
Analysis of streamflow-gaging network for monitoring stormwater in small streams in the Puget Sound Basin, Washington
Christopher P. Konrad, Frank D. Voss
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5020
The streamflow-gaging network in the Puget Sound basin was analyzed for its capacity to monitor stormwater in small streams. The analysis consisted of an inventory of active and inactive gages and an evaluation of the coverage and resolution of the gaging network with an emphasis on lowland areas. The active...
Flood-inundation maps for Peachtree Creek from the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge to the Moores Mill Road NW bridge, Atlanta, Georgia
Jonathan W. Musser
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3189
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5.5-mile reach of the Peachtree Creek from the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge to the Moores Mill Road NW bridge, were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Atlanta, Georgia. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS...
Magnitude of flood flows for selected annual exceedance probabilities in Rhode Island through 2010
Phillip J. Zarriello, Elizabeth A. Ahearn, Sara B. Levin
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5109
Heavy persistent rains from late February through March 2010 caused severe widespread flooding in Rhode Island that set or nearly set record flows and water levels at many long-term streamgages in the State. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, conducted a study...
Explaining differences between bioaccumulation measurements in laboratory and field data through use of a probabilistic modeling approach
Henriette Selck, Ken Drouillard, Karen Eisenreich, Albert A. Koelmans, Annemette Palmqvist, Anders Ruus, Daniel Salvito, Irv Schultz, A. Robin Stewart, Annie Weisbrod, Nico W. van den Brink, Martine van den Heuvel-Greve
2012, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (8) 42-63
In the regulatory context, bioaccumulation assessment is often hampered by substantial data uncertainty as well as by the poorly understood differences often observed between results from laboratory and field bioaccumulation studies. Bioaccumulation is a complex, multifaceted process, which calls for accurate error analysis. Yet, attempts to quantify and compare propagation...
Northern California Redwood Forests provide important seasonal habitat for migrant bats
Theodore J. Weller, Craig A. Stricker
Richard B. Standiford, Theodore J. Weller, Douglas J. Piirto, John D. Stuart, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Proceedings of coast redwood forests in a changing California: A symposium for scientists and managers; General Technical Report PSW-GTR-238
Progress report for project modeling Arctic barrier island-lagoon system response to projected Arctic warming
Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Bruce M. Richmond, Curt D. Storlazzi, Benjamin M. Jones
2012, Report
Changes in Arctic coastal ecosystems in response to global warming may be some of the most severe on the planet. A better understanding and analysis of the rates at which these changes are expected to occur over the coming decades is crucial in order to delineate high-priority areas that are...
Use of vertical temperature gradients for prediction of tidal flat sediment characteristics
Jennifer L. Miselis, K. Todd Holland, Allen H. Reed, Andrei Abelev
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (117) C03012-C03023
Sediment characteristics largely govern tidal flat morphologic evolution; however, conventional methods of investigating spatial variability in lithology on tidal flats are difficult to employ in these highly dynamic regions. In response, a series of laboratory experiments was designed to investigate the use of temperature diffusion toward sediment characterization. A vertical...
Bathymetric contours of Breckenridge Reservoir, Quantico, Virginia
S.M. Wicklein, R.R. Lotspeich, R.B. Banks III
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3213
Breckenridge Reservoir, built in 1938, is fed by Chopawamsic Creek and South Branch Chopawamsic Creek. The Reservoir is a main source of drinking water for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Base in Quantico, Virginia. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the USMC, conducted a bathymetric survey of Breckenridge...
Vulnerability of recently recharged groundwater in principal aquifers of the United States to nitrate contamination
Jason J. Gurdak, Sharon L. Qi
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 6004-6012
Recently recharged water (defined here as <60 years old) is generally the most vulnerable part of a groundwater resource to nonpoint-source nitrate contamination. Understanding at the appropriate scale the interactions of natural and anthropogenic controlling factors that influence nitrate occurrence in recently recharged groundwater is critical to support best management...
Flood-inundation maps for the St. Marys River at Fort Wayne, Indiana
Chad D. Menke, Moon H. Kim, Kathleen K. Fowler
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3205
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9-mile reach of the St. Marys River that extends from South Anthony Boulevard to Main Street at Fort Wayne, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Fort Wayne. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the...
Endocrine disrupting chemicals in Minnesota lakes - Water-quality and hydrological data from 2008 and 2010
Larry B. Barber, Jeffrey H. Writer, Steffanie K. Keefe, Greg K. Brown, Mark L. Ferrey, Nathan D. Jahns, Richard L. Kiesling, James R. Lundy, Beth H. Poganski, Donald O. Rosenberry, Howard E. Taylor, Olivia P. Woodruff, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1124
Understanding the sources, fate, and effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in aquatic ecosystems is important for water-resource management. This study was conducted during 2008 and 2010 to establish a framework for assessing endocrine disrupting chemicals, and involved a statewide survey of their occurrence in 14 Minnesota lakes and a targeted...
Life at the hyperarid margin: novel bacterial diversity in arid soils of the Atacama Desert, Chile
Julia W. Neilson, Jay Quade, Marianyoly Ortiz, William M. Nelson, Antje Legatzki, Fei Tian, Michelle LaComb, Julio L. Betancourt, Rod A. Wing, Carol A. Soderlund, Raina M. Maier
2012, Extremophiles (16) 553-566
Nearly half the earth's surface is occupied by dryland ecosystems, regions susceptible to reduced states of biological productivity caused by climate fluctuations. Of these regions, arid zones located at the interface between vegetated semiarid regions and biologically unproductive hyperarid zones are considered most vulnerable. The objective of this study was...
Variance of discharge estimates sampled using acoustic Doppler current profilers from moving boats
Carlos M. Garcia, Leticia Tarrab, Kevin Oberg, Ricardo Szupiany, Mariano I. Cantero
2012, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
This paper presents a model for quantifying the random errors (i.e., variance) of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) discharge measurements from moving boats for different sampling times. The model focuses on the random processes in the sampled flow field and has been developed using statistical methods currently available for uncertainty...
Downscaling future climate scenarios to fine scales for hydrologic and ecological modeling and analysis
Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint
2012, Ecological Processes (1)
Introduction Evaluating the environmental impacts of climate change on water resources and biological components of the landscape is an integral part of hydrologic and ecological investigations, and the resultant land and resource management in the twenty-first century. Impacts of both climate and simulated hydrologic parameters on ecological processes are relevant at...
Steroid hormone runoff from agricultural test plots applied with municipal biosolids
Yun-Ya Yang, James L. Gray, Edward T. Furlong, Jessica G. Davis, Rhiannon C. ReVollo, Thomas Borch
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 2746-2754
The potential presence of steroid hormones in runoff from sites where biosolids have been used as agricultural fertilizers is an environmental concern. A study was conducted to assess the potential for runoff of seventeen different hormones and two sterols, including androgens, estrogens, and progestogens from agricultural test plots. The field...
Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus is not the cause of thiamine deficiency impeding lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) recruitment in the Great Lakes
Catherine A. Richter, Allison N. Evans, Maureen K. Wright-Osment, James L. Zajicek, Scott A. Heppell, Stephen C. Riley, Charles C. Krueger, Donald E. Tillitt
2012, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (69) 1056-1064
Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency is a global concern affecting wildlife, livestock, and humans. In Great Lakes salmonines, thiamine deficiency causes embryo mortality and is an impediment to restoration of native lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) stocks. Thiamine deficiency in fish may result from a diet of prey with high levels of...
Assessing fish predation on migrating juvenile steelhead and a retrospective comparison to steelhead survival through the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project, Columbia River, Washington, 2009-11
Jill M. Hardiman, Timothy D. Counihan, Dave S. Burgess, Katrina E. Simmons, Glen S. Holmberg, Josh Rogala, Rochelle Polacek
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1129
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have been working with the Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, Washington (Grant PUD), to increase their understanding of predator-prey interactions in the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project (PRP), Columbia River, Washington. For this study,...
A climate trend analysis of Chad
Christopher C. Funk, Jim Rowland, Alkhalil Adoum, Gary Eilerts, Libby White
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3070
This brief report, drawing from a multi-year effort by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), identifies significant decreases in rainfall and increases in air temperature across Chad, especially in the eastern part of the country. These analyses are based on quality-controlled station...
Assessing native and introduced fish predation on migrating juvenile salmon in Priest Rapids and Wanapum Reservoirs, Columbia River, Washington, 2009--11
Timothy D. Counihan, Jill M. Hardiman, Dave S. Burgess, Katrina E. Simmons, Glen S. Holmberg, Josh A. Rogala, Rochelle R. Polacek
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1130
Hydroelectric development on the mainstem Columbia River has created a series of impoundments that promote the production of native and non-native piscivores. Reducing the effects of fish predation on migrating juvenile salmonids has been a major component of mitigating the effects of hydroelectric development in the Columbia River basin. Extensive...
Frequency-dependent attenuation of the Hispaniola Island region of the Caribbean Sea
D. McNamara, M. Meremonte, J.Z. Maharrey, S-L. Mildor, J.R. Altidore, D. Anglade, S. E. Hough, D. Given, H. Benz, L. Gee, A. Frankel
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 773-782
We determine frequency-dependent attenuation 1/Q(f) for the Hispaniola region using direct S and Lg waves over five distinct passbands from 0.5 to 16 Hz. Data consist of 832 high-quality vertical and horizontal component waveforms recorded on short-period and broadband seismometers from the devastating 12 January 2010 M 7.0 Haiti earthquake...
Effects of trophic level and metamorphosis on discrimination of hydrogen isotopes in a plant-herbivore system
Jacob M. Peters, Nathan Wolf, Craig A. Stricker, Timothy R. Collier, Carlos Martinez del Rio
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
The use of stable isotopes in ecological studies requires that we know the magnitude of discrimination factors between consumer and element sources. The causes of variation in discrimination factors for carbon and nitrogen have been relatively well studied. In contrast, the discrimination factors for hydrogen have rarely been measured. We...
234U/238U isotope data from groundwater and solid-phase leachate samples near Tuba City Open Dump, Tuba City, Arizona
Raymond H. Johnson, Robert Horton, James K. Otton, Michael K. Ketterer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1126
This report releases 234U/238U isotope data, expressed as activity ratios, and uranium concentration data from analyses completed at Northern Arizona University for groundwater and solid-phase leachate samples that were collected in and around Tuba City Open Dump, Tuba City, Arizona, in 2008....
