Strategies for soil quality assessment using VNIR gyperspectral spectroscopy in a western Kenya Chronosequence
Rintaro Kinoshita, Bianca N. Moebius-Clune, Harold M. van Es, W. Dean Hively, A. Volkan Bilgilis
2012, Soil Science Society of America Journal (76) 1776-1788
Visible and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (VNIRS) is a rapid and nondestructive method that can predict multiple soil properties simultaneously, but its application in multidimensional soil quality (SQ) assessment in the tropics still needs to be further assessed. In this study, VNIRS (350–2500 nm) was employed to analyze 227 air-dried soil...
Global trophic position comparison of two dominant mesopelagic fish families (Myctophidae, Stomiidae) using amino acid nitrogen isotopic analyses
C. Anela Choy, Peter C. Davison, Jeffrey C. Drazen, Adrian Flynn, Elizabeth J. Gier, Joel C. Hoffman, Jennifer P. McClain-Counts, Todd W. Miller, Brian N. Popp, Steve W. Ross, Tracey T. Sutton
2012, PLoS ONE (7) 1-8
The δ15N values of organisms are commonly used across diverse ecosystems to estimate trophic position and infer trophic connectivity. We undertook a novel cross-basin comparison of trophic position in two ecologically well-characterized and different groups of dominant mid-water fish consumers using amino acid nitrogen isotope compositions. We found that trophic...
Harvest and dynamics of duck populations
James S. Sedinger, Mark P. Herzog
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 1108-1116
The role of harvest in the dynamics of waterfowl populations continues to be debated among scientists and managers. Our perception is that interested members of the public and some managers believe that harvest influences North American duck populations based on calls for more conservative harvest regulations. A recent review of...
High-resolution geophysical data from the inner continental shelf—Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Seth D. Ackerman, Brian D. Andrews, David S. Foster, Wayne E. Baldwin, William C. Schwab
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1002
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have cooperated to map approximately 410 square kilometers (km²) of the inner continental shelf in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. This report contains geophysical data collected by the USGS on three cruises conducted in 2009, 2010, and 2011,...
Development of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission cloud-cover assessment algorithms
Pat Scaramuzza, M.A. Bouchard, John L. Dwyer
2012, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (50) 1140-1154
The upcoming launch of the Operational Land Imager (OLI) will start the next era of the Landsat program. However, the Automated Cloud-Cover Assessment (CCA) (ACCA) algorithm used on Landsat 7 requires a thermal band and is thus not suited for OLI. There will be a thermal instrument on the Landsat...
Credible occurrence probabilities for extreme geophysical events: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, magnetic storms
Jeffrey J. Love
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
Statistical analysis is made of rare, extreme geophysical events recorded in historical data -- counting the number of events $k$ with sizes that exceed chosen thresholds during specific durations of time $\tau$. Under transformations that stabilize data and model-parameter variances, the most likely Poisson-event occurrence rate, $k/\tau$, applies for frequentist...
Bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data collected in 2010 from Cat Island, Mississippi
Noreen A. Buster, William R. Pfeiffer, Jennifer L. Miselis, Jack L. Kindinger, Dana S. Wiese, B.J. Reynolds
2012, Data Series 739
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC), in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), conducted geophysical and sedimentological surveys around Cat Island, the westernmost island in the Mississippi-Alabama barrier island chain (fig. 1). The objectives of the study were...
Monitoring storm tide and flooding from Hurricane Isaac along the Gulf Coast of the United States, August 2012
Brian E. McCallum, Benton D. McGee, Dustin R. Kimbrow, Michael S. Runner, Jaime A. Painter, Eric R. Frantz, Anthony J. Gotvald
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1263
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed a temporary monitoring network of water-level and barometric pressure sensors at 127 locations along the gulf coast from Alabama to Louisiana to record the timing, areal extent, and magnitude of hurricane storm tide and coastal flooding generated by Hurricane Isaac. This deployment was undertaken...
Expansion of an exotic species and concomitant disease outbreaks: Pigeon paramyxovirus in free-ranging Eurasian collared doves
Krysten L. Schuler, David E. Green, Anne E. Justice-Allen, Rosemary Jaffe, Mark Cunningham, Nancy J. Thomas, Marilyn G. Spalding, S. Ip
2012, EcoHealth (9) 163-170
Eurasian collared doves (Streptopelia decaocto) have expanded their range across the United States since their introduction several decades ago. Recent mortality events in Eurasian collared doves in Arizona and Montana, USA, during the winter of 2009–2010 were the result of pigeon paramyxovirus (PPMV), a novel disease...
A low-cost method to measure the timing of post-fire flash floods and debris flows relative to rainfall
Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Robert J. Leeper, Kevin Michael Schmidt, Joseph E. Gartner
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Data on the specific timing of post-fire flash floods and debris flows are very limited. We describe a method to measure the response times of small burned watersheds to rainfall using a low-cost pressure transducer, which can be installed quickly after a fire. Although the pressure transducer is not designed...
GeoChip-based analysis of microbial functional gene diversity in a landfill leachate-contaminated aquifer
Zhenmei Lu, Zhili He, Victoria A. Parisi, Sanghoon Kang, Ye Deng, Joy D. Van Nostrand, Jason R. Masoner, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Joseph M. Suflita, Jizhong Zhou
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 5824-5833
The functional gene diversity and structure of microbial communities in a shallow landfill leachate-contaminated aquifer were assessed using a comprehensive functional gene array (GeoChip 3.0). Water samples were obtained from eight wells at the same aquifer depth immediately below a municipal landfill or along the predominant downgradient groundwater flowpath. Functional...
Genetic analysis of a novel nidovirus from fathead minnows
William N. Batts, Andrew E. Goodwin, James R. Winton
2012, Journal of General Virology (93) 1247-1252
A bacilliform virus was isolated from diseased fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Analysis of the complete genome coding for the polyprotein (pp1ab), spike (S), membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins revealed that the virus was most like white bream virus (WBV), another bacilliform virus isolated from white bream (Blicca bjoerkna L.) and...
Transcriptional profiling of the parr–smolt transformation in Atlantic salmon
Laura S. Robertson, Stephen D. McCormick
2012, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part D: Genomics and Proteomics (7) 351-360
The parr–smolt transformation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a complex developmental process that culminates in the ability to migrate to and live in seawater. We used GRASP 16K cDNA microarrays to identify genes that are differentially expressed in the liver, gill, hypothalamus, pituitary, and olfactory rosettes of smolts compared...
Influence of water temperature on rainbow smelt spawning and early life history dynamics in St. Martin Bay, Lake Huron
Timothy P. O’Brien, William W. Taylor, Andrew S. Briggs, Edward F. Roseman
2012, Journal of Great Lakes Research (38) 776-785
Rainbow smelt are an important prey species for native and introduced salmonines in the Great Lakes. In Lake Huron, rainbow smelt populations are characterized by variable recruitment and year-class strength. To understand the influence of water temperature on reproduction, growth, and survival during larval-fish stages, we sampled spawning tributaries and...
Carbon dioxide stripping in aquaculture -- part II: development of gas transfer models
John Colt, Barnaby Watten, Tim Pfeiffer
2012, Aquacultural Engineering (47) 38-46
The basic mass transfer equation for gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide can be derived from integration of the driving force equation. Because of the physical characteristics of the gas transfer processes, slightly different models are used for aerators tested under the non steady-state procedures, than for packed columns,...
Status and trends in the fish community of Lake Superior, 2012
Owen T. Gorman, Lori M. Evrard, Gary A. Cholwek, Mark Vinson
2012, Report
The Great Lakes Science Center has conducted daytime nearshore bottom trawl surveys of Lake Superior (15-80 m bathymetric depth zone) each spring since 1978 and an offshore survey (>80 m) since 2011 to provide long-term trends of relative abundance and biomass of the fish community. In 2012, 72 nearshore and...
Summary of suspended-sediment concentration data, San Francisco Bay, California, water year 2009
Paul A. Buchanan, Tara L. Morgan
2012, Data Series 744
Suspended-sediment concentration data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in San Francisco Bay during water year 2009 (October 1, 2008–September 30, 2009). Optical sensors and water samples were used to monitor suspended-sediment concentration at two sites in Suisun Bay, one site in San Pablo Bay, two sites in Central...
Data from a thick unsaturated zone in Joshua Tree, San Bernardino County, California, 2007--09
Matthew Burgess, John Izbicki, Nicholas Teague, David R. O’Leary, Dennis Clark, Michael Land
2012, Data Series 717
Data were collected on the physical properties of unsaturated alluvial deposits, the chemical composition of leachate extracted from unsaturated alluvial deposits, the chemical and isotopic composition of groundwater and unsaturated-zone water, and the chemical composition of unsaturated-zone gas at four monitoring sites in the southwestern part of the Mojave Desert...
Simulating the effect of climate extremes on groundwater flow through a lakebed
Makhan L. Virdi, Terrie M. Lee, Amy Swancar, Richard G. Niswonger
2012, Ground Water (51) 203-218
Groundwater exchanges with lakes resulting from cyclical wet and dry climate extremes maintain lake levels in the environment in ways that are not well understood, in part because they remain difficult to simulate. To better understand the atypical groundwater interactions with lakes caused by climatic extremes, an original conceptual approach...
Parasites of fishes in the Colorado River and selected tributaries in Grand Canyon, Arizona.
Rebecca A. Cole, Mauritz C. Sterner, Chad Linder, Timothy L. Hoffnagle, Bill Persons, Anindo Choudhury, Roger Haro
2012, Journal of Parasitology (98) 117-127
As part of the endangered humpback chub (HBC; Gila cypha) Adaptive Management Program, a parasite survey was conducted from 28 June to 17 July 2006 in 8 tributaries and 7 adjacent sections of the main stem of the Colorado River, U.S.A. In total, 717 fish were caught, including 24 HBC....
The role of the U.S. Geological Survey in Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting in Illinois, 1984-2010
Kevin K. Johnson, James J. Duncker, P. Ryan Jackson
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1243
The State of Illinois' annual withdrawl from Lake Michigan is limited by a U.S. Supreme Court decree. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for monitoring flows in the Chicago area waterway system (CAWS) as part of the Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting (LMDA) overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of...
Potential climate-induced runoff changes and associated uncertainty in four Pacific Northwest estuaries
Madeline O. Steele, Heejun Chang, Deborah A. Reusser, Cheryl A. Brown, Il-Won Jung
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1274
As part of a larger investigation into potential effects of climate change on estuarine habitats in the Pacific Northwest, we estimated changes in freshwater inputs into four estuaries: Coquille River estuary, South Slough of Coos Bay, and Yaquina Bay in Oregon, and Willapa Bay in Washington. We used the U.S....
Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Lisa H. Nowell, Amy S. Ludtke, David K. Mueller, Jonathon C. Scott
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5228
Beach water and sediment samples were collected along the Gulf of Mexico coast to assess differences in contaminant concentrations before and after landfall of Macondo-1 well oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from the sinking of the British Petroleum Corporation's Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. Samples were collected at 70...
Shipboard surveys track magnetic sources in marine sediments--geophysical studies of the Stono and North Edisto Inlets near Charleston, South Carolina
Anjana K. Shah, M. Scott Harris
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1112
Magnetic field data are traditionally used to analyze igneous and metamorphic rocks, but recent efforts have shown that magnetic sources within sediments may be detectable, suggesting new applications for high-resolution magnetic field surveys. Candidates for sedimentary sources include heavy mineral sand concentrations rich in magnetite or hematite, alteration-induced glauconite, or...
Flood of September 13-16, 2008, in northeastern Illinois
David J. Fazio, Jennifer B. Sharpe
2012, Data Series 726
Major flooding occurred in northeastern Illinois during September 13–16, 2008, following extended storm activity. Rainfall recorded at select Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), National Weather Service (NWS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) rain gages in northeastern Illinois, ranged from 2.39 to 10.51 inches throughout a 51-hour period during September 12–14,...
