Constraints on the history and topography of the Northeastern Sierra Nevada from a Neogene sedimentary basin in the Reno-Verdi area, Western Nevada
James Trexler, Patricia Cashman, Michael Cosca
2012, Geosphere (8) 548-561
Neogene (Miocene–Pliocene) sedimentary rocks of the northeastern Sierra Nevada were deposited in small basins that formed in response to volcanic and tectonic activity along the eastern margin of the Sierra. These strata record an early phase (ca. 11–10 Ma) of extension and rapid sedimentation of boulder conglomerates and debrites deposited...
Thresholds of flow-induced bed disturbances and their effects on stream metabolism in an agricultural river
Ben L. O’Connor, Judson W. Harvey, Lauren E. McPhillips
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Storm-driven flow pulses in rivers destroy and restructure sediment habitats that affect stream metabolism. This study examined thresholds of bed disturbances that affected patch- and reach-scale sediment conditions and metabolism rates. A 4 year record of discharge and diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations (ΔDO) was analyzed for disturbances and...
Example applications of a stochastic gound motion simulation methodology in strutural engineering
S. Rezaeian, N. Luco
2012, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (15WCEE), Lisbon, Portugal, September 24-28
Deep Arctic Ocean warming during the last glacial cycle
T. M. Cronin, G. S. Dwyer, J. Farmer, H.A. Bauch, R.F. Spielhagen, M. Jakobsson, J. Nilsson, W. M. Briggs Jr., A. Stepanova
2012, Nature Geoscience (5) 631-634
In the Arctic Ocean, the cold and relatively fresh water beneath the sea ice is separated from the underlying warmer and saltier Atlantic Layer by a halocline. Ongoing sea ice loss and warming in the Arctic Ocean have demonstrated the instability of the halocline, with implications for further sea ice...
Holocene behavior of the Brigham City segment: implications for forecasting the next large-magnitude earthquake on the Wasatch fault zone, Utah
Stephen F. Personius, Christopher B. DuRoss, Anthony J. Crone
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2265-2281
The Brigham City segment (BCS), the northernmost Holocene‐active segment of the Wasatch fault zone (WFZ), is considered a likely location for the next big earthquake in northern Utah. We refine the timing of the last four surface‐rupturing (~Mw 7) earthquakes at several sites near Brigham City (BE1, 2430±250; BE2, 3490±180;...
Hillslope hydrology and stability
Ning Lu, Jonathan Godt
2012, Book
Landslides are caused by a failure of the mechanical balance within hillslopes. This balance is governed by two coupled physical processes: hydrological or subsurface flow and stress. The stabilizing strength of hillslope materials depends on effective stress, which is diminished by rainfall. This book presents a cutting-edge quantitative approach to...
A horizon scanning assessment of current and potential future threats to migratory shorebirds
William J. Sutherland, José A. Alves, Tatsuya Amano, Charlotte H. Chang, Nicholas C. Davidson, C. Max Finlayson, Jennifer A. Gill, Robert E. Gill Jr., Patricia M. González, Tomas Gretar Gunnarsson, David Kleijn, Chris J. Spray, Tamás Székely, Des B.A. Thompson
2012, Ibis (154) 663-679
We review the conservation issues facing migratory shorebird populations that breed in temperate regions and use wetlands in the non-breeding season. Shorebirds are excellent model organisms for understanding ecological, behavioural and evolutionary processes and are often used as indicators of wetland health. A global team of experienced shorebird researchers identified...
Calving seismicity from iceberg-sea surface interactions
T.C. Bartholomaus, C.F. Larsen, Shad O’Neel, M.E. West
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (117)
Iceberg calving is known to release substantial seismic energy, but little is known about the specific mechanisms that produce calving icequakes. At Yahtse Glacier, a tidewater glacier on the Gulf of Alaska, we draw upon a local network of seismometers and focus on 80 hours of concurrent, direct observation of...
The GED4GEM project: development of a Global Exposure Database for the Global Earthquake Model initiative
P. Gamba, D. Cavalca, K. S. Jaiswal, C. Huyck, H. Crowley
2012, Conference Paper, The 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering: September 24-28, 2012, Lisbon, Portugal
In order to quantify earthquake risk of any selected region or a country of the world within the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) framework (www.globalquakemodel.org/), a systematic compilation of building inventory and population exposure is indispensable. Through the consortium of leading institutions and by engaging the domain-experts from multiple countries, the...
Response by anglers to a differential harvest regulation on three black bass species at Skiatook Lake, Oklahoma
James M. Long, Randy G. Hyler, William L. Fisher
2012, Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science (92) 9-20
Angler responses to a differential harvest regulation on black bass, Micropterus spp. at Skiatook Lake, Oklahoma was assessed from 1997 to 1999. This regulation allowed anglers to harvest 15 spotted bass, M. punctulatus (Rafinesque) of any size and six largemouth bass, M. salmoides (Lacepède) and smallmouth bass, M. dolomieu Lacepède...
Differential melt scaling for oblique impacts on terrestrial planets
Oleg Abramov, Stephanie M. Wong Wong, David A. Kring Kring
2012, Icarus (218) 906-916
Analytical estimates of melt volumes produced by a given projectile and contained in a given impact crater are derived as a function of impact velocity, impact angle, planetary gravity, target and projectile densities, and specific internal energy of melting. Applications to impact events and impact...
Using stable isotopes to test for trophic niche partitioning: a case study with stream salamanders and fish
Adam J. Sepulveda, Winsor H. Lowe, Peter P. Marra
2012, Freshwater Biology (57) 1399-1409
1. Stream salamanders and fish often co-occur even though fish prey on and outcompete salamanders. However, the mechanisms that allow palatable salamanders to coexist with fish are unknown. 2. We tested mechanisms in the field that promote coexistence between Idaho giant salamanders (Dicamptodon aterrimus) and stream salmonid fishes in headwater streams. Previous research...
Foraging optimally for home ranges
Michael S. Mitchell, Roger A. Powell
2012, Journal of Mammalogy (93) 917-928
Economic models predict behavior of animals based on the presumption that natural selection has shaped behaviors important to an animal's fitness to maximize benefits over costs. Economic analyses have shown that territories of animals are structured by trade-offs between benefits gained from resources and costs of defending them. Intuitively, home...
Estimating occupancy in large landscapes: evaluation of amphibian monitoring in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem
William R. Gould, Debra A. Patla, Rob Daley, Paul Stephen Corn, Blake R. Hossack, Robert E. Bennetts, Charles R. Peterson
2012, Wetlands (32) 379-389
Monitoring of natural resources is crucial to ecosystem conservation, and yet it can pose many challenges. Annual surveys for amphibian breeding occupancy were conducted in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks over a 4-year period (2006–2009) at two scales: catchments (portions of watersheds) and individual wetland sites. Catchments were selected...
Bioenergetic response by steelhead to variation in diet, thermal habitat, and climate in the north Pacific Ocean
Margaret E. Atcheson, Katherine W. Myers, David A. Beauchamp, Nathan J. Mantua
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 1081-1096
Energetic responses of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss to climate-driven changes in marine conditions are expected to affect the species’ ocean distribution, feeding, growth, and survival. With a unique 18-year data series (1991–2008) for steelhead sampled in the open ocean, we simulated interannual variation in prey consumption and growth efficiency of steelhead...
A meeting of the waters: interdisciplinary challenges and opportunities in tidal rivers
Scott H. Ensign, Gregory B. Noe, Cliff R. Hupp, Sergio Fagherazzi
2012, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (95) 455-456
At the interface of estuarine tides and freshwater rivers lie wetland and aquatic ecosystems, which experience dramatic effects of sea level rise. There, nontidal channels and riparian floodplains are transforming into tidal ecosystems, and tidal freshwater ecosystems are receiving increasing salinity. These river-floodplain systems have both fluvial characteristics, including meandering...
Ecology of bison, elk, and vegetation in an arid ecosystem
Kathryn A. Schoenecker
2012, Thesis
Herbivory has profound effects on vegetation production and structure in many different plant communities. The influence of herbivory on plants and ultimately ecosystem processes is shaped by the types of plants consumed, the intensity of herbivory, the evolutionary history of grazing, and the availability of water and nutrients to plants....
Potash
S.M. Jasinski
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 84-85
In 2011, world potash production consumption and sales increased from those of 2010, exceeding levels recorded before the economic downturn in 2008-2009....
Food security in a changing climate
Roger Pulwarty, Gary Eilerts, James Verdin
2012, Solutions Journal (3) 31-34
By 2080 the effects of climate change—on heat waves, floods, sea level rise, and drought—could push an additional 600 million people into malnutrition and increase the number of people facing water scarcity by 1.8 billion. The precise impacts will, however, strongly depend on socioeconomic conditions such as local markets and...
Impacts of rural development on Yellowstone wildlife: linking grizzly bear Ursus arctos demographics with projected residential growth
Charles C. Schwartz, Patricia H. Gude, Lisa Landenburger, Mark A. Haroldson, Shannon Podruzny
2012, Wildlife Biology (18) 246-257
Exurban development is consuming wildlife habitat within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with potential consequences to the long-term conservation of grizzly bears Ursus arctos. We assessed the impacts of alternative future land-use scenarios by linking an existing regression-based simulation model predicting rural development with a spatially explicit model that predicted bear...
Conflicts between sandhill cranes and farmers in the western United States: evolving issues and solutions
Jane E. Austin
2012, Conference Paper, Cranes, Agriculture and Climate Change, May 28 - June 3, 2010, Muraviovka Park for Sustainable Land Use, Amur Region, Russia
The main conflicts between Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) and farmers in western United States occur in the Rocky Mountain region during migration and wintering periods. Most crop damage by cranes occurs in mature wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), young shoots of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and cereal grains, chilies...
Type E botulism outbreaks: a manual for beach managers and the public
2012, Book
The Great Lakes basin has undergone a resurgence of Type E botulism (often referred to as avian botulism) in recent years, characterized by dead birds and fish along the shores of the Great Lakes. The number of deaths and areas affected appear to be increasing to levels that induce concern...
Context-dependent planktivory: interacting effects of turbidity and predation risk on adaptive foraging
Kevin L. Pangle, Timothy D. Malinich, David B. Bunnell, Dennis R. DeVries, Stuart A. Ludsin
2012, Ecosphere (3)
By shaping species interactions, adaptive phenotypic plasticity can profoundly influence ecosystems. Predicting such outcomes has proven difficult, however, owing in part to the dependence of plasticity on the environmental context. Of particular relevance are environmental factors that affect sensory performance in organisms in ways that alter the tradeoffs associated with...
Landsat-7 ETM+: 12 years on-orbit reflective-band radiometric performance
B. L. Markham, M.O. Haque, J. A. Barsi, E. Micijevic, D. L. Helder, K. J. Thome, David Aaron, J. S. Czapla-Myers
2012, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (50) 2056-2062
The Landsat-7 ETM+ sensor has been operating on orbit for more than 12 years, and characterizations of its performance have been ongoing over this period. In general, the radiometric performance of the instrument has been remarkably stable: 1) noise performance has degraded by 2% or less overall, with a few...
How many records should be used in ASCE/SEI-7 ground motion scaling procedure?
Juan C. Reyes, Erol Kalkan
2012, Earthquake Spectra (28) 1223-1242
U.S. national building codes refer to the ASCE/SEI-7 provisions for selecting and scaling ground motions for use in nonlinear response history analysis of structures. Because the limiting values for the number of records in the ASCE/SEI-7 are based on engineering experience, this study examines the required number of records statistically,...
