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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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....
Bats and wind energy: a literature synthesis and annotated bibliography
Laura E. Ellison
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1110
Turbines have been used to harness energy from wind for hundreds of years. However, with growing concerns about climate change, wind energy has only recently entered the mainstream of global electricity production. Since early on in the development of wind-energy production, concerns have arisen about the potential impacts of turbines...
Effects of capture by trammel net on Colorado River native fishes
Teresa A. Hunt, David L. Ward, Catherine R. Propper, Alice C. Gibb
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 133-141
Trammel nets are commonly used to sample rare fishes; however, little research has assessed delayed mortality associated with this capture technique. We conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the effects of capture by trammel net on bonytail Gila elegans, razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus, and roundtail chub Gila robusta, at 15, 20,...
A climate trend analysis of Uganda
Christopher C. Funk, Jim Rowland, Gary Eilerts, Libby White
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3062
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 observed changes in rainfall and temperature in Uganda, based on an analysis of a quality-controlled, long time series of station observations throughout Uganda. Extending recent trends...
Occurrence of anthropogenic organic compounds and nutrients in source and finished water in the Sioux Falls area, South Dakota, 2009-10
Galen K. Hoogestraat
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5098
Anthropogenic organic compounds (AOCs) in drinking-water sources commonly are derived from municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewater sources, and are a concern for water-supply managers. A cooperative study between the city of Sioux Falls, S. Dak., and the U.S. Geological Survey was initiated in 2009 to (1) characterize the occurrence of...
Groundwater quality in the Kern County Subbasin, California
Carmen A. Burton, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Fact Sheet 2011-3150
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to...
Groundwater quality in the southeast San Joaquin Valley, California
Carmen A. Burton, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Fact Sheet 2011-3151
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California's drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State's groundwater quality and increases public access to...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the two southern San Joaquin Valley study units, 2005-2006 - California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Carmen A. Burton, Jennifer L. Shelton, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5218
Groundwater quality in the southern San Joaquin Valley was investigated from October 2005 through March 2006 as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the California...
Polymorphic microsatellite loci identified through development and cross-species amplification within shorebirds
I. Williams, Brian M. Guzzetti, Judy R. Gust, G. Kevin Sage, Robert E. Gill Jr., T. Lee Tibbitts, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. Talbot
2012, Journal of Ornithology (153) 593-601
We developed microsatellite loci for demographic assessments of shorebirds, a group with limited markers. First, we isolated five dinucleotide repeat microsatellite loci from the Black Oystercatcher (Haematopodidae: Haematopus bachmani), and three from the Bristle-thighed Curlew (Scolopacidae: Numenius tahitiensis); both species are of conservation concern. All eight loci were polymorphic in...
Exploring changes in the spatial distribution of stream baseflow generation during a seasonal recession
R.A. Payn, M.N. Gooseff, B.L. McGlynn, K.E. Bencala, S.M. Wondzell
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Relating watershed structure to streamflow generation is a primary focus of hydrology. However, comparisons of longitudinal variability in stream discharge with adjacent valley structure have been rare, resulting in poor understanding of the distribution of the hydrologic mechanisms that cause variability in streamflow generation along valleys. This study explores detailed...
Characterization of intrabasin faulting and deformation for earthquake hazards in southern Utah Valley, Utah, from high-resolution seismic imaging
William J. Stephenson, Jack K. Odum, Robert A. Williams, John H. McBride, Iris Tomlinson
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 524-540
We conducted active and passive seismic imaging investigations along a 5.6-km-long, east–west transect ending at the mapped trace of the Wasatch fault in southern Utah Valley. Using two-dimensional (2D) P-wave seismic reflection data, we imaged basin deformation and faulting to a depth of 1.4 km and developed a detailed interval...
Climate impacts on bird and plant communities from altered animal-plant interactions
Thomas E. Martin, John L. Maron
2012, Nature Climate Change (2) 195-200
The contribution of climate change to declining populations of organisms remains a question of outstanding concern. Much attention to declining populations has focused on how changing climate drives phenological mismatches between animals and their food. Effects of climate on plant communities may provide an alternative, but particularly powerful, influence on...
Quantifying soil surface change in degraded drylands: shrub encroachment and effects of fire and vegetation removal in a desert grassland
Joel B. Sankey, Sujith Ravi, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Robert H. Webb, Travis E. Huxman
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research (117)
Woody plant encroachment, a worldwide phenomenon, is a major driver of land degradation in desert grasslands. Woody plant encroachment by shrub functional types ultimately leads to the formation of a patchy landscape with fertile shrub patches interspaced with nutrient-depleted bare soil patches. This is considered to be an irreversible process...
Edaphic, salinity, and stand structural trends in chronosequences of native and non-native dominated riparian forests along the Colorado River, USA
David M. Merritt, Patrick B. Shafroth
2012, Biological Invasions (14) 2665-2685
Tamarix spp. are introduced shrubs that have become among the most abundant woody plants growing along western North American rivers. We sought to empirically test the long-held belief that Tamarix actively displaces native species through elevating soil salinity via salt exudation. We measured chemical and physical attributes of soils (e.g., salinity, major cations...
Development of computational fluid dynamics--habitat suitability (CFD-HSI) models to identify potential passage--Challenge zones for migratory fishes in the Penobscot River
Alexander J. Haro, Robert W. Dudley, Michael Chelminski
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3073
A two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability (CFD–HSI) model was developed to identify potential zones of shallow depth and high water velocity that may present passage challenges for five anadromous fish species in the Penobscot River, Maine, upstream from two existing dams and as a result of the proposed future removal...
Assessment of rangeland ecosystem conditions, Salt Creek watershed and Dugout Ranch, southeastern Utah
M. A. Bowker, M. E. Miller, R.T. Belote
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1061
Increasingly, dry rangelands are being valued for multiple services beyond their traditional value as a forage production system. Additional ecosystem services include the potential to store carbon in the soil and plant biomass. In addition, dust emissions from rangelands might be considered an ecosystem detriment, the opposite of an ecosystem...
Effects of flood control and other reservoir operations on the water quality of the lower Roanoke River, North Carolina
Ana Maria Garcia
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5101
The Roanoke River is an important natural resource for North Carolina, Virginia, and the Nation. Flood plains of the lower Roanoke River, which extend from Roanoke Rapids Dam to Batchelor Bay near Albemarle Sound, support a large and diverse population of nesting birds, waterfowl, freshwater and anadromous fish, and other...
