Interseasonal movements of greater sage-grouse, migratory behavior, and an assessment of the core regions concept in Wyoming
Bradley C. Fedy, Cameron L. Aldridge, Kevin E. Doherty, Michael S. O’Donnell, Jeffrey L. Beck, Bryan Bedrosian, Matthew J. Holloran, Gregory D. Johnson, Nicholas W. Kaczor, Christopher P. Kirol, Cheryl A. Mandich, David Marshall, Gwyn McKee, Chad Olson, Christopher C. Swanson, Brett L. Walker
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 1062-1071
Animals can require different habitat types throughout their annual cycles. When considering habitat prioritization, we need to explicitly consider habitat requirements throughout the annual cycle, particularly for species of conservation concern. Understanding annual habitat requirements begins with quantifying how far individuals move across landscapes between key life stages to access...
Ecological effects of nitrogen and sulfur air pollution in the US: what do we know?
Tara L. Greaver, Timothy J. Sullivan, Jeffrey D. Herrick, Mary C. Barber, Jill Baron, Bernard J. Cosby, Marion E. Deerhake, Robin L. Dennis, Jean-Jacque B. Dubois, Christine L. Goodale, Alan T. Herlihy, Gregory B. Lawrence, Lingli Liu, Jason A. Lynch, Kristopher J. Novak
2012, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (10) 365-372
Four decades after the passage of the US Clean Air Act, air-quality standards are set to protect ecosystems from damage caused by gas-phase nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) compounds, but not from the deposition of these air pollutants to land and water. Here, we synthesize recent scientific literature on the...
Temperature and petroleum generation history of the Wilcox Formation, Louisiana
Janet K. Pitman, Elisabeth L. Rowan
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1046
A one-dimensional petroleum system modeling study of Paleogene source rocks in Louisiana was undertaken in order to characterize their thermal history and to establish the timing and extent of petroleum generation. The focus of the modeling study was the Paleocene and Eocene Wilcox Formation, which contains the youngest source rock...
Evaluation of SNODAS snow depth and snow water equivalent estimates for the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA
David W. Clow, Leora Nanus, Kristine L. Verdin, Jeffrey Schmidt
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 2583-2591
The National Weather Service's Snow Data Assimilation (SNODAS) program provides daily, gridded estimates of snow depth, snow water equivalent (SWE), and related snow parameters at a 1-km2 resolution for the conterminous USA. In this study, SNODAS snow depth and SWE estimates were compared with independent, ground-based snow survey data in...
Effects of soil-engineering properties on the failure mode of shallow landslides
Jonathan Peter McKenna, Paul Michael Santi, Xavier Amblard, Jacquelyn Negri
2012, Landslides (9) 215-228
Some landslides mobilize into flows, while others slide and deposit material immediately down slope. An index based on initial dry density and fine-grained content of soil predicted failure mode of 96 landslide initiation sites in Oregon and Colorado with 79% accuracy. These material properties can be used to identify potential...
Freshwater DOM quantity and quality from a two-component model of UV absorbance
Heather T. Carter, Edward Tipping, Jean-Francois Koprivnjak, Matthew P. Miller, Brenda Cookson, John Hamilton-Taylor
2012, Water Research (46) 4532-4542
We present a model that considers UV-absorbing dissolved organic matter (DOM) to consist of two components (A and B), each with a distinct and constant spectrum. Component A absorbs UV light strongly, and is therefore presumed to possess aromatic chromophores and hydrophobic character, whereas B absorbs weakly and can be...
Field information links permafrost carbon to physical vulnerabilities of thawing
Jennifer W. Harden, Charles Koven, Chien-Lu Ping, Gustaf Hugelius, A. David McGuire, P. Camill, Torre Jorgenson, Peter Kuhry, Gary Michaelson, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Edward A.G. Schuur, Charles Tamocai, Kevin Johnson, G. Grosse
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
Deep soil profiles containing permafrost (Gelisols) were characterized for organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N) stocks to 3m depths. Using the Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) we calculate cumulative probability functions (PDFs) for active layer depths under current and future climates. The difference in PDFs over time was multiplied...
Drought and cooler temperatures are associated with higher nest survival in Mountain Plovers
V.J. Dreitz, R.Y. Conrey, S. K. Skagen
2012, Avian Conservation and Ecology (7)
Native grasslands have been altered to a greater extent than any other biome in North America. The habitats and resources needed to support breeding performance of grassland birds endemic to prairie ecosystems are currently threatened by land management practices and impending climate change. Climate models for the Great Plains prairie...
Evaluating changes in matrix based, recovery-adjusted concentrations in paired data for pesticides in groundwater
Tammy M. Zimmerman, Kevin J. Breen
2012, Journal of Environmental Quality (41) 1238-1245
Pesticide concentration data for waters from selected carbonate-rock aquifers in agricultural areas of Pennsylvania were collected in 1993–2009 for occurrence and distribution assessments. A set of 30 wells was visited once in 1993–1995 and again in 2008–2009 to assess concentration changes. The data include censored matched pairs (nondetections of a...
Groundwater quality in the Columbia Plateau, Snake River Plain, and Oahu basaltic-rock and basin-fill aquifers in the Northwestern United States and Hawaii, 1992-2010
Lonna M. Frans, Michael G. Rupert, Charles D. Hunt Jr., Kenneth D. Skinner
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5123
This assessment of groundwater-quality conditions of the Columbia Plateau, Snake River Plain, and Oahu for the period 1992–2010 is part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. It shows where, when, why, and how specific water-quality conditions occur in groundwater of the three study areas and...
ArxA, a new clade of arsenite oxidase within the DMSO reductase family of molybdenum oxidoreductases
Kamrun Zargar, Alison Conrad, David L. Bernick, Todd M. Lowe, Viktor Stolc, Shelley Hoeft, Ronald S. Oremland, John Stolz, Chad W. Saltikov
2012, Environmental Microbiology (14) 1635-1645
Arsenotrophy, growth coupled to autotrophic arsenite oxidation or arsenate respiratory reduction, occurs only in the prokaryotic domain of life. The enzymes responsible for arsenotrophy belong to distinct clades within the DMSO reductase family of molybdenum-containing oxidoreductases: specifically arsenate respiratory reductase, ArrA, and arsenite oxidase, AioA (formerly referred to as AroA...
Combined sewer overflows: an environmental source of hormones and wastewater micropollutants
P. J. Phillips, A.T. Chalmers, J.L. Gray, D.W. Kolpin, W.T. Foreman, G. R. Wall
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 5336-5343
Data were collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Burlington, Vermont, USA, (serving 30,000 people) to assess the relative contribution of CSO (combined sewer overflow) bypass flows and treated wastewater effluent to the load of steroid hormones and other wastewater micropollutants (WMPs) from a WWTP to a lake. Flow-weighted...
Changes in permeability caused by transient stresses: field observations, experiments, and mechanisms
Michael Manga, Igor Beresnev, Emily E. Brodsky, Jean E. Elkhoury, Derek Elsworth, Steve E. Ingebritsen, David C. Mays, Chi-Yuen Wang
2012, Reviews of Geophysics (50)
Oscillations in stress, such as those created by earthquakes, can increase permeability and fluid mobility in geologic media. In natural systems, strain amplitudes as small as 10–6 can increase discharge in streams and springs, change the water level in wells, and enhance production from petroleum reservoirs. Enhanced permeability typically recovers...
Carbon and sediment accumulation in the Everglades (USA) during the past 4000 years: rates, drivers, and sources of error
Paul H. Glaser, John C. Volin, Thomas J. Givnish, Barbara C. S. Hansen, Craig A. Stricker
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (117) G03026
Tropical and sub-tropical wetlands are considered to be globally important sources for greenhouse gases but their capacity to store carbon is presumably limited by warm soil temperatures and high rates of decomposition. Unfortunately, these assumptions can be difficult to test across long timescales because the chronology, cumulative mass, and completeness...
Concentrations of selected metals in Quaternary-age fluvial deposits along the lower Cheyenne and middle Belle Fourche Rivers, western South Dakota, 2009-10
John F. Stamm, Galen K. Hoogestraat
2012, Data Series 695
The headwaters of the Cheyenne and Belle Fourche Rivers drain the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, an area that has been affected by mining and ore-milling operations since the discovery of gold in 1875. A tributary to the Belle Fourche River is Whitewood Creek, which drains the area...
By the numbers: how is recovery defined by the U.S. Endangered Species Act?
Maile C. Neel, Allison K. Leidner, Aaron Haines, Dale D. Goble, J. Michael Scott
2012, BioScience (62) 646-657
Nearly 40 years after passage of the US Endangered Species Act, the prospects for listed species remain dim because they are too severely imperiled by the time they receive the act's protection. Even if threats are abated, the low abundances required for recovery often preclude a high probability of persistence....
Flood-inundation maps for the West Branch Delaware River, Delhi, New York, 2012
William F. Coon, Brian K. Breaker
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3216
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5-mile reach of the West Branch Delaware River through the Village and part of the Town of Delhi, New York, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Village of Delhi, the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the...
Integrated monitoring of ecological conditions in wetland-upland landscapes
Alisa Gallant, Walt Sadinski
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3103
Landscapes of interwoven wetlands and uplands offer a rich set of ecosystem goods and services. Managing lands to maximize ecosystem services requires information that distinguishes change caused by local actions from broader-scale shifts in climate, land use, and other forms of global change. Satellite and airborne sensors collect valuable data...
Assessment of undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, 2012
Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro, Jean N. Weaver
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3069
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 19 billion barrels of oil and 83 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas resources in 10 geologic provinces of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize....
Development of regional skews for selected flood durations for the Central Valley Region, California, based on data through water year 2008
Jonathan R. Lamontagne, Jery R. Stedinger, Charles Berenbrock, Andrea G. Veilleux, Justin C. Ferris, Donna L. Knifong
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5130
Flood-frequency information is important in the Central Valley region of California because of the high risk of catastrophic flooding. Most traditional flood-frequency studies focus on peak flows, but for the assessment of the adequacy of reservoirs, levees, other flood control structures, sustained flood flow (flood duration) frequency data are needed....
Coal-tar-based pavement sealcoat and PAHs: implications for the environment, human health, and stormwater management
Barbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre, Judy L. Crane, Alison W. Watts, Mateo Scoggins, E. Spencer Williams
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 3039-3045
Coal-tar-based sealcoat products, widely used in the central and eastern U.S. on parking lots, driveways, and even playgrounds, are typically 20−35% coal-tar pitch, a known human carcinogen that contains about 200 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds. Research continues to identify environmental compartments—including stormwater runoff, lake sediment, soil, house dust, and...
Assessment and harvest of largemouth bass-bluegill ponds: Chapter 7
Harold Schramm Jr., David W. Willis
2012, Book chapter, Small impoundment management in North America
No abstract available....
Materials flow of indium in the United States in 2008 and 2009
Thomas G. Goonan
2012, Circular 1377
Indium is a material that has many applications. It is used by anyone who watches television or views a computer screen. It is found in solar energy arrays and in soldering applications that are required to be lead free. In 2009, about 550 metric tons (t) of indium metal was...
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2012 High Park Burn Area near Fort Collins, Colorado
Kristine L. Verdin, Jean A. Dupree, John G. Elliott
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1148
This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned by the 2012 High Park fire near Fort Collins in Larimer County, Colorado. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to...
Hydrologic conditions in Georgia, 2010
Andrew E. Knaak, Paul D. Ankcorn, Michael F. Peck
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3101
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Georgia Water Science Center (GaWSC) maintains a long-term hydrologic monitoring network of more than 320 real-time streamgages, including 10 real-time lake-level monitoring stations and 63 real-time water-quality monitors. Additionally, the GaWSC operates more than 180 groundwater wells, 41 of which are real-time. One of...
