Lifetime of an ocean island volcano feeder zone: Constraints from U-Pb dating on coexisting zircon and baddeleyite, and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
James Allibon, Maria Ovtcharova, Francois Bussy, Michael Cosca, Urs Schaltegger, Denise Bussien, Eric Lewin
2011, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (48) 567-592
High-precision isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (IDTIMS) UPb zircon and baddeleyite ages from the PX1 vertically layered mafic intrusion Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, indicate initiation of magma crystallization at 22.10 0.07 Ma. The magmatic activity lasted a minimum of 0.52 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar amphibole dating yielded ages from 21.9 0.6 to 21.8...
Estimation of late twentieth century land-cover change in California
Benjamin M. Sleeter, Tamara S. Wilson, Christopher E. Soulard, Jinxun Liu
2011, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (173) 251-266
We present the first comprehensive multi-temporal analysis of land-cover change for California across its major ecological regions and primary land-cover types. Recently completed satellite-based estimates of land-cover and land-use change information for large portions of the United States allow for consistent measurement and comparison across heterogeneous landscapes. Landsat data were...
Massive CO2 ice deposits sequestered in the south polar layered deposits of Mars
Roger J. Phillips, Brian J. Davis, Kenneth L. Tanaka, Shane Byrne, Michael T. Mellon, Nathaniel E. Putzig, Robert M. Haberle, Melinda A. Kahre, Bruce A. Campbell, Lynn M. Carter, Isaac B. Smith, John W. Holt, Suzanne E. Smrekar, Daniel C. Nunes, Jeffrey J. Plaut, Anthony F. Egan, Timothy N. Titus, Roberto Seu
2011, Science (332) 838-841
Shallow Radar soundings from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal a buried deposit of carbon dioxide (CO2) ice within the south polar layered deposits of Mars with a volume of 9500 to 12,500 cubic kilometers, about 30 times that previously estimated for the south pole residual cap. The deposit occurs within...
Trace elements and radon in groundwater across the United States, 1992-2003
Joseph D. Ayotte, Jo Ann M. Gronberg, Lori E. Apodaca
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5059
Trace-element concentrations in groundwater were evaluated for samples collected between 1992 and 2003 from aquifers across the United States as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program. This study describes the first comprehensive analysis of those data by assessing occurrence (concentrations above analytical reporting levels) and by...
Increasing accuracy of dispersal kernels in grid-based population models
D. H. Slone
2011, Ecological Modelling (222) 573-579
Dispersal kernels in grid-based population models specify the proportion, distance and direction of movements within the model landscape. Spatial errors in dispersal kernels can have large compounding effects on model accuracy. Circular Gaussian and Laplacian dispersal kernels at a range of spatial resolutions were investigated, and methods for minimizing errors...
Mapping permeability over the surface of the Earth
Tom Gleeson, Leslie Smith, Nils Moosdorf, Jens Hartmann, Hans H. Durr, Andrew H. Manning, Ludovicus P. H. van Beek, A. Mark Jellinek
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Permeability, the ease of fluid flow through porous rocks and soils, is a fundamental but often poorly quantified component in the analysis of regional‐scale water fluxes. Permeability is difficult to quantify because it varies over more than 13 orders of magnitude and is heterogeneous and dependent on flow direction. Indeed,...
Lagrangian sampling of wastewater treatment plant effluent in Boulder Creek, Colorado, and Fourmile Creek, Iowa, during the summer of 2003 and spring of 2005— Hydrological and water-quality data
Larry B. Barber, Steffanie H. Keefe, Dana W. Kolpin, Douglas J. Schnoebelen, Jennifer L. Flynn, Gregory K. Brown, Edward T. Furlong, Susan T. Glassmeyer, James L. Gray, Michael T. Meyer, Mark W. Sandstrom, Howard E. Taylor, Steven D. Zaugg
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1054
This report presents methods and data for a Lagrangian sampling investigation into chemical loading and in-stream attenuation of inorganic and organic contaminants in two wastewater treatment-plant effluent-dominated streams: Boulder Creek, Colorado, and Fourmile Creek, Iowa. Water-quality sampling was timed to coincide with low-flow conditions when dilution of the wastewater treatment-plant...
Learning and adaptation in the management of waterfowl harvests
Fred A. Johnson
2011, Journal of Environmental Management (92) 1385-1394
A formal framework for the adaptive management of waterfowl harvests was adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1995. The process admits competing models of waterfowl population dynamics and harvest impacts, and relies on model averaging to compute optimal strategies for regulating harvest. Model weights, reflecting the relative...
Investigation of preparation techniques for δ2H analysis of keratin materials and a proposed analytical protocol
Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen
2011, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (25) 2209-2222
Accurate hydrogen isotopic measurements of keratin materials have been a challenge due to exchangeable hydrogen in the sample matrix and the paucity of appropriate isotopic reference materials for calibration. We found that the most reproducible δ2HVSMOW‐SLAP and mole fraction of exchangeable hydrogen, x(H)ex, of keratin materials were measured with equilibration...
Constraints to connecting children with nature--Survey of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees sponsored by the National Conservation Training Center, Division of Education Outreach
Joan M. Ratz, Rudy M. Schuster
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1192
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) names "connecting people with nature" as one of its top six priorities in the online Service Employee Pocket Guide. The National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) took the initiative to identify issues that impede greater progress in addressing constraints to connecting children with nature....
Trace metals related to historical iron smelting at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Berks and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania
Ronald A. Sloto
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3101
Iron ore containing elevated concentrations of trace metals was smelted at Hopewell Furnace during its 113 years of operation (1771-1883). The ore used at Hopewell Furnace was obtained from iron mines within 5 miles of the furnace. The iron-ore deposits were formed about 200 million years ago and contain abundant...
Water Resources of Caddo Parish
Lawrence B. Prakken, Jason M. Griffith
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3086
In 2005, about 72.9 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, including about 7.70 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 65.2 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Public-supply use accounted for about 71 percent, and power generation accounted for about 19 percent of the total water withdrawn....
A critical review of published coal quality data from the southwestern part of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming
James A. Luppens
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1148
A review of publicly available coal quality data during the coal resource assessment of the southwestern part of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming (SWPRB), revealed significant problems and limitations with those data. Subsequent citations of data from original sources often omitted important information, such as moisture integrity and information needed...
The interactions between vegetation and erosion: new directions for research at the interface of ecology and geomorphology
Waite Osterkamp, Cliff R. Hupp, M. Stoffel
2011, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 23-36
Vegetation and processes of erosion and deposition are interactive. An objective of this paper is to review selected studies that emphasize the interdependencies. The reviews suggest new directions for research uniting ecology and geomorphology – the sub‐discipline of biogeomorphology. The research, which recently has become vigorous, includes the sources, movement,...
Estimating seismic site response in Christchurch City (New Zealand) from dense low-cost aftershock arrays
Anna E. Kaiser, Rafael A. Benites, Angela Chung, A. John Haines, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Bill Fry
2011, Conference Paper, 4th International IASPEI/IAEE symposium on the effects of surface geology on seismic motion
The Mw 7.1 September 2010 Darfield earthquake, New Zealand, produced widespread damage and liquefaction ~40 km from the epicentre in Christchurch city. It was followed by the even more destructive Mw 6.2 February 2011 Christchurch aftershock directly beneath the city’s southern suburbs. Seismic data recorded during the two large events...
Groundwater recharge in Wisconsin— Annual estimates for 1970–99 using streamflow data
Warren A. Gebert, John F. Walker, Randall J. Hunt
2011, Fact Sheet 2009-3092
The groundwater component of streamflow is important because it is indicative of the sustained flow of a stream during dry periods, is often of better quality, and has a smaller range of temperatures, than surface contributions to streamflow. All three of these characteristics are important to the health of aquatic...
Long-term population dynamics of a managed burrowing owl colony
John H. Barclay, Nicole M. Korfanta, Matthew J. Kauffman
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 1295-1306
We analyzed the population dynamics of a burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) colony at Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California, USA from 1990-2007. This colony was managed by using artificial burrows to reduce the occurrence of nesting owls along runways and within major airport improvement projects during the...
Landscape matrix mediates occupancy dynamics of Neotropical avian insectivores
Christina M. Kennedy, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Maile C. Neel, William F. Fagan, Peter P. Marra
2011, Ecological Applications (21) 1837-1850
In addition to patch‐level attributes (i.e., area and isolation), the nature of land cover between habitat patches (the matrix) may drive colonization and extinction dynamics in fragmented landscapes. Despite a long‐standing recognition of matrix effects in fragmented systems, an understanding of the relative impacts of different types of land cover...
Relation of nutrient concentrations, nutrient loading, and algal production to changes in water levels in Kabetogama Lake, Voyageurs National Park, northern Minnesota, 2008-09
Victoria G. Christensen, Ryan P. Maki, Richard L. Kiesling
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5096
Nutrient enrichment has led to excessive algal growth in Kabetogama Lake, Voyageurs National Park, northern Minnesota. Water- and sediment-quality data were collected during 2008-09 to assess internal and external nutrient loading. Data collection was focused in Kabetogama Lake and its inflows, the area of greatest concern for eutrophication among the...
Summary report of responses of key resources to the 2000 Low Steady Summer Flow experiment, along the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona
Barbara E. Ralston
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1220
In the spring and summer of 2000, a series of steady discharges of water from Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River were used to evaluate the effects of aquatic habitat stability and water temperatures on native fish growth and survival, with a special focus on the endangered humpback chub...
Land use and climate influences on waterbirds in the Prairie Potholes
Greg M. Forcey, Wayne E. Thogmartin, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier, Patrick C. McKann
2011, Journal of Biogeography (38) 1694-1707
Aim We examined the influences of regional climate and land‐use variables on mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), blue‐winged teal (Anas discors), ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) and pied‐billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) abundances to inform conservation planning in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States.Location The US portion of Bird Conservation Region 11 (US‐BCR11, the...
Assessment of soil-gas, soil, and water contamination at the former hospital landfill, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 2009-2010
Fred W. Falls, Andral W. Caldwell, Wladmir B. Guimaraes, W. Hagan Ratliff, John B. Wellborn, James Landmeyer
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1144
Soil gas, soil, and water were assessed for organic and inorganic constituents at the former hospital landfill located in a 75-acre study area near the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Georgia, from April to September 2010. Passive soil-gas samplers were analyzed to evaluate organic constituents in the...
Bias estimation for the Landsat 8 operational land imager
Ron Morfitt, Kelly Vanderwerff
2011, Conference Paper, Proceedings of SPIE volume 8153
The Operational Land Imager (OLI) is a pushbroom sensor that will be a part of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). This instrument is the latest in the line of Landsat imagers, and will continue to expand the archive of calibrated earth imagery. An important step in producing a calibrated...
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2011 Wallow burn area, eastern Arizona
Barbara C. Ruddy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1214
This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned in 2011 by the Wallow wildfire in eastern Arizona. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned drainage basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the probability...
A taping method for external transmitter attachment on aquatic snakes
G.D. Wylie, J.J. Smith, M. Amarello, Michael L. Casazza
2011, Herpetological Review (42) 187-191
Radio telemetry is extremely useful for studying habitat use and movements of free ranging snakes. Surgically implanting radio transmitters into the body cavity of snakes is standard practice in most studies (e.g., Reinert and Cundall 1982; Weatherhead and Blouin-Demers 2004), but this implanting method has its drawbacks. Surgery itself is...
