Combined multibeam and LIDAR bathymetry data from eastern Long Island Sound and westernmost Block Island Sound-A regional perspective
L.J. Poppe, W. W. Danforth, K.Y. McMullen, Castle E. Parker, E. F. Doran
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1003
Detailed bathymetric maps of the sea floor in Long Island Sound are of great interest to the Connecticut and New York research and management communities because of this estuary's ecological, recreational, and commercial importance. The completed, geologically interpreted digital terrain models (DTMs), ranging in area from 12 to 293 square...
Deep permeable fault–controlled helium transport and limited mantle flux in two extensional geothermal systems in the Great Basin, United States
Amlan Banerjee, Mark Person, Albert Hofstra, Donald S. Sweetkind, Denis Cohen, Andrew Sabin, Jeff Unruh, George Zyvoloski, Carl W. Gable, Laura Crossey, Karl Karlstrom
2011, Geology (39) 195-198
This study assesses the relative importance of deeply circulating meteoric water and direct mantle fluid inputs on near-surface 3He/4He anomalies reported at the Coso and Beowawe geothermal fields of the western United States. The depth of meteoric fluid circulation is a critical factor that controls the temperature, extent of fluid-rock isotope...
Simulating oil droplet dispersal from the Deepwater Horizon spill with a Lagrangian approach
Elizabeth W. North, E. Eric Adams, Zachary Schlag, Christopher R. Sherwood, Ruoying He, Hoon Hyun, Scott A. Socolofsky
2011, Book chapter, Monitoring and modeling the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: A record-breaking enterprise
An analytical multiphase plume model, combined with time-varying flow and hydrographic fields generated by the 3-D South Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Mexico model (SABGOM) hydrodynamic model, were used as input to a Lagrangian transport model (LTRANS), to simulate transport of oil droplets dispersed at depth from the recent Deepwater...
Degradation of the disease-associated prion protein by a serine protease from lichens
C.J. Johnson, J. P. Bennett, S.M. Biro, J.C. Duque-Velasquez, C.M. Rodriguez, R. A. Bessen, Tonie E. Rocke
Jason C. Bartz, editor(s)
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
The disease-associated prion protein (PrP(TSE)), the probable etiological agent of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), is resistant to degradation and can persist in the environment. Lichens, mutualistic symbioses containing fungi, algae, bacteria and occasionally cyanobacteria, are ubiquitous in the environment and have evolved unique biological activities allowing their survival in...
Amplification and dampening of soil respiration by changes in temperature variability
C.A. Sierra, M. E. Harmon, E. Thomann, S.S. Perakis, H.W. Loescher
2011, Biogeosciences (8) 951-961
Accelerated release of carbon from soils is one of the most important feed backs related to anthropogenically induced climate change. Studies addressing the mechanisms for soil carbon release through organic matter decomposition have focused on the effect of changes in the average temperature, with little attention to changes in temperature...
Mine waters: Acidic to circumneutral
D. Kirk Nordstrom
2011, Elements (7) 393-398
Acid mine waters, often containing toxic concentrations of Fe, Al, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Co, and Cr, can be produced from the mining of coal and metallic deposits. Values of pH for acid mine waters can range from –3.5 to 5, but even circumneutral (pH ≈ 7) mine waters...
Density estimation in a wolverine population using spatial capture-recapture models
J. Andrew Royle, Audrey J. Magoun, Beth Gardner, Patrick Valkenbury, Richard E. Lowell
Kevin McKelvey, editor(s)
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 604-611
Classical closed-population capture-recapture models do not accommodate the spatial information inherent in encounter history data obtained from camera-trapping studies. As a result, individual heterogeneity in encounter probability is induced, and it is not possible to estimate density objectively because trap arrays do not have a well-defined sample area. We applied...
Tools for assessing kinship, population structure, phylogeography, and interspecific hybridization in Asian carps invasive to the Mississippi River, USA: isolation and characterization of novel tetranucleotide microsatellite DNA loci in silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
T.L. King, M.S. Eackles, D.C. Chapman
2011, Conservation Genetics Resources (3) 397-401
We document the isolation and characterization of novel tetranucleotide microsatellite DNA markers for the invasive silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and provide the results of cross-species amplification for three additional invasive carp species: bighead (H. nobilis), grass (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and black (Mylopharyngodon piceus). In the target species these markers yielded levels...
Treatment of anchor pixels in the METRIC model for improved estimation of sensible and latent heat fluxes
Ramesh K. Singh, A. Irmak
2011, Hydrological Sciences Journal (56) 895-906
Reliable estimation of sensible heat flux (H) is important in energy balance models for quantifying evapotranspiration (ET). This study was conducted to evaluate the value of adding the Priestley-Taylor (PT) equation to the METRIC (Mapping Evapotranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration) model. METRIC was used to estimate energy fluxes...
Surficial geology of the sea floor in Central Rhode Island Sound Southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island
K.Y. McMullen, L.J. Poppe, S.D. Ackerman, D.S. Blackwood, J.D. Schaer, M.A. Nadeau, D.A. Wood
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1005
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are working together to study sea-floor environments off the northeast coast of the United States. During 2008, NOAA survey H11996 collected multibeam echosounder data in a 65-square kilometer area in central Rhode Island Sound, southeast of Point...
A climate trend analysis of Sudan
Christopher C. Funk, Gary Eilerts, Jim Verdin, Jim Rowland, Michael Marshall
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3072
Summer rains in western and southern Sudan have declined by 10-20 percent since the mid-1970s. Observed warming of more than 1 degree Celsius is equivalent to another 10-20 percent reduction in rainfall for crops. The warming and drying have impacted southern Darfur and areas around Juba. Rainfall declines west of...
Composition and relative abundance of fish species in the lower White Salmon River, Washington, prior to the removal of Condit Dam
M. Brady Allen, Patrick J. Connolly
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1087
Information about the composition and relative abundance of fish species was collected by a rotary screw trap and backpack electrofishing in the lower White Salmon River, Washington. The information was collected downstream of Condit Dam, which is at river kilometer (rkm) 5.2, and is proposed for removal in October 2011....
Sea-Floor geology and character of Eastern Rhode Island Sound West of Gay Head, Massachusetts
L.J. Poppe, K.Y. McMullen, S.D. Ackerman, D.S. Blackwood, B.J. Irwin, J.D. Schaer, M.R. Forrest
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1004
Gridded multibeam bathymetry covers approximately 102 square kilometers of sea floor in eastern Rhode Island Sound west of Gay Head, Massachusetts. Although originally collected for charting purposes during National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrographic survey H11922, these acoustic data and the sea-floor stations subsequently occupied to verify them (1) show...
Data compilation and assessment for water resources in Pennsylvania state forest and park lands
Daniel G. Galeone
2011, Data Series 327
As a result of a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PaDCNR), available electronic data were compiled for Pennsylvania state lands (state forests and parks) to allow PaDCNR to initially determine if data exist to make an objective evaluation of...
The constraints of connecting children with nature--A research literature review
Phadrea D. Ponds, Rudy M. Schuster
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1139
Reports or research investigations studying children in nature are rapidly expanding and increasingly diverse. This document reports a review of a particular part of this field-studies of constraints to recreation and participation in environmental and outdoor recreation programs. The findings result from a review of more than 125 journal articles,...
USGS science for the Nation's changing coasts; shoreline change assessment
E. Robert Thieler, Cheryl J. Hapke
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3074
The coastline of the United States features some of the most popular tourist and recreational destinations in the world and is the site of intense residential, commercial, and industrial development. The coastal zone also has extensive and pristine natural areas, with diverse ecosystems providing essential habitat and resources that support...
Soil physical, chemical, and gas-flux characterization from Picea mariana stands near Erickson Creek, Alaska
Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Jennifer W. Harden, Kristen L. Manies
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1153
Fire is a particularly important control on the carbon (C) balance of the boreal forest, and fire-return intervals and fire severity appear to have increased since the late 1900s in North America. In addition to the immediate release of stored C to the atmosphere through organic-matter combustion, fire also modifies...
Depositional setting and geochemistry of phosphorites and metalliferous black shales in the Carboniferous-Permian Lisburne Group, Northern Alaska
Julie A. Dumoulin, John F. Slack, Michael T. Whalen, Anita G. Harris
2011, Professional Paper 1776-C
Phosphatic rocks are distributed widely in the Lisburne Group, a mainly Carboniferous carbonate succession that occurs throughout northern Alaska. New sedimentologic, paleontologic, and geochemical data presented here constrain the geographic and stratigraphic extent of these strata and their depositional and paleogeographic settings. Our findings support models that propose very high...
Bird mercury concentrations change rapidly as chicks age: Toxicological risk is highest at hatching and fledging
Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark P. Herzog
2011, Environmental Science & Technology (45) 5418-5425
Toxicological risk of methylmercury exposure to juvenile birds is complex due to the highly transient nature of mercury concentrations as chicks age. We examined total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in blood, liver, kidney, muscle, and feathers of 111 Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri), 69 black-necked stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), and 43 American...
Forecast Mekong: 2011 update
D. Phil Turnipseed
2011, General Information Product 130
In 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton joined with the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in launching the Lower Mekong Initiative to enhance U.S. engagement with the Lower Mekong countries in the areas of environment, health, education, and infrastructure. Part of the Lower Mekong Initiative,...
USGS Emergency Response Resources
Robert D. Bewley
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3079
Every day, emergency responders are confronted with worldwide natural and manmade disasters, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunami, volcanoes, wildfires, terrorist attacks, and accidental oil spills.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is ready to coordinate the provisioning and deployment of USGS staff, equipment, geospatial data, products, and services in support of...
Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities
Jennifer Firn, Joslin L. Moore, Andrew S. MacDougall, Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Janneke HilleRisLambers, W. Stanley Harpole, Elsa E. Cleland, Cynthia S. Brown, Johannes M.H. Knops, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Kelly A. Farrell, John D. Bakker, Lydia R. O’Halloran, Peter B. Adler, Scott L. Collins, Carla M. D'Antonio, Michael J. Crawley, Elizabeth M. Wolkovich, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Brett A. Melbourne, Yann Hautier, John W. Morgan, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Adam Kay, Rebecca McCulley, Kendi F. Davies, Carly J. Stevens, Cheng-Jin Chu, Karen D. Holl, Julia A. Klein, Phillip A. Fay, Nicole Hagenah, Kevin P. Kirkman, Yvonne M. Buckley
2011, Ecology Letters (14) 274-281
Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants are more abundant in introduced vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts in populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous...
Coastal subsidence in Oregon, USA during the giant Cascadia earthquake of AD 1700
A. D. Hawkes, B. P. Horton, A.R. Nelson, C. H. Vane, Y. Sawai
2011, Quaternary Science Reviews (30) 364-376
Quantitative estimates of land-level change during the giant AD 1700 Cascadia earthquake along the Oregon coast are inferred from relative sea-level changes reconstructed from fossil foraminiferal assemblages preserved within the stratigraphic record. A transfer function, based upon a regional training set of modern sediment samples from Oregon estuaries, is calibrated...
Counting India's wild tigers reliably
K. Ullas Karanth, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy, N. Samba Kumar, Mohan Delampady, James D. Nichols, John Seidensticker, Barry R. Noon, Stuart L. Pimm
2011, Science (332) 791-791
A beaded collar for dual micro GPS/VHF transmitter attachment to nutria
G. Michael Haramis, T. S. White
2011, Mammalia (75) 79-82
We report on the development of an approximately 85-g beaded collar for dual micro GPS/VHF transmitter attachment to semi-aquatic nutria (Myocastor coypus). Prototype collars were tested on captive nutria and refined during field trials. Central to the design was novel use of the VHF transmitter antenna as a collar. A...
