Complementary models of tree species-soil relationships in old-growth temperate forests
Alison Cross, Steven S. Perakis
2011, Ecosystems (14) 248-260
Ecosystem-level studies identify plant–soil feedbacks as important controls on soil nutrient availability, particularly for nitrogen and phosphorus. Although site- and species-specific studies of tree species–soil relationships are relatively common, comparatively fewer studies consider multiple co-existing species in old-growth forests across a range of sites that vary in underlying soil fertility....
A program for the conversion of The National Map data from proprietary format to resource description framework (RDF)
Andrew Bulen, Jonathan J. Carter, Dalia E. Varanka
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1142
To expand data functionality and capabilities for users of The National Map of the U.S. Geological Survey, data sets for six watersheds and three urban areas were converted from the Best Practices vector data model formats to Semantic Web data formats. This report describes and documents the conver-sion process. The...
Connecting pattern and process in greater sage-grouse populations and sagebrush landscapes
Steven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser
Steven T. Knick, John W. Connelly, editor(s)
2011, Book chapter, Greater Sage-Grouse: Ecology and Conservation of a Landscape Species and Its Habitats
Abstract. Spatial patterns influence the processes that maintain Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations and sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes on which they depend. We used connectivity analyses to: (1) delineate the dominant pattern of sagebrush landscapes; (2) identify regions of the current range-wide distribution of Greater Sage-Grouse important for conservation; (3)...
Alphacoronaviruses in New World Bats: Prevalence, Persistence, Phylogeny, and Potential for Interaction with Humans
Christina Osborne, Paul M. Cryan, Thomas J. O'Shea, Lauren M. Oko, Christina Ndaluka, Charles H. Calisher, Andrew D. Berglund, Mead L. Klavetter, Kathryn V. Holmes, Samuel R. Dominguez
Joel Mark Montgomery, editor(s)
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
Bats are reservoirs for many different coronaviruses (CoVs) as well as many other important zoonotic viruses. We sampled feces and/or anal swabs of 1,044 insectivorous bats of 2 families and 17 species from 21 different locations within Colorado from 2007 to 2009. We detected alphacoronavirus RNA in bats of 4...
Contaminant loading in remote Arctic lakes affects cellular stress-related proteins expression in feral charr
Steve Wiseman, Even H. Jorgensen, Alec G. Maule, Mathilakath M. Vijayan
2011, Polar Biology (34) 933-937
The remote Arctic lakes on Bjørnøya Island, Norway, offer a unique opportunity to study possible affect of lifelong contaminant exposure in wild populations of landlocked Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). This is because Lake Ellasjøen has persistent organic pollutant (POP) levels that are significantly greater than in the nearby Lake Øyangen....
Stable-isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in precipitation at Norman, Oklahoma, 1996–2008
Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Martha A. Scholl, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Jason R. Masoner, Scott Christenson, Haiping Qi
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5262
Precipitation samples for measurement of stable-isotope ratios of hydrogen (delta2H) and oxygen (delta18O) were collected at the Norman Landfill Research Site in Norman, Oklahoma, from May 1996 to October 2008. Rainfall amounts also were measured at the site (U.S. Geological Survey gaging station 07229053) during the collection period. The delta2H...
Comparison of main-shock and aftershock fragility curves developed for New Zealand and US buildings
S.R. Uma, H. Ryu, N. Luco, A.B. Liel, M. Raghunandan
2011, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Ninth Pacific Conference on Earthquake Engineering: Building an earthquake resilient society
Seismic risk assessment involves the development of fragility functions to express the relationship between ground motion intensity and damage potential. In evaluating the risk associated with the building inventory in a region, it is essential to capture 'actual' characteristics of the buildings and group them so that 'generic building types'...
Acute toxicity, histopathology, and coagulopathy in American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following administration of the rodenticie diphacinone
Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, Daniel D. Day, Carol U. Meteyer, Steven F. Voler, John D. Eisemann, John J. Johnston
2011, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (30) 1213-1222
The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be over 20 times greater in American kestrels (Falco sparverius; median lethal dose 96.8 mg/kg body weight) compared with Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Modest evidence of internal bleeding was observed at necropsy, although histological...
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...
Archive of digital Chirp subbottom profile data collected during USGS cruises 09CCT03 and 09CCT04, Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Islands, June and July 2009
Arnell S. Forde, Shawn V. Dadisman, James G. Flocks, Dana S. Wiese
2011, Data Series 590
In June and July of 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geophysical surveys to investigate the geologic controls on island framework from Cat Island, Mississippi, to Dauphin Island, Alabama, as part of a broader USGS study on Coastal Change and Transport (CCT). The surveys were funded through the Northern...
Bat white-nose syndrome in North America
David S. Blehert, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Anne E. Ballmann, Paul M. Cryan, Carol U. Meteyer
2011, Microbe Magazine (6) 267-273
* The newly described fungus, Geomyces destructans, causes an invasive skin infection in bats and is the likely agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS). * With immune system functions and body temperatures reduced during hibernation, bats may be unusually susceptible to a pathogenic fungus such as G. destructans. * WNS was...
Annotated bibliography of environmentally relevant investigations of uranium mining and milling in the Grants Mineral Belt, northwestern New Mexico
James K. Otton
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1140
Studies of the natural environment in the Grants Mineral Belt in northwestern New Mexico have been conducted since the 1930s; however, few such investigations predate uranium mining and milling operations, which began in the early 1950s. This report provides an annotated bibliography of reports that describe the hydrology and geochemistry...
Computer programs for forward and inverse modeling of acoustic and electromagnetic data
Karl J. Ellefsen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1124
A suite of computer programs was developed by U.S. Geological Survey personnel for forward and inverse modeling of acoustic and electromagnetic data. This report describes the computer resources that are needed to execute the programs, the installation of the programs, the program designs, some tests of their accuracy, and some...
The effect of offering distance education on enrollment in onsite training at the National Conservation Training Center
Joan M. Ratz, Rudy M. Schuster, Ann H. Marcy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1138
The objective of this study was to explore the effect that providing distance education courses would have on enrollment in courses offered on the campus of the National Conservation Training Center. This is an exploratory study and the results should be interpreted as preliminary rather than conclusive. The study included...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations, Gulf Coast, 2010
Krystal Pearson, R. F. Dubiel, O.N. Pearson, Janet K. Pitman
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3046
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 957 million barrels of undiscovered oil, 3.6 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, and 363 million barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in the Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations in onshore lands and State waters...
Analysis of dam-passage survival of yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead at The Dalles Dam, Oregon, 2010
John W. Beeman, Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry, Steven G. Smith
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1162
We performed a series of analyses of mark-recapture data from a study at The Dalles Dam during 2010 to determine if model assumptions for estimation of juvenile salmonid dam-passage survival were met and if results were similar to those using the University of Washington's newly developed ATLAS software. The study...
Comparing the role of fuel breaks across southern California national forests
Alexandra D. Syphard, Jon E. Keeley, Teresa J. Brennan
2011, Forest Ecology and Management (261) 2038-2048
Fuel treatment of wildland vegetation is the primary approach advocated for mitigating fire risk at the wildland–urban interface (WUI), but little systematic research has been conducted to understand what role fuel treatments play in controlling large fires, which factors influence this role, or how the role of fuel treatments may...
Estimated 2008 groundwater potentiometric surface and predevelopment to 2008 water-level change in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque area, central New Mexico
Sarah E. Falk, Laura M. Bexfield, Scott K. Anderholm
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3162
The water-supply requirements of the Albuquerque metropolitan area of central New Mexico have historically been met almost exclusively by groundwater withdrawal from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Previous studies have indicated that the large quantity of groundwater withdrawal relative to recharge has resulted in water-level declines in the aquifer...
Movement of bull trout in the upper Jarbidge River watershed, Idaho and Nevada, 2008-09--A supplement to Open-File Report 2010-1033
Carrie S. Munz, M. Brady Allen, Patrick J. Connolly
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1090
We monitored bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in 2008 and 2009 as a continuation of our work in 2006 and 2007, which involved the tagging of 1,536 bull trout with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River and their tributaries in northeastern...
Analytical results for municipal biosolids samples from a monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado (U.S.A.), 2010
J.G. Crock, D. B. Smith, T. J. B. Yager, C. J. Berry, M. G. Adams
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1146
Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver (Metro District), a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colo., has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of nonirrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colo., U.S.A. In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S....
Development and application of indices to assess the condition of benthic algal communities in U.S. streams and rivers
Marina Potapova, Daren M. Carlisle
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1126
Multi-metric indices (MMIs) are a measure of a combination of characteristics of biological communities and are used as indicators of water quality and ecological health. Although MMIs for algal communities have been developed for specific regions of the United States, none of the indices have national applicability. The MMIs described...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
