A circumpolar monitoring framework for polar bears
Dag Vongraven, Jon Aars, Steven C. Amstrup, Stephen N. Atkinson, Stanislav Belikov, Erik W. Born, T.D. DeBruyn, Andrew E. Derocher, George M. Durner, Michael J. Gill, Nicholas J. Lunn, Martyn E. Obbard, Jack Omelak, Nikita Ovsyanikov, Elizabeth L. Peacock, E.E. Richardson, Vicki Sahanatien, Ian Stirling, Øystein Wiig
2012, Ursus (23) 1-66
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) occupy remote regions that are characterized by harsh weather and limited access. Polar bear populations can only persist where temporal and spatial availability of sea ice provides adequate access to their marine mammal prey. Observed declines in sea ice availability will continue as long as greenhouse...
Spatiotemporal analysis of black spruce forest soils and implications for the fate of C
Jennifer W. Harden, Kristen L. Manies, Jonathan O'Donnell, Kristofer Johnson, Steve Frolking, Zhaosheng Fan
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research (117)
Post-fire storage of carbon (C) in organic-soil horizons was measured in one Canadian and three Alaskan chronosequences in black spruce forests, together spanning stand ages of nearly 200 yrs. We used a simple mass balance model to derive estimates of inputs, losses, and accumulation rates of C on timescales of...
Root zone water quality model (RZWQM2): Model use, calibration and validation
Liwang Ma, Lajpat Ahuja, B. T. Nolan, Robert Malone, Thomas Trout, Z. Qi
2012, Transactions of the ASABE (55) 1425-1446
The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) has been used widely for simulating agricultural management effects on crop production and soil and water quality. Although it is a one-dimensional model, it has many desirable features for the modeling community. This article outlines the principles of calibrating the model component by...
Great lakes prey fish populations: a cross-basin overview of status and trends based on bottom trawl surveys, 1978-2012
Owen T. Gorman
2012, Report
The assessment of prey fish stocks in the Great Lakes have been conducted annually with bottom trawls since the 1970s by the Great Lakes Science Center, sometimes assisted by partner agencies. These stock assessments provide data on the status and trends of prey fish that are consumed by important commercial...
One hundred years of volcano monitoring in Hawaii
J. Kauahikaua, Michael Poland
2012, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (93) 29-30
In 2012 the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), the oldest of five volcano observatories in the United States, is commemorating the 100th anniversary of its founding. HVO's location, on the rim of Klauea volcano (Figure 1)one of the most active volcanoes on Earthhas provided an unprecedented opportunity over the past century...
Quantifying anthropogenically driven morphologic changes on a barrier island: Fire Island National Seashore, New York
Meredith G. Kratzmann, Cheryl J. Hapke
2012, Journal of Coastal Research (28) 76-88
Beach scraping, beach replenishment, and the presence of moderate development have altered the morphology of the dune–beach system at Fire Island National Seashore, located on a barrier island on the south coast of Long Island, New York. Seventeen communities are interspersed with sections of natural, nonmodified land within the park...
A new method of calculating electrical conductivity with applications to natural waters
R. Blaine McCleskey, D. Kirk Nordstrom, J. N. Ryan, J. W. Ball
2012, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (77) 369-382
A new method is presented for calculating the electrical conductivity of natural waters that is accurate over a large range of effective ionic strength (0.0004–0.7 mol kg−1), temperature (0–95 °C), pH (1–10), and conductivity (30–70,000 μS cm−1). The method incorporates a reliable set of equations to...
Experimental determination of soil heat storage for the simulation of heat transport in a coastal wetland
Michael Swain, Matthew Swain, Melinda Lohmann, Eric Swain
2012, Journal of Hydrology (422-423) 53-62
Two physical experiments were developed to better define the thermal interaction of wetland water and the underlying soil layer. This information is important to numerical models of flow and heat transport that have been developed to support biological studies in the South Florida coastal wetland areas. The experimental apparatus...
A plant distribution shift: temperature, drought or past disturbance?
Dylan W. Schwilk, Jon E. Keeley
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
Simple models of plant response to warming climates predict vegetation moving to cooler and/or wetter locations: in mountainous regions shifting upslope. However, species-specific responses to climate change are likely to be much more complex. We re-examined a recently reported vegetation shift in the Santa Rosa Mountains, California, to better understand...
Relationships between yolk androgens and nest density, laying date, and laying order in Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea)
J.L. Welty, J.R. Belthoff, J. Egbert, H. Schwabl
2012, Canadian Journal of Zoology (90) 182-192
Increases in yolk androgens within and among avian clutches have been correlated with decreased incubation time, increased aggression within a nest, increased begging behaviour, decreased immune response, and decreased life span. Although the mechanisms that lead to variability in yolk androgens within and between clutches are not completely known, yolk...
Thinning of young Douglas-fir forests decreases density of northern flying squirrels in the Oregon Cascades
Tom Manning, Joan C. Hagar, Brenda C. McComb
2012, Forest Ecology and Management (264) 115-124
Large-scale commercial thinning of young forests in the Pacific Northwest is currently promoted on public lands to accelerate the development of late-seral forest structure for the benefit of wildlife species such as northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) and their prey, including the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus). Attempts to...
A spatial cluster analysis of tractor overturns in Kentucky from 1960 to 2002
D.M. Saman, H.P. Cole, A. Odoi, M.L. Myers, D.I. Carey, S.C. Westneat
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
Background:Agricultural tractor overturns without rollover protective structures are the leading cause of farm fatalities in the United States. To our knowledge, no studies have incorporated the spatial scan statistic in identifying high-risk areas for tractor overturns. The aim of this study was to determine whether tractor overturns cluster in certain...
Generation and evolution of hydrothermal fluids at Yellowstone: Insights from the Heart Lake Geyser Basin
J. B. Lowenstern, D. Bergfeld, William C. Evans, S. Hurwitz
2012, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (13)
We sampled fumaroles and hot springs from the Heart Lake Geyser Basin (HLGB), measured water and gas discharge, and estimated heat and mass flux from this geothermal area in 2009. The combined data set reveals that diverse fluids share an origin by mixing of deep solute-rich parent water with dilute...
A multi-source satellite data approach for modelling Lake Turkana water level: Calibration and validation using satellite altimetry data
N.M. Velpuri, Gabriel B. Senay, K.O. Asante
2012, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (16) 1-18
Lake Turkana is one of the largest desert lakes in the world and is characterized by high degrees of inter- and intra-annual fluctuations. The hydrology and water balance of this lake have not been well understood due to its remote location and unavailability of reliable ground truth datasets. Managing surface...
Hierarchy in factors affecting fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
D.J. Dembkowski, L.E. Miranda
2012, Environmental Biology of Fishes (93) 357-368
River-floodplain ecosystems offer some of the most diverse and dynamic environments in the world. Accordingly, floodplain habitats harbor diverse fish assemblages. Fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes may be influenced by multiple variables operating on disparate scales, and these variables may exhibit a hierarchical organization depending on whether one variable governs...
Ocean-atmosphere dynamics during Hurricane Ida and Nor'Ida: An application of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system
Maitane Olabarrieta, John C. Warner, Brandy N. Armstrong, Joseph B. Zambon, Ruoying He
2012, Ocean Modelling (43-44) 112-137
The coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system was used to investigate atmosphere–ocean–wave interactions in November 2009 during Hurricane Ida and its subsequent evolution to Nor’Ida, which was one of the most costly storm systems of the past two decades. One interesting aspect of this...
Migration of Sakhalin taimen (Parahucho perryi): Evidence of freshwater resident life history types
Christian E. Zimmerman, P.S. Rand, M. Fukushima, S.F. Zolotukhin
2012, Environmental Biology of Fishes (93) 223-232
Sakhalin taimen (Parahucho perryi) range from the Russian Far East mainland along the Sea of Japan coast, and Sakhalin, Kuril, and Hokkaido Islands and are considered to primarily be an anadromous species. We used otolith strontium-to-calcium ratios (Sr/Ca) to determine the chronology of migration between freshwater and saltwater and identify...
Patterns of natural mortality in stream-living brown trout (Salmo trutta)
J. Lobon-Cervia, P. Budy, E. Mortensen
2012, Freshwater Biology (57) 575-588
1. We tested the hypothesis that lifetime mortality patterns and their corresponding rates and causal factors differ among populations of stream‐living salmonids. To this end, we examined the lifetime mortality patterns of several successive cohorts of two stream‐living brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations in Spain and Denmark.2. In the southern...
Field experiment provides ground truth for surface nuclear magnetic resonance measurement
R. Knight, E. Grunewald, T. Irons, K. Dlubac, Y. Song, H.N. Bachman, B. Grau, D. Walsh, J.D. Abraham, J. Cannia
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39) 1-7
The need for sustainable management of fresh water resources is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Since most of the planet's liquid fresh water exists as groundwater, it is essential to develop non-invasive geophysical techniques to characterize groundwater aquifers. A field experiment was conducted in the High...
Sex difference in polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations of walleyes
Charles P. Madenjian, Autumn W. Trombka, Richard R. Rediske, David J. Jude, James P. O'Keefe
2012, Journal of Great Lakes Research (38) 167-175
Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations were determined for mature male and mature female walleyes (Sander vitreus) sampled from the Saginaw Bay population during 2007. PBDE concentrations in prey fish caught in the Saginaw River, the primary tributary to Saginaw Bay, and in Saginaw Bay during 2005 and 2007 also were...
Results of the first North American comparison of absolute gravimeters, NACAG-2010
David Schmerge, Olvier Francis, J. Henton, D. Ingles, D. Jones, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, K. Krauterbluth, J. Liard, D. Newell, R. Sands, J. Schiel, J. Silliker, D. van Westrum
2012, Journal of Geodesy (86) 591-596
The first North American Comparison of absolute gravimeters (NACAG-2010) was hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at its newly renovated Table Mountain Geophysical Observatory (TMGO) north of Boulder, Colorado, in October 2010. NACAG-2010 and the renovation of TMGO are part of NGS’s GRAV-D project (Gravity for the Redefinition...
Concentration, distribution, and translocation of mercury and methylmercury in mine-waste, sediment, soil, water, and fish collected near the Abbadia San Salvatore mercury mine, Monte Amiata district, Italy
V. Rimondi, J. E. Gray, P. Costagliola, O. Vaselli, P. Lattanzi
2012, Science of the Total Environment (414) 318-327
The distribution and translocation of mercury (Hg) was studied in the Paglia River ecosystem, located downstream from the inactive Abbadia San Salvatore mine (ASSM). The ASSM is part of the Monte Amiata Hg district, Southern Tuscany, Italy, which was one of the world’s largest Hg districts. Concentrations of Hg and...
Nest defense- Grassland bird responses to snakes
Kevin S. Ellison, Christine Ribic
2012, Studies in Avian Biology (43) 149-159
Predation is the primary source of nest mortality for most passerines; thus, behaviors to reduce the impacts of predation are frequently quantified to study learning, adaptation, and coevolution among predator and prey species. Video surveillance of nests has made it possible to examine real-time parental nest defense. During 1999-2009, we...
Impact of wildfire and slope aspect on soil temperature in a mountainous environment
Brian A. Ebel
2012, Vadose Zone Journal (11)
Soil temperature changes after landscape disturbance impact hydrology, ecology, and geomorphology. This study used field measurements to examine wildfire and aspect effects on soil temperatures. Combustion of the litter and duff layers on north-facing slopes removed pre-fire aspect-driven soil temperature controls.Wildfire is one of the most significant disturbances in mountainous...
Chemical mixtures in untreated water from public-supply wells in the U.S. — Occurrence, composition, and potential toxicity
Patricia L. Toccalino, Julia E. Norman, Jonathon C. Scott
2012, Science of the Total Environment (431) 262-270
Chemical mixtures are prevalent in groundwater used for public water supply, but little is known about their potential health effects. As part of a large-scale ambient groundwater study, we evaluated chemical mixtures across multiple chemical classes, and included more chemical contaminants than in previous studies of mixtures in public-supply wells....
