A 15 000-year record of climate change in northern New Mexico, USA, inferred from isotopic and elemental contents of bog sediments
L. M. Cisneros-Dozal, J.M. Heikoop, J. Fessenden, R. Scott Anderson, P.A. Meyers, Craig D. Allen, M. Hess, T. Larson, G. Perkins, M. Rearick
2010, Journal of Quaternary Science (25) 1001-1007
Elemental (C, N, Pb) and isotopic (δ13C, δ15N) measurements of cored sediment from a small bog in northern New Mexico reveal changes in climate during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Abrupt increases in Pb concentration and δ13C values ca. 14 420 cal. YBP indicate significant runoff to the shallow lake that...
Environmental tolerance of an invasive riparian tree and its potential for continued spread in the southwestern US
L.V. Reynolds, D.J. Cooper
2010, Journal of Vegetation Science (21) 733-743
Questions: Exotic plant invasion may be aided by facilitation and broad tolerance of environmental conditions, yet these processes are poorly understood in species-rich ecosystems such as riparian zones. In the southwestern United States (US) two plant species have invaded riparian zones: tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima, T. chinensis, and their hybrids) and...
The Paleogene California River: Evidence of Mojave-Uinta paleodrainage from U-Pb ages of detrital zircons
S.J. Davis, W.R. Dickinson, G. E. Gehrels, J.E. Spencer, T.F. Lawton, A.R. Carroll
2010, Geology (38) 931-934
U-Pb age spectra of detrital zircons in samples from the Paleogene Colton Formation in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah and the Late Cretaceous McCoy Mountains Formation of southwestern Arizona (United States) are statistically indistinguishable. This finding refutes previous inferences that arkosic detritus of the Colton was derived from cratonic...
Rate of formation and dissolution of mercury sulfide nanoparticles: The dual role of natural organic matter
Aaron J. Slowey
2010, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (74) 4693-4708
Mercury is a global contaminant of concern due to its transformation by microorganisms to form methylmercury, a toxic species that accumulates in biological tissues. The effect of dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from natural waters on reactions between mercury(II) (Hg) and sulfide (S(-II)) to form HgS(s) nanoparticles across a range...
Abundances and distribution of minerals and elements in high-alumina coal fly ash from the Jungar Power Plant, Inner Mongolia, China
S. Dai, L. Zhao, S. Peng, C. L. Chou, X. Wang, Y. Zhang, D. Li, Y. Sun
2010, International Journal of Coal Geology (81) 320-332
The fly ash from the Jungar Power Plant, Inner Mongolia, China, is unique because it is highly enriched in alumina (Al2O3>50%). The fly ash mainly consists of amorphous glass and mullite and trace amounts of corundum, quartz, char, calcite, K-feldspar, clay minerals, and Fe-bearing minerals. The mullite content in fly...
Quantifying data worth toward reducing predictive uncertainty
A.M. Dausman, J. Doherty, C.D. Langevin, M.C. Sukop
2010, Ground Water (48) 729-740
The present study demonstrates a methodology for optimization of environmental data acquisition. Based on the premise that the worth of data increases in proportion to its ability to reduce the uncertainty of key model predictions, the methodology can be used to compare the worth of different data types, gathered at...
Fuel deposition rates of montane and subalpine conifers in the central Sierra Nevada, California, USA
J. W. van Wagtendonk, P.E. Moore
2010, Forest Ecology and Management (259) 2122-2132
Fire managers and researchers need information on fuel deposition rates to estimate future changes in fuel bed characteristics, determine when forests transition to another fire behavior fuel model, estimate future changes in fuel bed characteristics, and parameterize and validate ecosystem process models. This information is lacking for many ecosystems including...
Mapping of road-salt-contaminated groundwater discharge and estimation of chloride load to a small stream in southern New Hampshire, USA
P. T. Harte, P.R. Trowbridge
2010, Hydrological Processes (24) 2349-2368
Concentrations of chloride in excess of State of New Hampshire water-quality standards (230 mg/l) have been measured in watersheds adjacent to an interstate highway (I-93) in southern New Hampshire. A proposed widening plan for I-93 has raised concerns over further increases in chloride. As part of this effort, road-salt-contaminated groundwater...
Use of multiple dispersal pathways facilitates amphibian persistence in stream networks
Grant E.H. Campbell, J.D. Nichols, W.H. Lowe, W.F. Fagan
2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (107) 6936-6940
Although populations of amphibians are declining worldwide, there is no evidence that salamanders occupying small streams are experiencing enigmatic declines, and populations of these species seem stable. Theory predicts that dispersal through multiple pathways can stabilize populations, preventing extinction in habitat networks. However, empirical data to support this prediction are...
Changes in agriculture and abundance of snow geese affect carrying capacity of sandhill cranes in Nebraska
A.T. Pearse, Gary L. Krapu, D.A. Brandt, P.J. Kinzel
2010, Journal of Wildlife Management (74) 479-488
The central Platte River valley (CPRV) in Nebraska, USA, is a key spring-staging area for approximately 80 of the midcontinent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis; hereafter cranes). Evidence that staging cranes acquired less lipid reserves during the 1990s compared to the late 1970s and increases in use of the...
Determining the effects of dams on subdaily variation in river flows at a whole-basin scale
J. K. H. Zimmerman, B.H. Letcher, K.H. Nislow, K.A. Lutz, F.J. Magilligan
2010, River Research and Applications (26) 1246-1260
River regulation can alter the frequency and magnitude of subdaily flow variations causing major impacts on ecological structure and function. We developed an approach to quantify subdaily flow variation for multiple sites across a large watershed to assess the potential impacts of different dam operations (flood control, run-of-river hydropower and...
Inverted channel deposits on the floor of Miyamoto crater, Mars
Horton E. Newsom, Nina L. Lanza, Ann M. Ollila, Sandra M. Wiseman, Ted L. Roush, Giuseppe A. Marzo, Livio L. Tornabene, Chris H. Okubo, Mikki M. Osterloo, Victoria E. Hamilton, Larry S. Crumpler
2010, Icarus (205) 64-72
Morphological features on the western floor of Miyamoto crater in southwestern Meridiani Planum, Mars, are suggestive of past fluvial activity. Imagery from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) gives a detailed view of raised curvilinear features that appear to represent inverted paleochannel deposits. The inverted terrain appears to be...
Mercury in mosses Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. from Poland and Alaska: Understanding the origin of pollution sources
Z.M. Migaszewski, A. Galuszka, ogonekgowska S. Dole, J.G. Crock, P. J. Lamothe
2010, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (73) 1345-1351
This report shows baseline concentrations of mercury in the moss species Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi from the Kielce area and the remaining Holy Cross Mountains (HCM) region (south-central Poland), and Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska) and Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska). Like mosses from many European...
Summary of the Second International Planetary Dunes Workshop: Planetary Analogs - Integrating Models, Remote Sensing, and Field Data, Alamosa, Colorado, USA, May 18-21, 2010
L.K. Fenton, M.A. Bishop, M.C. Bourke, C.S. Bristow, R.K. Hayward, B.H. Horgan, N. Lancaster, T.I. Michaels, D. Tirsch, T.N. Titus, A. Valdez
2010, Conference Paper, Aeolian Research
The Second International Planetary Dunes Workshop took place in Alamosa, Colorado, USA from May 18-21, 2010. The workshop brought together researchers from diverse backgrounds to foster discussion and collaboration regarding terrestrial and extra-terrestrial dunes and dune systems. Two and a half days were spent on five oral sessions and one...
Long generation time delays the genetic response to habitat fragmentation in the threatened florida sand skink
E.D. McCoy, J.Q. Richmond, H.R. Mushinsky, E.J. Britt, J.S. Godley
2010, Conference Paper, Journal of Herpetology
A recent study showed that populations of the threatened Florida Sand Skink had limited loss of genetic diversity over the past 60 yr as a consequence of anthropogenic fragmentation. This study assumed that 60 yr represents 3037 generations for the Florida Sand Skink, but a new evaluation of markrecapture data...
Community variations in social vulnerability to Cascadia-related tsunamis in the U.S. Pacific Northwest
N.J. Wood, C.G. Burton, S.L. Cutter
2010, Natural Hazards (52) 369-389
Tsunamis generated by Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes pose significant threats to coastal communities in the U. S. Pacific Northwest. Impacts of future tsunamis to individuals and communities will likely vary due to pre-event socioeconomic and demographic differences. In order to assess social vulnerability to Cascadia tsunamis, we adjust a social...
Hydrodynamic modeling of juvenile mussel dispersal in a large river: The potential effects of bed shear stress and other parameters
J.A. Daraio, L.J. Weber, T.J. Newton
2010, Conference Paper, Journal of the North American Benthological Society
Because unionid mussels have a parasitic larval stage, they are able to disperse upstream and downstream as larvae while attached to their host fish and with flow as juveniles after excystment from the host. Understanding unionid population ecology requires knowledge of the processes that affect juvenile dispersal prior to establishment....
Bringing wisents back to the Caucasus Mountains: 70 years of a grand mission
Taras Sipko, Sergei Trepet, Peter J. Gogan, Ivan Mizin
2010, European Bison Conservation Newletter (3) 33-44
We describe the history of mountain wisent restoration in the north-west Caucasus region. We review information on wisent during the 18th and 19th centuries, contemporary regional development and reasons for wisent extirpation. We emphasize the key role of the Kuban Hunting Reserve as a main factor in preserving wisent in...
Seismicity and fluid geochemistry at Lassen Volcanic National Park, California: Evidence for two circulation cells in the hydrothermal system
Cathy J. Janik, Marcia K. McLaren
2010, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (189) 257-277
Seismic analysis and geochemical interpretations provide evidence that two separate hydrothermal cells circulate within the greater Lassen hydrothermal system. One cell originates south to SW of Lassen Peak and within the Brokeoff Volcano depression where it forms a reservoir of hot fluid (235–270°C) that boils to feed steam to the...
Phosphorus dynamics in soils irrigated with reclaimed waste water or fresh water - A study using oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate
I. Zohar, A. Shaviv, M. Young, Carol Kendall, Steven R. Silva, A. Paytan
2010, Geoderma (159) 109-121
Transformations of phosphate (Pi) in different soil fractions were tracked using the stable isotopic composition of oxygen in phosphate (δ18Op) and Pi concentrations. Clay soil from Israel was treated with either reclaimed waste water (secondary, low grade) or with fresh water amended with a chemical fertilizer of a known isotopic...
Reserve growth in oil pools of Alberta: Model and forecast
M. Verma, T. Cook
2010, Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology (58) 283-293
Reserve growth is recognized as a major component of additions to reserves in most oil provinces around the world, particularly in mature provinces. It takes place as a result of the discovery of new pools/reservoirs and extensions of known pools within existing fields, improved knowledge of reservoirs over time leading...
Grid-size dependence of Cauchy boundary conditions used to simulate stream-aquifer interactions
S. Mehl, M. C. Hill
2010, Advances in Water Resources (33) 430-442
This work examines the simulation of stream–aquifer interactions as grids are refined vertically and horizontally and suggests that traditional methods for calculating conductance can produce inappropriate values when the grid size is changed. Instead, different grid resolutions require different estimated values. Grid refinement strategies considered include global refinement of the...
Reptile and amphibian responses to large-scale wildfires in southern California
C.J. Rochester, C.S. Brehme, D.R. Clark, D.C. Stokes, S.A. Hathaway, Robert N. Fisher
2010, Journal of Herpetology (44) 333-351
In 2003, southern California experienced several large fires that burned thousands of hectares of wildlife habitats and conserved lands. To investigate the effects of these fires on the reptile and amphibian communities, we compared the results from prefire herpetofauna and vegetation sampling to two years of postfire sampling across 38...
Are there optimal densities for prairie birds?
S. K. Skagen, A.A.Y. Adams
2010, Condor (112) 8-14
The major forces of food and predation shape fitness-enhancing decisions of birds at all stages of their life cycles. During the breeding season, birds can minimize nest loss due to predation by selecting sites with a lower probability of predation. To understand the environmental and social aspects and consequences of...
Growth, condition factor, and bioenergetics modeling link warmer stream temperatures below a small dam to reduced performance of juvenile steelhead
S.T. Sauter, P.J. Connolly
2010, Northwest Science (84) 369-377
We investigated the growth and feeding performance of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss using field measures and bioenergetics modeling. Juvenile steelhead populations were sampled from mid-June through August 2004 at study sites upstream and downstream of Hemlock Dam. The growth and diet of juvenile steelhead were determined for a warm (summer)...
