Factors Affecting Water Quality in Domestic Wells in the Upper Floridan Aquifer, Southeastern United States, 1998-2005
Marian P. Berndt, Christy A. Crandall, Michael Deacon, Teresa L. Embry, Rhonda S. Howard
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5147
The Floridan aquifer system is a highly productive carbonate aquifer that provides drinking water to about 10 million people in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Approximately 1.6 million people rely on domestic wells (privately owned household wells) for drinking water. Withdrawals of water from the Floridan aquifer system have increased...
Antidepressants at environmentally relevant concentrations affect predator avoidance behavior of larval fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas).
Edward T. Furlong, Larry B. Barber, Meghan R. McGee, Megan A. Buerkley, Matthew L. Julius, Alan M. Vajda, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Melissa M. Schultz, David O. Norris
2009, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (28) 2677-2684
The effects of embryonic and larval exposure to environmentally relevant (ng/L) concentrations of common antidepressants, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, and bupropion (singularly and in mixture) on C-start escape behavior were evaluated in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Embryos (postfertilization until hatching) were exposed for 5 d and, after hatching, were allowed to...
The geochemistry of environmentally important trace elements in UK coals, with special reference to the Parkgate coal in the Yorkshire–Nottinghamshire Coalfield, UK
D.A. Spears, S.J. Tewalt
2009, International Journal of Coal Geology (80) 157-166
The Parkgate coal of Langsettian age in the Yorkshire–Nottinghamshire coalfield is typical of many coals in the UK in that it has a high sulphur (S) content. Detailed information on the distribution of the forms of S, both laterally and vertically through the seam, was known from previous investigations. In...
Coastline degradation as an indicator of global change
Robert J. Nicholls, Colin D. Woodroffe, Virginia Burkett
Trevor M. Letcher, editor(s)
2009, Book chapter, Climate change: observed impacts on planet Earth
Finding a climate change signal on coasts is more problematic than often assumed. Coasts undergo natural dynamics at many scales, with erosion and recovery in response to climate variability such as El Niño, or extreme events such as storms and infrequent tsunamis. Additionally, humans have had enormous impacts on most...
Assessment of Local Recharge Area Characteristics of Four Caves in Northern Arkansas and Northeastern Oklahoma, 2004-07
Jonathan A. Gillip, Joel M. Galloway, Rheannon M. Hart
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5118
A study was conducted from 2004 to 2007 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assess the characteristics of the local recharge areas of four caves in northern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma that provide habitat for a number of unique organisms. Characterization...
Microbial disease and the coral holobiont
David G. Bourne, Mary E. Garren, Thierry M. Work, Eugene Rosenberg, Garriet W. Smith, C. Drew Harvell
2009, Trends in Microbiology (17) 554-562
Tropical coral reefs harbour a reservoir of enormous biodiversity that is increasingly threatened by direct human activities and indirect global climate shifts. Emerging coral diseases are one serious threat implicated in extensive reef deterioration through disruption of the integrity of the coral holobiont – a complex symbiosis between the coral...
NASA and USGS invest in invasive species modeling to evaluate habitat for Africanized Honey Bees
2009, The Earth Observer (21) 4-8
Invasive non-native species, such as plants, animals, and pathogens, have long been an interest to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA. Invasive species cause harm to our economy (around $120 B/year), the environment (e.g., replacing native biodiversity, forest pathogens negatively affecting carbon storage), and human health (e.g., plague, West...
U.S. Geological Survey Methodology Development for Ecological Carbon Assessment and Monitoring
Zhi-Liang Zhu, S.M. Stackpoole
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3102
Ecological carbon sequestration refers to transfer and storage of atmospheric carbon in vegetation, soils, and aquatic environments to help offset the net increase from carbon emissions. Understanding capacities, associated opportunities, and risks of vegetated ecosystems to sequester carbon provides science information to support formulation of policies governing climate change mitigation,...
The Water Cycle in Volusia County
Edward R. German
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3004
Earth's water is always in motion. The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. This fact sheet provides information about how much water moves into and out of Volusia County, and where it is stored. It...
Adaptive management: The U.S. Department of the Interior technical guide
B K Williams, Robert C. Szaro, Carl D. Shapiro
2009, Report
The purpose of this technical guide is to present an operational definition of adaptive management, identify the conditions in which adaptive management should be considered, and describe the process of using adaptive management for managing natural resources. The guide is not an exhaustive discussion of adaptive management, nor does it...
Does variation in cranial morphology of Myotis occultus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) reflect a greater reliance on certain prey types?
Ernest W. Valdez, Michael A. Bogan
2009, Acta Chiropterologica (11) 443-450
Few studies have investigated the relationship between morphological variation and local feeding habits of bats in the United States. We used discriminant function analysis (DFA) to compare cranial morphology of Myotis occultus from southern Colorado, and central, and southern New Mexico. We analyzed guano collected from maternity colonies in southern Colorado and...
Report from Ground Zero: How geoscientists aid in the aftermath of environmental disasters
Geoffrey S. Plumlee
2009, Earth Magazine (54) 38-47
People around the world remember when they first learned of the attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. For me, the memories are vivid — my feelings of shock, horror and sadness were similarly etched on the faces of all the attendees of a...
Parasitic castration: the evolution and ecology of body snatchers
Kevin D. Lafferty, Armand M. Kuris
2009, Trends in Parasitology (25) 564-572
Castration is a response to the tradeoff between consumption and longevity faced by parasites. Common parasitic castrators include larval trematodes in snails, and isopod and barnacle parasites of crustaceans. The infected host (with its many unique properties) is the extended phenotype of the parasitic castrator. Because an individual parasitic castrator...
Oxalosis in wild desert tortoises, Gopherus agassizii
Elliott R. Jacobson, Kristin H. Berry, Brian Stacy, Louis M. Huzella, Victor F. Kalasinsky, Michelle L. Fleetwood, Mark G. Mense
2009, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (45) 982-988
We necropsied a moribund, wild adult male desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) with clinical signs of respiratory disease and elevated plasma biochemical analytes indicative of renal disease (blood urea nitrogen [415 mg/dl], uric acid [11.8 mg/dl], sodium >180 mmol/l] and chloride [139 mmol/l]). Moderate numbers of birefringent oxalate crystals, based on...
Tritium concentrations in environmental samples and transpiration rates from the vicinity of Mary's Branch Creek and background areas, Barnwell, South Carolina, 2007-2009
Don A. Vroblesky, Judy L. Canova, Paul M. Bradley, James Landmeyer
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5245
Tritium in groundwater from a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility near Barnwell, South Carolina, is discharging to Mary's Branch Creek. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an investigation from 2007 to 2009 to examine the tritium concentration in trees and air samples near the creek and in background areas, in groundwater...
Algal and Water-Quality Data for the Yellowstone River and Tributaries, Montana and Wyoming, 1999-2000
David A. Peterson
2009, Data Series 484
Streams of the Yellowstone River Basin in Montana and Wyoming were sampled as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Algal communities were sampled in 1999 in conjunction with other ecological sampling and in 2000 during synoptic sampling. Water-quality measurements related to the algal sampling included light...
Sediment Characteristics and Transport in the Kootenai River White Sturgeon Critical Habitat near Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Ryan L. Fosness, Marshall L. Williams
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5228
Recovery efforts for the endangered Kootenai River population of white sturgeon require an understanding of the characteristics and transport of suspended and bedload sediment in the critical habitat reach of the river. In 2007 and 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, conducted suspended-...
Effects of roads, topography, and land use on forest cover dynamics in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Simone R. Freitas, Todd Hawbaker, Jean Paul Metzger
2009, Forest Ecology and Management (259) 410-417
Roads and topography can determine patterns of land use and distribution of forest cover, particularly in tropical regions. We evaluated how road density, land use, and topography affected forest fragmentation, deforestation and forest regrowth in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest region near the city...
Mapping irrigated lands across the United States using MODIS satellite imagery
J.F. Brown, S.K. Maxwell, Md Shahriar Pervez
Prasad S. Thenkabail, Chandrashekhar M. Biradar, Hugh Turral, John G. Lyon, editor(s)
2009, Book chapter, Remote sensing of global croplands for food security
This book opens a new pathway for global mapping that is focused on a specific land use theme, such as irrigated or rain-fed croplands and classes within these themes. Since croplands use most of the water consumed by humans, specific knowledge of irrigated and rain-fed croplands will be critical for...
Status of `Akiapola`au at Kapapala, Hawaii
T.K. Pratt, E.J. Tweed, S. Fretz
2009, 'Elepaio (69)
No abstract available....
Diverse elevational diversity gradients in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S.A.: Chapter 10
Nathan J. Sanders, Robert R. Dunn, Matthew C. Fitzpatrick, Christopher E. Carlton, Michael R. Pogue, Charles R. Parker, Theodore R. Simons
2009, Book chapter, Data mining for global trends in mountain biodiversity
Why does the number of species vary geographically? The earliest naturalists puzzled over this question, as do many biogeographers and macroecologists today. Over the last 200-plus years, the most striking geographic pattern in species richness – the decline in species richness with increasing latitude – has received the most attention....
Evaluation of flow structure and bed load velocity in the vicinity of a submerged wing dike in a large sand bed river
E. C. Jamieson, C. D. Rennie, R. B. Jacobson
2009, Conference Paper, The Conference Proceedings of the 33rd IAHR congress “Water Engineering for a Sustainable Environment”
No abstract available....
Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, September 2008
Anita G. Ortiz
2009, Scientific Investigations Map 3071
The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer....
Use of StreamStats in the Upper French Broad River Basin, North Carolina: A Pilot Water-Resources Web Application
Chad R. Wagner, Kirsten C. Tighe, Silvia Terziotti
2009, Fact Sheet 2009-3088
StreamStats is a Web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) application that was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) to provide access to an assortment of analytical tools that are useful for water-resources planning and management. StreamStats allows users to easily obtain...
DayCent-Chem simulations of ecological and biogeochemical processes of eight mountain ecosystems in the United States
Melannie D. Hartman, Jill S. Baron, David W. Clow, Irena F. Creed, Charles T. Driscoll, Holly A. Ewing, Bruce D. Haines, Jennifer Knoepp, Kate Lajtha, Dennis S. Ojima, William J. Parton, Jim Renfro, R. Bruce Robinson, Helga Van Miegroet, Kathleen C. Weathers, Mark W. Williams
2009, Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5150
Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) cause complex responses in ecosystems, from fertilization to forest ecosystem decline, freshwater eutrophication to acidification, loss of soil base cations, and alterations of disturbance regimes. DayCent-Chem, an ecosystem simulation model that combines ecosystem nutrient cycling and plant dynamics with aqueous geochemical equilibrium...
