Strategies for nest-site selection by king eiders
R.L. Bentzen, A.N. Powell, R.S. Suydam
2009, Journal of Wildlife Management (73) 932-938
Nest site selection is a critical component of reproduction and has presumably evolved in relation to predation, local resources, and microclimate. We investigated nest-site choice by king eiders (Somateria spectabilis) on the coastal plain of northern Alaska, USA, 2003-2005. We hypothesized that nest-site selection is driven by predator avoidance and...
Population variation in isotopic composition of shorebird feathers: Implications for determining molting grounds
J. Torres-Dowdall, A.H. Farmer, E.H. Bucher, R. O. Rye, G. Landis
2009, Waterbirds (32) 300-310
Stable isotope analyses have revolutionized the study of migratory connectivity. However, as with all tools, their limitations must be understood in order to derive the maximum benefit of a particular application. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of stable isotopes of C, N, H, O and...
The Moon mineralogy mapper (M3) on Chandrayaan-1
C.M. Pieters, J. Boardman, B. Buratti, A. Chatterjee, R. Clark, T. Glavich, R. Green, J. Head, P. Isaacson, E. Malaret, T. McCord, J. Mustard, N. Petro, C. Runyon, M. Staid, J. Sunshine, L. Taylor, S. Tompkins, P. Varanasi, M. White
2009, Current Science (96) 500-505
The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) is a NASA-supported guest instrument on ISRO's remote sensing mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-1. The M3 is an imaging spectrometer that operates from the visible into the near-infrared (0.42-3.0 ??m) where highly diagnostic mineral absorption bands occur. Over the course of the mission M3 will provide...
Neogene collision and deformation of convergent margins along the backbone of the Americas
Roland E. von Huene, C.R. Ranero
2009, Conference Paper, Memoir of the Geological Society of America
Along Pacific convergent margins of the Americas, high-standing relief on the subducting oceanic plate "collides" with continental slopes and subducts. Features common to many collisions are uplift of the continental margin, accelerated seafloor erosion, accelerated basal subduction erosion, a flat slab, and a lack of active volcanism. Each collision along...
Use of a nesting platform by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers at the Salton Sea, California
Kathy C. Molina, Mark A. Ricca, A. Keith Miles, Christian Schoneman
2009, Western Birds (40) 267-277
In 2006, we constructed an elevated nesting platform at the Salton Sea, California, and monitored its use by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers over three subsequent breeding seasons. Black Skimmers were the first to colonize the platform with a total of five nests in 2006. In 2007 Gull-billed Terns colonized...
A sightability model for mountain goats
C.G. Rice, K.J. Jenkins, W.-Y. Chang
2009, Journal of Wildlife Management (73) 468-478
Unbiased estimates of mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations are key to meeting diverse harvest management and conservation objectives. We developed logistic regression models of factors influencing sightability of mountain goat groups during helicopter surveys throughout the Cascades and Olympic Ranges in western Washington during summers, 20042007. We conducted 205 trials...
A regional-scale study of chromium and nickel in soils of northern California, USA
J.M. Morrison, M. B. Goldhaber, L. Lee, J.M. Holloway, R. B. Wanty, R.E. Wolf, J. F. Ranville
2009, Applied Geochemistry (24) 1500-1511
A soil geochemical survey was conducted in a 27,000-km2 study area of northern California that includes the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Sacramento Valley, and the northern Coast Range. The results show that soil geochemistry in the Sacramento Valley is controlled primarily by the transport and weathering of parent material from...
Characterization of clouds in Titan's tropical atmosphere
C.A. Griffith, P. Penteado, S. Rodriguez, Stéphane Le Mouélic, K. H. Baines, B. Buratti, R. Clark, P. Nicholson, R. Jaumann, Christophe Sotin
2009, Astrophysical Journal (702)
Images of Titan's clouds, possible over the past 10 years, indicate primarily discrete convective methane clouds near the south and north poles and an immense stratiform cloud, likely composed of ethane, around the north pole. Here we present spectral images from Cassini's Visual Mapping Infrared Spectrometer that reveal the increasing...
Genetic differentiation between sympatric and allopatric wintering populations of Snow Geese
E.M. Humphries, J.L. Peters, J.E. Jonsson, Rachel L. Stone, A. D. Afton, K.E. Omland
2009, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (121) 730-738
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland, USA has been the wintering area of a small population of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens; LSGO) since the 1930s. Snow Geese primarily pair in wintering areas and gene flow could be restricted between this and other LSGO wintering populations....
Distribution limits of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: a case study in the Rocky Mountains, USA
Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Chauncey W. Anderson, Julie D. Kirshtein, P. Stephen Corn
2009, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (45) 1198-1202
Knowledge of the environmental constraints on a pathogen is critical to predicting its dynamics and effects on populations. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), an aquatic fungus that has been linked with widespread amphibian declines, is ubiquitous in the Rocky Mountains. As part of assessing the distribution limits of Bd in our study...
Producing fired bricks using coal slag from a gasification plant in indiana
L.-M. Chen, I.-M. Chou, Sheng-Fu J. Chou, J.W. Stucki
2009, Conference Paper, 3rd World of Coal Ash, WOCA Conference - Proceedings
Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is a promising power generation technology which increases the efficiency of coal-to-power conversion and enhances carbon dioxide concentration in exhaust emissions for better greenhouse gas capture. Two major byproducts from IGCC plants are bottom slag and sulfur. The sulfur can be processed into commercially viable...
Helmand river hydrologic studies using ALOS PALSAR InSAR and ENVISAT altimetry
Zhong Lu, J.-W. Kim, H. Lee, C. K. Shum, J. Duan, M. Ibaraki, O. Akyilmaz, C.-H. Read
2009, Marine Geodesy (32) 320-333
The Helmand River wetland represents the only fresh-water resource in southern Afghanistan and one of the least mapped water basins in the world. The relatively narrow wetland consists of mostly marshes surrounded by dry lands. In this study, we demonstrate the use of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased...
Environmental contaminants and bats: Investigating exposure and effects
Thomas J. O’Shea, J. J. Johnston
2009, Book chapter, Ecological and behavioral methods for the study of bats
No abstract available....
Vegetation classification and distribution mapping report: Mesa Verde National Park
Kathryn A. Thomas, Monica L. McTeague, Lindsay Ogden, M. Lisa Floyd, Keith Schulz, Beverly A. Friesen, Tammy S. Fancher, Robert G. Waltermire, Anne Cully
2009, Natural Resource Report NPS/SCPN/NRR—2009/112
The classification and distribution mapping of the vegetation of Mesa Verde National Park (MEVE) and surrounding environment was achieved through a multi-agency effort between 2004 and 2007. The National Park Service’s Southern Colorado Plateau Network facilitated the team that conducted the work, which comprised the U.S. Geological Survey’s Southwest Biological...
A revised burial dose estimation procedure for optical dating of youngand modern-age sediments
L.J. Arnold, R.G. Roberts, R.F. Galbraith, S.B. DeLong
2009, Quaternary Geochronology (4) 306-325
The presence of genuinely zero-age or near-zero-age grains in modern-age and very young samples poses a problem for many existing burial dose estimation procedures used in optical (optically stimulated luminescence, OSL) dating. This difficulty currently necessitates consideration of relatively simplistic and statistically inferior age models. In this study, we investigate...
Ectoparasites of the occult bat, Myotis occultus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)
Ernest W. Valdez, Christopher M. Ritzi, John O. Whitaker Jr.
2009, Western North American Naturalist (69) 364-370
Only a single previous study has examined ectoparasites of the occult bat (Myotis occultus), from which only 2 species of fleas were identified. For our study, we examined 202 individuals, 52 fresh hosts and 150 museum specimens, from New Mexico and southern Colorado for ectoparasites. We recorded 2158 ectoparasites, 634...
Geotechnical properties of cemented sands in steep slopes
B.D. Collins, N. Sitar
2009, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (135) 1359-1366
An investigation into the geotechnical properties specific to assessing the stability of weakly and moderately cemented sand cliffs is presented. A case study from eroding coastal cliffs located in central California provides both the data and impetus for this study. Herein, weakly cemented sand is defined as having an unconfined...
Late Quaternary stratigraphy and sedimentation patterns in the western Arctic Ocean
L. Polyak, J. Bischof, J.D. Ortiz, D. A. Darby, J.E.T. Channell, C. Xuan, D. S. Kaufman, R. Lovlie, D.A. Schneider, D. D. Eberl, R.E. Adler, E.A. Council
2009, Global and Planetary Change (68) 5-17
Sediment cores from the western Arctic Ocean obtained on the 2005 HOTRAX and some earlier expeditions have been analyzed to develop a stratigraphic correlation from the Alaskan Chukchi margin to the Northwind and Mendeleev-Alpha ridges. The correlation was primarily based on terrigenous sediment composition that is not affected by diagenetic...
Nesting ecology of Greater Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) in riparian and palustrine wetlands of eastern Idaho
D.B. McWethy, J. E. Austin
2009, Waterbirds (32) 106-115
Little information exists on breeding Greater Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) in riparian wetlands of the Intermountain West. We examined the nesting ecology of Sandhill Cranes associated with riparian and palustrine wetlands in the Henry's Fork Watershed in eastern Idaho in 2003. We located 36 active crane nests, 19 in...
Patterns and determinants of mammal species occurrence in India
K.K. Karanth, J.D. Nichols, J.E. Hines, K. U. Karanth, N.L. Christensen
2009, Journal of Applied Ecology (46) 1189-1200
Many Indian mammals face range contraction and extinction, but assessments of their population status are hindered by the lack of reliable distribution data and range maps. 2. We estimated the current geographical ranges of 20 species of large mammals by applying occupancy models to data from country-wide expert. We modelled...
Rapid middle Miocene collapse of the Mesozoic orogenic plateau in north-central Nevada
Joseph P. Colgan, Christopher D. Henry
2009, International Geology Review (51) 920-961
The modern Sierra Nevada and Great Basin were likely the site of a high-elevation orogenic plateau well into Cenozoic time, supported by crust thickened during Mesozoic shortening. Although crustal thickening at this scale can lead to extension, the relationship between Mesozoic shortening and subsequent formation of the Basin and Range...
Production of bovine cloned embryos with donor cells frozen at a slow cooling rate in a conventional freezer (20 C)
L. Chacon, M.C. Gomez, J.A. Jenkins, S.P. Leibo, G. Wirtu, B.L. Dresser, C.E. Pope
2009, Zygote (17) 341-351
Usually, fibroblasts are frozen in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO, 10% v/v) at a cooling rate of 1 °C/min in a low-temperature (−80 °C) freezer (LTF) before storage in liquid nitrogen (LN2); however, a LTF is not always available. The purpose...
Impacts of experimentally increased foraging effort on the family: offspring sex matters
Ann Harding, Alexander S. Kitaysky, Keith C. Hamer, Margaret E. Hall, Jorg Welcker, Sandra L. Talbot, Nina J. Karnovsky, Geir W. Gabrielsen, David Gremillet
2009, Animal Behaviour (78) 321-328
We examined how short-term impacts of experimentally increased foraging effort by one parent reverberate around the family in a monomorphic seabird (little auk, Alle alle), and whether these effects depend on offspring sex. In many species, more effort is required to rear sons successfully than daughters. However, undernourishment may have...
Nest movement by piping plovers in response to changing habitat conditions
Mark T. Wiltermuth, Michael J. Anteau, Mark H. Sherfy, Terry L. Shaffer
2009, Condor (111) 550-555
Birds that nest along reservoir or river shorelines may face fluctuating water levels that threaten nest survival. On Lake Sakakawea of the upper Missouri River, 37 and 70% of Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) nests found in 2007 and 2008, respectively, were initiated at elevations inundated prior to projected hatch date....
Analysis of dynamic thresholds for the normalized difference water index
Lei Ji, Li Zhang, Bruce K. Wylie
2009, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (75) 1307-1317
The normalized difference water index (NDWI) has been successfully used to delineate surface water features. However, two major problems have been often encountered: (a) NDWIs calculated from different band combinations [visible, nearinfrared, or shortwave-infrared (SWIR)] can generate different results, and (b) NDWI thresholds vary depending on the proportions of subpixel...
