Survey trends of North American shorebirds: Population declines or shifting distributions?
Jonathan Bart, Stephen Brown, Brian A. Harrington, R.I. Guy Morrison
2007, Journal of Avian Biology (38) 73-82
We analyzed data from two surveys of fall migrating shorebirds in central and eastern North America to estimate annual trends in means per survey and to determine whether trends indicate a change in population size or might have been caused by other factors. The analysis showed a broad decline in...
Comparative performance of invasive and native Celastrus species across environmental gradients
S. A. Leicht-Young, J. A. Silander Jr., A.M. Latimer
2007, Oecologia (154) 273-282
The ability to understand and predict the success of invasive plant species in their new ranges is increased when there is a sympatric native congener available for comparison. Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) is a liana introduced into the United States in the mid-1800s from East Asia as an ornamental plant....
Aeromagnetic mapping of the structure of Pine Canyon caldera and Chisos Mountains intrusion, Big Bend National Park, Texas
B. J. Drenth, C. A. Finn
2007, Geological Society of America Bulletin (119) 1521-1534
Analysis of aeromagnetic and gravity data reveals new details of the structure, igneous geology, and temporal evolution of the prominent, enigmatic ca.32 Ma Pine Canyon caldera and the Chisos Mountains (Big Bend National Park, Texas). The main caldera-filling Pine Canyon Rhyolite, the oldest member of the South Rim Formation, is...
Influence of groundwater pumping on streamflow restoration following upstream dam removal
James E. Constantz, Hedeff I. Essaid
2007, Hydrological Processes (21) 2823-2834
We compared streamflow in basins under the combined impacts of an upland dam and groundwater pumping withdrawals, by examining streamflow in the presence and absence of each impact. As a qualitative analysis, inter-watershed streamflow comparisons were performed for several rivers flowing into the east side...
Landward and eastward shift of Alaskan polar bear denning associated with recent sea ice changes
Anthony S. Fischbach, Steven C. Amstrup, David C. Douglas
2007, Polar Biology (30) 1395-1405
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the northern Alaska region den in coastal areas and on offshore drifting ice. We evaluated changes in the distribution of polar bear maternal dens between 1985 and 2005, using satellite telemetry. We determined the distribution of maternal dens occupied by 89 satellite collared female polar...
A cold phase of the East Pacific triggers new phytoplankton blooms in San Francisco Bay
James E. Cloern, Alan D. Jassby, Janet K. Thompson, Kathryn Hieb
2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (104) 18561-18565
Ecological observations sustained over decades often reveal abrupt changes in biological communities that signal altered ecosystem states. We report a large shift in the biological communities of San Francisco Bay, first detected as increasing phytoplankton biomass and occurrences of new seasonal blooms that began in 1999. This phytoplankton increase is...
Effects of highway construction on sediment and benthic macroinvertebrates in two tributaries of the Lost River, West Virginia
Lara B. Hedrick, S.A. Welsh, James T. Anderson
2007, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (22) 561-569
During a three-year study of two tributaries being crossed by a four-lane highway under construction in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, we found little difference in the amount of fine sediment collected at upstream and downstream sites. The downstream site on one tributary collected significantly greater amounts of sediment...
Barrier island vulnerability to breaching: a case study on Dauphin Island, Alabama
Mark Hansen, Asbury H. Sallenger Jr.
2007, Conference Paper, Coastal Sediments '07 - Proceedings of 6th International Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes
Breaching of barrier islands can adversely impact society by severing infrastructure, destroying private properties, and altering water quality in back bays and estuaries. This study provides a scheme that assesses the relative vulnerability of a barrier island to breach during storms. Dauphin Island, Alabama was selected for this study because...
Seismic amplification within the Seattle Basin, Washington State: Insights from SHIPS seismic tomography experiments
C.M. Snelson, T.M. Brocher, K.C. Miller, T. L. Pratt, A.M. Trehu
2007, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (97) 1432-1448
Recent observations indicate that the Seattle sedimentary basin, underlying Seattle and other urban centers in the Puget Lowland, Washington, amplifies long-period (1-5 sec) weak ground motions by factors of 10 or more. We computed east-trending P- and S-wave velocity models across the Seattle basin from Seismic Hazard Investigations of Puget...
A biological assessment of streams in the eastern United States using a predictive model for macroinvertebrate assemblages
D.M. Carlisle, M. R. Meador
2007, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (43) 1194-1207
A predictive model (RIVPACS-type) for benthic macroinvertebrates was constructed to assess the biological condition of 1,087 streams sampled throughout the eastern United States from 1993-2003 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. A subset of 338 sites was designated as reference quality, 28 of which were...
Reinterpretation of Paleoproterozoic accretionary boundaries of the north-central United States based on a new aeromagnetic-geologic compilation
D.K. Holm, R. Anderson, Terrence Boerboom, W.F. Cannon, V. Chandler, M. Jirsa, J. Miller, D.A. Schneider, K. J. Schulz, W. R. Van Schmus
2007, Precambrian Research (157) 71-79
The Paleoproterozoic crust in the north-central U.S. represents intact juvenile terranes accreted to the rifted Archean Superior craton. A new tectonic province map, based on the interpretation of a new aeromagnetic compilation, published geologic maps, and recent geochronologic data, shows progressive accretion of juvenile arc terranes from ca. 1900-1600 Ma....
Upper cretaceous microbial petroleum systems in north-central Montana
Paul G. Lillis
2007, Mountain Geologist (44) 11-35
Cenomanian to Campanian rocks of north-central Montana contain shallow economic accumulations of dry natural gas derived from microbial methanogenesis. The methanogens utilized carbon dioxide derived from organic matter in the marginal marine sediments and hydrogen from in situ pore water to generate methane. The most recent USGS assessment of the shallow...
Estimating the amount of eroded section in a partially exhumed basin from geophysical well logs: An example from the North Slope
W. Matthew Burns, Daniel O. Hayba, Elisabeth L. Rowan, David W. Houseknecht
2007, Professional Paper 1732-D
The reconstruction of burial and thermal histories of partially exhumed basins requires an estimation of the amount of erosion that has occurred since the time of maximum burial. We have developed a method for estimating eroded thickness by using porosity-depth trends derived from borehole sonic logs of wells in the...
USGS national surveys and analysis projects: Preliminary compilation of integrated geological datasets for the United States: A section in Digital mapping techniques '06 - Workshop proceedings
Suzanne W. Nicholson, Douglas B. Stoeser, Frederic H. Wilson, Connie L. Dicken, Stephen Ludington
2007, Open-File Report 2007-1285
The growth in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has highlighted the need for regional and national digital geologic maps attributed with age and rock type information. Such spatial data can be conveniently used to generate derivative maps for purposes that include mineral-resource assessment, metallogenic studies, tectonic studies, human...
A project for monitoring trends in burn severity
Jeffery C. Eidenshink, Brian Schwind, Ken Brewer, Zhu-Liang Zhu, Brad Quayle, Stephen M. Howard
2007, Fire Ecology (3) 3-21
Jeff Eidenshink, Brian Schwind, Ken Brewer, Zhi-Liang Zhu, Brad Quayle, and Elected officials and leaders of environmental agencies need information about the effects of large wildfires in order to set policy and make management decisions. Recently, the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC), which implements and coordinates the National Fire Plan...
Geology and Mineral Resources of the East Mojave National Scenic Area, San Bernardino County, California
Ted G. Theodore, editor(s)
2007, Miscellaneous Field Studies Map 2414
From our evaluations that largely used model-based criteria, we conclude that much of the East Mojave National Scenic Area (EMNSA) contains significant indications of epigenetic mineralization of various types. Economically significant concentrations of many metals may possibly remain to be discovered in many parts of the EMNSA (see also Wetzel...
Assessing and Understanding Trail Degradation: Results from Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area
J. L. Marion, N. Olive
2006, Report
This report describes results from a comprehensive assessment of resource conditions on a large (24%) sample of the trail system within Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area (BSF). Components include research to develop state-of-knowledge trail impact assessment and monitoring methods, application of survey methods to BSF trails,...
Analysis of mid- and high-stage conditions for the Peconic River at the eastern boundary of Brookhaven National Laboratory, Suffolk County, New York
Christopher Schubert, Terrence M. Sullivan, William H. Medeiros
2006, Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5292
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has historically discharged sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent to the Peconic River, which runs through the BNL site in Suffolk County, N.Y. This effluent discharge has averaged about 700,000 gallons per day (about 1.1 cubic feet per second [ft3/s]) since 1962 and led to contamination of...
Introduction to the special issue on the changing Mojave Desert
Kristin H. Berry, R. W. Murphy, Jeremy S. Mack, W. Quillman
2006, Journal of Arid Environments (67) 5-10
The Mojave Desert, which lies between the Great Basin Desert in the north and the Sonoran Desert in the south, covers an estimated 114 478–130 464 km2 of the south-western United States and includes parts of the states of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and California, with the amount of land mass dependent on the...
Persistent organic pollutants in Alaskan ringed seal (Phoca hispida) and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) blubber
John R. Kucklick, Margaret M. Krahn, Paul R. Becker, Barbara J. Porter, Michele M. Schantz, Geoffrey S. York, Todd M. O'Hara, Stephen A. Wise
2006, Journal of Environmental Monitoring (8) 848-854
Since 1987, the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project (AMMTAP) has collected tissues from 18 marine mammal species. Specimens are archived in the National Institute of Standards and Technology's National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NIST-NBSB). AMMTAP has collected blubber, liver and/or kidney specimens from a number of ringed seals (Phoca hispida)...
Growth and sustainability of black bears at White River National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas
Joseph D. Clark, R. Eastridge
2006, Journal of Wildlife Management (70) 1094-1101
The black bear (Ursus americanus) population at White River National Wildlife Refuge is isolated and genetically distinct, but hunting occurs adjacent to refuge boundaries and females with cubs are removed annually for a reintroduction project. We trapped and radiotracked bears to determine level of exploitation and compare methods for estimating...
Population trajectory of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in eastern Washington
C.J. Conway, K.L. Pardieck
2006, Northwest Science (80) 292-297
Anecdotal evidence suggests that burrowing owls have declined in Washington. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is currently conducting a status review for burrowing owls which will help determine whether they should be listed as threatened or endangered in the state. To provide insights into the current...
An efficient method of capturing Painted Buntings and other small granivorous passerines
P.W. Sykes Jr.
2006, North American Bird Bander (31) 110-115
To study survival in the eastern breeding population of the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), I developed a technique to capture a large sample of buntings for color marking with leg-bands. This involved the use of bird feeders and an array of three short mist nets located at 40 sites...
The distribution and conservation status of the Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) in North America
K.C. Molina, R.M. Erwin
2006, Waterbirds (29) 271-295
The Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) has until recently received little conservation and management attention within North America despite a relatively low overall population size and significant declines in parts of the breeding range. This lack of attention may stem in part from the wide distribution of the species, encompassing...
Hurricanes 2004: An overview of their characteristics and coastal change
Asbury H. Sallenger Jr., Hilary Stockdon, Laura A. Fauver, Mark Hansen, David Thompson, C. Wayne Wright, Jeff Lillycrop
2006, Estuaries and Coasts (29) 880-888
Four hurricanes battered the state of Florida during 2004, the most affecting any state since Texas endured four in 1884. Each of the storms changed the coast differently. Average shoreline change within the right front quadrant of hurricane force winds varied from 1 m of shoreline advance to 20 m...
