Paleoseismic targets, seismic hazard, and urban areas in the Central and Eastern United States
R. L. Wheeler
2008, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (98) 1572-1580
Published geologic information from the central and eastern United States identifies 83 faults, groups of sand blows, named seismic zones, and other geological features as known or suspected products of Quaternary tectonic faulting. About one fifth of the features are known to contain faulted Quaternary materials or seismically induced liquefaction...
Soil sedimentology at Gusev Crater from Columbia Memorial Station to Winter Haven
N.A. Cabrol, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, R. Greeley, E.A. Grin, C. Schroder, C. d’Uston, C. Weitz, R.A. Yingst, B. A. Cohen, Jeff Moore, A. Knudson, B. Franklin, R. C. Anderson, R. Li
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (113)
A total of 3140 individual particles were examined in 31 soils along Spirit's traverse. Their size, shape, and texture were quantified and classified. They represent a unique record of 3 years of sedimentologic exploration from landing to sol 1085 covering the Plains Unit to Winter Haven where Spirit spent the...
Response of fish populations to natural channel design restoration in streams of the Catskill Mountains, New York
Barry P. Baldigo, D.R. Warren, A.G. Ernst, C.I. Mulvihill
2008, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (28) 954-969
Many streams and rivers throughout North America have been extensively straightened, widened, and hardened since the middle 1800s, but related effects on aquatic ecosystems have seldom been monitored, described, or published. Beginning in the early 1990s, reach-level restoration efforts began to base projects on natural channel design (NCD) techniques and...
Sediment and nutrient delivery from thermokarst features in the foothills of the North Slope, Alaska: Potential impacts on headwater stream ecosystems
W.B. Bowden, M.N. Gooseff, A. Balser, A. Green, B. J. Peterson, J. Bradford
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (113)
Permafrost is a defining characteristic of the Arctic environment. However, climate warming is thawing permafrost in many areas leading to failures in soil structure called thermokarst. An extensive survey of a 600 km2 area in and around the Toolik Lake Natural Research Area (TLNRA) revealed at least 34 thermokarst features,...
Evaluating the potential effectiveness of compensatory mitigation strategies for marine bycatch
M. Finkelstein, V. Bakker, D.F. Doak, B. Sullivan, R. Lewison, W.H. Satterthwaite, P.B. McIntyre, S. Wolf, D. Priddel, J.M. Arnold, R.W. Henry, P. Sievert, J. Croxall
2008, PLoS ONE (3)
Conservationists are continually seeking new strategies to reverse population declines and safeguard against species extinctions. Here we evaluate the potential efficacy of a recently proposed approach to offset a major anthropogenic threat to many marine vertebrates: incidental bycatch in commercial fisheries operations. This new approach, compensatory mitigation for marine bycatch...
MGS-TES thermal inertia study of the Arsia Mons Caldera
Glen E. Cushing, Timothy N. Titus
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (113)
Temperatures of the Arsia Mons caldera floor and two nearby control areas were obtained by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES). These observations revealed that the Arsia Mons caldera floor exhibits thermal behavior different from the surrounding Tharsis region when compared with thermal models. Our technique compares...
The formation conditions of chondrules and chondrites
C. M. O’D. Alexander, Jeffrey N. Grossman, D.S. Ebel, F.J. Ciesla
2008, Science (320) 1617-1619
Chondrules, which are roughly millimeter-sized silicate-rich spherules, dominate the most primitive meteorites, the chondrites. They formed as molten droplets and, judging from their abundances in chondrites, are the products of one of the most energetic processes that operated in the early inner solar system. The conditions and mechanism of chondrule...
Multi-scale occupancy estimation and modelling using multiple detection methods
James D. Nichols, Larissa L. Bailey, Allan F. O’Connell, Neil W. Talancy, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Andrew T. Gilbert, Elizabeth M. Annand, Thomas P. Husband, James E. Hines
2008, Journal of Applied Ecology (45) 1321-1329
Occupancy estimation and modelling based on detection–nondetection data provide an effective way of exploring change in a species’ distribution across time and space in cases where the species is not always detected with certainty. Today, many monitoring programmes target multiple species, or life stages within a species, requiring the use...
Seasonal movements and migration of Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus from Qinghai Lake, China
S.B. Muzaffar, John Y. Takekawa, D.J. Prosser, David C. Douglas, B. Yan, Z. Xing, Y. Hou, E.C. Palm, S. H. Newman
2008, Forktail (24) 100-107
We studied the seasonal movements and migration often Pallas's Gulls Larus ichthyaetus trom Qinghai Lake to assess migratory routes and stopover areas. Each individual was captured and equipped with an 18 g solar-powered Platform Transmitter Terminal (PIT) to track its movements from September 2007 to May 2008. Six...
A double-observer method to estimate detection rate during aerial waterfowl surveys
M.D. Koneff, J. Andrew Royle, M.C. Otto, J.S. Wortham, J.K. Bidwell
2008, Journal of Wildlife Management (72) 1641-649
We evaluated double-observer methods for aerial surveys as a means to adjust counts of waterfowl for incomplete detection. We conducted our study in eastern Canada and the northeast United States utilizing 3 aerial-survey crews flying 3 different types of fixed-wing aircraft. We reconciled counts of front- and rear-seat...
Potential effects of mixed infections in ticks on transmission dynamics of pathogens: comparative analysis of published records
Howard S. Ginsberg
2008, Experimental and Applied Acarology (46) 29-41
Ticks are often infected with more than one pathogen, and several field surveys have documented nonrandom levels of coinfection. Levels of coinfection by pathogens in four tick species were analyzed using published infection data. Coinfection patterns of pathogens in field-collected ticks include numerous cases of higher or lower...
Comparative analysis of distribution and abundance of West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis virus vectors in Suffolk County, New York, using human population density and land use/cover data
I. Rochlin, K. Harding, H. S. Ginsberg, S.R. Campbell
2008, Journal of Medical Entomology (45) 563-571
Five years of CDC light trap data from Suffolk County, NY, were analyzed to compare the applicability of human population density (HPD) and land use/cover (LUC) classification systems to describe mosquito abundance and to determine whether certain mosquito species of medical importance tend to be more common in urban (defined...
Temporal variation in adult survival rates of Roseate Terns during periods of increasing and declining populations
J. A. Spendelow, J.E. Hines, J.D. Nichols, I.C.T. Nisbet, G. Cormons, H. Hays, J.J. Hatch, C.S. Mostello
2008, Waterbirds (31) 309-319
We used 19 years of mark-recapture/resighting data collected on 11, 020 birds from 1988-2006 at five colony sites in Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut, USA, to examine temporal variation in the survival rates of adult Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) during periods of overall population increase (1988-2000) and decline (2000-2006)....
Population dynamics of the Concho water snake in rivers and reservoirs
M.J. Whiting, J.R. Dixon, B.D. Greene, J.M. Mueller, O.W. Thornton Jr., Jeff S. Hatfield, J.D. Nichols, J.E. Hines
2008, Copeia (2008) 438-445
The Concho Water Snake (Nerodia harteri paucimaculata) is confined to the Concho–Colorado River valley of central Texas, thereby occupying one of the smallest geographic ranges of any North American snake. In 1986, N. h. paucimaculata was designated as a federally threatened species, in large part because of reservoir projects that...
Geologic resource evaluation of Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Hawai'i; Part I, geology and coastal landforms
Bruce M. Richmond, Susan A. Cochran, Ann E. Gibbs
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1190
Geologic resource inventories of lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) are important products for the parks and are designed to provide scientific information to better manage park resources. Park-specific geologic reports are used to identify geologic features and processes that are relevant to park ecosystems, evaluate the impact...
Geologic resource evaluation of Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, Hawai'i; Part I, geology and coastal landforms
Bruce M. Richmond, Susan A. Cochran, Ann E. Gibbs
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1192
Geologic resource inventories of lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) are important products for the parks and are designed to provide scientific information to better manage park resources. Park-specific geologic reports are used to identify geologic features and processes that are relevant to park ecosystems, evaluate the impact...
Geologic resource evaluation of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawai'i: Geology and coastal landforms
Bruce M. Richmond, Ann E. Gibbs, Susan A. Cochran
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1191
Geologic resource inventories of lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) are important products for the parks and are designed to provide scientific information to better manage park resources. Park-specific geologic reports are used to identify geologic features and processes that are relevant to park ecosystems, evaluate the impact...
Projecting cumulative benefits of multiple river restoration projects: an example from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system in California
G. Mathias Kondolf, Paul L. Angermeier, Kenneth Cummins, Thomas Dunne, Michael Healey, Wim Kimmerer, Peter B. Moyle, Dennis Murphy, Duncan Patten, Steve F. Railsback, Denise J. Reed, Robert B. Spies, Robert Twiss
2008, Environmental Management (42) 933-945
Despite increasingly large investments, the potential ecological effects of river restoration programs are still small compared to the degree of human alterations to physical and ecological function. Thus, it is rarely possible to “restore” pre-disturbance conditions; rather restoration programs (even large, well-funded ones) will nearly always involve multiple small projects,...
A note on the effect of wind waves on vertical mixing in Franks Tract, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
Janet K. Thompson, Nicole L. Jones, Stephen G. Monismith
2008, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (6) 1-11
A one-dimensional numerical model that simulates the effects of whitecapping waves was used to investigate the importance of whitecapping waves to vertical mixing at a 3-meter-deep site in Franks Tract in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta over an 11-day period. Locally-generated waves of mean period approximately 2 s were generated under...
Could mangroves be Tampa Bay's next cash crop?
Matthew Cimitile
2008, Bay Soundings
Obviously, no one is recommending cutting down mangroves to sell, but environmental managers are working toward putting a price tag on the benefits they provide to help ensure that they are protected. Though the process is just beginning here, estimates from studies in other locations indicate that the 15,000 acres...
Slowing of coastal subsidence is good news for restoration of Louisiana's wetlands
Matthew Cimitile, Helen Gibbons
2008, Sound Waves: Coastal science and research news from across the USGS
Every year, volunteers use thousands of discarded Christmas trees to build brush fences in the coastal waters of Louisiana. The fences slow down waves and trap sediment, allowing aquatic vegetation to take root in the still water and stimulating the growth of new marsh. This is one of many efforts...
Evaluation of the sustainability of deep groundwater as an arsenic-safe resource in the Bengal Basin
Holly A. Michaela, Clifford I. Voss
2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (105) 8531-8536
Tens of millions of people in the Bengal Basin region of Bangladesh and India drink groundwater containing unsafe concentrations of arsenic. This high-arsenic groundwater is produced from shallow (<100 m) depths by domestic and irrigation wells in the Bengal Basin aquifer system. The government of Bangladesh has begun to install...
Temporal Differences in Flow Depth and Velocity Distributions and Hydraulic Microhabitats Near Bridges of the Lower Platte River, Nebraska, 1934-2006
Daniel Ginting, Ronald B. Zelt
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5054
As part of a collaborative study of the cumulative impacts on stream and riparian ecology of water and channel management practices in the lower Platte River, Nebraska, this report describes a study by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District that summarizes: (1)...
The coral reef of South Moloka'i, Hawai'i— Portrait of a sediment-threatened fringing reef
Michael E. Field, Susan A. Cochran, Joshua B. Logan, Curt D. Storlazzi, editor(s)
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5101
Moloka‘i, with the most extensive coral reef in the main Hawaiian Islands, is especially sacred to Hina, the Goddess of the Moon. As Hinaalo, she is the Mother of the Hawaiian people; as Hinapuku‘a, she is the Goddess of Fishermen; and in the form Hina‘opuhalako‘a, she is the Goddess who...
Steady and intermittent slipping in a model of landslide motion regulated by pore-pressure feedback
David G. Schaeffer, Richard M. Iverson
2008, SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics (69) 769-786
This paper studies a parsimonious model of landslide motion, which consists of the one-dimensional diffusion equation (for pore pressure) coupled through a boundary condition to a first-order ODE (Newton's second law). Velocity weakening of sliding friction gives rise to nonlinearity in the model. Analysis shows that solutions of the model...
