Physical property studies in the USGS GHASTLI Laboratory
William J. Winters, William F. Waite, Deborah R. Hutchinson, David H. Mason
2008, Fire in the Ice: NETL Methane Hydrate Newsletter (5) 6-9
One of the many challenges in studying methane hydrate is that it is unstable at typical surface pressure and temperature conditions. To enable methane hydrates and hydrate-bearing sediments to be formed, analyzed, and experimented with, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Woods Hole,...
Electrical activity during the 2006 Mount St. Augustine volcanic eruptions
Ronald J. Thomas, Paul R. Krehbiel, William Rison, H. E. Edens, G. D. Aulich, S.R. McNutt, Guy Tytgat, E. Clark
2007, Science (315) 1097-1097
By using a combination of radio frequency time-of-arrival and interferometer measurements, we observed a sequence of lightning and electrical activity during one of Mount St. Augustine's eruptions. The observations indicate that the electrical activity had two modes or phases. First, there was an explosive phase in which the ejecta from...
A user-friendly one-dimensional model for wet volcanic plumes
Larry G. Mastin
2007, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (8)
This paper presents a user-friendly graphically based numerical model of one-dimensional steady state homogeneous volcanic plumes that calculates and plots profiles of upward velocity, plume density, radius, temperature, and other parameters as a function of height. The model considers effects of water condensation and ice formation on plume dynamics as...
Explosive eruptive record in the Katmai region, Alaska Peninsula: An overview
Judy Fierstein
2007, Bulletin of Volcanology (69) 469-509
At least 15 explosive eruptions from the Katmai cluster of volcanoes and another nine from other volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula are preserved as tephra layers in syn- and post-glacial (Last Glacial Maximum) loess and soil sections in Katmai National Park, AK. About 400 tephra samples...
Ground-coupled acoustic airwaves from Mount St. Helens provide constraints on the May 18, 1980 eruption
J.B. Johnson, S. D. Malone
2007, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (258) 16-31
The May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption perturbed the atmosphere and generated atmosphere-to-ground coupled airwaves, which were recorded on at least 35 seismometers operated by the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN). From 102 distinct travel time picks we identify coherent airwaves crossing Washington State primarily to the north and...
Swarms of repeating long-period earthquakes at Shishaldin Volcano, Alaska, 2001-2004
Tanja Petersen
2007, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (166) 177-192
During 2001–2004, a series of four periods of elevated long-period seismic activity, each lasting about 1–2 months, occurred at Shishaldin Volcano, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The time periods are termed swarms of repeating events, reflecting an abundance of earthquakes with highly similar waveforms that indicate stable, non-destructive...
Precursory seismicity associated with frequent, large ice avalanches on Iliamna Volcano, Alaska, USA
Jacqueline Caplan-Auerbach, C. Huggel
2007, Journal of Glaciology (53) 128-140
Since 1994, at least six major (volume>106 m3) ice and rock avalanches have occurred on Iliamna volcano, Alaska, USA. Each of the avalanches was preceded by up to 2 hours of seismicity believed to represent the initial stages of failure. Each seismic sequence begins with a series of repeating earthquakes...
Second chance for the plains bison
Curtis H. Freese, K. Aune, D. Boyd, James N. Derr, Steven C. Forrest, C. Cormack Gates, Peter J. Gogan, Shaun M. Grassel, Natalie D. Halbert, Kyran E. Kunkel, Kent Redford
2007, Biological Conservation (136) 175-184
Before European settlement the plains bison (Bison bison bison) numbered in the tens of millions across most of the temperate region of North America. Within the span of a few decades during the mid- to late-1800s its numbers were reduced by hunting and other factors to a few hundred. The...
Occurrence and potential human-health relevance of volatile organic compounds in drinking water from domestic wells in the United States
Barbara L. Rowe, Patricia Toccalino, Michael J. Moran, John S. Zogorski, Curtis V. Price
2007, Environmental Health Perspectives (115) 1539-1546
BackgroundAs the population and demand for safe drinking water from domestic wells increase, it is important to examine water quality and contaminant occurrence. A national assessment in 2006 by the U.S. Geological Survey reported findings for 55 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) based on 2,401 domestic wells sampled...
Release of elements to natural water from sediments of Lake Roosevelt, Washington, USA
Anthony J. Paulson, Stephen E. Cox
2007, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (26) 2550-2559
Reservoir sediments from Lake Roosevelt (WA, USA) that were contaminated with smelter waste discharged into the Columbia River (BC, Canada) were examined using three measures of elemental release reflecting varying degrees of physical mixing and time scales. Aqueous concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the interstitial water of...
Evaluation of harmonic direction-finding systems for detecting locomotor activity
V.L. Boyarski, G.H. Rodda, J. A. Savidge
2007, Journal of Wildlife Management (71) 1704-1707
We conducted a physical simulation experiment to test the efficacy of harmonic direction finding for remotely detecting locomotor activity in animals. The ability to remotely detect movement helps to avoid disturbing natural movement behavior. Remote detection implies that the observer can sense only a change in signal bearing. In our...
Comparing scat detection dogs, cameras, and hair snares for surveying carnivores
Robert A. Long, T.M. Donovan, Paula MacKay, William J. Zielinski, Jeffrey S. Buzas
2007, Journal of Wildlife Management (71) 2018-2025
Carnivores typically require large areas of habitat, exist at low natural densities, and exhibit elusive behavior - characteristics that render them difficult to study. Noninvasive survey methods increasingly provide means to collect extensive data on carnivore occupancy, distribution, and abundance. During the summers of 2003-2004, we compared the abilities of...
Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos foraging on green anoles during migration
P.W. Sykes Jr., L.S. Atherton, R.L. Payne
2007, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (119) 508-510
Yellow-throated (Vireo flavifrons) and Red-eyed vireos (V. olivaceus) were observed feeding on green anoles (Anolis carolinensis carolinensis) at two localities in Florida and one in South Carolina. Vireos are long-distance migrants that require foods high in fatty acid content, especially when engaging in migration. It is not unlikely that vireos...
Climatic variation and the distribution of an amphibian polyploid complex
C.R.V. Otto, J.W. Snodgrass, D.C. Forester, J.C. Mitchell, R.W. Miller
2007, Journal of Animal Ecology (76) 1053-1061
1. The establishment of polyploid populations involves the persistence and growth of the polyploid in the presence of the progenitor species. Although there have been a number of animal polyploid species documented, relatively few inquiries have been made into the large-scale mechanisms of polyploid establishment in animal groups. Herein we...
Quantifying the impact of longline fisheries on adult survival in the black-footed albatross
S. Veran, O. Gimenez, E. Flint, W. L. Kendall, P.F. Doherty Jr., J.D. Lebreton
2007, Journal of Applied Ecology (44) 942-952
1. Industrial longline fishing has been suspected to impact upon black-footed albatross populations Phoebastria nigripes by increasing mortality, but no precise estimates of bycatch mortality are available to ascertain this statement. We present a general framework for quantifying the relationship between albatross population and longline fishing in absence of reliable...
Hierarchical spatial models of abundance and occurrence from imperfect survey data
J. Andrew Royle, M. Kery, R. Gautier, Hans Schmid
2007, Ecological Monographs (77) 465-481
Many estimation and inference problems arising from large-scale animal surveys are focused on developing an understanding of patterns in abundance or occurrence of a species based on spatially referenced count data. One fundamental challenge, then, is that it is generally not feasible to completely enumerate ('census') all individuals present...
A Bayesian state-space formulation of dynamic occupancy models
J. Andrew Royle, M. Kery
2007, Ecology (88) 1813-1823
Species occurrence and its dynamic components, extinction and colonization probabilities, are focal quantities in biogeography and metapopulation biology, and for species conservation assessments. It has been increasingly appreciated that these parameters must be estimated separately from detection probability to avoid the biases induced by nondetection error. Hence, there is...
Application of information theory methods to food web reconstruction
L.J. Moniz, E.G. Cooch, S.P. Ellner, J.D. Nichols, J.M. Nichols
2007, Ecological Modelling (208) 145-158
In this paper we use information theory techniques on time series of abundances to determine the topology of a food web. At the outset, the food web participants (two consumers, two resources) are known; in addition we know that each consumer prefers one of the resources over the other....
Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project: Challenges in waterbird restoration on an island in Chesapeake Bay
R.M. Erwin, J. Miller, J.G. Reese
2007, Ecological Restoration (25) 256-262
At 460 hectares, the Paul Sarbanes Environmental Restoration Project at Poplar Island, Talbot County, Maryland, represents the largest 'beneficial use' dredged material project of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (a cooperative project with Maryland Port Administration). Begun in 1998, the 15-year restoration project will ultimately consist of roughly...
Survival of timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) estimated by capture-recapture models in relation to age, sex, color morph, time, and birthplace
W. S. Brown, M. Kery, J.E. Hines
2007, Copeia (3) 656-671
Juvenile survival is one of the least known elements of the life history of many species, in particular snakes. We conducted a mark–recapture study of Crotalus horridus from 1978–2002 in northeastern New York near the northern limits of the species' range. We marked 588 neonates and estimated annual age-, sex-,...
Winter behavior and ecology of the Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) in Peru
M.S. Foster
2007, Ornitologia Neotropical (18) 171-186
The winter ecology and behavior of Alder Flycatchers (Empidonax alnorum) were studied along the Manu, a white-water meander river in Manu National Park, Madre de Dios, Peru during October and November, 1993 to 1997. The birds occupied territories in primary-succession habitats on growing point bars. They were most...
Biomechanical factors contributing to self-organization in seagrass landscapes
M.S. Fonseca, M.A.R. Koehl, B.S. Kopp
2007, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (340) 227-246
Field observations have revealed that when water flow is consistently from one direction, seagrass shoots align in rows perpendicular to the primary axis of flow direction. In this study, live Zostera marina shoots were arranged either randomly or in rows perpendicular to the flow direction and tested in a seawater...
Living in the branches: Population dynamics and ecological processes in dendritic networks
E.H.C. Grant, W.H. Lowe, W.F. Fagan
2007, Ecology Letters (10) 165-175
Spatial structure regulates and modifies processes at several levels of ecological organization (e.g. individual/genetic, population and community) and is thus a key component of complex systems, where knowledge at a small scale can be insufficient for understanding system behaviour at a larger scale. Recent syntheses outline potential applications of...
Using a novel micro-sampling technique to monitor the effects of methylmercury on the eggs of wild birds
J.D. Klimstra, K.R. Stebbins, G. H. Heinz
2007, Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (61) 129 (abs)
Methylmercury is the predominant chemical form of mercury reported in the eggs of wild birds. The embryo is the life stage at which birds are most sensitive to methylmercury. Protective guidelines have been based largely on captive-breeding studies done with chickens (Gallus domesticus), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and ring-necked...
Effects of habitat change along Breeding Bird Survey routes in the central Appalachians on Cerulean Warbler population
P. McElhone, P.W. Wood, D. Dawson
2007, Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (61) 131 (abs)
The cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea) is one of the highest priority bird species in the eastern United States because populations have declined 4.3% annually during 1966?2005 based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Habitat loss and fragmentation due to land use changes is thought to be one of the...
