Alpine plant community trends on the elk summer range of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: An analysis of existing data
Linda Zeigenfuss
2006, Open-File Report 2006-1122
The majority of the elk (Cervus elaphus) population of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado summer in the park’s high-elevation alpine and subalpine meadows and willow krummholz. The park’s population of white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus altipetens) depends on both dwarf and krummholz willows for food and cover. Concern about the...
National Institute of Invasive Species Science (NIISS)
Tom Stohlgren
2006, Fact Sheet 2006-3036
The National Institute of Invasive Species Science (www.NIISS.org) is a consortium of governmental and nongovernmental partners, led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), whose aim is to provide reliable information and advanced decision support tools for documenting, understanding, predicting, assessing, and addressing the threat of invasive species in the United...
Disease emergence and resurgence—the wildlife-human connection
Milton Friend, James W. Hurley, Pauline Nol, Katherine E. Wesenberg
2006, Circular 1285
In 2000, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) was organized as a global disease watchdog group to coordinate disease outbreak information and health crisis response. The World Health Organization (WHO) is the headquarters for this network. Understandably, the primary focus for WHO is human health. However, diseases such...
Tamarisk control, water salvage, and wildlife habitat restoration along rivers in the western United States
Patrick B. Shafroth
2006, Fact Sheet 2006-3071
In the latter part of the 19th century, species of the nonnative shrub tamarisk (also called saltcedar; for example, Tamarix ramosissima, T. chinensis) were introduced to the United States for use as ornamental plants for erosion control. By 1877, some naturalized populations had become established, and by the 1960s, tamarisk...
Mineral of the month: dimension stone
Thomas Dolley
2006, Geotimes (2006)
No abstract available...
GFDL's CM2 global coupled climate models. Part I: Formulation and simulation characteristics
T.L. Delworth, A.J. Broccoli, A. Rosati, R.J. Stouffer, V. Balaji, J.A. Beesley, W.F. Cooke, K.W. Dixon, J. Dunne, K.A. Dunne, J.W. Durachta, K.L. Findell, P. Ginoux, A. Gnanadesikan, C.T. Gordon, S.M. Griffies, R. Gudgel, M.J. Harrison, I.M. Held, R.S. Hemler, L.W. Horowitz, S.A. Klein, T.R. Knutson, P.J. Kushner, A.R. Langenhorst, H.-C. Lee, S.-J. Lin, J. Lu, S.L. Malyshev, P. C. D. Milly, V. Ramaswamy, J. Russell, M.D. Schwarzkopf, E. Shevliakova, J.J. Sirutis, M.J. Spelman, W.F. Stern, M. Winton, A.T. Wittenberg, B. Wyman, F. Zeng, R. Zhang
2006, Journal of Climate (19) 643-674
The formulation and simulation characteristics of two new global coupled climate models developed at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) are described. The models were designed to simulate atmospheric and oceanic climate and variability from the diurnal time scale through multicentury climate change, given our computational constraints. In particular, an...
First USGS urban seismic hazard maps predict the effects of soils
C.H. Cramer, J.S. Gomberg, E.S. Schweig, B.A. Waldron, K. Tucker
2006, Seismological Research Letters (77) 23-29
Probabilistic and scenario urban seismic hazard maps have been produced for Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee covering a six-quadrangle area of the city. The nine probabilistic maps are for peak ground acceleration and 0.2 s and 1.0 s spectral acceleration and for 10%, 5%, and 2% probability of being exceeded in...
Radiative transfer modeling of dust-coated Pancam calibration target materials: Laboratory visible/near-infrared spectrogoniometry
J. R. Johnson, J. Sohl-Dickstein, W.M. Grundy, R. E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell III, P. R. Christensen, T. Graff, E.A. Guinness, K. Kinch, Robert Morris, M.K. Shepard
2006, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (111)
Laboratory visible/near-infrared multispectral observations of Mars Exploration Rover Pancam calibration target materials coated with different thicknesses of Mars spectral analog dust were acquired under variable illumination geometries using the Bloomsburg University Goniometer. The data were fit with a two-layer radiative transfer model that combines a Hapke formulation for the dust...
Paleoclimatic evidence for future ice-sheet instability and rapid sea-level rise
J. T. Overpeck, B. L. Otto-Bliesner, G. H. Miller, D.R. Muhs, R. B. Alley, J.T. Kiehl
2006, Science (311) 1747-1750
Sea-level rise from melting of polar ice sheets is one of the largest potential threats of future climate change. Polar warming by the year 2100 may reach levels similar to those of 130,000 to 127,000 years ago that were associated with sea levels several meters above modern levels; both the...
Spectrophotometric properties of materials observed by Pancam on the Mars Exploration Rovers: 1. Spirit
J. R. Johnson, W.M. Grundy, M.T. Lemmon, J.F. Bell III, M. J. Johnson, R.G. Deen, R. E. Arvidson, W. H. Farrand, E.A. Guinness, A. G. Hayes, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, F. Seelos IV, J. Soderblom, S. Squyres
2006, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (111)
Multispectral observations of rocks and soils were acquired under varying illumination and viewing geometries in visible/near‐infrared wavelengths by the Panoramic Camera (Pancam) on the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover to provide constraints on the physical and mineralogical nature of geologic materials in Gusev Crater. Data sets were acquired at six sites...
Larval exposure to environmentally relevant mixtures of alkylphenolethoxylates reduces reproductive competence in male fathead minnows
T.J. Bistodeau, L. B. Barber, S.E. Bartell, R.A. Cediel, K.J. Grove, J. Klaustermeier, J.C. Woodard, K. E. Lee, H.L. Schoenfuss
2006, Aquatic Toxicology (79) 268-277
The ubiquitous presence of nonylphenolethoxylate/octylphenolethoxylate (NPE/OPE) compounds in aquatic environments adjacent to wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) warrants an assessment of the endocrine disrupting potential of these complex mixtures on aquatic vertebrates. In this study, fathead minnow larvae were exposed for 64 days to a...
Drainage effects on the transient, near-surface hydrologic response of a steep hillslope to rainfall: Implications for slope stability, Edmonds, Washington, USA
G. Biavati, J. W. Godt, J.P. McKenna
2006, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (6) 343-355
Shallow landslides on steep (>25??) hillsides along Puget Sound have resulted in occasional loss of life and costly damage to property during intense or prolonged rainfall. As part of a larger project to assess landslide hazards in the Seattle area, the U.S. Geological Survey instrumented two coastal bluff sites in...
Breeding biology of Mottled Ducks on agricultural lands in southwestern Louisiana
R.S. Durham, A. D. Afton
2006, Southeastern Naturalist (5) 311-316
Breeding biology of Anas fulvigula maculosa (Mottled Ducks) has been described in coastal marsh and associated habitats, but little information is available for agricultural habitats in Louisiana. We located nests to determine nest-initiation dates and clutch sizes during the primary breeding season (February-May) in 1999 (n = 29) and 2000...
Predator functional response and prey survival: Direct and indirect interactions affecting a marked prey population
David A. Miller, J.B. Grand, T.F. Fondell, M. Anthony
2006, Journal of Animal Ecology (75) 101-110
1. Predation plays an integral role in many community interactions, with the number of predators and the rate at which they consume prey (i.e. their functional response) determining interaction strengths. Owing to the difficulty of directly observing predation events, attempts to determine the functional response of predators in natural systems...
Groundlayer vegetation gradients across oak woodland canopy gaps
N.B. Pavlovic, R. Grundel, W. Sluis
2006, Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society (133) 225-239
Frequency of groundlayer plants was measured across oak woodland canopy gaps at three sites in northwest Indiana to examine how vegetation varied with gap size, direction along the gap edge, and microhabitat. Microhabitats were defined as under the canopy adjacent to the gap, along the gap edge, and within the...
Tracermodel1- Excel workbook for calculation and presentation of environmental tracer data for simple groundwater mixtures: Use of chlorofluorocarbons in hydrology - a guidebook; Section III.10.3
J.K. Bohlke
2006, Report
Atmospheric environmental tracers commonly used to date groundwater on timescales of years to decades include CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, SF6, 85Kr, 3 H and 3 H/3 H0 , where 3 H0 refers to initial tritium (3 H + tritiogenic 3 He) (Cook and Herczeg, 2000). Interpretation of age from environmental tracer...
Cross-shore velocity shear, eddies and heterogeneity in water column properties over fringing coral reefs: West Maui, Hawaii
C. D. Storlazzi, M.A. McManus, J.B. Logan, B.E. McLaughlin
2006, Continental Shelf Research (26) 401-421
A multi-day hydrographic survey cruise was conducted to acquire spatially extensive, but temporally limited, high-resolution, three-dimensional measurements of currents, temperature, salinity and turbidity off West Maui in the summer of 2003 to better understand coastal dynamics along a complex island shoreline with coral reefs. These data complement long-term, high-resolution tide,...
Forecasting effects of climate change on Great Lakes fisheries: models that link habitat supply to population dynamics can help
Michael L. Jones, Brian J. Shuter, Yingming Zhao, Jason D. Stockwell
2006, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (63) 457-468
Future changes to climate in the Great Lakes may have important consequences for fisheries. Evidence suggests that Great Lakes air and water temperatures have risen and the duration of ice cover has lessened during the past century. Global circulation models (GCMs) suggest future warming and increases in precipitation in the...
Geochemical investigation of the potential for mobilizing non-methane hydrocarbons during carbon dioxide storage in deep coal beds
J.J. Kolak, R.C. Burruss
2006, Energy and Fuels (20) 566-574
Coal samples of different rank (lignite to anthracite) were extracted in the laboratory with supercritical CO2 (40 ??C; 10 MPa) to evaluate the potential for mobilizing non-methane hydrocarbons during CO2 storage (sequestration) or enhanced coal bed methane recovery from deep (???1-km depth) coal beds. The total measured alkane concentrations mobilized...
Inference of postseismic deformation mechanisms of the 1923 Kanto earthquake
F. F. Pollitz, M. Nyst, T. Nishimura, W. Thatcher
2006, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (111)
Coseismic slip associated with the M7.9, 1923 Kanto earthquake is fairly well understood, involving slip of up to 8 m along the Philippine Sea-Honshu interplate boundary under Sagami Bay and its onland extension. Postseismic deformation after the 1923 earthquake, however, is relatively poorly understood. We revisit the available deformation data...
Effects of fire on plant communities
M.L. Brooks
2006, Book chapter, The Use of Fire as a Tool for Controlling Invasive Plants: Cal-IPC Publication 2006-01
No abstract available at this time...
Stable isotopic composition of chlorine and oxygen in synthetic and natural perchlorate
Neil C. Sturchio, J.K. Bohlke, Baohua Gu, Juske Horita, Gilbert M. Brown, Abelardo D. Beloso Jr., Leslie J. Patterson, Paul B. Hatzinger, W. Andrew Jackson, Jacimaria Batista
Baohua Gu, John D. Coates, editor(s)
2006, Book chapter, Perchlorate: Environmental occurrence, interactions and treatment
No abstract available....
Probabilistic analysis of tsunami hazards
E.L. Geist, T. Parsons
2006, Natural Hazards (37) 277-314
Determining the likelihood of a disaster is a key component of any comprehensive hazard assessment. This is particularly true for tsunamis, even though most tsunami hazard assessments have in the past relied on scenario or deterministic type models. We discuss probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis (PTHA) from the standpoint of integrating...
Isotopic evidence of nitrate sources and denitrification in the Mississippi River, Illinois
S.V. Panno, Keith C. Hackley, W.R. Kelly, H.-H. Hwang
2006, Journal of Environmental Quality (35) 495-504
Anthropogenic nitrate (NO3-) within the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River basin and discharge to the Gulf of Mexico has been linked to serious environmental problems. The sources of this NO 3- have been estimated by others using mass balance methods; however, there is considerable uncertainty in these estimates. Part of the uncertainty is...
A rainfall loading response recorded at 300 meters depth: Implications for geological weighing lysimeters
M. Sophocleous, E. Bardsley, J. Healey
2006, Journal of Hydrology (319) 237-244
Static pore water pressures in confined aquifers vary in response to ground surface loading changes, including precipitation and evaporation. Under certain hydrogeological conditions such aquifers can function as giant natural weighing lysimeters, referenced here as 'geological weighing lysimeters'. The extent of the land area 'weighed' increases with aquifer depth and...
