Pallid sturgeon basin-wide contaminants assessment
Molly A. H. Webb, Diana Papoulias, David Rouse, Steve Alexander, Mandy L. Annis, Michael Coffey, Kevin Johnson, Aleshia Kenney, Mike McKee, Lourdes Mena, Karen Nelson, Matt Schwarz
2019, Report
Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), listed as endangered in 1990 under the federal Endangered Species Act (United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), 1990), have declined due to habitat loss, commercial fishing, and hybridization. Pollution in the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers has to-date only received minor attention as a factor in...
The accuracy of ecological flow metrics derived using a physics-based distributed rainfall-runoff model in the Great Plains, USA
Thomas A. Worthington, Shannon K. Brewer, Baxter Viex, Jonathan G. Kennen
2019, Ecohydrology (12)
The development of a hydrologic foundation, essential for advancing our understanding of flow-ecology relationships, was developed using the high-resolution physics-based distributed rainfall–runoff model Vflo in a semi-arid region. We compared the accuracy and bias associated with flow metrics that were generated using Vflo, gauge data, and drainage area ratios at both...
Syn-collisional exhumation of hot middle crust in the Adirondack Mountains (New York, USA): Implications for extensional orogenesis in the southern Grenville province
Sean Regan, Gregory J. Walsh, Michael L. Williams, Jeffrey R. Chiarenzelli, Megan E. Toft, Ryan J. McAleer
2019, Geosphere (15) 1-22
Extensional deformation in the lower to middle continental crust is increasingly recognized and shown to have significant impact on crustal architecture, magma emplacement, fluid flow, and ore deposits. Application of the concept of extensional strain to ancient orogenic systems, like the Grenville province of eastern North America, has helped decipher the structural evolution of...
Digital database of the geologic map of the middle east rift geothermal subzone, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i
Michael H. Zoeller, Frank A. Trusdell, Richard B. Moore
2019, Data Series 1111
This database release contains all the information used to produce Geologic Investigations Series I-2614 (https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2614/). The main component of this digital release is a geodatabase prepared using ArcGIS, but Esri shapefiles are included as well.Kīlauea is an active shield volcano in the southeastern part of the...
Mercury exposure and altered parental nesting behavior in a wild songbird
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog
2019, Environmental Science & Technology (53) 5396-5405
Methylmercury is a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor and may impair avian reproduction directly through embryotoxicity or by altering parental care behaviors. We studied mercury exposure and incubation behavior of free-living tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in artificial nest boxes. Using small temperature dataloggers, we measured incubation constancy (the proportion of...
Influence of fire refugia spatial pattern on post-fire forest recovery in Oregon’s Blue Mountains
William M Downing, Meg A. Krawchuk, Garrett W Meigs, Sandra L. Haire, Jonathan D. Coop, Ryan B Walker, Ellen Whitman, Geneva W. Chong, Carol Miller
2019, Landscape Ecology (34) 771-792
ContextFire regimes in many dry forests of western North America are substantially different from historical conditions, and there is concern about the ability of these forests to recover following severe wildfire. Fire refugia, unburned or low-severity burned patches where trees survived fire, may serve as essential propagule sources...
Assessing patterns of annual change to permafrost bluffs along the North Slope coast of Alaska using high-resolution imagery and elevation models
Ann E. Gibbs, Matt Nolan, Bruce M. Richmond, Alexander G. Snyder, Li Erikson
2019, Geomorphology (336) 152-164
Coastal permafrost bluffs at Barter Island, on the North Slope, Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska are among the most rapidly eroding along Alaska’s coast, having retreated up to 132 m between 1955 and 2015. Here we quantify rates and patterns of change over a single year using very-high resolution orthophotomosaics...
HyCReWW: A hybrid coral reef wave and water level metamodel
Ana C. Rueda, Laura Cagigal, Stuart Pearson, Jose Antolínez, Curt D. Storlazzi, Ap van Dongeren, Paula Camus, Fernando J. Mendez
2019, Computers & Geosciences (127) 85-90
Wave-induced flooding is a major coastal hazard on tropical islands fronted by coral reefs. The variability of shape, size, and physical characteristics of the reefs across the globe make it difficult to obtain a parameterization of wave run-up, which is needed for risk assessments. Therefore, we developed the HyCReWW metamodel...
Geology of the Hardeeville NW Quadrangle and parts of the Brighton and Pineland Quadrangles, Jasper County, South Carolina
Christopher S. Swezey, Arthur P. Schultz, William R. Doar III, Christopher P. Garrity, Christopher E. Bernhardt, E. Allen Crider, Jr., Lucy E. Edwards, John P. McGeehin
2019, Scientific Investigations Map 3424
IntroductionThis publication portrays the geology of the Hardeeville NW quadrangle and parts of the Brighton and Pineland quadrangles that are within Jasper County, South Carolina. The study area is located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, approximately 50 to 70 kilometers (km) inland from the coast. The data are compiled...
Establishing molecular methods to quantitatively profile gastric diet items of fish—Application to the invasive blue catfish (ictalurus furcatus)
Deborah D. Iwanowicz, W. Bane Schill, Lakyn R. Sanders, Tim Groves, Mary C. Groves
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1021
Understanding the diet of invasive species helps researchers to more accurately assess the health, survivorship, growth, and stability of an invasive fish species, as well as their effects on native populations. Techniques capable of identifying multiple prey species from fish stomach contents have been developed. In this study, a multi-locus...
The MTPy software package for magnetotelluric data analysis and visualisation
Alison Kirkby, Fei Zhang, Jared R. Peacock, Rakib Hassan, Jingming Duan
2019, Journal of Open Source Software (4) 1358-1364
The magnetotelluric (MT) method is increasingly being applied to a wide variety of geoscience problems. However, the software available for MT data analysis and interpretation is still very limited in comparison to many of the more mature geophysical methods such as the gravity, magnetic or seismic reflection methods. MTPy is an open source...
Globally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates
Nick D. Holmes, Dena R. Spatz, Steffen Oppel, Bernie Tershy, Donald Croll, Brad Keitt, Piero Genovesi, Ian Burfield, David J. Will, Alexander L. Bond, Alex Wegmann, Alfonso Aguirre-Munoz, Andre F. Raine, Charles R. Knapp, Chung-Hang Hung, David Wingate, Erin Hagen, Federico Mendez-Sanchez, Gerard Rocamora, Hsiao-Wei Yuan, Jakob Fric, James Millett, James M. Russell, Jill Liske-Clark, Eric Vidal, Herve Jourdan, Karl Campbell, Keith Springer, Kristy Swinnerton, Lolita Gibbons-Decherong, Olivier Langrand, M. de L. Brooke, Miguel McMinn, Nancy Bunbury, Nuno Oliveira, Paolo Sposimo, Pedro Geraldes, Pete McClelland, Peter Hodum, Peter G. Ryan, Rafael Borroto-Paez, Ray J. Pierce, Richard Griffiths, Robert N. Fisher, Ross M. Wanless, Stesha A. Pasachnik, Steve Cranwell, Thierry Micol, Stuart H. M. Butchart
2019, PLoS ONE (14)
Invasive alien species are a major threat to native insular species. Eradicating invasive mammals from islands is a feasible and proven approach to prevent biodiversity loss. We developed a conceptual framework to identify globally important islands for invasive mammal eradications to prevent imminent extinctions among highly threatened species using biogeographic...
Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, Southern California—2018 data summary
Lisa D. Allen, Barbara E. Kus
2019, Data Series 1109
We surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) along the San Luis Rey River, between College Boulevard in Oceanside and Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, California (middle San Luis Rey River), in 2018. Surveys were conducted from April 17 to July 16 (vireo) and from May 16...
Measurement of long-term channel change through repeated cross-section surveys at bridge crossings in Alaska
Karenth L. Dworsky, Jeffrey S. Conaway
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1028
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been working with Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) since 1993 to provide hydraulic assessments of scour for bridges throughout Alaska. The purpose of the program is to evaluate, monitor, and study streambed scour at bridges in Alaska; this includes surveying...
Tampa Bay Ocean and Coastal Acidification Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan
Kimberly K. Yates, Christopher S. Moore, Nathan H. Goldstein, Edward T. Sherwood
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1003
Coastal acidification caused by eutrophication, freshwater inflow, and upwelling is already affecting many estuaries worldwide and can be exacerbated by ocean acidification that is caused by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Effective management, mitigation, and (or) adaptation to the effects of coastal and ocean acidification require careful monitoring of...
Does perspective matter? A case study comparing Eulerian and Lagrangian estimates of common murre (Uria aalge) distributions
Elizabeth M. Phillips, John K. Horne, Jeannette E. Zamon, Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 4805-4819
Studies estimating species' distributions require information about animal locations in space and time. Location data can be collected using surveys within a predetermined frame of reference (i.e., Eulerian sampling) or from animal‐borne tracking devices (i.e., Lagrangian sampling). Integration of observations obtained from Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives can provide insights into...
Radiometric calibration of a non-imaging airborne spectrometer to measure the Greenland ice sheet surface
Christopher J. Crawford, Jeannette van den Bosch, Kelly M. Brunt, Milton G. Hom, John W. Cooper, David J. Harding, James J. Butler, Philip W. Dabney, Thomas A. Neumann, Craig S. Cleckner, Thorsten Markus
2019, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (12) 1913-1933
Methods to radiometrically calibrate a non-imaging airborne visible-to-shortwave infrared (VSWIR) spectrometer to measure the Greenland ice sheet surface are presented. Airborne VSWIR measurement performance for bright Greenland ice and dark bare rock/soil targets is compared against the MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission (MODTRAN®) radiative transfer code (version 6.0), and a coincident...
Plant richness and composition in hardwood forest understories vary along an acidic deposition and soil-chemical gradient in the northeastern United States
Michael R. Zarfos, Martin Dovciak, Gregory B. Lawrence, Todd C. McDonnell, Timothy J. Sullivan
2019, Plant and Soil (438) 461-477
AimsA century of atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen has acidified soils and undermined the health and recruitment of foundational tree species in the northeastern US. However, effects of acidic deposition on the forest understory plant communities of this region are poorly documented. We investigated how forest understory...
Status and trends of prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2018
David B. Bunnell, Charles P. Madenjian, Timothy J. Desorcie, Patricia Dieter, Jean V. Adams
2019, Report
The U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center has conducted lake-wide surveys of the fish community in Lake Michigan each fall since 1973 using standard 12 m bottom trawls towed along contour at depths of 9 to 110 m at each of seven index transects. The survey provides relative...
Regeneration of Metrosideros polymorpha forests in Hawaii after landscape‐level canopy dieback
Linda Mertelmeyer, James D. Jacobi, Dieter Mueller-Dombois, Kevin W. Brinck, Hans Juergen Boehmer
2019, Journal of Vegetation Science (30) 146-155
Questions(a) Have Metrosideros polymorpha trees become re‐established in Hawaiian forests previously impacted by canopy dieback in the 1970s? (b) Has canopy dieback expanded since the 1970s? (c) Can spatial patterns from this dieback be correlated with habitat factors to model future dieback in this area?<p class="article-section__sub-title...
Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community
James D. Nichols
2019, Journal of Wildlife Management (83) 519-533
Most wildlife professionals are engaged in 1 or both of 2 basic endeavors: science and management. These endeavors are a focus of many other disciplines, leading to widespread sharing of general methodologies. Wildlife professionals have appropriately borrowed and assimilated many methods developed primarily in other disciplines but have also led...
The effectiveness of non-native fish removal techniques in freshwater ecosystems: a systematic review
Trina Rytwinski, Jessica J. Taylor, Lisa A. Donaldson, J. Robert Britton, David R. Browne, Robert E. Gresswell, Mark Lintermans, Kent A. Prior, Marlow G. Pellatt, Chantal Vis, Steven J. Cooke
2019, Environmental Reviews (27) 71-94
In aquatic systems, biological invasions can result in adverse ecological effects. Management techniques available for non-native fish removal programs (including eradication and population size control) vary widely, but include chemicals, harvest regimes, physical removal, or biological control. For management agencies, deciding on what non-native fish removal program to use has...
UAV-based measurements of spatio-temporal concentration distributions of fluorescent tracers in open channel flows
Donghae Baek, Il Won Seo, Jun Song Kim, Jonathan M. Nelson
2019, Advances in Water Resources (127) 76-88
A new method of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based tracer tests using RGB (red, green, blue) images was developed in order to acquire the spatio-temporal concentration distribution of tracer clouds in open channel flows. Tracer tests using Rhodamine WT were conducted to collect the RGB images using a commercial digital camera...
A re-examination of the three most prominent Holocene tephra deposits in western Canada: Bridge River, Mount St. Helens Yn and Mazama
Britta J.L. Jensen, Alwynne B. Beaudoin, Michael A. Clynne, Jordan Harvey, James W. Vallance
2019, Quaternary International (500) 83-95
Volcanic ash deposits (tephra) in western Canada are instrumental in providing independent chronologic control for many archaeological and paleoenvironmental sites. In Alberta, tephra are a key chronologic tool in a region where radiocarbon dates are often unreliable because of the prevalence of carbonate-rich bedrock and...
Evidence for non-steady-state carbon emissions from snow-scoured alpine tundra
John F. Knowles, Peter D. Blanken, Corey Lawrence, Mark W. Williams
2019, Nature Communications (10)
High-latitude warming is capable of accelerating permafrost degradation and the decomposition of previously frozen carbon. The existence of an analogous high-altitude feedback, however, has yet to be directly evaluated. We address this knowledge gap by coupling a radiocarbon-based model to 7 years (2008–2014) of continuous eddy covariance data from a...
