Monitoring storm tide and flooding from Hurricane Irma along the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Southeastern United States, September 2017
Michael J. Byrne Sr., Mark R. Dickman
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1013
Hurricane Irma skirted the northern coasts of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (mi/h) on September 6, 2017. The hurricane first made landfall in Florida near Cudjoe Key, in the lower Florida Keys, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mi/h...
Modelling development of riparian ranchlands using ecosystem services at the Aravaipa Watershed, SE Arizona
Laura Norman, Miguel L. Villarreal, Rewati Niraula, Mark Haberstich, Natalie R. Wilson
2019, Land (8)
This paper describes how subdivision and development of rangelands within a remote and celebrated semiarid watershed near the US-Mexico border might affect multiple ecohydrological services provided, such as recharge of the aquifer, water and sediment yield, water quality, flow rates and downstream cultural and natural resources. Specifically, we apply an...
The circumtropical swarm population of the longspined porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus Linnaeus)
John E Randall, Caroline Rogers, John C Ogden
2019, Aqua (25) 53-80
Evidence is presented that Diodon holocanthus is a circumtropical swarm (not a hybrid swarm because the individuals are not hybrids). Some individuals are so differentfrom one another in both color and morphology that they appear to be different species. Thirty undersea and aquarium photographs from different global localities are provided to demonstrate...
Integrating fish assemblage data, modeled stream temperatures, and thermal tolerance metrics to develop thermal guilds for water temperature regulation: Wyoming case study
Caitlin P. Mandeville, Frank J. Rahel, Lindsay S. Patterson, Annika W. Walters
2019, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (148) 739-754
Many streams are experiencing increased average temperatures due to anthropogenic activity and climate change. As a result, surface water temperature regulation is critical for preserving a diverse stream fish species assemblage. The development of temperature regulations has generally been based on laboratory measurements of individual species' thermal tolerances rather than...
A framework for characterising and evaluating the effectiveness of environmental modelling
Serena H Hamilton, Baihua Fu, Joseph H. A. Guillaume, Jennifer Badham, Sondoss Elsawah, Patricia Gober, Randall J. Hunt, Takuya Iwanaga, Anthony J. Jakeman, Daniel P. Ames, Allan Curtis, Mary C Hill, Suzanne A Pierce, Fateme Zare
2019, Environmental Modelling and Software (118) 83-98
Environmental modelling is transitioning from the traditional paradigm that focuses on the model and its quantitative performance to a more holistic paradigm that recognises successful model-based outcomes are closely tied to undertaking modelling as a social process, not just as a...
Can multi-element fingerprinting of soils inform assessments of chemical connectivity between depressional wetlands?
Xiaoyan Zhu, Yuxiang Yuan, David M. Mushet, Marinus L. Otte
2019, Wetlands (39) 1015-1027
The question of wetland connectivity is particularly relevant regarding depressional wetlands because these wetlands often seem to be “isolated” from other wetlands on a landscape. In this study, multi-element fingerprinting of soils was used to assess similarity in element composition of depressional-wetland soils as a measure of wetland connectivity. We...
Advancing barrier island habitat mapping using landscape position information
Nicholas Enwright, Lei Wang, Sinéad M. Borchert, Richard Day, Laura Feher, Michael Osland
2019, Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment (43) 425-450
Barrier islands are dynamic ecosystems that change gradually from coastal processes, including currents and tides, and rapidly from episodic events, such as storms. These islands provide many important ecosystem services, including storm protection and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, and tourism. Habitat maps, developed by...
Environmental DNA sampling reveals high occupancy rates of invasive Burmese pythons at wading bird breeding aggregations in the central Everglades
Sophia C. M. Orzechowski, Peter C. Frederick, Robert M. Dorazio, Margaret Hunter
2019, PLoS ONE (14)
The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is now established as a breeding population throughout south Florida, USA. However, the extent of the invasion, and the ecological impacts of this novel apex predator on animal communities are incompletely known, in large part because Burmese pythons (hereafter “pythons”) are extremely cryptic...
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Best Management Practice Implementation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, 1985–2014
Andrew J. Sekellick, Olivia H. Devereux, Jennifer L. D. Keisman, Jeffrey S. Sweeney, Joel D. Blomquist
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5171
Efforts to restore water quality in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries often include extensive Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation on agricultural and developed lands. These BMPs include a variety of methods to reduce nutrient and sediment loads, such as cover crops, conservation tillage, urban filtering systems, and other practices.Estimates of...
Groundwater quality and nutrient trends near Marsing, southwestern Idaho, 2018
Kenneth D. Skinner
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1032
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, sampled groundwater from 15 wells during spring 2018 near the city of Marsing in rural northwestern Owyhee County, southwestern Idaho. Samples were analyzed for field parameters, nutrients, trace elements, major inorganics, and dissolved gas, including methane....
Hurricane Sandy impacts on coastal wetland resilience
Donald R. Cahoon, Jennifer H. Olker, Alice G. Yeates, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, James B. Grace, Susan C. Adamowicz, Shimon C. Anisfeld, Andrew H. Baldwin, Nels Barrett, Leah Beckett, Alice Benzecry, Linda K. Blum, David M. Burdick, William Crouch, Marci Cole Ekberg, Sarah Fernald, Kristin Wilson Grimes, Joseph Grzyb, Ellen Kracauer Hartig, Danielle A. Kreeger, Marit Larson, Scott Lerberg, James C. Lynch, Nicole Maher, Martha Maxwell-Doyle, Laura R. Mitchell, Jordan Mora, Victoria O’Neill, Angela Padeletti, Diann J. Prosser, Tracy Quirk, Kenneth B. Raposa, William G. Reay, Drexel Siok, Christopher Snow, Adam Starke, J. Court Stevenson, Lorie Staver, Vincent Turner
2019, Open-File Report 2018-1142
The goal of this research was to evaluate the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on surface elevation trends in estuarine marshes located across the northeast region of the United States from Virginia to Maine using data from an opportunistic (in other words, not strategic) and collaborative network (from here on, an...
The complex spatial distribution of trichloroethene and the probability of NAPL occurrence in the rock matrix of a mudstone aquifer
Allen M. Shapiro, Daniel J. Goode, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Michelle M. Lorah, Claire R. Tiedeman
2019, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (233)
Methanol extractions for chloroethene analyses are conducted on rock samples from seven closely spaced coreholes in a mudstone aquifer that was subject to releases of the nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) form of trichloroethene (TCE) between the 1950's and 1990's. Although TCE concentration in the rock matrix over the length of coreholes is dictated by proximity to subhorizontal bedding planefractures, elevated TCE concentrations in...
Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) survival and site fidelity in an area undergoing shale gas development
Mack W. Frantz, Petra B. Wood, James Sheehan, Gregory George
2019, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (13) 84-95
We quantified Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) site fidelity and apparent survival across a 6 year period in an area undergoing shale gas development.Waterthrush initially exhibited high site fidelity that declined over time. At the same time, the number of unpaired males defending territories increased as did natal fidelity. We identified...
Stratigraphic occurrences of sub-polar planktic foraminifera in pleistocene sediments on the Lomonosov Ridge, Arctic Ocean
Matt O’Regan, Helen Coxall, Thomas M. Cronin, Richard Gyllencreutz, Martin Jakobsson, Stefanie Kaboth, Ludvig Lowemark, Steffen Wiers, Gabriel West
2019, Frontiers in Earth Science (7)
Turborotalita quinqueloba is a species of planktic foraminifera commonly found in the sub-polar North Atlantic along the pathway of Atlantic waters in the Nordic seas and sometimes even in the Arctic Ocean, although its occurrence there remains poorly understood. Existing data show that T. quinqueloba is scarce in Holocene sediments...
Coelomic disorders of fishes
Christine L. Densmore
2019, Book chapter, Fish diseases and medicine
Dropsy is a commonly applied term for coelomic distention due to ascites, or the effusion and collection of fluid freely throughout the coelomic cavity. Dropsy, or ascites, is generally a sign of another ongoing disease process, oftentimes one that is multisystemic and impacting coelomic organs and tissues. Dropsy may be...
Sediment storage and transport in the Nooksack River basin, northwestern Washington, 2006–15
Scott W. Anderson, Christopher P. Konrad, Eric E. Grossman, Christopher A. Curran
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5008
The Nooksack River is a dynamic gravel-bedded river in northwestern Washington, draining off Mount Baker and the North Cascades into Puget Sound. Working in cooperation with the Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District, the U.S. Geological Survey studied topographic, hydrologic, and climatic data for the Nooksack River basin to...
Quantifying hydrologic alteration in an area lacking current reference conditions—The Mississippi Alluvial Plain of the South-Central U.S.
Rheannon M. Hart, Brian Breaker
2019, River Research and Applications (35) 553-565
To better understand the effects of hydrologic alteration as they relate to human and biological needs within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain of the south-central United States, the quantification of hydrologic alteration is required. Quantifying hydrologic alteration in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain is particularly difficult because of the lack of current...
A multi-scale soil moisture monitoring strategy for California: Design and validation
Jennifer Curtis, Lorraine E. Flint, Michelle A. Stern
2019, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (55) 740-758
A multi‐scale soil moisture monitoring strategy for California was designed to inform water resource management. The proposed workflow classifies soil moisture response units (SMRUs) using publicly available datasets that represent soil, vegetation, climate, and hydrology variables, which control soil water storage. The SMRUs were classified, using principal component analysis and...
An integrated statistical and deterministic hydrologic model for analyzing trace organic contaminants in commercial and high-density residential stormwater runoff
Jacob W Brownscombe, Colin D. Bell, Terri Hogue, Christopher P. Higgins, William R. Selbig
2019, Science of the Total Environment (673) 656-667
Urbanization can dramatically alter stormwater, both the quantity and quality, by engendering larger peak flows and through the introduction of contaminants into runoff. The current study builds on previous research that developed relationships between a suite of nonpoint source contaminants, known as trace organic contaminants (TOrCs), and hydrologic measurements for...
Using environmental DNA to extend the window of early detection for dreissenid mussels
Adam J. Sepulveda, Jon Amberg, Erik Hanson
2019, Management of Biological Invasions (10) 342-358
Tools that bolster early detection of invasive species are needed to prevent their spread. In this study, we assessed if environmental DNA (eDNA) can extend the seasonal window for dreissenid mussel early detection beyond that of plankton tows, which are limited to warmer seasons when mussel larvae are present. We...
Coral skeleton δ15N as a tracer of historic nutrient loading to a coral reef in Maui, Hawaii
Joseph Murray, Nancy G. Prouty, Sara E. Peek, Adina Paytan
2019, Scientific Reports (9) 1-10
Excess nutrient loading to nearshore environments has been linked to declining water quality and ecosystem health. Macro-algal blooms, eutrophication, and reduction in coral cover have been observed in West Maui, Hawaii, and linked to nutrient inputs from coastal submarine groundwater seeps. Here, we present a forty-year record of nitrogen isotopes...
Residence time controls on the fate of nitrogen in flow‐through lakebed sediments
Tyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarentske, Martin A. Briggs, Kamini Singha, Judson W. Harvey, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Farzaneh MahmoodPoor Dehkordy, John W. Lane Jr.
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (124) 689-707
For many glacial lakes with highly permeable sediments, water exchange rates control hydrologic residence times within the sediment‐water interface (SWI) and the removal of reactive compounds such as nitrate, a common pollutant in lakes and groundwater. Here we conducted a series of focused tracer injection experiments in the upper 20 cm...
Wetland-scale mapping of preferential fresh groundwater discharge to the Colorado River
Martin A. Briggs, Nora C. Nelson, Philip M. Gardner, D. Kip Solomon, Neil C. Terry, John W. Lane Jr.
2019, Groundwater (57) 737-748
Quantitative evaluation of groundwater/surface water exchange dynamics is universally challenging in large river systems, because existing methodology often does not yield spatially‐distributed data and is difficult to apply in deeper water. Here we apply a combined near‐surface geophysical and direct groundwater chemical toolkit to refine fresh groundwater discharge estimates to...
Multi-scale preferential flow processes in an urban streambed under variable hydraulic conditions
Farzaneh MahmoodPoor Dehkordy, Martin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Kamini Singha, Ashton Krajnovich, Tyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarnetske, Courtney R. Scruggs, Amvrossios C. Bagtzoglou
2019, Journal of Hydrology (573) 168-179
Spatially preferential flow processes occur at nested scales at the sediment-water interface (SWI), due in part to sediment heterogeneities, which may be enhanced in flashy urban streams with heavy road sand influence. However, several factors, including the flow-rate dependence of preferential hyporheic flow and discrete groundwater discharge zones are commonly...
Factors affecting 1,2,3-trichloropropane contamination in groundwater in California
Karen R. Burow, Walter D. Floyd, Matthew K. Landon
2019, Science of the Total Envionrment (672) 324-334
1,2,3-Trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP) is a volatile organic chemical of eminent concern due to its carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive effects, and its frequent occurrence at concentrations of concern worldwide. In California, 1,2,3-TCP was detected in 6.5% of 1237 wells sampled by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). About 8% of domestic wells...
