Detrital K-feldspar Pb isotopic evaluation of extraregional sediment transported through an Eocene tectonic breach of southern California's Cretaceous batholith
Danielle Ziva Shulaker, Marty Grove, Jeremy K. Hourigan, Nicholas Van Buer, Glenn R. Sharman, Keith A. Howard, Jonathan Miller, Andrew P. Barth
2019, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (508) 4-17
Sedimentary provenance studies have come to be overwhelmingly based upon U–Pb geochronologic measurements performed with detrital zircon while alternative and potentially complementary approaches such as conglomerate clast studies and heavy mineral analysis have faded in importance. Measurement of Pb isotopic compositions in detrital K-feldspar is among the under-utilized approaches available to ascertain sedimentary source regions. While it has...
Modeling elk‐to‐livestock transmission risk to predict hotspots of brucellosis spillover
Nathaniel D. Rayl, Kelly Proffitt, Emily S. Almberg, Jennifer D. Jones, Jerod Merkle, Justin A. Gude, Paul C. Cross
2019, Journal of Wildlife Management (83) 817-829
Wildlife reservoirs of infectious disease are a major source of human‐wildlife conflict because of the risk of potential spillover associated with commingling of wildlife and livestock. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the presence of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) in free‐ranging elk (Cervus canadensis) populations is of significant management concern because of...
Climate, streamflow, and lake-level trends in the Great Lakes Basin of the United States and Canada, water years 1960–2015
Parker A. Norton, Daniel G. Driscoll, Janet M. Carter
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5003
Water levels in the Great Lakes fluctuate substantially because of complex interactions among inputs (precipitation and streamflow), outputs (evaporation and outflow), and other factors. This report by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was completed to describe trends in climate, streamflow, lake levels, and...
Characterizing the catastrophic 2017 Mud Creek Landslide, California, using repeat Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry
Jonathan A. Warrick, Andrew C. Ritchie, Mark E. Reid, Kevin M. Schmidt, Joshua B. Logan
2019, Landslides (16) 1201-1219
Along the rugged coast of Big Sur, California, the Mud Creek landslide failed catastrophically on May 20, 2017 and destroyed over 400 m of scenic California State Highway 1. We collected structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry data using airborne platforms that, when combined with existing airborne lidar data, revealed that the area...
Molecular characterization of Bathymodiolus mussels and gill symbionts associated with chemosynthetic habitats from the U.S. Atlantic margin
Dolly Coykendall, Robert S. Cornman, Nancy G. Prouty, Sandra Brooke, Amanda W. J. Demopoulos, Cheryl L. Morrison
2019, PLoS ONE (14)
Mussels of the genus Bathymodiolus are among the most widespread colonizers of hydrothermal vent and cold seep environments, sustained by endosymbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria. Presumed species of Bathymodiolus are abundant at newly discovered cold seeps on the Mid-Atlantic continental slope, however morphological taxonomy is challenging, and their phylogenetic affinities remain...
Geomorphic survey of North Fork Eagle Creek, New Mexico, 2017
Alexander P. Graziano
2019, Open-File Report 2018-1187
About one-quarter of the water supply for the Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, is derived from groundwater pumping along North Fork Eagle Creek in the Eagle Creek Basin near Alto, New Mexico. Because of concerns regarding the effects of groundwater pumping on surface-water hydrology in the Eagle Creek Basin and...
Groundwater and surface-water data collection for Mason County, western Washington, 2016–18
Alison E. Tecca, Lonna M. Frans
2019, Data Series 1106
Groundwater levels and surface water flow measurements were collected from August 2016 to September 2018 to provide the Mason Conservation District and other stakeholders with basic knowledge of existing water resources in Mason County, Washington. Additionally, the data were collected with the intent of contributing to informed decision making about...
Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2018 breeding season
Jonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams
2019, Data Series 1107
Executive SummaryMarbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluation...
Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) surveys in the Sepulveda Dam Basin, Los Angeles County, California—2018 data summary
Ryan E. Pottinger, Barbara E. Kus
2019, Data Series 1105
Executive SummaryWe surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along Bull Creek, Haskell Creek, and the Los Angeles River (Sepulveda Dam project area) in Los Angeles County, California, in 2018. Four vireo surveys were conducted between...
Improved enrichment factor calculations through principal component analysis: Examples from soils near breccia pipe uranium mines, Arizona, USA
Carleton R. Bern, Katherine Walton-Day, David L. Naftz
2019, Environmental Pollution (248) 90-100
The enrichment factor (EF) is a widely used metric for determining how much the presence of an element in a sampling media has increased relative to average natural abundance because of human activity. Calculation of an EF requires the selection of both a background composition and a reference element, choices...
Winter precipitation and summer temperature predict lake water quality at macroscales
S. M. Collins, S. Yuan, P. N. Tan, S. K. Oliver, J. F. Lapierre, K. S. Cheruvelil, C. E. Fergus, N. K. Skaff, J. Stachelek, Tyler Wagner, P. A. Soranno
2019, Water Resources Research (55) 2708-2721
Climate change can have strong effects on aquatic ecosystems, including disrupting nutrient cycling and mediating processes that affect primary production. Past studies have been conducted mostly on individual or small groups of ecosystems, making it challenging to predict how future climate change will affect water quality at broad scales. We...
Flood-inundation maps for the Yellow River from River Drive to Centerville Highway, Gwinnett County, Georgia
Jonathan W. Musser
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5009
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 16.4-mile reach of the Yellow River in Gwinnett County, Georgia, from 0.5 mile upstream from River Drive to Centerville Highway (Georgia State Route 124) were developed to depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at two...
Fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), sand roller (Percopsis transmontana), and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) interactions in a Snake River reservoir: A tale of three species
Rulon J. Hemingway, Kenneth F. Tiffan, John M. Erhardt, Tobyn N. Rhodes, Brad K. Bickford
2019, Northwestern Naturalist (100) 26-36
We studied some of the relationships between federally listed fall Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, endemic Sand Roller, Percopsis transmontana, and non-native Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu, in Lower Granite Reservoir on the Snake River. Because of its recent reappearance and population increase, the Sand Rollers could be filling the role of a “native invader”...
Contemporary environmental assessment using a viability analysis in a large river system to inform restoration and adaptive management decisions
Robin L. DeBruyne, Edward F. Roseman, Jason E. Ross, Kurt R. Newman, Russell M. Strach
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5002
As large-scale restoration plans for degraded aquatic habitats evolve, it is essential that multiorganizational collaborations have a common vision to achieve consensus on restoration goals. Development of restoration targets and postrestoration monitoring strategies can be focused using a viability analysis framework that supports an adaptive management process. Viability analysis is...
Widespread global peatland establishment and persistence over the last 130,000 y
Claire C. Treat, Thomas Kleinen, Nils Broothaerts , April S. Dalton, Rene Dommain, Thomas A. Douglas, Judith Z. Drexler, Sarah A Finkelstein, Guido Grosse, Geoffrey Hope, Jack Hutchings, Miriam C. Jones, Peter Kuhry, Terri Lacourse, Outi Lahteenoja, Julie Loisel, Bastiaan Notebaert, Richard Payne, Dorothy M. Peteet, A. Britta K. Sannel, Jonathan M. Stelling, Jens Strauss, Graeme T. Swindles, Julie Talbot, Charles Tarnocai, Gert Verstraeten, Christopher J. Williams , Zhengyu Xia, Zicheng Yu, Minna Valiranta, Martina Hattestrand, Helena Alexanderson, Victor Brovkin
2019, PNAS (116) 4822-4827
Glacial−interglacial variations in CO2 and methane in polar ice cores have been attributed, in part, to changes in global wetland extent, but the wetland distribution before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 ka to 18 ka) remains virtually unknown. We present a study of global peatland extent and carbon (C) stocks...
Flood-inundation maps of the Meramec River from Eureka to Arnold, Missouri, 2018
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Kellan R. Strauch
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5004
Libraries of digital flood-inundation maps that spanned a combined 37.2-mile reach of the Meramec River that extended upstream from Eureka, Missouri, to downstream near the confluence of the Meramec and Mississippi Rivers were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Metropolitan...
Water-balance modeling of selected lakes for evaluating viability as long-term fisheries in Kidder, Logan, and Stutsman Counties, North Dakota
Robert F. Lundgren, Benjamin C. York, Nathan A. Stroh, Aldo V. Vecchia
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5007
Water levels in lakes and wetlands in the central North Dakota Missouri Coteau region that were either dry or only sporadically held water since before the 1930s have been rising since the early 1990s in response to an extended wet period. The lakes have remained full since the mid-1990s, which...
Assessing hazards and risks at the Department of the Interior—A workshop report
Nathan Wood, Alice Pennaz, Kristin Ludwig, Jeanne Jones, Kevin Henry, Jason Sherba, Peter Ng, Jason Marineau, John Juskie
2019, Circular 1453
On February 27–28, 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey and Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Emergency Management (OEM) hosted a workshop to gather input from DOI subject matter experts (SMEs), resource managers, facility managers, emergency managers, and law enforcement personnel. Workshop goals were to (1) determine how DOI Bureaus...
Self-organizing maps for compositional data: coal combustion products of a Wyoming power plant
Josep M. Martin-Fernandez, Mark A. Engle, Leslie F. Ruppert, Ricardo A. Olea
2019, Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment (33) 817-826
A self-organizing map (SOM) is a non-linear projection of a D-dimensional data set, where the distance among observations is approximately preserved on to a lower dimensional space. The SOM arranges multivariate data based on their similarity to each other by allowing pattern recognition leading to easier interpretation of higher dimensional...
Accounting for phenology in the analysis of animal movement
Henry R. Scharf, Mevin Hooten, Ryan R. Wilson, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood
2019, Biometrics (75) 810-820
The analysis of animal tracking data provides important scientific understanding and discovery in ecology. Observations of animal trajectories using telemetry devices provide researchers with information about the way animals interact with their environment and each other. For many species, specific geographical features in the landscape can have a strong effect...
The Mw 6.0 South Napa earthquake of August 24, 2014—Observations of surface faulting and ground deformation, with recommendations for improving post-earthquake field investigations
Daniel J. Ponti, Carla M. Rosa, James Luke Blair
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1018
The Mw 6.0 South Napa earthquake of August 24, 2014, produced complex and extensive surface faulting and other ground deformation features. Following the event, geologists made more than 1,200 field observations at locations where tectonic faulting and ground failure produced visible deformation that fractured and disturbed the ground surface. At...
An introduced breeding population of Chrysemys picta marginata in the Kaibab National Forest, northern Arizona
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Bruce L. Christman, Kristy L. Cummings, Jenna Norris, Shellie R. Puffer, Christina Jones
2019, Current Herpetology (38) 91-98
The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is widely distributed from coast to coast in North America with each of four subspecies generally occupying different regions. In the southwestern USA and northern Mexico, where C. p. bellii is the expected native race, populations are small and widelyscattered. Introduced populations of other painted turtle subspecies...
Flood-inundation maps for Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York
Robert H. Flynn, Laura Hayes
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5169
In 2016, digital flood-inundation maps along the shoreline of Lake Champlain in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties in Vermont and northern Clinton County in New York were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the International Joint Commission (IJC). This report discusses the creation of...
Florida Coastal Mapping Program—Overview and 2018 workshop report
Cheryl J. Hapke, Philip A. Kramer, Elizabeth H. Fetherston-Resch, Rene D. Baumstark, Ryan Druyor, Xan Fredericks, Ekaterina Fitos
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1017
The Florida Coastal Mapping Program is a nascent but highly relevant program that has the potential to greatly enhance the “Blue Economy” of Florida by coordinating and facilitating sea-floor mapping efforts and aligning partner and stakeholder activities for increased efficiency and cost reduction. Sustained acquisition of modern coastal mapping information...
Validating a time series of annual grass percent cover in the sagebrush ecosystem
Stephen P. Boyte, Bruce K. Wylie, Donald J. Major
2019, Rangeland Ecology and Management (72) 347-359
We mapped yearly (2000–2016) estimates of annual grass percent cover for much of the sagebrush ecosystem of the western United States using remotely sensed, climate, and geophysical data in regression-tree models. Annual grasses senesce and cure by early summer and then become beds of fine fuel that easily ignite and spread fire through rangeland systems. Our...
