The effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on early life stages of rainbow trout in the Colorado River
Josh Korman, Theodore S. Melis
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3002
The Lees Ferry reach of the Colorado River-a 16-mile segment from Glen Canyon Dam to the confluence with the Paria River-supports an important recreational rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fishery. In Grand Canyon, nonnative rainbow trout prey on and compete for habitat and food with native fish, such as the endangered...
Movement of saugers in the lower Tennessee River determined by radio telemetry, and implications for management
M.A. Pegg, P.W. Bettoli, J.B. Layzer
2011, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (17) 763-768
Since 1979, abundances of sauger Stizostedion canadense have declined in the Tennessee River system. Reasons for this decline may include overharvest, loss of spawning habitat, and low recruitment due to extreme flows. The purpose of this study was to investigate the movements of saugers following winter concentration below Pickwick Dam, Tennessee. Thirty-seven...
Growth of plutons by incremental emplacement of sheets in crystal-rich host: Evidence from Miocene intrusions of the Colorado River region, Nevada, USA
C. F. Miller, D.J. Furbish, B.A. Walker, L.L. Claiborne, G.C. Koteas, H.A. Bleick, J.S. Miller
2011, Tectonophysics (500) 65-77
Growing evidence supports the notion that plutons are constructed incrementally, commonly over long periods of time, yet field evidence for the multiple injections that seem to be required is commonly sparse or absent. Timescales of up to several million years, among other arguments, indicate that the dominant volume does...
Adaption of egg and larvae sampling techniques for lake sturgeon and broadcast spawning fishes in a deep river
Edward F. Roseman, James Boase, Gregory W. Kennedy, Jaquelyn M. Craig, Karen Soper
2011, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (27) 89-92
In this report we describe how we adapted two techniques for sampling lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and other fish early life history stages to meet our research needs in the Detroit River, a deep, flowing Great Lakes connecting channel. First, we developed a buoy‐less method for sampling fish eggs and...
Long-term change in perennial vegetation along the Colorado river in Grand Canyon national park (1889-2010)
R. H. Webb, Jayne Belnap, M. L. Scott, Todd Esque
2011, Park Science (28) 83-87
Long-term monitoring data are difficult to obtain for high-value resource areas, particularly in remote parts of national parks. One long-used method for evaluating change uses ground-based repeat photography to match historical images of landscapes. River expeditions that documented a proposed railroad route through Grand Canyon with large-format photographs occurred in...
Episodic soil succession on basaltic lava fields in a cool, dry environment
K.L. Vaughan, P.A. McDaniel, W.M. Phillips
2011, Soil Science Society of America Journal (75) 1462-1470
Holocene- to late Pleistocene-aged lava flows at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve provide an ideal setting to examine the early stages of soil formation under cool, dry conditions. Transects were used to characterize the amount and nature of soil cover on across basaltic lava flows ranging in...
Investigating the spatial distribution of water levels in the Mackenzie Delta using airborne LiDAR
C. Hopkinson, N. Crasto, P. Marsh, D. Forbes, L. Lesack
2011, Hydrological Processes (25) 2995-3011
Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data were used to map water level (WL) and hydraulic gradients (δH/δx) in the Mackenzie Delta. The LiDAR WL data were validated against eight independent hydrometric gauge measurements and demonstrated mean offsets from − 0·22 to + 0·04 m (σ< 0·11). LiDAR‐based WL gradients...
Expansion of tubenose gobies Proterorhinus semilunaris into western Lake Erie and potential effects on native species
P.M. Kocovsky, J.A. Tallman, D.J. Jude, D.M. Murphy, J.E. Brown, C.A. Stepien
2011, Biological Invasions (13) 2775-2784
The Eurasian freshwater tubenose goby Proterorhinus semilunaris (formerly Proterorhinus marmoratus) invaded the Laurentian Great Lakes in the 1990s, presumably via ballast water from transoceanic cargo ships. Tubenose gobies spread throughout Lake St. Clair, its tributaries, and the Detroit River system, and also are present in the Duluth-Superior harbor of Lake...
Geological effects and implications of the 2010 tsunami along the central coast of Chile
R.A. Morton, G. Gelfenbaum, M.L. Buckley, B. M. Richmond
2011, Sedimentary Geology (242) 34-51
Geological effects of the 2010 Chilean tsunami were quantified at five near-field sites along a 200 km segment of coast located between the two zones of predominant fault slip. Field measurements, including topography, flow depths, flow directions, scour depths, and deposit thicknesses, provide insights into the processes and morphological changes associated...
Assessing water quality suitability for shortnose sturgeon in the Roanoke River, North Carolina, USA with an in situ bioassay approach
W.G. Cope, F.M. Holliman, T.J. Kwak, N.C. Oakley, P.R. Lazaro, D. Shea, T. Augspurger, J.M. Law, J.P. Henne, K.M. Ware
2011, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (27) 1-12
The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of water quality in the Roanoke River of North Carolina for supporting shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum, an endangered species in the United States. Fathead minnows Pimephales promelas were also evaluated alongside the sturgeon as a comparative species to measure potential...
Molecular detection of vertebrates in stream water: A demonstration using rocky mountain tailed frogs and Idaho giant salamanders
C.S. Goldberg, D. S. Pilliod, R.S. Arkle, L.P. Waits
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
Stream ecosystems harbor many secretive and imperiled species, and studies of vertebrates in these systems face the challenges of relatively low detection rates and high costs. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has recently been confirmed as a sensitive and efficient tool for documenting aquatic vertebrates in wetlands and in a large river...
Mapping irrigated areas of Ghana using fusion of 30 m and 250 m resolution remote-sensing data
M.K. Gumma, P.S. Thenkabail, F. Hideto, A. Nelson, V. Dheeravath, D. Busia, A. Rala
2011, Remote Sensing (3) 816-835
Maps of irrigated areas are essential for Ghana's agricultural development. The goal of this research was to map irrigated agricultural areas and explain methods and protocols using remote sensing. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) data and time-series Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data were used to map irrigated agricultural areas...
Age, genesis, and paleoclimatic interpretation of the Sangamon/Loveland complex in the Lower Mississippi Valley, USA
H. W. Markewich, D.A. Wysocki, M.J. Pavich, E.M. Rutledge
2011, Geological Society of America Bulletin (123) 21-39
For more than a century, the Sangamon paleosol (the Sangamon) has been an integral part of geologic and pedologic investigations in the central United States, including the Upper Mississippi and Lower Missouri River Valleys. Compositional, pedologic, micromorphologic, stratigraphic, and age data indicate that the prominent reddish paleosol developed in silt-rich...
Agricultural practices and residual corn during spring crane and waterfowl migration in Nebraska
Mark H. Sherfy, Michael J. Anteau, A.A. Bishop
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 995-1003
Nebraska's Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) is a major spring‐staging area for migratory birds. Over 6 million ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) stage there en route to tundra, boreal forest, and prairie breeding habitats, storing nutrients for migration and reproduction by consuming primarily corn remaining in fields after...
Evaluation of single and two-stage adaptive sampling designs for estimation of density and abundance of freshwater mussels in a large river
D. R. Smith, J. T. Rogala, B. R. Gray, S. J. Zigler, T.J. Newton
2011, River Research and Applications (27) 122-133
Reliable estimates of abundance are needed to assess consequences of proposed habitat restoration and enhancement projects on freshwater mussels in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR). Although there is general guidance on sampling techniques for population assessment of freshwater mussels, the actual performance of sampling designs can depend critically on the...
Habitat use of nesting and brood-rearing King Rails in the Illinois and Upper Mississippi River Valleys
A.J. Darrah, D.G. Krementz
2011, Waterbirds (34) 160-167
Most studies of King Rail (Rallus elegans) have investigated habitat use during the nesting season, while few comparisons have been made between the nesting and brood-rearing seasons. King Rails were located during the nesting season in Missouri using repeated surveys with call playback, and systematic searches for broods were conducted...
Cold-climate slope deposits and landscape modifications of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, Eastern USA
Wayne L. Newell, B.D. Dejong
2011, Geological Society Special Publication (354) 259-276
The effects of Pleistocene cold-climate geomorphology are distributed across the weathered and eroded Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain uplands from the Wisconsinan terminal moraine south to Tidewater Virginia. Cold-climate deposits and landscape modifications are superimposed on antecedent landscapes of old, weathered Neogene upland gravels and Pleistocene marine terraces that had been built...
Stage measurement at gaging stations
Vernon B. Sauer, D. Phil Turnipseed
2010, Techniques and Methods 3-A7
Stream and reservoir stage are critical parameters in the computation of stream discharge and reservoir volume, respectively. In addition, a record of stream stage is useful in the design of structures that may be affected by stream elevation, as well as for the planning for various uses of flood plains....
Amplification and transport of an endemic fish disease by an introduced species
Paul Hershberger, Bjorn Leeuw, Gregg Jacob, Courtney Grady, Kenneth Lujan, Susan Gutenberger, Maureen K. Purcell, James Woodson, James Winton, Michael Parsley
2010, Biological Invasions (12) 3665-3675
The introduction of American shad from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast of North America in the late 1800’s and the subsequent population expansion in the 1980’s resulted in the amplification of Ichthyophonus sp., a Mesomycetozoean parasite of wild marine fishes. Sequence analysis of the ribosomal DNA gene complex (small...
Use of geochemical, isotopic, and age tracer data to develop models of groundwater flow for the purpose of water management, northern High Plains aquifer, USA
Peter B. McMahon, C. P. Carney, E. P. Poeter, Steven M. Peterson
2010, PNAS (25) 910-922
A prolonged drought in the High Plains of Nebraska prompted the use of groundwater for cooling at the largest coal-fired power plant in the State. Prior to the drought, groundwater was used primarily for irrigation and the power plant relied exclusively on surface water stored in a nearby reservoir for...
Reduced channel conveyance on the Wichita River at Wichita Falls, Texas, 1900-2009
Karl Winters, Stanley Baldys, Russell Schreiber
2010, Journal of Environmental Hydrology (18) Paper 8
Recent floods on the Wichita River at Wichita Falls, Texas, have reached higher stages compared to historical floods of similar magnitude discharges. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has operated streamflow-gaging station 07312500 Wichita River at Wichita Falls, Tex., since 1938 and flood measurements near the location of the present gage...
Marine tephrochronology of the Mt. Edgecumbe volcanic field, southeast Alaska, USA
Jason A. Addison, James E. Beget, Thomas A. Ager, Bruce P. Finney
2010, Quaternary Research (73) 277-292
The Mt. Edgecumbe Volcanic Field (MEVF), located on Kruzof Island near Sitka Sound in southeast Alaska, experienced a large multiple-stage eruption during the last glacial maximum (LGM)-Holocene transition that generated a regionally extensive series of compositionally similar rhyolite tephra horizons and a single well-dated dacite (MEd) tephra. Marine sediment cores...
Epic Flooding in Georgia, 2009
Anthony J. Gotvald, Brian E. McCallum
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3107
Metropolitan Atlanta-September 2009 Floods The epic floods experienced in the Atlanta area in September 2009 were extremely rare. Eighteen streamgages in the Metropolitan Atlanta area had flood magnitudes much greater than the estimated 0.2-percent (500-year) annual exceedance probability. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported that 23 counties in Georgia...
The continuous slope-area method for computing event hydrographs
Christopher F. Smith, Jeffrey T. Cordova, Stephen M. Wiele
2010, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5241
The continuous slope-area (CSA) method expands the slope-area method of computing peak discharge to a complete flow event. Continuously recording pressure transducers installed at three or more cross sections provide water-surface slopes and stage during an event that can be used with cross-section surveys and estimates of channel roughness to...
Distribution and community characteristics of staging shorebirds on the northern coast of Alaska
Audrey R. Taylor, Richard B. Lanctot, Abby N. Powell, Falk Huettmann, Debora A. Nigro, Steven J. Kendall
2010, Arctic (63) 451-467
Avian studies conducted in the 1970s on Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) indicated that coastal littoral habitats are important to Arctic-breeding shorebirds for staging prior to fall migration. However, relatively little recent, broad-scale, or quantitative information exists on shorebird use of staging areas in this region. To locate possible shorebird...