Climatic variation drives growth potential of juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) along a sub-Arctic boreal riverscape
Jeffrey A. Falke, Brock M. Huntsman, Erik R. Schoen
2019, Book chapter, Advances in understanding landscape influences on freshwater habitats and biological assemblages
Climatic variation is a key driver of freshwater physical processes that in turn control stream fish growth and population dynamics at fine spatial scales and species distributions across broad landscapes. A recent downturn in Chinook Salmon returns across the Yukon River basin, Alaska, USA, and Yukon Territories, Canada, has led...
Valid debris-flow models must avoid hot starts
Richard M. Iverson, David L. George
2019, Conference Paper, 7th International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation-Proceedings
Debris-flow experiments and models commonly use “hot-start” initial conditions in which downslope motion begins when a large force imbalance is abruptly imposed. By contrast, initiation of natural debris flows almost invariably results from small perturbations of static force balances that apply to debris masses poised in steep channels or...
Updates to USGS national seismic hazard model (NSHM) and design ground motion maps for 2020 NEHRP recommended provisions
Sanaz Rezaeian, Nico Luco
2019, Conference Paper, 2019 SEAOC convention proceedings
This presentation summarizes the proposed updates to earthquake design ground motions for the 2020 edition of the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions, expected to be incorporated into the ASCE 7-22 Standard. The implications of these updates on the values of design ground motions for example locations in both conterminous and nonconterminous...
Application of the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) to Klamath River fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), California—Parameterization and calibration
Russell W. Perry, John M. Plumb, Edward C. Jones, Nicholas A. Som, Thomas B. Hardy, Nicholas J. Hetrick
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1107
Executive SummaryIn this report, we describe application of the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) to Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Klamath River between Keno Dam in southern Oregon and the ocean in northern California. S3 is a deterministic life-stage-structured population model that tracks daily growth, movement, and survival...
Modeling long-term effects of fuel treatments on fuel loads and fire regimes in the Great Basin
Nancy F. Glenn, Alejandro N Flores, Douglas J. Shinneman, David S. Pilliod
2019, Report
The principal motivation for this study is that sagebrush-steppe ecosystems are undergoing significant state changes, and land managers are challenged with optimizing their resources for both short- and long-term use. Yet, limited knowledge is available regarding how the sagebrush-steppe will respond to environmental changes related to precipitation and temperature regimes,...
Migration routes, foraging behavior, and site fidelity of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) satellite tracked from a globally important rookery
D.R. Evans, Raymond R. Carthy, S.A. Ceriani
2019, Marine Biology (166)
The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, USA (27.946°N, − 80.494°W) represents one of the largest loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting sites in the Western Hemisphere. Surprisingly, little work has been conducted to determine females’ post-nesting migratory behavior and characteristics of their foraging areas. Between 2008 and 2017,...
Discovering blind geothermal systems in the Great Basin Region: An integrated geologic and geophysical approach for establishing geothermal play fairways: All phases
E. Faulds James, Nicholas H. Hinz, Mark Coolbaugh, Bridget Ayling, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Jason W. Craig, Emma McConnville, Drew L. Siler, John Queen, Jeff Witter, Christian Hardwick
2019, Report
Most geothermal resources in the Great Basin region of the western USA are blind, and thus the discovery of new commercial-grade systems requires synthesis of favorable characteristics for geothermal activity. The geothermal play fairway concept involves integration of multiple parameters indicative of geothermal activity to identify promising...
Scenarios of climate adaptation potential on protected working lands from management of soils
Kristin B. Byrd, P. Alvarez, Benjamin Sleeter, Lorraine E. Flint, D. Richard Cameron, J. Creque
2019, Environmental Research Letters (14)
Management of protected lands may enhance ecosystem services that conservation programs were designed to protect. Practices that build soil organic matter (SOM) on agricultural lands also increase soil water holding capacity, potentially reducing climatic water deficit (CWD), increasing actual evapotranspiration (AET) and increasing groundwater recharge (RCH). We developed nine...
Energy intake rate influences survival of Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani broods
B.H. Robinson, L.M. Phillips, Abby Powell
2019, Journal of Seabird Science and Conservation (47) 277-283
Black Oystercatchers Haematopus bachmani, a species of conservation concern, depend on marine intertidal prey resources. We examined diet, feeding rates, growth, and survival of Black Oystercatcher broods in southcentral Alaska, 2013-2014. To determine the importance of diet on brood survival, we modeled daily survival rates of broods as a function...
Characterization and load estimation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from selected Rio Grande tributary stormwater channels in the Albuquerque urbanized area, New Mexico, 2017–18
Zachary M. Shephard, Kathleen E. Conn, Kimberly R. Beisner, Alanna D. Jornigan, Christina F. Bryant
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1106
In cooperation with the New Mexico County of Bernalillo, the U.S. Geological Survey characterized potential polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentration and estimated loading into the Rio Grande from watersheds that are under the county’s jurisdiction. Water and sediment samples were collected in 2017–18 from six sites within four stormwater drainage basins...
Discoveries and novel insights in ecology using structural equation modeling
Daniel C. Laughlin, James Grace
2019, Ecology and Evolution (12) 28-34
As we enter the era of data science (Lortie 2018), quantitative analysis methodologies are proliferating rapidly, leaving ecologists with the task of choosing among many alternatives. The use of structural equation modeling (SEM) by ecologists has increased in recent years, prompting us to ask users a number of questions about...
Survival and movements of head‐started Mojave desert tortoises
J. A. Daly, K. A. Buhlmann, B. D. Todd, Clinton T. Moore, J. M. Peaden, T. D. Tuberville
2019, Journal of Wildlife Management (83) 1700-1710
Head‐starting is a conservation strategy in which young animals are protected in captivity temporarily before their release into the wild at a larger size, when their survival is presumably increased. The Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is in decline, and head‐starting has been identified as one of several conservation measures...
The hydrologic system of the south Florida peninsula—Development and application of the Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport (BISECT) model
Eric D. Swain, Melinda A. Lohmann, Carl R. Goodwin
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5045
The Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport (BISECT) model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey under the Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Studies Initiative to evaluate, both separately and in conjunction, the likely effects on surface-water stages and flows, hydroperiod, and groundwater levels and salinity in south Florida of (1)...
Climate-driven shifts in soil temperature and moisture regimes suggest opportunities to enhance assessments of dryland resilience and resistance
John B. Bradford, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, William K. Lauenroth, Kyle A. Palmquist, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeremy D. Maestas, Steven B. Campbell
2019, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (7)
Assessing landscape patterns in climate vulnerability, as well as resilience and resistance to drought, disturbance, and invasive species, requires appropriate metrics of relevant environmental conditions. In dryland systems of western North America, soil temperature and moisture regimes have been widely utilized as an indicator of resilience to disturbance and resistance...
Comparison of physical to numerical mixing with different tracer advection schemes in estuarine environments
Tarandeep S. Kalra, Xiangyu Li, John C. Warner, W. R. Geyer, Hui Wu
2019, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (10)
The numerical simulation of estuarine dynamics requires accurate prediction for the transport of tracers such as temperature and salinity. During the simulation of these processes, all numerical models introduce two kinds of tracer mixing: 1) by parameterizing the tracer eddy diffusivity through turbulence models leading to a source of physical...
Survival and recruitment dynamics of Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at an Alaskan colony
Cyndy Loftin, Aly McKnight, Erik J. Blomberg, David B. Irons, Shawn T. McKinney
2019, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (47) 209-222
The majority of seabirds breed colonially and exhibit considerable site fidelity over the course of their long lifespans. Initial colony selection can therefore have substantial fitness consequences; however, factors contributing to recruitment into colonies and subsequent fidelity remain unclear. We used multi-state capture-recapture models to test several hypotheses related to...
Experimental study on the impact of thermal maturity on shale microstructures using hydrous pyrolysis
Kouqi Liu, M. Ostadhassan, Paul C. Hackley, T. Gentzis, J. Zou, Y. Yuan, H. Carvajal-Ortiz, R. Rezaee, B. Bubach
2019, Energy & Fuels (33) 9702-9719
Hydrous pyrolysis was applied to four low-maturity aliquots from the Utica, Excello, Monterey, and Niobrara Shale Formations in North America to create artificial maturation sequences, which could be used to study the impact of maturation on geochemical and microstructural properties. Modified Rock-Eval pyrolysis, reflectance, organic petrology, and Fourier transform infrared...
Map of the approximate inland extent of saltwater at the base of the Biscayne aquifer in Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2018
Scott T. Prinos
2019, Scientific Investigations Map 3438
The inland extent of saltwater at the base of the Biscayne aquifer in eastern Miami-Dade County, Florida, was mapped in 2011, and it was mapped in the Model Land Area in 2016. The saltwater interface has continued to move inland in some areas and is now near several active well...
Tidal variation in cohesive sediment distribution in an idealized, partially-mixed estuary
D. Tarpley, Courtney K. Harris, Carl T. Friedrichs, Christopher R. Sherwood
2019, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (7)
Particle settling velocity and erodibility are key factors that govern the transport of sediment through coastal environments including estuaries. These are difficult to parameterize in models that represent mud, whose properties can change in response to many factors, including tidally varying suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and shear...
Regional-scale associations between indicators of biological integrity and indicators of streamflow modification
Daren M. Carlisle, Theodore E. Grantham, Ken Eng, David M. Wolock
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1088
Although streamflow is widely recognized as a controlling factor in stream health, empirical relations between indicators of anthropogenic modification of streamflow and ecological indicators have been elusive. The objective of this report is to build upon specific findings reported in recent publications by providing a library of empirical models that...
Contaminants in linked aquatic–terrestrial ecosystems: Predicting effects of aquatic pollution on adult aquatic insects and terrestrial insectivores
Johanna M. Kraus
2019, Freshwater Science (38) 919-927
Organisms that move across ecosystem boundaries connect food webs in apparently disparate locations. As part of their life cycle, aquatic insects transition from aquatic larvae to terrestrial adults, thereby linking freshwater ecosystem processes and terrestrial insectivore dynamics. These linkages are strongly affected by contamination of freshwater ecosystems, which can reduce...
Growth drivers of Bakken oil well productivity
Emil D. Attanasi, Philip A. Freeman
2019, Natural Resources Research (29) 1471-1486
This paper identifies the drivers of the phenomenal growth in productivity in hydraulically fractured horizontal oil wells producing from the middle member of the Bakken Formation in North Dakota. The data show a strong underlying spatial component and somewhat weaker temporal component. Drivers of the spatial component are favorable...
Where’s the rock: Using convolutional neural networks to improve land cover classification
Helen Petlyak, Corina Cerovski-Darriau, Vadim Zaliva, Jonathan D. Stock
2019, Remote Sensing (11)
While machine learning techniques have been increasingly applied to land cover classification problems, these techniques have not focused on separating exposed bare rock from soil covered areas. Therefore, we built a convolutional neural network (CNN) to differentiate exposed bare rock (rock) from soil cover (other). We made a...
Leptospirosis in Northern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Washington
Susan Knowles, Deanna Lynch, Nancy J. Thomas
2019, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (56) 466-471
We diagnosed leptospirosis in six northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) that stranded on beaches in Washington, US in 2002. Significant gross findings included cyanotic oral mucous membranes, renal swelling, congestion or pale streaks on the cut surface of the lobules, hematuria, dehydration, lymphadenopathy, pulmonary congestion and rarely adrenal hemorrhage...
Water priorities for the nation—The U.S. Geological Survey next generation water observing system
Sandra M. Eberts, Chad R. Wagner, Michael D. Woodside
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3046
The challenges of providing safe and sustainable water supplies for human and ecological uses and protecting lives and property during water emergencies are well recognized. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) plays an essential role in meeting these challenges through its observational networks and renowned water science and research activities (National...
