Groundwater conditions in Georgia, 2015–16
Debbie W. Gordon, Jaime A. Painter
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5142
The U.S. Geological Survey collects groundwater data and conducts studies to monitor hydrologic conditions, define groundwater resources, and address problems related to water supply, water use, and water quality. In Georgia, water levels were monitored continuously at 157 wells during calendar years 2015 and 2016. Because of missing data or...
Temporal trends in water-quality constituent concentrations and annual loads of chemical constituents in Michigan watersheds, 1998–2013
Christopher J. Hoard, Lisa R. Fogarty, Joseph W. Duris
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5147
In 1998, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Geological Survey began the Water Chemistry Monitoring Program for select streams in the State of Michigan. Objectives of this program were to provide assistance with (1) statewide water-quality assessments, (2) the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting process, and...
The sensitivity of ecosystem service models to choices of input data and spatial resolution
Kenneth J. Bagstad, Erika Cohen, Zachary H. Ancona, Steven McNulty, Ge Sun
2018, Applied Geography (93) 25-36
Although ecosystem service (ES) modeling has progressed rapidly in the last 10–15 years, comparative studies on data and model selection effects have become more common only recently. Such studies have drawn mixed conclusions about whether different data and model choices yield divergent results. In this study, we compared the results...
On the exchange of sensible and latent heat between the atmosphere and melting snow
Paul C. Stoy, Erich H. Peitzsch, David J. A. Wood, Daniel Rottinghaus, Georg Wohlfahrt, Michael Goulden, Helen Ward
2018, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (252) 167-174
The snow energy balance is difficult to measure during the snowmelt period, yet critical for predictions of water yield in regions characterized by snow cover. Robust simplifications of the snowmelt energy balance can aid our understanding of water resources in a changing climate. Research to date has demonstrated that the...
Delineating and identifying long-term changes in the whooping crane (Grus americana) migration corridor
Aaron T. Pearse, Matt Rabbe, Lara M. Juliusson, Mark T. Bidwell, Lea Craig-Moore, David A. Brandt, Wade C. Harrell
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-15
Defining and identifying changes to seasonal ranges of migratory species is required for effective conservation. Historic sightings of migrating whooping cranes (Grus americana) have served as sole source of information to define a migration corridor in the Great Plains of North America (i.e., Canadian Prairies and United States Great Plains)...
Improving estimation of flight altitude in wildlife telemetry studies
Sharon A. Poessel, Adam E. Duerr, Jonathan C. Hall, Melissa A. Braham, Todd E. Katzner
2018, Journal of Applied Ecology (55) 2064-2070
Altitude measurements from wildlife tracking devices, combined with elevation data, are commonly used to estimate the flight altitude of volant animals. However, these data often include measurement error. Understanding this error may improve estimation of flight altitude and benefit applied ecology.There are a number of different approaches that have been...
Genomic evolution, recombination, and inter-strain diversity of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 from Florida and Hawaii green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis
Cheryl L. Morrison, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Thierry M. Work, Elizabeth Fahsbender, Mya Breitbart, Cynthia R. Adams, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Lakyn Sanders, Mathias Ackermann, Robert S. Cornman
2018, PeerJ (6) 1-33
Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is a herpesvirus associated with fibropapillomatosis (FP) in sea turtles worldwide. Single-locus typing has previously shown differentiation between Atlantic and Pacific strains of this virus, with low variation within each geographic clade. However, a lack of multi-locus genomic sequence data hinders understanding of the rate and...
The potential of unmanned aerial systems for sea turtle research and conservation: a review and future directions
Alan F. Rees, Larisa Avens, Katia Ballorain, Elizabeth Bevan, Annette C. Broderick, Raymond R. Carthy, Marjolijn J. A. Christianen, Gwenael Duclos, Michael R. Heithaus, David W. Johnston, Jeffrey C. Mangel, Frank V. Paladino, Kellie Pendoley, Richard D. Reina, Nathan J. Robinson, Robert Ryan, Seth T. Sykora-Bodie, Dominic Tilley, Miguel R. Varela, Elizabeth R. Whitman, Paul A. Whittock, Thane Wibbels, Brendan J. Godley
2018, Endangered Species Research (35) 81-100
The use of satellite systems and manned aircraft surveys for remote data collection has been shown to be transformative for sea turtle conservation and research by enabling the collection of data on turtles and their habitats over larger areas than can be achieved by surveys on foot or by boat....
Analysis of vegetation recovery surrounding a restored wetland using the normalized difference infrared index (NDII) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)
Natalie R. Wilson, Laura Norman
2018, International Journal of Remote Sensing (39) 3243-3274
Watershed restoration efforts seek to rejuvenate vegetation, biological diversity, and land productivity at Cienega San Bernardino, an important wetland in southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Rock detention and earthen berm structures were built on the Cienega San Bernardino over the course of four decades, beginning in 1984 and continuing...
Molecular and morphological data reveal non-monophyly and speciation in imperiled freshwater mussels (Anodontoides and Strophitus)
Chase H. Smith, Nathan A. Johnson, John M. Pfeiffer, Michael M. Gangloff
2018, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (119) 50-62
Accurate taxonomic placement is vital to conservation efforts considering many intrinsic biological characteristics of understudied species are inferred from closely related taxa. The rayed creekshell, Anodontoides radiatus (Conrad, 1834), exists in the Gulf of Mexico drainages from western Florida to Louisiana and has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered...
Spatial patterns and temporal changes in atmospheric-mercury deposition for the midwestern USA, 2001–2016
Martin R. Risch, Donna M. Kenski
2018, Atmosphere (9) 1-20
Spatial patterns and temporal changes in atmospheric-mercury (Hg) deposition were examined in a five-state study area in the Midwestern USA where 32% of the stationary sources of anthropogenic Hg emissions in the continental USA were located. An extensive monitoring record for wet and dry Hg deposition was compiled for 2001–2016,...
Host-pathogen metapopulation dynamics suggest high elevation refugia for boreal toads
Brittany A. Mosher, Larissa L. Bailey, Erin L. Muths, Kathryn P. Huyvaert
2018, Ecological Applications (28) 926-937
Emerging infectious diseases are an increasingly common threat to wildlife. Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is an emerging infectious disease that has been linked to amphibian declines around the world. Few studies exist that explore amphibian-Bd dynamics at the landscape scale, limiting our ability to identify which factors are...
Landsat classification of surface-water presence during multiple years to assess response of playa wetlands to climatic variability across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative region
Daniel J. Manier, Jennifer R. Rover
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1166
To improve understanding of the distribution of ecologically important, ephemeral wetland habitats across the Great Plains, the occurrence and distribution of surface water in playa wetland complexes were documented for four different years across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) region. This information is important because it informs land...
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published since January 2015
Sarah K. Carter, Daniel J. Manier, Robert S. Arkle, Aaron N. Johnston, Susan L. Phillips, Steven E. Hanser, Zachary H. Bowen
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1008
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter GRSG) has been a focus of scientific investigation and management action for the past two decades. The 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listing determination of “not warranted” was in part due to a large-scale collaborative effort to develop strategies to conserve GRSG populations...
Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole Region
Lauren E. Hay, Parker A. Norton, Roland J. Viger, Steven L. Markstrom, R. Steve Regan, Melanie K. Vanderhoof
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 462-479
In this study, the Precipitation-Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) was used to simulate changes in surface-water depression storage in the 1,126-km2 Upper Pipestem Creek basin located within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, USA. The Prairie Pothole Region is characterized by millions of small water bodies (or surface-water depressions) that provide...
Egg turning behavior and incubation temperature in Forster’s terns in relation to mercury contamination
Gregory T. Taylor, Joshua T. Ackerman, Scott A. Shaffer
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-16
Egg turning behavior is an important determinant of egg hatchability, but it remains relatively understudied. Here, we examined egg turning rates and egg temperatures in Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri). We used artificial eggs containing a data logger with a 3-D accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a temperature thermistor to monitor parental...
Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies
Benjamin I. Watson, John W. Williams, James M. Russell, Stephen T. Jackson, Linda Shane, Thomas V. Lowell
2018, Quaternary Science Reviews (182) 78-92
Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on...
Stream-channel and watershed delineations and basin-characteristic measurements using lidar elevation data for small drainage basins within the Des Moines Lobe landform region in Iowa
David A. Eash, Kimberlee K. Barnes, Padraic S. O’Shea, Brian K. Gelder
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5108
Basin-characteristic measurements related to stream length, stream slope, stream density, and stream order have been identified as significant variables for estimation of flood, flow-duration, and low-flow discharges in Iowa. The placement of channel initiation points, however, has always been a matter of individual interpretation, leading to differences in stream definitions...
Occurrence of quiescence in free-ranging migratory songbirds
Lynn N. Schofield, Jill L. Deppe, Robert H. Diehl, Michael P. Ward, Rachel T. Bolus, Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Jaclyn A. Smolinsky, Frank R. Moore
2018, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (72)
Quiescence is a period of inactivity that occurs before the onset of migratory activity in nocturnally migrating birds. This behavior has been observed in captive birds in migratory disposition, but its occurrence in free-ranging migratory birds has been documented only anecdotally, and causal factors and function(s), if any, are unknown....
On the depth extent of co-seismic rupture
Nicholas M. Beeler, G. Hirth, T.E. Tullis, C. H. Webb
2018, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (108) 761-780
We investigate the implications of deformation experiments for the coseismic down‐dip extent of rupture in quasi‐dynamic, whole‐cycle earthquake models of a fault for which the depth of the transition between seismic and aseisimic fault slip depends on strain rate. The calculations use a dislocation fault model from <a class="link link-ref xref-bibr"...
Estimating floodwater depths from flood inundation maps and topography
Sagy Cohen, G. Robert Brakenridge, Albert Kettner, Bradford Bates, Jonathan M. Nelson, Richard R. McDonald, Yu-Fen Huang, Dinuke Munasinghe, Jiaqi Zhang
2018, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (54) 847-858
Information on flood inundation extent is important for understanding societal exposure, water storage volumes, flood wave attenuation, future flood hazard, and other variables. A number of organizations now provide flood inundation maps based on satellite remote sensing. These data products can efficiently and accurately provide the areal extent of a...
Water pressure and ground vibrations induced by water guns near Brandon Road Lock and Dam and Lemont, Illinois
Ryan F. Adams, Carolyn M. Koebel, William S. Morrow
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5153
Multiple geophysical sensors were used to characterize the underwater pressure field and ground vibrations of a seismic water gun and its suitability to deter the movement of Asian carps (particularly the silver [Hypophthalmichthys molitrix] and bighead [Hypophthalmichthys nobilis] carps) while ensuring the integrity of surrounding structures. The sensors used...
Resilience concepts in psychiatry demonstrated with bipolar disorder
David G. Angeler, Craig R. Allen, Maj-Liz Persson
2018, International Journal of Bipolar Disorders (6)
BackgroundThe term resilience describes stress–response patterns of subjects across scientific disciplines. In ecology, advances have been made to clearly distinguish resilience definitions based on underlying mechanistic assumptions. Engineering resilience (rebound) is used for describing the ability of subjects to recover from adverse conditions (disturbances), and is the rate...
Development of a multimetric index for integrated assessment of salt marsh ecosystem condition
Jessica L. Nagel, Hilary A. Neckles, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Erika N. Rocks, Donald Schoolmaster, James B. Grace, Dennis E. Skidds, Sara Stevens
2018, Estuaries and Coasts (41) 334-348
Tools for assessing and communicating salt marsh condition are essential to guide decisions aimed at maintaining or restoring ecosystem integrity and services. Multimetric indices (MMIs) are increasingly used to provide integrated assessments of ecosystem condition. We employed a theory-based approach that considers the multivariate relationship of metrics with human disturbance...
Post-breeding migration and connectivity of red knots in the Western Atlantic
James E. Lyons, Bradford Winn, Timothy Keyes, Kevin S. Kalasz
2018, Journal of Wildlife Management (82) 383-396
Red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) have 3 distinct nonbreeding regions: 1 in the southeastern United States and Caribbean, another on the northeast coast of Brazil in the Maranhão region, and a third along the Patagonian coasts of Chile and Argentina. Effective conservation and recovery of this threatened long-distance migrant will...
