Seawater-flooding events and impact on freshwater lenses of low-lying islands: Controlling factors, basic management and mitigation
Stephen B. Gingerich, Clifford I. Voss, Adam G. Johnson
2017, Journal of Hydrology (551) 676-688
An unprecedented set of hydrologic observations was collected after the Dec 2008 seawater-flooding event on Roi-Namur, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. By two days after the seawater flooding that occurred at the beginning of dry season, the observed salinity of water withdrawn by the island’s main skimming...
Time-causal decomposition of geomagnetic time series into secular variation, solar quiet, and disturbance signals
E. Joshua Rigler
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1037
A theoretical basis and prototype numerical algorithm are provided that decompose regular time series of geomagnetic observations into three components: secular variation; solar quiet, and disturbance. Respectively, these three components correspond roughly to slow changes in the Earth’s internal magnetic field, periodic daily variations caused by quasi-stationary (with respect to...
A paired-laser photogrammetric method for in situ length measurement of benthic fishes
Austin A. Rizzo, Stuart A. Welsh, Patricia A. Thompson
2017, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (37) 16-22
Photogrammetry, a technique to obtain measurements from photographs, may be a valid method for measuring lengths of rare, threatened, or endangered species. Photogrammetric methods of measurement are nonintrusive and reduce the possibility of physical damage or physiological stress associated with the capture and handling of individuals. We evaluated precision and...
Improved supervised classification of accelerometry data to distinguish behaviors of soaring birds
Maitreyi Sur, Tony Suffredini, Stephen M. Wessells, Peter H. Bloom, Michael J. Lanzone, Sheldon Blackshire, Srisarguru Sridhar, Todd E. Katzner
2017, PLoS ONE (12)
Soaring birds can balance the energetic costs of movement by switching between flapping, soaring and gliding flight. Accelerometers can allow quantification of flight behavior and thus a context to interpret these energetic costs. However, models to interpret accelerometry data are still being developed, rarely trained with supervised datasets, and difficult...
Reptiles and amphibians
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
Martin Perrow, editor(s)
2017, Book chapter, Wildlife and wind farms – conflicts and solutions
Summary – We reviewed all the peer-reviewed scientific publications we could find on the known and potential effects of wind farm development, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning on reptiles and amphibians (collectively herpetofauna) worldwide. Both groups are declining globally due to a multitude of threats including energy development. Effect studies were...
Developing approaches for linear mixed modeling in landscape genetics through landscape-directed dispersal simulations
Jeffery R. Row, Steven T. Knick, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Stephen C. Lougheed, Bradley C. Fedy
2017, Ecology and Evolution (7) 3751-3761
Dispersal can impact population dynamics and geographic variation, and thus, genetic approaches that can establish which landscape factors influence population connectivity have ecological and evolutionary importance. Mixed models that account for the error structure of pairwise datasets are increasingly used to compare models relating genetic differentiation to pairwise measures of...
Five-year external reviews of the eight Department of Interior Climate Science Centers: Southeast Climate Science Center
Kenneth G. Rice, Paul Beier, Tim Breault, Beth A. Middleton, Myron A. Peck, John M. Tirpak, Mary Ratnaswamy
2017, Report
In 2008, the U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) within the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI). Housed administratively within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NCCWSC is part of the DOI’s ongoing mission to meet the challenges of...
Hydrology of the Claiborne aquifer and interconnection with the Upper Floridan aquifer in southwest Georgia
Debbie W. Gordon, Gerard Gonthier
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5017
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a study, in cooperation with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, to define the hydrologic properties of the Claiborne aquifer and evaluate its connection with the Upper Floridan aquifer in southwest Georgia. The effort involved collecting and compiling hydrologic data from the aquifer in subarea 4...
Density-driven free-convection model for isotopically fractionated geogenic nitrate in sabkha brine
Warren W. Wood, J.K. Bohlke
2017, Groundwater (55) 199-207
Subsurface brines with high nitrate (NO3−) concentration are common in desert environments as atmospheric nitrogen is concentrated by the evaporation of precipitation and little nitrogen uptake. However, in addition to having an elevated mean concentration of ∼525 mg/L (as N), NO3− in the coastal sabkhas of Abu Dhabi is enriched...
When mechanism matters: Bayesian forecasting using models of ecological diffusion
Trevor J. Hefley, Mevin Hooten, Robin E. Russell, Daniel P. Walsh, James A. Powell
2017, Ecology Letters (20) 640-650
Ecological diffusion is a theory that can be used to understand and forecast spatio-temporal processes such as dispersal, invasion, and the spread of disease. Hierarchical Bayesian modelling provides a framework to make statistical inference and probabilistic forecasts, using mechanistic ecological models. To illustrate, we show how hierarchical Bayesian models of...
Digitized analog boomer seismic-reflection data collected during U.S. Geological Survey cruises Erda 90-1_HC, Erda 90-1_PBP, and Erda 91-3 in Mississippi Sound, June 1990 and September 1991
Stephen T. Bosse, James G. Flocks, Arnell S. Forde
2017, Data Series 1047
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program has actively collected geophysical and sedimentological data in the northern Gulf of Mexico for several decades, including shallow subsurface data in the form of high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles (HRSP). Prior to the mid-1990s most HRSP data were collected in analog format...
Longshore water-current velocity and the potential for transport of contaminants—A pilot study in Lake Erie from Walnut Creek to Presque Isle State Park beaches, Erie, Pennsylvania, June and August 2015
Elizabeth A. Hittle
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1206
Bacteria-driven restrictions and (or) advisories on swimming at beaches in Presque Isle State Park (PISP), Erie, Pennsylvania, can occur during the summer months. One of the suspected sources of bacteria is sediment. A terrestrial sediment source to the west of PISP is Walnut Creek, which discharges to Lake Erie about...
A foundation for future assessment and management of groundwater resources
Kenneth D. Ehman, Brian D. Edwards
2017, Conference Paper
Sequence stratigraphic models for the Pleistocene to Holocene sediments of the Los Angeles (LA) Basin will provide better understanding of regional groundwater flow and have helped identify seawater intrusion pathways into important groundwater aquifers. Because groundwater provides more than one-third of the municipal water supply for the coastal LA Basin, the aquifer...
Migratory connectivity of american woodcock using band return data
Joseph D. Moore, David G. Krementz
2017, Journal of Wildlife Management (81) 1063-1072
American woodcock (Scolopax minor) are managed as a Central and an Eastern population in the United States and Canada based on band return data showing little crossover between populations or management regions. The observed proportion of crossover between management regions, however, depends on the criteria used to subset the band...
A lake-centric geospatial database to guide research and inform management decisions in an Arctic watershed in northern Alaska experiencing climate and land-use changes
Benjamin M. Jones, Christopher D. Arp, Matthew S. Whitman, Debora A. Nigro, Ingmar Nitze, John Beaver, Anne Gadeke, Callie Zuck, Anna K. Liljedahl, Ronald Daanen, Eric Torvinen, Stacey Fritz, Guido Grosse
2017, Ambio (46) 769-786
Lakes are dominant and diverse landscape features in the Arctic, but conventional land cover classification schemes typically map them as a single uniform class. Here, we present a detailed lake-centric geospatial database for an Arctic watershed in northern Alaska. We developed a GIS dataset consisting of 4362 lakes that provides...
Science framework for conservation and restoration of the sagebrush biome: Linking the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy to long-term strategic conservation actions, Part 1. Science basis and applications
Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeffrey L. Beck, John B. Bradford, Jared Bybee, Steve Campbell, John Carlson, Thomas J Christiansen, Karen J. Clause, Gail Collins, Michele R. Crist, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Kevin Doherty, Fred Edwards, Shawn Espinosa, Kathleen A. Griffin, Paul Griffin, Jessica R. Haas, Steve E. Hanser, Douglas W. Havlina, Kenneth F. Henke, Jacob D. Hennig, Linda A Joyce, Francis F. Kilkenny, Sarah M Kulpa, Laurie L Kurth, Jeremy D Maestas, Mary E. Manning, Kenneth E. Mayer, Brian A. Mealor, Clinton McCarthy, Mike Pellant, Marco A. Perea, Karen L. Prentice, David A. Pyke, Lief A. Wiechman, Amarina Wuenschel
2017, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-360
The Science Framework is intended to link the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy with long-term strategic conservation actions in the sagebrush biome. The Science Framework provides a multiscale approach for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies within the sagebrush biome. The emphasis is...
Carbonate buffering and metabolic controls on carbon dioxide in rivers
Edward G. Stets, David Butman, Cory P. McDonald, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Michael D. DeGrandpre, Robert G. Striegl
2017, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (31) 663-677
Multiple processes support the significant efflux of carbon dioxide (CO2) from rivers and streams. Attribution of CO2 oversaturation will lead to better quantification of the freshwater carbon cycle and provide insights into the net cycling of nutrients and pollutants. CO2 production is closely related to O2consumption because of the metabolic linkage of...
Mineralization dynamics of metakaolin-based alkali-activated cements
Juan Pablo Gevaudan, Kate M. Campbell, Tyler Kane, Richard K. Shoemaker, Wil V. Srubar III
2017, Cement and Concrete Research (94) 1-12
This paper investigates the early-age dynamics of mineral formation in metakaolin-based alkali-activated cements. The effects of silica availability and alkali content on mineral formation were investigated via X-ray diffraction and solid-state 29Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 2, 7, 14, and 28 days. Silica availability was controlled...
Evaluation of harvest and information needs for North American sea ducks
Mark D. Koneff, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Chris P. Dwyer, Kathleen K. Fleming, Paul I. Padding, Patrick K. Devers, Fred A. Johnson, Michael C. Runge, Anthony J. Roberts
2017, PLoS ONE (12) 1-29
Wildlife managers routinely seek to establish sustainable limits of sport harvest or other regulated forms of take while confronted with considerable uncertainty. A growing body of ecological research focuses on methods to describe and account for uncertainty in management decision-making and to prioritize research and monitoring investments to reduce the...
Stable isotopic composition of perchlorate and nitrate accumulated in plants: Hydroponic experiments and field data
Nubia Luz Estrada, J.K. Bohlke, Neil C. Sturchio, Baohua Gu, Greg Harvey, Kent O. Burkey, David A. Grantz, Margaret T. McGrath, Todd A. Anderson, Balaji Rao, Ritesh Sevanthi, Paul B. Hatzinger, W. Andrew Jackson
2017, Science of the Total Environment (595) 556-566
Natural perchlorate (ClO4−) in soil and groundwater exhibits a wide range in stable isotopic compositions (δ37Cl, δ18O, and Δ17O), indicating that ClO4− may be formed through more than one pathway and/or undergoes post-depositional isotopic alteration. Plants are known to accumulate ClO4−, but little is known about their ability to alter...
Developing criteria to establish Trusted Digital Repositories
John Faundeen
2017, Data Science Journal (16) 1-13
This paper details the drivers, methods, and outcomes of the U.S. Geological Survey’s quest to establish criteria by which to judge its own digital preservation resources as Trusted Digital Repositories. Drivers included recent U.S. legislation focused on data and asset management conducted by federal agencies spending $100M USD or more...
Long-term afterslip of the M6.0, 2004 Parkfield, California, earthquake—Implications for forecasting amount and duration of afterslip on other major creeping faults
James J. Lienkaemper, Forrest S. McFarland
2017, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (107) 1082-1093
We present the longest record of surface afterslip on a continental strike‐slip fault for the 2004 M 6.0 Parkfield, California, earthquake, from which we can derive critical information about the duration and predictability of afterslip relevant to urban displacement hazard applications. Surface slip associated with this event occurred entirely postseismically...
Shallow-depth location and geometry of the Piedmont Reverse splay of the Hayward Fault, Oakland, California
Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, David Trench, Michael Buga, Joanne H. Chan, Coyn J. Criley, Luther M. Strayer
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1123
The Piedmont Thrust Fault, herein referred to as the Piedmont Reverse Fault (PRF), is a splay of the Hayward Fault that trends through a highly populated area of the City of Oakland, California (fig. 1A). Although the PRF is unlikely to generate a large-magnitude earthquake, slip on the PRF or...
Precipitation collector bias and its effects on temporal trends and spatial variability in National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network data
Gregory A. Wetherbee
2017, Environmental Pollution (223) 90-101
Precipitation samples have been collected by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program's (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN) using the Aerochem Metrics Model 301 (ACM) collector since 1978. Approximately one-third of the NTN ACM collectors have been replaced with N-CON Systems, Inc. Model ADS 00-120 (NCON) collectors. Concurrent data were collected over...
A groundwater-flow model for the Treasure Valley and surrounding area, southwestern Idaho
James R. Bartolino, Sean Vincent
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3027
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) and Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB), will construct a numerical groundwater-flow model of the Treasure Valley and surrounding area. Resource managers will use the model to simulate potential anthropogenic and climatic effects on groundwater for...
