Using groundwater age distributions to understand changes in methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) concentrations in ambient groundwater, northeastern United States
Bruce D. Lindsey, Joseph D. Ayotte, Bryant C. Jurgens, Leslie A. DeSimone
2017, Science of the Total Environment (579) 579-587
Temporal changes in methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) concentrations in groundwater were evaluated in the northeastern United States, an area of the nation with widespread low-level detections of MtBE based on a national survey of wells selected to represent ambient conditions. MtBE use in the U.S. peaked in 1999 and was...
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2014 through September 2015) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Kent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Matthew A. Turner
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1201
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in selected streams from Butte to near Missoula, Montana, as part of a monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork Basin of western Montana. The sampling program was led by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to...
Soil data for a thermokarst bog and the surrounding permafrost plateau forest, located at Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site, Interior Alaska
Kristen L. Manies, Christopher C. Fuller, Miriam C. Jones, Mark P. Waldrop, John P. McGeehin
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1173
Peatlands play an important role in boreal ecosystems, storing a large amount of soil organic carbon. In northern ecosystems, collapse-scar bogs (also known as thermokarst bogs) often form as the result of ground subsidence following permafrost thaw. To examine how ecosystem carbon balance changes with the loss of permafrost, we...
Maps and grids of hydrogeologic information created from standardized water-well drillers’ records of the glaciated United States
E. Randall Bayless, Leslie D. Arihood, Howard W. Reeves, Benjamin J.S. Sperl, Sharon L. Qi, Valerie E. Stipe, Aubrey R. Bunch
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5105
As part of the National Water Availability and Use Program established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2005, this study took advantage of about 14 million records from State-managed collections of water-well drillers’ records and created a database of hydrogeologic properties for the glaciated United States. The water-well drillers’...
Scientific monitoring plan in support of the selected alternative of the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan
Scott P. Vanderkooi, Theodore A. Kennedy, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, David L. Ward, Helen C. Fairley, Lucas S. Bair, Joel B. Sankey, John C. Schmidt, Charles B. Yackulic
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1006
IntroductionThe purpose of this document is to describe a strategy by which monitoring and research data in the natural and social sciences will be collected, analyzed, and provided to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), its bureaus, and to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) in support...
Status of the 3D Elevation Program, 2015
Larry J. Sugarbaker, Diane F. Eldridge, Allyson L. Jason, Vicki Lukas, David L. Saghy, Jason M. Stoker, Diana R. Thunen
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1196
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is a cooperative activity to collect light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and U.S. territories; and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IfSAR) elevation data for Alaska during an 8-year period. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and partner organizations acquire high-quality...
Lake levels and water quality in comparison to fish mercury body burdens, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2013–15
Victoria G. Christensen, James H. Larson, Ryan P. Maki, Mark B. Sandheinrich, Mark E. Brigham, Claire Kissane, Jamie F. LeDuc
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5175
Within Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, lake levels are controlled by a series of dams to support a variety of uses. Previous research indicates a link between these artificially maintained water levels, referred to as rule curves, and mercury concentrations in fish owing to the drying and rewetting of wetlands...
Southern sea otter range expansion and habitat use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California
M. Tim Tinker, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Nicole LaRoche, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Mike Murray, Michelle Staedler, Zachary Randell
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1001
The re-colonization of the Santa Barbara channel by sea otters brings these ESA-listed marine mammals closer to active oil and gas production facilities, shipping lanes and naturally occurring oil and gas seeps. However, the degree to which sea otters may actually be affected by human-caused oil spills or exposure to...
Sparse targets in hydroacoustic surveys: Balancing quantity and quality of in situ target strength data
Mark R. DuFour, Christine M. Mayer, Patrick Kocovsky, Song Qian, David M. Warner, Richard T. Kraus, Christopher Vandergoot
2017, Fisheries Research (188) 173-182
Hydroacoustic sampling of low-density fish in shallow water can lead to low sample sizes of naturally variable target strength (TS) estimates, resulting in both sparse and variable data. Increasing maximum beam compensation (BC) beyond conventional values (i.e., 3 dB beam width) can recover more targets during data analysis; however, data quality...
Synthesis of soil-hydraulic properties and infiltration timescales in wildfire-affected soils
Brian A. Ebel, John A. Moody
2017, Hydrological Processes (31) 324-340
We collected soil-hydraulic property data from the literature for wildfire-affected soils, ash, and unburned soils. These data were used to calculate metrics and timescales of hydrologic response related to infiltration and surface runoff generation. Sorptivity (S) and wetting front potential (Ψf) were significantly different (lower) in burned soils compared with...
Associations among habitat characteristics and meningeal worm prevalence in eastern South Dakota, USA
Christopher N. Jacques, Jonathan A. Jenks, Robert W. Klaver, Shelli A. Dubay
2017, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (53) 131-135
Few studies have evaluated how wetland and forest characteristics influence the prevalence of meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) infection of deer throughout the grassland biome of central North America. We used previously collected, county-level prevalence data to evaluate associations between habitat characteristics and probability of meningeal worm infection in white-tailed deer...
Evaluation of nocturnal roost and diurnal sites used by whooping cranes in the Great Plains, United States
Aaron T. Pearse, Mary J. Harner, David M. Baasch, Greg D. Wright, Andrew J. Caven, Kristine L. Metzger
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1209
Endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate through the Great Plains twice each year. Although there is much interest in conservation and management for this species, information regarding characteristics of nocturnal roost sites used during migration has been limited and based largely on incidental observations. Using...
Inferring infection hazard in wildlife populations by linking data across individual and population scales
Kim M. Pepin, Shannon L. Kay, Ben D. Golas, Susan A. Shriner, Amy T. Gilbert, Ryan S. Miller, Andrea L. Graham, Steven Riley, Paul C. Cross, Michael D. Samuel, Mevin Hooten, Jennifer A. Hoeting, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Colleen T. Webb, Michael G. Buhnerkempe
2017, Ecology Letters (20) 275-292
Our ability to infer unobservable disease-dynamic processes such as force of infection (infection hazard for susceptible hosts) has transformed our understanding of disease transmission mechanisms and capacity to predict disease dynamics. Conventional methods for inferring FOI estimate a time-averaged value and are based on population-level processes. Because many pathogens exhibit...
Animal movement: Statistical models for telemetry data
Mevin Hooten, Devin S. Johnson, Brett T. McClintock, Juan M. Morales
2017, Book
The study of animal movement has always been a key element in ecological science, because it is inherently linked to critical processes that scale from individuals to populations and communities to ecosystems. Rapid improvements in biotelemetry data collection and processing technology have given rise to a variety of statistical methods...
Thermodynamic properties in the Fe(II)-Fe(III)-As(V)-HClO4–H2O and Fe(II)-Fe(III)-As(V)-HCl–H2O systems from 5 to 90 °C
Xiangyu Zhu, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, Rucheng Wang, Xiancai Lu
2017, Chemical Geology (460) 37-45
Fe-As mineral solubility and associated aqueous species have been intensively studied because of the environmental need to immobilize arsenic. The thermodynamic data for aqueous iron-arsenic species are inadequately characterized, however. The <a class="topic-link" title="Learn more about Gibbs free energy from ScienceDirect's...
Can ozone be used to control the spread of freshwater Aquatic Invasive Species?
Riley P. Buley, Caleb T. Hasler, John A. Tix, C. D. Suski, Terrance D. Hubert
2017, Management of Biological Invasions (8) 13-24
The introduction of aquatic invasive species to non-native habitats can cause negative ecological effects and also billions of dollars in economic damage to governments and private industries. Once aquatic invasive species are introduced, eradication may be difficult without adversely affecting native species and habitats, urging resource managers to find preventative...
Methods for estimating selected low-flow frequency statistics and mean annual flow for ungaged locations on streams in North Georgia
Anthony J. Gotvald
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5001
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, developed regional regression equations for estimating selected low-flow frequency and mean annual flow statistics for ungaged streams in north Georgia that are not substantially affected by regulation, diversions, or urbanization. Selected low-flow frequency statistics...
Coastal bathymetry data collected in 2013 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Nancy T. DeWitt, Jennifer L. Miselis, Jake J. Fredericks, Julie Bernier, Billy J. Reynolds, Kyle W. Kelso, David M. Thompson, James G. Flocks, Dana S. Wiese
2017, Data Series 1032
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted nearshore geophysical surveys around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in July and August of 2013. The objective of the study is to better understand barrier-island geomorphic...
Water resources of East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3069
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-resource management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information is presented...
The contribution of rice agriculture to methylmercury in surface waters: A review of data from the Sacramento Valley, California
K. Christy Tanner, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Jacob Fleck, Kenneth W. Tate, Stephen A. McCord, Bruce A. Linquist
2017, Journal of Environmental Quality (46) 133-142
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a bioaccumulative pollutant produced in and exported from flooded soils, including those used for rice (Oriza sativa L.) production. Using unfiltered aqueous MeHg data from MeHg monitoring programs in the Sacramento River watershed from 1996 to 2007, we assessed the MeHg contribution from rice systems to the...
Water resources of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3066
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-resource management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on the availability,...
Multinomial N-mixture models improve the applicability of electrofishing for developing population estimates of stream-dwelling Smallmouth Bass
Robert Mollenhauer, Shannon K. Brewer
2017, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (37) 211-224
Failure to account for variable detection across survey conditions constrains progressive stream ecology and can lead to erroneous stream fish management and conservation decisions. In addition to variable detection’s confounding long-term stream fish population trends, reliable abundance estimates across a wide range of survey conditions are fundamental to establishing species–environment...
Identifying western yellow-billed cuckoo breeding habitat with a dual modelling approach
Matthew J. Johnson, James R. Hatten, Jennifer A. Holmes, Patrick B. Shafroth
2017, Ecological Modelling (347) 50-62
The western population of the yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) was recently listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Yellow-billed cuckoo conservation efforts require the identification of features and area requirements associated with high quality, riparian forest habitat at spatial scales that range from nest microhabitat to landscape, as...
The Bayesian group lasso for confounded spatial data
Trevor J. Hefley, Mevin Hooten, Ephraim M. Hanks, Robin E. Russell, Daniel P. Walsh
2017, Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics (22) 42-59
Generalized linear mixed models for spatial processes are widely used in applied statistics. In many applications of the spatial generalized linear mixed model (SGLMM), the goal is to obtain inference about regression coefficients while achieving optimal predictive ability. When implementing the SGLMM, multicollinearity among covariates and the spatial random effects...
Spatial variability of harmful algal blooms in Milford Lake, Kansas, July and August 2015
Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, Tom C. Stiles, Marvin G. Boyer, Lindsey R. King, Keith A. Loftin
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5168
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) tend to be spatially variable vertically in the water column and horizontally across the lake surface because of in-lake and weather-driven processes and can vary by orders of magnitude in concentration across relatively short distances (meters or less). Extreme spatial variability in cyanobacteria and associated...
