Geoelectric hazard maps for the Mid-Atlantic United States: 100 year extreme values and the 1989 magnetic storm
Jeffrey J. Love, Greg M. Lucas, Anna Kelbert, Paul A. Bedrosian
2018, Geophysical Research Letters (45) 5-14
Maps of extreme value geoelectric field amplitude are constructed for the Mid‐Atlantic United States, a region with high population density and critically important power grid infrastructure. Geoelectric field time series for the years 1983–2014 are estimated by convolving Earth surface impedances obtained from 61 magnetotelluric survey sites across the Mid‐Atlantic...
A guide to calculating habitat-quality metrics to inform conservation of highly mobile species
Joanna A. Bieri, Christine Sample, Wayne E. Thogmartin, James E. Diffendorfer, Julia E. Earl, Richard A. Erickson, Paula Federico, D. T. Tyler Flockhart, Sam Nicol, Darius J. Semmens, T. Skraber, Ruscena Wiederholt, Brady J. Mattsson
2018, Natural Resource Modeling (31) 1-46
Many metrics exist for quantifying the relative value of habitats and pathways used by highly mobile species. Properly selecting and applying such metrics requires substantial background in mathematics and understanding the relevant management arena. To address this multidimensional challenge, we demonstrate and compare three measurements of habitat quality: graph-, occupancy-,...
Estimating restorable wetland water storage at landscape scales
Charles Nathan Jones, Grey R. Evenson, Daniel L. McLaughlin, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Megan W. Lang, Greg W. McCarty, Heather E. Golden, Charles R. Lane, Laurie C. Alexander
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 305-313
Globally, hydrologic modifications such as ditching and subsurface drainage have significantly reduced wetland water storage capacity (i.e., volume of surface water a wetland can retain) and consequent wetland functions. While wetland area has been well documented across many landscapes and used to guide restoration efforts, few studies have directly quantified...
The use of remote camera trapping to study cheetahs
Ezequiel Fabiano, Lorraine Boast, Angela K. Fuller, Chris Sutherland
2018, Book chapter, Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation
Remote camera trapping is an efficient noninvasive technique for monitoring rare and elusive species, such as cheetahs. The unique pelage pattern of cheetahs allows for identification of individuals from photographs, providing detection histories that are naturally suited for abundance estimation using capture–recapture methods. Furthermore, the spatial location of photographic detections allows for the...
Nutrient and metal loads estimated by using discrete, automated, and continuous water-quality monitoring techniques for the Blackstone River at the Massachusetts-Rhode Island State line, water years 2013–14
Jason R. Sorenson, Gregory E. Granato, Kirk P. Smith
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5094
Flow-proportional composite water samples were collected in water years 2013 and 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, from the Blackstone River at Millville, Massachusetts (U.S. Geological Survey station 01111230), about 0.5 mile from the border with Rhode Island. Samples were collected...
A linked GeoData map for enabling information access
Logan J. Powell, Dalia E. Varanka
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1150
OverviewThe Geospatial Semantic Web (GSW) is an emerging technology that uses the Internet for more effective knowledge engineering and information extraction. Among the aims of the GSW are to structure the semantic specifications of data to reduce ambiguity and to link those data more efficiently. The data are stored as...
PDEPTH—A computer program for the geophysical interpretation of magnetic and gravity profiles through Fourier filtering, source-depth analysis, and forward modeling
Jeffrey D. Phillips
2018, Techniques and Methods 7-C17
PDEPTH is an interactive, graphical computer program used to construct interpreted geological source models for observed potential-field geophysical profile data. The current version of PDEPTH has been adapted to the Windows platform from an earlier DOS-based version. The input total-field magnetic anomaly and vertical gravity anomaly profiles can be filtered...
Revised recommended methods for analyzing crater size-frequency distributions
Stuart J. Robbins, Jamie D. Riggs, Brian P. Weaver, Edward B. Bierhaus, Clark R. Chapman, Michelle R. Kirchoff, Kelsi N. Singer, Lisa Gaddis
2018, Meteoritics and Planetary Science (53) 891-931
Impact crater populations crucially help us to understand solar system dynamics, planetary surface histories, and surface modification processes. A single previous effort to standardize how crater data are displayed in graphs, tables, and archives, was in a 1978 NASA report by the Crater Analysis Techniques Working Group, published in 1979...
The Polar WRF downscaled historical and projected twenty-first century climate for the coast and foothills of Arctic Alaska
Lei Cai, Vladimir A Alexeev, Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Anna K. Liljedahl, Anne Gadeke
2018, Frontiers in Earth Science: Atmospheric Science (5)
Climate change is most pronounced in the northern high latitude region. Yet, climate observations are unable to fully capture regional-scale dynamics due to the sparse weather station coverage, which limits our ability to make reliable climate-based assessments. A set of simulated data products was therefore developed for the North Slope...
Managing individual nests promotes population recovery of a top predator
Jennyffer Cruz, Steve K. Windels, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Shawn M. Crimmins, Leland Grim, Benjamin Zuckerberg
2018, Journal of Applied Ecology (55) 1418-1429
Threatened species are managed using diverse conservation tactics implemented at multiple scales ranging from protecting individuals, to populations, to entire species. Individual protection strives to promote recovery at the population‐ or species‐level, although this is seldom evaluated.After decades of widespread declines, bald eagles, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, are recovering throughout their range...
Description of the National Hydrologic Model for use with the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS)
R. Steven Regan, Steven L. Markstrom, Lauren E. Hay, Roland J. Viger, Parker A. Norton, Jessica M. Driscoll, Jacob H. LaFontaine
2018, Techniques and Methods 6-B9
This report documents several components of the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model of the conterminous United States for use with the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). It provides descriptions of the (1) National Hydrologic Model, (2) Geospatial Fabric for National Hydrologic Modeling, (3) PRMS hydrologic simulation code, (4) parameters and...
Use of real-time dust monitoring and surface condition to evaluate success of unpaved road treatments
Bethany K. Kunz, Nicholas S. Green, Janice L. Albers, Mark L. Wildhaber, Edward E. Little
2018, Transportation Research Record (2672) 195-204
Fugitive dust from unpaved roads creates human health hazards, degrades road surfaces, and increases the cost of road maintenance. As a result, many different chemical treatments are applied to unpaved roads in an attempt to control dust and stabilize the wearing course. However, investigations of the effectiveness of these treatments...
River otter distribution in Nebraska
N. R. Bieber, S. P. Wilson, Craig R. Allen
2018, Wildlife Society Bulletin (42) 136-143
The river otter (Lontra canadensis) was extirpated from Nebraska, USA, in the early 1900s and reintroduced starting in 1986. Information is needed regarding the distribution of river otters in Nebraska before decisions can be made regarding its conservation status. Understanding distribution of a species is critically important for effective management....
River otter distribution in Nebraska
N.R. Bieber, S.P. Wilson, Craig R. Allen
2018, Wildlife Society Bulletin (42) 136-143
The river otter (Lontra canadensis) was extirpated from Nebraska, USA, in the early 1900s and reintroduced starting in 1986. Information is needed regarding the distribution of river otters in Nebraska before decisions can be made regarding its conservation status. Understanding distribution of a species is critically important for effective management....
Simulation of hydrodynamics, water quality, and lake sturgeon habitat volumes in Lake St. Croix, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 2013
Erik A. Smith, Richard L. Kiesling, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, Sarah M. Elliott, Suzanne Magdalene
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5157
Lake St. Croix is a naturally impounded, riverine lake that makes up the last 40 kilometers of the St. Croix River. Substantial land-use changes during the past 150 years, including increased agriculture and urban development, have reduced Lake St. Croix water-quality and increased nutrient loads delivered to Lake St. Croix....
Crevice-nesting auklets are early-successional species requiring disturbance to persist
Heather M. Renner, Lawrence R Walker, Christopher F. Waythomas, Jeffrey C. Williams, Yuri Artkhin
2018, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (49) 585-599
Auklets (Aethia spp.) are small seabirds, endemic to the North Pacific Ocean, that nest in rock crevices on islands in Alaska and Russia. Nesting habitats for least (A. pusilla) and crested (A. cristatella) auklet colonies in the southern part of their range (Aleutian and Kuril Islands) are becoming overgrown...
Effects of sea lamprey substrate modification and carcass nutrients on macroinvertebrate assemblages in a small Atlantic coastal stream
Daniel M. Weaver, Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Joseph D. Zydlewski
2018, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (33) 19-30
Aquatic macroinvertebrates respond to patch dynamics arising from interactions of physical and chemical disturbances across space and time. Anadromous fish, such as sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, migrate from the ocean and alter physical and chemical properties of recipient spawning streams. Sea lamprey disturb stream benthos physically through nest construction and spawning,...
Mapping forest change using stacked generalization: An ensemble approach
Sean P. Healey, Warren B. Cohen, Zhiqiang Yang, C. Kenneth Brewer, Evan B. Brooks, Noel Gorelick, Alexander J. Hernandez, Chengquan Huang, M. Joseph Hughes, Robert E. Kennedy, Thomas Loveland, Gretchen G. Moisen, Todd A. Schroeder, Stephen V. Stehman, James Vogelmann, Curtis E. Woodcock, Limin Yang, Zhe Zhu
2018, Remote Sensing of Environment (204) 717-728
The ever-increasing volume and accessibility of remote sensing data has spawned many alternative approaches for mapping important environmental features and processes. For example, there are several viable but highly varied strategies for using time series of Landsat imagery to detect changes in forest cover. Performance among algorithms varies across complex natural systems, and it...
Effects of environmental conditions on reproductive effort and nest success of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds
Emily L. Weiser, Stephen C. Brown, Richard B. Lanctot, H. River Gates, Kenneth F. Abraham, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Joël Bêty, Megan L. Boldenow, Rodney W. Brook, Tyrone F. Donnelly, Willow B. English, Scott A. Flemming, Samantha E. Franks, H. Grant Gilchrist, Marie-Andree Giroux, Andrew C. Johnson, Steve Kendall, Lisa V. Kennedy, Laura Koloski, Eunbi Kwon, Jean-François Lamarre, David B. Lank, Christopher J. Latty, Nicolas Lecomte, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Laura McKinnon, Erica Nol, Johanna Perz, Jennie Rausch, Martin D. Robards, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Nathan R. Senner, Paul A. Smith, Mikhail Soloviev, Diana V. Solovyeva, David H. Ward, Paul F. Wood, Brett K. Sandercock
2018, Ibis (160) 608-623
The Arctic is experiencing rapidly warming conditions, increasing predator abundance, and diminishing population cycles of keystone species such as lemmings. However, it is still not known how many Arctic animals will respond to a changing climate with altered trophic interactions. We studied clutch size, incubation duration and nest survival of...
Comparison of time nonlocal transport models for characterizing non-Fickian transport: From mathematical interpretation to laboratory application
Bingqing Lu, Yong Zhang, Chunmiao Zheng, Christopher T. Green, Charles O’Neill, Hong-Guang Sun, Jiazhong Qian
2018, Water (10) 1-28
Non-Fickian diffusion has been increasingly documented in hydrology and modeled by promising time nonlocal transport models. While previous studies showed that most of the time nonlocal models are identical with correlated parameters, fundamental challenges remain in real-world applications regarding model selection and parameter definition. This study compared three popular time...
High resolution water body mapping for SWAT evaporative modelling in the Upper Oconee watershed of Georgia, USA
Amber R. Ignatius, John W. Jones
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 51-65
Technological improvements in remote sensing and geographic information systems have demonstrated the abundance of artificially constructed water bodies across the landscape. Although research has shown the ubiquity of small ponds globally, and in the southeastern United States in particular, their cumulative impact in terms of evaporative alteration is less well...
Resilience in environmental risk and impact assessment: Concepts and measurement
David G. Angeler, Craig R. Allen, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Kevin L. Pope, Dirac Twidwell, Mirco Bundschuh
2018, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (101) 543-548
Different resilience concepts have different assumptions about system dynamics, which has implications for resilience-based environmental risk and impact assessment. Engineering resilience (recovery) dominates in the risk assessment literature but this definition does not account for the possibility of ecosystems to exist in multiple regimes. In this paper we discuss resilience...
Quantifying uncertainty and tradeoffs in resilience assessments
Craig R. Allen, Hannah E. Birge, David G. Angeler, Craig Anthony Arnold, Brian C. Chaffin, Daniel A. DeCaro, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Lance Gunderson
2018, Ecology and Society (1)
Several frameworks have been developed to assess the resilience of social-ecological systems, but most require substantial data inputs, time, and technical expertise. Stakeholders and practitioners often lack the resources for such intensive efforts. Furthermore, most end with problem framing and fail to explicitly address trade-offs and uncertainty. To remedy this...
Lake Sturgeon, Lake Whitefish, and Walleye egg deposition patterns with response to fish spawning substrate restoration in the St. Clair–Detroit River system
Jason L. Fischer, Jeremy J. Pritt, Edward F. Roseman, Carson G. Prichard, Jaquelyn M. Craig, Gregory W. Kennedy, Bruce A. Manny
2018, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (147) 79-93
Egg deposition and use of restored spawning substrates by lithophilic fishes (e.g., Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis, and Walleye Sander vitreus) were assessed throughout the St. Clair–Detroit River system from 2005 to 2016. Bayesian models were used to quantify egg abundance and presence/absence relative to site-specific variables (e.g., depth, velocity,...
Strain partitioning in southeastern Alaska: Is the Chatham Strait Fault active?
Daniel S. Brothers, Julie L. Elliott, James E. Conrad, Peter J. Haeussler, Jared W. Kluesner
2018, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (481) 362-371
A 1200 km-long transform plate boundary passes through southeastern Alaska and northwestern British Columbia and represents one of the most seismically active, but poorly understood continental margins of North America. Although most of the plate motion is accommodated by the right-lateral Queen Charlotte–Fairweather Fault (QCFF) System, which has produced at least...
