Informing watershed connectivity barrier prioritization decisions: A synthesis
S. K. McKay, A. R. Cooper, M.W. Diebel, D. Elkins, G. Oldford, C. Roghair, Daniel J. Wieferich
2017, River Research and Applications (33) 847-862
Water resources and transportation infrastructure such as dams and culverts provide countless socio-economic benefits; however, this infrastructure can also disconnect the movement of organisms, sediment, and water through river ecosystems. Trade-offs associated with these competing costs and benefits occur globally, with applications in barrier addition (e.g. dam and road construction),...
Primary sources and toxicity of PAHs in Milwaukee-area streambed sediment
Austin K. Baldwin, Steven R. Corsi, Michelle A. Lutz, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Rebecca A. Dorman, Christopher Magruder, Matthew Magruder
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 1622-1635
High concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in streams can be a significant stressor to aquatic organisms. To understand the likely sources and toxicity of PAHs in Milwaukee-area streams, streambed sediment samples from 40 sites and parking lot dust samples from 6 sites were analyzed for 38 parent PAHs and...
Observations of pockmark flow structure in Belfast Bay, Maine, Part 1: current-induced mixing
Christina L. Fandel, Thomas C. Lippmann, James D. Irish, Laura L. Brothers
2017, Geo-Marine Letters (37) 1-14
Field observations of current profiles and temperature, salinity, and density structure were used to examine vertical mixing within two pockmarks in Belfast Bay, Maine. The first is located in 21 m water depth (sea level to rim), nearly circular in shape with a 45 m rim diameter and 12 m...
Observations of pockmark flow structure in Belfast Bay, Maine, Part 3: implications for sediment transport
Christina L. Fandel, Thomas C. Lippmann, Diane L. Foster, Laura L. Brothers
2017, Geo-Marine Letters (37) 23-34
Current observations and sediment characteristics acquired within and along the rim of two pockmarks in Belfast Bay, Maine, were used to characterize periods of sediment transport and to investigate conditions favorable to the settling of suspended sediment. Hourly averaged Shields parameters determined from horizontal current velocity profiles within the center...
A comprehensive survey of faults, breccias, and fractures in and flanking the eastern Española Basin, Rio Grande rift, New Mexico
Jonathan S. Caine, Scott A. Minor, V. J. S. Grauch, James R. Budahn, Tucker T. Keren
2017, Geosphere (13) 1566-1609
A comprehensive survey of geologic structures formed in the Earth’s brittle regime in the eastern Española Basin and flank of the Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, reveals a complex and protracted record of multiple tectonic events. Data and analyses from this representative rift flank-basin pair include measurements from 53 individual...
Estuary-ocean connectivity: Fast physics, slow biology
Melanie Raimonet, James E. Cloern
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 2345-2357
Estuaries are connected to both land and ocean so their physical, chemical, and biological dynamics are influenced by climate patterns over watersheds and ocean basins. We explored climate-driven oceanic variability as a source of estuarine variability by comparing monthly time series of temperature and chlorophyll-a inside San Francisco Bay with...
Contribution of manipulable and non-manipulable environmental factors to trapping efficiency of invasive sea lamprey
Heather A. Dawson, Gale Bravener, Joshua Beaulaurier, Nicholas S. Johnson, Michael Twohey, Robert L. McLaughlin, Travis O. Brenden
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 172-181
We identified aspects of the trapping process that afforded opportunities for improving trap efficiency of invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in a Great Lake's tributary. Capturing a sea lamprey requires it to encounter the trap, enter, and be retained until removed. Probabilities of these events depend on the interplay between...
A computational fluid dynamics modeling study of guide walls for downstream fish passage
Kevin B. Mulligan, Brett Towler, Alexander J. Haro, David P. Ahlfeld
2017, Ecological Engineering (99) 324-332
A partial-depth, impermeable guidance structure (or guide wall) for downstream fish passage is typically constructed as a series of panels attached to a floating boom and anchored across a water body (e.g. river channel, reservoir, or power canal). The downstream terminus of the wall is generally located nearby to a...
Rare earth element behavior during groundwater – seawater mixing along the Kona Coast of Hawaii
Karen H. Johannesson, C. Dianne Palmore, Joseph Fackrell, Nancy G. Prouty, Peter W. Swarzenski, Darren A. Chevis, Katherine Telfeyan, Christopher D. White, David J. Burdige
2017, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (198) 229-258
Groundwater and seawater samples were collected from nearshore wells and offshore along the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii to investigate rare earth element (REE) behavior in local subterranean estuaries. Previous investigations showed that submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is the predominant flux of terrestrial waters to the coastal...
Patterns and drivers for wetland connections in the Prairie Pothole Region, United States
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Jay R. Christensen, Laurie C. Alexander
2017, Wetlands Ecology and Management (25) 275-297
Ecosystem function in rivers, lakes and coastal waters depends on the functioning of upstream aquatic ecosystems, necessitating an improved understanding of watershed-scale interactions including variable surface-water flows between wetlands and streams. As surface water in the Prairie Pothole Region expands in wet years, surface-water connections occur between many depressional wetlands...
Endocrine active contaminants in aquatic systems and intersex in common sport fishes
Crystal S. D. Lee Pow, J. Mac Law, Thomas J. Kwak, W. Gregory Cope, James A. Rice, Seth W. Kullman, D. Derek Aday
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 959-968
Male fish are susceptible to developing intersex, a condition characterized by the presence of testicular oocytes. In the present study, the relationship between intersex and exposure to estrogenic endocrine active contaminants (EACs) was assessed for 2 genera of sport fish, Micropterus and Lepomis, at 20 riverine sites. Seasonal trends and...
Removing sun glint from optical remote sensing images of shallow rivers
Brandon T. Overstreet, Carl J. Legleiter
2017, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (42) 318-333
Sun glint is the specular reflection of light from the water surface, which often causes unusually bright pixel values that can dominate fluvial remote sensing imagery and obscure the water-leaving radiance signal of interest for mapping bathymetry, bottom type, or water column optical characteristics. Although sun glint is ubiquitous in...
Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada: IV. Snowy egret post-fledging dispersal, timing of migration and survival, 2002–2004
Charles J. Henny, Elwood F. Hill, Robert A. Grove, Nathan Chelgren, Patricia K. Haggerty
2017, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (135) 358-367
This telemetry study is an extension of our 1997–2006 research on historical mercury contamination on snowy egrets (Egretta thula) up to ~ 20 days of age. Findings from initial studies at the mercury-contaminated Carson River colony at Lahontan Reservoir (LR) and a similar-sized reference (REF) colony on the Humboldt River...
Detection limits of quantitative and digital PCR assays and their influence in presence-absence surveys of environmental DNA
Margaret Hunter, Robert M. Dorazio, John S. Butterfield, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Leo Nico, Jason A. Ferrante
2017, Molecular Ecology Resources (17) 221-229
A set of universal guidelines is needed to determine the limit of detection (LOD) in PCR-based analyses of low concentration DNA. In particular, environmental DNA (eDNA) studies require sensitive and reliable methods to detect rare and cryptic species through shed genetic material in environmental samples. Current strategies for assessing detection...
Combining citizen science species distribution models and stable isotopes reveals migratory connectivity in the secretive Virginia rail
Auriel M. V. Fournier, Alexis R. Sullivan, Joseph K. Bump, Marie Perkins, Mark C. Shieldcastle, Sammy L. King
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 618-627
Stable hydrogen isotope (δD) methods for tracking animal movement are widely used yet often produce low resolution assignments. Incorporating prior knowledge of abundance, distribution or movement patterns can ameliorate this limitation, but data are lacking for most species. We demonstrate how observations reported by citizen scientists can...
How will predicted land-use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual-based model
William S. Beatty, Dylan C. Kesler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Luke W. Naylor, Andrew H. Raedeke, Dale D. Humburg, John M. Coluccy, Gregory J. Soulliere
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 926-934
Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, overexploitation and climate change pose familiar and new challenges to conserving natural populations throughout the world. One approach conservation planners may use to evaluate the effects of these challenges on wildlife populations is scenario planning.We developed an individual-based model to evaluate the effects...
Hydrologic restoration in a dynamic subtropical mangrove-to-marsh ecotone
Rebecca J. Howard, Richard H. Day, Ken W. Krauss, Andrew S. From, Larry K. Allain, Nicole Cormier
2017, Restoration Ecology (25) 471-482
Extensive hydrologic modifications in coastal regions across the world have occurred to support infrastructure development, altering the function of many coastal wetlands. Wetland restoration success is dependent on the existence of hydrologic regimes that support development of appropriate soils and the growth and persistence of wetland vegetation. In Florida, United...
Groundwater response to the 2014 pulse flow in the Colorado River Delta
Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Eliana Rodriguez-Burgueno, Jorge Ramirez-Hernandez
2017, Ecological Engineering (106) 715-724
During the March-May 2014 Colorado River Delta pulse flow, approximately 102 × 106 m3 (82,000 acre-feet) of water was released into the channel at Morelos Dam, with additional releases further downstream. The majority of pulse flow water infiltrated and recharged the regional aquifer. Using groundwater-level and microgravity data we mapped the spatial and...
Climate, invasive species and land use drive population dynamics of a cold-water specialist
Ryan P. Kovach, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Diane C. Whited, David A. Schmetterling, Andrew M. Dux, Clint C. Muhlfeld
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 638-647
Climate change is an additional stressor in a complex suite of threats facing freshwater biodiversity, particularly for cold-water fishes. Research addressing the consequences of climate change on cold-water fish has generally focused on temperature limits defining spatial distributions, largely ignoring how climatic variation influences population dynamics in...
A history of the 2014 Minute 319 environmental pulse flow asdocumented by field measurements and satellite imagery
Steven M. Nelson, Jorge Ramirez-Hernandez, J. Eliana Rodriguez-Burgeueno, Jeff Milliken, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Francisco Zamora-Arroyo, Karen Schlatter, Edith Santiago-Serrano, Edgar Carrera-Villa
2017, Ecological Engineering (106) 733-748
As provided in Minute 319 of the U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty of 1944, a pulse flow of approximately 132 million cubic meters (mcm) was released to the riparian corridor of the Colorado River Delta over an eight-week period that began March 23, 2014 and ended May 18, 2014. Peak flows were...
Mangrove expansion and contraction at a poleward range limit: Climate extremes and land-ocean temperature gradients
Michael J. Osland, Richard H. Day, Courtney T. Hall, Marisa D Brumfield, Jason Dugas, William R. Jones
2017, Ecology (98) 125-137
Within the context of climate change, there is a pressing need to better understand the ecological implications of changes in the frequency and intensity of climate extremes. Along subtropical coasts, less frequent and warmer freeze events are expected to permit freeze-sensitive mangrove forests to expand poleward and displace freeze-tolerant salt...
Ion-adsorption REEs in regolith of the Liberty Hill pluton, South Carolina, USA: An effect of hydrothermal alteration
Carleton R. Bern, Tiffany Yesavage, Nora K. Foley
2017, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (172) 29-40
Ion-adsorbed rare earth element (REE) deposits supply the majority of world heavy REE production and substantial light REE production, but relatively little is known of their occurrence outside Southeast Asia. We examined the distribution and forms of REEs on a North American pluton located in the highly weathered and slowly...
Retrospective analysis of the epidemiologic literature, 1990–2015, on wildlife-associated diseases from the Republic of Korea
Jusun Hwang, Kyunglee Lee, Young-Jun Kim, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Hang Lee
2017, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (53) 5-18
To assess the status of research on wildlife diseases in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and to identify trends, knowledge gaps, and directions for future research, we reviewed epidemiologic publications on wildlife-associated diseases in the ROK. We identified a relatively small but rapidly increasing body of literature. The majority of...
Filamentous hydrous ferric oxide biosignatures in a pipeline carrying acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain Mine, California
Amy J. Williams, Charles N. Alpers, Dawn Y. Sumner, Kate M. Campbell
2017, Geomicrobiology Journal (34) 193-206
A pipeline carrying acidic mine effluent at Iron Mountain, CA, developed Fe(III)-rich precipitate caused by oxidation of Fe(II)aq. The native microbial community in the pipe included filamentous microbes. The pipe scale consisted of microbial filaments, and schwertmannite (ferric oxyhydroxysulfate, FOHS) mineral spheres and filaments. FOHS filaments contained central lumina with...
Habitat selection by postbreeding female diving ducks: Influence of habitat attributes and conspecifics
Jane E. Austin, Shawn T. O’Neil, Jeffrey M. Warren
2017, Journal of Avian Biology (48) 295-308
Habitat selection studies of postbreeding waterfowl have rarely focused on within-wetland attributes such as water depth, escape cover, and food availability. Flightless waterfowl must balance habitat selection between avoiding predation risks and feeding. Reproductively successful female ducks face the greatest challenges because they begin the definitive prebasic molt at or...
