Integrated wetland management for waterfowl and shorebirds at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Brian G. Tavernia, John D. Stanton, James E. Lyons
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1052
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) offers a mix of open water, marsh, forest, and cropland habitats on 20,307 hectares in coastal North Carolina. In 1934, Federal legislation (Executive Order 6924) established MNWR to benefit wintering waterfowl and other migratory bird species. On an annual basis, the refuge staff decide how...
Organic carbon burial in global lakes and reservoirs
Raquel Mendonca, Roger A. Muller, David W. Clow, Charles Verpoorter, Peter Raymond, Lars Tranvik, Sebastian Sobek
2017, Nature Communications (8)
Burial in sediments removes organic carbon (OC) from the short-term biosphere-atmosphere carbon (C) cycle, and therefore prevents greenhouse gas production in natural systems. Although OC burial in lakes and reservoirs is faster than in the ocean, the magnitude of inland water OC burial is not well constrained. Here we generate...
Imaging shear strength along subduction faults
Quentin Bletery, Amanda M. Thomas, Alan W. Rempel, Jeanne L. Hardebeck
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 11329-11339
Subduction faults accumulate stress during long periods of time and release this stress suddenly, during earthquakes, when it reaches a threshold. This threshold, the shear strength, controls the occurrence and magnitude of earthquakes. We consider a 3-D model to derive an analytical expression for how the shear strength depends on...
Vaccine effects on heterogeneity in susceptibility and implications for population health management
Kate E. Langwig, Andrew R. Wargo, Darbi R. Jones, Jessie R. Viss, Barbara J. Rutan, Nicholas A. Egan, Pedro Sa-Guimaraes, Min Sun Kim, Gael Kurath, M. Gabriela M. Gomes, Marc Lipsitch
Shweta Bansal, Melinda M. Pettigrew, editor(s)
2017, mBio (8) 1-13
Heterogeneity in host susceptibility is a key determinant of infectious disease dynamics but is rarely accounted for in assessment of disease control measures. Understanding how susceptibility is distributed in populations, and how control measures change this distribution, is integral to predicting the course of epidemics with and without interventions. Using...
Geologic field-trip guide to the volcanic and hydrothermal landscape of the Yellowstone Plateau
Lisa Ann Morgan Morzel, W. C. Pat Shanks, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Jamie M. Farrell, Joel E. Robinson
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5022-P
Yellowstone National Park, a nearly 9,000 km2 (~3,468 mi2) area, was preserved in 1872 as the world’s first national park for its unique, extraordinary, and magnificent natural features. Rimmed by a crescent of older mountainous terrain, Yellowstone National Park has at its core the Quaternary Yellowstone Plateau, an...
An expert elicitation process to project the frequency and magnitude of Florida manatee mortality events caused by red tide (Karenia brevis)
Julien Martin, Michael C. Runge, Leanne J. Flewelling, Charles J. Deutsch, Jan H. Landsberg
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1132
Red tides (blooms of the harmful alga Karenia brevis) are one of the major sources of mortality for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), especially in southwest Florida. It has been hypothesized that the frequency and severity of red tides may increase in the future because of global climate...
Design- and model-based recommendations for detecting and quantifying an amphibian pathogen in environmental samples
Brittany A. Mosher, Kathryn Huyvaert, Tara E. Chestnut, Jacob L. Kerby, Joseph D. Madison, Larissa L. Bailey
2017, Ecolology and Evolution (7) 10952-10962
Accurate pathogen detection is essential for developing management strategies to address emerging infectious diseases, an increasingly prominent threat to wildlife. Sampling for free-living pathogens outside of their hosts has benefits for inference and study efficiency, but is still uncommon. We used a laboratory experiment to...
Bedrock geology and hydrostratigraphy of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers within the Driftwood and Wimberley 7.5-minute quadrangles, Hays and Comal Counties, Texas
Allan K. Clark, Robert R. Morris
2017, Scientific Investigations Map 3386
The Edwards and Trinity aquifers are major sources of water in south-central Texas and are both classified as major aquifers by the State of Texas. The population in Hays and Comal Counties is rapidly growing, increasing demands on the area’s water resources. To help effectively manage the water resources in...
Late Quaternary uplift along the North America-Caribbean plate boundary: Evidence from the sea level record of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Daniel R. Muhs, Eugene S. Schweig, Kathleen Simmons, Robert B. Halley
2017, Quaternary Science Reviews (178) 54-76
The tectonic setting of the North America-Caribbean plate boundary has been studied intensively, but some aspects are still poorly understood, particularly along the Oriente fault zone. Guantanamo Bay, southern Cuba, is considered to be on a coastline that is under a transpressive tectonic regime along this zone, and is hypothesized...
The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
N. Thomas, G. Cremonese, R. Ziethe, M. Gerber, M. Brandli, G. Bruno, M. Erismann, L. Gambicorti, T. Gerber, K. Ghose, M. Gruber, P. Gubler, H. Mischler, J. Jost, D. Piazza, A. Pommerol, M. Rieder, V. Roloff, A. Servonet, W. Trottmann, T. Uthaicharoenpong, C. Zimmermann, D. Vernani, M. Johnson, E. Pelo, T. Weigel, J. Viertl, N. De Roux, P. Lochmatter, G. Sutter, A. Casciello, T. Hausner, I. Ficai Veltroni, V. Da Deppo, P. Orleanski, W. Nowosielski, T. Zawistowski, S. Szalai, B. Sodor, S. Tulyakov, G. Troznai, M. Banaskiewicz, J.C. Bridges, S. Byrne, S. Debei, M. R. El-Maarry, E. Hauber, C.J. Hansen, A. Ivanov, L. Keszthelyil, Randolph L. Kirk, R. Kuzmin, N. Mangold, L. Marinangeli, W. J. Markiewicz, M. Massironi, A. S. McEwen, Chris H. Okubo, L.L. Tornabene, P. Wajer, J.J. Wray
2017, Space Science Reviews (212) 1897-1944
The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) is the main imaging system onboard the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) which was launched on 14 March 2016. CaSSIS is intended to acquire moderately high resolution (4.6 m/pixel) targeted images of Mars at a rate of 10–20 images...
Behavioral response of giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) to the relative availability of aquatic habitat on the landscape
Gabriel A. Reyes, Brian J. Halstead, Jonathan P. Rose, Julia S. M. Ersan, Anna C. Jordan, Allison M. Essert, Kristen J. Fouts, Alexandria M. Fulton, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Raymund F. Wack, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1141
Most extant giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) populations persist in an agro-ecosystem dominated by rice, which serves as a surrogate to the expansive marshes lost to flood control projects and development of the Great Central Valley of California. Knowledge of how giant gartersnakes use the rice agricultural landscape, including how...
Suitability of river delta sediment as proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015
Ronald B. Zelt, Christopher M. Hobza, Bethany L. Burton, Nathaniel J. Schaepe, Nadine M. Piatak
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5105
Sediment management is a challenge faced by reservoir managers who have several potential options, including dredging, for mitigation of storage capacity lost to sedimentation. As sediment is removed from reservoir storage, potential use of the sediment for socioeconomic or ecological benefit could potentially defray some costs of its removal. Rivers...
Persistent shoreline shape induced from offshore geologic framework: Effects of shoreface connected ridges
Ilgar Safak, Jeffrey H. List, John C. Warner, William C. Schwab
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (122) 8721-8738
Mechanisms relating offshore geologic framework to shoreline evolution are determined through geologic investigations, oceanographic deployments, and numerical modeling. Analysis of shoreline positions from the past 50 years along Fire Island, New York, a 50 km long barrier island, demonstrates a persistent undulating shape along the western half of the island....
Inflation leading to a Slow Slip Event and volcanic unrest at Mt. Etna in 2016: Insights from CGPS data
V. Bruno, M. Mattia, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, M. Rossi, D. Scandura
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 12,141-12,149
Global Positioning System (CGPS) data from Mount Etna between May 2015 and September 2016 show intense inflation and a concurrent Slow Slip Event (SSE) from 11 December 2015 to 17 May 2016. In May 2016, an eruptive phase started from the summit craters, temporarily stopping the ongoing...
Geoelectric monitoring at the Boulder magnetic observatory
Cletus Blum, Tim White, Edward A. Sauter, Duff Stewart, Paul A. Bedrosian, Jeffrey J. Love
2017, Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems (6) 447-452
Despite its importance to a range of applied and fundamental studies, and obvious parallels to a robust network of magnetic-field observatories, long-term geoelectric field monitoring is rarely performed. The installation of a new geoelectric monitoring system at the Boulder magnetic observatory of the US Geological Survey is summarized. Data from...
Comparing catchment hydrologic response to a regional storm using specific conductivity sensors
Ashley Inserillo, Mark B. Green, James B. Shanley, Joseph Boyer
2017, Hydrological Processes (31) 1074-1085
A better understanding of stormwater generation and solute sources is needed to improve the protection of aquatic ecosystems, infrastructure, and human health from large runoff events. Much of our understanding of water and solutes produced during stormflow comes from studies of individual, small headwater catchments. This study compared many different...
Future soil moisture and temperature extremes imply expanding suitability for rainfed agriculture in temperate drylands
John B. Bradford, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, William K. Lauenroth, Charles B. Yackulic, Michael C. Duniway, Sonia A. Hall, Gensuo Jia, Khishigbayar Jamiyansharav, Seth M. Munson, Scott D. Wilson, Britta Tietjen
2017, Scientific Reports (7)
The distribution of rainfed agriculture is expected to respond to climate change and human population growth. However, conditions that support rainfed agriculture are driven by interactions among climate, including climate extremes, and soil moisture availability that have not been well defined. In the temperate regions that support much...
Stormwater management network effectiveness and implications for urban watershed function: A critical review
Anne J. Jefferson, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Kristina G. Hopkins, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Pedro M. Avellaneda, Sara K. McMillan
2017, Hydrological Processes (31) 4056-4080
Deleterious effects of urban stormwater are widely recognized. In several countries, regulations have been put into place to improve the conditions of receiving water bodies, but planning and engineering of stormwater control is typically carried out at smaller scales. Quantifying cumulative effectiveness of many stormwater control measures on a watershed...
Virginia flow-ecology modeling results—An initial assessment of flow reduction effects on aquatic biota
Jennifer L. Rapp, Pamela A. Reilly
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1088
BackgroundThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), reviewed a previously compiled set of linear regression models to assess their utility in defining the response of the aquatic biological community to streamflow depletion.As part of the 2012 Virginia Healthy Watersheds Initiative (HWI) study...
Unexpected stasis in a changing world: Lake nutrient and chlorophyll trends since 1990
Samantha K. Oliver, Sarah M. Collins, Patricia A. Soranno, Tyler Wagner, Emily H. Stanley, John R. Jones, Craig A. Stow, Noah R. Lottig
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 5455-5467
The United States (U.S.) has faced major environmental changes in recent decades, including agricultural intensification and urban expansion, as well as changes in atmospheric deposition and climate—all of which may influence eutrophication of freshwaters. However, it is unclear whether or how water quality in lakes across diverse ecological settings has...
Bathymetric map and area/capacity table for Castle Lake, Washington
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Kurt R. Spicer
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1145
The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens produced a 2.5-cubic-kilometer debris avalanche that dammed South Fork Castle Creek, causing Castle Lake to form behind a 20-meter-tall blockage. Risk of a catastrophic breach of the newly impounded lake led to outlet channel stabilization work, aggressive monitoring programs, mapping...
Multi-scale 46-year remote sensing change detection of diamond mining and land cover in a conflict and post-conflict setting
Jessica D. Dewitt, Peter G. Chirico, Sarah E. Bergstresser, Timothy A. Warner
2017, Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment (8) 126-139
The town of Tortiya was created in the rural northern region of Côte d′Ivoire in the late 1940s to house workers for a new diamond mine. Nearly three decades later, the closure of the industrial-scale diamond mine in 1975 did not diminish the importance of diamond profits to the region's...
Biological relevance of streamflow metrics: Regional and national perspectives
Daren M. Carlisle, Theodore E. Grantham, Ken Eng, David M. Wolock
2017, Freshwater Science (36) 927-940
Protecting the health of streams and rivers requires identifying ecologically significant attributes of the natural flow regime. Streamflow regimes are routinely quantified using a plethora of hydrologic metrics (HMs), most of which have unknown relevance to biological communities. At regional and national scales, we evaluated which of 509 commonly used...
eDNAoccupancy: An R package for multi-scale occupancy modeling of environmental DNA data
Robert Dorazio, Richard A. Erickson
2017, Molecular Ecology Resources (18) 368-380
In this article we describe eDNAoccupancy, an R package for fitting Bayesian, multi-scale occupancy models. These models are appropriate for occupancy surveys that include three, nested levels of sampling: primary sample units within a study area, secondary sample units collected from each primary unit, and replicates of each secondary sample...
Design tradeoffs in long-term research for stream salamanders
Adrianne B. Brand, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2017, Journal of Wildlife Management (81) 1430-1438
Long-term research programs can benefit from early and periodic evaluation of their ability to meet stated objectives. In particular, consideration of the spatial allocation of effort is key. We sampled 4 species of stream salamanders intensively for 2 years (2010–2011) in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Maryland,...
