Surface slip during large Owens Valley earthquakes
E.K. Haddon, C.B. Amos, O. Zielke, Angela S. Jayko, R. Burgmann
2016, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (17) 2239-2269
The 1872 Owens Valley earthquake is the third largest known historical earthquake in California. Relatively sparse field data and a complex rupture trace, however, inhibited attempts to fully resolve the slip distribution and reconcile the total moment release. We present a new, comprehensive record of surface slip based on lidar...
Endocrine disrupting activities of surface water associated with a West Virginia oil and gas industry wastewater disposal site
Christopher D. Kassotis, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Denise M. Akob, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Adam C. Mumford, William H. Orem, Susan C. Nagel
2016, Science of the Total Environment (557-558) 901-910
Currently, >95% of end disposal of hydraulic fracturing wastewater from unconventional oil and gas operations in the US occurs via injection wells. Key data gaps exist in understanding the potential impact of underground injection on surface water quality and environmental health. The goal of this study was to assess endocrine...
Recording and submitting specimen history data
Barbara L. Bodenstein
J. Christian Franson, Milton Friend, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, Margaret A. Wild, editor(s)
2016, Techniques and Methods 15-C3
SummaryIn wildlife disease investigations, determining the history or background of a problem is the first significant step toward establishing a diagnosis and aiding agencies with management considerations. The diagnostic process and overall investigation is often greatly expedited by a chronological record accompanying specimens submitted for laboratory evaluation. Knowing where and...
Herpetological monitoring and assessment on the Trinity River, Trinity County, California—Final report
Melissa L. Snover, M. J. Adams
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1089
The primary goal of the Trinity River Restoration Program is to rehabilitate the fisheries on the dam-controlled Trinity River. However, maintaining and enhancing other wildlife populations through the restoration initiative is also a key objective. Foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) and western pond turtles (Actinemys marmorata) have been identified...
Fecal indicator organism modeling and microbial source tracking in environmental waters: Chapter 3.4.6
Meredith Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Mantha S. Phanikumar, Richard L. Whitman
2016, Book chapter, Manual of Environmental Microbiology
Mathematical models have been widely applied to surface waters to estimate rates of settling, resuspension, flow, dispersion, and advection in order to calculate movement of particles that influence water quality. Of particular interest are the movement, survival, and persistence of microbial pathogens or their surrogates, which may contaminate recreational water,...
Water-quality data and Escherichia coli predictions for selected karst catchments of the upper Duck River watershed in central Tennessee, 2007–10
Jennifer C. Murphy, James Farmer, Alice Layton
2016, Data Series 1003
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Tennessee Duck River Development Agency, monitored water quality at several locations in the upper Duck River watershed between October 2007 and September 2010. Discrete water samples collected at 24 sites in the watershed were analyzed for water quality, and Escherichia coli (E....
Comparison of geochemical data obtained using four brine sampling methods at the SECARB Phase III Anthropogenic Test CO2 injection site, Citronelle Oil Field, Alabama
Christopher H. Conaway, James J. Thordsen, Michael A. Manning, Paul J. Cook, Robert C. Trautz, Burt Thomas, Yousif K. Kharaka
2016, International Journal of Coal Geology (162) 85-95
The chemical composition of formation water and associated gases from the lower Cretaceous Paluxy Formation was determined using four different sampling methods at a characterization well in the Citronelle Oil Field, Alabama, as part of the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) Phase III Anthropogenic Test, which is an integrated...
Greenhouse gas fluxes of a shallow lake in south-central North Dakota, USA
Brian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro, Robert A. Gleason, Charles F. Dahl
2016, Wetlands (36) 779-787
Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes of aquatic ecosystems in the northern Great Plains of the U.S. represent a significant data gap. Consequently, a 3-year study was conducted in south-central North Dakota, USA, to provide an initial estimate of GHG fluxes from a large, shallow lake. Mean GHG fluxes were 0.02 g...
Impacts of climate change and renewable energy development on habitat of an endemic squirrel, Xerospermophilus mohavensis, in the Mojave Desert, USA
Richard D. Inman, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth E. Nussear, Philip Leitner, Marjorie D. Matocq, Peter J. Weisberg, Thomas E. Dilts
2016, Biological Conservation (200) 112-121
Predicting changes in species distributions under a changing climate is becoming widespread with the use of species distribution models (SDMs). The resulting predictions of future potential habitat can be cast in light of planned land use changes, such as urban expansion and energy development to identify areas with potential conflict....
Anthropogenic disturbance and environmental associations with fish assemblage structure in two nonwadeable rivers
T. P. Parks, Michael C. Quist, C.L. Pierce
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 66-84
Nonwadeable rivers are unique ecosystems that support high levels of aquatic biodiversity, yet they have been greatly altered by human activities. Although riverine fish assemblages have been studied in the past, we still have an incomplete understanding of how fish assemblages respond to both natural and anthropogenic influences in large...
Water resources of Washington Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
2016, Fact Sheet 2015-3083
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Washington 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,...
California State Waters Map Series — Monterey Canyon and vicinity, California
Peter Dartnell, Katherine L. Maier, Mercedes D. Erdey, Bryan E. Dieter, Nadine E. Golden, Samuel Y. Johnson, Stephen R. Hartwell, Guy R. Cochrane, Andrew C. Ritchie, David P. Finlayson, Rikk G. Kvitek, Ray W. Sliter, H. Gary Greene, Clifton W. Davenport, Charles A. Endris, Lisa M. Krigsman
Peter Dartnell, Susan A. Cochran, editor(s)
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1072
IntroductionIn 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration,...
Bathymetric survey and digital elevation model of Little Holland Tract, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Alexander G. Snyder, Jessica R. Lacy, Andrew W. Stevens, Emily M. Carlson
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1093
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a bathymetric survey in Little Holland Tract, a flooded agricultural tract, in the northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the “Delta”) during the summer of 2015. The new bathymetric data were combined with existing data to generate a digital elevation model (DEM) at 1-meter resolution. Little Holland...
Jaguar surveying and monitoring in the United States
Melanie Culver
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1095
Because of the jaguar’s (Panthera onca) endangered status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 throughout its range (from Arizona in the north to Argentina in the south), jaguar individuals and populations are monitored to varying degrees throughout their range. Knowledge gained from monitoring jaguars is helpful for wildlife...
A comparison of acoustic montoring methods for common anurans of the northeastern United States
Corinne Brauer, Therese Donovan, Ruth M. Mickey, Jonathan Katz, Brian R. Mitchell
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 140-149
Many anuran monitoring programs now include autonomous recording units (ARUs). These devices collect audio data for extended periods of time with little maintenance and at sites where traditional call surveys might be difficult. Additionally, computer software programs have grown increasingly accurate at automatically identifying the calls of species. However, increased...
Estimation of daily mean streamflow for ungaged stream locations in the Delaware River Basin, water years 1960–2010
Marla H. Stuckey
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5157
The ability to characterize baseline streamflow conditions, compare them with current conditions, and assess effects of human activities on streamflow is fundamental to water-management programs addressing water allocation, human-health issues, recreation needs, and establishment of ecological flow criteria. The U.S. Geological Survey, through the National Water Census, has developed the...
Analysis of environmental factors influencing salinity patterns, oyster growth, and mortality in lower Breton Sound Estuary, Louisiana using 20 years of data
Megan K. LaPeyre, James Geaghan, Gary A. Decossas, Jerome F. La Peyre
2016, Journal of Coastal Research (32) 519-530
Freshwater inflow characteristics define estuarine functioning by delivering nutrients, sediments, and freshwater, which affect biological resources and ultimately system production. Using 20 years of water quality, weather, and oyster growth and mortality data from Breton Sound Estuary (BSE), Louisiana, we examined the relationship of riverine, weather, and tidal influence on...
A management-oriented framework for selecting metrics used to assess habitat- and path-specific quality in spatially structured populations
Sam Nicol, Ruscena Wiederholt, James E. Diffendorfer, Brady J. Mattsson, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Darius J. Semmens, Laura Lopez-Hoffman, Ryan Norris
2016, Ecological Indicators (69) 792-802
Mobile species with complex spatial dynamics can be difficult to manage because their population distributions vary across space and time, and because the consequences of managing particular habitats are uncertain when evaluated at the level of the entire population. Metrics to assess the importance of habitats and pathways connecting habitats...
Native prey distribution and migration mediates wolf (Canis lupus) predation on domestic livestock in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Abigail A. Nelson, Matthew Kauffman, A.D. Middleton, M.D. Jimenez, D. E. McWhirter, K. Gerow
2016, Canadian Journal of Zoology (94) 291-299
Little research has evaluated how the migration and distribution of native prey influence patterns of livestock depredation by large carnivores. Previous research suggests that the presence of native prey can increase depredation rates by attracting predators (prey tracking hypothesis). Alternatively, the absence of native prey may facilitate predation on livestock...
Assessment of continuous (unconventional) oil and gas resources in the Late Cretaceous Mancos Shale of the Piceance Basin, Uinta-Piceance Province, Colorado and Utah, 2016
Sarah J. Hawkins, Ronald R. Charpentier, Christopher J. Schenk, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Timothy R. Klett, Michael E. Brownfield, Tom M. Finn, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Phoung A. Le, Tracey J. Mercier, Janet K. Pitman, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3030
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a geology-based assessment of the continuous (unconventional) oil and gas resources in the Late Cretaceous Mancos Shale within the Piceance Basin of the Uinta-Piceance Province (fig. 1). The previous USGS assessment of the Mancos Shale in the Piceance Basin was completed in 2003 as...
Model selection and assessment for multi-species occupancy models
Kristin M. Broms, Mevin Hooten, Ryan M. Fitzpatrick
2016, Ecology (97) 1759-1770
While multi-species occupancy models (MSOMs) are emerging as a popular method for analyzing biodiversity data, formal checking and validation approaches for this class of models have lagged behind. Concurrent with the rise in application of MSOMs among ecologists, a quiet regime shift is occurring in Bayesian statistics where predictive model...
Combining statistical inference and decisions in ecology
Perry J. Williams, Mevin Hooten
2016, Ecological Applications (26) 1930-1942
Statistical decision theory (SDT) is a sub-field of decision theory that formally incorporates statistical investigation into a decision-theoretic framework to account for uncertainties in a decision problem. SDT provides a unifying analysis of three types of information: statistical results from a data set, knowledge of the consequences of potential choices...
Raw and processed ground-penetrating radar and postprocessed differential global positioning system data collected from Assateague Island, Maryland, October 2014
Nicholas J. Zaremba, Julie Bernier, Arnell S. Forde, Christopher G. Smith
2016, Data Series 989
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center acquired sediment cores, sediment surface grab samples, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) data from Assateague Island, Maryland, in October 2014. The objectives were to identify washover deposits in the stratigraphic record to aid in understanding...
Sedimentologic characteristics of recent washover deposits from Assateague Island, Maryland
Julie Bernier, Nicholas J. Zaremba, Cathryn J. Wheaton, Alisha M. Ellis, Marci E. Marot, Christopher G. Smith
2016, Data Series 999
The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of responding to and documenting the impacts of storms along the Nation’s coasts and incorporating these data into storm impact and coastal change vulnerability assessments. Although physical changes caused by tropical and extratropical storms to the sandy beaches and dunes fronting barrier...
Post-release survival and movement of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) implanted with intracoelomic satellite transmitters
Kyra L. Mills, Joseph K. Gaydos, Christine V. Fiorello, Emily Whitmer, Susan De La Cruz, Daniel M. Mulcahy, L. Ignacio Vilchis, Michael H. Ziccardi
2016, Waterbirds (39) 175-186
The main goal of this study was to gain knowledge on post-release survival and movement of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) using a modified technique for implanting satellite transmitters. This technique had improved post-surgical survival in an earlier study. Nine Western Grebes, implanted with intracoelomic (within the body cavity) satellite transmitters...
