Assessing condition of macroinvertebrate communities and sediment toxicity in the St. Lawrence River at Massena Area-of-Concern
Brian T. Duffy, Barry P. Baldigo, Alexander J. Smith, Scott D. George, Anthony M. David
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 910-919
In 1972, the USA and Canada agreed to restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem under the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. In subsequent amendments, part of the St. Lawrence River at Massena, New York and segments of three tributaries, were designated as an...
Toxicity of bed sediments from the Niagara River Area of Concern and tributaries, New York, to Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca, 2014-15
Scott D. George, Barry P. Baldigo, Brian T. Duffy
2016, Data Series 1016
The Niagara River was designated as an Area of Concern in 1987 on both the United States and Canadian sides of the international boundary line because past industrial discharges and hazardous waste sites had caused extensive degradation of aquatic habitats. The degradation of the “benthos”, or the benthic macroinvertebrate community,...
Magnitude, frequency, and trends of floods at gaged and ungaged sites in Washington, based on data through water year 2014
Mark C. Mastin, Christopher P. Konrad, Andrea G. Veilleux, Alison E. Tecca
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5118
An investigation into the magnitude and frequency of floods in Washington State computed the annual exceedance probability (AEP) statistics for 648 U.S. Geological Survey unregulated streamgages in and near the borders of Washington using the recorded annual peak flows through water year 2014. This is an updated report from...
Three responses of wetland conditions to climatic extremes in the Prairie Pothole Region
Ryann L. Cressey, Jane E. Austin, Joshua D. Stafford
2016, Wetlands (36) 357-370
Wetlands in central North Dakota were revisited after 50 years to assess changes following extreme drought and a prolonged wet period. We compared data collected during 1961–1966 to current (2013–2014) wetland conditions. We revisited 80 wetlands in 2013 and 2014 across three study areas and measured wetland area, ponded-water depth, and...
Flood-inundation map library for the Licking River and South Fork Licking River near Falmouth, Kentucky
Jeremiah G. Lant
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5108
Digital flood inundation maps for a 17-mile reach of Licking River and 4-mile reach of South Fork Licking River near Falmouth, Kentucky, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with Pendleton County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Louisville District. The inundation maps, which can be accessed...
Methods for estimating selected spring and fall low-flow frequency statistics for ungaged stream sites in Iowa, based on data through June 2014
David A. Eash, Kimberlee K. Barnes, Padraic S. O'Shea
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5111
A statewide study was led to develop regression equations for estimating three selected spring and three selected fall low-flow frequency statistics for ungaged stream sites in Iowa. The estimation equations developed for the six low-flow frequency statistics include spring (April through June) 1-, 7-, and 30-day mean low flows for...
Pockmark asymmetry and seafloor currents in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil
U. Schattner, M. Lazar, L. A. P. Souza, Uri S. ten Brink, M. M. Mahiques
2016, Geo-Marine Letters (36) 457-464
Pockmarks form by gas/fluid expulsion into the ocean and are preserved under conditions of negligible sedimentation. Ideally, they are circular at the seafloor and symmetrical in profile. Elliptical pockmarks are more enigmatic. They are associated with seafloor currents while asymmetry is connected to sedimentation patterns. This study examines these associations...
Inter-population differences in salinity tolerance and osmoregulation of juvenile wild and hatchery-born Sacramento splittail
Christine E. Verhille, Theresa F. Dabruzzi, Dennis E. Cocherell, Brian Mahardja, Frederick V. Feyrer, Theodore C. Foin, Melinda R. Baerwald, Nann A. Fangue
2016, Conservation Physiology (4)
The Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) is a minnow endemic to the highly modified San Francisco Estuary of California, USA and its associated rivers and tributaries. This species is composed of two genetically distinct populations, which, according to field observations and otolith strontium signatures, show largely allopatric distribution patterns as recently...
Foraging at the wildland–urban interface decouples weather as a driver of recruitment for desert bighorn sheep
Kathleen M. Longshore, Chris E. Lowrey, Patrick Cummings
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 494-499
A growing number of ungulate populations are living within or near the wildland–urban interface. When resources at the interface are of greater quality than that of adjacent natural habitat, wildlife can be attracted to these developed areas. Little is known about how use of the wildland–urban interface by wildlife may...
Comparison of methods for quantifying surface sublimation over seasonally snow-covered terrain
Graham A. Sexstone, David W. Clow, David I. Stannard, Steven R. Fassnacht
2016, Hydrological Processes (30) 3373-3389
Snow sublimation can be an important component of the snow-cover mass balance, and there is considerable interest in quantifying the role of this process within the water and energy balance of snow-covered regions. In recent years, robust eddy covariance (EC) instrumentation has been used to quantify snow sublimation over snow-covered...
Prerequisites for understanding climate-change impacts on northern prairie wetlands
Michael J. Anteau, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Max Post van der Burg, Aaron T. Pearse
2016, Wetlands (36) 299-307
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) contains ecosystems that are typified by an extensive matrix of grasslands and depressional wetlands, which provide numerous ecosystem services. Over the past 150 years the PPR has experienced numerous landscape modifications resulting in agricultural conversion of 75–99 % of native prairie uplands and drainage of...
Vegetative response to water availability on the San Carlos Apache Reservation
Roy E. Petrakis, Zhuoting Wu, Jason McVay, Barry R. Middleton, Dennis G. Dye, John M. Vogel
2016, Forest Ecology and Management (378) 14-23
On the San Carlos Apache Reservation in east-central Arizona, U.S.A., vegetation types such as ponderosa pine forests, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and grasslands have significant ecological, cultural, and economic value for the Tribe. This value extends beyond the tribal lands and across the Western United States. Vegetation across the Southwestern United States...
Potential of environmental DNA to evaluate Northern pike (Esox lucius) eradication efforts: An experimental test and case study
Kristine J. Dunker, Adam J. Sepulveda, Robert L. Massengill, Jeffrey B. Olsen, Ora L. Russ, John K. Wenburg, Anton Antonovich
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Determining the success of invasive species eradication efforts is challenging because populations at very low abundance are difficult to detect. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has recently emerged as a powerful tool for detecting rare aquatic animals; however, detectable fragments of DNA can persist over time despite absence of the targeted...
An evaluation of rapid methods for monitoring vegetation characteristics of wetland bird habitat
Brian G. Tavernia, James E. Lyons, Brian W. Loges, Andrew Wilson, Jaime A. Collazo, Michael C. Runge
2016, Wetlands Ecology and Management (24) 495-505
Wetland managers benefit from monitoring data of sufficient precision and accuracy to assess wildlife habitat conditions and to evaluate and learn from past management decisions. For large-scale monitoring programs focused on waterbirds (waterfowl, wading birds, secretive marsh birds, and shorebirds), precision and accuracy of habitat measurements must be balanced with...
Behavior and movements of adult spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Chehalis River Basin, southwestern Washington, 2015
Theresa L. Liedtke, Mara S. Zimmerman, Ryan G. Tomka, Curt Holt, Lyle Jennings
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1158
Recent interest in flood control and restoration strategies in the Chehalis River Basin has increased the need to understand the current status and ecology of spring Chinook salmon. Based on the extended period between freshwater entry and spawn timing, spring Chinook salmon have the longest exposure of all adult...
Water temperature effects from simulated dam operations and structures in the Middle Fork Willamette River, western Oregon
Norman L. Buccola, Daniel F. Turner, Stewart A. Rounds
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1159
Significant FindingsStreamflow and water temperature in the Middle Fork Willamette River (MFWR), western Oregon, have been regulated and altered since the construction of Lookout Point, Dexter, and Hills Creek Dams in 1954 and 1961, respectively. Each year, summer releases from the dams typically are cooler than pre-dam conditions, with the...
Groundwater-level change and evaluation of simulated water levels for irrigated areas in Lahontan Valley, Churchill County, west-central Nevada, 1992 to 2012
David W. Smith, Susan G. Buto, Toby L. Welborn
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5045
The acquisition and transfer of water rights to wetland areas of Lahontan Valley, Nevada, has caused concern over the potential effects on shallow aquifer water levels. In 1992, water levels in Lahontan Valley were measured to construct a water-table map of the shallow aquifer prior to the effects of...
Paleoflood investigations to improve peak-streamflow regional-regression equations for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado, 2015
Michael S. Kohn, Michael R. Stevens, Tessa M. Harden, Jeanne E. Godaire, Ralph E. Klinger, Amanullah Mommandi
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5099
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, developed regional-regression equations for estimating the 50-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, 0.2-percent annual exceedance-probability discharge (AEPD) for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado. A total of 188 streamgages, consisting of 6,536 years of record and a...
HESS Opinions: Repeatable research: what hydrologistscan learn from the Duke cancer research scandal
Michael Fienen, Mark Bakker
2016, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (20) 3739-3743
In the past decade, difficulties encountered in reproducing the results of a cancer study at Duke University resulted in a scandal and an investigation which concluded that tools used for data management, analysis, and modeling were inappropriate for the documentation of the study, let alone the reproduction of the results....
Intertidal salt marshes as an important source of inorganic carbon to the coastal ocean
Zhaohui Aleck Wang, Kevin D. Kroeger, Neil K. Ganju, Meagan Gonneea Eagle, Sophie N. Chu
2016, Limnology and Oceanography (61) 1916-1931
Dynamic tidal export of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to the coastal ocean from highly productive intertidal marshes and its effects on seawater carbonate chemistry are thoroughly evaluated. The study uses a comprehensive approach by combining tidal water sampling of CO2parameters across seasons, continuous in situ measurements of biogeochemically-relevant parameters and...
Generalized sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River, 1968–2014
David C. Heimann
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5097
Sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River were developed in a study led by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The scope of the study included the development of a long-term (post-impoundment, 1968–2014) average annual sediment budget and selected annual, monthly, and daily...
Examination of flood characteristics at selected streamgages in the Meramec River Basin, eastern Missouri, December 2015–January 2016
Robert R. Holmes Jr., Todd A. Koenig, Paul H. Rydlund Jr., David C. Heimann
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1140
OverviewHeavy rainfall resulted in major flooding in the Meramec River Basin in eastern Missouri during late December 2015 through early January 2016. Cumulative rainfall from December 14 to 29, 2015, ranged from 7.6 to 12.3 inches at selected precipitation stations in the basin with flooding driven by the heaviest precipitation...
Gravity change from 2014 to 2015, Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona
Jeffrey R. Kennedy
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1155
Relative-gravity data and absolute-gravity data were collected at 68 stations in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona, in May–June 2015 for the purpose of estimating aquifer-storage change. Similar data from 2014 and a description of the survey network were published in U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1086....
Altered hydrologic and geomorphic processes and bottomland hardwood plant communities of the lower White River Basin
Sammy L. King, Richard F. Keim, Cliff R. Hupp, Brandon L. Edwards, Whitney A. Kroschel, Erin L. Johnson, J. Wesley Cochran
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1113
Introduction The work explained in this report was conducted to assess geomorphic adjustment of the lower White River, Arkansas, to hydrologic modifications and establish forest age and community structure within selected communities within the floodplain. Also, the HEC–GeoRAS model was evaluated for predicting flood depth and duration within the floodplain. Hydrologic...
Projected shifts in fish species dominance in Wisconsin lakes under climate change
Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Jordan S. Read, Jonathan F. Hansen, Luke Winslow
2016, Global Change Biology (23) 1463-1476
Temperate lakes may contain both coolwater fish species such as walleye (Sander vitreus) and warmwater fish species such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Recent declining walleye and increasing largemouth bass populations have raised questions regarding the future trajectories and management actions for these species. We developed a thermodynamic model of...
