Design and testing of a mesocosm-scale habitat for culturing the endangered Devils Hole Pupfish
Olin Feuerbacher, Scott A. Bonar, Paul J. Barrett
2016, North American Journal of Aquaculture (78) 259-269
aptive propagation of desert spring fishes, whether for conservation or research, is often difficult, given the unique and often challenging environments these fish utilize in nature. High temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, minimal water flow, and highly variable lighting are some conditions a researcher might need to recreate to simulate their...
Decision-making for foot-and-mouth disease control: Objectives matter
William J. M. Probert, Katriona Shea, Christopher J. Fonnesbeck, Michael C. Runge, Tim E. Carpenter, Salome Durr, M. Graeme Garner, Neil Harvey, Mark A. Stevenson, Colleen T. Webb, Marleen Werkman, Michael J. Tildesley, Matthew J. Ferrari
2016, Epidemics (15) 10-19
Formal decision-analytic methods can be used to frame disease control problems, the first step of which is to define a clear and specific objective. We demonstrate the imperative of framing clearly-defined management objectives in finding optimal control actions for control of disease outbreaks. We illustrate an analysis that can be...
A long-term study of ecological impacts of river channelization on the population of an endangered fish: Lessons learned for assessment and restoration
James H. Roberts, Gregory B. Anderson, Paul L. Angermeier
2016, Water (8) 1-38
Projects to assess environmental impact or restoration success in rivers focus on project-specific questions but can also provide valuable insights for future projects. Both restoration actions and impact assessments can become “adaptive” by using the knowledge gained from long-term monitoring and analysis to revise the actions, monitoring, conceptual model, or...
Slab melting and magma formation beneath the southern Cascade arc
Kristina J. Walowski, Paul J. Wallace, Michael A. Clynne, D.J. Rasmussen, D. Weis
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (446) 100-112
The processes that drive magma formation beneath the Cascade arc and other warm-slab subduction zones have been debated because young oceanic crust is predicted to largely dehydrate beneath the forearc during subduction. In addition, geochemical variability along strike in the Cascades has led to contrasting interpretations about the role of...
Relating carbon and nitrogen isotope effects to reaction mechanisms during aerobic or anaerobic degradation of RDX (Hexahydro-1,3,5-Trinitro-1,3,5-Triazine) by pure bacterial cultures
Mark E. Fuller, Linnea J. Heraty, Charles W. Condee, Simon Vainberg, Neil C. Sturchio, J.K. Bohlke, Paul B. Hatzinger
2016, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (82) 3297-3309
Kinetic isotopic fractionation of carbon and nitrogen during RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) biodegradation was investigated with pure bacterial cultures under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Relatively large bulk enrichments in 15N were observed during biodegradation of RDX via anaerobic ring cleavage (ε15N = −12.7‰ ± 0.8‰) and anaerobic nitro reduction (ε15N = −9.9‰...
Preface: Impacts of extreme climate events and disturbances on carbon dynamics
Jingfeng Xiao, Shuguang Liu, Paul C. Stoy
2016, Biogeosciences (13) 3665-3675
The impacts of extreme climate events and disturbances (ECE&D) on the carbon cycle have received growing attention in recent years. This special issue showcases a collection of recent advances in understanding the impacts of ECE&D on carbon cycling. Notable advances include quantifying how harvesting activities impact forest structure, carbon pool...
Infrastructure system restoration planning using evolutionary algorithms
Steven Corns, Suzanna K. Long, Thomas G. Shoberg
2016, INCOSE International Symposium (26) 1947-1956
This paper presents an evolutionary algorithm to address restoration issues for supply chain interdependent critical infrastructure. Rapid restoration of infrastructure after a large-scale disaster is necessary to sustaining a nation's economy and security, but such long-term restoration has not been investigated as thoroughly as initial rescue and recovery efforts. A...
The statistical power to detect cross-scale interactions at macroscales
Tyler Wagner, C. Emi Fergus, Craig A. Stow, Kendra S. Cheruvelil, Patricia A. Soranno
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Macroscale studies of ecological phenomena are increasingly common because stressors such as climate and land-use change operate at large spatial and temporal scales. Cross-scale interactions (CSIs), where ecological processes operating at one spatial or temporal scale interact with processes operating at another scale, have been documented in a variety of...
Bayesian nitrate source apportionment to individual groundwater wells in the Central Valley by use of elemental and isotopic tracers
Katherine M Ransom, Mark N. Grote, Amanda Deinhart, Gary Eppich, Carol Kendall, Matthew E. Sanborn, A. Kate Sounders, Joshua Wimpenny, Qing-zhu Yin, Megan B. Young, Thomas Harter
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 5577-5597
Groundwater quality is a concern in alluvial aquifers that underlie agricultural areas, such as in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Shallow domestic wells (less than 150 m deep) in agricultural areas are often contaminated by nitrate. Agricultural and rural nitrate sources include dairy manure, synthetic fertilizers, and septic waste....
Predicting arsenic in drinking water wells of the Central Valley, California
Joseph D. Ayotte, Bernard T. Nolan, JoAnn M. Gronberg
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 7555-7563
Probabilities of arsenic in groundwater at depths used for domestic and public supply in the Central Valley of California are predicted using weak-learner ensemble models (boosted regression trees, BRT) and more traditional linear models (logistic regression, LR). Both methods captured major processes that affect arsenic concentrations, such as the chemical...
Fault zone characteristics and basin complexity in the southern Salton Trough, California
Patricia Persaud, Yiran Ma, Joann M. Stock, John A. Hole, Gary S. Fuis, Liang Han
2016, Geology (44) 747-750
Ongoing oblique slip at the Pacific–North America plate boundary in the Salton Trough produced the Imperial Valley (California, USA), a seismically active area with deformation distributed across a complex network of exposed and buried faults. To better understand the shallow crustal structure in this region and the connectivity of faults...
Rare earths: Market disruption, innovation, and global supply chains
Roderick Eggert, Cyrus Wadia, Corby Anderson, Diana Bauer, Fletcher Fields, Lawrence D. Meinert, Patrick Taylor
2016, Environment and Resources (41) 199-222
Rare earths, sometimes called the vitamins of modern materials, captured public attention when their prices increased more than ten-fold in 2010 and 2011. As prices fell between 2011 and 2016, rare earths receded from public view—but less visibly they became a major focus of innovative activity in companies, government laboratories...
Flood-inundation maps for Lake Champlain in Vermont and in northern Clinton County, New York
Robert H. Flynn, Laura Hayes
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5060
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximately100-mile length of Lake Champlain in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties in Vermont and northern Clinton County in New York were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the International Joint Commission (IJC). The flood-inundationmaps, which can be accessed through...
Updated logistic regression equations for the calculation of post-fire debris-flow likelihood in the western United States
Dennis M. Staley, Jacquelyn A. Negri, Jason W. Kean, Jayme L. Laber, Anne C. Tillery, Ann M. Youberg
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1106
Wildfire can significantly alter the hydrologic response of a watershed to the extent that even modest rainstorms can generate dangerous flash floods and debris flows. To reduce public exposure to hazard, the U.S. Geological Survey produces post-fire debris-flow hazard assessments for select fires in the western United States. We use...
Application of SPARROW modeling to understanding contaminant fate and transport from uplands to streams
Scott Ator, Ana Maria Garcia
2016, JAWRA (52) 685-704
Understanding spatial variability in contaminant fate and transport is critical to efficient regional water-quality restoration. An approach to capitalize on previously calibrated spatially referenced regression (SPARROW) models to improve the understanding of contaminant fate and transport was developed and applied to the case of nitrogen in the 166,000 km2 Chesapeake Bay watershed....
Historical habitat barriers prevent ring-like genetic continuity throughout the distribution of threatened Alameda Striped Racers (Coluber lateralis euryxanthus)
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Dustin A. Wood, Karen Swaim, Robert N. Fisher, Amy G. Vandergast
2016, Herpetologica (72) 202-213
We used microsatellites and mtDNA sequences to examine the mixed effects of geophysical, habitat, and contemporary urban barriers on the genetics of threatened Alameda Striped Racers (Coluber lateralis euryxanthus), a species with close ties to declining coastal scrub and chaparral habitat in the eastern San Francisco Bay area of California....
Adjusting annual maximum peak discharges at selected stations in northeastern Illinois for changes in land-use conditions
Thomas M. Over, Riki J. Saito, David T. Soong
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5049
The effects of urbanization on annual maximum peak discharges in northeastern Illinois and nearby areas from 1945 to 2009 were analyzed with a two-step longitudinal-quantile linear regression approach. The peak discharges were then adjusted to 2010 land-use conditions. The explanatory variables used were daily precipitation at the time of the...
Responses of bat social groups to roost loss: More questions than answers
Alexander Silvis, Nicole Abaid, W. Mark Ford, Eric R. Britzke
Jorge Ortega, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Sociality in bats
Though characterization of, and understanding determinants of, social structure in bats is increasing, little is known about how bat social groups respond to disturbance resulting in roost loss. Given that many species of bats roost in ephemeral or transitory resources such as plants, it is clear that bat social groups...
Three-dimensional visualization maps of suspended-sediment concentrations during placement of dredged material in 21st Avenue West Channel Embayment, Duluth-Superior Harbor, Duluth, Minnesota, 2015
Joel T. Groten, Christopher A. Ellison, Mollie H. Mahoney
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5086
Excess sediment in rivers and estuaries poses serious environmental and economic challenges. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) routinely dredges sediment in Federal navigation channels to maintain commercial shipping operations. The USACE initiated a 3-year pilot project in 2013 to use navigation channel dredged material to aid in restoration...
Predicting the stability of endangered stonecats in the LaPlatte River, Vermont
Elizabeth A. Puchala, Donna L. Parrish, Therese M. Donovan
2016, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (145) 903-912
Stonecats Noturus flavus in Vermont conform to a rare distribution pattern (as designated by Rabinowitz 1981) because their known distribution within the state is limited to the LaPlatte and Missisquoi rivers. We focused on Stonecats in the LaPlatte River to predict the stability of the population. During 2012–2014, we captured Stonecats via...
Misapplied survey data and model uncertainty result in incorrect conclusions about the role of predation on alewife population dynamics in Lake Huron: a comment on He et al. (2015)
Stephen C. Riley, Erin S. Dunlop
2016, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (73) 860-864
Drastic recent and ongoing changes to fish populations and food webs in the Great Lakes have been well-described (Riley et al. 2008; Barbiero et al. 2009; Nalepa et al. 2009; Fahnenstiel et al. 2010;Evans et al. 2011; Gobin et al. 2015), and uncertainty regarding their potential effects on...
Saharan dust nutrients promote Vibrio bloom formation in marine surface waters
Jason R. Westrich, Alina M. Ebling, William M. Landing, Jessica L. Joyner, Keri M. Kemp, Dale W. Griffin, Erin K. Lipp
2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (113) 5964-5969
Vibrio is a ubiquitous genus of marine bacteria, typically comprising a small fraction of the total microbial community in surface waters, but capable of becoming a dominant taxon in response to poorly characterized factors. Iron (Fe), often restricted by limited bioavailability and low external supply, is an essential micronutrient that can...
Modeled historical land use and land cover for the conterminous United States
Terry L. Sohl, Ryan R. Reker, Michelle A. Bouchard, Kristi L. Sayler, Jordan Dornbierer, Steve Wika, Robert Quenzer, Aaron M. Friesz
2016, Journal of Land Use Science (11) 476-499
The landscape of the conterminous United States has changed dramatically over the last 200 years, with agricultural land use, urban expansion, forestry, and other anthropogenic activities altering land cover across vast swaths of the country. While land use and land cover (LULC) models have been developed to model potential future...
Assessing the relationship between groundwater nitrate and animal feeding operations in Iowa (USA)
Keith W. Zirkle, Bernard T. Nolan, Rena R. Jones, Peter J. Weyer, Mary H. Ward, David C. Wheeler
2016, Science of the Total Environment (566-567) 1062-1068
Nitrate-nitrogen is a common contaminant of drinking water in many agricultural areas of the United States of America (USA). Ingested nitrate from contaminated drinking water has been linked to an increased risk of several cancers, specific birth defects, and other diseases. In this research, we assessed the relationship between animal...
Isotopically constrained lead sources in fugitive dust from unsurfaced roads in the southeast Missouri mining district
Emitt C. Witt III, Michael J. Pribil, John P. Hogan, David Wronkiewicz
2016, Environmental Pollution (216) 450-459
The isotopic composition of lead (Pb) in fugitive dust suspended by a vehicle from 13 unsurfaced roads in Missouri was measured to identify the source of Pb within an established long-term mining area. A three end-member model using 207Pb/206Pb and concentration as tracers resulted in fugitive dust samples plotting in the...
