High-frequency, long-duration water sampling in acid mine drainage studies: a short review of current methods and recent advances in automated water samplers
Thomas Chapin
2015, Applied Geochemistry (59) 118-124
Hand-collected grab samples are the most common water sampling method but using grab sampling to monitor temporally variable aquatic processes such as diel metal cycling or episodic events is rarely feasible or cost-effective. Currently available automated samplers are a proven, widely used technology and typically collect up to 24 samples...
Enhanced biological processes associated with alopecia in polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Jeffrey L. Stott, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Todd C. Atwood
2015, Science of the Total Environment (529) 114-120
Populations of wildlife species worldwide experience incidents of mass morbidity and mortality. Primary or secondary drivers of these events may escape classical detection methods for identifying microbial insults, toxin exposure, or additional stressors. In 2012, 28% of polar bears sampled in a study in the southern Beaufort Sea region of...
Evaluating unsupervised methods to size and classify suspended particles using digital in-line holography
Emlyn J. Davies, Daniel D. Buscombe, George W. Graham, W. Alex M. Nimmo-Smith
2015, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology (32) 1241-1256
Substantial information can be gained from digital in-line holography of marine particles, eliminating depth-of-field and focusing errors associated with standard lens-based imaging methods. However, for the technique to reach its full potential in oceanographic research, fully unsupervised (automated) methods are required for focusing, segmentation, sizing and classification of particles. These...
Unintended consequences of management actions in salt pond restoration: cascading effects in trophic interactions
John Y. Takekawa, Joshua T. Ackerman, Arriana Brand, Tanya R. Graham, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark P. Herzog, Brent R. Topping, Gregory Shellenbarger, James S. Kuwabara, Eric Mruz, Sara L. Piotter, Nicole D. Athearn
2015, PLoS ONE (10) 1-15
Salt evaporation ponds have played an important role as habitat for migratory waterbirds across the world, however, efforts to restore and manage these habitats to maximize their conservation value has proven to be challenging. For example, salinity reduction has been a goal for restoring and managing former salt evaporation ponds...
Computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) modelling as an exploratory tool for assessing passability of riverine migratory challenge zones for fish
Alexander J. Haro, Michael Chelminski, Robert W. Dudley
2015, River Research and Applications (31) 526-537
We developed two-dimensional computational fluid hydraulics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) models to identify and qualitatively assess potential zones of shallow water depth and high water velocity that may present passage challenges for five major anadromous fish species in a 2.63-km reach of the main stem Penobscot River, Maine, as a result...
Stable isotopes suggest low site fidelity in Bar-Headed Geese (Anser indicus) in Mongolia: Implications for disease transmission
Eli S. Bridge, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Xiangming Xiao, Nyambayar Batbayar, Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj, Nichola J. Hill, John Y. Takekawa, Lucy A. Hawkes, Charles M. Bishop, Patrick J. Butler, Scott H. Newman
2015, Waterbirds (38) 123-132
Population connectivity is an important consideration in studies of disease transmission and biological conservation, especially with regard to migratory species. Determining how and when different subpopulations intermingle during different phases of the annual cycle can help identify important geographical regions or features as targets for conservation efforts and can help...
Dynamic hypoxic zones in Lake Erie compress fish habitat, altering vulnerability to fishing gears
Richard T. Kraus, Carey T. Knight, Troy M. Farmer, Ann Marie Gorman, Paris D. Collingsworth, Glenn J. Warren, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Joseph D. Conroy
2015, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (72) 797-806
Seasonal degradation of aquatic habitats from hypoxia occurs in numerous freshwater and coastal marine systems and can result in direct mortality or displacement of fish. Yet, fishery landings from these systems are frequently unresponsive to changes in the severity and extent of hypoxia, and population-scale effects have been difficult to...
The changing strength and nature of fire-climate relationships in the northern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A., 1902-2008
Jeremy S. Littell
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Time-varying fire-climate relationships may represent an important component of fire-regime variability, relevant for understanding the controls of fire and projecting fire activity under global-change scenarios. We used time-varying statistical models to evaluate if and how fire-climate relationships varied from 1902-2008, in one of the most flammable forested regions of the...
Linking carbon and water limitations to drought-induced mortality of Pinus flexilis seedlings
Keith Reinhardt, Matthew J. Germino, Lara M. Kueppers, Jean-Christophe Domec, Jeffry Mitton
2015, Tree Physiology (35) 771-782
Survival of tree seedlings at high elevations has been shown to be limited by thermal constraints on carbon balance, but it is unknown if carbon relations also limit seedling survival at lower elevations, where water relations may be more important. We measured and modeled carbon fluxes and water relations in...
Hydrology: The interdisciplinary science of water
Richard M. Vogel, Upmanu Lall, Ximing Cai, Balaji Rajagopalan, Peter K. Weiskel, Richard P. Hooper, Nicholas C. Matalas
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 4409-4430
We live in a world where biophysical and social processes are tightly coupled. Hydrologic systems change in response to a variety of natural and human forces such as climate variability and change, water use and water infrastructure, and land cover change. In turn, changes in hydrologic systems impact socioeconomic, ecological,...
Plant-plant interactions in a subtropical mangrove-to-marsh transition zone: effects of environmental drivers
Rebecca J. Howard, Ken W. Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Richard H. Day, Janelda M. Biagas, Larry K. Allain
2015, Journal of Vegetation Science (26) 1198-1211
Questions Does the presence of herbaceous vegetation affect the establishment success of mangrove tree species in the transition zone between subtropical coastal mangrove forests and marshes? How do plant–plant interactions in this transition zone respond to variation in two primary coastal environmental drivers? Location Subtropical coastal region...
Effects of the light goose conservation order on non-target waterfowl distribution during spring migration
Andrew J. Dinges, Elisabeth B. Webb, Mark P. Vrtiska
2015, Wildlife Biology (21) 88-97
The Light Goose Conservation Order (LGCO) was initiated in 1999 to reduce mid-continent populations of light geese (lesser snow geese Chen caerulescens and Ross's geese C. rossi). However, concern about potential for LGCO activities (i.e. hunting activities) to negatively impact non-target waterfowl species during spring migration in the Rainwater Basin (RWB) of Nebraska...
Climate change projections for lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) recruitment in the 1836 Treaty Waters of the Upper Great Lakes
Abigail J. Lynch, William W. Taylor, T. Douglas Beard Jr., Brent M. Lofgren
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 415-422
Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is an ecologically, culturally, and economically important species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Lake whitefish have been a staple food source for thousands of years and, since 1980, have supported the most economically valuable (annual catch value ≈ US$16.6 million) and productive (annual harvest ≈ 7 million kg) commercial fishery...
Demographic and spatiotemporal patterns of avian influenza infection at the continental scale, and in relation to annual life cycle of a migratory host
Rodolfo Nallar, Zsuzsanna Papp, Tasha Epp, Frederick A. Leighton, Seth R. Swafford, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Robert J. Dusek, S. Ip, Jeffrey S. Hall, Yohannes Berhane, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, Catherine Soos
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Since the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in the eastern hemisphere, numerous surveillance programs and studies have been undertaken to detect the occurrence, distribution, or spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV) in wild bird populations worldwide. To identify demographic determinants and spatiotemporal patterns of AIV infection in...
Using occupancy models to accommodate uncertainty in the interpretation of aerial photograph data: status of beaver in Central Oregon, USA
Christopher A. Pearl, M. J. Adams, Patricia K. Haggerty, Leslie Urban
2015, Wildlife Society Bulletin (2) 319-325
Beavers (Castor canadensis) influence habitat for many species and pose challenges in developed landscapes. They are increasingly viewed as a cost-efficient means of riparian habitat restoration and water storage. Still, information on their status is rare, particularly in western North America. We used aerial photography to evaluate changes in beaver...
Roost selection by Rafinesque’s big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) in a pristine habitat at three spatial scales
Jessica S. Lucas, Susan C. Loeb, Patrick G.R. Jodice
2015, Acta Chiropterologica (17) 131-141
Although several studies have described roost use by Rafinesque's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii), few studies have examined roost selection. We examined roost use and selection by Rafinesque's big-eared bat at the tree, stand, and landscape scales during the maternity season in pristine old-growth habitat in the Coastal Plain of South...
Getting ocean acidification on decision makers' to-do lists: dissecting the process through case studies
Sarah R. Cooley, Elizabeth B. Jewett, Julie Reichert, Lisa L. Robbins, Gyami Shrestha, Dan Wieczorek, Stephen B. Weisberg
2015, Oceanography 198-211
Much of the detailed, incremental knowledge being generated by current scientific research on ocean acidification (OA) does not directly address the needs of decision makers, who are asking broad questions such as: Where will OA harm marine resources next? When will this happen? Who will be affected? And how much...
Applied Geochemistry Special Issue on Environmental geochemistry of modern mining
Robert R. Seal II, D. Kirk Nordstrom
2015, Applied Geochemistry (57) 1-2
Environmental geochemistry is an integral part of the mine-life cycle, particularly for modern mining. The critical importance of environmental geochemistry begins with pre-mining baseline characterization and the assessment of environmental risks related to mining, continues through active mining especially in water and waste management practices, and culminates in mine...
Application of science-based restoration planning to a desert river system
Brian G. Laub, Justin Jimenez, Phaedra E. Budy
2015, Environmental Management (55) 1246-1261
Persistence of many desert river species is threatened by a suite of impacts linked to water infrastructure projects that provide human water security where water is scarce. Many desert rivers have undergone regime shifts from spatially and temporally dynamic ecosystems to more stable systems dominated by homogenous physical habitat. Restoration...
A multi-proxy record of hydroclimate, vegetation, fire, and post-settlement impacts for a subalpine plateau, Central Rocky Mountains U.S.A
Lesleigh Anderson, Andrea Brunelle, Robert S. Thompson
2015, The Holocene (25) 932-943
Apparent changes in vegetation distribution, fire, and other disturbance regimes throughout western North America have prompted investigations of the relative importance of human activities and climate change as potential causal mechanisms. Assessing the effects of Euro-American settlement is difficult because climate changes occur on multi-decadal to centennial time scales and...
An evaluation of the residual toxicity and chemistry of a sodium hydroxide-based ballast water treatment system for freshwater ships
Adria Elskus, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Nile E. Kemble, Kathy R. Echols, William G. Brumbaugh, Jeffrey W. Henquinet, Barnaby J. Watten
2015, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (34) 1405-1416
Nonnative organisms in the ballast water of freshwater ships must be killed to prevent the spread of invasive species. The ideal ballast water treatment system (BWTS) would kill 100% of ballast water organisms with minimal residual toxicity to organisms in receiving waters. In the present study, the residual toxicity and...
Aspect-dependent soil saturation and insight into debris-flow initiation during extreme rainfall in the Colorado Front Range
Brian A. Ebel, Francis K. Rengers, Gregory E. Tucker
2015, Geology (43) 659-662
Hydrologic processes during extreme rainfall events are poorly characterized because of the rarity of measurements. Improved understanding of hydrologic controls on natural hazards is needed because of the potential for substantial risk during extreme precipitation events. We present field measurements of the degree of soil saturation and estimates of available...
Suburbanization, estrogen contamination, and sex ratio in wild amphibian populations
Max R. Lambert, Geoffrey S. J. Giller, Larry B. Barber, Kevin C. Fitzgerald, David K. Skelly
2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (112) 11881-11886
Research on endocrine disruption in frog populations, such as shifts in sex ratios and feminization of males, has predominantly focused on agricultural pesticides. Recent evidence suggests that suburban landscapes harbor amphibian populations exhibiting similar levels of endocrine disruption; however the endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) sources are unknown. Here, we show...
Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation
Kate M. Campbell, Tanya J. Gallegos, Edward R. Landa
2015, Applied Geochemistry (57) 206-235
Natural uranium (U) occurs as a mixture of three radioactive isotopes: 238U, 235U, and 234U. Only 235U is fissionable and makes up about 0.7% of natural U, while 238U is overwhelmingly the most abundant at greater than 99% of the total mass of U. Prior to the 1940s, U...
Sediment source apportionment in Laurel Hill Creek, PA, using Bayesian chemical mass balance and isotope fingerprinting
Heather Stewart, Arash Massoudieh, Allen C. Gellis
2015, Hydrological Processes (29) 2545-2560
A Bayesian chemical mass balance (CMB) approach was used to assess the contribution of potential sources for fluvial samples from Laurel Hill Creek in southwest Pennsylvania. The Bayesian approach provides joint probability density functions of the sources' contributions considering the uncertainties due to source and fluvial sample heterogeneity and measurement...
