Unsteady flow in natural compound channel: Experiment and simulation
Francisco J. Simoes, Paul J. Kinzel
2016, Conference Paper, River flow 2012: Proceedings of the International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics
Phragmites Australis, or common reed, is an invasive plant species that has spread along channels of the Platte River (Nebraska, USA), adversely altering the biogeomorphology of the system. Of particular interest have been the impacts on riparian habitat, specifically the reduction of suitable areas for crane roosting and shorebird nesting....
Tabulated Transmissivity and Storage Properties of the Floridan Aquifer System in Florida and Parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama
Eve L. Kuniansky, Jason C. Bellino
2016, Data Series 669
A goal of the U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Resources Program is to assess the availability of fresh water within each of the principal aquifers in the United States with the greatest groundwater withdrawals. The Floridan aquifer system (FAS), which covers an area of approximately 100,000 square miles in Florida and...
Integrated water flow model and modflow-farm process: A comparison of theory, approaches, and features of two integrated hydrologic models
Emin C. Dogrul, Wolfgang Schmid, Randall T. Hanson, Tariq Kadir, Francis Chung
2016, Report
Effective modeling of conjunctive use of surface and subsurface water resources requires simulation of land use-based root zone and surface flow processes as well as groundwater flows, streamflows, and their interactions. Recently, two computer models developed for this purpose, the Integrated Water Flow Model (IWFM) from the California Department of...
Determination of dilution factors for discharge of aluminum-containing wastes by public water-supply treatment facilities into lakes and reservoirs in Massachusetts
John A. Colman, Andrew J. Massey, Sara L. Brandt
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5136
Dilution of aluminum discharged to reservoirs in filter-backwash effluents at water-treatment facilities in Massachusetts was investigated by a field study and computer simulation. Determination of dilution is needed so that permits for discharge ensure compliance with water-quality standards for aquatic life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chronic standard for aluminum,...
Wildfire, climate, and invasive grass interactions negatively impact an indicator species by reshaping sagebrush ecosystems
Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Brian G. Prochazka, Matthew L. Brooks, Kevin E. Doherty, Travis Kroger, Erik J. Blomberg, Christian A. Hagen, Michael L. Casazza
2016, PNAS (113) 12745-12750
Iconic sagebrush ecosystems of the American West are threatened by larger and more frequent wildfires that can kill sagebrush and facilitate invasion by annual grasses, creating a cycle that alters sagebrush ecosystem recovery post disturbance. Thwarting this accelerated grass–fire cycle is at the forefront of current national conservation efforts, yet...
Development and evaluation of clear-water pier and contraction scour envelope curves in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont Provinces of South Carolina
Stephen T. Benedict, Andral W. Caldwell
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5289
The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation collected clear-water pier- and contraction-scour data at 116 bridges in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont Physiographic Provinces of South Carolina. Pier-scour depths collected in both provinces ranged from 0 to 8.0 feet. Contraction-scour depths collected in the...
Surface-water quality in agricultural watersheds of the North Carolina Coastal Plain associated with concentrated animal feeding operations
Stephen L. Harden
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5080
The effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on water quality were investigated at 54 agricultural stream sites throughout the North Carolina Coastal Plain during 2012 and 2013. Three general watershed land-use types were examined during the study, including 18 background watersheds with no active CAFOs (BK sites), 18 watersheds...
Preliminary methodology to assess the national and regional impact of U.S. wind energy development on birds and bats
James E. Diffendorfer, Julie A. Beston, Matthew D. Merrill, Jessica C. Stanton, M.D. Corum, Scott R. Loss, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Douglas H. Johnson, Richard A. Erickson, Kevin W. Heist
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5066
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a methodology to assess the impacts of wind energy development on wildlife; it is a probabilistic, quantitative assessment methodology that can communicate to decision makers and the public the magnitude of these effects on species populations. The methodology is currently applicable to birds and...
Activity-specific ecological niche models for planning reintroductions of California condors (Gymnogyps californianus)
Jesse D'Elia, Susan M. Haig, Matthew J. Johnson, Bruce G. Marcot, Richard Young
2015, Biological Conservation (184) 90-99
Ecological niche models can be a useful tool to identify candidate reintroduction sites for endangered species but have been infrequently used for this purpose. In this paper, we (1) develop activity-specific ecological niche models (nesting, roosting, and feeding) for the critically endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) to aid in reintroduction...
Projected changes in diverse ecosystems from climate warming and biophysical drivers in northwest Alaska
Mark Torre Jorgenson, Bruce G. Marcot, David K. Swanson, Janet C. Jorgenson, Anthony R. DeGange
2015, Climatic Change (130) 131-144
Climate warming affects arctic and boreal ecosystems by interacting with numerous biophysical factors across heterogeneous landscapes. To assess potential effects of warming on diverse local-scale ecosystems (ecotypes) across northwest Alaska, we compiled data on historical areal changes over the last 25–50 years. Based on historical rates of change relative to time...
Demographic rates and population viability of black bears in Louisiana
Jared S. Laufenberg, Joseph D. Clark, Michael J. Hooker, Carrie L. Lowe, Kaitlin C. O’Connell-Goode, Jesse C. Troxler, Maria M. Davidson, Michael J. Chamberlain, Richard B. Chandler
2015, Wildlife Monographs (194) 1-37
The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) was reduced to a few small, fragmented, and isolated subpopulations in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley by the mid-twentieth century resulting from loss and fragmentation of habitat. In 1992, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) granted the Louisiana black bear threatened...
Collapse risk of buildings in the Pacific Northwest region due to subduction earthquakes
Meera Raghunandan, Abbie B. Liel, Nico Luco
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) 2087-2115
Subduction earthquakes similar to the 2011 Japan and 2010 Chile events will occur in the future in the Cascadia subduction zone in the Pacific Northwest. In this paper, nonlinear dynamic analyses are carried out on 24 buildings designed according to outdated and modern building codes for the cities of Seattle,...
Management of aspen in a changing environment
Douglas J. Shinneman, Anne S. Halford, Cheri Howell, Kevin Krasnow, Eva K. Strand
Jeanne Chambers, editor(s)
2015, Report
Aspen communities are biologically rich and ecologically valuable, yet they face myriad threats, including changing climate, altered fire regimes, and excessive browsing by domestic and wild ungulates. Recognizing the different types of aspen communities that occur in the Great Basin, and being able to distinguish between seral and stable aspen stands,...
Application-ready expedited MODIS data for operational land surface monitoring of vegetation condition
Jesslyn F. Brown, Daniel M. Howard, Bruce K. Wylie, Aaron M. Friesz, Lei Ji, Carolyn Gacke
2015, Remote Sensing (7) 16226-16240
Monitoring systems benefit from high temporal frequency image data collected from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) system. Because of near-daily global coverage, MODIS data are beneficial to applications that require timely information about vegetation condition related to drought, flooding, or fire danger. Rapid satellite data streams in operational applications...
The influence of food abundance, food dispersion and habitat structure on territory selection and size of an Afrotropical terrestrial insectivore
Thomas R. Stanley, William D. Newmark
2015, Ostrich (87) 199-207
Most tropical insectivorous birds, unlike their temperate counterparts, hold and defend a feeding and breeding territory year-around. However, our understanding of ecological factors influencing territory selection and size in tropical insectivores is limited. Here we examine three prominent hypotheses relating food abundance, food dispersion (spatial arrangement of food items), and...
Resolving bathymetry from airborne gravity along Greenland fjords
Alexandra Boghosian, Kirsty Tinto, James R. Cochran, David Porter, Stefan Elieff, Bethany L. Burton, Robin E. Bell
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (120) 8516-8533
Recent glacier mass loss in Greenland has been attributed to encroaching warming waters, but knowledge of fjord bathymetry is required to investigate this mechanism. The bathymetry in many Greenland fjords is unmapped and difficult to measure. From 2010 to 2012, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Operation IceBridge collected a unique...
Effects of groundwater pumping on agricultural drains in the Tule Lake subbasin, Oregon and California
Esther M. Pischel, Marshall W. Gannett
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5087
Since 2001, irrigators in the upper Klamath Basin have increasingly turned to groundwater to compensate for reductions in surface-water allocation caused by shifts from irrigation use to instream flows for Endangered Species Act listed fishes. The largest increase in groundwater pumping has been in and around the Bureau of...
Climate changes, shifting ranges
Stephanie S. Romanach
2015, Report
Even a fleeting mention of the Everglades conjures colorful images of alligators, panthers, flamingos, and manatees. Over the centuries, this familiar cast of characters has become synonymous with life in south Florida. But the workings of a changing climate have the potential to significantly alter the menagerie of animals that...
Dynamic reserve design in the face of climate change and urbanization
Stephanie S. Romanach, Fred A. Johnson, Bradley Stith, Mathieu Bonneau
2015, Report
Reserve design is a process that must address many ecological, social, and political factors to successfully identify parcels of land in need of protection to sustain wildlife populations and other natural resources. Making land acquisition choices for a large, terrestrial protected area is difficult because it occurs over a long...
Factors influencing recruitment of walleye and white bass to three distinct early ontogenetic stages
Jason A. DeBoer, Kevin L. Pope
2015, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (25) 504-517
Determining the factors that influence recruitment to sequential ontogenetic stages is critical for understanding recruitment dynamics of fish and for effective management of sportfish, particularly in dynamic and unpredictable environments. We sampled walleye (Sander vitreus) and white bass (Morone chrysops) at 3 ontogenetic stages (age 0 during spring: ‘age-0 larval’;...
Final project memorandum: sea-level rise modeling handbook: resource guide for resource managers, engineers, and scientists
Thomas W. Doyle
2015, Conference Paper
Coastal wetlands of the Southeastern United States are undergoing retreat and migration from increasing tidal inundation and saltwater intrusion attributed to climate variability and sea-level rise. Much of the literature describing potential sea-level rise projections and modeling predictions are found in peer-reviewed academic journals or government technical reports largely suited...
Modeling the present and future geographic distribution of the Lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae), in the continental United States
Yuri P. Springer, Catherine S. Jarnevich, David T. Barnett, Andrew J. Monaghan, Rebecca J. Eisen
2015, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (93) 875-890
The Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum L.) is the primary vector for pathogens of significant public health importance in North America, yet relatively little is known about its current and potential future distribution. Building on a published summary of tick collection records, we used an ensemble modeling approach to predict the...
Applications of genetic data to improve management and conservation of river fishes and their habitats
Kim T. Scribner, Winsor H. Lowe, Erin L. Landguth, Gordon Luikart, Dana M. Infante, Gary Whelan, Clint C. Muhlfeld
2015, Fisheries (41) 174-188
Environmental variation and landscape features affect ecological processes in fluvial systems; however, assessing effects at management-relevant temporal and spatial scales is challenging. Genetic data can be used with landscape models and traditional ecological assessment data to identify biodiversity hotspots, predict ecosystem responses to anthropogenic effects, and detect impairments to...
Using hierarchical Bayesian multi-species mixture models to estimate tandem hoop-net based habitat associations and detection probabilities of fishes in reservoirs
David R. Stewart, James M. Long
2015, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (145) 450-461
Species distribution models are useful tools to evaluate habitat relationships of fishes. We used hierarchical Bayesian multispecies mixture models to evaluate the relationships of both detection and abundance with habitat of reservoir fishes caught using tandem hoop nets. A total of 7,212 fish from 12 species were captured, and the...
The relationship between vessel traffic and noise levels received by killer whales (Orcinus orca)
Juliana Houghton, Marla M. Holt, Deborah A. Giles, M. Bradley Hanson, Candice K. Emmons, Jeffrey T. Hogan, Trevor A. Branch, Glenn R. VanBlaricom
2015, PLoS ONE (10) 1-20
Whale watching has become increasingly popular as an ecotourism activity around the globe and is beneficial for environmental education and local economies. Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) comprise an endangered population that is frequently observed by a large whale watching fleet in the inland waters of Washington state and...
