Characterizing the distribution of an endangered salmonid using environmental DNA analysis
Matthew B. Laramie, David S. Pilliod, Caren S. Goldberg
2015, Biological Conservation (183) 29-37
Determining species distributions accurately is crucial to developing conservation and management strategies for imperiled species, but a challenging task for small populations. We evaluated the efficacy of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for improving detection and thus potentially refining the known distribution of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Methow and...
Quantification of eDNA shedding rates from invasive bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Katy E. Klymus, Cathy A. Richter, Duane Chapman, Craig P. Paukert
2015, Biological Conservation (183) 77-84
Wildlife managers can more easily mitigate the effects of invasive species if action takes place before a population becomes established. Such early detection requires sensitive survey tools that can detect low numbers of individuals. Due to their high sensitivity, environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys hold promise as an early detection method...
Intercontinental genetic structure and gene flow in Dunlin (Calidris alpina), a potential vector of avian influenza
Mark P. Miller, Susan M. Haig, Thomas D. Mullins, Luzhang Ruan, Bruce Casler, Alexei Dondua, H. River Gates, J. Matthew Johnson, Steven J. Kendall, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Diane Tracy, Olga P. Valchuk, Richard B. Lanctot
2015, Evolutionary Applications (8) 149-171
Waterfowl (Anseriformes) and shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are the most common wild vectors of influenza A viruses. Due to their migratory behavior, some may transmit disease over long distances. Migratory connectivity studies can link breeding and nonbreeding grounds while illustrating potential interactions among populations that may spread diseases. We investigated Dunlin (Calidris...
The influence of disturbed habitat on the spatial ecology of Argentine black and white tegu (Tupinambis merianae), a recent invader in the Everglades ecosystem (Florida, USA)
Page E. Klug, Robert N. Reed, Frank J. Mazzotti, Michelle A. McEachern, Joy J. Vinci, Katelin K. Craven, Amy A. Yackel Adams
2015, Biological Invasions (17) 1785-1797
The threat of invasive species is often intensified in disturbed habitat. To optimize control programs, it is necessary to understand how degraded habitat influences the behavior of invasive species. We conducted a radio telemetry study to characterize movement and habitat use of introduced male Argentine black and white tegus (Tupinambis...
Chemical constituents in groundwater from multiple zones in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2009-13
Roy C. Bartholomay, Candice B. Hopkins, Neil V. Maimer
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5002
From 2009 to 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project office, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, collected water-quality samples from multiple water-bearing zones in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer. Water samples were collected from 11 monitoring wells completed in about 250–750 feet of the...
Origin of Atlantic Sturgeon collected off the Delaware coast during spring months
Isaac Wirgin, Matthew W. Breece, Dewayne A. Fox, Lorraine Maceda, Kevin W. Wark, Tim L. King
2015, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (35) 20-30
Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus was federally listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as five distinct population segments (DPS). Currently, at least 18 estuaries coastwide host spawning populations and the viability of these vary, requiring differing levels of protection. Subadults emigrate from their natal estuaries to marine waters where they are...
Assessment of surface water chloride and conductivity trends in areas of unconventional oil and gas development — Why existing national data sets cannot tell us what we would like to know
Zachary H. Bowen, Gretchen P. Oelsner, Brian S. Cade, Tanya J. Gallegos, Aida M. Farag, David N. Mott, Christopher J. Potter, Peter J. Cinotto, Melanie L. Clark, William M. Kappel, Timothy M. Kresse, Cynthia P. Melcher, Suzanne S. Paschke, David D. Susong, Brian A. Varela
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 704-715
Heightened concern regarding the potential effects of unconventional oil and gas development on regional water quality has emerged, but the few studies on this topic are limited in geographic scope. Here we evaluate the potential utility of national and publicly available water-quality data sets for addressing questions regarding unconventional oil...
California State Waters Map Series — Offshore of Pacifica, California
Brian D. Edwards, Eleyne L. Phillips, Peter Dartnell, H. Gary Greene, Carrie K. Bretz, Rikk G. Kvitek, Stephen R. Hartwell, Samuel Y. Johnson, Guy R. Cochrane, Bryan E. Dieter, Ray W. Sliter, Stephanie L. Ross, Nadine E. Golden, Janet Tilden Watt, John L. Chinn, Mercedes D. Erdey, Lisa M. Krigsman, Michael W. Manson, Charles A. Endris
Susan A. Cochran, Brian D. Edwards, editor(s)
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1260
In 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,...
Proximity to encroaching coconut palm limits native forest water use and persistence on a Pacific atoll
Ken W. Krauss, Jamie A. Duberstein, Nicole Cormier, Hillary S. Young, Stacie A. Hathaway
2015, Ecohydrology (8) 1514-1524
Competition for fresh water between native and introduced plants is one important challenge facing native forests as rainfall variability increases. Competition can be especially acute for vegetation on Pacific atolls, which depend upon consistent rainfall to replenish shallow groundwater stores. Patterns of sap flow, water use, and diameter growth of...
Flood-inundation mapping for the Blue River and selected tributaries in Kansas City, Missouri, and vicinity, 2012
David C. Heimann, Trina E. Weilert, Brian P. Kelly, Seth E. Studley
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3008
Kansas City, Missouri, has severely flooded many times, most notably in 1951, 1961, 1977, 1984, 1990, 1998, and 2010. During the past 30 years these floods resulted in damages within Kansas City costing tens of millions of dollars and more than 25 casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and City of...
Wildlife specimen collection, preservation, and shipment
C. LeAnn White, Robert J. Dusek
J. Christian Franson, Milton Friend, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, Margaret A. Wild, editor(s)
2015, Techniques and Methods 15-C4
Specimens are used to provide supporting information leading to the determination of the cause of disease or death in wildlife and for disease monitoring or surveillance. Commonly used specimens for wildlife disease investigations include intact carcasses, tissues from carcasses, euthanized or moribund animals, parasites, ingested food, feces, or environmental samples....
Hydrologic record extension of water-level data in the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN), 1991-99
Paul Conrads, Matthew D. Petkewich, Andrew M. O’Reilly, Pamela A. Telis
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5226
The real-time Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) has been established to support a variety of scientific and water management purposes. The expansiveness of the Everglades, limited number of gaging stations, and extreme sensitivity of the ecosystem to small changes in water depth have created a need for accurate water-level and...
Bathymetry of the Wilderness breach at Fire Island, New York, June 2013
Andrew T. Brownell, Cheryl J. Hapke, Nicholas J. Spore, Jesse E. McNinch
2015, Data Series 914
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, to collect shallow water bathymetric data of the Wilderness breach on Fire Island, New York, in June 2013. The...
Flood-inundation maps for Indian Creek and Tomahawk Creek, Johnson County, Kansas, 2014
Arin J. Peters, Seth E. Studley
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5202
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.4-mile upper reach of Indian Creek from College Boulevard to the confluence with Tomahawk Creek, a 3.9-mile reach of Tomahawk Creek from 127th Street to the confluence with Indian Creek, and a 1.9-mile lower reach of Indian Creek from the confluence with Tomahawk Creek to...
Landscape-level terrestrial methane flux observed from a very tall tower
Ankur R. Desai, Ke Xu, Hanqin Tian, Peter Weishampel, Jonthan Thom, Daniel D. Baumann, Arlyn E. Andrews, Bruce D. Cook, Jennifer Y. King, Randall Kolka
2015, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (201) 61-75
Simulating the magnitude and variability of terrestrial methane sources and sinks poses a challenge to ecosystem models because the biophysical and biogeochemical processes that lead to methane emissions from terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems are, by their nature, episodic and spatially disjunct. As a consequence, model predictions of regional methane emissions...
Switching predominance of organic versus inorganic carbon exports from an intermediate-size subarctic watershed
Mark M. Dornblaser, Robert G. Striegl
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 386-394
Hydrologic exports of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC, DOC) reflect permafrost conditions in arctic and subarctic river basins. DIC yields in particular, increase with decreased permafrost extent. We investigated the influence of permafrost extent on DIC and DOC yield in a tributary of the Yukon River, where the upper...
A model for evaluating stream temperature response to climate change in Wisconsin
Jana S. Stewart, Stephen M. Westenbroek, Matthew G. Mitro, John D. Lyons, Leah E. Kammel, Cheryl A. Buchwald
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5186
Expected climatic changes in air temperature and precipitation patterns across the State of Wisconsin may alter future stream temperature and flow regimes. As a consequence of flow and temperature changes, the composition and distribution of fish species assemblages are expected to change. In an effort to gain a better understanding...
Evaluating the piscicide rotenone as an option for eradication of invasive Mozambique tilapia in a Hawaiian brackish-water wetland complex
Leo Nico, Ronald A. Englund, Howard L. Jelks
2015, Management of Biological Invasions (6) 83-104
Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus were recently discovered in ‘Aimakapā Fishpond, a 12-hectare brackish-water wetland complex in Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, on the Island of Hawai’i. As a possible eradication method, we evaluated rotenone, a natural piscicide used in fish management and the active ingredient in plants traditionally used by indigenous Hawaiians for...
Dynamics within geyser conduits, and sensitivity to environmental perturbations: insights from a periodic geyser in the El Tatio Geyser Field, Atacama Desert, Chile
Carolina Munoz-Saez, Michael Manga, Shaul Hurwitz, Maxwell L. Rudolph, Atsuko Namiki, Chi-Yuen Wang
2015, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (292) 41-55
Despite more than 200 years of scientific study, the internal dynamics of geyser systems remain poorly characterized. As a consequence, there remain fundamental questions about what processes initiate and terminate eruptions, and where eruptions begin. Over a one-week period in October 2012, we collected down-hole measurements of pressure and temperature in...
Direct measurement of asperity contact growth in quartz at hydrothermal conditions
Nicholas M. Beeler, Stephen H. Hickman
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (120) 3599-3616
Earthquake recurrence requires interseismic fault restrengthening which results from solid state deformation in room-temperature friction and indentation experiments. In contrast exhumed fault zones show solution-transport processes such as pressure solution and contact overgrowths influence fault zone properties . In the absence of fluid flow, overgrowths are driven by gradients in...
Depth-dependent groundwater quality sampling at City of Tallahassee test well 32, Leon County, Florida, 2013
W. Scott McBride, Michael A. Wacker
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1255
Public-supply wells sometimes produce water of less than desirable quality because contaminants can migrate to the open interval of wells through preferential pathways. If these pathways can be identified, zones that produce poor quality water can be excluded during the well-construction process. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed geophysical testing...
Instrumenting caves to collect hydrologic and geochemical data: case study from James Cave, Virginia
Madeline E. Schreiber, Benjamin F. Schwartz, William Orndorff, Daniel H. Doctor, Sarah D. Eagle, Jonathan D. Gerst
2015, Book chapter, Advances in watershed science and assessment
Karst aquifers are productive groundwater systems, supplying approximately 25 % of the world’s drinking water. Sustainable use of this critical water supply requires information about rates of recharge to karst aquifers. The overall goal of this project is to collect long-term, high-resolution hydrologic and geochemical datasets at James Cave, Virginia,...
Determining the importance of model calibration for forecasting absolute/relative changes in streamflow from LULC and climate changes
Rewati Niraula, Thomas Meixner, Laura M. Norman
2015, Journal of Hydrology (522) 439-451
Land use/land cover (LULC) and climate changes are important drivers of change in streamflow. Assessing the impact of LULC and climate changes on streamflow is typically done with a calibrated and validated watershed model. However, there is a debate on the degree of calibration required. The objective of this study...
Occurrence and trends of selected nutrients, other chemical constituents, diatoms, and cyanobacteria in bottom sediment, Lake Maxinkuckee, northern Indiana
Kyle E. Juracek
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5199
Bottom-sediment cores collected in 2013 were used to investigate the recent and predevelopment (pre-1863) occurrence of selected nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus), carbon, 39 trace elements, diatoms, cyanobacterial akinetes, and 3 radionuclides in the bottom sediment of Lake Maxinkuckee, a kettle lake in northern Indiana. Total nitrogen concentrations in...
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: source-to-sink sediment budget and synthesis
Jonathan A. Warrick, Jennifer A. Bountry, Amy E. East, Christopher S. Magirl, Timothy J. Randle, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Andrew C. Ritchie, George R. Pess, Vivian Leung, Jeff J. Duda
2015, Geomorphology (246) 729-750
Understanding landscape responses to sediment supply changes constitutes a fundamental part of many problems in geomorphology, but opportunities to study such processes at field scales are rare. The phased removal of two large dams on the Elwha River, Washington, exposed 21 ± 3 million m3, or ~ 30 million tonnes (t), of sediment that had been deposited...
