Ocean minerals
James R. Hein, Kira L. Mizell
Hance D. Smith, Juan Luis Suarez de Vivero, Tundi S. Agardy, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Routledge handbook of ocean resources and management
Nearly 71 percent of the Earth is covered by ocean, yet during the entire history of societies, the mineral resources essential for nation building have been acquired solely from the continents. Deep-ocean minerals were discovered over a century ago during the Challenger...
Preliminary analysis of suspended sediment rating curves for the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries from Marshall to Kalamazoo, Michigan
David T. Soong, Christopher J. Hoard, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Ronald B. Zelt
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Joint Federal Interagency Conference 2015
Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) rating curves for the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries from Marshall to Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A., were developed based on measured data. The slopes of the atsite SSC rating curves were of two general types: either increasing or decreasing with increasing discharges. By examining the basin characteristics...
Correspondence of biological condition models of California streams at statewide and regional scales
Jason T. May, Larry R. Brown, Andrew C. Rehn, Ian R. Waite, Peter R Ode, Raphael D Mazor, Kenneth C Schiff
2015, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (187)
We used boosted regression trees (BRT) to model stream biological condition as measured by benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomic completeness, the ratio of observed to expected (O/E) taxa. Models were developed with and without exclusion of rare taxa at a site. BRT models are robust, requiring few assumptions compared with traditional modeling...
Copper toxicity and organic matter: Resiliency of watersheds in the Duluth Complex, Minnesota, USA
Nadine M. Piatak, Robert R. Seal, Perry M. Jones, Laurel G. Woodruff
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Acid Rock Drainage and IMWA Annual Conference
We estimated copper (Cu) toxicity in surface water with high dissolved organic matter (DOM) for unmined mineralized watersheds of the Duluth Complex using the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), which evaluates the effect of DOM, cation competition for biologic binding sites, and metal speciation. A sediment-based BLM was used to estimate...
Spatial patterns of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur using ion-exchange resin collectors in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA
David W. Clow, Heidi Roop, Leora Nanus, Mark Fenn, Graham A. Sexstone
2015, Atmospheric Environment (101) 149-157
Lakes and streams in Class 1 wilderness areas in the western United States (U.S.) are at risk from atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S), and protection of these resources is mandated under the Federal Clean Air Act and amendments. Assessment of critical loads, which are the maximum exposure...
Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation
Christopher H. Conaway, Randal B. Thomas, Nabil Saad, James J. Thordsen, Yousif K. Kharaka
2015, Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies (51) 344-358
This work examines the performance and limitations of a wet chemical oxidation carbon analyser interfaced with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (WCO-CRDS) in a continuous flow (CF) configuration for measuring δ13C of dissolved organic carbon (δ13C-DOC) in natural water samples. Low-chloride matrix (<5 g Cl/L) DOC solutions were analysed with as little as...
Isotopic geochemistry of Panama rivers
Russell S. Harmon, Gerhard Worner, Michael J. Pribil, Zoltan Kern, Istvan Forizs, W. Berry Lyons, Christopher B. Gardner, Steven T. Goldsmith
2015, Procedia Earth and Planetary Science (13) 108-111
River water samples collected from 78 watersheds rivers along a 500-km transect across a Late Cretaceous-Tertiary andesitic volcanic arc terrane in west-central Panama provide a synoptic overview of riverine geochemistry, chemical denudation, and CO2 consumption in the tropics. D/H and 18O/16O relationships indicate that bedrock dissolution of andesitic arc crust...
Vegetation composition, nutrient, and sediment dynamics along a floodplain landscape
Nancy B. Rybicki, Gregory E. Noe, Cliff R. Hupp, Myles Robinson
2015, River Systems (21) 109-123
Forested floodplains are important landscape features for retaining river nutrients and sediment loads but there is uncertainty in how vegetation influences nutrient and sediment retention. In order to understand the role of vegetation in nutrient and sediment trapping, we quantified species composition and the uptake of nutrients in plant material...
Bioenergetics modeling of percid fishes
Charles P. Madenjian
Patrick Kestemont, Konrad Dabrowski, Robert C. Summerfelt, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Biology and culture of percid fishes
A bioenergetics model for a percid fish represents a quantitative description of the fish’s energy budget. Bioenergetics modeling can be used to identify the important factors determining growth of percids in lakes, rivers, or seas. For example, bioenergetics modeling applied to yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the western...
Land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA, 2007-14
Michelle Sneed, Justin T. Brandt
2015, Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (372) 23-27
Rapid land subsidence was recently measured using multiple methods in two areas of the San Joaquin Valley (SJV): between Merced and Fresno (El Nido), and between Fresno and Bakersfield (Pixley). Recent land-use changes and diminished surface-water availability have led to increased groundwater pumping, groundwater-level declines, and land subsidence. Differential...
Characterization of stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams
Chad Wagner, Sharon Fitzgerald, Matthew Lauffer
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Ecology & Transportation
The presentation will provide an overview of a collaborative study between USGS, NC Department of Transportation and URS Corporation to characterize stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams. This investigation measured bridge deck runoff from 15 bridges for 12-15 storms, stream...
Contrasting fish assemblages in free-flowing and impounded tributaries to the Upper Delaware River: Implications for conserving biodiversity
Barry P. Baldigo, Mari-Beth Delucia, Walter D. Keller, George E. Schuler, Colin D. Apse, Tara Moberg
2015, Book chapter, Advances in Environmental Research
The Neversink River and the Beaver Kill in southeastern New York are major tributaries to the Delaware River, the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi. While the Beaver Kill is free flowing for its entire length, the Neversink River is subdivided by the Neversink Reservoir, which likely affects the...
Fishes of the Blackwater River Drainage, Tucker County, West Virginia
Daniel A. Cincotta, Stuart A. Welsh, Douglas P. Wegman, Thomas E. Oldham, Lara B. Hedrick
2015, Southeastern Naturalist (14) 297-313
The Blackwater River, a tributary of the upper Cheat River of the Monongahela River, hosts a modest fish fauna. This relatively low diversity of fish species is partly explained by its drainage history. The Blackwater was once part of the prehistoric, northeasterly flowing St. Lawrence River. During the Pleistocene Epoch,...
Synopsis of the history of sea otter conservation in the United States
Glenn R. VanBlaricom
2015, Book chapter
In the late 1860s, declining US sea otter populations elicited concern because of prior excessive harvests. Congress mandated protection of Alaskan sea otters in 1868, but hunting continued unrestrained. The Fur Seal Treaty of 1911 (abrogated in 1941) protected sea otters in international waters, but was not applicable to most...
Evaluation of stream flow effects on smolt survival in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2012-2014
Ian Courter, Tommy Garrison, Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry
2015, Report
The influence of stream flow on survival of emigrating juvenile (smolts) Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead trout O. mykiss is of key management interest. However, few studies have quantified flow effects on smolt migration survival, and available information does not indicate a consistent flow-survival relationship within the typical range...
Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of Larsen C Ice-Shelf thinning
P. R. Holland, A. Brisbourne, H. F. J. Corr, Daniel Mcgrath, K. Purdon, J. Paden, H. A. Fricker, F. S. Paolo, A.H. Fleming
2015, The Cryosphere (9) 1005-1024
The catastrophic collapses of Larsen A and B ice shelves on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula have caused their tributary glaciers to accelerate, contributing to sea-level rise and freshening the Antarctic Bottom Water formed nearby. The surface of Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS), the largest ice shelf on the peninsula, is...
Status of the Topeka shiner in west-central Iowa
Clay Pierce, Bryan D. Bakevich, Michael C. Quist
2015, American Midland Naturalist (174) 350-358
The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is a federally endangered fish species that is estimated to occupy only 20% of its historic range. In Iowa Topeka shiners have been in decline for decades. Our goal was to determine the present distribution of Topeka shiners in the west-central portion of their range in Iowa...
Discrete-storm water-table fluctuation method to estimate episodic recharge.
John R. Nimmo, Charles Horowittz, Lara Mitchell
2015, Groundwater (53) 282-292
We have developed a method to identify and quantify recharge episodes, along with their associated infiltration-related inputs, by a consistent, systematic procedure. Our algorithm partitions a time series of water levels into discrete recharge episodes and intervals of no episodic recharge. It correlates each recharge episode with a specific interval...
Uranium Sequestration During Biostimulated Reduction and In Response to the Return of Oxic Conditions In Shallow Aquifers
Christopher C. Fuller, Kelly J. Johnson, Katherine Akstin, David M. Singer, Steven B. Yabusaki, Yi Fang, M. Fuhrmann
2015, Report
A proposed approach for groundwater remediation of uranium contamination is to generate reducing conditions by stimulating the growth of microbial populations through injection of electron donor compounds into the subsurface. Sufficiently reducing conditions will result in reduction of soluble hexavalent uranium, U(VI), and precipitation of the less soluble +4 oxidation...
An updated conceptual model of Delta Smelt biology: Our evolving understanding of an estuarine fish
Randy Baxter, Larry R. Brown, Gonzalo Castillo, Louise Conrad, Steven D. Culberson, Matthew P. Dekar, Melissa Dekar, Frederick Feyrer, Thaddeus Hunt, Kristopher Jones, Joseph Kirsch, Anke Mueller-Solger, Matthew Nobriga, Steven B. Slater, Ted Sommer, Kelly Souza, Gregg Erickson, Stephanie Fong, Karen Gehrts, Lenny Grimaldo, Bruce Herbold
2015, Technical Report 90
The main purpose of this report is to provide an up-to-date assessment and conceptual model of factors affecting Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) throughout its primarily annual life cycle and to demonstrate how this conceptual model can be used for scientific and management purposes. The Delta Smelt is a small estuarine...
Treatment of trace organic compounds in common onsite wastewater systems
Robert Siegrist, Kathleen E. Conn
2015, Conference Paper, Innovation in soil-based onsite wastewater treatment
Onsite wastewater systems (OWS) have historically been relied on to treat conventional pollutants and pathogens in a fashion similar to that expected from centralized wastewater systems. However, based on the occurrence of, and potential effects from, contaminants of emerging concern in wastewaters, OWS as well as centralized systems need...
Soil ecology of a rock outcrop ecosystem: Abiotic stresses, soil respiration, and microbial community profiles in limestone cedar glades
Jennifer M. Cartwright, E. Kudjo Advised by Dzantor
2015, Thesis
Limestone cedar glades are a type of rock outcrop ecosystem characterized by shallow soil and extreme hydrologic conditions—seasonally ranging from xeric to saturated—that support a number of plant species of conservation concern. Although a rich botanical literature exists on cedar glades, soil biochemical processes and the ecology of soil microbial...
Comparison of fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations and particle-size distributions measured with in-stream laser diffraction and in physical samples
Jonathan A. Czuba, Timothy D. Straub, Christopher A. Curran, Mark N. Landers, Marian M. Domanski
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 320-340
Laser-diffraction technology, recently adapted for in-stream measurement of fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations (SSCs) and particle-size distributions (PSDs), was tested with a streamlined (SL), isokinetic version of the Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometry (LISST) for measuring volumetric SSCs and PSDs ranging from 1.8-415 µm in 32 log-spaced size classes. Measured SSCs and...
Rising air and stream-water temperatures in Chesapeake Bay region, USA
Karen C. Rice, John D. Jastram
2015, Climatic Change (128) 127-138
Monthly mean air temperature (AT) at 85 sites and instantaneous stream-water temperature (WT) at 129 sites for 1960–2010 are examined for the mid-Atlantic region, USA. Temperature anomalies for two periods, 1961–1985 and 1985–2010, relative to the climate normal period of 1971–2000, indicate that the latter period was statistically significantly warmer...
Variably-saturated groundwater modeling for optimizing managed aquifer recharge using trench infiltration
Victor M. Heilweil, Jerome Benoit, Richard W. Healy
2015, Hydrological Processes (29) 310-319
Spreading-basin methods have resulted in more than 130 million cubic meters of recharge to the unconfined Navajo Sandstone of southern Utah in the past decade, but infiltration rates have slowed in recent years because of reduced hydraulic gradients and clogging. Trench infiltration is a promising alternative technique for increasing recharge...
