A ternary age-mixing model to explain contaminant occurrence in a deep supply well
Bryant C. Jurgens, Laura M. Bexfield, Sandra M. Eberts
2014, Groundwater (52) 25-39
The age distribution of water from a public-supply well in a deep alluvial aquifer was estimated and used to help explain arsenic variability in the water. The age distribution was computed using a ternary mixing model that combines three lumped parameter models of advection-dispersion transport of environmental tracers, which represent...
Temporal changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages downstream from mountaintop mining
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Douglas B. Chambers
2014, Freshwater Science (33) 915-926
Mountaintop mining (MTM) affects chemical, physical, and hydrological properties of receiving streams, but the long-term consequences for fish-assemblage structure and function are poorly understood. We sampled stream fish assemblages using electrofishing techniques in MTM exposure sites and reference sites within the Guyandotte River basin, USA, during 2010–2011. We calculated indices...
In situ and laboratory toxicity of coalbed natural gas produced waters with elevated sodium bicarbonate
Aida M. Farag, David D. Harper, Don Skaar
2014, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (33) 2086-2093
Some tributaries in the Powder River Structural Basin, USA, were historically ephemeral, but now contain water year round as a result of discharge of coalbed natural gas (CBNG)-produced waters. This presented the opportunity to study field sites with 100% effluent water with elevated concentrations of sodium bicarbonate. In situ experiments,...
Heterogeneous occupancy and density estimates of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in waters of North America
Tara E. Chestnut, Chauncey W. Anderson, Radu Popa, Andrew R. Blaustein, Mary Voytek, Deanna H. Olson, Julie Kirshtein
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
Biodiversity losses are occurring worldwide due to a combination of stressors. For example, by one estimate, 40% of amphibian species are vulnerable to extinction, and disease is one threat to amphibian populations. The emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a contributor to amphibian declines worldwide. Bd research...
Educational webtool illustrating groundwater age effects on contaminant trends in wells
John Karl Böhlke, Bryant C. Jurgens, David J. Uselmann, Sandra M. Eberts
2014, Groundwater (52) 8-9
No abstract available....
Survival of surf scoters and white-winged scoters during remigial molt
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Daniel Esler, Rian D. Dickson, Jerry W. Hupp, Joseph R. Evenson, Eric M. Anderson, Jennifer Barrett, Joel A. Schmutz
2014, Journal of Wildlife Management (78) 1189-1196
Quantifying sources and timing of variation in demographic rates is necessary to determine where and when constraints may exist within the annual cycle of organisms. Surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) and white-winged scoters (M. fusca) undergo simultaneous remigial molt during which they are flightless for >1 month. Molt could result in...
Lake Ontario zooplankton in 2003 and 2008: Community changes and vertical redistribution
Lars G. Rudstam, Kristen T. Holeck, Kelly L. Bowen, James M. Watkins, Brian Weidel, Frederick J. Luckey
2014, Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management (18) 43-62
Lake-wide zooplankton surveys are critical for documenting and understanding food web responses to ecosystem change. Surveys in 2003 and 2008 during the binational intensive field year in Lake Ontario found that offshore epilimnetic crustacean zooplankton declined by a factor of 12 (density) and factor of 5 (biomass) in the summer...
Variation in the terrestrial isotopic composition and atomic weight of argon
John Karl Böhlke
2014, Pure and Applied Chemistry (86) 1421-1432
The isotopic composition and atomic weight of argon (Ar) are variable in terrestrial materials. Those variations are a source of uncertainty in the assignment of standard properties for Ar, but they provide useful information in many areas of science. Variations in the stable isotopic composition and atomic weight of Ar...
Comparison of radio-telemetric home range analysis and acoustic detection for Little Brown Bat habitat evaluation
Laci S. Coleman, W. Mark Ford, Christopher A. Dobony, Eric R. Britzke
2014, Northeastern Naturalist (21) 431-445
With dramatic declines of bat populations due to mortality caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans (White-nose Syndrome), assessing habitat preferences of bats in the northeastern US is now critical to guide the development of regional conservation efforts. In the summer of 2012, we conducted fixed-station simultaneous telemetry to determine nocturnal spatial use...
Modification of the Quaternary stratigraphic framework of the inner-continental shelf by Holocene marine transgression: An example offshore of Fire Island, New York
William C. Schwab, Wayne E. Baldwin, Jane F. Denny, Cheryl J. Hapke, Paul T. Gayes, Jeffrey H. List, John C. Warner
2014, Marine Geology (355) 346-360
The inner-continental shelf off Fire Island, New York was mapped in 2011 using interferometric sonar and high-resolution chirp seismic-reflection systems. The area mapped is approximately 50 km long by 8 km wide, extending from Moriches Inlet to Fire Island Inlet in water depths ranging from 8 to 32 m. The morphology of this...
Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for the Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai, and Hawaiian gallinule, Gallinula galeata sandvicensis, through next-generation sequencing
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Robert E. Wilson, Jared G. Underwood
2014, Conservation Genetics Resources (6) 765-767
We used next generation shotgun sequencing to develop novel microsatellite markers for two endangered waterbirds; the Hawaiian coot (Fulica alai) and Hawaiian gallinule (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis). The 20 loci polymorphic in the Hawaiian coot displayed moderate allelic diversity (average 3.8 alleles/locus) and heterozygosity (average 59.5 %). The 12 loci variable for...
If groundwater is contaminated, will water from the well be contaminated?
Sandra M. Eberts
2014, Groundwater (52) 3-7
No abstract available....
Circulating fat-soluble vitamin concentrations and nutrient composition of aquatic prey eaten by American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in the southeastern United States
Daphne Carlson-Bremer, Terry M. Norton, Felicia J. Sanders, Brad Winn, Mark D. Spinks, Batsheva A. Glatt, Lisa Mazzaro, Patrick G.R. Jodice, Tai C. Chen, Ellen S. Dierenfeld
2014, Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery (28) 216-224
The American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus palliatus) is currently listed as a species of high concern by the United States Shorebird Conservation Plan. Because nutritional status directly impacts overall health and reproduction of individuals and populations, adequate management of a wildlife population requires intimate knowledge of a species' diet and nutrient...
Effects of management legacies on stream fish and aquatic benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages
Michael C. Quist, Randall D. Schultz
2014, Environmental Management (54) 449-464
Fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages often provide insight on ecological conditions for guiding management actions. Unfortunately, land use and management legacies can constrain the structure of biotic communities such that they fail to reflect habitat quality. The purpose of this study was to describe patterns in fish and benthic macroinvertebrate...
Hydraulic assessment of existing and alternative stream crossings providing fish and wildlife passage at seven sites in Massachusetts
Phillip J. Zarriello, Jeffrey R. Barbaro
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5146
Seven existing road crossing structures at streams in Massachusetts were evaluated hydraulically and compared to hypothetical alternative structures designed for Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) using standards developed by the Massachusetts River Continuity Partnership. Hydraulic simulations made for flood flows ranging from 20- to 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability (AEP) indicate that...
Hydroclimate of the Spring Mountains and Sheep Range, Clark County, Nevada
Michael T. Moreo, Gabriel B. Senay, Alan L. Flint, Nancy A. Damar, Randell J. Laczniak, James Hurja
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5142
Precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and actual evapotranspiration often are used to characterize the hydroclimate of a region. Quantification of these parameters in mountainous terrains is difficult because limited access often hampers the collection of representative ground data. To fulfill a need to characterize ecological zones in the Spring Mountains and Sheep...
Fort Collins Science Center: science accomplishments for fiscal years 2012 and 2013
Juliette T. Wilson, David B. Hamilton
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1143
The Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) is a multi-disciplinary research and development center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Organizationally, FORT is within the USGS Southwest Region, although our work extends across the Nation and into several other countries. FORT research focuses on needs of...
Low transient storage and uptake efficiencies in seven agricultural streams: implications for nutrient demand
Rich W. Sheibley, John H. Duff, Anthony J. Tesoriero
2014, Journal of Environmental Quality (43) 1980-1990
We used mass load budgets, transient storage modeling, and nutrient spiraling metrics to characterize nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+), and inorganic phosphorus (SRP) demand in seven agricultural streams across the United States and to identify in-stream services that may control these conditions. Retention of one or all nutrients was observed in...
Estimated water use in Puerto Rico, 2010
Wanda L. Molina-Rivera
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1117
Water-use data were aggregated for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for 2010. Five major offstream categories were considered: public-supply water withdrawals and deliveries, domestic and industrial self-supplied water use, crop-irrigation water use, and thermoelectric-power freshwater use. One instream water-use category also was compiled: power-generation instream water...
A nuclear DNA perspective on delineating evolutionarily significant lineages in polyploids: the case of the endangered shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)
Tim L. King, Anne P. Henderson, Boyd E. Kynard, Micah C. Kieffer, Douglas L. Peterson, Aaron W. Aunins, Bonnie L. Brown
2014, PLoS ONE (9)
The shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, oft considered a phylogenetic relic, is listed as an “endangered species threatened with extinction” in the US and “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. Effective conservation of A. brevirostrum depends on understanding its diversity and evolutionary processes, yet challenges associated with the polyploid nature of...
Freshwater mussel population status and habitat quality in the Clinch River, Virginia and Tennessee, USA: a featured collection
Carl E. Zipper, Braven Beaty, Gregory C. Johnson, Jess W. Jones, Jennifer Lynn Krstolic, Brett J.K. Ostby, William J. Wolfe, Patricia Donovan
2014, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (50) 807-819
The Clinch River of southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee is arguably the most important river for freshwater mussel conservation in the United States. This featured collection presents investigations of mussel population status and habitat quality in the Clinch River. Analyses of historic water- and sediment-quality data suggest that water column...
Can air temperature be used to project influences of climate change on stream temperature?
Ivan Arismendi, Mohammad Safeeq, Jason B. Dunham, Sherri L. Johnson
2014, Environmental Research Letters (9)
Worldwide, lack of data on stream temperature has motivated the use of regression-based statistical models to predict stream temperatures based on more widely available data on air temperatures. Such models have been widely applied to project responses of stream temperatures under climate change, but the performance of these models has...
The offshore benthic fish community
Brian F. Lantry, Jana R. Lantry, Brian Weidel, Maureen Walsh, James A. Hoyle, Teodore Schaner, Fraser B. Neave, Michael Keir
2014, Report, The state of Lake Ontario in 2008
Lake Ontario’s offshore benthic fish community includes primarily slimy sculpin, lake whitefish, rainbow smelt, lake trout, burbot, and sea lamprey. Of these, lake trout have been the focus of an international restoration effort for more than three decades (Elrod et al. 1995; Lantry and Lantry 2008). The deepwater sculpin and...
Hydrology and numerical simulation of groundwater movement and heat transport in Snake Valley and surrounding areas, Juab, Miller, and Beaver Counties, Utah, and White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada
Melissa D. Masbruch, Philip M. Gardner, Lynette E. Brooks
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5103
Snake Valley and surrounding areas, along the Utah-Nevada state border, are part of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system. The groundwater system in the study area consists of water in unconsolidated deposits in basins and water in consolidated rock underlying the basins and in the adjacent mountain blocks....
Guidelines for the collection of continuous stream water-temperature data in Alaska
Ryan C. Toohey, Edward G. Neal, Gary L. Solin
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1182
Objectives of stream monitoring programs differ considerably among many of the academic, Federal, state, tribal, and non-profit organizations in the state of Alaska. Broad inclusion of stream-temperature monitoring can provide an opportunity for collaboration in the development of a statewide stream-temperature database. Statewide and regional coordination could reduce overall monitoring...
