Effect of wastewater treatment facility closure on endocrine disrupting chemicals in a Coastal Plain stream
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Jimmy M. Clark
2016, Remediation Journal (26) 9-24
Wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) closures are rare environmental remediation events; offering unique insight into contaminant persistence, long-term wastewater impacts, and ecosystem recovery processes. The U.S. Geological Survey assessed the fate of select endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) in surface water and streambed sediment one year before and one year after closure...
Development and application of freshwater sediment-toxicity benchmarks for currently used pesticides
Lisa H. Nowell, Julia E. Norman, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Patrick W. Moran
2016, Science of the Total Environment (550) 835-850
Sediment-toxicity benchmarks are needed to interpret the biological significance of currently used pesticides detected in whole sediments. Two types of freshwater sediment benchmarks for pesticides were developed using spiked-sediment bioassay (SSB) data from the literature. These benchmarks can be used to interpret sediment-toxicity data or to assess the potential toxicity...
It’s what’s inside that counts: Egg contaminant concentrations are influenced by estimates of egg density, egg volume, and fresh egg mass
Mark P. Herzog, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, C. Alex Hartman
2016, Ecotoxicology (25) 770-776
In egg contaminant studies, it is necessary to calculate egg contaminant concentrations on a fresh wet weight basis and this requires accurate estimates of egg density and egg volume. We show that the inclusion or exclusion of the eggshell can influence egg contaminant concentrations, and we provide estimates of egg...
Detection of an enigmatic plethodontid Salamander using Environmental DNA
Todd W. Pierson, Anna M. McKee, Stephen F. Spear, John C. Maerz, Carlos D. Camp, Travis C. Glenn
2016, Copeia (104) 78-82
The isolation and identification of environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a non-invasive and efficient method for the detection of rare and secretive aquatic wildlife, and it is being widely integrated into inventory and monitoring efforts. The Patch-Nosed Salamander (Urspelerpes brucei) is a tiny, recently discovered species of plethodontid salamander known only...
Placer-type rare earth element deposits
Debashish Sengupta, Bradley S. Van Gosen
2016, Book chapter, Rare earth and critical elements in ore deposits
No abstract available....
Critical elements in alkaline igneous rock-related epithermal gold deposits
Karen D. Kelley, Paul G. Spry
2016, Book chapter, Rare earth and critical elements in ore deposits
No abstract available....
Controls on ferromanganese crust composition and reconnaissance resource potential, Ninetyeast Ridge, Indian Ocean
James R. Hein, Tracey A. Conrad, Kira Mizell, Virupaxa K. Banakar, Frederick A. Frey, William W. Sager
2016, Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers (110) 1-19
A reconnaissance survey of Fe-Mn crusts from the 5000 km long (~31°S to 10°N) Ninetyeast Ridge (NER) in the Indian Ocean shows their widespread occurrence along the ridge as well as with water depth on the ridge flanks. The crusts are hydrogenetic based in growth rates and discrimination plots. Twenty...
Reconnecting fragmented sturgeon populations in North American rivers
Henriette Jager, Michael J. Parsley, Joseph J. Cech, R. L. McLaughlin, Patrick S. Forsythe, Robert S. Elliott
2016, Fisheries (41) 140-148
The majority of large North American rivers are fragmented by dams that interrupt migrations of wide-ranging fishes like sturgeons. Reconnecting habitat is viewed as an important means of protecting sturgeon species in U.S. rivers because these species have lost between 5% and 60% of their historical ranges. Unfortunately, facilities designed...
Genetic diversity of Wolbachia endosymbionts in Culex quinquefasciatus from Hawai`i, Midway Atoll, and Samoa
Carter T. Atkinson, William Watcher-Weatherwax, Dennis Lapointe
2016, Technical Report HCSU-074
Incompatible insect techniques are potential methods for controlling Culex quinquefasciatus and avian disease transmission in Hawai‘i without the use of pesticides or genetically modified organisms. The approach is based on naturally occurring sperm-egg incompatibilities within the Culex pipiens complex that are controlled by different strains of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia...
Are brown trout replacing or displacing bull trout populations in a changing climate?
Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, David A. Schmetterling, Chris Clancy, Pat Saffel, Ryan Kovach, Leslie Nyce, Brad Liermann, Wade A. Fredenberg, Ron Pierce
2016, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (73) 1395-1404
Understanding how climate change may facilitate species turnover is an important step in identifying potential conservation strategies. We used data from 33 sites in western Montana to quantify climate associations with native bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and non-native brown trout (Salmo trutta) abundance and population growth rates (λ). We estimated...
Population connectivity and genetic structure of burbot (Lota lota) populations in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming
Zachary E. Underwood, Elizabeth G. Mandeville, Annika W. Walters
2016, Hydrobiologia (765) 329-342
Burbot (Lota lota) occur in the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming, USA, at the southwestern extreme of the species’ native range in North America. The most stable and successful of these populations occur in six glacially carved mountain lakes on three different tributary streams and one large...
The distribution and composition of REE-bearing minerals in placers of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, USA
Carleton R. Bern, Anjana K. Shah, William Benzel, Heather A. Lowers
2016, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (162) 50-61
Rare earth element (REE) resources are currently of great interest because of their importance as raw materials for high-technology manufacturing. The REE-phosphates monazite (light REE enriched) and xenotime (heavy REE enriched) resist weathering and can accumulate in placer deposits as part of the heavy mineral assemblage. The Atlantic and Gulf...
The first description of oarfish Regalecus glesne (Regalecus russellii Cuvier 1816) ageing structures
S.R. Midway, Tyler Wagner
2016, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (32) 113-116
Despite being a large, conspicuous teleost with a worldwide tropical and temperate distribution, the giant oarfish Regalecus spp. remain very rare fish species in terms of scientific sampling. Subsequently, very little biological information is known about Regalecus spp. and...
Asthenosphere–lithosphere interactions in Western Saudi Arabia: Inferences from 3He/4He in xenoliths and lava flows from Harrat Hutaymah
Kevin Konrad, David W. Graham, Carl Thornber, Robert A. Duncan, Adam J. R. Kent, Abdulla Al-Amri
2016, LITHOS (248-251) 339-352
Extensive volcanic fields on the western Arabian Plate have erupted intermittently over the last 30 Ma following emplacement of the Afar flood basalts in Ethiopia. In an effort to better understand the origin of this volcanism in western Saudi Arabia, we analyzed3He/4He, and He, CO2 and trace element concentrations in minerals...
Rock-avalanche dynamics revealed by large-scale field mapping and seismic signals at a highly mobile avalanche in the West Salt Creek valley, western Colorado
Jeffrey A. Coe, Rex L. Baum, Kate E. Allstadt, Bernard Kochevar, Robert G. Schmitt, Matthew L. Morgan, Jonathan L. White, Benjamin T. Stratton, Timothy A. Hayashi, Jason W. Kean
2016, Geosphere (12) 607-631
On 25 May 2014, a rain-on-snow–induced rock avalanche occurred in the West Salt Creek valley on the northern flank of Grand Mesa in western Colorado (United States). The avalanche mobilized from a preexisting rock slide in the Green River Formation and traveled 4.6 km down the confined valley, killing three...
Dome growth at Mount Cleveland, Aleutian Arc, quantified by time-series TerraSAR-X imagery
Teng Wang, Michael P. Poland, Zhong Lu
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 10614-10621
Synthetic aperture radar imagery is widely used to study surface deformation induced by volcanic activity; however, it is rarely applied to quantify the evolution of lava domes, which is important for understanding hazards and magmatic system characteristics. We studied dome formation associated with eruptive activity at Mount Cleveland, Aleutian Volcanic...
Monogenetic volcanoes fed by interconnected dikes and sills in the Hopi Buttes volcanic field, Navajo Nation, USA
James D. Muirhead, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Giuseppe Re, James D. L. White, Michael H. Ort
2016, Bulletin of Volcanology (78) 1-16
Although monogenetic volcanic fields pose hazards to major cities worldwide, their shallow magma feeders (<500 m depth) are rarely exposed and, therefore, poorly understood. Here, we investigate exposures of dikes and sills in the Hopi Buttes volcanic field, Arizona, to shed light on the nature of its magma feeder system. Shallow...
Wood decay in desert riverine environments
Douglas Andersen, Craig A. Stricker, S. Mark Nelson
2016, Forest Ecology and Management (365) 83-95
Floodplain forests and the woody debris they produce are major components of riverine ecosystems in many arid and semiarid regions (drylands). We monitored breakdown and nitrogen dynamics in wood and bark from a native riparian tree, Fremont cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. wislizeni), along four North American desert streams. We placed locally-obtained, fresh,...
Survival, movement, and health of hatchery-raised juvenile Lost River suckers within a mesocosm in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Danielle M. Hereford, Summer M. Burdick, Diane G. Elliott, Amari Dolan-Caret, Carla M. Conway, Alta C. Harris
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1012
The recovery of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) in Upper Klamath Lake is limited by poor juvenile survival and failure to recruit into the adult population. Poor water quality, degradation of rearing habitat, and toxic levels of microcystin are hypothesized to contribute to low juvenile survival. Studies of wild...
Predicting thermally stressful events in rivers with a strategy to evaluate management alternatives
K.O. Maloney, J. C. Cole, M. Schmid
2016, River Research and Applications 1428-1437
Water temperature is an important factor in river ecology. Numerous models have been developed to predict river temperature. However, many were not designed to predict thermally stressful periods. Because such events are rare, traditionally applied analyses are inappropriate. Here, we developed two logistic regression models to predict thermally stressful events...
Ecosystem impacts of exotic annual invaders in the genus Bromus
Matthew J. Germino, Jayne Belnap, John M. Stark, Edith B. Allen, Benjamin M. Rau
2016, Book chapter, Exotic brome-grasses in arid and semiarid ecosystems of the western US
An understanding of the impacts of exotic plant species on ecosystems is necessary to justify and guide efforts to limit their spread, restore natives, and plan for conservation. Invasive annual grasses such as Bromus tectorum, B. rubens, B. hordeaceus, and B. diandrus (hereafter collectively referred to as <i...
Reconnaissance sediment budget for selected watersheds of West Maui, Hawai‘i
Jonathan D. Stock, Kim A. Falinski, Tova Callender
2016, Open-File Report 2015-1190
Episodic runoff brings suspended sediment to the nearshore waters of West Maui, Hawaiʻi. Even small rainfalls create visible plumes over a few hours. We used mapping, field experiments, and analysis of recent (July 19–20, 2014) and historic rainfall to estimate sources of land-based pollution for two watersheds in West...
Evaluation of the hydraulic and biological performance of the portable floating fish collector at Cougar Reservoir and Dam, Oregon, 2014
John W. Beeman, Scott D. Evans, Philip V. Haner, Hal C. Hansel, Amy C. Hansen, Gabriel S. Hansen, Tyson W. Hatton, Jamie M. Sprando, Collin D. Smith, Noah S. Adams
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1003
The biological and hydraulic performance of a new portable floating fish collector (PFFC) located in a cul-de-sac within the forebay of Cougar Dam, Oregon, was evaluated during 2014. The purpose of the PFFC was to explore surface collection as a means to capture juvenile salmonids at one or more sites...
Volcano-tectonic earthquakes: A new tool for estimating intrusive volumes and forecasting eruptions
Randall A. White, Wendy McCausland
2016, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (309) 139-155
We present data on 136 high-frequency earthquakes and swarms, termed volcano-tectonic (VT) seismicity, which preceded 111 eruptions at 83 volcanoes, plus data on VT swarms that preceded intrusions at 21 other volcanoes. We find that VT seismicity is usually the earliest reported seismic precursor for eruptions at volcanoes that...
Understanding environmental DNA detection probabilities: A case study using a stream-dwelling char Salvelinus fontinalis
Taylor Wilcox, Kevin S. Mckelvey, Michael K. Young, Adam J. Sepulveda, Bradley B. Shepard, Stephen F Jane, Andrew R. Whiteley, Winsor H. Lowe, Michael K. Schwartz
2016, Biological Conservation (194) 209-216
Environmental DNA sampling (eDNA) has emerged as a powerful tool for detecting aquatic animals. Previous research suggests that eDNA methods are substantially more sensitive than traditional sampling. However, the factors influencing eDNA detection and the resulting sampling costs are still not well understood. Here we use multiple experiments to derive...
