Development of a new semi-analytical model for cross-borehole flow experiments in fractured media
Delphine Roubinet, James Irving, Frederick D. Day-Lewis
2015, Advances in Water Resources (76) 97-108
Analysis of borehole flow logs is a valuable technique for identifying the presence of fractures in the subsurface and estimating properties such as fracture connectivity, transmissivity and storativity. However, such estimation requires the development of analytical and/or numerical modeling tools that are well adapted to the complexity of the problem....
Ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of CO2 in a temperate herbaceous peatland in the Sanjiang Plain of northeast China
Xiaoyan Zhu, Changchun Song, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Yuedong Guo, Xinhow Zhang, Jiaoyue Wang
2015, Ecological Engineering (75) 16-23
Northern peatlands contain a considerable share of the terrestrial carbon pool, which will be affected by future climatic variability. Using the static chamber technique, we investigated ecosystem respiration and soil respiration over two growing seasons (2012 and 2013) in a Carex lasiocarpa-dominated peatland in the Sanjiang Plain in China. We...
Temperature effects induced by climate change on the growth and consumption by salmonines in Lakes Michigan and Huron
Yu-Chun Kao, Charles P. Madenjian, David B. Bunnell, Brent M. Lofgren, Marjorie Perroud
2015, Environmental Biology of Fishes (98) 1089-1104
We used bioenergetics models to investigate temperature effects induced by climate change on the growth and consumption by Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, and steelhead O. mykiss in Lakes Michigan and Huron. We updated biological inputs to account for recent changes in the food webs and used temperature inputs in response...
Time scales of porphyry Cu deposit formation: insights from titanium diffusion in quartz
Celestine N. Mercer, Mark H. Reed, Cameron M. Mercer
2015, Economic Geology (110) 587-602
Porphyry dikes and hydrothermal veins from the porphyry Cu-Mo deposit at Butte, Montana, contain multiple generations of quartz that are distinct in scanning electron microscope-cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) images and in Ti concentrations. A comparison of microprobe trace element profiles and maps to SEM-CL images shows that the concentration of Ti in...
Flow cytometric method for measuring chromatin fragmentation in fixed sperm from yellow perch (Perca flavescens)
Jill A. Jenkins, Rassa O. Draugelis-Dale, Alfred E. Pinkney, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Vicki Blazer
2015, Theriogenology (83) 920-931
Declining harvests of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, in urbanized watersheds of Chesapeake Bay have prompted investigations of their reproductive fitness. The purpose of this study was to establish a flow cytometric technique for DNA analysis of fixed samples sent from the field to provide reliable gamete quality measurements. Similar to the...
Inter-annual and spatial variability of Hamon potential evapotranspiration model coefficients
Gregory J. McCabe, Lauren E. Hay, Andy Bock, Steven L. Markstrom, R. Dwight Atkinson
2015, Journal of Hydrology (521) 389-394
Monthly calibrated values of the Hamon PET coefficient (C) are determined for 109,951 hydrologic response units (HRUs) across the conterminous United States (U.S.). The calibrated coefficient values are determined by matching calculated mean monthly Hamon PET to mean monthly free-water surface evaporation. For most locations and months the calibrated coefficients...
The cost of reproduction: differential resource specialization in female and male California sea otters
Emma A. Elliott Smith, Seth D. Newsome, James A. Estes, M. Tim Tinker
2015, Oecologia (178) 17-29
Intraspecific variation in behavior and diet can have important consequences for population and ecosystem dynamics. Here, we examine how differences in reproductive investment and spatial ecology influence individual diet specialization in male and female southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). We hypothesize that greater reproductive constraints and smaller home...
Do shrubs reduce the adverse effects of grazing on soil properties?
David J. Eldridge, Genevieve Beecham, James B. Grace
2015, Ecohydrology (8) 1503-1513
Increases in the density of woody plants are a global phenomenon in drylands, and large aggregations of shrubs, in particular, are regarded as being indicative of dysfunctional ecosystems. There is increasing evidence that overgrazing by livestock reduces ecosystem functions in shrublands, but that shrubs may buffer the negative effects of...
Reducing nitrogen export from the corn belt to the Gulf of Mexico: agricultural strategies for remediating hypoxia
Eileen McLellan, Dale M. Robertson, Keith Schilling, Mark Tomer, Jill Kostel, Douglas G. Smith, Kevin King
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 263-289
SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed models developed for the Upper Midwest were used to help evaluate the nitrogen-load reductions likely to be achieved by a variety of agricultural conservation practices in the Upper Mississippi-Ohio River Basin (UMORB) and to compare these reductions to the 45% nitrogen-load reduction proposed to remediate...
Aeolian responses to climate variability during the past century on Mesquite Lake Playa, Mojave Desert
John W. Whitney, George N. Breit, S.E. Buckingham, Richard L. Reynolds, Rian C. Bogle, Lifeng Luo, Harland L. Goldstein, John M. Vogel
2015, Geomorphology (230) 13-25
The erosion and deposition of sediments by wind from 1901 to 2013 have created large changes in surface features of Mesquite Lake playa in the Mojave Desert. The decadal scale recurrence of sand-sheet development, migration, and merging with older dunes appears related to decadal climatic changes of drought and wetness...
DigitalCrust – a 4D data system of material properties for transforming research on crustal fluid flow
Yin Fan, Steve Richard, R. Sky Bristol, Shanan Peters, Steven E. Ingebritsen, Nils Moosdorf, Aaron I. Packman, Tom Gleeson, Ilya Zazlavsky, Scott Peckham, Larry Murdoch, Michael Cardiff, David Tarboton, Norm Jones, Richard Hooper, Jennifer Arrigo, David Gochis, John Olson
2015, Geofluids (15) 372-379
Fluid circulation in the Earth's crust plays an essential role in surface, near surface, and deep crustal processes. Flow pathways are driven by hydraulic gradients but controlled by material permeability, which varies over many orders of magnitude and changes over time. Although millions of measurements of crustal properties have been...
Geochemical conditions and the occurrence of selected trace elements in groundwater basins used for public drinking-water supply, Desert and Basin and Range hydrogeologic provinces, 2006-11: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Michael T. Wright, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5173
The geochemical conditions, occurrence of selected trace elements, and processes controlling the occurrence of selected trace elements in groundwater were investigated in groundwater basins of the Desert and Basin and Range (DBR) hydrogeologic provinces in southeastern California as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring...
Data Collection and Simulation of Ecological Habitat and Recreational Habitat in the Shenandoah River, Virginia
Jennifer L. Krstolic
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5005
This report presents updates to methods, describes additional data collected, documents modeling results, and discusses implications from an updated habitat-flow model that can be used to predict ecological habitat for fish and recreational habitat for canoeing on the main stem Shenandoah River in Virginia. Given a 76-percent increase in population...
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...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for New Hampshire
William J. Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2014-3110
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications important to New Hampshire, including flood mitigation, land development, agriculture, transportation planning and design, infrastructure asset inventory and management, and many others. For the State of New Hampshire, elevation data are critical for many business uses such as flood risk...
Avian Influenza spread and transmission dynamics
Lydia Bourouiba, Stephen A. Gourley, Rongsong Liu, John Y. Takekawa, Jianhong Wu
Dongmei Chen, Bernard Moulin, Jianhong Wu, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Analyzing and modeling spatial and temporal dynamics of infectious diseases
The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of type A of subtype H5N1 has been a serious threat to global public health. Understanding the roles of various (migratory, wild, poultry) bird species in the transmission of these viruses is critical for designing and implementing effective control and intervention...
Mapping the distribution of malaria: current approaches and future directions
Leah R. Johnson, Kevin D. Lafferty, Amy McNally, Erin A. Mordecai, Krijn P. Paaijmans, Samraat Pawar, Sadie J. Ryan
Dongmei Chen, Bernard Moulin, Jianhong Wu, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Analyzing and modeling spatial and temporal dynamics of infectious diseases
Mapping the distribution of malaria has received substantial attention because the disease is a major source of illness and mortality in humans, especially in developing countries. It also has a defined temporal and spatial distribution. The distribution of malaria is most influenced by its mosquito vector, which is sensitive to...
Structural equation modeling: Building and evaluating causal models
James B. Grace, Samuel M. Scheiner, Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr.
2015, Book chapter, Ecological statistics: contemporary theory and application
Scientists frequently wish to study hypotheses about causal relationships, rather than just statistical associations. This chapter addresses the question of how scientists might approach this ambitious task. Here we describe structural equation modeling (SEM), a general modeling framework for the study of causal hypotheses. Our goals are to (a) concisely...
The effect of pressurized magma chamber growth on melt migration and pre-caldera vent locations through time at Mount Mazama, Crater Lake, Oregon
Leif Karlstrom, Heather M. Wright, Charles R. Bacon
2015, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (412) 209-219
The pattern of eruptions at long-lived volcanic centers provides a window into the co-evolution of crustal magma transport, tectonic stresses, and unsteady magma generation at depth. Mount Mazama in the Oregon Cascades has seen variable activity over the last 400 ky, including the 50 km3 climactic eruption at ca. 7.7 ka...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Utah
William J. Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2014-3115
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Utah, elevation data are critical for infrastructure and construction management, natural resources conservation, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, flood risk management,...
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...
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...
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...
