The National assessment of shoreline change—A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the Pacific Northwest coast
Meredith G. Kratzmann, Emily A. Himmelstoss, Peter Ruggiero, E. Robert Thieler, David Reid
2013, Open-File Report 2012-1008
Sandy ocean beaches are a popular recreational destination and are often surrounded by communities that consist of valuable real estate. Development along sandy coastal areas is increasing despite the fact that coastal infrastructure may be repeatedly subjected to flooding and erosion. As a result, the demand for accurate information regarding...
Satellite images of the September 2013 flood event in Lyons, Colorado
Christopher J. Cole, Beverly A. Friesen, Stanley Wilds, Suzanne Noble, Harumi Warner, Earl M. Wilson
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1286
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Special Applications Science Center (SASC) produced an image base map showing high-resolution remotely sensed data over Lyons, Colorado—a city that was severely affected by the flood event that occurred throughout much of the Colorado Front Range in September of 2013. The 0.5-meter WorldView-2 data products...
Geomorphic and vegetation processes of the Willamette River floodplain, Oregon: current understanding and unanswered science questions
J. Rose Wallick, Krista L. Jones, Jim E. O'Connor, Mackenzie K. Keith, David Hulse, Stanley V. Gregory
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1246
This report summarizes the current understanding of floodplain processes and landforms for the Willamette River and its major tributaries. The area of focus encompasses the main stem Willamette River above Newberg and the portions of the Coast Fork Willamette, Middle Fork Willamette, McKenzie, and North, South and main stem Santiam...
Estimation of traveltime and longitudinal dispersion in streams in West Virginia
Jeffrey B. Wiley, Terence Messinger
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5182
Traveltime and dispersion data are important for understanding and responding to spills of contaminants in waterways. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Office of Environmental Health Services, compiled and evaluated traveltime and longitudinal dispersion data representative of many West Virginia waterways. Traveltime...
Bathymetry and acoustic backscatter: Estero Bay, California
Stephen R. Hartwell, David P. Finlayson, Peter Dartnell, Samuel Y. Johnson
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1225
Between July 30 and August 9, 2012, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC), acquired bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data from Estero Bay, San Luis Obispo, California, under PCMSC Field Activity ID S-05-12-SC. The survey was done using the R/V Parke Snavely outfitted with a...
Streamflow monitoring and statistics for development of water rights claims for Wild and Scenic Rivers, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, Idaho, 2012
Molly S. Wood, Ryan L. Fosness
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5212
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), collected streamflow data in 2012 and estimated streamflow statistics for stream segments designated "Wild," "Scenic," or "Recreational" under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness in southwestern Idaho. The streamflow statistics were...
Integrated carbon budget models for the Everglades terrestrial-coastal-oceanic gradient: Current status and needs for inter-site comparisons
Tiffany G. Troxler, Evelyn Gaiser, Jordan Barr, Jose D. Fuentes, Rudolf Jaffe, Daniel L. Childers, Ligia Collado-Vides, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Edward Castañeda-Moya, William Anderson, Randy Chambers, Meilian Chen, Carlos Coronado-Molina, Stephen E. Davis, Victor C. Engel, Carl Fitz, James Fourqurean, Tom Frankovich, John Kominoski, Chris Madden, Sparkle L. Malone, Steve F. Oberbauer, Paulo Olivas, Jennifer Richards, Colin Saunders, Jessica Schedlbauer, Leonard J. Scinto, Fred Sklar, Thomas J. Smith III, Joseph M. Smoak, Gregory Starr, Robert Twilley, Kevin Whelan
2013, Oceanography (26) 98-107
Recent studies suggest that coastal ecosystems can bury significantly more C than tropical forests, indicating that continued coastal development and exposure to sea level rise and storms will have global biogeochemical consequences. The Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) site provides an excellent subtropical system for examining...
Genetic characterization of the Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis) using mitochondrial DNA sequence data
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Ernest W. Valdez, Thomas J. O’Shea, Jennifer A. Fike
2013, Journal of Mammalogy (94) 1030-1036
Emballonura semicaudata occurs in the southwestern Pacific and populations on many islands have declined or disappeared. One subspecies (E. semicaudata rotensis) occurs in the Northern Mariana Islands, where it has been extirpated from all but 1 island (Aguiguan). We assessed genetic similarity between the last population of E. s....
Origin and characteristics of discharge at San Marcos Springs, south-central Texas
MaryLynn Musgrove, Cassi L. Crow
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3080
The Edwards aquifer in south-central Texas is one of the most productive aquifers in the Nation and is the primary source of water for the rapidly growing San Antonio area. Springs issuing from the Edwards aquifer provide habitat for several threatened and endangered species, serve as locations for recreational activities,...
Outplanting Wyoming big sagebrush following wldfire: stock performance and economics
Eva Dettweiler-Robinson, Jonathan D. Bakker, James R. Evans, Heidi Newsome, G. Matt Davies, Troy A. Wirth, David A. Pyke, Richard T. Easterly, Debra Salstrom, Peter W. Dunwiddle
2013, Rangeland Ecology and Management (66) 657-666
Finding ecologically and economically effective ways to establish matrix species is often critical for restoration success. Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis) historically dominated large areas of western North America, but has been extirpated from many areas by large wildfires; its re-establishment in these areas often requires active management....
Accuracy of the Missouri River Least Tern and Piping Plover Monitoring Program: considerations for the future
Terry L. Shaffer, Mark H. Sherfy, Michael J. Anteau, Jennifer H. Stucker, Marsha A. Sovada, Erin A. Roche, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Thomas K. Buhl, Colin M. Dovichin
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1176
The upper Missouri River system provides nesting and foraging habitat for federally endangered least terns (Sternula antillarum; hereafter “terns”) and threatened piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; hereafter “plovers”). These species are the subject of substantial management interest on the Missouri River for several reasons. First, ecosystem recovery is a goal for...
Flood-inundation maps for the DuPage River from Plainfield to Shorewood, Illinois, 2013
Elizabeth A. Murphy, Jennifer B. Sharpe
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3275
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 15.5-mi reach of the DuPage River from Plainfield to Shorewood, Illinois, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Will County Stormwater Management Planning Committee. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site...
Large dams and alluvial rivers in the Anthropocene: The impacts of the Garrison and Oahe Dams on the Upper Missouri River
Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Edward R. Schenk, Cliff R. Hupp, Joel M. Galloway, Rochelle A. Nustad, Gregg J. Wiche
2013, Anthropocene (2) 51-64
The Missouri River has had a long history of anthropogenic modification with considerable impacts on river and riparian ecology, form, and function. During the 20th century, several large dam-building efforts in the basin served the needs for irrigation, flood control, navigation, and the generation of hydroelectric power. The managed flow...
Ground-motion prediction from tremor
Annemarie S. Baltay, Gregory C. Beroza
2013, Geophysical Research Letters (40) 6340-6345
The widespread occurrence of tremor, coupled with its frequency content and location, provides an exceptional opportunity to test and improve strong ground-motion attenuation relations for subduction zones. We characterize the amplitude of thousands of individual 5 min tremor events in Cascadia during three episodic tremor and slip events to constrain the...
Winter habitat use and survival of lesser prairie-chickens in West Texas
Nicholas E. Pirius, Clint W. Boal, David A. Haukos, M.C. Wallace
2013, Wildlife Society Bulletin (37) 759-765
The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has experienced declines in population and occupied range since the late 1800s and is currently proposed for Federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Populations and the distribution of lesser prairie-chickens in Texas, USA, are thought to be at or near all-time lows. Currently, there...
Raptor nesting near oil and gas development: an overview of key findings and implications for management based on four reports by HawkWatch International
Mark R. Fuller
2013, BLM Technical Note 432
The project was undertaken because of a paucity of information about the possible effects of OG operations and resource management on nesting raptors. BLM raptor management has included stipulations that restricted human activity near raptor nests during the raptor nesting season. The BLM and the Department of Energy (DOE), which...
Long-range hazard assessment of volcanic ash dispersal for a Plinian eruptive scenario at Popocatépetl volcano (Mexico): implications for civil aviation safety
Rosanna Bonasia, Chirara Scaini, Lucia Capra, Manuel Nathenson, Claus Siebe, Lilia Arana-Salinas, Arnau Folch
2013, Bulletin of Volcanology (76)
Popocatépetl is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes threatening a densely populated area that includes Mexico City with more than 20 million inhabitants. The destructive potential of this volcano is demonstrated by its Late Pleistocene–Holocene eruptive activity, which has been characterized by recurrent Plinian eruptions of large magnitude, the last...
Insights into the latent multinomial model through mark-resight data on female grizzly bears with cubs-of-the-year
Megan D. Higgs, William A. Link, Gary C. White, Mark A. Haroldson, Daniel D. Bjornlie
2013, Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics (18) 556-577
Mark-resight designs for estimation of population abundance are common and attractive to researchers. However, inference from such designs is very limited when faced with sparse data, either from a low number of marked animals, a low probability of detection, or both. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, yearly mark-resight data are...
Ca, Sr, O and D isotope approach to defining the chemical evolution of hydrothermal fluids: example from Long Valley, CA, USA
Shaun T. Brown, B. Mack Kennedy, Donald J. DePaolo, Shaul Hurwitz, William C. Evans
2013, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (122) 209-225
We present chemical and isotopic data for fluids, minerals and rocks from the Long Valley meteoric-hydrothermal system. The samples encompass the presumed hydrothermal upwelling zone in the west moat of the caldera, the Casa Diablo geothermal field, and a series of wells defining a nearly linear, ∼16 km long, west-to-east...
Sensitivity of fish density estimates to standard analytical procedures applied to Great Lakes hydroacoustic data
Patrick M. Kocovsky, Lars G. Rudstam, Daniel L. Yule, David M. Warner, Ted Schaner, Bernie Pientka, John W. Deller, Holly A. Waterfield, Larry D. Witzel, Patrick J. Sullivan
2013, Journal of Great Lakes Research (39) 655-662
Standardized methods of data collection and analysis ensure quality and facilitate comparisons among systems. We evaluated the importance of three recommendations from the Standard Operating Procedure for hydroacoustics in the Laurentian Great Lakes (GLSOP) on density estimates of target species: noise subtraction; setting volume backscattering strength (Sv) thresholds from user-defined...
Seismotectonic framework of the 2010 February 27 Mw 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake sequence
Gavin P. Hayes, Eric Bergman, Kendra J. Johnson, Harley M. Benz, Lucy Brown, Anne S. Meltzer
2013, Geophysical Journal International (195) 1034-1051
After the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake, an international collaboration involving teams and instruments from Chile, the US, the UK, France and Germany established the International Maule Aftershock Deployment temporary network over the source region of the event to facilitate detailed, open-access studies of the aftershock sequence. Using data from...
Differentiation of subspecies and sexes of Beringian Dunlins using morphometric measures
H. River Gates, Stephen Yezerinac, Abby N. Powell, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Olga P. Valchuk, Richard B. Lanctot
2013, Journal of Field Ornithology (84) 389-402
Five subspecies of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) that breed in Beringia are potentially sympatric during the non-breeding season. Studying their ecology during this period requires techniques to distinguish individuals by subspecies. Our objectives were to determine (1) if five morphometric measures (body mass, culmen, head, tarsus, and wing chord) differed between...
Bird-vegetation associations in thinned and unthinned young Douglas-fir forests 10 years after thinning
Svetlana Yegorova, Matthew G. Betts, Joan Hagar, Klaus J. Puettmann
2013, Forest Ecology and Management (310) 1057-1070
Quantitative associations between animals and vegetation have long been used as a basis for conservation and management, as well as in formulating predictions about the influence of resource management and climate change on populations. A fundamental assumption embedded in the use of such correlations is that they remain relatively consistent...
AMAP Assessment 2013: Arctic Ocean acidification
2013, Report
This assessment report presents the results of the 2013 AMAP Assessment of Arctic Ocean Acidification (AOA). This is the first such assessment dealing with AOA from an Arctic-wide perspective, and complements several assessments that AMAP has delivered over the past ten years concerning the effects of climate change on Arctic...
Roles of patch characteristics, drought frequency, and restoration in long-term trends of a widespread amphibian
Blake R. Hossack, M. J. Adams, Christopher A. Pearl, Kristine W. Wilson, Evelyn L. Bull, Kristin Lohr, Debra Patla, David S. Pilliod, Jason Jones, Kevin Wheeler, Samuel McKay, P. Stephen Corn
2013, Conservation Biology (27) 1410-1420
Despite the high profile of amphibian declines and the increasing threat of drought and fragmentation to aquatic ecosystems, few studies have examined long-term rates of change for a single species across a large geographic area. We analyzed growth in annual egg-mass counts of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) across...
