Predicting the effects of climate change on ecosystems and wildlife habitat in northwest Alaska
Anthony R. DeGange, Bruce G. Marcot, James Lawler, Torre Jorgenson, Robert Winfree
2014, Alaska Park Science (12) 66-73
We used a modeling framework and a recent ecological land classification and land cover map to predict how ecosystems and wildlife habitat in northwest Alaska might change in response to increasing temperature. Our results suggest modest increases in forest and tall shrub ecotypes in Northwest Alaska by the end of...
The interactive effects of climate change, riparian management, and a non-native predators on stream-rearing salmon
David J. Lawrence, Ben Stewart-Koster, Julian D. Olden, Aaron S. Ruesch, Christian E. Torgersen, Joshua J. Lawler, Don P. Butcher, Julia K. Crown
2014, Ecological Applications (24) 895-912
Predicting how climate change is likely to interact with myriad other stressors that threaten species of conservation concern is an essential challenge in aquatic ecosystems. This study provides a framework to accomplish this task in salmon-bearing streams of the northwestern United States, where land-use related reductions in riparian shading have...
Late Holocene vegetation, climate, and land-use impacts on carbon dynamics in the Florida Everglades
Miriam C. Jones, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Debra A. Willard
2014, Quaternary Science Reviews (90) 90-105
Tropical and subtropical peatlands are considered a significant carbon sink. The Florida Everglades includes 6000-km2 of peat-accumulating wetland; however, detailed carbon dynamics from different environments within the Everglades have not been extensively studied or compared. Here we present carbon accumulation rates from 13 cores and 4 different environments, including sawgrass ridges...
Flow monitoring along the western Tamiami Trail between County Road 92 and State Road 29 in support of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, 2007-2010
Amanda Booth, Lars E. Soderqvist, Marcia C. Berry
2014, Data Series 831
The construction of U.S. Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail), the Southern Golden Gate Estates development, and the Barron River Canal has altered the flow of freshwater to the Ten Thousand Islands estuary of Southwest Florida. Two restoration projects, the Picayune Strand Restoration Project and the Tamiami Trail Culverts Project, both associated...
Water resources of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
Lawrence B. Prakken, Vincent E. White, John K. Lovelace
2014, Fact Sheet 2013-3102
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for management of this vital resource. Information on the...
Interactions between waves, sediment, and turbulence on a shallow estuarine mudflat
Lissa J. MacVean, Jessica R. Lacy
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (119) 1534-1553
Measurements were collected on a shallow estuarine mudflat in northern San Francisco Bay to examine the physical processes controlling waves, turbulence, sediment resuspension, and their interactions. Tides alone forced weak to moderate currents of 10–30 cm s-1 in depths of 0–3 m, and maintained a background suspension of 30–50 mg...
Direct measurement of sub-surface mass change using the variable-baseline gravity gradient method
Jeffrey Kennedy, Ty P.A. Ferré, Andreas Guntner, Maiko Abe, Benjamin Creutzfeldt
2014, Geophysical Research Letters (41) 2827-2834
Time-lapse gravity data provide a direct, non-destructive method to monitor mass changes at scales from cm to km. But, the effectively infinite spatial sensitivity of gravity measurements can make it difficult to isolate the signal of interest. The variable-baseline gravity gradient method, based on the difference of measurements between two...
Coastal storm monitoring in Virginia
Shaun Wicklein, Mark Bennett
2014, General Information Product 156
Coastal communities in Virginia are prone to flooding, particularly during hurricanes, nor’easters, and other coastal low-pressure systems. These weather systems affect public safety, personal and public property, and valuable infrastructure, such as transportation, water and sewer, and electric-supply networks. Local emergency managers, utility operators, and the public are tasked with making...
Trends in precipitation, runoff, and evapotranspiration for rivers draining to the Gulf of Maine in the United States
Thomas G. Huntington, M. Billmire
2014, Journal of Hydrometeorology (15) 726-743
Climate warming is projected to result in increases in total annual precipitation in northeastern North America. The response of runoff to increases in precipitation is likely to be more complex because increasing evapotranspiration (ET) could counteract increasing precipitation. This study was conducted to examine these competing trends in the historical...
Spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Green River Formation using Fischer Assay, Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado
Ronald C. Johnson, Tracey J. Mercier, Michael E. Brownfield
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1059
The spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Eocene Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin of northwestern Colorado was studied in detail using some 321,000 Fischer assay analyses in the U.S. Geological Survey oil-shale database. The oil-shale section was subdivided into 17 roughly time-stratigraphic intervals,...
Uncertainty, robustness, and the value of information in managing a population of northern bobwhites
Fred A. Johnson, Greg Hagan, William E. Palmer, Michael Kemmerer
2014, Journal of Wildlife Management (78) 531-539
The abundance of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) has decreased throughout their range. Managers often respond by considering improvements in harvest and habitat management practices, but this can be challenging if substantial uncertainty exists concerning the cause(s) of the decline. We were interested in how application of decision science could be...
Characterization of stormwater at selected South Carolina Department of Transportation maintenance yards and section shed facilities in Ballentine, Conway, and North Charleston, South Carolina, 2010-12
Celeste A. Journey, Kevin J. Conlon
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3011
Increased impervious surfaces (driveways, parking lots, and buildings) and human activities (residential, industrial, and commercial) have been linked to substantial changes in both the quality and quantity of stormwater on a watershed scale (Brabec and others, 2002; Pitt and Maestre, 2005). Small-scale storage and equipment repair facilities increase impervious surfaces...
Hydrogeology of the Old Faithful area, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and its relevance to natural resources and infrastructure
Old Faithful Science Review Panel, Duncan Foley, Robert O. Fournier, Henry P. Heasler, Bern Hinckley, Steven E. Ingebritsen, Jacob B. Lowenstern, David D. Susong
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1058
A panel of leading experts (The Old Faithful Science Review Panel) was convened by Yellowstone National Park (YNP) to review and summarize the geological and hydrological understanding that can inform National Park Service management of the Upper Geyser Basin area. We give an overview of present geological and hydrological knowledge...
Extreme drought: Summary of hydrologic conditions in Georgia, 2012
Andrew E. Knaak, Michael F. Peck
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3028
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Georgia Water Science Center (GaWSC) maintains a long-term hydrologic monitoring network of more than 330 real-time streamgages, including 10 real-time lake-level monitoring stations, 63 real-time water-quality monitors, and 48 water-quality sampling stations. Additionally, the GaWSC operates more than 180 groundwater monitoring wells, 42 of which...
Remediation scenarios for attenuating peak flows and reducing sediment transport in Fountain Creek, Colorado, 2013
Michael S. Kohn, John W. Fulton, Cory A. Williams, Stogner
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Fountain Creek Watershed, Flood Control and Greenway District assessed remediation scenarios to attenuate peak flows and reduce sediment loads in the Fountain Creek watershed. To evaluate these strategies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) hydrologic and hydraulic...
Development of a regionally consistent geospatial dataset of agricultural lands in the Upper Colorado River Basin, 2007-10
Susan G. Buto, Brittany L. Gold, Kimberly A. Jones
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5039
Irrigation in arid environments can alter the natural rate at which salts are dissolved and transported to streams. Irrigated agricultural lands are the major anthropogenic source of dissolved solids in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Understanding the location, spatial distribution, and irrigation status of agricultural lands and the method...
Toxoplasmosis
Dolores E. Hill, J. P. Dubey, Rachel C. Abbott, Charles van Riper III, Elizabeth A. Enright
Rachel C. Abbott, Charles van Riper III, Elizabeth A. Enright, editor(s)
2014, Circular 1389
Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii), one of the better known and more widespread zoonotic diseases, originated in wildlife species and is now well established as a human malady. Food- and waterborne zoonoses, such as toxoplasmosis, are receiving increasing attention as components of disease emergence and resurgence. Toxoplasmosis is transmitted to humans via...
Simulated effects of existing and proposed surface-water impoundments and gas-well pads on streamflow and suspended sediment in the Cypress Creek watershed, Arkansas
Rheannon M. Hart
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5057
Cypress Creek is located in central Arkansas and is the main tributary to Brewer Lake, which serves as the primary water supply for Conway, Arkansas, and the surrounding areas. A model of the Cypress Creek watershed was developed and calibrated in cooperation with Southwestern Energy Company using detailed precipitation, streamflow,...
A review of environmental impacts of salts from produced waters on aquatic resources
Aïda M. Farag, David D. Harper
2014, International Journal of Coal Geology (126) 157-161
Salts are frequently a major constituent of waste waters produced during oil and gas production. These produced waters or brines must be treated and/or disposed and provide a daily challenge for operators and resource managers. Some elements of salts are regulated with water quality criteria established for the protection of...
Testing the accuracy of a 1-D volcanic plume model in estimating mass eruption rate
Larry G. Mastin
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (119) 2474-2495
During volcanic eruptions, empirical relationships are used to estimate mass eruption rate from plume height. Although simple, such relationships can be inaccurate and can underestimate rates in windy conditions. One-dimensional plume models can incorporate atmospheric conditions and give potentially more accurate estimates. Here I present a 1-D model for plumes...
The Southeast Stream Quality Assessment
Peter C. Van Metre, Celeste A. Journey
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3023
In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) is assessing stream quality across the Piedmont and southern Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. The goal of the Southeast Stream Quality Assessment (SESQA) is to characterize multiple water-quality factors that are stressors to aquatic life—contaminants, nutrients,...
Greenhouse gases generated from the anaerobic biodegradation of natural offshore asphalt seepages in southern California
T.D. Lorenson, Florence L. Wong, Peter Dartnell, Ray W. Sliter
2014, Geo-Marine Letters (34) 281-295
Significant offshore asphaltic deposits with active seepage occur in the Santa Barbara Channel offshore southern California. The composition and isotopic signatures of gases sampled from the oil and gas seeps reveal that the coexisting oil in the shallow subsurface is anaerobically biodegraded, generating CO2 with secondary CH4 production. Biomineralization can...
From headwaters to coast: Influence of human activities on water quality of the Potomac River Estuary
Suzanne B. Bricker, Karen C. Rice, Owen P. Bricker III
2014, Aquatic Geochemistry (20) 291-323
The natural aging process of Chesapeake Bay and its tributary estuaries has been accelerated by human activities around the shoreline and within the watershed, increasing sediment and nutrient loads delivered to the bay. Riverine nutrients cause algal growth in the bay leading to reductions in light penetration with consequent declines...
Groundwater studies: principal aquifer surveys
Karen R. Burow, Kenneth Belitz
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3024
In 1991, the U.S. Congress established the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop nationally consistent long-term datasets and provide information about the quality of the Nation’s streams and groundwater. The USGS uses objective and reliable data, water-quality models, and systematic scientific studies to...
Water use characteristics of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) communities along an ecotone with marsh at a northern geographical limit
Ken W. Krauss, Karen L. McKee, Mark W. Hester
2014, Ecohydrology (7) 354-365
Mangroves are expanding into warm temperate-zone salt marsh communities in several locations globally. Although scientists have discovered that expansion might have modest effects on ecosystem functioning, water use characteristics have not been assessed relative to this transition. We measured early growing season sapflow (Js) and leaf transpiration (Tr) in Avicennia...
