Decomposition
Beth A. Middleton
2014, Article, Oxford Bibliographies
A cornerstone of ecosystem ecology, decomposition was recognized as a fundamental process driving the exchange of energy in ecosystems by early ecologists such as Lindeman 1942 and Odum 1960). In the history of ecology, studies of decomposition were incorporated into the International Biological Program in the 1960s to compare the...
Global assessment of human losses due to earthquakes
Vitor Silva, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Graeme Weatherill, Helen Crowley
2014, Conference Paper
Current studies have demonstrated a sharp increase in human losses due to earthquakes. These alarming levels of casualties suggest the need for large-scale investment in seismic risk mitigation, which, in turn, requires an adequate understanding of the extent of the losses, and location of the most affected regions. Recent developments...
Assessing the value of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) in Everglades restoration: an ecosystem service approach
Leslie A. Richardson, Kelly Keefe, Christopher C. Huber, Laila Racevskis, Reynolds Gregg, Scott Thourot, Ian Miller
2014, Ecological Economics (107) 366-377
This study identifies a full range of ecosystem services that could be affected by a restoration project in the central Everglades and monetizes the economic value of a subset of these services using existing data. Findings suggest that the project will potentially increase many ecosystem services that have considerable economic...
Estimated monthly streamflows for selected locations on the Kabul and Logar Rivers, Aynak copper, cobalt, and chromium area of interest, Afghanistan, 1951-2010
Kevin C. Vining, Aldo V. Vecchia
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5157
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, used the stochastic monthly water-balance model and existing climate data to estimate monthly streamflows for 1951–2010 for selected streamgaging stations located within the Aynak copper, cobalt, and chromium area of interest...
User's manual for the upper Delaware River riverine environmental flow decision support system (REFDSS), Version 1.1.2
Colin Talbert, Kelly O. Maloney, Chris Holmquist-Johnson, Leanne Hanson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1183
Between 2002 and 2006, the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted field surveys, organized workshops, and performed analysis of habitat for trout and shad in the Upper Delaware River Basin. This work culminated in the development of decision support system software (the Delaware River...
Withdrawal and consumption of water by thermoelectric power plants in the United States, 2010
Timothy H. Diehl, Melissa A. Harris
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5184
Estimates of water use at thermoelectric plants were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey based on linked heat and water budgets, and complement reported thermoelectric water withdrawals and consumption. The heat- and water-budget models produced withdrawal and consumption estimates, including thermodynamically plausible ranges of minimum and maximum withdrawal and consumption,...
Predicting foundation bunchgrass species abundances: Model-assisted decision-making in protected-area sagebrush steppe
Thomas J. Rodhouse, Kathryn M. Irvine, Roger L. Sheley, Brenda S. Smith, Shirley Hoh, Daniel M. Esposito, Ricardo Mata-Gonzalez
2014, Ecosphere (5) 1-19
Foundation species are structurally dominant members of ecological communities that can stabilize ecological processes and influence resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasion. Being common, they are often overlooked for conservation but are increasingly threatened from land use change, biological invasions, and over-exploitation. The pattern of foundation species abundances over...
The effects of hydropattern and predator communities on amphibian occupancy
Staci Amburgey, L.L. Bailey, M.A. Murphy, Erin L. Muths, W. C. Funk
2014, Canadian Journal of Zoology (92) 927-937
Complex, interactive ecological constraints regulate species distributions, and understanding these factors is crucial for predicting species persistence. We used occupancy analysis, which corrects for imperfect detection, to test the importance of abiotic and biotic habitat and landscape factors on probability of occupancy by Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata (Agassiz, 1850)) tadpoles....
Acute sensitivity of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to copper, cadmium, or zinc in water-only laboratory exposures
Robin D. Calfee, Edward E. Little, Holly J. Puglis, Erinn L. Scott, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher A. Mebane
2014, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (33) 2259-2272
The acute toxicity of cadmium, copper, and zinc to white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were determined for 7 developmental life stages in flow-through water-only exposures. Metal toxicity varied by species and by life stage. Rainbow trout were more sensitive to cadmium than white sturgeon across all...
A generalization of the double-corner-frequency source spectral model and its use in the SCEC BBP validation exercise
David M. Boore, Carola Di Alessandro, Norman A. Abrahamson
2014, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (104) 2387-2398
The stochastic method of simulating ground motions requires the specification of the shape and scaling with magnitude of the source spectrum. The spectral models commonly used are either single-corner-frequency or double-corner-frequency models, but the latter have no flexibility to vary the high-frequency spectral levels for a specified seismic moment....
Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) ‐ New functionality for predicting changes in distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation in response to sea level rise
Henry Lee II, Deborah A. Reusser, Melanie R Frazier, Lee M McCoy, Patrick J. Clinton, Jonathan S. Clough
2014, Report
Introduction Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is an ecologically important habitat world‐wide. In Pacific Northwest (PNW) estuaries, SAV in the lower intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats are dominated by the native seagrass, Zostera marina Linnaeus, 1753. Within this report, SAV and seagrass refer to Z. marina seagrass beds in PNW estuaries. Z....
Concentrations, loads, and yields of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment and bacteria concentrations in the Wister Lake Basin, Oklahoma and Arkansas, 2011-13
Stephanie D. Buck
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5170
The Poteau Valley Improvement Authority uses Wister Lake in southeastern Oklahoma as a public water supply. Total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediments from agricultural runoff and discharges from wastewater treatment plants and other sources have degraded water quality in the lake. As lake-water quality has degraded, water-treatment cost, chemical...
Hydrologic conditions in urban Miami-Dade County, Florida, and the effect of groundwater pumpage and increased sea level on canal leakage and regional groundwater flow
Joseph D. Hughes, Jeremy T. White
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5162
The extensive and highly managed surface-water system in southeastern Florida constructed during the 20th Century has allowed for the westward expansion of urban and agricultural activities in Miami-Dade County. In urban areas of the county, the surface-water system is used to (1) control urban flooding, (2) supply recharge to production...
Effects of seasonal operation on the quality of water produced by public-supply wells
Laura M. Bexfield, Bryant C. Jurgens
2014, Groundwater (52) 10-24
Seasonal variability in groundwater pumping is common in many places, but resulting effects of seasonal pumping stress on the quality of water produced by public-supply wells are not thoroughly understood. Analysis of historical water-quality samples from public-supply wells completed in deep basin-fill aquifers in Modesto, California (134 wells) and Albuquerque,...
Correlations of turbidity to suspended-sediment concentration in the Toutle River Basin, near Mount St. Helens, Washington, 2010-11
Mark A. Uhrich, Jasna Kolasinac, Pamela L. Booth, Robert L. Fountain, Kurt R. Spicer, Adam R. Mosbrucker
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1204
Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory, investigated alternative methods for the traditional sample-based sediment record procedure in determining suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) and discharge. One such sediment-surrogate technique was developed using turbidity and discharge to estimate SSC for two gaging stations in the Toutle River Basin near Mount...
The 3D Elevation Program: Summary for New Jersey
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3091
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 New Jersey, elevation data are critical for water supply and quality, flood risk management, natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, infrastructure...
Strong influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation on flood risk around the world
Philip J. Ward, B Jongman, M. Kummu, Mike Dettinger, F.C Sperna Weiland, H.C Winsemius
2014, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (111) 15659-15664
El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most dominant interannual signal of climate variability and has a strong influence on climate over large parts of the world. In turn, it strongly influences many natural hazards (such as hurricanes and droughts) and their resulting socioeconomic impacts, including economic damage and loss...
Development and use of a basin-scale hydrologic model for the Onondaga Lake basin
William F. Coon
2014, Clear Waters (44) 31-33
No abstract available....
Landscape alterations influence differential habitat use of nesting buteos and ravens within sagebrush ecosystem: implications for transmission line development
Peter S. Coates, Kristy B. Howe, Michael L. Casazza, David J. Delehanty
2014, The Condor (116) 341-356
A goal in avian ecology is to understand factors that influence differences in nesting habitat and distribution among species, especially within changing landscapes. Over the past 2 decades, humans have altered sagebrush ecosystems as a result of expansion in energy production and transmission. Our primary study objective was to identify...
Base of principal aquifer for parts of the North Platte, South Platte, and Twin Platte Natural Resources Districts, western Nebraska
Christopher M. Hobza, Jared D. Abraham, James C. Cannia, Michaela R. Johnson, Steven S. Sibray
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3310
Water resources in the North and South Platte River valleys of Nebraska, including the valley of Lodgepole Creek, are critical to the social and economic health of the area, and for the recovery of threatened and endangered species in the Platte River Basin. Groundwater and surface water are heavily used...
Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in South San Francisco Bay, California: 2013
Jessica Dyke, Daniel J. Cain, Janet K. Thompson, Amy E. Kleckner, Francis Parcheso, Michelle I. Hornberger, Samuel N. Luoma
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1174
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Macoma petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in South San Francisco Bay, Calif....
One-Water Hydrologic Flow Model (MODFLOW-OWHM)
Randall T. Hanson, Scott E. Boyce, Wolfgang Schmid, Joseph D. Hughes, Steffen W. Mehl, Stanley A. Leake, Thomas Maddock III, Richard G. Niswonger
2014, Techniques and Methods 6-A51
The One-Water Hydrologic Flow Model (MF-OWHM) is a MODFLOW-based integrated hydrologic flow model (IHM) that is the most complete version, to date, of the MODFLOW family of hydrologic simulators needed for the analysis of a broad range of conjunctive-use issues. Conjunctive use is the combined use of groundwater and surface...
Stream classification of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System to support modeling of aquatic habitat response to climate change
Caroline M. Elliott, Robert B. Jacobson, Mary Freeman
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5080
A stream classification and associated datasets were developed for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin to support biological modeling of species response to climate change in the southeastern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of the Interior’s National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center established the Southeast Regional Assessment...
Insights for empirically modeling evapotranspiration influenced by riparian and upland vegetation in semiarid regions
Daniel P. Bunting, Shirley A. Kurc, Edward P. Glenn, Pamela L. Nagler, Russell L. Scott
2014, Journal of Arid Environments (111) 42-52
Water resource managers aim to ensure long-term water supplies for increasing human populations. Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key component of the water balance and accurate estimates are important to quantify safe allocations to humans while supporting environmental needs. Scaling up ET measurements from small spatial scales has been problematic due...
Frequency-dependent effects of rupture for the 2004 Parkfield mainshock, results from UPSAR
Jon B. Fletcher
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (119) 7195-7208
The frequency-dependent effects of rupture propagation of the Parkfield, California earthquake (Sept. 28, 2004, M6) to the northwest along the San Andreas fault can be seen in acceleration records at UPSAR (USGS Parkfield Seismic Array) in at least two ways. First, we can see the effects of directivity in the...
