Simulation of groundwater and surface-water resources of the Santa Rosa Plain watershed, Sonoma County, California
Linda R. Woolfenden, Tracy Nishikawa
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5052
Water managers in the Santa Rosa Plain face the challenge of meeting increasing water demand with a combination of Russian River water, which has uncertainties in its future availability; local groundwater resources; and ongoing and expanding recycled water and water from other conservation programs. To address this challenge, the U.S....
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...
To understand coral disease, look at coral cells
Thierry M. Work, Carol U. Meteyer
2014, EcoHealth (11) 610-618
Diseases threaten corals globally, but 40 years on their causes remain mostly unknown. We hypothesize that inconsistent application of a complete diagnostic approach to coral disease has contributed to this slow progress. We quantified methods used to investigate coral disease in 492 papers published between 1965 and 2013. Field surveys...
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...
In vitro immune functions in thiamine-replete and -depleted lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
Christopher A. Ottinger, Dale C. Honeyfield, Christine L. Densmore, Luke R. Iwanowicz
2014, Fish & Shellfish Immunology (38) 211-220
In this study we examined the impacts of in vivo thiamine deficiency on lake trout leukocyte function measured in vitro. When compared outside the context of individual-specific thiamine concentrations no significant differences were observed in leukocyte bactericidal activity or in concanavalin A (Con A), and phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) stimulated leukocyte proliferation....
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...
Estimating abundances of interacting species using morphological traits, foraging guilds, and habitat
Robert M. Dorazio, Edward F. Connor
2014, PLoS ONE (9) 1-9
We developed a statistical model to estimate the abundances of potentially interacting species encountered while conducting point-count surveys at a set of ecologically relevant locations - as in a metacommunity of species. In the model we assume that abundances of species with similar traits (e.g., body size) are potentially correlated...
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...
Hemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific
Robert E. Gill Jr., David C. Douglas, Colleen M. Handel, T. Lee Tibbitts, Gary Hufford, Theunis Piersma
2014, Animal Behaviour (90) 117-130
The annual 29 000 km long migration of the bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica baueri, around the Pacific Ocean traverses what is arguably the most complex and seasonally structured atmospheric setting on Earth. Faced with marked variation in wind regimes and storm conditions across oceanic migration corridors, individuals must make critical decisions...
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...
Variability in wood-frame building damage using broad-band synthetic ground motions: a comparative numerical study with recorded motions
Shiling Pei, John W. van de Lindt, Stephen H. Hartzell, Nicolas Luco
2014, Journal of Earthquake Engineering (18) 389-406
Earthquake damage to light-frame wood buildings is a major concern for North America because of the volume of this construction type. In order to estimate wood building damage using synthetic ground motions, we need to verify the ability of synthetically generated ground motions to simulate realistic damage for this structure...
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,...
Three-dimensional distribution of igneous rocks near the Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit in southwestern Alaska: constraints from regional-scale aeromagnetic data
Eric D. Anderson, Wei Zhou, Yaoguo Li, Murray W. Hitzman, Thomas Monecke, James R. Lang, Karen D. Kelley
2014, Geophysics (79) B63-B79
Aeromagnetic data helped us to understand the 3D distribution of plutonic rocks near the Pebble porphyry copper deposit in southwestern Alaska, USA. Magnetic susceptibility measurements showed that rocks in the Pebble district are more magnetic than rocks of comparable compositions in the Pike Creek–Stuyahok Hills volcano-plutonic complex. The reduced-to-pole transformation...
The influence of interspecific interactions on species range expansion rates
Jens-Christian Svenning, Dominique Gravel, Robert D. Holt, Frank M. Schurr, Wilfried Thuiller, Tamara Munkemuller, Katja H. Schiffers, Stefan Dullinger, Thomas C. Edwards Jr., Thomas Hickler, Steven I. Higgins, Julia E.M.S. Nabel, Jorn Pagel, Signe Normand
2014, Ecography (37) 1198-1209
Ongoing and predicted global change makes understanding and predicting species’ range shifts an urgent scientific priority. Here, we provide a synthetic perspective on the so far poorly understood effects of interspecific interactions on range expansion rates. We present theoretical foundations for how interspecific interactions may modulate range expansion rates, consider...
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...
Research, monitoring, and evaluation of emerging issues and measures to recover the Snake River fall Chinook salmon ESU, 1/1/2012 – 12/31/2013: Annual report, 1991-029-00
William P. Connor, Frank Mullins, Kenneth F. Tiffan, Russell W. Perry, John M. Erhardt, Scott J. St. John, Brad K. Bickford, Tobyn N. Rhodes
2014, Report
The portion of the Snake River fall Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ESU that spawns upstream of Lower Granite Dam transitioned from low to high abundance during 1992–2014 in association with U.S. Endangered Species Act recovery efforts and other Federally mandated actions. This annual report focuses on (1) numeric and habitat...
Comparing cropland net primary production estimates from inventory, a satellite-based model, and a process-based model in the Midwest of the United States
Zhengpeng Li, Shuguang Liu, Zhengxi Tan, Norman B. Bliss, Claudia J. Young, Tristram O. West, Stephen M. Ogle
2014, Ecological Modelling (277) 1-12
Accurately quantifying the spatial and temporal variability of net primary production (NPP) for croplands is essential to understand regional cropland carbon dynamics. We compared three NPP estimates for croplands in the Midwestern United States: inventory-based estimates using crop yield data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics...
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...
The impacts of recent permafrost thaw on land-atmosphere greenhouse gas exchange
Daniel J. Hayes, David W. Kicklighter, A. David McGuire, Min Chen, Qianlai Zhuang, Fengming Yuan, Jerry M. Melillo, Stan D. Wullschleger
2014, Environmental Research Letters (9)
Permafrost thaw and the subsequent mobilization of carbon (C) stored in previously frozen soil organic matter (SOM) have the potential to be a strong positive feedback to climate. As the northern permafrost region experiences as much as a doubling of the rate of warming as the rest of the Earth,...
Decision support system development at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Timothy J. Fox, J. C. Nelson, Jason J. Rohweder
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3021
A Decision Support System (DSS) can be defined in many ways. The working definition used by the U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) is, “A spatially based computer application or data that assists a researcher or manager in making decisions.” This is quite a broad definition—and it...
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...
Accuracy of aging ducks in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey
Aaron T. Pearse, Douglas H. Johnson, Kenneth D. Richkus, Frank C. Rohwer, Robert R. Cox Jr., Paul I. Padding
2014, Wildlife Society Bulletin (38) 26-32
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts an annual Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey to estimate composition of harvested waterfowl by species, sex, and age (i.e., juv or ad). The survey relies on interpretation of duck wings by a group of experienced biologists at annual meetings (hereafter, flyway wingbees). Our objectives...
Laharz_py: GIS tools for automated mapping of lahar inundation hazard zones
Steve P. Schilling
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1073
Laharz_py is written in the Python programming language as a suite of tools for use in ArcMap Geographic Information System (GIS). Primarily, Laharz_py is a computational model that uses statistical descriptions of areas inundated by past mass-flow events to forecast areas likely to be inundated by hypothetical future events. The...
