Geologic framework of the northern North Carolina, USA inner continental shelf and its influence on coastal evolution
E. Robert Thieler, David S. Foster, Emily A. Himmelstoss, David J. Mallinson
2013, Marine Geology (348) 113-130
The inner continental shelf off the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina was mapped using sidescan sonar, interferometric swath bathymetry, and high-resolution chirp and boomer subbottom profiling systems. We use this information to describe the shallow stratigraphy, reinterpret formation mechanisms of some shoal features, evaluate local relative sea-levels during the...
Identifying when tagged fishes have been consumed by piscivorous predators: application of multivariate mixture models to movement parameters of telemetered fishes
Jason G. Romine, Russell W. Perry, Samuel V. Johnston, Christopher W. Fitzer, Stephen W. Pagliughi, Aaron R. Blake
2013, Animal Biotelemetry (2)
Background Consumption of telemetered fishes by piscivores is problematic for telemetry studies because tag detections from the piscivore could introduce bias into the analysis of telemetry data. We illustrate the use of multivariate mixture models to estimate group membership (smolt or predator) of telemetered juvenile Chinook salmon...
Comparison of harvest scenarios for the cost-effective suppression of Lake Trout in Swan Lake, Montana
John M. Syslo, Christopher S. Guy, Benjamin S. Cox
2013, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (33) 1079-1090
Given the large amount of resources required for long-term control or eradication projects, it is important to assess strategies and associated costs and outcomes before a particular plan is implemented. We developed a population model to assess the cost-effectiveness of mechanical removal strategies for suppressing long-term abundance of nonnative Lake...
Breeding site heterogeneity reduces variability in frog recruitment and population dynamics
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Lisa A. Eby, Bryce A. Maxell, Paul Stephen Corn
2013, Biological Conservation (170) 169-176
Environmental stochasticity can have profound effects on the dynamics and viability of wild populations, and habitat heterogeneity provides one mechanism by which populations may be buffered against the negative effects of environmental fluctuations. Heterogeneity in breeding pond hydroperiod across the landscape may allow amphibian populations to persist despite variable interannual...
Native Prairie Adaptive Management: a multi region adaptive approach to invasive plant management on Fish and Wildlife Service owned native prairies
Jill J. Gannon, Terry L. Shaffer, Clinton T. Moore
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1279
Much of the native prairie managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern Great Plains is extensively invaded by the introduced cool-season grasses, smooth brome (Bromus inermis) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). Management to suppress these invasive plants has had...
Comment on “Historical perspective on seismic hazard to Hispaniola and the northeast Caribbean region” by U. ten Brink et al.
Carol S. Prentice, Paul Mann, Luis R. Pena
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (118) 1602-1605
The analysis of historical earthquakes in the northeastern Caribbean by ten Brink et al. [2011, hereafter TB11] addresses the occurrence of large and destructive historical earthquakes associated with the North American-Caribbean plate boundary. One conclusion presented in TB11 is that the recurrence interval for large earthquakes on the left-lateral, strike-slip...
Technical evaluation of a total maximum daily load model for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon
Tamara M. Wood, Susan A. Wherry, James L. Carter, James S. Kuwabara, Nancy S. Simon, Stewart A. Rounds
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1262
We reviewed a mass balance model developed in 2001 that guided establishment of the phosphorus total maximum daily load (TMDL) for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the model and to determine whether improvements could be made...
Geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources: Oligocene Frio and Anahuac Formations, United States Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and State waters
Sharon M. Swanson, Alexander W. Karlsen, Brett J. Valentine
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1257
The Oligocene Frio and Anahuac Formations were assessed as part of the 2007 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of Tertiary strata of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Basin onshore and State waters. The Frio Formation, which consists of sand-rich fluvio-deltaic systems, has been one of the largest hydrocarbon producers from...
Hurricane Isaac: observations and analysis of coastal change
Kristy K. Guy, Hilary F. Stockdon, Nathaniel G. Plant, Kara S. Doran, Karen L.M. Morgan
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1270
Understanding storm-induced coastal change and forecasting these changes require knowledge of the physical processes associated with a storm and the geomorphology of the impacted coastline. The primary physical process of interest is sediment transport that is driven by waves, currents, and storm surge associated with storms. Storm surge, which is...
A spatial age-structured model for describing sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) population dynamics
Jason M. Robinson, Michael J. Wilberg, Jean V. Adams, Michael L. Jones
2013, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (70) 1709-1722
The control of invasive sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) presents large scale management challenges in the Laurentian Great Lakes. No modeling approach has been developed that describes spatial dynamics of lamprey populations. We developed and validated a spatial and age-structured model and applied it to a sea lamprey population...
Effect of simulated tree canopy removal on a municipal wellfield in the Puget Sound aquifer system, Thurston County, Washington
Kenneth H. Johnson
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1291
Effects of tree canopy removal on a wellfield were simulated using a groundwater flow model characteristic of hydrogeologic settings in the Puget Sound aquifer system. Effects were estimated according to simulated changes in flow patterns that may result from tree canopy removal associated with varying degrees of residential development. The...
Correcting length-frequency distributions for imperfect detection
André R. Breton, John A. Hawkins, Dana L. Winkelman
2013, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (33) 1156-1165
Sampling gear selects for specific sizes of fish, which may bias length-frequency distributions that are commonly used to assess population size structure, recruitment patterns, growth, and survival. To properly correct for sampling biases caused by gear and other sources, length-frequency distributions need to be corrected for imperfect detection. We describe...
Using occupancy models to investigate the prevalence of ectoparasitic vectors on hosts: an example with fleas on prairie dogs
David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Paul F. Doherty Jr., Kenneth L. Gage, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Dustin H. Long, Michael F. Antolin
2013, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife (2) 246-256
Ectoparasites are often difficult to detect in the field. We developed a method that can be used with occupancy models to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites on hosts, and to investigate factors that influence rates of ectoparasite occupancy while accounting for imperfect detection. We describe the approach using a study...
Relations between DNA- and RNA-based molecular methods for cyanobacteria and microcystin concentration at Maumee Bay State Park Lakeside Beach, Oregon, Ohio, 2012
Erin A. Stelzer, Keith A. Loftin, Pamela Struffolino
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5189
Water samples were collected from Maumee Bay State Park Lakeside Beach, Oregon, Ohio, during the 2012 recreational season and analyzed for selected cyanobacteria gene sequences by DNA-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and RNA-based quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results from the four DNA assays (for quantifying total cyanobacteria,...
NGA-West 2 Equations for predicting PGA, PGV, and 5%-Damped PSA for shallow crustal earthquakes
David M. Boore, Jon P. Stewart, Emel Seyhan, Gail M. Atkinson
2013, Earthquake Spectra (30) 1057-1085
We provide ground-motion prediction equations for computing medians and standard deviations of average horizontal component intensity measures (IMs) for shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regions. The equations were derived from a global database with M 3.0–7.9 events. We derived equations for the primary M- and distance-dependence of the IMs...
Environmental survey in the Tuul and Orkhon River basins of north-central Mongolia, 2010: Metals and other elements in streambed sediment and floodplain soil
William G. Brumbaugh, Donald E. Tillitt, Thomas W. May, Ch. Javzan, V. T. Komov
2013, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (185) 8991-9008
Streambed sediment and subsurface floodplain soil were sampled for elemental analyses from 15 locations in river basins of north-central Mongolia during August 2010. Our primary objective was to conduct a reconnaissance-level assessment of potential inputs of toxicologically important metals and metalloids to Lake Baikal, Russia, that might originate from mining...
Lidar-revised geologic map of the Olalla 7.5' quadrangle, King, Kitsap, and Pierce Counties, Washington
Rowland W. Tabor, Ralph A. Haugerud, Derek B. Booth, Kathy Goetz Troost
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3277
The Olalla 7.5' quadrangle, which lies almost in the center of the Puget Lowland, displays the broad range of geologic environments typical of the region. The upland plain is fluted by the passage of the great continental ice sheet that last covered the area about 17,000 (14,000 radiocarbon) years ago....
Hydrogeology and water quality in the Snake River alluvial aquifer at Jackson Hole Airport, Jackson, Wyoming, water years 2011 and 2012
Peter R. Wright
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5184
The hydrogeology and water quality of the Snake River alluvial aquifer at the Jackson Hole Airport in northwest Wyoming was studied by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Jackson Hole Airport Board, during water years 2011 and 2012 as part of a followup to a previous baseline study...
The effect of sampling rate and anti-aliasing filters on high-frequency response spectra
David M. Boore, Christine Goulet
2013, Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (12) 203-216
The most commonly used intensity measure in ground-motion prediction equations is the pseudo-absolute response spectral acceleration (PSA), for response periods from 0.01 to 10 s (or frequencies from 0.1 to 100 Hz). PSAs are often derived from recorded ground motions, and these motions are usually filtered to remove high and...
Megathrust splay faults at the focus of the Prince William Sound asperity, Alaska
Lee M. Liberty, Shaun P. Finn, Peter J. Haeussler, Thomas L. Pratt, Andrew Peterson
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research (118) 5428-5441
High-resolution sparker and crustal-scale air gun seismic reflection data, coupled with repeat bathymetric surveys, document a region of repeated coseismic uplift on the portion of the Alaska subduction zone that ruptured in 1964. This area defines the western limit of Prince William Sound. Differencing of vintage and modern bathymetric surveys...
Mountain pine beetle impacts on vegetation and carbon stocks
Todd Hawbaker, Jennifer S. Briggs, Megan K. Caldwell, Susan Stitt
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3095
In the Southern Rocky Mountains, an epidemic outbreak of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) has caused levels of tree mortality unprecedented in recorded history. The impacts of this mortality on vegetation composition, forest structure, and carbon stocks have only recently received attention, although the impacts of other disturbances such...
Flood-inundation maps for a 6.5-mile reach of the Kentucky River at Frankfort, Kentucky
Jeremiah G. Lant
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3278
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.5-mile reach of Kentucky River at Frankfort, Kentucky, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Frankfort Office of Emergency Management. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/,...
seawaveQ: an R package providing a model and utilities for analyzing trends in chemical concentrations in streams with a seasonal wave (seawave) and adjustment for streamflow (Q) and other ancillary variables
Karen R. Ryberg, Aldo V. Vecchia
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1255
The seawaveQ R package fits a parametric regression model (seawaveQ) to pesticide concentration data from streamwater samples to assess variability and trends. The model incorporates the strong seasonality and high degree of censoring common in pesticide data and users can incorporate numerous ancillary variables, such as streamflow anomalies. The model...
Quantifying potential earthquake and tsunami hazard in the Lesser Antilles subduction zone of the Caribbean region
Gavin P. Hayes, Daniel E. McNamara, Lily Seidman, Jean Roger
2013, Geophysical Journal International (196) 510-521
In this study, we quantify the seismic and tsunami hazard in the Lesser Antilles subduction zone, focusing on the plate interface offshore of Guadeloupe. We compare potential strain accumulated via GPS-derived plate motions to strain release due to earthquakes that have occurred over the past 110 yr, and compute the...
Insights and issues with simulating terrestrial DOC loading of Arctic river networks
David W. Kicklighter, Daniel J. Hayes, James W. McClelland, Bruce J. Peterson, A. David McGuire, Jerry M. Melillo
2013, Ecological Applications (23) 1817-1836
Terrestrial carbon dynamics influence the contribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to river networks in addition to hydrology. In this study, we use a biogeochemical process model to simulate the lateral transfer of DOC from land to the Arctic Ocean via riverine transport. We estimate that, over the 20th century,...
