Reproductive health of yellow perch Perca flavescens in selected tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay
Vicki Blazer, Alfred E. Pinkney, Jill A. Jenkins, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Steven Minkkinen, Rassa O. Draugelis-Dale, James H. Uphoff
2013, Science of the Total Environment (447) 198-209
Reduced recruitment of yellow perch has been noted for a number of years in certain urbanized watersheds (South and Severn Rivers) of the Chesapeake Bay. Other rapidly developing watersheds such as Mattawoman Creek are more recently showing evidence of reduced recruitment of anadromous fishes. In this study, we used a...
Evaluating methodological assumptions of a catch-curve survival estimation of unmarked precocial shorebird chickes
Conor P. McGowan, Beth Gardner
2013, Waterbirds (36) 82-87
Estimating productivity for precocial species can be difficult because young birds leave their nest within hours or days of hatching and detectability thereafter can be very low. Recently, a method for using a modified catch-curve to estimate precocial chick daily survival for age based count data was presented using Piping...
Determination of Antimycin-A in water by liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometry: single-laboratory validation
Jeffry A. Bernardy, Terrance D. Hubert, Jacob M. Ogorek, Larry J. Schmidt
2013, Journal of AOAC International (96) 413-421
An LC/MS method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination and confirmation of antimycin-A (ANT-A) in water from lakes or streams. Three different water sample volumes (25, 50, and 250 mL) were evaluated. ANT-A was stabilized in the field by immediately extracting it from water into anhydrous acetone using...
Fish assemblages in borrow-pit lakes of the Lower Mississippi River
Leandro E. Miranda, K. J. Killgore, J.J. Hoover
2013, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (142) 596-605
Borrow-pit lakes encompass about a third of the lentic water habitats (by area) in the active floodplain of the Lower Mississippi River, yet little is known about their fish assemblages. We investigated whether fish assemblages supported by borrow-pit lakes resembled those in oxbow lakes to help place the ecological relevance...
Daily survival rate for nests and chicks of Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) at natural nest sites in South Carolina
Gillian L. Brooks, Felicia J. Sanders, Patrick D. Gerard, Patrick G.R. Jodice
2013, Waterbirds (36) 1-10
Although a species of conservation concern, little is known about the reproductive success of Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) throughout the southeastern USA where availability of natural beaches for nesting is limited. Daily survival rate (DSR) of nests and chicks was examined at four natural nesting sites in Cape Romain National...
Predicted effect of landscape position on wildlife habitat value of Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program wetlands in a tile-drained agricultural region
David L. Otis, William R. Crumpton, David Green, Anna Loan-Wilsey, Tom Cooper, Rex R. Johnson
2013, Restoration Ecology (21) 276-284
Justification for investment in restored or constructed wetland projects are often based on presumed net increases in ecosystem services. However, quantitative assessment of performance metrics is often difficult and restricted to a single objective. More comprehensive performance assessments could help inform decision-makers about trade-offs in services provided by alternative restoration...
Tidally influenced alongshore circulation at an inlet-adjacent shoreline
Jeff E. Hansen, Edwin P.L. Elias, Jeffrey H. List, Li H. Erikson, Patrick L. Barnard
2013, Continental Shelf Research (56) 26-38
The contribution of tidal forcing to alongshore circulation inside the surfzone is investigated at a 7 km long sandy beach adjacent to a large tidal inlet. Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA (USA) is onshore of a ∼150 km2 ebb-tidal delta and directly south of the Golden Gate, the sole...
Mineral resource of the month: beryllium
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2013, Earth (58) 57-57
The article discusses information about Beryllium. It notes that Beryllium is a light metal that has a gray color. The metal is used in the production of parts and devices including bearings, computer-chip heat sinks, and output windows of X-ray tubes. The article mentions Beryllium's discovery in 1798 by French...
Suspended-sediment flux and retention in a backwater tidal slough complex near the landward boundary of an estuary
Tara L. Morgan-King, David H. Schoellhamer
2013, Estuaries and Coasts (36) 300-318
Backwater tidal sloughs are commonly found at the landward boundary of estuaries. The Cache Slough complex is a backwater tidal region within the Upper Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta that includes two features that are relevant for resource managers: (1) relatively high abundance of the endangered fish, delta smelt (Hypomesus...
Prolactin regulates transcription of the ion uptake Na+/Cl- cotransporter (ncc) gene in zebrafish gill
Jason P. Breves, Sandy B. Serizier, Vincent Goffin, Stephen D. McCormick, Rolf O. Karlstrom
2013, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Prolactin (PRL) is a well-known regulator of ion and water transport within osmoregulatory tissues across vertebrate species, yet how PRL acts on some of its target tissues remains poorly understood. Using zebrafish as a model, we show that ionocytes in the gill directly respond to systemic PRL to regulate mechanisms...
Concentrations of chloride and sodium in groundwater in New Hampshire from 1960 through 2011
Laura Medalie
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3011
Several studies from the 1970s and more recently (for example, Hall (1975), Daley and others (2009) and Mullaney (2009)) have found that concentrations of chloride and sodium in groundwater in New Hampshire have increased during the past 50 years. Increases likely are related to road salt and other anthropogenic sources,...
Monitoring storm tide and flooding from Hurricane Sandy along the Atlantic coast of the United States, October 2012
Brian E. McCallum, Shaun Wicklein, Robert G. Reiser, Ronald Busciolano, Jonathan Morrison, Richard J. Verdi, Jaime A. Painter, Eric R. Frantz, Anthony J. Gotvald
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1043
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed a temporary monitoring network of water-level and barometric pressure sensors at 224 locations along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Maine to continuously record the timing, areal extent, and magnitude of hurricane storm tide and coastal flooding generated by Hurricane Sandy. These records were...
Macrophyte and pH buffering updates to the Klamath River water-quality model upstream of Keno Dam, Oregon
Annett B. Sullivan, Stewart A. Rounds, Jessica R. Asbill-Case, Michael L. Deas
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5016
A hydrodynamic, water temperature, and water-quality model of the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the upper Klamath River was updated to account for macrophytes and enhanced pH buffering from dissolved organic matter, ammonia, and orthophosphorus. Macrophytes had been observed in this reach by field personnel, so macrophyte field...
Anaerobic methane oxidation in low-organic content methane seep sediments
John W. Pohlman, Michael Riedel, James E. Bauer, Elizabeth A. Canuel, Charles K. Paull, Laura Lapham, Kenneth S. Grabowski, Richard B. Coffin, George D. Spence
2013, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (108) 184-201
Sulfate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is the key sedimentary microbial process limiting methane emissions from marine sediments and methane seeps. In this study, we investigate how the presence of low-organic content sediment influences the capacity and efficiency of AOM at Bullseye vent, a gas hydrate-bearing cold seep offshore of...
A data-based conservation planning tool for Florida panthers
Jennifer L. Murrow, Cindy A. Thatcher, Frank T. van Manen, Joseph D. Clark
2013, Environmental Modeling & Assessment (18) 159-170
Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest threats to the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). We developed a data-based habitat model and user-friendly interface so that land managers can objectively evaluate Florida panther habitat. We used a geographic information system (GIS) and the Mahalanobis distance statistic (D2) to develop...
Estimation of evapotranspiration across the conterminous United States using a regression with climate and land-cover data
Ward E. Sanford, David L. Selnick
2013, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (49) 217-230
Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important quantity for water resource managers to know because it often represents the largest sink for precipitation (P) arriving at the land surface. In order to estimate actual ET across the conterminous United States (U.S.) in this study, a water-balance method was combined with a climate...
Hyperspectral surface materials map of quadrangle 3562, Khawja-Jir (403) and Murghab (404) quadrangles, Afghanistan, showing iron-bearing minerals and other materials
Trude King, Todd M. Hoefen, Raymond F. Kokaly, Keith E. Livo, Michaela R. Johnson, Stuart A. Giles
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1202-B
This map shows the spatial distribution of selected iron-bearing minerals and other materials derived from analysis of airborne HyMap™ imaging spectrometer (hyperspectral) data of Afghanistan collected in late 2007. This map is one in a series of U.S. Geological Survey/Afghanistan Geological Survey quadrangle maps covering Afghanistan. Flown at an altitude of...
Fens as whole-ecosystem gauges of groundwater recharge under climate change
Judith Z. Drexler, Donna L. Knifong, JayLee Tuil, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint
2013, Journal of Hydrology (481) 22-34
Currently, little is known about the impact of climate change on groundwater recharge in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range of California or other mountainous regions of the world. The purpose of this study was to determine whether small alpine peat lands called fens can be used as whole-ecosystem...
An ecohydraulic model to identify and monitor moapa dace habitat
James R. Hatten, Thomas R. Batt, Gayton G. Scoppettone, Christopher J. Dixon
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) is a critically endangered thermophilic minnow native to the Muddy River ecosystem in southeastern Nevada, USA. Restricted to temperatures between 26.0 and 32.0°C, these fish are constrained to the upper two km of the Muddy River and several small tributaries fed by warm springs. Habitat alterations,...
Water quality in the Anacostia River, Maryland and Rock Creek, Washington, D.C.: Continuous and discrete monitoring with simulations to estimate concentrations and yields of nutrients, suspended sediment, and bacteria
Cherie V. Miller, Jeffrey G. Chanat, Joseph M. Bell
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1034
Concentrations and loading estimates for nutrients, suspended sediment, and E. coli bacteria were summarized for three water-quality monitoring stations on the Anacostia River in Maryland and one station on Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. Both streams are tributaries to the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and contribute...
Nitrate in watersheds: straight from soils to streams?
Elizabeth B. Sudduth, Steven S. Perakis, Emily S. Bernhardt
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (118) 291-302
Human activities are rapidly increasing the global supply of reactive N and substantially altering the structure and hydrologic connectivity of managed ecosystems. There is long-standing recognition that N must be removed along hydrologic flowpaths from uplands to streams, yet it has proven difficult to assess the generality of this removal...
Potential effects of changes in temperature and food resources on life history trajectories of juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss
Joseph R. Benjamin, Patrick J. Connolly, Jason G. Romine, Russell W. Perry
2013, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (142) 208-220
Increasing temperatures and changes in food resources owing to climate change may alter the growth and migratory behavior of organisms. This is particularly important for salmonid species like Oncorhynchus mykiss, where some individuals remain in freshwater to mature (nonanadromous Rainbow Trout) and others migrate to sea (anadromous Steelhead). Whether one...
Comparison of filters for concentrating microbial indicators and pathogens in lake-water samples
Donna S. Francy, Erin A. Stelzer, Amie M. G. Brady, Carrie Huitger, Rebecca N. Bushon, S. Ip, Michael W. Ware, Eric N. Villegas, Vincent Gallardo, H.D. Alan Lindquist
2013, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (79) 1342-1352
Bacterial indicators are used to indicate increased health risk from pathogens and to make beach closure and advisory decisions; however, beaches are seldom monitored for the pathogens themselves. Studies of sources and types of pathogens at beaches are needed to improve estimates of swimming-associated health risks. It would be advantageous...
Predictive models for Escherichia coli concentrations at inland lake beaches and relationship of model variables to pathogen detection
Donna S. Francy, Erin A. Stelzer, Joseph W. Duris, Amie M. G. Brady, John H. Harrison, Heather E. Johnson, Michael W. Ware
2013, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (79) 1676-1688
Predictive models, based on environmental and water quality variables, have been used to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water quality assessments, but their effectiveness has not been studied in inland waters. Sampling at eight inland recreational lakes in Ohio was done in order to investigate using predictive models...
Hydrogeologic framework and estimates of groundwater storage for the Hualapai Valley, Detrital Valley, and Sacramento Valley basins, Mohave County, Arizona
Margot Truini, L. Sue Beard, Jeffrey Kennedy, Dave W. Anning
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5275
We have investigated the hydrogeology of the Hualapai Valley, Detrital Valley, and Sacramento Valley basins of Mohave County in northwestern Arizona to develop a better understanding of groundwater storage within the basin fill aquifers. In our investigation we used geologic maps, well-log data, and geophysical surveys to delineate the sedimentary...
